The desire grows even stronger when Henry asks, with the air of one who’s just grasped something incredibly obvious and can’t believe it’s taken them this long, “Is that why you came up with the idea for Beijing Ghost? To pay—to pay bills?”
No point denying it now, I guess.
“Not bills.” I dig my nails deeper into the pillow. At this rate, I’m probably going to tear a hole through the fabric. “Just...school fees and stuff.”
“If I’d known—Alice, you realize I don’t care about my cut of the profits, right? It was never really about the money for me.”
“Well, good, because you’re definitely not getting any of it now,” I tell him, only half-joking.
“It’s just not fair,” Henry says after a pause, and I’m surprised by the burr of anger in his voice. “You’re indisputably the smartest person in our entire year level—no, the entire school. You shouldn’t have to resort to monetizing your supernatural powers just to stay at Airington with the rest of us. It’s honestly...” He rakes an agitated hand through his hair. “It’s ridiculous, that’s what it is. You deserve to be there more than people like Andrew She. You deserve to be there more than I do.”
I stare at him. “Henry... Did you just admit that I’m smarter than you?”
He shoots me a half exasperated, half affectionate look. “Don’t make me say it again.”
I feel the corners of my lips twitch, and the tension between us seems to thaw a little.
“Really, though. I’m sorry I didn’t notice anything earlier,” Henry says after a beat. He’s speaking slowly, like he’s weighing out every word in his head first. “You shouldn’t be in this mess, and you certainly shouldn’t be the only one shouldering the blame for what happened.”
“I shouldn’t, but I am,” I remind him. “That’s just how the system works. I don’t have the right connections, or the money to hire a good lawyer, or parents who’ve donated millions to the school—”
“But you have me,” Henry says, eyes blazing. “I’m responsible for Beijing Ghost too, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you. In fact, that’s part of the reason I came here today.”
“What do you mean?”
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it up for me to see. The familiar Beijing Ghost logo blinks back at me. “I figured it would be safest for everyone involved if we were to shut down the app—before Peter’s parents or the police decide to investigate further.”
I’d considered this before, too, but...it still feels very sudden. “Shut it down...right now?”
“Would you prefer to hold an elaborate farewell party first? Take time to write out a touching eulogy?” Henry says drily, much more like his normal self. “Or perhaps wait until the tenth day of the Lunar calendar, when the sun and the moon align?”
“Fine,” I grumble, shifting position so I can see his phone screen more clearly. “What do we need to do?”