SWNOVELS Chapter 381-390
Chapter 381
“Serena’s test scores were really something this time,” the professor from Summerfield College said with a satisfied smile. “But we’re actually here to see Arabella.” “Arabella?” Kenneth and Louisa both looked surprised.
The rest of the servants also showed surprise.
Serena’s hands clenched involuntarily, trying to keep her cool.
“She’s the one who aced the test!”
Everyone was stunned. A perfect score?
Serena’s face turned pale instantly as if she’d been struck by lightning, ready to collapse any second.
How could Arabella possibly get a perfect score?
How could she possibly face such a tough test??
Martha even started to doubt if she’d heard the name wrong. Was Arabella really that smart?
Even the super–smart Serena only scored 722.
How could Arabella possibly score 750?
Everyone was stunned for a few seconds before they realized who the perfect scorer was, and they started congratulating Kenneth and Louisa.
After their initial shock, Kenneth and Louisa were filled with joy.
“Arabella got a perfect score? She’s truly been keeping a low profile!”
Kenneth was also thrilled. He never thought she was not only good at medical arts, playing the piano, and designing clothes and jewellery, but also a perfect scorer. Was there anything she can’t do?
The professor from Summerfield College looked at the surprised family, smiling, “It seems you guys didn’t know about Arabella’s scores. Do you know where she is? We’re here to offer her a place at our college.”
“We too!“/Other teachers chimed in.
Once they made their purpose clear, Louisa smiled and explained, “She’s still in her room, hasn’t even woken up to check her scores.”
Now, the teachers were even more surprised. For most students, today was the most important day. 99.9% of them would, immediately check their scores online, but Arabella was still sleeping.
they have to say, her mental strength was really strong.
The behaviour of the perfect scorer was indeed different from ordinary students.
“Please follow me inside, Edith. Go and call Ms. Bella down.” Kenneth invited them in with a smile. He’d never been so proud.
Even being the richest man in the country, his massive wealth never made him feel as proud as today.
His own daughter brought him this honour
Louisa followed them inside. The servants were busy serving them drinks, and only Serena and Martha were still standing there.
“Serena, aren’t the admissions officers from top universities knocking on your door?
“I heard a professor from Summerfield College came to see you personally. What does he look like? Can you take a picture for us?”
“When are you going to treat us to a meal? After the teachers leave, we should celebrate your national first–place achievement!”
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Serena’s mood changed when she saw the messages in the group chat!
She had been brimming with confidence, thinking her rise to fame was approaching.
She had been looking forward to seeing her name on news headlines, trending topics on social media, and all major Internet platforms.
She had been eager to receive countless compliments in the comments section of the web.
She thought she was about to be the talk of the town.
But reality had a cruel way of surprising her when a straight–A student came out of nowhere and stole all her thunder.
“Holy moly!” Martha suddenly had an idea, hurriedly took out her phone, and started making calls.
Serena was too down in the dumps to inquire about it, but Martha’s words made her look up in surprise, “Martha, you didn’t invite reporters, did you?”
Martha hung up the phone and began to panic, “I didn’t expect her to get a perfect score. I thought it was you. Now the reporters are almost at Reflections Villa, what do we do? We can’t let her steal the limelight, can we? That would boost her popularity massively!”
Serena knew there was no point in calling the reporters off now. News this big was a scoop everyone wanted to get their hands on!
“Martha, you invited reporters without confirming first. You really dropped the ball!” Serena could only mutter under her breath.
“I’m sorry, I jumped the gun.”
What’s done was done. There was no going back now.
I
When Arabella came downstairs, all the teachers looked up, stunned by her beauty.
She was dressed casually, but her aura was impossible to ignore.
Such a young girl possessing such an aura, her future was boundless!
Arabella had only gotten half an hour of sleep from the night before and was feeling a bit cranky, but hearing so many teachers waiting for her in the living room, she kept her calm and went downstairs.
As she drew closer, her pretty face came into view of everyone, so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
This girl was not only academically excellent but also an absolute knockout.
Even when she sat down, she exuded an icy aura that made people want to take a second look.
“Arabella, hello. I heard you were resting just now, so you probably don’t know your score yet?” one of the teachers asked with a smile.
