CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 337: MONK

What Olivia could not understand was why Eleanor, whose secret pen name was Sun, still carried such a hunger in her eyes.

Sun was a renowned painter, and with her identity as Sun, if Eleanor works hard for 10 more years than she could live her life peacefully.

Her paintings would sell for incredible amounts of money, and she would never have to worry about wealth. So why was she acting like she needed to cling to a rich man?

But if Eleanor could hear Olivia’s thoughts, she would have laughed until her stomach hurt. Eleanor would have told her that everything she had been painting, all those skills that others thought were hers, actually belonged to Olivia. She had been copying and stealing Olivia’s techniques secretly.

And she was waiting for Olivia to learn for 10 more years, so that later, she could copy Olivia’s skill, even though Eleanor had no talent for painting.

But it will still take Olivia 10 years to improve.

Until that time came, she needed someone to take care of her. She needed money, support, and a man who would pay for her expensive dreams. That was why her eyes always shined with hunger whenever she looked at rich boys.

Not to mention, Eleanor had something no one else in this class had. She had knowledge of the future. She had read the story before, the story of this world.

She knew who would rise, who would fall, and how everything was supposed to play out. That was why she was so confident. She was sure that one day, she would marry a rich husband.

But right now, her mind was on something very different. As her eyes landed on Louis, her heart skipped a beat. Her expression changed, and her eyes widened in shock.

She whispered in her mind, "System, why has the villain appeared so early? This is not how it was supposed to happen."

Yes, Louis was not supposed to be here. In the original story Eleanor had read, Louis only appeared later, after Olivia left abroad to study. He was one of the main villains of the story. Louis was powerful, wealthy, and terrifying.

He even had connections with the underworld. He liked Olivia after one particular event, and from then on, his obsession became one of the biggest plotlines.

But now, he was here in front of her, standing in their classroom, looking at Olivia with the same admiration he had shown in the original story.

Eleanor’s thoughts raced.

"What is going on? Why does Louis already have that same look in his eyes, even though Olivia is not yet the famous painter she was supposed to become?"

The system answered her quickly. There is a bug in the timeline. Because of this bug, the story has moved ahead of schedule.]

Eleanor frowned deeply. "Is this because of me?" she asked.

The system went silent for a long moment. Then it said slowly, [I do not know. The plot is deviating too much, even for me to understand.]

Her fist clenched at her side. She looked at Olivia with hidden anger in her eyes. She could not understand what was so special about her. Why was it always Olivia? Why did both Mateo and Louis like her? What did she have that Eleanor did not?

But she told herself it did not matter. Soon, a hacker named Fire would appear. Fire would dig into Louis’ family secrets and expose everything.

When that time came, Louis’s family would be ruined. He would lose everything. Then she would take advantage.

Then she would make Louis her boy toy. Compared to Mateo, who was only a little above average in looks, Louis was truly handsome.

So handsome that anyone would want to pay just to keep him by their side.

Her dreamy stare lingered on Louis, and Louis, who was sensitive to everything, noticed it immediately. He shivered slightly and turned his sharp eyes on Eleanor.

His lips curled in disgust.

"Do not look at me like that," he said coldly. "I hate it when bugs crawl all over my body, and your gaze feels exactly like that."

The classroom froze. Everyone’s eyes went wide, stunned by his brutal words.

Olivia nearly burst into laughter. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying to hold it back, but her shoulders shook. For the first time, she felt that Louis was not just confident, he was also completely unrestrained. He really did not hold back at all.

Mateo, however, was furious. His face burned as he stepped forward, ready to explode.

But before he could say anything, Eleanor tugged at his sleeve, forcing a weak smile. "It is better if we do not continue," she said quickly. "We should not waste our time with mannerless people."

Louis chuckled softly, waving his hand as though brushing away an annoying fly. "The smell of green tea is so strong in here," he said casually. "It is making me sick."

The class erupted again, laughter filling the room.

All eyes turned to Eleanor. Her face turned red, her teeth clenched in fury.

She wanted to scream at Louis, but she swallowed her anger. She knew very well that if Louis and Mateo compared their families, Mateo would be crushed completely.

If Mateo went bankrupt, she would lose her only supporter. So she forced herself to calm down. She tugged on Mateo’s sleeve again and said softly,

"I do not want to talk with rude people anymore. Let us leave it at that. Olivia has insulted you so many times already. I cannot bear to see it again."

Louis tilted his head, smiling slightly. "Interesting," he said.

"So by your logic, you can insult, betray, and humiliate your best friend in public, but when your best friend retaliates, that is not allowed? Truly, the world has changed. I feel like an old monk trying to understand nonsense."

Olivia’s lips curled into a small smile. For the first time, she felt some of her anger fading. At least someone in the room had said something with real logic.