Chapter 117 Future Plans

The exam hall buzzed with a low hum as students trickled in, their faces laced with varying degrees of panic, stress, or pure resignation. Liam walked in with his usual unbothered stride, his presence turning heads instantly—especially today. Ever since his return, people couldn’t stop whispering about his looks, his confidence.

Ann, looking effortlessly beautiful in her white blouse and pleated skirt, spotted him the moment he entered. She had been waiting for this—not the chemistry paper, God no—but for Liam. Chemistry was her nemesis, and Liam... well, he was her hope.

She slid into the seat beside him as soon as he sat down, her perfume wafting into his nose, sweet and floral, almost distracting. She winked at him as her hand brushed his lightly. "Hey genius," she whispered, smirking.

Liam rolled his eyes with a small grin. "You’re sitting here just so I can bail you out, aren’t you?"

She leaned in close, her lips almost brushing his ear. "I didn’t read," she whispered. Her voice was soft, teasing.

Liam tilted his head with mock surprise. "Wow. Big surprise there. I didn’t either"

Ann narrowed her eyes and leaned even closer. "I don’t care if you read or not. You always have your way around stuff... and you’re not failing."

Liam smirked. "What do I get for helping you?"

Before she could respond with something smart or flirty, the door opened and in walked the chemistry teacher—a man in his early fifties with greying hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He had a calm, gentle demeanor, the kind of teacher that rarely raised his voice but everyone respected anyway. He handed out the exam papers with his usual soft tone. "You may begin."

Pens uncapped. Pages turned. The room went silent.

Liam didn’t hesitate. The moment the paper hit his desk, his hand started moving. Something was different. Since reaching Level 3, he didn’t even feel the need to use the system for this. His intelligence stat had improved so much that the questions came naturally to him. It was like he’d read the entire syllabus the night before and memorized it perfectly. Formulas, logic, chemical reactions—they were all just... there.

Within fifteen minutes, he had completed his entire paper. Every question. Every calculation. Every explanation. He even double-checked his answers.

He looked around. Students were sweating bullets. Some were still trying to write their name.

He waited for the perfect moment—when the teacher turned his back to shuffle some papers—then with insane reflexes, he switched his paper with Ann’s in one clean, ghost-like motion. Not even she noticed it until she glanced down and saw her name on a paper filled with answers... and Liam holding a blank one.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

She looked at him, stunned, then slowly flipped the paper to check. Yep—Liam had completed everything. And with how neatly and confidently it was written, it didn’t look like it was done in just fifteen minutes. It looked like someone had taken their time. Her lips parted slightly, jaw dropping a bit. What the hell...

Meanwhile, Liam was already halfway through writing her answers too. His hand moved so quickly and smoothly, you’d think he had trained for this his whole life.

She just stared, completely in awe, not even noticing that she was holding her pen upside down.

By the time the clock hit thirty minutes, Liam had finished both his and Ann’s papers. He switched them again with flawless ease and stood up.

Whispers exploded like wildfire around the room.

"No way... he’s submitting already?"

"Bro it’s just been half an hour."

"He’s cheating, right? He has to be."

"Impossible. This paper is too hard."

"I’m still on page one, what the hell is going on?"

Even though the voices were hushed and buried in tension, Liam heard every word with his sharpened senses. He didn’t even flinch.

Idiots, he thought. I’ve done two of these already.

Amanda’s paper. His too. Done and dusted.

As he dropped his paper on the teacher’s desk and gave a slight nod, the man looked at him a bit curiously but said nothing. Liam simply walked out, unbothered, hands in his pockets.

Back in the hall, students from other classes who were done or hadn’t started their exam yet saw him and started murmuring.

"He’s done again?"

"Already?"

"That’s Liam, right?"

"Man looks like a god now."

"I swear he used to be hot before, but now he’s just... different."

The admiration in their voices was obvious. And it was spreading fast.

Ann eventually submitted too—more flustered than usual—and caught up with him in the corridor, pulling at his sleeve. "Hey! How the hell did you do that?"

Liam smirked. "Magic."

"Bullshit. You did my paper like it was nothing."

"Not just yours," he teased, walking ahead.

She followed him, staring at the back of his head with narrowed eyes. She didn’t know what had changed in Liam, but something definitely had. It wasn’t just his looks. His confidence. His speed. His intelligence. Even his calmness under pressure.

He had evolved.

As Liam left the school building, the sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a golden glow over the quiet town. He exhaled softly, feeling the weight of the day lift from his shoulders. His exams were over for the day, and for once, everything seemed calm. Next to him, Ann walked silently, her fingers laced through his. She held his hand tightly, not saying a word, simply enjoying the peace of the moment.

The streets were surprisingly quiet. Most people were still at work, and school was still in session for many others. It felt surreal. The last time he’d walked through the town in this kind of stillness, he was being hunted—by Sam, Daryl, Kyle, and Jack. That memory still burned in his mind. He hadn’t forgotten. He never would. And his judgment remained the same: they would die by his hands. Just not now. He had to be patient, precise. Holidays would be the perfect time.

Ann suddenly broke the silence, pointing toward a restaurant across the street. "Let’s eat there," she said, her voice light and sweet.

Liam looked up. The place looked expensive, the kind of spot you’d expect to see businessmen and socialites. But he didn’t hesitate. He nodded, and together they crossed the street and entered.

The restaurant’s interior matched its outward elegance—soft lighting, leather seats, clean wooden floors. It smelled of spice and wine, warm and inviting. They found a quiet corner booth and sat. A waitress came by and handed them menus. Liam didn’t even glance at the prices. He ordered steak with truffle mashed potatoes and red wine sauce. Ann picked seafood pasta and a chilled juice.

When the food arrived, it looked like something out of a magazine. Perfectly arranged, fragrant, and steaming hot.

Ann took a bite and hummed in satisfaction. "This is sooo good."

Liam nodded. "Not bad."

They ate in silence for a few moments before Liam spoke up. "So, what’s your plan after this? I mean, this is your last year, right? After this paper, you’re done."

Ann chewed slowly, her expression thoughtful. "Yeah. I’m done after this. No more school for me."

Liam tilted his head. "Not even university?"

She shook her head. "I have no interest in uni. I’m going to focus on my career."

Liam raised a brow. "Career?"

She laughed at his confused expression. "You didn’t know? I’m growing my page, Liam. I want to go big—social media, endorsements, maybe even a little modeling on the side."

Liam blinked. The modeling part was news to him. She’d never mentioned it before.

Ann twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I’ve already started. I’m getting a lot of traction. I want to become a proper celebrity. The glamorous life, you know?"

Liam nodded slowly. She did have that spark—the look, the confidence, the body. Modeling? That made perfect sense.

She glanced up at him with a sly grin. "Speaking of which, you should totally try modeling too."

He chuckled. "Nah, I don’t think so."

"I’m serious!" She jabbed a finger at him, still chewing her pasta. "You look better than all models out there. You’d kill it. You’d have an undisputed career."

Liam grinned and leaned back. "Appreciate that, but I don’t think the spotlight is for me."

Ann pouted dramatically. "Fine. You’ve got time to figure it out anyway. You still have a year left."

Liam smiled. "Actually... I’m putting an end to school this year too."

Ann froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Wait—what?"

Her wide, shocked eyes locked onto his as the words hung in the air