Chapter 275: Your Third Brother Is a Genius
"Buy a... house?" Arabella could hardly believe her ears.
"Yes." Mrs. Donovan, for her part, saw nothing wrong with discussing buying a house as casually as buying groceries. Frowning, she added, "We’re short on time, so it would be best to get a place that’s move-in ready. We’ll buy the house tomorrow. Then Eloise and I can go shopping for some New Year’s supplies to decorate it. That should be enough time."
Arabella watched as the conversation completely bypassed the topic of buying the house and moved on to how they would decorate it, what they needed to prepare for the New Year’s Eve dinner, and where they should order the food... She finally realized her parents were actually planning to buy a house specifically to spend the New Year in Brynn.
She quickly tried to stop them. "I... I’ll be fine. This whole thing will most likely be resolved in a day or two. After that, I can fly back and join you all. It’s no trouble at all. You really don’t need to go out of your way to buy a house just to stay here and celebrate the New Year with me. None of our family lives here, so the house would just sit empty most of the time. What a waste."
"Well, it’s not entirely about spending the New Year in Brynn with you. It’s mainly for your third brother."
"Third Brother? What’s wrong with him?" Confused, Arabella turned to look at Ethan Donovan.
"Your third brother recently applied for early admission to a graduate program at Brynn University, and he got in. He’ll most likely be in Brynn for the next few years, so your father and I thought we’d buy a house here. That way, he’ll have a private place to relax in his spare time."
"Exactly," her father chimed in. "And your granduncle lives here, so you’ll probably come for short stays from time to time. Even though you’d most likely stay at your granduncle’s, it wouldn’t be right to always bother him if you want to have a friend or two over. It’s much more convenient to have your own place."
As he spoke, Mr. Donovan seemed to think of something else. He furrowed his brow. "Thinking about it, one house might not be enough. Why don’t we just buy two? One for you and one for your third brother."
Arabella Donovan: "?!!"
"No, no, really, you don’t have to! I don’t have any friends to entertain. Just buy one for Third Brother."
Ethan Donovan came over and wrapped an arm around Arabella’s shoulder, pulling her into a hug. "That’s right, one is enough. A guy like me who practically lives in the lab probably won’t get to stay there much anyway. Serena might even end up using it more than I do. No need to buy another one."
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan and the others thought it made sense. They nodded and didn’t insist on the matter.
Arabella breathed a sigh of relief, but then what her mother had just said finally registered.
"Mom, you just said Third Brother applied for the graduate program at Brynn University and... he got in?"
"Yes."
"...But isn’t he only a junior? And it’s only the first semester..."
"Who made the rule that university students can’t skip ahead?" Ethan said, smugly flicking Arabella’s forehead. "I’ll have you know, your third brother is a genius. For a genius, sticking to the standard curriculum is a waste of time."
Arabella: "..."
’What kind of ridiculous flexing is this? Third Brother, back in school, I bet you were number one on your classmates’ list of people they wanted to throw a sack over and beat up.’
Ethan: "..." It wasn’t like he was actively trying to make enemies.
"So Third Brother just up and left like that? His old school didn’t have a problem with it?"
"What could they possibly say? The fact that they kept me at their school for two years was pushing their limits. Their lab facilities couldn’t support my subsequent experiments. If I stayed, it would only hold me back, and they knew that better than anyone. Rather than desperately holding on and not letting me leave, it was better to make a clean break and preserve everyone’s dignity. If I actually make some major breakthrough in the future, it will still look good on their record."
Ethan’s explanation made sense to Arabella.
That was true. No matter which university her third brother transferred to for his graduate degree, he couldn’t deny that he had attended Sylvan University for his undergraduate studies. As long as he made them proud and achieved something great, he would become a major draw for the university’s future admissions.
From this perspective, the school really didn’t need to have a falling out with him over such a "small matter." Being too petty could easily backfire.
"So, Third Brother, you’ll have to stay in Brynn from now on?"
"More or less. I’ll have to be here for the next few years, at least. And objectively, Brynn, as the imperial capital, is better than Stroven City in terms of economy, culture, and other aspects. Brynn University is one of the top institutions in the country, so its investment and facilities, especially the labs, are unparalleled. I need to stay in Brynn for a while just to finish the experiments I’m working on. As for whether I’ll settle down here for good, that will depend on the progress of my research and the academic atmosphere within Brynn University."
"..." ’Spoken like a true research fiend. He can’t go a single sentence without mentioning his precious experiments. Even his life plans revolve around them. He’s really something else!’
It made Arabella suddenly want to find Melanie Yates and talk some sense into her. ’Don’t be a moth drawn to the flame of my third brother’s handsome face. Don’t love him! It’s a dead end!’
’In her third brother’s life, there was only one unshakable queen: his endless parade of scientific experiments. A living, breathing person could never hope to compete with that.’
The Donovans, having heard Arabella’s internal roast: "..." ’She has a point. Is our troublesome son (brother) really destined to be single forever?’
Ethan, however, wasn’t too bothered. ’Melanie Yates?’ he thought. ’Wasn’t she that girl standing with them at that birthday party?’
At the time, Ethan had been too preoccupied with analyzing the psychology of his new little sister to pay Melanie Yates much mind. Now that Arabella brought her up, he vaguely recalled a cute girl, maybe with a little baby fat. You could tell just by looking at her that she, like Eloise Donovan, had been doted on and spoiled by her family.
But just as Arabella thought, his energy was focused on his experiments ninety percent of the time. Dating was time-consuming and troublesome, never mind actively looking after a girl’s every need, from her actions to her emotions. Ethan felt his head would explode just thinking about it. It sounded a hundred times more exhausting than pulling an all-nighter in the lab. From the very beginning, he had resigned himself to a lifelong love affair with his experimental data. He was destined to disappoint the girl.
"After the New Year, when the school staff come back and process the paperwork, I’ll officially become a member of Brynn University and its lab team. When that happens, do you want to come visit our school and the lab?"
"I can?" Arabella asked, surprised. "I heard a lot of university labs aren’t open to the public. That even their own students can’t just wander in, to prevent data leaks or damage to the instruments..."
"That’s true. But it’s fine as long as we file a report in advance, get permission from the lab director, and stay out of the confidential areas with precision instruments. Do you want to go? If you do, I’ll talk to my advisor when I get back and schedule a time to take you for a tour."