Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO-Chapter 631 - 380: Deductions Rely on Imagination, Every Guess Hits the Mark [Second Update]
Nora Scott had remained missing, but only showed up when Oliver Scott entered the hospital room.
"Sis."
Oliver had sharp eyes; she noticed her as soon as she got to the door.
This was a double room, but the bed on the other side was empty, with no occupant for now. Ernesto Scott had gone to handle some paperwork, leaving Marcus Shaw and Pedro Langley to accompany Oliver.
Pedro glanced at Marcus.
Surprisingly, Marcus understood and followed Pedro out of the hospital room.
Taking a light breath, Oliver half-lay on the hospital bed, gazing nervously at Nora.
Nora strode into the room.
"Sis, I have reasons I can’t disclose."
With complex thoughts, Oliver didn’t know what to say, so she quietly explained.
"Didn’t ask for your reasons," Nora spoke calmly.
"...Oh."
Oliver lowered her brows, staring at her right hand encased in plaster, once again at a loss for words.
Moving closer, Nora placed the fruits and snacks she purchased outside onto the table.
She glanced at Oliver.
Just washed up, the teenager’s face was clean, but this only made the few bruises stand out more. The hair clinging to the forehead was damp and clumped together, and compared to usual, her complexion looked a bit pale.
Teenagers at this age grow quickly, changing almost daily.
Compared to when she first met him, he had grown taller, with facial features becoming more defined and strikingly handsome.
Nora leaned against the table, one hand in her pocket, abruptly saying, "I have a question."
"Hmm?"
Oliver’s curious gaze fell upon her.
Nora asked, "Why casually talk about your aspirations?"
"It was Marshall—"
The name slipped out, but Oliver suddenly thought of something, falling silent.
Nora’s eyes darkened slightly.
After quite a while, Oliver frowned, quite annoyed, "I’ve been played."
"Oh?"
Nora raised an eyebrow.
"Before dinner, Marshall suddenly started chatting with me, asking if I was planning to study abroad or get a recommendation, or aiming to excel in exams. He went around a circle before asking about my aspirations. He must have guessed what I wanted to pursue, using words to provoke and test me...and I admitted it."
As she said this, Oliver’s brows furrowed more and more.
After a brief pause, Oliver continued, "Because we chatted for a bit long, my mom came to call me for dinner and overheard my talk about aspirations. Since it didn’t match her expectations, she barged in, and we started arguing, eventually alarming the whole family and having a fight."
Oliver, usually good-tempered, was rare to be a bit angry, "Thinking back now, it might all have been planned by Marshall."
...Damn.
He sought her out right before dinner, just to take advantage of Alma coming to call her for dinner.
Reflecting on it, Marshall’s words at the time were evidently abnormal.
——Had it been usual times, Marshall, whose words and deeds were always impeccable, wouldn’t have said anything to provoke him. Many statements seemed outright guided by Marshall.
After all, Oliver was only 17 years old, with a relatively simple social circle. Even if he’s smart, his maturity and scheming fall short, hardly considering things in-depth.
If not for Nora’s covert reminder, Oliver might never have realized Marshall’s intentional actions.
"So here’s the question," Nora peeled a lychee, casually popping the fruit into her mouth, "Why did he choose today?"
"...I rarely see him usually."
Oliver analyzed with puzzlement.
Oliver hardly visited the Ferreira Family, and even when he did, it was not certain Marshall was there. On regular days, they weren’t in the same school.
Aside from crossing paths at last week’s Mecha competition, in his memory, the last meeting with Marshall should have been during New Year’s.
Nora gave him a glance, continuing to prompt, "For next week’s Mecha competition, in terms of overall robot performance, the first and second places should be picked between your teams."
"..."
Oliver, shocked, opened his eyes wider.
"But arguing with my family doesn’t mean I’d be off my game during the competition—"
Oliver’s voice came to a halt.
His expression slightly changed, denying, "Impossible."
"Your right hand can’t move for at least two months. Forget the Mecha competition, even for finals—" Nora paused, "As far as I know, finals are joint exams among schools, with citywide rankings published. With a bit of inquiry, he’s consistently ranked second, always beneath you, right?"
"..."
Never having thought about rivalry over grades, Oliver now felt a chill after hearing Nora’s analysis.
That was his cousin...
"Open your mouth."
Seeing Oliver’s bewildered expression, Nora handed a peeled lychee to his mouth.
Instinctively, Oliver opened his mouth.
As the fruit was placed into his mouth, Nora tossed the peel into the trash, offering Oliver some time to buffer before speaking again.
The fresh lychee was sweet and juicy, with no pit, making it very convenient to eat.
Swallowing the fruit, Oliver took a breath, striving to calm his mind.
"I don’t know what those people were blackmailing you about, nor do I have evidence linking Marshall to you being beaten," Nora added, "but I can make appropriate analyses."
Oliver looked up at her, mind numb, awaiting her analysis.
"One needs a purpose to do anything. In the simplest terms, if his goal was merely to incite discord between you and the Ferreira Family, he succeeded 100%. Over the next year, the Ferreira Family will subject you to brainwashing education, trying to change your aspirations."
"Just happened to be so coincidental—"
"You were supposed to stay overnight at the Ferreira Family’s, but because of the row, you left. And coincidentally, you were found by those people."
"And coincidentally again, they just ruined your right hand. One: affecting your participation in the Mecha competition, two: eliminating your chance to take the finals."
Finishing the analysis, Nora shrugged, nonchalantly summarizing, "Both outcomes, ironically, are beneficial to him."
"..."
In her analytical string, Oliver sensed a massive conspiracy.
Was it all orchestrated by Marshall?
How could it be...
Marshall was only a few months older than him.
Unbelievable.
After a while, Nora casually spoke, "Lastly, a few more questions."
"Wh-what?" Oliver seemed a bit dazed.
"How did your phone get broken?"
"Why did it happen to run out of battery?"
"Were those people extorting money from you, and with your phone broken, you had no money, thus getting a beating?"
Nora asked three questions in an offhand manner.
!!!
Oliver’s eyes widened in shock.
For a while, he exclaimed incredulously, "Sis."
"Hmm?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Nora raised an eyebrow.
Oliver sighed, rubbed his face with his hand, letting himself calm down, then softly asked, "Did you open the God’s perspective, already knowing the whole story?"
"No," Nora chuckled lightly, casually remarking, "Just blind guesses."
She had said there was no evidence, so she could only make reasonable guesses based on limited clues.
"..."
Incredible.
Simply a hundred percent accurate.
"...It’s odd, in the afternoon, Marshall invited me and my two cousins to play games, and everyone’s phone ran out of battery. Later, when I went to charge in the living room, after two hours, the plug had loosened, and no power was charged."
Speaking to this point, Oliver glanced again at the astute Nora.
"The phone fell because he bumped into me. Luckily, because of the phone case, it didn’t fall apart, just cracked the screen."
After a brief pause, Oliver continued, "My phone lasted till the arcade before completely running out of battery."
