She glanced at Rosie, who looked confident, and her mother in the audience, who was also grinning from ear to ear.
The host said, âRight, you and Rosie both scored full marks. You probably missed my announcement because you were sleepingâ
Ellinor yawned, nonchalantly saying, âI donât buy it The reporters in the audience looked at her skeptically.
âShe said she doesnât believe it? Is she doubting her own score or Rosieâs?â
âDefinitely Rosieâs score! She must think Rosie, having been out of school for years, wouldâve forgotten loads and couldnât possibly have aced it. Turns out Rosieâs quite the brainiac, still scoring full marks even years after leaving school.â
âI think so too! Isnât Ellinor being too cocky?â
The audience was buzzing with chatter.
The host emphasized to Ellinor, âEllinor, this is the deal. After your answer sheets reached me, they were marked onâsite by the examiner. After the results were announced, your answer sheets were shown to the reporters and the audience in the live room, and no one objected And just now. Rosie claimed that since she handed in her paper first, she should have a slight edge in this competition. Whatâs your take on this?â
Ellinor, having heard this, yawned again, âEven if we both got full marks, it doesnât mean sheâs better just because she finished earlier. Since when does handing in papers early count as bonus points?â
A reporter in the audience raised his voice, âEven if handing in early doesnât give bonus points, we all think Rosie is better than you!â
Ellinor turned to the reporter, âWhyâs that?â
The reporter said, âBecause youâve been receiving the best education possible at Creston University all these years and had time to review high school courses. Rosie, on the other hand, hasnât been to school for years and has been farming at home, yet she managed to ace the test. Isnât that telling enough?â
Ellinor chuckled, âMy dear reporter friend, your conclusion is clearly based on the assumption that I did replace Rosieâs entrance exam score, which doesnât seem to hold water.â
The reporter was tongueâtied by her rigorous logic but still stood by Rosie, âThen do you have any evidence to prove that you didnât replace Rosieâs entrance exam score?â
Ellinor nonchalantly shook her head, âNope.â
The reporter smirked. âSince you donât, doesnât that mean youâre indeed suspicious?â
Ellinor sat on the stage, looking down at the reporter with clear bias from a higher position, calmly saying, âFirst off, the basic quality of a journalist is to remain neutral and look at the event objectively, which you clearly lack. Also, in any situation or event, one can only prove the existence, not the nonexistence. Donât you understand this basic logic? Which media outlet are you from? Hiring a reporter like you doesnât seem like a wise move.â
The reporterâs face turned ugly after her response, âYouâ¦â
Most of the other reporters also sided with Rosie. They originally had a soft spot for the underdog, and after seeing Ellinorâs casual attitude towards the test and her arrogance, they were more inclined to support Rosie, who seemed more docile.
A reporter stood up for his colleague, âSo according to your logic, you canât prove that you didnât replace Rosieâs entrance exam score, but we canât have doubts about you? I think your logic is the absurd one!â
Ellinor laughed it off lightly, âI never thought that an old classmate with mediocre high school grades could score full marks at this point.
Hmm⦠This is a bit of a pickle! To prove something I didnât do, why donât we have another test? What do you