Arabella responded coolly, “I know.”
“You know?” The teachers were taken aback, almost in unison, “Did you check your score?”
“No, but I think I got a perfect score.”
Everyone was stunned by her nonchalant confidence. How much self–belief and ability did one need to make such a statement.
“You hit the nail on the head, indeed. You are the only student with a perfect score this year and the number one in the country!”
A teacher from Morrowind College enthusiastically asked, “Is there any particular university you want to attend? You could consider Morrowind College. We offer a full scholarship covering four years of tuition, provide VIP single dormitories, a $100,000 scholarship, and the freedom to choose your major. We have top professors for whatever major you’re interested in!”
The other teachers became anxious upon hearing this. He just said everything they wanted to say!
Arabella knew the admission score for Morrowind College was never lower than 680, but she politely declined, “I’m sorry, I haven’t decided yet.”
The teachers from Morrowind College knew the chances of her choosing their college were slim, especially with professors from Helgen College and Summerfield College present.
But he didn’t give up. He immediately said, “If you change your mind later, you can contact me anytime. Here’s my card with my contact info. Do you need me to show you how to save phone numbers?”
Arabella, though speechless, responded politely, “No, thank you.”
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“Hey there, Arabella I’m a professor We could really use a bright spark like you at our school. Have you ever considered enrolling with us? Whatever Morrowind College just offered, we can do it too Plus, there’s a $200,000 scholarship on the tabler
The crowd was stunned 200 grand? That’s an unprecedented offert
Even the national top students in the past only got around 20 grand in scholarships
But Arabella was different. She was the only one to score full marks in the past seven years. The last one was Romeo, who aced the entrance exam at 15!
It had been seven years since anyone else had gotten full marks in the country!
And today, this honour was claimed by this girl.
“Sorry, I’m not interested in your school right now.” Arabella politely declined
The professor felt bummed out and couldn’t help but ask, “Could you tell me why? Whatever Helgen College and Summerfield College can offer, we can match. Plus, our most famous professor, though retired, we’re confident we can persuade him to come out of retirement to personally guide you! Also, if you want to study abroad for a double degree during university, all the expenses will be covered by us.
The crowd thought this was a sweet deal!
Even Serena, on the side, was somewhat green with envy. She didn’t expect the professors to make such appealing offers, and they seemed really eager to recruit Arabella.
Tve already got a school in mind.”
She wouldn’t say she was super keen, but because of an old friend, she was planning to attend his school.
“It’s Summerfield College, right?” The professor from Summerfield College, full of hope, said excitedly, “As long as you come to our school, you can choose any professor you want, pick your dorm, and the amount of scholarship is no problem at all!”
T
The crowd was gobsmacked by his grand promises. This offer was even better than the previous one! After all, some schools didn’t allow students to choose their professors, and there’s a scholarships limit.
“If you like doing experiments, we can even set up a private lab for you!”
Hearing this, even the servants‘ jaws dropped. That’s some serious cash!
A lab just for her.
Summerfield College really valued talent! They were willing to give such lucrative offers!
“Helgen College can offer all that too! Not just a lab, but also the piano room, research room, dance room, painting room, anything you’re interested in, we can provide!!”
The crowd was stunned once again. This was the first time they’d seen such prestigious schools going all out to recruit a student!
“Sorry, I’m more interested in Westerly College.”
“Westerly College?”
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Not only were the professors taken aback, but even the family and servants were also dumbfounded.
While Westerly College’s reputation in the country couldn’t compare to Summerfield College and Helgen College, their admission score was always above 660, still 40 points lower than Helgen College and Summerfield College.
She scored 750. Shouldn’t she choose the best university?
What was she thinking?
When the professor from Westerly College heard the news, he was over the moon, “Arabella, our principal has already said, whatever others offer, we’ll do our utmost to match. Also, the principal asked me to relay a message to you.”
Everyone eagerly looked at him, wanting to know what the message was. What else could allure this straight–A student to their school?
“Our principal said the school just bought a top–notch drug research device, H30, which is internationally renowned. I believe you’ll be interested.”
