Chapter 13
Immediately, the classroom erupted in chaos.
“What? Someone actually solve it? Who’s the genius?”
“Who else could it be? It’s definitely Mindy.”
“Isn’t she just behind Mike in the Wilson family? Yolanda is adopted, and Lillian, well, she’s been kind of set aside by the Wilsons. Besides Mike, those other two don’t stand a chance against her.”
“Exactly! She really caught Prof. Smith’s eye this time. Her already privileged life will be even more luxurious now.”
“Do you think she and Zack might spark something in the future
“Zack? That cool math whiz? I saw him once–he’s tall, handsome, and you can just tell he’s super smart.”
Sierra froze in place, too shocked to grasp that Mindy had actually solved the problem.
The classroom buzzed with excitement, and everyone shot jealous glances at Mindy.
Instead of feeling proud, she went from irritated to completely panicked–she didn’t solve that problem at
all.
‘Did someone in class really figure it out? No way! There has to be a mistake, Mindy thought, fixing her gaze on the paper in Michelle’s hand
“Quiet down,” Michelle said, tapping on the desk. “I checked the last question on everyone’s test, and only Lillian solved it.”
She raised up Lillian’s test paper, adding, “And her steps and answer are spot on.”
“Who? Lillian?”
“Seriously? It can’t be herf
“Ms. Thompson’s got to be kidding. It was Mindy, right?”
All students turned at once to the corner of the classroom.
“No way!” Mindy jumped up, her voice rising. There’s no way she could solve it
“I find that hard to believe too, someone echoed. “If even Mindy and Ms. Thompson couldn’t figure it out, how could
The sudden shift in events amused Sierra. Not only did Mindy bomb the question, but Lillian, her rival, actually got it right. This was turning into quite the show.
“Everyone, settle down,” Michelle tapped the desk again and gestured for Mindy to sit. “Mindy have a seat first”
Mindy stayed put, shooting a defiant glance at Lillian in the corner. “I just don’t believe she solved it.”
Michelle frowned. “I know you’re upset. But Lillian really did solve the problem.” She then displayed Lillian’s solution to the last question on the smartboard.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“Even with the steps and answers right here, I still can’t make sense of it‘
“The person who created this problem must be really marvelous
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Chapter 13
“And whoever
solves it is even
more brillant
“There is someone who can solve things that Mindy can’t? The Wilson family truly produces math prodigies”
Sierra turned to Mindy, mocking, “Hey, little genius, you might be overrated in that math prodigy title, huh?”
Mindy shot a sharp look at her but didn’t snap back. She insisted “No way Lillian solved it. Even after looking over Lillian’s paper, Mindy was still doubtful.
Growing up with a reputation as a math whiz, she was completely confident in her abilities. If she couldn’t crack it, she doubted any student could–especially Lillian, who often skipped class.
Michelle seemed a bit defeated, saying, “Prof. Smith has checked the test paper himself, and it’s legit.”
Mindy was unfazed. “She must have been cheating! With the education resources in that rundown town of Mesville and her skipping classes, there’s no way she could have solved that problem!”
Everyone in the room looked puzzled.
“Mesville? Where’s that? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Did Lillian really go to school there! I thought she was from the Wilson family and studied abroad.”
“Even though they don’t share the same mom, Lillian’s still Mindy’s sister. With how she treats Lillian, it looks like Lillian has a rough time at the Wilson residence.”
Michelle was at a loss for words. Considering that Lillian was from the Wilson family and had earned Kevin’s respect, she felt compelled to defend her. Plus, Mindy’s outburst was just too much.
“Mindy, you need to take responsibility for what you say. Do you have any proof that Lillian cheated?” Michelle asked, her voice somewhat serious.
“She definitely looked it up on her phone or gotten outside help If it were anyone else, I might let it slide. But given Lillian’s past grades…” Mindy scoffed, her expression full of disdain.
