Chapter 2

2: 2

The confirmation receipt for the successful payment flashed through my mind, and I froze——

Could it really be like my future self said, a network glitch, the online payment not going through?

I yanked out my phone and pulled up the screen showing the transfer had gone through.

“Mr. Butler, I clearly already paid. Isn't this the school's mistake?”

But the advisor let out a cold snort, arms crossed, glaring at me.

“I looked at your file earlier and figured your family was struggling and couldn't cover tuition. I was even going to file an appeal with the school on your behalf.

Just now I was only testing how you'd react. I never expected you to be this shameless!

If you didn't pay, you didn't pay, but you go and pin it on the school, faking a transfer screenshot to trick people. We don't take con artists like you!”

Panicking, I called the bank right away, but customer service answered in a flat, indifferent voice.

“That transfer of yours ran into a network problem and was returned to the original account. Where it went after that has nothing to do with the bank.”

But staring at the zero balance, no matter how I argued, they wouldn't admit a thing.

The warning from my future self came back to me, and in that instant I was sick with regret.

I was just about to open my mouth and plead with the school when my parents' call came through.

“Honey, the school says you didn't pay your tuition, they want to expel you!

If you used that money, you should have at least told us!

Right now the most important thing is getting the tuition paid. We just borrowed some from relatives, we'll transfer it to the school right away!”

So before coming to find me, the advisor had already called home.

The shame was almost too much to bear, but to hold on to my spot, all I could do for now was use this money to put out the fire.

Remembering my future self's warning, I quickly told my parents,

“Don't transfer it online, bring cash and come by train!”

It was a huge sum, so of course my parents were careful, and they agreed at once.

In my last life I'd brought the cash myself and something had gone wrong,

but this time the two of them would look out for each other, and there was no way anyone would get the chance to swap it!

When we rushed to the school first thing the next morning, we didn't waste a single second and went straight into the finance office.

Watching my mother pull the tightly wrapped cash, folded up in a handkerchief, out of the cloth pouch sealed at her waist, I finally let out a breath.

At least this time nothing could go wrong. Worst case, I'd work hard this semester and pay my parents back every cent.

Seeing how carefully they handled it, the advisor sighed too and shot me a glare.

“Your parents have it so hard, and you had the nerve to spend that tuition on your own, and lie to the school on top of it!

If it weren't for the sake of these two, we would never take a student like you!”

I felt wronged, but this was no time to argue, so I hurried, full of gratitude, to open the handkerchief.

But the next second, the whole room fell dead silent——

The tuition, wrapped up so carefully, had turned into fake funeral money again!