Chapter 2 : I''m a Good Student

As they were leaving, Tristan took the initiative to carry Damian''s backpack, surprising him.

Damian paused, his eyes widening as he quickly reached out to take it back. "Thank you, Uncle, but I can carry it myself."

Tristan saw the happiness and gratitude in the child''s eyes and thought to himself that he must have been a neglectful guardian if such a small gesture could move him so much.

Softening his expression, Tristan avoided Damian''s hand and said, "It''s okay, I''ll carry it for you."

He then placed his other hand on the back of Damian''s neck, gently guiding him along.

The tingling warmth on his neck made Damian feel even more incredulous. His hands twisted the hem of his school uniform nervously as he glanced up at Tristan''s chiseled profile and softly called, "Uncle."

Only he knew the full meaning behind that word.

Tristan''s large hand moved up to the back of Damian''s head, ruffling his soft hair. He looked down and smiled gently, "Damian, I''ll try to spend more time with you from now on."

Damian couldn''t believe he was hearing such words. A smile spread across his face, turning his eyes into crescent moons. "Okay."

Tristan looked at his obedient and pure smile, thinking, "This kid is so easily satisfied. I really haven''t been paying enough attention to him all these years."

...

Tristan dropped him off at the school gate without much fuss. He watched Damian walk through the gate before driving away.

Damian''s head was still in a daze!

His uncle''s sudden affection had stirred something inexplicable inside him, even though it was what he had always hoped for.

Since the day Tristan brought him home, he had been treated very well.

He had everything he wanted materially, but they weren''t particularly close. There was always an invisible barrier between them.

Having once experienced having nothing, he feared losing everything again.

He always acted obedient in front of Tristan, trying to be a likable child.

He always topped his exams, trying not to worry him, hoping Tristan would pay more attention to him.

As he grew older, his fear of abandonment lessened, but he had also grown accustomed to being the obedient child.

After all, everyone likes a good kid!

"Hey, Mr. Heinz, what''s got you grinning like that so early in the morning?"

A familiar female voice interrupted his thoughts.

Damian''s smile faded slightly as he turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Ignoring her teasing, he said, "Get lost. Stay away from me at school. I''m a good student."

Melody Harkness wasn''t pleased with that. "I think you''re implying something. I''m not used to seeing you like this!"

She rolled her eyes at him and added, "A good student who smokes and fights!"

If she hadn''t seen Damian smoking so skillfully and fighting so fiercely, she might have actually believed him...

Damian''s eyes flashed with a hint of pride, and he smiled sweetly. "I''m the top student in my grade. What do you think?"

Melody was dazzled by Damian''s arrogant and smug smile.

His fair skin, an oval face with perfect curves like a Greek sculpture, eyebrows arched like crescent moons, and eyes shining like brilliant gems made it impossible to look away.

Melody couldn''t figure out which version of Damian was the real one.

The gentle demeanor he usually displayed was just a facade, but she couldn''t understand why he wore such a mask.

Damian raised his right hand and made a slapping gesture, not caring about Melody''s incredulous expression. He found her reaction amusing.

He glanced up at the warm sun in the sky and, with a confident stride, headed towards the school building.

It was quite a coincidence that Melody had caught him smoking and fighting several times. She was the only one who had seen his true self, which made them somewhat familiar with each other, even though they rarely hung out together at school.

She was the rebellious girl who didn''t like studying, while he was the good student in the eyes of teachers and classmates.

Naturally, they couldn''t be on the same path. Otherwise, his image of being obedient, gentle, and positive would crumble...

Damian entered the classroom and saw that half of the students were already buried in their books, battling with their assignments. The elite class had the same intense study atmosphere as always.

Damian took out his textbook and began another ordinary day. The difference was that today, he was in an exceptionally good mood.

...

As dusk settled and the evening sun cast a cool glow, the high school''s dismissal bell rang right on time. Damian eagerly packed up his books, ready to go home and see the person he most wanted to see.

His deskmate, Andrew Biddle, noticed how quickly and efficiently Damian was packing up. Half-slumped on the desk, he looked at Damian suspiciously. "Heinz, you''re acting strange today. You''ve been smiling all day."

Damian wasn''t particularly tall among the boys in the class, standing around 6 feet. With his status as a top student, his classmates respectfully called him "bro."

Damian''s smile grew even brighter, revealing his neat, white teeth. "When am I not smiling?"

Andrew shook his head. "It just feels different today!"

But he couldn''t pinpoint what was different. Damian seemed even less genuine than usual.

Damian was surprised. Was he really that obvious?

Could his carefree deskmate detect such subtle changes in his mood?

Damian patted Andrew''s shoulder, mimicking an elder''s tone. "Kid, don''t overthink it. Use that energy to study hard. I''m off."

Andrew was left speechless, feeling utterly defeated.

Talking to Damian was always a form of self-torture...

With a howl, Andrew straightened up and continued battling his unfinished test paper.

When Damian left the school, the driver was already waiting at the gate.

He didn''t always have the family driver pick him up, as he liked to come and go as he pleased. When he didn''t want the driver, he would send a message in advance.

"Zachary," Damian called out as he approached the car, getting in.

Zachary nodded and greeted him, "Young Master."

Damian settled into the car and gazed out the window, watching the buildings pass by.

He recalled the man''s kind smile from that morning, promising to spend more time with him, and couldn''t help but smile slightly.

Damian lowered his head and fished out his phone from his pocket. He opened the pinned chat at the top of his WeChat list, wanting to ask if he would be home for dinner tonight.

His slender, fair fingers swiped across the phone screen, editing and re-editing a simple question: "Uncle, are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

Fortunately, he received a reply from Tristan quickly.

The answer was just one word!

Damian''s pale face lit up with a smile, his lips curling into a more carefree grin.

Just one simple word was enough to make him overjoyed.

It turned out that taking the first step wasn''t that hard after all!

Knowing that Tristan would be home for dinner, Damian rushed into the kitchen as soon as he got home, tossing his backpack aside.

There weren''t many servants at home. Besides him and Tristan, there was only a driver and a butler. The household chores were usually handled by Mr. Schwab, the butler.

Damian walked into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and asked the busy Mr. Schwab, "Mr. Schwab, I''m back. Do you need any help?"

"Oh, young master, you''re home early today?" Mr. Schwab turned around, noticing the bright smile on Damian''s face.

Damian nodded, his eyes crinkling with joy. "Uncle said he''ll be home for dinner tonight."

"I see!"

It seemed the master had listened to him. Look how happy the kid was. Mr. Schwab handed him a pair of oven mitts.

He carefully reminded him, "Then you can take the dishes out. Be careful not to burn yourself."

"Okay."

Although Damian was the young master of the house, he wasn''t someone who didn''t know how to do chores.

On the contrary, he would help Mr. Schwab with household tasks during his free time on weekends, including cooking, watering, and fertilizing the plants.

...

The Pillsbury Group, President''s Office.

Tristan was leaning back with his eyes closed, resting, when he received the message from the kid at home.

It seemed like it had been a long time since anyone had asked him when he would be home.

A simple, ordinary greeting from the kid, compared to the flattery from outsiders, instantly made him feel warmth.