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The device was a big ticket item that the principal splurged on just to lure Arabella into applying for his school!
He shelled out five hundred million dollars!
The device was perched in his school, with only two of its kind worldwide, one in the National Research Institute of M Country and the other in his school!
This device could be a game changer, bringing about colossal transformations in drug research!
Arabella gave a smile. The principal sure had some tricks up his sleeve, knowing exactly what she needed.
“The principal mentioned, apart from the H30, he’s also stocked up on other rare equipment in the school lab for you to use whenever you fancy! Plus, he’s thrown In another deal“”
Everyone was all ears. What was the deal this time? Arabella seemed quite keen on the previous one.
“He’s saying it’s cool if you want to skip classes and do your own research. The school won’t give you hard time.”
In other words, she can come and go as she please. Feel like attending classes, go ahead. Don’t feel like it, no sweat. She’d still get full attendance at the end of the
term
Such a sweet deal. It’s like every student’s dream come true!
Other teachers were grumbling about how crafty this move was. If students didn’t attend classes and went off gallivanting, what would they learn?
If the top student went there, they’d definitely slack off!
This deal was a total waste of such a bright talent!
“I choose Westerly College.” As soon as Arabella said this, the other teachers sighed in disappointment and left shortly after.
The teacher from Westerly College was dumbfounded. The principal had quite the foresight to predict that Arabella would apply to their school. His face was flushed with excitement, and he was all fired up!
He chatted non–stop with Arabella and kept reminding her to spell the school name correctly when she applied before he left.
Once the teacher from Westerly College left, Serena’s face turned sour. She didn’t expect Arabella to be so popular, let alone that she was daft enough to apply to Westerly College!
Kenneth and Louisa were about to shower their daughter with praise, but Edith beat them to it.
“Ms. Bella, the internet was down at home just now. Nothing to do, so I bet with Martha!”
Louisa’s attention was quickly diverted, “What bet?”
Arabella was also surprised and looked at her.
“Martha thought Serena had a better chance of coming first, but I thought it would be Ms. Bella. The loser has to do all the housework today!”
“So, you won?” Louisa smiled, “Martha, it looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you today.”
“Not at all.” Martha gritted her teeth inwardly as she exchanged glances with Edith.
Edith gave her a smug look and said, “Hang on a sec, Ms. Bella, I’ve got something to fetch.”
Everyone was clueless about what she was up to until she came back with a pair of shoes and bent down to put them on Arabella.
Arabella was puzzled.
“Ms. Bella, you probably didn’t know. Someone just said if you came first, she would kneel down to shine your shoes!”
Edith looked at Martha with a triumphant smile, “Now that the shoes are here, you might as well help Ms. Bella put them on before you start shining them.”
Martha was taken aback that Edith would bring this up. As a nanny, she had a higher status than the other servants, but now, she had to shine shoes for Arabella in front of all the servants.
How was she supposed to hold onto her dignity?
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“You were all cocksure when you made the bet. Now you’re not gonna try to weasel out of it, are you? Edith said with feigned boredom. “If that’s the case, it’d be such a killjoy We won’t be betting with you anymore”
“You guys bet that big?” Louisa didn’t give a hoot, thinking they were just joking around. They’ve had little wagers among the servants before, all for fun.
“Martha, you always play favourites with Serena Did you think about the consequenons of making such a big bet?” Louisa chuckled. “Arabella and Serena are both daughters of this house You can’t be biased You going to be fair to everyone!
Martha smiled awkwardly, “Alright, I’ll go get the cloth now, Ms Bella. Please wait a moment”
When she turned around, she was seething inside, muttering under her breath about what a chatterbox Edith was, so annoying!
Arabella raised an eyebrow slightly If this servant wanted to shine shoes, she’d let her shine alright.
“Bella, why do you want to apply to Westerly College? I heard the teacher say earlier that the principal of Westerly College knows you. How does he know you’re interested in drug research and used lab equipment to attract you?” Kenneth, sitting on the sofa, asked curiously.
Before Arabella could answer, Louisa jumped in. “Isn’t it obvious? Bella is into medicine and loves to research. When the principal discovered her interest, he used this to attract her Isn’t that normal? Moreover, their whole school is medical. They definitely need a lot of medical equipment for research, not just for Bella.”
