Ch. 581..590

Chapter 581 A One Way Experience to the Cremation Ward

Sophie recovered from the brink of fainting with a shine in her eyes. After all, only the strongest would survive in Mr. Kamp’s class. During each monthly exam, only students who scored above the average mark would be retained, and the ones below it were forced to drop out.

Moreover, gathered in Elite Class were the smartest science students in the university; even Sophie did not dare to say that she would be first in class every single time.

Elise, a liberal arts student from the countryside, can only be placed above the average grade unless a miracle happens!

The thought of this made Sophie feel more comfortable since she was certain that Elise would be kicked out of the class in no time.

When that happens, Kenneth’s money will go down the drain. By then, he’ll certainly think that Elise is a useless person and no longer spend more effort on her!

Sophie’s mocking face was so obvious that Elise couldn’t ignore it even if she tried.

After sweeping her gaze calmly across Sophie, she then said to Martin, “Don’t worry, Mr. Kamp. I know all the rules already, and I’ll do my very best.”

Since he didn’t believe that a liberal arts student who got in using the power of money could be placed above the average grade, Martin grew even more dissatisfied at her due to her confident demeanor.

If she wasn’t capable yet willing to learn, he wouldn’t make it too hard on her. However because of the attitude that Elise currently displayed, Martin was going to pay extra attention to her!

Ignoring Elise once again, Martin turned around and gently reminded Sophie by saying, “You should go back to class since the paperwork has been sorted out. I’ll hand the form to the administration later. The exam will be starting in a while, with the seats being sorted according to grades. Pay extra attention when answering the questions later.”

“I understand, Mr. Kamp!” Sophie raised her voice on purpose, wanting to show off how much Martin doted on her in front of Elise.

But when she looked over, she noticed that Elise was playing with her phone and giving her zero attention!

As anger bubbled in her chest, she quickly bidded the principal farewell and left huffily.

Just you wait, Elise. When the exam starts, I’ll make sure that you know our levels clearly!

After seeing Sophie leave, Martin switched his gaze onto Elise and immediately became stern again. “Are you deaf? I said that the exam is about to start, yet you’re still here on your phone.”

Elise looked up at him expressionlessly and suppressed her emotions. Then, she quietly put her phone away.

Hearing this, the principal finally realized that something was amiss.

Considering the fact that Elise was somewhat under his wing, wasn’t Martin humiliating him by not giving him face at all?

“It’s currently break time, Mr. Kamp. It isn’t that appropriate to be speaking to Elise in such a way, don’t you think so?”

Just as Martin was about to rebuke, Elise mediated the situation by saying, “It’s fine, Mr. Haas. Mr. Kamp was only saying it out of worry for me. I’ll be going to the classroom now and stop disturbing you.”

As this wasn’t the first time that Elise had faced such old-fashioned teachers, she did not take his words to heart. Rather, she was afraid that Mr. Haas and Martin might even argue because of her. If that happened, she would have to owe him another favor then.

Although he was surprised that Elise would say such a thing, Martin did not want to accept her words, so he just turned around and walked out.

Sighing, Leon told Elise somewhat defeatedly, “The foreign lecturers can be quite proud at times. Actually, it’s not just them; all capable lecturers have a certain proudness to them. You need to learn fast to prove yourself. This is the only way he’ll stop finding faults with you.”

“Thank you for the tip, Mr. Haas.” After sincerely thanking him, Elise then rushed over to the small white building.

Since she didn’t know when the exam would start, she walked faster than normal. Hence, she was able to catch up to Sophie within a few minutes.

Since she did not know the exact location of the classroom, Elise slowed her pace down and quietly followed Sophie from a distance.

Yet, being the attention maniac that she was, Sophie would turn back to look every two minutes. So, upon discovering Elise after a while, she stopped to mock her.

“Here I was, thinking about which stalker had been secretly following me. It’s only Miss I-got-into-the-elite-class-because-of-copious-amount-of-money.”

Not wanting to argue with her, Elise simply passed by her and continued walking.

Now that she was behind the woman, Sophie suddenly felt anger surging through her. She caught up with Elise’s pace and said, “Do you really think that you’re all that great? Just because you grew up in the countryside, does it mean that you don’t need to have any manners at all? Did anybody teach you basic respect for other human beings?!”

“First off, you have to be a human being,” said Elise while walking.

Angered to the point of being flushed, Sophie then sneered upon remembering Martin’s warning. “I don’t think that you can pass the monthly exam, so why don’t you back off now and save yourself some dignity?”

Elise could no longer withstand it, so she stopped and turned around to face Sophie.

When she was silent, there was a certain sharpness in her gaze.

Upon seeing this, Sophie gulped subconsciously while her neck shrunk back. “Y-You, what are you going to do?!”

She felt that Elise was about to strike her. These barbarians from the countryside are the worst!

However, Elise only raised her eyebrows and smiled lightly. “A friendly reminder that the last person who kept pestering me like this is now lying in a cremation ward. I estimate that in a few days, that person would be in cinders. So, do you want a quick experience at the cremation ward as well?”

Hearing this made Sophie feel a chill run down her spine with a hint of fear flashing across her eyes. Putting on a calm facade, she then said, “How dare you threaten me. Come on, do you think I’m afraid of you? I’m not that easily scared, you know!”

After retracting her smile, Elise returned to her icy demeanor. “Actions speak louder than words. If you’re not afraid, you can most certainly try.”

With that, Elise walked away without leaving any time for Sophie to retort.

Then, she recalled that the designated classroom was B201. All the classrooms nearby started with ‘B’, which meant that she’d eventually reach the right classroom if she continued to walk straight.

As she puffed her cheeks, Sophie followed closely behind while hypnotizing herself again and again.

If the others aren’t angry, I shouldn’t be so riled up either. Think about who would stand to profit the most if I were to die from sheer anger.

After all, she did not want to let such sc*m as Elise get her wish.

By the time they approached the classroom, Sophie’s anger had mostly subsided when she noticed that Elise had stopped in front of the classroom door.

Meanwhile, Elise had fallen into deep thought while looking at the strange classroom door.

Since she had done some research on Elite Class prior to joining them, she knew that the class was using the highest level of teaching equipment in the university. Even the classroom door was custom made, so the likelihood of the door not shutting tight was almost impossible.

But now, she could clearly see the slit from the door.

Something is definitely wrong here.

At that moment, she saw Sophie coming.

At once, she put on a smile and said sincerely, “I’m so sorry, but I just remembered that I need to make a call. You can go in first.”

“Country bumpkin.” As she said that, Sophie only assumed Elise was scared at the thought of facing a class filled with geniuses.

After tidying her hair up, she then turned the knob and went in.

“Hello, every…”

Bang!

“Hahaha…”

Before she could even finish her sentence, a bowl of flour had rained down upon her. Sophie was instantly drenched in flour, and the noise of students’ roaring laughter echoed throughout.

“Ah!”

Chapter 582 Forgetting One’s Ancestors

Sophie shouted as she flailed about helplessly, and a bunch of flour went into her mouth. With the flour sticking to the roof of her mouth and making it very dry, Sophie almost gagged and puked. When she wiped the flour away from her face, she realized that she had also wiped away her makeup and eyeshadow in the process.

She had spent all morning doing the makeup, but it was all ruined! No matter how exquisitely she dressed up in the future, her new classmates would still have her current pathetic state imprinted in their minds.

She then stomped her feet out of anger before pushing the door open with force. After that, she let her hands fall to her sides as she clenched them into fists.

