My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Upon hearing the sound, Tasia looked up, slightly confused.

But when she saw Chris and Wayne following behind, she instinctively flashed a very bright smile.

"Chris, Wayne, it's you two."

Judging from her voice and expression alone, Tasia did not seem to be upset about her exam results.

Before Chris and Wayne could say anything, she naturally smiled and said, "I lost this exam."

Wayne feigned displeasure and said, "Are you deliberately being sarcastic? It was clearly a draw, how did you lose?"

However, she probably remembered what she had said before, such as "I didn't let anyone get away with it" and "Don't secretly cry."

Wayne suddenly realized that he probably shouldn't have said those words back then.

Looking back now, it almost felt like I was mocking the other person.

Fortunately, Tasia didn't hold grudges, and after a few words, the atmosphere warmed up again.

Seeing Chris and Tasia chatting intimately as if they had endless things to say, Wayne waited for a long time before finally finding a suitable opportunity to interject.

"Speaking of which, Tasia... when are you free so that my teacher, Professor Conley, could come and evaluate the effectiveness of the instrument treatment for Auntie?"

After all, it was just an experimental subject. Although Conley himself insisted that it was very effective, Wayne had reservations about what he said.

It is only right to make further adjustments and improvements based on Tasia's mother's level of acceptance.

Chapter 480 Professor Conley's Great Failure!

Tasia, of course, wouldn't refuse. She quickly stood up and said that she was free anytime, even right now.

Seeing her anxious expression, Wayne smiled and reassured her, "Don't rush. How about we go to church together later? My teacher happens to be at the academy too."

Not long ago, Wayne had just met Professor Conley in the faculty office of the teaching building.

At the time, Professor Conley was trying to persuade his senior, Olive, to work for him during the holidays. He figured that if he chose the right moment to step in, he could also get Olive to join in and help.

After all, Senior Sister Olive is a girl, and she is more responsible than Conley, making her a more suitable long-term after-sales candidate than Conley.

Tasia, of course, was unaware of his ulterior motives and simply nodded gratefully.

……

After receiving their final evaluations and assignments, everyone's wonderful holiday officially began.

Sitting in the carriage temporarily borrowed from the academy, Olive looked helplessly at Professor Conley across from her.

"So, you really intend to use this device to 'sell services'?"

She probably knew that Conley was busy with some new research lately.

As a novice lecturer, I now need to spend a lot of time preparing lesson plans every day; and as a homeroom teacher, I also need to pay attention to the questions raised by students and even parents.

Therefore, Olive doesn't have as much free time to help out in the lab as before, and she's not very familiar with the detailed progress.

She was only informed of her teacher's "massive" business plan when Conley had already produced a prototype.

If I had to use one word to describe this whole plan, it would be—outrageous.

Olive even worried that Professor Conley might one day be arrested and imprisoned as a fraudster for false advertising.

"Of course!"

Conley couldn't understand his students' concerns at all.

"My research is flawless! When it's officially released to the public, it will definitely cause a buying frenzy!" he declared with great pride.

"At that time, our master and his disciples will finally live a life of luxury and prosperity!"

Olive's expression remained unchanged. "You've said that at least dozens of times."

Teachers always boast about their new products as "epoch-making inventions," but the vast majority of them are actually useless.

If it weren't for the few items included that had unique uses and could be sold to others to supplement the lab's expenses, Kang Li would probably have been forced to beg for food long ago.

"Ah..." Conley awkwardly shifted his gaze to the window.

“This time it will definitely be fine! Speaking of which, it was Wayne who provided me with the raw materials. If there really wasn’t a chance of success, he wouldn’t have been willing to sponsor so much money in the first place.”

"I hope so," Olive said noncommittally.

The carriage came to a slow stop, and the two of them got off with their paper, pens, and other tools, and met up with Wayne and Chris, who had been waiting in the square for a while.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wayne led them to the ward where Tasia's mother was recuperating.

To be fair, the church treated Tasia quite well, providing her mother with a quiet environment to recuperate without charging any extra fees.

Although he knew that Bishop Willard only wanted to recruit Tasia, his actions were indeed very sincere, which made Wayne's opinion of him change slightly.

In front of outsiders, Conley acted as if he knew exactly what Olive and Wayne were doing, instructing them to adjust this and that. After asking Tasia's mother some questions, he pondered for a long time before finally filling out a "User Feedback Report" and then announcing the end of the follow-up visit.

Seeing him put on a very reliable act as he discussed the illness with Tasia's mother, Wayne had no choice but to swallow all his complaints.

However, when they had finished talking, Conley suddenly gave Tasia a subtle wink, signaling her to go outside to talk.

Tasia was stunned for a moment, then followed nervously out into the corridor.

She thought it was some bad news that she didn't want her mother to know, but to her surprise, Professor Conley's first words were—

"Hmm, Tasia... I wonder if you would be willing to become my disciple and a proud member of the Conley Research Lab?"