“It’s just a pity, though, schools like Helgen College and Summerfield College.”
Many students dream of getting into these two schools! But Bella actually chose to ditch them.
Louisa said, “The school that interests Bella is a good school! Although Helgen College and Summerfield College are awesome, their medical research is not as good as Westerly College. Bella’s choice is pretty cool.”
By this time, Martha had brought the cloth and was kneeling down to shine Arabella’s shoes.
She had never had such an experience, feeling utterly humiliated!
“Thank you,” Arabella said with a smile, watching Martha.
Martha, holding back her anger, smiled back, “It’s my pleasure to serve you.”
“Is it?” Edith laughed, “Ms. Bella is the best student in the country. It indeed is your honour. You’ll have to serve Ms. Bella more in the future!”
Martha was speechless.
Geez!
She talked too much!
Louisa’s kindly gaze fell on Arabella. She didn’t take their banter seriously and continued, “Thankfully, Westerly College is in Summerfield, not far from us. Bella, do you want to live on campus or at home?”
Arabella smiled faintly and replied, “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Wherever you choose to live, come home on the weekends if you have time! Otherwise, I’ll miss you!” Kenneth said this, then turned to Serena, “Serena, I haven’t asked you yet. Which school do you want to apply to?”
Serena felt incredibly aggrieved. Her parents had ignored her for a while, and now they suddenly remembered her.
Suppressing her inner grief, she said calmly, “The cut–off score for Summerfield College has been over 700 in the past. If I apply, I should have a good chance.” Even though Summerfield College was the school that Arabella didn’t want to go`to, Westerly College was also the one she, Serena, wouldn’t touch with a ten–foot pole!!
“So you plan to apply to Summerfield College?” Kenneth said with a benevolent smile, “Summerfield College is great. It’s close to Westerly College. You two can look out for each other in the future.”
Arabella thought to herself “Why would I look out for her?”
Serena also thought “They make it sound like I need her to look out for me!!”
“Ms Bella, do you think the shoes I shined are clean?” Martha asked with a smile.
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Arabella looked at the shoes and said, “Not too shabby”
“So. Ive fulfilled the bet Martha stood up, ready to leave
“Don’t forget and you re on cleaning duty today! Thanks to Martha, we all get a day off Edith said with a chuckle, quickly adding, “We appreciate it, Martha!”
The other servants joined in laughing and thanking her, “We appreciate it, Martha
Martha swallowed her anger and responded with a smile, “Not a big deal. I’m fine with the outcome of the bet
Suddenly, a servant rushed in, “There’s a swarm of reporters outside. They heard our girl came in first, and they all want to interview Ms. Bella!”
“What did you tell them? Kenneth asked anxiously.
“Nothing I didn’t say a word I just ran in to report
“Those reporters are quick How did they find us so fast?” Louisa asked, gazing at Arabella, “Bella, do you want to talk to them?”
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Serena and Martha looked nervously at Arabella, worried she might shine in front of the reporters or flaunt her noble status.
But Arabella simply stood up and said, “I’m not up for a show. Got a lot to do. Heading upstairs now.”
“Alright, I’ll deal with them” Louisa watched her go, reminding her, “Take a break when you can, and stop studying, okay?” Arabella didn’t say a word.
Even if they put a book in front of her, she wouldn’t glance at it.
Louisa thought she spent her time studying in her room, hence her good grades.
No one knew she was actually working, earning money for her research.
But out of respect, Arabella replied, “Alright.”
Seeing her not planning on taking the interview, Serena breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Martha.
Good thing she didn’t know how to seize an opportunity.
What a fool.
Any normal person who aced their exams would choose Summerfield College or Helgen College, not some no–name Westerly College.
Even if she’s excellent in medicine, she would end up working for someone else, being a doctor, and working long hours. What’s the point?
Better to go to Summerfield College or Helgen College, and whether she found a job or not, she would be a top–tier graduate.
Edith was passing by the garden when she saw Martha watering the flowers.
She couldn’t help but stop and sneer, “Watering the flowers, are you? Why don’t you dig a hole while you’re at it?”