However, Sophie did not realize that the door was a spring operated one, so it absorbed her force and bounced back. The door slammed against an unsuspecting Sophie, so she fell and got stuck between the door and its frame, landing her in an even more embarrassing state.

“Hahaha—” Her classmates laughed even more cruelly at this sight.

Never had Sophie wanted more than to disappear from the public’s view at that moment.

Looking at the unfamiliar laughing faces in the class, she bit her lips while pulling herself up using the door handle before she turned around to leave.

When she passed by Elise, she suddenly stopped when she remembered that the woman was supposed to enter first.

Elise had actually discovered the prank already, but she deliberately allowed Sophie to fall for it!

Now that her saintly image together with her clothes were destroyed, she would only be laughed at more if she were to make a fuss of it.

After clenching her teeth and looking spitefully at Elise, she then ran away. It’s never too late for revenge. I will not let you off so easily, Elise Sinclair!

Sophie ran toward the stairway and bumped into Martin, who looked like he had been standing there for quite a while.

“Mr. Kamp…” Her emotions welled up from within and Sophie’s tears began to fall.

Meanwhile, Martin sighed and took out a pack of wet tissues for her. “Dry your face first before going back to the dorms and change into a clean set of clothes. I’ll start the exam when you come back.”

After accepting the tissues, she pursed her lips and grunted in response before running downstairs with her head lowered.

Feeling nothing from Sophie’s spite, Elise was about to enter the classroom after making sure that there were no more booby traps.

Just then, Martin called out to her. “Miss Sinclair.”

After turning around, Elise made sure to maintain her basic etiquette. “Do you have something to say to me, Mr. Kamp?”

Martin walked over to her and said expressionlessly, “I saw the whole process clearly.”

“What process?” Elise did not know what he was referring to.

“You were supposed to enter the classroom first, but you stopped at the entrance and let Miss Washington go in instead. Do I have to elaborate your intentions?” Martin said accusingly.

Elise listened to him quietly since she was being lectured, but she accidentally let a laugh out after hearing his words. “Pfft!”

This made Martin very unhappy. “What is there to laugh about during such a serious situation?!”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking that if I had been the one who entered first and got flour all over myself, would you still use this tone to question Sophie like how you’re doing it to me?” Elise said emotionlessly.

Martin could not respond to her words.

Frankly, nobody could really be fair to everybody. This was especially the case since it was between Elise and Sophie—the former had gotten in through money, whereas the latter used her capabilities. How could Martin face them fairly like this?

The atmosphere in the hallway became quite tense as they stared at each other.

At that moment, the charismatic voice of a man came from the other end of the hallway, and it was accompanied by the sound of leather shoes tapping against the ground.

“Is this the quality of the teachers leading the elite classes at Tissote University?”

Both Elise and Martin looked in the direction of the voice simultaneously, and they saw Kenneth walking toward them while being accompanied by a bunch of people, Mr. Haas included.

With a darkened expression, Leon rolled his eyes at Martin and said, “Mr. Kamp, I’ve already reminded you about the way you treat your students. Why haven’t you changed that attitude of yours?”

“What do I have to change?” Martin tilted his head upward proudly.

“Aren’t you an arrogant one, Mr. Kamp.” Kenneth lowered his voice nonchalantly, and his gaze was akin to an eagle that had found its prey while his powerful aura leaked from his body. “As a lecturer, shouldn’t it be your first task to find the culprit now that one of your students has been hurt by the prank? Instead, your first action was to question a potential victim like Miss Sinclair and insult her. Is this how an educator should act?”

“As a lecturer, not only did you not stand up to deliver justice to the student immediately, you wanted Elise, a new transfer student, to question the whole class because of a classmate she had just gotten to know. If you don’t have the capability, then you shouldn’t shirk your responsibility to others. Letting the students handle everything, aren’t you a fantastic teacher!”

Martin opened his mouth and tried to come up with an excuse, but he found no opportunities to rebuke. He was frustrated for some reason, and the anger slowly welled up inside him.

Meanwhile, Kenneth had no plans of letting him off just yet as he asked, “I heard that you were of mixed race origin?”

“That’s right.” Martin smugly added, “However, I’ve already registered as a citizen of Mesdra three years ago.”

Kenneth snorted and said, “Not bad, you’re even foregoing your ancestors’ homeland. No wonder you cannot tell right from wrong. However, you’d better open your eyes and look carefully. This is Cittadel, not Mesdra. It’s a place where you’ve shamelessly come back to earn money from, and Cittadel did not beg you to come back either. I sponsor the institute, so don’t piss around here and act like you’re the top dog. I would advise you to change your biased attitude toward the students.”

After that, he nodded to Elise as a greeting and said impatiently to the people following behind him, “Looks like Elite Class hasn’t settled down yet. Johnny, prepare to move the schedule forward. We’ll be coming another day to visit.”

After saying a few simple sentences to the principal and the other leaders of the school, Kenneth then went away with his people.

It was only until they disappeared from the stairwell that Leon finally let out his breath and childed Martin, “Mr. Kamp, I know that you have prejudice against Miss Sinclair because you think that she used her connections to get into your class. However, she was already a top student before this. You can not accept that, but you can’t just disrespect a student’s basic human rights. If such a biased approach toward students happens again, I think I will have to seriously consider if your current position should be retained or not!”

After that, the principal turned around and left.

As Martin felt a bit down inside, he pouted.

Admittedly, he wasn’t focusing on the actual matter of the issue just now. No matter what, Miss Sinclair knew that her classmate would be in trouble, yet she just ignored it. There really is something wrong with her behavior, so I don’t see anything wrong with giving her a lesson.

In his eyes, Elise had tricked Sophie and turned her into a scapegoat. Hence, how could he not be biased under such circumstances?

After taking a look at Elise deeply, Martin then said, “You’re a smooth talker. With just a few words, you managed to make everyone on your side. The days are still long, though. I hope that you can stay in my class for longer and not get kicked out on the first monthly exam.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Kamp. I’ve remembered everything that you said. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going inside first.”

Chapter 583 Looks Are Everything

After saying that, Elise opened the door and went into the class. Looking at how Elise acted like nothing happened, Martin felt the guilt that was pointed out by Kenneth and Leon instantly disappear..

Bad attitude will always display itself. She couldn’t even display the most basic level of respect. She’s blatantly ignoring the existence of teachers!

So what if her grades as an arts student are good? With such bad behavior, the heavens will be sure to close her opportunity on science subjects!

Seeing Elise’s silhouette, Martin was determined to not be softhearted against these bad apples. Other than Elise, he decided that all students that went against his words would be chased out of the class after the monthly exam.

These little devils will not disrupt my plan!

Just as Elise sat down, Martin then entered the classroom.

He had a gloomy expression, and his brown eyes were filled with anger.

As someone who was of mixed race, he was undoubtedly the top amongst the teachers in terms of looks, but since the students in the elite class were all focused on learning, they weren’t too surprised by that.

They only noticed that Martin had a dark expression. Obviously sensing that he was still angry about something, nobody wanted to go and face him directly.

Coldly sweeping his gaze across the class, Martin did not say anything as he wrote both his English and Chinese name on the blackboard using chalk.

Turning around, he then put his hands on the rostrum and said to everyone with a haughty attitude, “I’m your new form teacher, and this is my name. You can call me by my Chinese name from now on, or you can call me Mr. Kamp. If you have any problems, come straight to me.”

