After all, some of these people had secretly helped him before. As they spoke, the ambulance Jacob had called finally arrived. Zac and Xavier were carried away on stretchers, neither daring to say a word. They knew better than to risk provoking the crowd again. With Zac gone, Arthur had no reason to stay. But Jacob was persistent, his enthusiasm hard to ignore, and Arthur didn’t want to outright reject his kindness. Luckily, with Ashley by his side, the night wasn’t entirely dull. Noticing Arthur’s lack of interest in their celebrations, the others kept their distance, wary of overstepping. Arthur glanced around at the lively scene before him. For a moment, he set everything else aside. There was something undeniably infectious about the energy—the carefree laughter, the clinking glasses, the way everyone seemed lost in the sheer joy of the moment. Then, through the crowd, Jacob appeared, staggering toward him with a drink in hand. He was already drunk, his steps unsteady and swaying as he approached. Arthur quickly reached out to steady him. "Mr. Lane, are you okay?" "Arthur, do you have any idea what you’ve done?" he slurred, eyes gleaming. "In all my years as principal, I’ve never had a single student take first place in the entire country! You have no idea how proud that makes me!" Ashley quickly pulled up a chair, guiding Jacob into it before he toppled over. "Arthur, I never thought—I mean, not that I didn’t believe in you—but seriously! First place in the nation! Do you know what a big deal this is? I’ve never been this proud in my life!" Beaming, he grabbed a wine glass from the table and held it out toward Arthur. "Come on! Let’s have a drink to celebrate!" Arthur instinctively wanted to refuse. In both his past life and this one, he had never really been much of a drinker. In his previous life, he simply never had the opportunity.And now, in this life, between building his company and focusing on his studies, he’d had neither the time nor the interest. He wasn’t even sure how well he handled alcohol, but he’d heard enough stories about people making mistakes while drunk. Still, Jacob’s excitement was hard to turn down. Maybe just a sip. The event had been stocked with both wine and fruit juice—most of the underclassmen stuck to juice, while the graduating seniors indulged in red wine. Arthur lifted the glass to his lips and took a small sip. Huh. Not bad. The wine was smooth, slightly sweet with a hint of bitterness, but nothing overwhelming. It didn’t make him feel lightheaded, nor did he feel any discomfort. One sip turned into another. Before he knew it, he was drinking freely. Jacob, thrilled to have found a drinking partner, eagerly kept pace with Arthur, matching him glass for glass. With each round, Jacob became even more talkative, his words spilling out in a slurred, excited rush. Ashley watched as Arthur kept drinking, one glass after another. A hint of concern flickered in her eyes, but seeing him genuinely happy for once, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. She sighed to herself. Fine. I’ll just stay sober and keep an eye on him. The party lasted well into the night, but eventually, even the most energetic students began to wear out. Those who had been drinking were now completely intoxicated, their laughter turning sluggish and slurred. As the night wound down, a quiet sense of bittersweet nostalgia settled over the crowd. But no matter how unforgettable the night had been, all gatherings must come to an end. Life had its own paths for everyone—each person had to move forward alone. One by one, the students drifted away in small groups, saying their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Arthur and Ashley were among the last to leave. Jacob had long since passed out, and someone had already taken him home.As they walked past a restroom, Ashley stopped. "Wait here for a second," she said. "I just need to use the restroom." Arthur, half-dazed from the alcohol, simply nodded and found a place to sit. Ashley stepped inside. Arthur wasn’t sure how long he sat there, his mind hazy from the wine. Then, before he knew it, Ashley was back. She didn’t say a word—just took his arm and helped him to his feet, guiding him forward. Her pace was quick, almost hurried, and Arthur, still unsteady on his feet, struggled to keep up. His sluggish brain tried to make sense of what was happening. Through the haze, something felt… off. He glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. "Ashley, where are we going?" he asked sluggishly. Even in his drunken state, he recognized this wasn’t the way to the main exit. They were heading toward the back gate, not the front. The hand holding onto him tensed. After a slight pause, she replied, "It’s faster this way." Arthur’s foggy mind registered a flicker of suspicion. Something about her voice felt… off. Ashley was acting strange. Even the way she spoke didn’t seem quite right. Maybe I was just imagining things. Maybe it was the alcohol messing with my head. Brushing the thought aside, Arthur let her guide him forward. He barely registered getting into a car before sleep overtook him. When he finally woke, he was being helped out of the vehicle. His head was still spinning, his body sluggish, but something in his gut told him— Something wasn’t right.