Martha looked up, puzzled by her words.
“You said earlier, we’ve got two students in this house, one came in first, and the other did terribly. That’s quite a difference! You said if the one who did badly were you, you’d rather dig a hole in the garden, crawl in, and die than shame yourself publicly.”
“You!!” Martha was taken aback that she remembered and came just to taunt her, her face flushed with anger.
“Why don’t you start digging a hole for your Serena? With such a huge gap, how can you stand it according to your own words? Get to it!”
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You, you just wait, I’m going right now to tell the lady of the house that you want Serena dead!” Martha was gearing up to go tattle.
Edith burst into laughter, “Go ahead Those are your own words, all the household staff can vouch for it! If anyone cursed first, it was you, who cursed at Ms. Bella! I just retaliated! I had a reason!”
“You re the one who came up with this scheme to frame her, what else could I do?”
Martha could not stand it anymore and shouted, “Enough! Do you really think I’m powerless against you?”
“I’m curious, what sneaky plan do you have up your sleeve now? Frame me? Or cause trouble for Ms. Bella? Don’t forget the video of you trying to cause Ms. Bella to slip is still with her!”
At the mention of this, Martha became a little uncomfortable and remained silent, but still in anger.
“TI get the video from Ms. Bella later, if you dare to mock or bully her in public again, I will show the video to the lady and see who gets thrown out of this house first
Martha was so angry she could not speak. She had hired Edith, Edith was her subordinate, but afterwards, she had become very arrogant. Standing up to her over of Arabella Bennett?
Was she revolting?
Arabella must have bribed her!
“Heard me?” Edith threatened and walked away, satisfied.
Martha glared at her retreating figure, fuming!
Louisa elegantly walked to the front gate, exuding nobility. It was the result of years in a privileged upbringing that had given her the bearing of a lady of high society.
Before she could open the door, a group of reporters crowded around the railing, eagerly questioning her through the gate.
“Mrs. Collins, we heard that the top student lives in your house. Is it true? Can you tell us how many points she scored this time?” one reporter asked.
“We heard that professors from Summerfield College and Helgen College came to recruit the student, what offers did they make, and who did the top student choose in the end?” another reporter asked.
Is your child the only one in 12th grade in the whole Reflections Villa? Is it Serena?” A third reporter asked.
The questions just kept coming.
“Can we meet the top student?”
“Can we take a picture of the top student? Can you open the door?”
Louisa elegantly raised her hand to silence them and smiled, “Thank you all for your concern, the top student does indeed live with us. Her name is Arabella Collins and she scored full marks. We just learned from the professor at Summerfield College that she is the only student in the country with a perfect score!”
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. Everyone took out their cameras to capture the moment.
“Apart from her name and score, I hope you won’t publish any unrelated information, like her family background, photos and so on. Our child prefers to keep a law profile and doesn’t like to attract attention.”
Everyone was stunned, they had not expected the daughter of the country’s richest man to be so humble. Her name was Arabella. They had always thought the rich man only had one daughter named Serena Collins.
Although they had not seen the top student in person but with such a good background, surely, she must be beautiful too!
The reporters were quick sing to praises and thanked Louisa.
“She must be a girl who combines beauty with intelligence!”
“Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Collins, you’re really fortunate to have an outstanding daughter like Serena and a brilliant daughter like Arabella.”
“Congratulations, Mrs. Collins.”
“Congratulations
Even though it was their first time hearing about Arabella, it was common for those wealthy people to protect their children and keep them out of the public eye.
For instance, some would send their children abroad for education and only bring them back once they have reached adulthood.
Others would raise their children elsewhere in the country for their own safety and only reveal their identities when the time was right.
Everyone might have heard about Serena, but Arabella might have been studying abroad all along and only returned after the college entrance examination, so it was normal for them not to be familiar with her.
As Mrs Collins had said not to discuss family background and other matters, they could only ask simple questions.
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In no time, the topic “Arabella Scores Perfect on Exam” shot up to the top spot on the trending tab.
Arabella returned to her room and found a bunch of unread messages on her phone. She responded to Romeo McMillian first.