Up till here, he stopped for a while and composed himself before staring coldly at the students. “Now that everyone knows who I am, I’m going to have someone stand up and tell me what happened. Whoever did such a cruel action to a female student, stand up and admit it.”

The whole class held their breaths and all looked away, pretending that the incident had nothing to do with them.

Although they all said that only the bad students cared about honor, that same fact applied to the top students too.

After waiting for a short while, Martin, who saw that nobody was willing to come forth, shook his head and laughed. “Nice, very nice indeed. An adult and a top student of the university is now acting like a coward. So, nobody wants to admit it, right? That’s fine. Then, the whole class will be marked with a heavy demerit!”

“But why?! We’re innocent. You are being too unreasonable by doing this.”

Some students bravely protected their rights.

Although they would not betray their classmates, they also did not want their profiles to have a heavy demerit for no reason at all. If they really took it to the top, the leaders of the institute would not agree to their punishment as well.

After all, they were basically the faces of the university, and no sane punishment would be dished out to the masses. So, what could a foreign teacher really do against them?

Once this was said, everyone started to form the same opinion.

“That’s right. We’re here to learn, not to be investigators. Plus, everyone was discussing homework just now, so we didn’t even see anything. What do you want us to say?”

“He gave out a heavy demerit just like that. Do you even know what that means if a student’s profile had that noted? Is our future so insignificant in your eyes?”

The students were all displaying their strong logic right then in the classroom to the fullest.

No matter which school it was, the top students all had special privileges. Also, the school board would not let a teacher do such reckless things.

Not participating in the argument, Elise only discovered that a bright looking boy next to her was holding onto the edge of the table with both his legs closed, looking as if he was about to stand up.

But before he could do that, another boy on his right had stood up without hesitation.

“It was me that did it. Just punish me if you want to. Don’t drag others into this.”

Martin’s attention was instantly attracted by the boy, and Elise could not help but look at him multiple times.

That boy in question had sharp looking eyebrows and short hair with a pointed front, and he was one of the few that had a naturally messy fringe. It was just that his stance and gaze gave off a feeling that he was a bit unrestrained.

“Sheldon!” The boy who originally wanted to confess had a look of pain on his face.

The boy called Sheldon instead shot the other boy a look, hinting at the latter to keep quiet before asking Martin calmly, “So, where should I go to register my offense?”

Shaking his head, Martin said frustratingly, “The administration. Before that, clean the entrance up!”

Kicking the chair away, Sheldon then began cleaning the entrance with a broom.

Just as he had finished, Sophie had also come back.

“Sir, can I come in?” Standing at the doorway, Sophie looked at her classmates innocently.

“Come in.” Martin nodded, thinking that it was about time that a student who actually cared about the rules arrived.

After Sophie had seated down, Martin then looked at Sheldon, who was at the back of the class. “Now, you should apologize to Miss Washington for your behavior and seek her forgiveness.”

Looking obviously impatient, Sheldon came to Sophie’s side. Clenching his teeth while rolling his eyes, he simply said, “I’m sorry!”

On the way back, Sophie had been cursing the person who pranked her a thousand times, but upon seeing Sheldon’s face, she suddenly thought that it actually wasn’t such a big deal.

A handsome face really is everything. With such looks, anything he does is within reason. Perhaps he just wanted to joke a little and make us all know each other better.

Deep down, Sophie made excuses on Sheldon’s behalf. Wearing a kind smile, she then said good-naturedly, “It’s fine. I don’t blame you.”

Without even looking at her, Sheldon instead looked toward Martin and said, “Now can I go get registered for my heavy demerit?”

Not really wanting to punish him, Martin changed his mind after seeing Sheldon being so defiant, as if the boy was sure that he wouldn’t punish him. This was just a blatant challenge!

Martin now remembered that Sheldon was actually a student that the principal had forcefully enrolled in the class. Excluding his poor grades, his profile was in an even more sorry state, with his previous school records peppered with fights. Even at Tissote University he still acted the same.

A bottom tier student will always stay the same, causing chaos no matter where they went.

Martin had promised himself to not be softhearted.

“You can go and register after the test has ended. For now, go back to your seat and wait for the exam to start!”

“Miss Washington, I would like to ask you to go get the test papers with me.”

“Sure, sir.” Obediently, Sophie stood up and followed Martin out.

Rolling his eyes, Sheldon then sat back down.

At that point, the boy who did not manage to confess just now then immediately went up to talk to him.

“Sheldon Keller, why did you take the blame for me? It was me who did it, so it should be me who owed up to it. Do you still treat me as your friend?”

Waving his hand, Sheldon did not treat this incident as anything major. “It’s just some demerit. Stop nagging me over it.”

“When did I nag you? I’m just—”

“Alright, alright. This has nothing to do with you. It’s just that I wanted to show off, alright? If I don’t blow up the incident, how would they find an excuse to expel me? If the university doesn’t want me here anymore, my dad and brother will finally permit me to go down the route of game development.”

“I don’t even know how to persuade you now. It’s not actually your fault, seeing how you didn’t profit from all those previous investments you made.”

Hearing this, Sheldon shot daggers at him, and the boy immediately shut up.

Chapter 584 An Optimistic Person

Their conversation made Elise curious. The Keller Family? Sheldon Keller? Don’t tell me that Jamie and Sheldon are related? With this thought, Elise then secretly observed Sheldon.

Just now, her brief glance had told her that he was just another bright looking handsome boy. However, upon a closer look, she found that he did indeed look familiar. His profile, eyebrows and nose… Even his hairstyle looks like Jamie’s. But come to think of it, Jamie looks a bit more mature and manly.

Sheldon had the classic first love look of a film character in a school. Shaking her head, Elise smiled, sighing how strange fate was and what a small world they lived in.

But just after a short moment, Martin and Sophie were back with the test papers in their hands.

The duo each had a bag in their hands, with Martin holding the exam questions while Sophie was holding the answer sheet in hers, preventing any possibility of a leak.

Then, Martin found another two students to help with the distribution of the papers. While this was happening, Martin stood behind the rostrum, explaining the rules of the exam.

“The paper was designed by me. Inside, you’ll find the questions to be all from the high school physics competition, with all them being a compilation of the basic questions. It also goes without saying that they are not the same. But the steps used are similar and you should be able to score if you understand the theory.”

“The paper has a total of ten multiple choice questions, five fill in the blank questions and three questions that require calculations. The last one is an upgraded version of the competition question with scaled difficulty. It’s an added bonus question, so you can choose not to do it if you don’t know how to. Just try your best to answer all the questions first. A word of warning, though—if anyone is discovered to be cheating, you can get ready to pack your bags and leave!”

Not everyone shared the same sentiment and Elise, who calmly flipped through the paper, only thought that Martin was being loud.

The paper was about the same as what Martin had described, and it was all entry level competition questions. Anyone who had some experience in a physics competition would find this no trouble at all.

Then, the boy who was talking to Sheldon turned around and said to her, “Hey, you don’t know how to do it too, right?”

Looking at him, Elise was a bit confused by his words.

Meanwhile, the boy thought that she was embarrassed, so he reminded her, “You don’t have to be shy about all this. After all, I was also forcefully entered into the class by my father to reserve a place for my studying abroad. Just simply answer it and don’t pressure yourself too much. After all, we still have to inherit the family business, regardless if we go abroad or not. It’s just a matter of time.”

Laughing at his words, Elise replied, “You sure are optimistic.”

Knock, knock!

