Chapter 49

"I told you before to arrange accommodation for Pat, but you didn't listen. Pat, a young girl, wandered around all the time andeven changed her name. Who knows, she might even change her last name next!"

Lena sighed several times in a row. "You have no idea how expensive accommodation is. If she stays there, we still have to give her money for food. That money would be better spent on Derek. Pat is already good at studying and she can even tutor Derek for free. I have to work outside every day, and Pat can help with cooking and housework. It's perfect. This way, we could save a substantial amount of money."

Fiona snorted. "If it were for Derek's sake, I should have sewn Pat's mouth shut just now. What nonsense was she spouting? If the neighbors hear it, they'll laugh at our family! I wouldn't dare to go out then!"

Lena said, "Mom, it's my fault. I didn't teach Pat well."

Zoey's stomach growled as soon as she got to school.

She had been busy since morning and hadn't had a bite to eat. But She didn't have any money in her pocket.

Looking at the grand school building, Zoey went straight to the school cafeteria. She bypassed the student cafeteria and went directly to the teacher's cafeteria, skillfully walking to the innermost position.

Several teachers were sitting at a large table.

The female teacher with glasses was her homeroom teacher. Seeing her, she immediately waved at Zoey. "Pat, come here. Why didn't you come to class this morning?"

Zoey walked towards the homeroom teacher, who immediately gave her a seat and noticed the slap mark on her cheek. She asked, "Your face..."

Zoey shook her head indifferently.

Zoey's strong demeanor made the teachers feel even more sorry for her.

"What is your dad thinking? You're so good at studying, and other families would value you so much!" The homeroom teacher was very angry with Zoey's parents. Clearly, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Everyone remained silent, yet all were aware of what had transpired with Zoey.

The male teacher sitting across from her, who was her geography instructor, was so enraged that he lost his appetite.

He put down his utensils。 "This is too much! Hitting a child is illegal. Do your parents even know that?"

The teachers were all very kind to her. One of them immediately noticed Zoey's predicament, saying, "Wait here, I'll get you something good to eat."

Zoey lowered her gaze and said to the concerned teachers, "This time, he didn't hit me for no reason. I went to change my name this morning, and he hit me because of that."

"Your name wasn't that great anyway. Changing it is no big deal. No matter what you change it to, it's no reason to hit you! Hitting is wrong!"

Hearing the teachers all standing by her side, Zoey felt a rare warmth in her heart.

She said, "I changed it to Zoey. From now on, my brother Derek has nothing to do with me."

The teachers looked at each other in silence.

The homeroom teacher took a deep breath. The homeroom teacher said, "We know how much your family dislikes girls, but you can't take it out on Derek."

The geography teacher didn't know how to comfort Zoey. Some things couldn't be changed by words alone. People could never truly empathize with each other.

If he were in Zoey's position, he might not even be as strong as Zoey. Zoey had only changed her name, nothing more.

He didn't judge Zoey's right or wrong based on this but looked at her with pity, saying, "You know the teachers all care about you. Changing your name is a good thing."

At this moment, the teacher who went to get food for Zoey came back.

He placed the food in front of Zoey.

Zoey didn't respond and started eating silently.

The teachers felt a bit heartbroken seeing Zoey like this.

Zoey obediently listened to the teachers' advice.

After eating, Zoey went back to the classroom to take a nap. Someone called out to her, "Pat, someone is looking for you."

Zoey lazily lifted her head and saw the furious Derek outside the door.

She calmly told the classmate who called her, "Don't call me Pat anymore. I changed my name!"

The classmate asked, "What's your new name?"

Suddenly, Derek called out, "Pat!"

She slowly got up from her seat and was immediately dragged to the stairwell by Derek as soon as she stepped out of the classroom!

Derek was about 5.5 feet tall, overweight from childhood, with facial features obscured by fat. He had a hairstyle that made his face look even bigger, making his big head look even larger.

Zoey increasingly couldn't believe they were siblings!

She didn't even want to let her disdainful gaze linger on his face for a second and fiercely shook off Derek's hand.

Because of his weight, Derek's body emitted an unpleasant odor when he got hot.

Especially when he was pulling Zoey, the smell intensified.

Zoey pinched her nose and stepped back, unable to hold back a dry heave.

Derek immediately realized that Zoey was showing disdain for him. Furious, he grabbed Zoey's slender wrist once more. "Pat, you must be out of your mind!"

"Crazy? Oh, then just think I'm crazy." Zoey didn't even bother to look at him, but her hand stayed pinching her nose.

Derek said angrily, "What does your new name mean?"

Zoey sneered. "Since you already know I changed my name, why do you need to confirm it with me?"

Derek really thought she was crazy. "I'm telling you, if you don't change your name back, you don't need to come home anymore!"

"I don't even like going back to that house." Zoey sneered coldly, then looked at him with icy eyes. "If you have any guts, you should change your name too. Don't use such laughable threats to amuse me. It's not like I care about going back to that house. How about this, you go change your name now, and I'll consider you have some guts. Do you dare?"