Chapter 109: The end of the third memory
For things to go back to normal, Daniel had to return to his spot at Rank 1. And for that, he had to find the path to success.
He had talked to several people, and they all had different answers to give him.
A teacher had said that one needed the right mindset to succeed.
Another teacher had told him that it was all about hard work and perseverance.
He had even asked the principal, and the answer he received was that it was a matter of talent.
The more answers he received, the more Daniel asked around. It was as though he couldn’t be satisfied by those answers.
And then, something occurred to him.
’Only the most successful person would know the path to success.’
Only someone who had indeed succeeded would be able to give him a correct answer. So he went to the most successful person he knew.
He went to his grandfather, the current chairman of Montross.
His grandfather was a busy person, and meeting him was very hard, even for Daniel. Still, he somehow pulled it off. And when he met his grandfather and asked about the path to success, the answer he received was...
"To succeed, you must bypass the rules that restrict you instead of following them. Someone will inevitably do it, and they will thus gain an advantage over you. You can’t hope to reach the top when you are restricted, but the ones you are competing against are not. This is why those at the top are usually corrupt and immoral, because only those kinds of people can succeed."
Hearing his grandfather’s words, Daniel felt as though his eyes had been opened.
He understood what he needed to do in order to reach Rank 1 once again.
’I have to cheat!’
That was the only way.
So, sitting in the classroom during the exam, Daniel continued to glance at the teacher, who observed everyone. He was trying to find an opportunity to cheat.
But suddenly, he felt someone firmly placing their hand on his shoulder, startling him. Before he could even regain his composure, a voice entered his ear.
It was the voice of a young boy, but it sounded unusually stern.
"Don’t do it."
Daniel raised his head. The boy with grey eyes was standing beside his desk, looking down at him. For some reason, the weight of his gaze felt unusually heavy at this moment.
"Don’t do it, or you will regret it. Actions have consequences, and you can’t handle the consequences of your current actions."
Daniel’s breathing grew rougher, and his grip on the pencil tightened.
’But I... I must succeed...’
He felt the hand on his shoulder tighten its grip, making his shoulder hurt.
"If you go through with this, there is no coming back."
Daniel gritted his teeth, and then...
He loosened his grip on his pencil.
***
The exam was over, and The Fake was sitting in the corner of the playground, looking blankly into space.
Adrian let out a sigh of relief.
’I somehow stopped it...’
He had prevented a development that could’ve cost him significantly and ruined his plans of accelerating the conclusion of this memory.
Because Adrian knew how it was going to progress. The Fake wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything by cheating since the problem was not the lack of knowledge. But he would still desperately continue trying until he got caught.
It would’ve prolonged this memory for a year at the very least.
As he was lost in thought, The Fake began gritting his teeth as tears started rolling down his cheek.
"Just why, why can’t I succeed?! I was born with talent, I have mindset, and I am working as hard as I possibly can! So why..."
Seeing the boy suddenly break down, Adrian clenched his fists.
’It’s finally time.’
The time to conclude everything and make this memory come to an end.
Adrian crouched down and grabbed The Fake’s hand, pulling him toward the school building.
"Come with me."
The Fake didn’t try to resist him, coming along as tears continued rolling down his cheeks. They walked through the corridors, climbed the stairs, and came to a stop in front of a classroom.
Adrian pointed at the glass window beside the door.
"Look inside."
The Fake weakly raised his head and looked inside the classroom through the window.
In the empty classroom, a single boy was sitting alone, studying with complete focus. Seeing him, The Fake’s eyes widened slightly.
That was because The Fake had recognized that boy. It was the current Rank 1 of the class.
Adrian spoke bluntly.
"That boy is someone who can only afford to study at this school because of the scholarship money that comes with being Rank 1. His family’s situation is not that great, so if he falls below Rank 1 even once, he will have no money to pay the fees and will have to drop out of this school."
Adrian paused for a bit, letting his words settle.
"There are others competing just as desperately, with their own reasons you don’t know."
The Fake didn’t say anything, nor did he move. The boy continued to stare into the classroom.
"You have realized it, haven’t you?"
Those words caused The Fake’s shoulders to flinch. That reaction was enough for Adrian.
"There is no path to success. If you have talent, then others can have it too. The same can be said for mindset. You might be desperate, but there are others who are just as desperate, if not more. The reason you can’t succeed isn’t that you are lacking; it is just that... in this world, only so many people could succeed."
As Adrian’s words settled, it was as though The Fake lost strength in his legs, falling down to his knees. Then... more tears began rolling down his cheek as he started sobbing.
The sound of his sobs echoed in the empty school corridor.
He must’ve realized it. No matter how hard he worked, the Rank 1 place was never guaranteed. And thus, the same was true for the love and affection of his parents.
Without even looking at Adrian, the young boy asked in a weak voice.
"Are Mom and Dad... really bad?"
Adrian paused.
This was escalating too quickly. He had thought it would take a few more days... but...
’Looks like it is time.’
Adrian crouched down to the boy’s level and replied.
"Not really; they are not bad. They can only give you this kind of affection because that is all they have ever known. The affection they received from their parents was also conditional, and thus that conditional affection is normal to them. In a way, they are pitiful too, just like you. You were just unlucky to have been born into the Montross family."
That was the final trigger.
As Adrian finished, the sobbing boy broke down crying.
At the same time, Adrian’s vision changed as memories began flowing into his mind.
Memories of the years he spent bedside The Fake, watching him grow. Adria saw the young boy meet his grandmother for the first time. She was the only person to ever treat him with unconditional affection. Her treatment of him never changed, no matter what he did.
In the meantime, the boy’s older brother reached Rank 1 in his class, and the attitude of his parents changed completely. The affection and love they used to show the boy, they began showing to his older brother and treated the boy as though he didn’t exist.
And so, the boy spent five years around his grandmother.
But all of it came to an end when his grandmother passed away.
The surge of those memories made Adrian momentarily feel overwhelmed. It was as though memories of five years’ worth of time had been instantly forced into his mind, making him feel as though he had experienced a time skip.
His surroundings had changed too. Adrian looked around to understand where he was.
It appeared that he was standing at a bus stop by the main road, with cars and buses passing him by. He turned to look to his left. A boy was standing beside him, holding a suitcase.
His hair fell messily over his forehead, almost reaching his eyes, and big, round glasses rested on his nose.
He had changed quite a bit over the years, but Adrian could instantly recognize him. He was The Fake, the eighteen-year-old Daniel.
Adrian walked closer and placed his hand on The Fake’s hand on the suitcase. Getting his attention, Adrian looked into his eyes and spoke evenly.
"Happy birthday. You have turned eighteen today, which makes you an adult now."
Adrian had finally reached it, the end of this memory.
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