Martin, who had walked down from the podium without them noticing, was already standing beside Elise’s table and intentionally knocked on her table. “Haven’t you taken an exam before? No talking,” he growled.

Elise did not reply, but the boy she was talking to looked downright irritated, and he sat up straight and started to answer the questions. However, it seemed that he was not thinking when he wrote down the answers, with him already finishing the first five questions within one minute.

Analyzing the questions briefly in her mind, Elise already knew the answers, but all she did was just stare at the paper without writing anything. Thinking of how Martin had such a deep prejudice against her, she would only create more problems if she were to continue to stand out. So, her best course of action would be to reel herself in a bit.

As the saying went, the brightest stars often fizzled out the fastest. So, acting as if she was clueless, she flipped to the questions at the back. After pondering for a bit, she started to answer.

Looking at the duo, Martin shook his head and sighed. A rotten base will never be anything great. One is just guessing, while the other one can’t even be bothered to do so. How can they even learn if they do not use their brains?

Not wanting to see the two waste their time, Martin walked to the side and saw Sophie’s paper, which filled his heart with relief. She had correctly answered the multiple choice and fill in the blank questions, and he estimated that the subsequent questions would not pose a threat to Sophie either.

Not bad. She really was someone that he had chosen.

Noticing his gaze, Sophie lifted her head. The two of them nodded, immediately understanding the other. Physics was all about logical thinking. So, if one could use the correct equation and do some simple mathematical manipulation, the answer would reveal itself.

The entry level questions were not hard, and it was the bonus question that had a few hurdles which made Elise waste a bit of time. However, she still managed to answer the second section by the time twenty minutes had passed.

After checking the first few pages, Elise then chose ‘B’ for all of them and filled half of the fill in the blank questions. As there was still an hour left until the exam ended, she did not have the patience to just sit around the classroom and wait.

“Sir, can we hand in the paper early?” Elise raised her hand and asked.

Because there wouldn’t be any lectures after exams finished, she was ready to go look for Mikayla, as she had promised to bring some food to her.

This made Martin reveal a thunderous expression. It hasn’t even been that long since the exam started and she already can’t sit still. I’ll be damned if she manages to accomplish anything in the future with that personality of hers!

However, he thought of it from another angle, and came to the conclusion that the rotten apples would only distract the other students, so it was best to let them leave earlier. Plus, it also made Martin mad by just looking at them.

“Alright, you can leave.”

Then, he added, “When you go out, tell your male friends that this is a place for learning, so do ask them to stay away if they don’t have any urgent matters.”

This made Elise speechless. Suddenly, all she wanted was for Martin to consume more Omega-3, as it would help in his brain development. After all, if a university did not allow their students to socialize, what kind of university was that?

Not wanting to waste words on him, Elise placed the paper on the rostrum and left.

Just as she left, Sheldon followed in her footsteps and without so much as a greeting, handed the paper and left too.

The boy who was talking with Elise just now mirrored their actions, and the class became quite noisy following their departure.

“Focus on your own exam and don’t worry about others. People who want to fail have nothing to do with you!” After Martin’s cold reminder, the classroom then regained its former peace.

Stepping out of the small white building, Elise then gave Mikayla a call. Coincidentally, being free and in her own bedroom, Mikayla then suggested meeting at the dorm.

Taking the snacks up, Elise waited for her friend to put on some makeup before leaving the school together to go to the night market nearby. After attending the university, they had not gone out together at night to hang out, so they were both quite excited.

Snack Street was the most colorful place nearby, with the sight of stalls mixed with youthful university students everywhere. One would also get infected by the liveliness as they wandered down the street.

Elise and Mikayla purchased a few snacks, and they finally stopped at a popular barbeque stall.

While waiting for the owner to prepare their food, Mikayla, while eating a barbeque chicken wing, was secretly observing Elise. The former looked as if she wanted to say something.

Chapter 585 Lay Low

“Elise—” “Hey!” Someone cut Mikayla off just when she was about to talk. They turned around and saw Sheldon coming in. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked like a thug.

Thanks to him being Jamie’s brother, Elise thought the kid was endearing. She saw him as a relative’s kid, and she smiled. “Do you need anything, boy?”

“Boy?” Sheldon frowned. He did not like being called ‘boy’.

Elise laughed. “I’m older than you are. Why can’t I call you that?”

“Hey, I might be older than you, you know?” Sheldon stepped up indignantly. “How old are you?”

“Just past the age where I can legally get married,” Elise answered.

Sheldon shut up. Damn. She is older than I am. But she looks so young, and she’s so short. She can’t call me ‘boy.’ Sheldon quickly came up with another idea. “We’re classmates here, so age does not matter. Call my name. I’m Sheldon.”

“Call me Elise.”

“Sure.” Sheldon nodded. Then, he remembered something, and he shifted the topic, “Do you want to make an alliance with me?”

“An alliance?” Elise wasn’t sure what he was getting at.

“Yeah,” Sheldon said seriously. “You dislike Martin, right? You don’t want to stay in the Elite Class too, right? So let’s work together and try to get expelled ASAP.”

Elise cocked her eyebrow in interest. “You don’t want to stay in the Elite Class?”

“Aren’t you the same?” he asked.

Then, someone suddenly jumped on Sheldon from behind. “Why did you run away so fast? You didn’t wait for me.”

Elise recognized him. He was the guy who made small talk with her during the test. Compared to Sheldon, the boy only looked ordinary, but he seemed easy to get along with.

He turned around, and when he saw the ladies, he greeted them warmly, “Hi there. I’m Elliot. Let’s get along, alright?”

“Sure.” Elise liked being friends with people like Elliot.

Elliot smiled, and he thumped Sheldon’s chest. “Wanna go to the internet café today? The guy on the forum challenged us to a duel last week. Man, he’s super annoying. I’m gonna headshot him and teach him a lesson!” Elliot swung his fists angrily.

Sheldon didn’t want to stay at school, but going back home meant he would get scolded, so he agreed. “Fine. The internet café it is.”

Elise felt like she stumbled upon her friend’s kids doing something cheeky, and it was amusing, so she asked, “What games do you play? League of Legends?”

That was Danny’s favorite game, and he was a seasoned player.

“No.” Elliot waved his hand, looking proud. “That’s some noob game. Men play Dead Battleground.”

“It’s already online?” Elise knew that game was developed by Arthur’s company, and she was the one who squashed some of the harder bugs.

“It’s been online for six months. Where are you from? Mars?” Elliot mocked.

“Well, looks like I’m behind on the news.” She shrugged. “Why don’t you add me and my friend to your team. It’s a lot more interesting that way.”

“I thought you don’t know the game, so why do you know it needs a team?” Elliot asked.

“I used to play LOL with my friends, and that needs a team, so I think most games are like that,” she explained.

“Yeah. Lots of games emphasize the experience. Single player games are no fun. Multiplayer games are better. But do you know how to play? It’ll be hard if you don’t,” Elliot asked out of consideration.

“A bit. What about you, Mikayla?” Elise looked at her friend.

“Only a bit as well.” Mikayla smiled sheepishly.

“Sure. You two will pick up stuff and heal us, while we’ll carry you.” Sheldon then went straight to the internet café.

Elise sighed. Teenagers were great, but the one thing about them was they were arrogant and thought everyone was weaker than they were. I guess I’ll just play along. Jamie is his brother after all.

As they went to the café, Elliot patiently told the ladies how the game was played. “It’s not a game of skills either. Just lay low and you’ll stay alive until the end.”

