Chapter 316

“Hmm?”
Shirley looked at Charlotte, waiting for a reaction. But Charlotte just glanced down, her face calm and unreadable. Shirley’s heart skipped a beat.
What if her injured hand really messed up her test?
Biting her lip, Shirley scooted closer and nudged her chin against Charlotte’s shoulder, trying to cheer her up. “Hey, Charlotte, my grandma made bread today and told me to bring you some.”
Maybe this would help her feel better.
“Really?” Charlotte’s eyes flickered up, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
“Yeah, really.” Without wasting a second, Shirley dug into her backpack and pulled out a warm, fragrant loaf, handing it over. “Grandma said if you like it, she’ll make more next time.”
Charlotte took a bite. The bread was soft and chewy, its rich aroma filling her mouth. It tasted almost exactly like the bread her own grandma used to make back in Lamplighter Village.
It felt like home.
“How’d you do on the test?” Charlotte’s voice was casual as she started walking again.
Shirley breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she finally saw her friend smile. She shot a glare at Olivia—who was always showing off-then hurried to catch up, muttering,
“I filled in all the answers, but I have no idea if any of them are right.”
She was aiming for at least a 680. To get into The Cabinda University’s physics department and study with Mr. Lane, she needed a top score. But some of those questions had been tough.
“But you know what?” Shirley’s eyes lit up suddenly. “Charlotte, your predictions were spot on this time.”
Thank goodness she’d reviewed the questions Charlotte suggested.
Charlotte’s lips quirked up. She reached out and gave Shirley’s cheek a gentle squeeze, her expression soft.
“Just keep studying. Don’t count on luck.”
“Okay, I will.” Shirley nodded, serious as ever.
She was determined to work hard, become Mr. Lane’s student, and one day be a physicist who made a real difference.
When they got back to Class C, the room buzzed with gossip. Just a few
minutes ago, everyone was
speculating that the top scorer was from Vanguard High. Now, all
anyone
ould talk about was how
Olivia had taken first place Apparently, she was amazing.
As soon as Charlotte walked in, quiet and cool as ever, the whole class automatically lowered their voices. Some kids sneaked careful glances at her, trying to read her mood.
Charlotte acted like she didn’t hear a thing. She just headed to her seat, sat down, and pulled out her earbuds. She opened up the movie clips Adonis had sent her.
The filming was actually pretty good. The lead actress especially had a face you couldn’t forget.
After a few seconds, the theme song started playing. Charlotte’s lips curled into a small smile and she raised her eyebrow.
The music was really good. Kenneth was more talented than she thought.
A few classmates kept staring at Charlotte, frowning when they saw her watching a movie at a time like this.
“Last time, Charlotte got first in the whole school for physics. I wonder how she did this time,” someone whispered.
“I heard from a girl in her test room that she kept zoning out during the exam. On the last afternoon, during the English test, she almost fell asleep.
Sneaker’s eyes went
wide in shock. “The proctor had to wake her up, and then she just started bubbling in random answers.”
Anyone could tell from her attitude toward English that she had a serious weak spot.
And she had to take the exams with an injured hand. Who knew if she even finished
the papers, let alone scored high.
“She and Olivia are sisters, right?”
another girl said, leaning on her
hand and glancing over at Charlotte
if
with pity my sister got into the Cabinda University and I totally bombed, I’d be mortified.”