“I had a visit from a professor at Summerfield College earlier, but I’ve decided on Westerly College.”
Romeo quickly gave her a call, his voice filled with surprise and affection. “Was that perfect score in the exam yours?”
Arabella raised an eyebrow. “News travels fast, huh?” she thought.
The reporters had left less than ten minutes ago, and the news was already everywhere.
“You’re awesome, Bella.” Romeo praised sincerely.
Arabella smiled, “You’re not half bad yourself.”
Romeo was taken aback. So, did Arabella know all along that he was the perfect scorer from seven years ago? Had she looked it up, or had she noticed back then? “Westerly College is a good choice, it’s close to me.” Romeo replied with a chuckle, “I like watching you save people. You look so serious, so beautiful.”
“So, I’m not good looking normally?”
“You’re always good looking, but you have a special charm when you’re saving people.”
Arabella smiled, “What if I had chosen a school abroad?,”
“Then I’d move to work abroad. Wherever you are, that’s home for me.”
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“Won’t that be tiring?” Arabella understood that, while communication may be done online or over the phone, dealing with problems would still necessitate going back home. The back and forth could take some time.
“What if I don’t step up, and when you go to university, you meet some bright, handsome guys and forget about me?”
Arabella could not help but laugh at his words.
“I don’t want to lose such a cute, beautiful, amazing fiancée because of distance.”
“The guys in university are too young.”
Jeher, they were too immature, like a bunch of little brothers. She couldn’t be attracted to them.
She smiled and said, “I prefer someone more mature.”
Romeo asked eagerly, “Do I, your fiancé, qualify as mature?”
Arabella answered without hesitation, “You’re pretty mature, but sometimes you can be childish.
“Childish?” Romeo thought.
“Is it when I’m clingy?” he then asked.
“Mhm.”
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“Can’t help it, you’re too adorable. Being with you is just so joyful.” Romeo sincerely said, “I’m so happy, I want to be with you all the time.”
At that moment, Arabella’s heart felt like a tipped–over honey jar, but she still said, “I need to reply to my brother’s message. He’s waiting.”
“I’ll call you later then.”
“Okay.” Arabella said calmly, “I’ll hang up now.”
After hanging up, Arabella told her brother the good news, then opened up Grandpa Beck’s WhatsApp and replied to a few messages.
In WhatsApp, there was also a congratulatory message from Kelly Piper. After replying, Arabella opened the next unread message
It was from one of her former teachers.
“Arabella, I saw the news. You’re amazing! I am so proud of you!”
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Arabella flashed a smile, “Thanks. I was just doing my thing.”
Her teacher knew she had always been a brainiac. In the mock exams back at school, she’d ace all the short answers, only avoiding essay writing and long responses.
But this time, she had to tackle the essays and long answers, so it was not surprising that she got a perfect score.
“I know,” her teacher said. “If the total score was a thousand, you’d still ace it! You’re one smart cookie and I’m sure you’ll do great things in the future. Maybe the principal will ask you to give a speech at school to motivate other students. I hope you’d agree to it.”
“Certainly.”
After answering her teacher, Arabella received a news notification. Her story was blowing up online. Underneath the news, loads of people were dropping comments. There were over 300k comments.
“This top student is dope! But why no photos?”
“If her grades are so good, she must be average–looking, right? Is that why the reporters won’t release her photo?”
“Is she a short, chubby girl with a face full of pimples?”
“Ah, don’t ruin my image of a top student!”
“Does anyone know which university she has chosen?”
“I heard that this badass student turned down Summerfield College and Helgen College. Does she have a better choice?”
“Are there even better schools than Summerfield and Helgen?
The admissions officer at Westerly College had just returned to school when President Barton put down his teacup and excitedly said, “Quick, post the news that Arabella has agreed to come to our Westerly College online, in case she changes her mind!”
Hearing this/the admissions officer was surprised, “Would she change her mind? I reminded her several times before I left to choose our school and not to mess it
up.”
If she does change her mind, wouldn’t all the expensive lab equipment that President Barton bought be a waste?
“What are you waiting for?”
“Yes, sir!”
Arabella was about to exit the app after browsing the comments, but then she saw another news.
