Justin stroked Cherry’s hair and slowly answered, “Cherry, while your mom and I—and even your brothers—will never leave you to fend for yourself in the future, I hope you can have the ability to solve your problems with your own strength.”

Cherry was stunned.

It was a rare occasion when Justin smiled. He said to Cherry, “What you guys are learning now may not be useful in the future—you may not even use some of these things your whole life—but they form a foundation of knowledge.

“You may be interested in gaming now, but it’s impossible that you’ll only play games all your life. I don’t want you to end up as someone who can only look on helplessly when you develop an interest in other things in the future, unable to do anything due to a lack of foundation.

“Cherry, you still have a long life ahead of you. All the hard work you put in today will build your confidence in the future.”

Justin looked at Cheryl after he spoke.

His daughter’s features were young, but she looked thoughtful when she heard his words.

Justin stood up quietly and gave her time and space to think.

As soon as he turned around, he spotted Nora who was standing nearby.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly, the beauty mark at the corner of his eye shimmering a little. Then, he strode over.

The two went back to the bedroom together.

After taking a bath, Justin came out to see Nora sitting on the sofa and looking out the window.

He strode over and asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”

Nora replied, “I received a phone call yesterday from a reporter who wants to interview us.”

When Pete enrolled at the top university in the United States with a perfect score on his college entrance examination at ten years old, countless reporters wanted to interview his parents. However, they were all rejected. Various schools even invited them to give speeches, but they had turned down all the invitations.

However, Nora suddenly felt like accepting one of the interviews now.

Justin didn’t ask her why. He only smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll make the arrangements.”

As he spoke, his misbehaving hand reached into her collar…

Nora wanted to sleep, but when she thought of how he had advised their daughter so patiently just now, she ultimately did not refuse him…

—

The next day, Cherry got up bright and early and had breakfast with Xander.

Only a night had passed, but Xander could already sense that there seemed to be something different about his sister—it felt like she had figured out something.

At the dining table, as Mrs. Hunt looked at Cherry, she couldn’t help but say, “The school called up your parents and summoned them to the office yesterday, right? Well, Pete has never had teachers summon his parents to the school…”

Mrs. Hunt was just being naggy and mouthing off. Now that she had gotten on in years, there was simply no way of correcting this bad habit of hers anymore. Everyone at home also let her be.

Cherry looked up. “I’ve decided to study hard. I won’t be any less brilliant than Pete in the future!”

Her words took Mrs. Hunt by surprise. A moment later, she couldn’t help but scoff and say, “You’re already ten. It’s too late even if you start studying hard now. No matter how hard you work, you will never surpass Pete!”

Xander couldn’t help but say, “Don’t rush, Cherry.”

He was planning to tell Pete to slow down a little and wait for their sister.

But as soon as the thought formed, Cherry said, “I’m only ten years old. And even if I’m twenty or thirty, as long as I study hard, it’s never too late.”

She stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth after she spoke and then looked at Mrs. Hunt with her big, clearly-defined eyes. “Let’s wait and see, Great-Grandma!”

She would definitely blow everyone away!

Mrs. Hunt curled her lips disdainfully. “Sure, we’ll wait and see!”

Xander said from the side, “Waiting and seeing isn’t much of a bet, Great-Grandma. Why don’t we make a bet instead?”

“What kind of bet?”

“We’ll bet on the next exam. If Cherry can get into the top ten, you must admit that you were wrong and apologize to her! How does that sound?”

Mrs. Hunt was about to reply when Xander grinned and taunted, “Great-Grandma, you can’t possibly be afraid, right?”

No way!

Mrs. Hunt sneered and replied, “It’s a deal! But if she doesn’t get into the top ten in the exam, then she must learn the right ways from me and become a proper lady as per my requirements.”

Cherry nodded. Her voice was clear and crisp as she replied, “No problem!”

After the two little ones left, Mrs. Hunt said to the housekeeper beside her, “Cherry has really been spoiled rotten. She doesn’t carry herself like the young lady of a noble family at all and even plays games all day… She has no talent for learning. All I expect now is for her to behave herself when she grows up and then marry her off somewhere!”

—

Elsewhere, the reporter that Justin had arranged a meeting with arrived at a cafe and met up with Nora and Justin.

The reporter’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw them, and she exclaimed, “You two are so young! I would totally believe you even if you told me that you guys were still in college!”

The interview then started.

Nora wasn’t a chatty person, but Justin was willing to supplement information for her.

The interview started with questions about Peter’s study habits, of course. Justin answered all of them in detail.

In the middle of the interview, the reporter asked, “I heard that he is majoring in business management. Are you thinking of having him build a business empire in the future?”

The reporter was vaguely aware of the couple’s identities, but she would never include such details in the article, of course.

Justin fell quiet for a while. Then, he glanced at Nora and slowly answered with a smile, “No, a child’s future should not be defined by their parents.”

The reporter looked at Nora. “Do you think the same way, Mrs. Hunt?”

Nora nodded.

The reporter smiled. As she looked at Nora, she said, “To round off the interview, I hope you can say something to all the children out there, Mrs. Hunt.”

Justin looked at Nora.

Knowing that his wife was a quiet woman, he was about to take over the question when he saw Nora straighten her back and sit upright. With a firm look in her eyes, she slowly said, “Be confident, be fearless, be humble, and live with no regrets.”

Stunned, Justin looked at her with a scorching look in his eyes.

She had never felt sorry for herself because she didn’t have a mother and was neglected by her stepmother and stepfather.

She had never backed down from fear of the unknown and forged ahead bravely even in the face of difficulties.

She had never been arrogant and conceited because of her achievements in whichever field she studied.

And she regretted nothing from the past, lived up to the present, and never feared the future.

She was Nora Smith, his wife.

Sensing Justin’s scorching gaze, Nora turned to look at him. As the two exchanged a smile, a thought flashed through their minds at the same time:

“There is nothing more I can ask for after having the fortune of meeting her at the pinnacle.”

“With him by my side for the rest of my life, I can live my life with no regrets.”