Chapter 180
Ronald took a sharp breath, his frustration boiling over. He slammed his hand on the desk and growled, “Fine. If you and Shirley can actually beat Olivia, I’ll leave.”
There was no way he could accept losing to a girl who didn’t even know her place.
…
Five minutes later, Olivia was called into the office.
She walked in wearing her blue and white uniform, hands folded neatly in front of her, a sweet, obedient smile on her face. She already knew why she was here. After holding onto first place for three years, she’d finally been knocked off her throne. The anger and humiliation still burned inside her. Deep down, she was dying for a chance to prove herself.
“Sit down and do your best. Let them see what real skill looks like.” Ronald shot a glare at Charlotte and Shirley.
“Yes, sir.”
Olivia sat, giving Charlotte a quick look. Charlotte was slouched in her seat, spinning her pen between her fingers, looking completely unfazed. Olivia couldn’t help the confident, almost mocking, smile that crept onto her lips. Some people just never changed. No matter where you put them, a loser would always be a loser. As for Shirley… Olivia bit her lip, pushing down the sudden wave of nerves. She had beaten Shirley before. There was nothing to worry about.
The B-version of the exam was unsealed and handed out right in front of everyone. With the department head, the grade coordinator, and the teacher all standing by, each student had their own personal proctor. Vanguard High had never been stricter. Cheating wasn’t just difficult, it was impossible.
As soon as they got their papers, Olivia and Shirley both wrote their names and got straight to work. They flipped open their scratch paper, eyes locked on the questions, solving problems one by one.
Charlotte just scribbled her name, then sat there staring at the test, her pen
hovering in the air. Every now and then, she glanced over to see how far Shirley had gotten.
Eleanor frowned, watching her. Charlotte was zoning out again, just like last time. And yet, last time she’d still managed to score a ninety… Was this some kind of weird test-taking strategy? Was she solving the problems in her head?
“Hmph.” Ronald snorted. “She’s just putting on a show. Ridiculous.”
…
The B-version was way harder than the A-version. It was obvious both Shirley and Olivia were struggling. Still, Shirley was clearly moving faster than Olivia.
Olivia glanced at Shirley, her grip tightening on her pen. She bit down on her lip, a thin layer of sweat gathering on her nose. She couldn’t lose to Shirley First place was hers It had always been hers.
Eleanor watched Charlotte, getting more and more anxious as she saw how relaxed she looked, What was this girl even thinking? Was she actually stuck? If so, how did she get a ninety last time? ‘
Just as Eleanor’s nerves hit their peak, Charlotte finally moved. She picked up her pen and started writing out her answers, fast and confident, not even pausing to think.
Charlotte looked up, caught a glimpse of Shirley struggling with a problem, and then purposely slowed her own pace.
“Time’s up.”
The words had barely left Ronald’s mouth before he jumped up. He didn’t want Charlotte to have even one extra second, so he rushed over and grabbed her test first.
He couldn’t help but glance at her paper. It was kind of mess.
“What is this supposed to be?” Ronald grumbled. He reached for Olivia’s test and immediately brightened. Her answers were clear and tidy, and was obvious shed gotten several big questions right.
When he got to Shirley, he didn’t even bother looking. He just snatched the paper away.
Out of the three, only Olivia had managed to finish the whole test.