After telling Frankie her score, Cordelia texted Mr. AllâRound, I scored 298â
Mr. AllâRound replied almost instantly, âAwesome.â
A small smile crept onto Cordeliaâs lips.
Ever since he scores went public, her classmates swarmed her with compliments and genuine wellâwishes, each praise as varied as the next. But Cordelia remained indifferent to it all. Yet, a simple awesome from Mr. AliâRound sparked a flicker of joy in her heart.
If the top dog thought she was awesome, she probably was.
Later, in the Midnight Scent, after responding to Cordeliaâs text, Everard opened up the Math Forum. He intended to browse through the praises for young prodigies but stumbled upon a post instead. âMy ship is sailing! Serving up sweetness online, Keen and Cordelia tied for first place with an outâofâthisâworld score of 298.â
Comments flooded in, everyone binging on the sweetness. There were even fanfic snippets of their saccharine moments â
[Cordelia and Keen found themselves frequently debating one peculiar future concern: whose surname would their future children use? Thatâs why they put a bet before their exams: the winnerâs surname would be passed down!
Envious of Cordeliaâs beauty, someone manipulated events to ensure she entered the exam hall a halfâhour
late.
Tears welled up in Cordeliaâs eyes in frustration and disappointment. She thought to herself, âPity, now our future kids are going to carry Keenâs last name!â After the first test, a regretful Keen approached her, trying to placate her, âSweetheart, I can give you a halfâhour head start in the second test, okay? Just stop crying now.â
When the results were released, a surprising turn of events: both of them ranked first with equal scores! So
they made an agreement; they would have two children, one carrying the father surname and the other, the
motherâs.
Later, when asked why they didnât score full marks, Keen sighed saying, âIf I didnât let her beat me by two points, our child carrying my surname wouldâve made her cry. What could I have done?â
Cordelia added, âIf our child carried my surname, it would be a blow to his ego. So, I decided to go easy on him and let him ahead by two points.]
Moreover, the fanfic snippet scored over a thousand likes.
The top comment, shockingly, came from Keen Himself, âSee you at the Mathematics Olympiad.â
Below his comment was a chorus of screams, âAhhh, itâs confirmed! Iâm crying over the sweetness of their love!â Everard, bemused by the intensity of the fandom, his eyes glinting with amusement, muttered, âKids these days, huh?â
Keen? He remembered this little boy/
Two minutes later, the post vanished into thin air.
Five minutes later, a new post appeared in the forum, âGenius Cordelia herself said sheâd die without her boyfriend and her heart aches without him.â
He gave the post a like and then looked up at Calvert, âBuy two thousand more.â
Calvert was at a loss for words.
Who was it that said they wouldnât stoop to a kidâs level?
After the third period.
Cordelia checked her phone and noticed a new message.
Mr. AllâRound said, âI think you can do better.
Because of the two points she lost?
The big fish always knew best.
Cordelia straightened up, replying with all seriousness, Til work harder Next Mathematics Olympiad, fin going for a perfect score.â
The Mathematics Olympiad, a fierce national competition where ranking in the top sixty could land you a spot at either Superiority College or Top Crest Academy, with a chance to join the national team and compete internationally.
It had been years since their country took home a gold medal internationally.
Suddenly, Cordelia felt a renewed hunger for knowledge. She set aside her phone, grabbed her math problems, and dug in.
The quest for knowledge never ended.
Merry, sitting in front of her, was about to share some juicy gossip with Cordelia but stopped, seeing the studious girl engrossed in problemâsolving.
Merry couldnât bring herself to interrupt and instead took a photo of Cordelia at work, posting it to the Flame Union group chat, âLiaâs been on fire since she got first. Instead of slacking, sheâs doubling down. Honestly, as her desk mate, I feel the pressure. Somehow, the kid in me who never liked studying is itching to hit the books.â Flame No. 1 said, âHer picture makes this video game feel a whole lot less fun.
Flame No. 2 added, âHer picture makes this fried chicken taste a whole lot less delicious.â
In class 8.
After posting, Flame No. 1 turned around to share the groupâs collective madness with Yates, the usual backârow snoozer. But to his shock, Yates was buried in a book.
Flame No. 1 was stunned, âYates?â
Yates, irked, glanced up, running a hand through his fiery hair, âDamn! This problemâs a beast. You got any clue?â
Flame No. 1 was at a loss for words.
Yates tossed the book aside, his brow furrowed, âForget it. If I canât crack it, youâve got no chance. Guess Iâll ask Lia after school.â
Back in the Math Forums, alongside the fangirling posts, an unexpected thread caught fire in the afternoon.
StarJuli said, âFunny how some think theyâre all that after acing a test. Today, someone actually asked the teacher if Superiority College or Top Crest Academy had called to offer her a scholarship. Sure, this is the National League, but itâs still just a stateâlevel contest. Not even Keen asked such an arrogant question. Why should Superiority College or Top Crest Academy make an exception for Cordelia?â
Beneath, the thread quickly filled with bitter comments.
âCordelia comes from the countryside. It is normal to donât understand the rules. After all, not everyone can take the test first?â
âCordelia is so selfâaware? Although I think she will get good grades on the Mathematics Olympiad, she is so arrogant now and I donât like her.â
âBe lowâkey, Cordelia! The ardent embarrassment from Keen.â
2/3
Chapter 64
Merry slammed her locker shut with a huff that echoed down the corridor. The last bell had trilled its release, and she was still fuming from the online jab that had spread like wildfire through the school. Her fingers itched to hurl her phone against the wall, but instead, she tightened her grip and spun around to face her
classmates.
âWhich one of you keyboard warriors went off blabbing on the forum, huh?â she barked, her voice slicing through the postâclass chatter.
The morningâs incident had been a private affair among the honors students, a secret that should have remained within the four walls of their elite classroom. Yet, as quickly as a spilled milkshake spreads across a diner counter, the gossip had found its way onto the school forum.
Merry suspected it was an inside job, one of their classmates stirring the pot.
Her outburst caused a flurry of activity as phones were yanked from pockets and bags, fingers swiping frantically to pull up the infamous post.
Some read in silence, others couldnât help but chime in with their two cents.
âItâs the truth, Merry. Are we supposed to censor the truth now?â sneered a voice from the back, dripping with
sarcasm.
Merry flushed her cheeks. âThe âtruthâ?â she spat out, âIt was Latham who offered Lia the fastâtrack to college, and all she did was ask if Superiority College was on the table. How does that translate to Lia demanding a spot at Superiority or Top Crest Academy? Arenât you twisting words much?â
Before the instigator could retort, Cordeliaâs phone buzzed insistently. She glanced down to find an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen, the area code pointing to Ontoky City.
Chapter 65
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