“You mean like a dog?”

“No! I mean just stay low profile.”

“I see.”

“Not the point. The point is, dodge bullets, get the win.”

Tissote University was the top university in the nation, and it was located in the center of Athesea, the city of finance. The cost of living in the area was high, but even so, Sheldon went into the most expensive internet café and rented the whole place just so nobody would disturb him.

That’s a little too much, Elise thought. I have to tell Jamie about this. His family might be rich, but that doesn’t mean Sheldon can squander money like that. Elise felt amused. Hey, that makes me sound like his spy.

They waited outside as the boss got all the other customers out, and the customers were annoyed.

“Man, I wanted to watch those pros duel tonight.”

“They are rich, after all. We’ll just go somewhere else. Not the first time this has happened.”

When they came out, Mikayla suddenly said, “Miquella?”

“Mikayla?” The boy noticed her, and he came up to her happily. “Why are you here?” He held her hand.

Mikayla smiled imperceptibly, and she pulled her hand back shyly. She looked at Elise. “I came with my friend.”

She was fast, but Elise still saw it, and she was surprised. Mikayla is in love?

Miquella looked at Elise, and he greeted, “Hello.”

Elise nodded with a smile. After a pause, she looked at them curiously. “You guys are…”

Mikayla bit her lip and introduced, “I was just going to introduce him. Elise, I have a boyfriend, and this is him. He’s Miquella, and he’s from the faculty of music.”

Miquella scratched his head shyly. They looked at each other, love welling within their eyes.

Elise felt happy for her. “Congratulations,” she said.

“Thank you!” Miquella smiled, then he asked Mikayla, “I thought you have something to do tonight, so why are you here? Did you get stood up?”

Chapter 586 That’s the Problem?

Elise understood what happened. She probably was going to go on a date with her boyfriend, but I called her, so she said no. “Did I get in your way?” Elise quickly went over and pushed Mikayla and Miquella closer together. “Go on your date. I don’t want to disturb you guys.”

Mikayla blushed. Miquella quickly took her away. “We’ll be going then. You guys have fun.” They went to the door and disappeared a moment later.

Elise saw them off, feeling rueful. Mikayla says she’s a sucker for good looks. If the guy isn’t handsome enough, she won’t even feel her heart flutter.

Miquella wasn’t as outstanding as Jack was, but he did resemble a popular star called Randy, and he made a good boyfriend for Mikayla. She used to worry that her friend might get hurt because she only cared about Jack, but now she realized that fate had other plans for her.

Miquella’s friends were amused that he left them behind. “Hoes before bros, huh?”

“What should we do? Are we still watching the competition?”

Elise looked inside. She didn’t think they would need that big of a place, so she asked Sheldon, “They’re my friend’s friends. Why don’t you let them watch the match in the café while we reserve a room?”

“Suit yourself.” Sheldon went into the room. “It’s almost time. Stop fooling around.”

The boys put their hands in a prayer. “Thank you for your blessing, lady. Thank you, rich man.”

Elise said nothing. The three of them came into the biggest room. “Not a bad PC,” Elise praised not long after she turned the PC on. “Sutherland Corporation’s CPU improved.”

I’ll get Arthur to send me two sets. Laptops are convenient, but PC’s are faster. If I used this baby back when I was talking to the fake Joseph, I might have been able to lock in on his location.

Sheldon looked at her and teased, “Wow, you know your stuff.”

“Just a little,” Elise said humbly.

If Alexander was around, he would know what her ‘a little’ meant, but Sheldon thought of it as a joke. He thought Elise only said that so she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of them. What do girls know? They probably think it’s a good computer just because the resolution is higher. But what she said next shocked him.

“It’s the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon core. It has twenty thousand nodes, and hardware acceleration only takes 0.6 seconds. It’s unparalleled for its rank, at least in the domestic market.”

Even Elliot craned his neck to look at her. “You’re from computer science, aren’t you?” He looked at the reception. “No wonder he charged us a hundred an hour. It’s worth the price. I wanna ask him where I can get this. If I can get a couple of them back to school, I don’t have to come out ever again.”

“You want to buy a PC?” Elise asked. “Then get it from my friend. He’s in this industry. He can give you a discount.”

“Not the point. See this? It’s produced by Sutherland Corporation. It’s not sold anywhere else. Probably only circulates internally. Most people can’t buy it,” Elliot said.

“And that’s where my friend comes in. He works at Sutherland Corporation,” Elise answered calmly. He’s the boss, but he still works at the company. I’m not wrong.

Sheldon and Elliot’s eyes widened, and they looked at each other in silence. She’s bragging, isn’t she?

Elliot finally got into the game. “Time to f*ck you guys up.”

Elise was amused. She got to the login screen as well, and she was about to use her internal testing account, but then she realized that might draw too much attention, so she deleted it. She asked Elliot, “It’s my first time playing, so if I register right now, my rank might not match yours. Do you have any other accounts I can use?”

Dead Battleground had a strict matching system. Only players on the same level could be matched against each other. It was to prevent pros from being dragged down, and this system contributed to a fun and balanced game.

She doesn’t have an account? Elliot gulped. That’s a national-level player over there. Taking a newbie with us is just suicide in this case. “Elise, if we lose our points, it’s hard to gain it back. Those who can be our teammates probably won’t let a newbie use their account. Why don’t you watch us play for now? Once we’re done, we’ll use our alts to play with you,” Elliot said honestly, though it was harsh.

Elise nodded in understanding. “I’ll ask my friend to lend me an account.”

Elliot was worried she might drag them down, but she was looking interested, so he said nothing. Sheldon and I just have to be more careful then. We’re one teammate down.

Elise thought Alexander might have an account, so she called him. Saves time.

“Hey, honey,” Alexander called her lovingly.

Elise blushed. “H-Hey,” she whispered. “Um, do you have a Dead Battleground account? I need one to team up with my friends, but my rank is not enough.”

“It’s been a while since I played, so I might not have that many skins,” Alexander answered.

“It’s fine. As long as I can team up with them. They’re national-level players. Is that okay?” she asked.

“Sure. I never played ranked matches, but my unranked points are quite high. I’ll send my account details to you,” he said readily.

“Aren’t you asking if I’m playing with boys or girls?” she teased.

“Does that change the fact that you’re my wife?” he asked.

“No.” Elise laughed. “Talk to you later. It’s almost time.”

Not long after she hung up, Alexander sent her his account details, and Elise logged in. Then, an exaggerated voice announced, “Welcome, Ionia’s national-level top player!”

Elise was shocked. Hey, you said you never played ranked matches. How come you’re the top player then?

The moment the announcement was made, Elliot shot up from his seat and ran over to Elise. “Whoa, that’s the number one player alright!”

Chapter 587 Jamie is Fierce

“If I’m correct, that’s the first top national player. How did you know this guy?” Elliot was impressed. “Is that something to feel impressed about? I have no idea.” She played dumb. He’s just a normal guy too. Just a better player, that’s all.”

“Just a better player?” Elliot arched his eyebrow. That gap between me and that ‘just a better player’ is almost insurmountable. It would take forever to close it. Talent is not something that can be overcome with just hard work.

“Alright, shut up. They’re online. Get ready.” Sheldon got into the groove instantly.

They were quite close in terms of skills. Elliot and Sheldon were careful, but they were ambushed and eliminated. However, Elise was skillful enough to run around and take out two of their main players. When she was about to kill the last player who was on their last few points of HP, a grenade rolled over and bombed her, eliminating her from the game. The opposing team won, and silence fell upon them. A while later, Elise remarked coldly. “Something’s off. There’s no way the grenade could have traversed that distance. They cheated!”

