Chapter 45
Seeing Cordeliaâs bewildered expression, Merry didnât hesitate. She whipped out her smartphone, opened her browser, and scrolled through nphotos until she found one of her heartthrob on the cover of a famous menâs magazine.
There he was, draped casually in a white toga that looked ready to slip off his shoulders at any moment, a hint of mischief in his eye. A beauty spot shaped like a teardrop just below his eye added to his enigmatic allure. His gaze was intense, staring off into the distance, and his lips curved in a halfâsmile that seemed to reach through the screen and beckon the viewer closer.
âHot, right? Tell me you wouldnât want a piece of that!â Merry gushed, practically swooning over the image.
Cordelia just stared at it.
The man was undeniably handsome but in a completely different way from Everard, who had this dangerous, edgy vibeâ¦Why was she even thinking about Everard?
Shaking her head to clear the thought, Cordelia was about to return to her studies when she overheard conversation nearby.
âMerry, I heard you moved out from your folksâ place. Youâre not staying on campus, so where are you crashing now?â
Merry rolled her eyes. âI got an apartment.â
âWow, you got cash? Didnât your family cut you off?â the person asked, surprised.
Merry snorted. âDo you think I lived for eighteen years without saving a dime?â
The other person just uttered an âOhâ and fell silent.
But Cordelia remembered Paulina had offered Merry a bank card after the incident with the stolen class funds, which Merry had declined. Not wanting to pry into her friendâs personal life, Cordelia hadnât asked any further questions. But Merry might be having money troubles.
Casually, Cordelia tapped Merry on the shoulder. âYou short on cash? I can lend you some.â
Merry glanced around and leaned closer, whispering, âLia, Iâm making my own money now. Donât worry about it.â Did she say she was making money?
Cordelia blinked in confusion. âWhat?â
Lowering her voice, Merry confessed, âIâve started streaming online for cash,â
After a pause, she added with anxiety, âLia, you wonât think less of me, will you?â
Once the darling heiress of the Jordan family, she was a streamer then.
Cordelia shook her head slowly. âNot at all.â
Merry breathed a sigh of relief.
As the bell signaling the end of the period rang, Cordelia, with Hanley and Juliana, stood up, grabbed their books, and walked out amid envious whispers from their classmates.
The mathematics and physics competition dates were fast approaching, and the trio had stopped attending regular classes to focus fullâtime on their preparations.
Cordelia typically spent her mornings on physics and afternoons on math. But today, driven by a need to validate some hypothesis, she headed to the math class instead.
Trailing behind her, Juliana let out a relieved sigh. âIs she going allâin on math ? Has she given up on physics â
The math contest would be around the 18th or 19th, with the physics competition hot on its heels. With such tight scheduling, most would choose to focus on one subject.
Hanley frowned at the thought. âSmart move on her part, if she has.â
The Galaxy Math Whiz Competition had shattered Hanleyâs pride, but he wasnât one to hold grudges. He had grown to respect Cordeliaâs prowess in math.
As he entered the classroom and passed by Cordeliaâs desk, he saw that it was devoid of any math problems. but a single sheet of blank paper on which she was furiously scribbling something.
Hanley raised an eyebrow in confusion and sat behind her.
For the rest of the morning, he watched as Cordelia wrote and sketched, occasionally crumpling draft papers and tossing them aside, sometimes pausing to ponder deeply.
During the break, she even dashed to the school library to borrow a book titled Batraâs Life, which Hanley recognized as a famous mathematical challenge, but what did it have to do with her math competition?
And it wasnât just the morning. Throughout the afternoon, Cordelia continued with her mysterious project, which was incomprehensible to Hanley.
When Latham, the math teacher, stopped by and saw what she was up to, he was shocked. âCordelia, are trying to prove Batraâs Conjecture?â
She nodded.
you
Latham chuckled wryly. âScientists have been tackling that for over a hundred years without success. Many have failed at the final hurdle. Itâs not something you should be wasting your time on. If youâre interested, you should wait until youâre in college and have access to higherâlevel math educationâ¦
He trailed off, remembering Cordelia had selfâstudied the university math curriculum.
Despite Lathamâs advice, Cordelia determined to solve it. âMr. Latham, I just want to give it a try.â
Latham sighed, unable to sway the prodigy. âJust make sure you get your math competition work done.â
âNo problem,â Cordelia assured him.
After Latham left, Hanley couldnât hold back any longer. âCordelia,â he called out.
She didnât respond.
Taking a deep breath, Hanley continued, âYou canât let one first place make you dismiss the National Math League. Your attitude is coming off as flippant and careless! The Galaxy Math Competition was offâsyllabus, and I know you studied beyond that, but that doesnât make your win entirely legitimate. There are countless math prodigies out there. Take Jake from Greenmeadow High. Last year, he won first prize at the National League and almost got himself to the winter camp. Heâs one of the favorites to win this year! Do you any respect for the competition at all?â
On the verge of a breakthrough, Cordelia was increasingly irritated by the interruption.
Even the most stoic folks couldnât help but snap back, her misty, cold gaze sweeping across the room. âZip it.â
Hanley froze, his mouth clamping shut instinctively.
As he came to his senses, his face flushed with irritation. He had offered a friendly warning, but she treated his goodwill as worthless.
Well, let the harsh reality teach her a lesson!
Cordelia was stuck on the same problem until six in the evening
Her entire hypothesis would be nearly complete if she could prove this tiny logic!
Chapter 45
But this point required knowledge she had never encountered before.
In Greenmeadow, she couldnât buy such reference books, and the internet was even less likely to have such obscure materials.
She asked Latham for advice, but he was helpless, too. âThat kind of stuff is for professional researchers only. Where would ordinary folks like us find it? Youâd better focus on your math competition instead!â
Even the wealthiest families couldnât get access to leading researchers!
Cordeliaâs brow furrowed in frustration.
Finally, she turned her attention to her phone and typed a message in the Pioneers Group chat.
LearnLover sent a message. [Does anyone have a book on Batraâs Conjecture?]
The group quickly buzzed with a reply.
Mr. AllâRound replied, [Iâve got one.]
Cordeliaâs eyes lit up. [Could I borrow or buy it from you?]
Mr. AllâRound smiled. [Not for sale, butâ¦
LearnLover asked, [But what?]
Mr. AllâRound offered, [Call me dear, and itâs yours to borrow.]
PS: If I call you âdarlingâ, will you throw me some and leave comments?
Chapter 46
Chapter 46