Chapter 462

If the homeroom teacher were in Claire’s shoes, she wouldn’t even bother taking the college entrance exam.

“I actually want to take it,” Claire said, surprising her.

“Why?” The teacher stared at her, her brows knitting together. “Claire, think carefully. Taking the exam isn’t necessarily a better choice than just going straight to university with a recommendation p>

She thought for a second. “You’ve already spent so much time on competitions p>

“Even though you ranked first in the last practice test, you’re about to head abroad for more contests p>

“Are you sure you can handle all of this p>

Claire could tell the teacher was asking out of genuine concern.

“I don’t really want to major in math at university,” Claire replied.

Truthfully, she had only kept competing because it had become a habit.

The teacher was quiet for a moment, at a loss for words. Then she remembered— Claire hadn’t asked to compete in the first place. It had been her adoptive mother’s idea, and when the school found out about the new schedule and realized Claire might win an early admission spot, they pushed her to join as well.

Did that mean Claire didn’t actually enjoy math?

“Do you not like math?” the teacher finally asked.

Claire shook her head. “It’s not that. I like it, but there’s something I like even more p>

“What major are you interested in?” Now the teacher sounded genuinely curious.

No one had really ever bothered to ask Claire that before. Whatever her parents wanted, she did. That was just her life. She’d tried all sorts of things, whether she cared about them or not, simply because her family expected her to.

“I want to study medicine,” Claire said.

The teacher arched her eyebrows. “You want to be a doctor? Is that your dream, to save lives p>

When everyone was younger, dreams came easy-doctor, teacher, scientist. But as they grew up, hardly anyone chased after their dreams anymore.

“I’m not really the dreaming type,” Claire said with a half-smile.

That answer clearly puzzled the teacher.

“So, is medicine what your family wants for you too?” She thought about how Claire always used to say her mom made those decisions for her.

Claire shook her head again. “No, this one’s all me. I’ve liked medicine since I was little, probably because of my grandma p>

Mentioning her grandmother brought a gentle look to Claire’s eyes, the kind of softness that didn’t show up often.

“Well, as long as it’s something you really like, then go for it,” the teacher said softly. “But I’ve heard med school is extremely tough p>

She didn’t mention that, once upon a

time, she’d also debated between being a doctor or a teacher. In the end she’d picked the safe route. stuck with education. Medicine just. took too much time, felt impossible to manage.

Claire shrugged. “Isn’t every major hard if you want to do well? Math’s the same p>

Honestly, Claire had never felt that anything was all that difficult. She just picked things up quickly, a gift she was lucky enough to inherit. It wasn’t something she put much thought into.

“Alright. I respect your choice.” The teacher smiled. “I’m sure the school will be thrilled to hear you want to take the exam p>

Of course, the school’s

administrators would be eager for her to compete. Winning a top spot for the school would look amazing, and they clearly weren’t shy about spending money to encourage her.

Sure enough, after Claire returned to class and the teacher shared the news, the school leaders came by one after another, congratulating and encouraging her.

That was the nice thing about

private schools-they didn’t skimp on rewards. If Claire managed to snag the top rank in the province, the school would give her a three hundred thousand yuan bonus.

That worked out to a hundred thousand a year, just for being in high school. Still, considering how much they charged for tuition every year, it was practically pocket change to them.