“Whoa, it’s true!” Elliot’s eyes shone. “We can report him, right?”

“It’s useless,” Sheldon refuted. “The result for the report will only come out tomorrow, and it might not work. Nicolas has paid a lot of money for the microtransactions. The devs won’t care.”

“Not exactly true.” Elise was angry. She took her phone out and called a number. “Arthur, I need you to look into a match in Dead Battleground. It’s a user called Nicolas_Zeezee. He was in a match that happened at eight twenty-eight. He probably used a cheat.” Games were supposed to be a way to relax. Using cheats would only take away the other players’ fun.

“Right away.”

Elise hung up a while later and looked at the monitor. “Give them a minute. It should be done in moments.”

Since she looked serious, the boys didn’t dare to say anything and went back to their seats. Elise was weird, at least to them. She looked gentle, but when she got serious, she had a really terrifying aura.

Five minutes later, all three of them received an email. ‘Dear player, we have looked into your match that took place at xx hours xx minutes. The user Nicolas_Zeezee is confirmed to have used a cheat in the match, and the user is permanently banned. As thanks and compensation, you are rewarded with a Legendary skin. Thank you for your support of the game.’

“Oh my god!” Elliot stammered, “L-L-Legendary? Nobody has gotten that before! And now they gave it to us?”

Sheldon was surprised, but he looked at Elise carefully first. “Who did you call just now? Did another hacker hack into the game servers?”

“No way. The servers’ firewalls can’t be breached that easily.” Elise was confident in her program. “I just know the developer, so I asked him to help me out.”

Elliot guffawed. “Are you going to tell us you know someone in the government next?”

Does Simon Bull count? Elise squinted and smiled at him. “No. That would be too fake,” she lied.

“Yeah. No way there are so many coincidences.” Elliot heaved a sigh and stood up. “Let’s go.” He stretched his arms. “Supper’s on me.”

Then, someone roared from the entrance, “Sheldon, get your keister out here right now!”

Elise thought it was Sheldon’s enemy, but when she saw the look on his face, she knew that wasn’t the case. She looked in the direction of the roar and saw Jamie. “Jamie?” Is he that fierce around his brother?

“Boss?” Jamie calmed down when he saw her, and he went over. “Why are you here?”

“School bored me out, so I got Sheldon to take me here for a game.” Elise gave Sheldon a look.

“Is that so?” Jamie looked at Sheldon doubtfully.

“Yeah!” Sheldon nodded.

Jamie squinted. He still didn’t believe Sheldon.

“You don’t believe me?” Elise asked.

“I do!” Jamie sighed. “I can rest easy now that I know this kid is taking care of you at school,” he said. Then he patted Sheldon’s shoulders. “Whatever she does in school, wherever she goes, you must follow. Understand?”

“Yes!” Sheldon gave them a look that said he got it, then he turned to her and said, “You must be Jamie’s girlfriend!”

Elise choked on herself.

Jamie smacked his brother’s head. “You idiot! She’s my boss, not my wife!”

Sheldon rubbed his head. “You didn’t make it clear…”

“And you should shut up!” Jamie glared at him, bullying Sheldon into silence. Sheldon thought it was unfair, but Jamie didn’t care. That was how siblings worked.

“It’s alright.” Elise became the peacemaker. “Your brother is a talented gamer. I think you don’t have to force him to go overseas. It’s important that he learns what suits him most.”

Jamie accepted Elise’s advice, and he nodded seriously. “You’re right, boss. I’ll talk to Dad about it when I get back.”

Sheldon’s eyes shone with gratitude. “Thanks, Elise! No, thanks, boss! Thank you!” He had been in a long battle just so he could live life how he wanted, but neither his father nor Jamie took his side. Elise solved the problem easily, and he was impressed. He would have agreed to attend Tissote University sooner if he knew this would happen.

“Don’t get too happy just yet,” Elise said patiently. “Game development isn’t just a game of money and hard work. If you don’t know how to make a game, you’ll have to rely on the programmers, and that defeats the purpose of you learning how to make a game.”

Sheldon was convinced. He frowned, immersed in his own thoughts.

“Of course, if you prefer using your family’s wealth to buy your way into success, ignore what I just said.” And she said no further.

Sheldon thought that was enough, and he promised, “I understand, boss. I’ll do my best to learn.”

“She’s my boss, not yours.” Jamie clenched his fist and thumped his brother’s chest. “You’re such a copycat.”

Sheldon rubbed his chest and chuckled nonchalantly.

Chapter 588 Purple Flower Bed

The two brothers rarely had such a harmonious moment. Feeling gratified, Jamie turned around to hug Elise’s arm and said in a childish manner, “Boss, please set up a class. If my dad knows his rebellious second son has cleaned up his act, he’ll surely call you his boss!”

Elise cast a side glance at Jamie with a resigned look. “Both you and your father become my underlings? Don’t tell me you wish to become brothers with your father.”

Immediately, Jamie let go of Elise and straightened his back. “Forget about it then. That would screw up the family tree!”

Meanwhile, back in Saunders Residence, Edwin was sitting dumbfounded in front of his computer as he stared at the gaming page which failed to log in.

Damn it! I’m hired to play games using this account. If it is blocked, I’ll have to compensate the worth of the entire account!

Besides holding the highest VIP rank, this account also had the entire set of skins in addition to vouchers worth tens of thousands.

Adding up all the miscellaneous worth, it would total up to at least 500,000.

He had only earned less than a hundred thousand after playing the game day and night for two months. How could he afford to pay the compensation?

Just as Edwin thought things couldn’t get any worse, the hacker company called.

“Damn it you motherf*cker! You actually turned on the hacking tool while playing on a national server. Now, our entire company is forced to close down for investigation. You have to compensate for our loss. 2 million and there’s no room for negotiation. Transfer the money to me in a week or I’ll cut off one of your legs!”

Edwin put down his phone in despair. 2 million on top of 50,000—he would not be able to fork out the sum even if he sold himself.

Leaning against the gaming chair, he stared at the ceiling and had a dizzy spell.

Moments later, an idea came to his mind blue as he stared at the magnificent crystal chandelier.

He had no money, but that was exactly what the Saunders Family had the most.

There were so many luxury items in this house, so Edwin reckoned he wouldn’t be discovered even if he secretly stole a few.

After coming out from the internet café, Elise and the others went for supper.

While she was eating halfway, Alexander called.

“Wifey, did you have a good time? Do you want to come home with me?” Alexander spoke in a tone as if he was the big bad wolf coaxing an innocent rabbit.

Elise laughed in amusement and said, “Come on. I’ve only stayed one night in school.”

Alexander heaved a sorrowful sigh. “If you were me, you would know how miserable I feel. Come home with me and I’ll send you back again tomorrow.”

Elise blushed and did not reject Alexander. “Come and pick me up then.”

“I’m at the entrance of Snack Street. Come out when you’re done, and you’ll see me,” Alexander replied.

“You mean now?” Elise instinctively glanced at the entrance.

“Yeah,” Alexander hummed nonchalantly. “There’s no hurry. Have a good time socializing with your classmates.”

“Alright.”

Despite saying so, Elise packed her stuff immediately after hanging up.

When Alexander saw Elise walking toward him from afar, he quickly got out of the car and opened the passenger seat’s door for her.

