Chapter 730
“Charlotte cheated?”
The other judges looked at each other, flipping through Charlotte’s perfect test paper again and again. Everything about it was solid. Her logic made sense, the structure was tight, and every answer was right on point. It was honestly an exceptional
exam.
And the whole thing had been under constant surveillance. Even the tiniest
movement, like a strand of hair shifting, would be caught on camera. Cheating? Not a chance.
“The questions were written by the Committee and kept absolutely secret. How could Charlotte have possibly seen them beforehand?”
There had never been a leak in the competition’s history. If anyone ever got caught cheating or leaking the questions, the punishment was harsh. No one wanted to risk
it.
“I just find it kind of unbelievable, that’s all,” Lydia tried to explain, her tone light but her smile a little too sharp. “Especially those last three questions. They covered stuff you only see at the master’s or PhD level. For a freshman to solve them…”
She trailed off, but everyone knew what she meant.
The rest of the judges’ smiles faded as a sense of doubt crept in.
“And another thing,” Lydia added, her voice still dripping with sarcasm, “Charlotte only got into this competition because the Committee personally approved her spot. Sure, she’s great at dissection, but there are tons of talented students out there. Why pick a freshman who hasn’t even finished learning all the basics? I just don’t get it. I also feel bad for all those amazing med students who missed out on this rare chance.”
The judges fell silent, lost in thought. The more they considered it, the more things didn’t sit right.
“Her first round performance was strange too…” one judge finally muttered. “Do you think she actually knows someone on the Committee? Maybe she got the answers early?”
“There’s no way to know for sure,” Lydia said with a cool smile. “But just wait for the third round. It’s both written and practical. This year’s practical is supposed to be the hardest ever.”
Charlotte might be good at dissection, but she couldn’t have had special training for everything, right? Especially the theoretical part-those questions were written by Dr. David himself, the vice chairman. His questions were legendary for being impossible.
No one had ever answered his question correctly in all the years of the competition. If Charlotte pulled it. off it would be
fun oft
Ten minutes later, the host walked onto the stage with a smile, holding the results. Every contestant and audience member felt their heart leap hanging on the edge of Suspense
“The results of the second round are in…”
With every word, the tension in the room grew thicker.
Letty clenched her hands tight, eyes glued to the big screen in front of her. She couldn’t stop smiling. She knew she’d done well, and with Lydia on the judging panel, there was no way her score would be pushed down. Even though she was almost certain she’d taken first place, just imagining everyone looking at her with envy made her pulse race.
“This round, we go from fifteen contestants down to five. The ten with the lowest
scores, please step off the stage.”
Fifteen down to five. Brutal.
“Now, please look at the screen.”
As soon as the host finished, the room went silent. Hundreds of eyes stared at the names on the screen.
People scanned the list, and someone in the audience whispered the first reaction.
“Charlotte’s not in the bottom five.”
Letty noticed it too. She looked away from the screen and over at Charlotte. Charlotte sat there with her legs crossed, totally relaxed, just playing with her nails like she had all the time in the world.