Chapter
Laurinda hadnât finished her sentence when Lorna, bubbling with excitement, leaped to her feet. Sanderson had
been peering over Lornaâs shoulder to check the score and collided with her accidentally.
âOuchâ¦â Sanderson rubbed his sore chin
Lorna asked with concern, âOh dear, are you okay â
Laurinda snorted, âLook at you, no poise sitting or standing What? Did she bomb the test?â
No sooner had she spoken than Lorna shouted, â288! My god, Lia genius!â
Sanderson was shocked. âWhat?â
Laurinda was stunned. âThat high? No way. You must be seeing things!â
288
Sanderson grabbed the tablet, and his eyes went wide. âNo joke, 2
Laurinda furrowed her brow, stepping forward in disbelief. But upon seeing the score, her jaw clenched tight. âHow can this be? Itâs impossibleâ¦â
The narrative flipped in the school forums and online chatter.
[Lord, I bow down to her!]
[Genius persona locked down! Iâm on my knees!]
[Iâve witnessed a live academic beatdown these past few days.]
[Hey genius, you rock! Do you want a follower?]
Amidst the praise, a discordant voice appeared.
Netizen âStarJuliâ commented, [Who knows if these results are legit? It could be a fluke.]
But Cordeliaâs consistently high scores had already won people over, so this comment got immediately blasted. Five minutes later, the post quietly disappeared.
âThat âStarJuliâ always posts these sour grapes comments, just a lapdog for Juliana and Hanley. I have no idea whose account it is. Itâs so gross!â
Little Parrot, Merry, seizing the moment during the break, leaned into her gossip prowess. âLia, Iâve got some hot gossip for you. Did you hear two kids from Class Two and Three were caught in the act on the schoolâs field yesterday? They were hiding in a corner, locking lips, and today, their folks were called in. Guess what happened â
Cordelia, composed since the test results, was packing up to head to her physics competition prep but played along with an inquiry. âWhat happened?â
âTheir parents met and realized they were business partners. So, they agreed to engage their kids! Can you believe it? Lia, whatâs your take?â
Cordelia took a beat. âEarly romance isnât good.â
Merry was speechless.
Cordelia stood , the crooked aisle, and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped before Merry. With a deadpan expression and misty eyes, she seriously, âWhatâs kissing like?â
Merry was flabbergasted. âUh? Um, I donât know because Iâve never kissed anyone!â
âOh,â Cordelia uttered and headed toward the lecture hall.
13:14
Once she settled into the physics competition class, people gathered around her. âCordella, you scored 2887â
Cordelia nodded.
One of them extended a hand. âGenius queen, can I shake your hand? Iâve got a physics quiz today, and your genius will rub off on me!â
Cordelia glanced at them, leisurely raised her hand, and they gingerly shook it before letting .
Juliana, who had just entered, saw this, clenched her fists in anger, and sat down before Cordella, smiling. âCordelia, did you hear Greenmeadow University called Hanley, offering to drop twenty points for his admission? Did they offer you a discount?â
Cordelia gave her a brief look. âNo.â
Julianaâs chin tilted up. âProbably because you didnât compete in math contests in sophomore year and didnât make an impression on the admissions office. Greenmeadow University doesnât care about a oneâtime high
scorer.â
Cordelia ignored Juliana, her attention returning to math problems. Latham had reviewed her paper and found all 12 deducted points were for procedural errors. She had missed several scoring formulas while solving them. Latham said the only way to overcome this was to practice more.
Finding no response from Cordelia, Juliana lost interest in the conversation. At that moment, Mr. Sawyer walked in with several sets of papers. âCordeliaâs performance in the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition has brought glory to our school. Letâs not lag in physics, though. Iâm counting on some of you to bring home awards!â
At Greenmeadow International School, apart from the two specialized classes, most students were prepping. for studying abroad, so competitions werenât a big focus.
Greenmeadow High School had always dominated the math and science horse had emerged, and Latham was on cloud nine.
itions, but this year, a dark
Sawyerâs gaze lingered on Cordelia with a touch of disappointment. Even the most talented students had their limits, and Cordelia had been all about math these past weeks.
With that thought, he distributed the tests.
After an hour and a half, Sawyer collected the papers. There were only seven to grade, so she marked them on the spot, allowing the remaining time for selfâstudy or questions.
After ten quiet minutes, Sawyer finished grading.
âMr. Sawyer, what did I score?â Juliana couldnât wait.
Sawyer responded, â158, quite impressive!â
For a physics competition, it was a good score. Consistently among the top five, Juliana was confident in her knowledge and secretly glanced at Cordelia, asking, âAnd Cordelia?â
She was sure sheâd outdo Cordelia in physics since Cordelia was mainly focused on math competition
problems, only turning to physics during class. Her attitude guaranteed her defeat.
Cordeliaâs math prowess would seem insignificant as long as Juliana could outscore her.
Everyone has strengths, and Juliana was determined to hers to beat Cordelia.
As Sawyerâs face morphed into an intricate tapestry of emotions, she slowly began to speak, her voice tinged with disbelief. âPerfect score.
Julianaâs pupils dilated in shock. How was that even possible?!
When Cordelia and Juliana arrived home, night had fallen.
The tail end of summer was approaching, bringing a hint of coolness to the heat.
Upon entering, Juliana stormed upstairs and slammed her bedroom door
Cordelia couldnât care less. She retreated to her room to continue reading.
Downstairs, after a long dayâs work, Stewardâs murky eyes lit up when he heard about the Galaxy Math Whiz Competition. He turned to Sanderson and asked, âDid you check on that boyfriend of Cordeliaâs, the one sheâs seeing around town?â
Sanderson shook his head.
Steward pondered for a moment. âIâve heard from Hackett that quests could go to his big birthday bash with the kids, sparking rumors heâs scouting for a wife for young Calvert. I had no hopes for our lot, but with Cordeliaâs brilliance, it seems a waste not to try. Tell her to dump that pretty boy sheâs been seeing and give it
a shot.â
Meanwhile, in Midnight Scent, Calvert suddenly sneezed, feeling an unexpected chill crawl up his spine.