“How long have you been waiting?” Elise asked with a smile.

“I just arrived.” Then, Alexander teased Elise in return. “But you came out immediately after hanging up. It seems like you miss me much more than I miss you.”

“Not at all!” Elise refused to admit it.

After getting in the car, Alexander started the engine and departed.

As Alexander drove, they chatted for a while before Elise realized they were not heading home.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m bringing you to catch dreams.” Alexander remained secretive and said, “You’ll know later.”

Although Elise was curious, she decided to keep the air of mystery and did not continue asking.

Alexander drove all the way to the outskirts of the town and entered a manor which looked like an agritainment park.

There were two red brick houses in the yard with some warm yellow light bulbs hanging on the porch. The entire building appeared to be like a heritage from the last century in Tissote, where prices of land were soaring.

The door of one of the brick houses was opened. An old man, who wore a straw hat, was standing in front of the entrance with a lamp in his hand to welcome them, and it seemed like he had been awaiting them for some time.

Holding Elise’s hand, Alexander walked up to the old man and greeted him. “Sorry for disturbing you at this hour, Mr. Charlie. Thanks for having us.”

“Not at all,” Charlie said kindly. “This is my job after all.”

Then, he cast a glance at Elise and said, “This must be Mrs. Griffith. What a lovely lady. You guys are indeed a perfect match.”

Elise became a little shy as she hummed, “Thank you.”

“I shall not disturb you guys then.” Charlie passed the lamp to Alexander and said, “Hope you enjoy.”

With that, he walked back into the brick house.

Meanwhile, Alexander turned to look at Elise and said gently, “Close your eyes, Ellie.”

Elise frowned. “It’s so dark here. Do I still need to close my eyes?”

“Yeah.” Alexander held her hand and coaxed gently, “Trust me.”

Perhaps it was because Alexander’s voice was too attractive, or it was because Elise would naturally feel happy when being around Alexander, she closed her eyes obediently.

Thereafter, she walked forward under Alexander’s guidance.

After taking a few steps, Elise stepped on a wooden floor. As the night breeze blew, she could smell a faint fragrance.

“Elise, lift up your foot. We’re going up some stairs.” Alexander’s voice was so gentle that one’s heart could melt listening to it.

Following Alexander’s instruction, Elise finally reached a flat ground again after ascending around 10 steps of stairs.

She could hear Alexander put down the lamp and walk to stand behind her.

Gently placing his warm palms on her eyes, he then removed them slowly and hummed, “You may open your eyes now.”

Sensing a weak stimulation from the light, Elise opened her eyes slowly to see a bed of purple flowers.

Even the light that was shining on the flower bed was purple too.

Besides the spot where they were standing, the surroundings, as far as they could see, were covered with lavenders.

Elise had an urge of shedding tears as her heart almost melted. She turned around to gaze at Alexander and asked, “How did you know I love lavender?”

Alexander smiled brightly and stared at Elise with his eyes filled with affection. “Your bookmark is made of dried lavender. The top and middle notes of the only few perfumes that you have are the fragrance of lavender too. Your theme of your first debut song was lavender… and there are many many more. Shall I say it out one by one?”

“You remember all of these?” Tears welled up in Elise’s eyes, and she sounded as if she was about to cry.

Alexander cupped her face with his hands and lifted it slightly. “Please don’t cry, Mrs. Griffith. This will not be a sweet dream anymore if you cry.”

With her tears turned into laughter, Elise mumbled in amusement, “But I can’t control it…”

“Come on, I know you can. My wifey is the best.” Alexander coaxed Elise as if she was a child.

“You’re so annoying!” Elise hit Alexander’s chest gently with her fist. “You did this on purpose! You deliberately made me cry!”

Alexander couldn’t take it in anymore as he encircled Elise with his arms and embraced her.

“Ellie, I love you.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t.” Alexander said in a stubborn manner, “You’re still young and inexperienced. It’s selfish of me to keep you for myself, but I’ll do my best to make your life complete. I know you’re not in the mood of preparing for the wedding ceremony yet, so I present this flower bed as a gift for you first. Let this purple night replace our wedding ceremony for now.”

“I know you’re busy and you sometimes get very tired. I don’t want you to stretch yourself too thin.” Elise sniffled and leaned against Alexander.

“Work is work. No matter how busy or tired I am, you’re the most important one. I won’t let those hustle affect the quality of our life. You’re currently at the age to enjoy the sweetness of love. I’ll give all my romance to you without holding back even a single bit of it.”

Chapter 589 It’s Our Rights

Sheldon and Elise came to class at almost the same time the next day. Sheldon came over the moment she sat down, and he stared at her mysteriously. “Why do you have dark circles, boss? Did you burn the midnight oil?

Elise froze up a little, and she blushed. She then turned away and said awkwardly, “I’m fine. Just didn’t have enough sleep.” “Why? Is something wrong with your bed or pillow? I bring my own bed and pillow to the dorm. It helps with sleep. Want me to get Jamie to send another set over?” he asked naively.

“Um, it’s alright.” Elise smiled and ended the topic.

Sheldon went back to his seat in case she thought he was annoying.

Sophie was infuriated when she saw that. This b*tch just goes for any man she wants, huh? Does she not have anyone else to go after? She just has to pick all the guys I like. I know Sheldon first, but she took him away in just a single night. They were so close. They must have slept together. Are these men dumb? Can’t they see that she’s a slut? I bet she covers herself up too well. She acts innocent, and men love that. I must find a way to expose her for her true self. Sheldon and the other guys in the class can’t fall for her tricks.

Just then, Martin came in with the test papers and knocked on the blackboard with his pointer. “Time for class. I’ll be announcing your marks for yesterday’s test now. Make a line outside the classroom according to your marks. Once I’m done, you may come in and choose your seat.”

Sophie was delighted. Now I can one up her.

Martin held the sheet of results and looked at Elise and Sheldon before he announced, “Zacharias, 106. Josephine, 102. Sophie, 95.” He paused for a moment and said, “You would have scored higher if you had been a little bit more careful.”

It was a simple message, but it was obvious that he cared about Sophie.

Sophie stood up arrogantly. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Kamp. I’ll be more careful next time.” She went outside after that. Number three was worse than what she had expected, but since the top two were guys, that meant Elise must have lost.

Eventually, Martin came to the end. “In last place, Jessica, 82. Those whose name I have not announced, go to the end of the line and queue up as you please.”

There were only Elliot, Sheldon, and Elise left in the classroom. The reason for not announcing their marks was because it was too abysmal, and the teacher didn’t want to humiliate the students. Elliot and Sheldon knew that, so they stood up and were about to go out.

“Mr. Kamp, why don’t we have our results?” Elise stood up and asked.

Martin paused for a moment. He adjusted his glasses and looked at her coldly. “I’m trying to make things easy for you, so don’t push your luck. You didn’t do your tests seriously. I didn’t even want to waste my time going through it.”

Elise knew what he was getting at. Martin didn’t lie, for he didn’t go through their papers, nor did he mark them. Before this, she only thought Martin was a bit too stubborn and archaic, but now she realized he might not be fit to be a teacher. “I think I have the right to know my results,” she argued.

Elliot looked awkward, and he gave Elise a look. He knew how abysmal his results were, and since they were in the same class, he didn’t mind where he was seated.

“Yes, that’s our right.” Sheldon remembered his brother’s teachings and went with whatever Elise wanted to do.