“Top scorer chooses Westerly College” was suddenly trending at number one!
Did President Barton release the news so quickly because he was afraid, she might change her mind?
Sure enough, President Barton was gloating in the principals group chat, We’ll see Arabella every day from now on, you old farts can be jealous!”
President Tanner said, “As if you’re not an old fart! Didn’t you invite me to be an honorary professor at your school last time? I am free now, I am coming!”
President Barton replied, “Haha, no need now!”
He was swinging his legs in delight, humming to himself, and looking very pleased.
President Mann said, “Didn’t you invite me to give a speech at your school and use my success story to inspire the students? I agree!”
President Barton replied, “I’ll have to think about that.”
President Nelson said, “You must be so bored at school, all by yourself with all those young people. I’ll come and keep you company, keep you entertained!”
President Barton said, “Leave me alone, I have Bella. Stay away from me, if you guys come, I won’t entertain you.”
Having said that, he deliberately mentioned President Charles, “Bella was only a nominal student at your school, and a nominal professor after graduation. You hardly spent any time with her. But here, she will be around, for real. For four years!”
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Soon, President Charles responded, “That girl ain’t fond of studying You might only see her for four days in four years, so don’t get your hopes up” President Barton retorted, “Ha! As long as I have all these facilities, Bella will stick around for at least a year or two”
President Tanner said, “Unfair.”
President Mann said, “Shameless.”
President Nelson said, “Lowbrow”
President Charles said, “Scummy”
As they all huffed and puffed, President Barton was in high spirits. He sipped the coffee Arabella had bought for him, hummed a tune, and enjoyed himself immensely.
Meanwhile, an elderly professor strolled onto the campus of Summerfield College and knocked on the principal’s office door.
“Come in.”
The old professor sighed as he entered, “President Charles, what do you think young people are thinking these days? Summerfield College is one of the best in the country, but this year’s top student chose Westerly College. Why?”
“Don’t you get it?” asked President Charles with a smile.
“I really don’t.” The old professor was quite disappointed and slumped in a chair. He had personally extended an invitation, but the girl had still refused him! President Charles continued his drawing and said in a leisurely manner, “I told you not to go, but you went anyway. Now you’re upset because she rejected you.” The professor looked up in surprise. “President Charles, how did you know she wouldn’t come to our Summerfield College?”
“Look.” The president gestured to the wall behind him.
On the wall were photos of 66 top professors who were the best to ever grace Summerfield College!
Even he, the old professor, did not make the cut.
What did President Charles want him to see? Was he implying that he was not good enough and that was why the girl had refused him? Just as he was about to ask for clarification, his eyes accidentally landed on a young and beautiful face among the 66 top professors. “Is that Arabella?”
He thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes and looked again. The face was indeed that of the girl, and the name was correct!
The description said that the girl had finished her studies at Summerfield College two years ago and had been made an honorary professor at the college.
“Even the professors who taught her felt inferior to her and addressed her as ‘teacher. She didn’t attend many classes here due to her young age and personal affairs, but she aced all the final exams every year.”
The old professor was dumbfounded, and after a while, he asked, “So, she graduated from Summerfield College already? Then why did she take the college entrance examination again?”
“Ah,” said President Charles slowly, “she was a high school fresher then, but she also took college courses. She graduated from Summerfield College in less than two years. As for why she took the college entrance exam…”
It turned out that she was unappreciated by her parents in the Murphy family. She hoped to let her parents know that her grades were not bad by taking the college entrance exam.
She wanted to earn a bit of attention and love from her parents by scoring full marks.
She knew that her parents cared about face. If her grades were the best, they might be proud of her and even like her a little more.
But, destiny showed her that the parents of the Murphy family were not her biological parents.
Her parents did not believe in her, which is why she did not tell them she had started taking college courses in high school and had already received her diploma from Summerfield College. Furthermore, she did not enter Summerfield College via the college entrance examination. President Charles granted her permission to study and take exams there, which was not part of the normal enrollment process. However, her ability had surpassed that of other college students, so President Charles issued her a special diploma from Summerfield College. All of this, however, was done in secret, and almost no one knew.
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