Wayne, who was following behind and heard those words with his own ears, immediately looked annoyed.

Good grief, you're trying to steal my boyfriend right in front of me!

Before anyone could respond, Conley explained further, "Actually, I've been paying attention to you for quite a while, but since I didn't know much about your character before, I chose to observe you quietly."

"Now that a semester has passed, you have passed my assessment and are qualified to become my disciple—the great inventor Conley. What do you think?"

In Conley's mind, as long as he was willing to extend an olive branch, a student like Tasia from a humble background would be overjoyed and grateful.

However, the reality was completely different from what he had imagined.

Tasia paused for only a second before smiling softly again.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Conley… Actually, I already have a teacher I’m very grateful to. I don’t want to study under anyone else.”

Although, to some extent, his teacher's behavior and personality were strange, and his tone when speaking to him was also very cold.

However, Tasia could sense his concern for her.

Not only does she try her best to supplement her pocket money, but she also never slacks off in her studies and does her best in every class.

—Whether it's windy or rainy, he will always show up on time as agreed.

Moreover, under his tutelage, Tasia truly felt that she was stronger every day than the day before.

It is strong in a practical sense.

Tasia even felt... as if he had only appeared to help her from the beginning.

If one is not 100% certain that their father has passed away, they might even have doubts, wondering if this person is their father who has been gone for a long time and has returned.

Strict yet gentle, just as I had hoped.

Thinking about this, she became a little distracted.

But she quickly came to her senses and bowed apologetically to Conley.

Conley's expression instantly turned ugly.

"Damn it! Someone beat me to it!" he muttered indignantly.

Wayne chuckled and pulled Conlila back, saying, "Teacher, Tasia, what are you two talking about outside? Auntie still has some questions to ask."

Chapter 481 Hmm... Chris finally got what she wanted.

After everyone left, Bishop Willard emerged from beside a pillar.

He had intended to come and check on the situation, but he happened to overhear Conley and Tasia's conversation.

Strange, according to her own investigation, Tasia clearly hasn't become an apprentice of any magician yet.

Why did he refuse, citing that he already had a teacher?

“The teacher she was very grateful to…” Willard subconsciously repeated what Tasia had just said.

Suddenly, the expression on his face froze, and he seemed quite moved.

Does she mean that she already considers me her teacher?

Yes, given how well I cared for her, it's no wonder that a kind child like Tasia would be deeply moved and silently regard me as her mentor.

No wonder he said: He doesn't want to become an apprentice of anyone else but him.

What a good child!

Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to be her teacher.

After all, she was already a chosen one of His Holiness the Pope, even if it was just for her future development...

Torn between a multitude of thoughts, Willard lost interest in continuing to entertain the guests and left silently with mixed feelings.

……

After introducing Tasia and Olive to each other, they indeed got along very well.

Because of her past role in founding the student council, Tasia had long admired Olive. Their shared experiences further brought them closer, not to mention Chris's efforts to liven things up.

In Wayne's view, these people were practically ready to become sworn sisters on the spot.

But as soon as she got home, Chris revealed her true colors.

"Ugh, I'm so tired today!" She rolled around on the sofa.

"You only said a few words, how are you tired?" Wayne said speechlessly.

Moreover, after leaving school, it was she who took the initiative to ask to visit him together.

"Hmph~ Don't you know that thinking about what to say is also a tiring thing?"

She picked up the square cushion next to her and, in a very unladylike manner, kicked off her slippers and stepped on Wayne's thigh.

“Oh, I see,” Wayne said, drawing out his words.

"What do you understand?"

—I understand you're deliberately being coquettish and seeking comfort.

“I understand, Miss Chris must have had a tough day.” Wayne replied without changing his expression, while reaching out to massage her calves.

Chris suppressed a laugh and said smugly, "Of course, isn't this all for you?"

Wayne: Huh? ? ?

Why is it all because of me? It's not like my elderly mother is sick...

Wayne was dumbfounded, and he stopped kneading.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Chris declared confidently, "See? Tasia is your friend, right?"

“Hmm.” Wayne nodded.

"Olive is your senior, right?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Wayne nodded again.

So Chris said righteously, "Well—I've helped your friend and your senior sister gain a solid friendship, isn't that a great thing for you too?"

That makes sense, but I always feel like something's not quite right.

Wayne was starting to have an existential crisis.

But beneath Chris's bluffing expression, he quickly realized where the problem lay.

"Well, it seems you're trying to steal the reward I got for getting first place..." he sneered.

Chris's little scheme was exposed on the spot, but she was still unwilling to give up and insisted, "Don't you think this is a good thing?"

"Yes, of course."

Wayne let out a deliberately sinister laugh, "However, for me, this alone is not enough..."

After saying that, his hand suddenly changed from a palm to a claw and began to tickle Chris.