Chapter 5 I have an idea

Elinor Fernan returned to the Su family home and, as soon as she stepped inside, spotted Bridget Foster, dressed to the nines and ready to head out. To her surprise, Bridget merely shot her a glare without hurling any insults.

In Elinor's memory, Bridget always dressed up like this to meet one person: her cousin Gethin, who worked as a secretary at the city's education bureau. On these days,Bridget was always in a particularly good mood, getting up early to prepare and leaving in the morning, only to return after dark.

Gethin, Bridget's cousin, was indeed the one who had helped Sylvia Fernan quietly take over Elinor's college spot. Back in the '90s, computers were not widespread, and electronic devices to prevent cheating were nowhere near as advanced as they would become later. In their small county, things were even more backward. Gethin had taken advantage of his position to pull off the switch without anyone noticing, later slipping a bribe to the school staff to keep the matter under wraps. After that, no one ever mentioned it again.

Unlike the later years when computers became common and the internet flourished, allowing anyone to check their scores with a few clicks, back then, scores had to be collected in person from the education bureau, handed out on small slips of paper.

At that time, if you wanted to take someone's spot, all it took was a little connection and some clever maneuvering.

Watching Bridget's retreating figure, Elinor's eyes flickered with determination as she followed her out the door.

After leaving the house, Bridget hopped onto a rickshaw parked by the roadside. During this time, transportation was still underdeveloped, and most people relied on their own two feet or paid a small fee-about a dollar-to ride a human-powered rickshaw.

Elinor Fernan watched as Bridget Foster's tricycle disappeared into the distance. In a panic, she spotted another tricycle parked by the roadside and jumped on without hesitation. "Hey, mister, can you follow that tricycle up ahead?"

Just as she spoke, a long leg stepped in front of her and landed on the tricycle. Tristan Edwards quickly hopped on and said, "Hey, mister, take me to West Street."

"Wait, it's you!"

Elinor looked up and was taken aback. She never expected to run into the same person twice in one day.

"Wow, running into each other twice in a day, we must be fated," Tristan said, raising an eyebrow. His narrow eyes glinted with mischief as he looked at her.

"Who are you two trying to get to?" the driver asked, turning to face them.

"Me!"

They both shouted in unison. Elinor shot Tristan a glare. "I got on first, so I should go first."

"I clearly sat down before you, so I should go first!" Tristan replied,raising an eyebrow at her. His nonchalant attitude only made his handsome face more charming, and instead of being annoying, he came off as a bit cheeky.

Elinor took a deep breath, not wanting to waste time arguing with him. She softened her tone and tried to charm him. "Hey, could you let the mister take me first? I really have something urgent to attend to."

Seeing her expression change faster than the weather, Tristan Edwards smiled even more. "Oh, that's not a problem, but you have to tell me why you're following that car."

Elinor Fernan pursed her lips. "I don't know you, so why do you care?"

"If you don't tell me, I can't help you. Who knows if you're following them for some bad reason?" Tristan raised an eyebrow with a smirk that made him look annoyingly smug.

Elinor took a deep breath. If it weren't for the fact that there was only this one rickshaw around, she would have switched to another vehicle without wasting time here.

"The person in front is my mom.She's meeting her lover, and I'm going to catch her in the act." Elinor spoke flatly, her eyes and brows filled with cold mockery.

Tristan was taken aback, his narrow eyes widening in shock. He clearly hadn't expected her to say that so calmly.

"Are you going to follow or not? If not, I'll get out right now," Elinor warned, her patience wearing thin.

"Driver, help her follow that car," Tristan said slowly.

The driver called out for them to hold on tight, then pressed down on the pedals, and the rickshaw sped off, carrying the two of them quickly forward.

Elinor Fernan chased after the tricycle as it came to a stop in front of a small white building. She watched as Bridget Foster threw herself into a man's arms, and the two of them then entered the building together.

She recognized the man-it was indeed Gethin.

It seemed her suspicions were correct; there was an inappropriate relationship between Bridget Foster and Gethin.

"Is that really your mom?" Tristan Edwards hadn't left. He stood beside her, his expression dark as he stared at the small white building. "I didn't expect your mom's lover to be someone from the education bureau."

Elinor turned to glance at him, about to retort that it was none of his business, but then something clicked in her mind, and she began to scrutinize him more closely.

No wonder she found his face familiar; it was him.

Tristan Edwards.

In her past life, he was the youngest rising star in the local business scene, a tycoon who made his fortune through the internet. He was a low-key, yet incredibly wealthy man, and she had read about him in various financial magazines.

This man, who stirred up the business world, was said to have started by flipping second-hand goods in his youth-a truly legendary figure. They were also from the same hometown, but they had never crossed paths.

Elinor stared at his youthful, strikingly handsome face, gradually merging it with the image of the mature and composed man she remembered from her past.

"What's your name?" Elinor Fernan asked.

"Why? Are you mesmerized by my handsome looks?" Tristan Edwards raised an eyebrow and chuckled, giving her a once-over. "But honestly, I'm not really interested in skinny little girls like you."

Elinor pursed her lips. "Say what you want, I don't care."

She turned to leave, but Tristan followed her. "Not bad for your age, but you sure have a temper."

"Fine, I'll tell you," Tristan's voice rang out. "Tristan Edwards, that's my name."

Elinor stopped in her tracks, thinking to herself, so it's really him.

"Elinor Fernan," she replied, sharing her name.

"Meeting a gentleman like you, how could I not be pleased? That's a lovely name," the man said, his voice soft and low, a deeper smile forming at the corners of his lips.

Elinor felt a strange flutter in her chest. She had fallen in love with that phrase when she first read it in a book, but she never expected him to say it.

"By the way, how did you know that man earlier was from the education bureau?" Elinor pulled her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"Most of the people living around here work for the government. I've collected things from that guy before," Tristan explained.

"Did you sell that camera you received today?" Elinor Fernan suddenly asked.

The topic shifted too quickly for Tristan Edwards, and he almost didn't catch up. "What do you want it for?"

"I want to rent the camera from you for a few days. I'll pay you."

Elinor pulled out a few crumpled bills from her pocket, not even bothering to count them, and shoved them into his hands. "This should be about ten bucks, your rental fee."

Tristan glanced at the small white building not far away and then back at the girl in front of him. "You're not trying to catch them in the act, are you?"