After a pause, she became serious. This question was created by Prof. Smith. If we don’t look into this, making a big deal out of it, Fillcrest High’s reputation could be damaged”
That was going too far, and Michelle felt like scolding her. But she held back and turned to Lillian. “Lillian, I believe in you. Why don’t you come up and explain your solution to the class?”
Lillian shook her head.
Mindy sneered, a smug smile replacing any trace of worry. “She won’t dare because she has no clue how to solve it. And she claims she didn’t cheat? Let’s see what she says now.”
Michelle asked Lillian, “Is there anything wrong?”
Lillian replied honestly, “Even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand,”
“How frustrating! But she’s right. Now I’m even more annoyed, student sighed.
Another chimed in, “Damn, she’s mocking me! But there’s no way I can argue back.”
Mindy shot back, “Keep pretending. You think you can cheat your way into Prof. Smith’s good books? Better consider if you’re smart enough for it I’d like to see how you handle this.”
Lillian met her gaze calmly. “You say I cheated, and I have to prove my innocence? I could call you insine–should you get a brain scan?”
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Chapter 13
Several students couldnt hold it in and burst out laughing.
Mindy retorted, “If you can’t prove you didn’t cheat, nothing you say will matter. I’m definitely going to tell Prof. Smith you cheated”
Lillian twirled her pen, amused by Mindy’s foolishness. “How can you assume that just because you’re stuck on a problem. no one else can solve it? Seriously, you might want to get your lead checked.”
Suddenly, the classroom erupted in laughter.
“Oh no, I can’t stop laughing!”
“How does Lillian manage to be hilarious and straight to the poin
“I never knew she could be so sharp–tongued. What do I do? I like her even more now.”
“So should we trust her or not? That’s a question even Mindy and Ms. Thompson can’t answer.”
“You’re just like Mindy–you need to get a brain scan
“Mindy, you!” Mindy, still young and arrogant, grabbed her pencil case from the desk angrily.
But before she could make another move, a knock echoed from the back door of the classroom, and a pleasant yet distant voice interrupted her. “Excuse me.”
Everyone turned over to see a slim young man, around twenty years old, stood there with one hand still raised from knocking and the other casually in his pocket.
Instantly, the room fell silent.
Mindy froze, mumbling in confusion, “Zack?”
Zack politely reminded Michelle, “Teacher, class is over.”
Michelle scanned him, thinking he looked familiar. The name danced on the edge of her memory, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Who are you?”
Zack simply replied, “I’m looking for Lillian, his gaze already fixed on her in the corner.
When Lillian met his eyes, his usual indifference melted away and his voice softened. “Hey, Lillian, wanna grab lunch together?”
“Whoa, it’s Zack!” a student shouted, and the whole class erupted
“Oh my gosh, it’s the legendary Zack.”
“I can’t believe the famous Zack is actually here!”
“What’s happening? Zack knows Lillian?”
“It looks like they know each other more than just casually
Lillian had overslept that morning and skipped breakfast. She was already starving by the time the class ended, and she had wanted to remind Michelle of it.
She stood up and walked straight out of the classroom, brushing past Zack without sparing him a glance,
Zack didn’t rush to leave. He glanced at Lillian’s answer on the board and addressed the class, “Kevin and I tried to solve this problem, but we hit a wall. So we asked Lillian for help–this pager was printed just for her.”
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What Zack said was like–dropping a bomb in calm waters, sending shockwaves through the class. It went silent for a moment before erupting into chaos.
“Wait, did I hear that right? Zark the genius and Prof. Smith couldn’t solve that problem, so they turned to Lillian?”
“Am I hearing things, or has Zack completely lost it?”
“Is he actually saying Lillian is smarter than him and Prof. Smith”
“So Lillian is the real genius? And Mindy is just a joke?”
“I knew it. I’m destined to just be the sidekick.
Mindy stood there, too stunned to make sense of what was happening.
