Just want to be a supporting role

The fifth step

Jason stared at Tina in anger, his lips tightly pressed and fists clenched, ready to restrain her if she really went crazy!

"..."

Shaking his head with regret, Tina reigned in her smile slightly to avoid ruining her character setup and affecting her next performance.

Jason thought Tina was laughing at him for screaming in fear earlier. The 13-year-old boy was instantly enraged and embarrassed. "Your fiancé has run off to be with someone else and doesn't want you anymore, yet you can still laugh! Are you a pig?"

After he finished speaking, he saw Tina across from him pause. The pale face that had made him feel creeped out with her smile gradually turned sad, making him feel strangely uneasy.

"So, should I keep crying then?" He heard her say softly, "This is good too. The engagement is canceled. William can be with Verna, and our parents will be happy too."

Jason cleared his throat, feeling strangely unable to yell at her loudly. He awkwardly said, "Then why did you say that in front of so many people? If you wanted to cancel the engagement to let William and Verna be together, you could have waited until they came back to say it. Now, our parents are furious, and you're in big trouble."

"What do you mean?" Tina tilted her head.

Jason snorted, "You wanted to go to Q University, but now you definitely can't. You can only go to C University."

To establish herself in the entertainment industry, Tina wanted to study at a film academy, and Q University ranks among the top three film schools. Since the application period had passed, it would take a lot of money and connections to get in at this point.

As for C University, it's just an ordinary art college, not associated with the term "prestigious" at all. Tina hadn't received much education over the years.

When the Hall family found her, she was working as a waitress at a restaurant.

How could the Hall family allow Tina to remain uneducated? They hired several tutors to help her with her studies.

However, under such pressure, how could Tina quickly digest the material? Her test scores were very low.

To avoid embarrassment, the Hall family didn't let Tina take the college entrance exam and instead planned to buy her a degree.

Tina didn't have much of her own opinion at that time. She was careful not to make mistakes and be disliked, so she did whatever they said.

But she had some ideas in her heart, so she asked to enter the entertainment industry and study at Q University.

Initially, Mr. and Mrs. Hall didn't agree, but Verna softly said, "Tina has been through so much. We should fulfill her requests..." That's when Mr. and Mrs. Hall agreed.

Tina was very grateful to Verna for this and once truly considered her as her sister.

"C University is quite good," Tina found C University's introduction in her memory.

Although this ordinary art college isn't famous in terms of academics, its cafeteria is famously delicious.

Jason looked at her in disbelief. "Didn't you say you can't act and have to study at Q University's acting department to have a chance to film with William?"

"Since my engagement with William is canceled, why should I keep looking for him? Verna would feel uncomfortable," she sighed. "My intention was to let everyone know the reason for canceling the engagement was that I didn't want William and Verna to miss out. I didn't expect my good intentions to backfire and lead to this. It's understandable that our parents are angry. Is Verna okay?"

Jason opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. Is she still thinking about her sister?

"Are you... not angry?" He couldn't help but scratch his waist, even though it wasn't itchy.

Tina lowered her long eyelashes and said after a moment, "Didn't you come up to call me downstairs? Let's go."

Jason was taken aback. He hadn't said why he came up, so how did Tina know? But she could guess.

Jason didn't dwell on it. Looking at Tina's back as she walked away, he suddenly understood that it's not that she wasn't angry; it's that she didn't dare to be.

Since returning home, she's been trying to please them and fit in.

Although she's his biological sister, he had never met her before. They only share a blood relation and have no emotional connection. It's hard to truly consider her as family.

Do his parents feel the same way, which is why they favor his sister more?

Although his sister isn't biologically related to them, their bond exceeds that of blood.

Thinking about this, Jason felt that Tina's frail figure was like a small boat in the storm, with no one to help her...

"Since you're also my sister, just keep quiet and let me handle it," Jason, driven by a mix of emotions, caught up with Tina.

Tina looked at him. As the youngest son, Jason is doted on at home and gets whatever he wants.

He monkeyed his way downstairs and, as Tina approached holding her skirt, Jason retold what Tina had said to him earlier, with his own embellishments.

As soon as he finished, Tina softly said, "Dad, Mom, Uncle Brown, Aunt Brown, now that William and Verna are back, let it be known that my engagement with him is no longer valid. It was my fault for being ignorant and thinking that Verna really didn't like William because she said so... It's a good thing it's not too late."

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Verna and William, her eyes turning red as she tried to hold back her tears. "Verna, I'm really not angry that William came to see you today. You mustn't feel guilty. You and William look perfect together."

"..."

Verna's expression didn't change, but her eyes did. She's not really a white lotus.

Tina didn't give Verna a chance to speak. Seeing her face, which reminded her too much of similar expressions in the Old East Kingdom, made it hard for her to stay in character. Compared to the scheming concubines in the imperial harem, Verna's acting skills are not impressive to Tina.

Tina looked at her mother timidly and said, "Mom, I've thought it through. I won't go to Q University. I'll go to C University instead. I'm really sorry for all the expenses you've incurred since I came back..."

Her words made her parents' faces stiffen, leaving them no opportunity to "teach her a lesson". Remembering that she is their biological daughter, their expressions gradually softened.

"C University starts classes in a couple of days. I'll go there to register tomorrow," Tina said.

With the Hall family's efficiency, they could secure her a spot at C University today if she decided to go there tomorrow. If Tina really wanted to go to Q University, she could still make the Hall family agree by using a different approach. But — who can resist the allure of C University's famous cafeteria?