Elliot smacked his head, but he took his friends’ side. He smirked. “Sir, marking our papers is your job. You can’t have skipped our papers and tried to cover up your laziness, right?”

“Are you questioning my professionalism?” Martin wouldn’t admit to that, so he took the moral high ground. “If it weren’t for me trying to keep your dignity intact, did you think I would need to skip out on marking your papers? It’s simple arithmetic. But since you requested, I might as well fulfill it. Now line up outside the classroom. I’ll get your papers and mark them as carefully as I can.”

Elliot was discouraged. Well, sh*t. I could have gotten a couple of pity marks, but now I lost it all. Sheldon and Elise didn’t mind. They went outside nonchalantly, leaving him alone and dejected.

Martin took out the lowermost papers and marked them from the start. Sheldon was the first. He only wrote his name on the paper and nothing else. Martin gritted his teeth and gave him a zero. Up next was Elliot’s, and he chose C for all the multiple-choice questions. Obviously, he was taking blind shots, and according to unwritten rules, he could award him some marks or none at all. Of course he chose the latter, since he was a failure of a teacher. He got all questions on the cloze part wrong, and he didn’t write any equations down for the math questions. In the end, he also got a zero. Two zeros. Best friends until the very end.

Elise was the last. He remembered that she left the multiple-choice questions blank and only filled them in at random in the last few moments. However, she was smart, and she didn’t pick all the same answers, so Martin had to mark them all. Much to his surprise, she got all five questions correct, but she got everything wrong on the cloze test.

Martin gritted his teeth. She’s just lucky.

He reached the math section. He thought Elise only copied it to deal with the test, but when he marked it, he realized that she got everything correct, including the extra question at the end. Even he had to spend some time getting the correct answer for that.

Martin composed himself, but he spaced out a little.

So she memorized the way to get the correct answer for these kinds of questions. She’s the top student of the arts stream, so of course she’s prepared. He reluctantly marked every single question and added them up in the end. After he convinced himself that it was fine, he stood up and came to the classroom’s entrance with the papers in hand. He prepared himself mentally, then he said reluctantly, “Sheldon, zero. Elliot, zero. Elise…” He paused for a moment when he came to her. He looked at Elise, who was at the end of the line, and he sighed. “Ninety-six.”

One mark higher than Sophie.

Chapter 590 Be Your Lover

Sophie could not believe it. Is this a joke? How can she score higher than me? “Come in and pick your spots according to your marks.” Martin went back into the classroom.

Sophie watched as Elise went past her and became the third student to go into the class. She was infuriated, but Elise ignored her and went to her old spot in the last row.

Martin was annoyed by her lackadaisical attitude. She was the one who wanted me to mark the papers, and now she’s the one who’s being so lackadaisical. That’s just paradoxical. She just wants to trip me up. I knew it. She’s doing it because I helped Sophie out yesterday. Someone so petty like her can’t make it far in life. She managed to memorize all the steps for the physics questions today, right? Fine. I’ll come up with the questions myself next time. Let’s see if she can do it again.

All the students finished taking their seats a while later. Elise was still sitting with Sheldon and Elliot, so nothing changed. However, Martin thought her position was an eyesore. He took a few deep breaths and calmed down before he picked his pointer up and started teaching. “Look at the blackboard. It’s—” A ringtone cut him short.

It rang out in the quiet classroom, and Elise looked at the screen. Kenneth? She quickly ended the call, but it was too late.

Martin had been feeling annoyed all this while, and now he tossed his pointer onto the table. He looked sharply at every student, asking, “Who was it? I said no phones in the class!”

Elise stood up and bowed. “I’m sorry. I was in a hurry, so I forgot to set it to silent.”

“You forgot? Did you forget to bring your brain with you?” he scolded. “Just because of you, everyone’s time is wasted. If each person wastes one minute, there’ll be forty minutes of wasted time in total. Who’s going to pay for that? Everyone can set their phones to silent, so why can’t you? Why are you so special? Not setting your phone to silent is at the very least disrupting the classroom discipline, and disrespectful to the teacher at worst. Someone who doesn’t care about their classmate’s time and their teacher’s hard work has no business being a student!”

Sheldon was enraged. He kicked his table away and stood up. “That’s just too far, Mr. Kamp! She apologized, so why did you go so far?” Many teachers scolded him, but he would never let any of them go further than three sentences. And this b*stard actually called her by her full name and yelled at her? She just got third place in the test, and she’s a girl. This is just unfair!

“This has nothing to do with you! Sit down!” Martin did not listen.

“No!” Sheldon wouldn’t listen once he was in the mood. “You should apologize for your unbecoming behavior toward Elise!”

“You expect me to apologize? She’s the one who disrupted the class, but you are blaming me? You’re just an idiot who got zero on his test, while she’s a fake top student who’s actually an opportunist. You’re all birds of a feather. Actually, you’re all trash. I will not apologize. If you don’t want to be in my class, then get out!” Martin glared at them.

“Fine. You think I want to be here?” He went over to Elise and whispered, “Let’s go, boss. You can’t reason with stupid.”

Elise nodded. She had no plans to stay, but she would not let Martin think he could do anything he wanted. She met his interrogating gaze calmly. “You call us trash, but do you think you’re any better? You label your students and deny their possibilities just after spending a short time with them. Do you think people with that kind of thinking are fit to be teachers?”

Elise had met the best teachers before, so she knew that people like Martin only saw his students as something to add to his portfolio. Their good grades were nothing but his ticket to promotions and riches. The person who cared nothing about education was Martin Kamp himself. She went out through the backdoor, and Sheldon followed. Elliot had always been friends with Sheldon, so since they left, he gritted his teeth and went with them as well.

“This is ridiculous!” Martin was furious. “Anyone else who doesn’t want to be here? Leave!”

“Don’t get angry over them, sir. We do want to learn, so calm down and continue.” Sophie quickly stood up to calm him down.

“Yeah, sir. Let’s continue,” the other students agreed.

Most students were like that. They thought of their teachers as absolute authority, and once someone tried to defend them, they would do the same.

Martin finally calmed down as the students buttered him up, and he kept teaching.

…

Elise came out of the building. She didn’t want to call Kenneth back, but he did help her the day before, so she did in the end. Before she could say anything, Kenneth uttered, “So, were you with another guy? Was that why you couldn’t talk?”

“I have quite a lot of guys. Which one are you asking about?” Elise played along.

Kenneth smiled lovingly. “Not bad. You’re cracking jokes with me now.”

Elise’s face fell, and she said coldly, “Say what you have to say.”

“Just reminding you that it’s our first time appearing on a variety show tomorrow,” he said.

“Get a job if you’re so free. Don’t try to take my manager’s job away,” she mocked. Winona had already told her that, so she knew about it.

“Agh, my kindness is repaid with venom. I’m hurt,” he joked.

She was silent for a moment, then she raised her voice solemnly. “I’m married.”

“So?” He shrugged it off. “I’ll be your lover. I don’t need to be your husband.”

“Do you think this is a game, you madman?” Elise clicked her tongue.

“I’m mad for you,” he emphasized mischievously.

She hung up and went ahead, but then she turned around and saw two boys following her. It was Sheldon and Elliot. “Are you going in the same direction?” she asked.

“No idea.” Sheldon raised his left leg and played with a pebble on the ground. “We have nowhere to go.” I’ll get yelled at if I go home, but nobody is teaching me at school. I don’t want to go to the internet café either. He just wanted to follow Elise.

Elise told them, “I’m going back to the historic town area. Come with me if you’re interested.”