Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 109: Number One (1)
It was the day when the result of the recent preliminary exam would be announced. And while her fellow schoolmates were nervous and anticipating it, Adrienne remained calm as she ate snacks with Myrtle and Valerie at the cafeteria. The other students around them had a deep discussion about it.
"The overall top rank in this exam would probably be Ayla Jiang again," Valerie muttered before finishing her soybean milk in one go. Since their first year, Ayla Jiang had been dominating the rankings, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she secured the place again.
Myrtle glanced at her and laughed, seeing Valerie’s reaction. These days, Valerie Xia could be seen spending more time with her and Adrienne. Myrtle had no qualms about it. In fact, she was relieved that Adrienne was starting to make friends with others.
"You don’t seem to like her." She pointed out.
"What is there to like?" Valerie countered. "She has a beautiful face, but she hides her ill intention behind her fake smiles and gentle words. I would rather have a straightforward enemy than a friend like her."
"So you decided to stick with Addie?" Myrtle grinned at her.
Valerie was stunned. She turned to check Adrienne’s reaction, but the latter seemed deep in her thoughts, not paying attention to their conversation.
"What’s wrong with spending time with Addie? We’re deskmates, so naturally, I’ll help her if she’s in trouble." She replied.
In all honesty, Valerie believed Adrienne didn’t need any help at all. Since the change in her personality, no one had dared to stir up the hornet’s nest, as if they were instinctively afraid to offend Adrienne. Her cold demeanor was keeping everyone at arm’s length. However, along with this change, Adrienne’s admirers started to increase without her knowing.
Once the lunch break was over, the three made their way back to their classes. However, they saw a crowd of students looking at the bulletin board, no doubt looking at the results and the rankings. Preliminary exams help the students identify what aspects they could improve on or weaknesses they need to pay attention to, so whether or not she was at the top of the ranking, Adrienne couldn’t be bothered.
However, as students noticed their presence, Adrienne could feel their gaze boring down on her. She raised a slender brow in confusion. Myrtle and Valerie were also bewildered by their schoolmates’ reaction. Did something happen?
"What’s going on?" Valerie asked before pushing through the crowd to see the bulletin.
Her eyes scanned the long list of names, trying to find her, Adrienne’s and Myrtle’s names. She wasn’t surprised to see her name on the usual spot, and while she could find Myrtle’s name within the top 50, she couldn’t find Adrienne’s name anywhere. It wasn’t until she decided to check the top rankings did she find what she was looking for. Her eyes widened in disbelief before realization dawned on her. No wonder their schoolmates were looking at Adrienne like that!
"Addie, you are the ranking’s number 1!" She exclaimed.
First in the ranking? Adrienne suddenly didn’t know how to react. Though she expected to pass the exams with flying colors, being at the top ranking was out of her mind. She was a thirty-one-year-old woman in her eighteen-year-old body, after all, so there were more things she could easily grasp compared to her younger self. It also helped that she got a strict tutor.
Perhaps because Lennox’s explanations were concise, she could easily understand his teaching. Lennox had been teaching her mathematics and foreign languages, two subjects Adrienne had trouble understanding. The previous Adrienne Jiang wasn’t really dumb, it was just that she hated studying with passion and would rather accompany her mother to work.
If she could secure the top spot, what happened to Ayla then? Adrienne decided to check the ranking too. And there it was, Ayla Jiang’s name right below hers. Their scores had a massive difference between them.
"I never knew that Sister Addie is really smart." Ayla’s gentle voice reached Adrienne’s ears.
Adrienne turned her head and saw her cousin with her friends, smiling as if her fall from grace didn’t bother her. Her companions were throwing glaring daggers at her, but Adrienne ignored them.
"It’s nothing." She commented and suddenly, the smile on Ayla’s face froze.
Adrienne acting this nonchalant felt like an insult to her. Ayla prided herself for being outstanding, securing the top spot for two years in a row and yet in the blink of an eye, Adrienne had snatched that honor from her. So how could she not hate Adrienne in her heart?
"She must have cheated. There’s no way she’s better than Ayla." One of Ayla’s friends said while glaring at Adrienne.
"Even if I retake the exam, it would remain the same. Are you implying that the teachers and proctors are incompetent for me to even manage to cheat to this extent?"
Raelin Xi was nowhere in sight. She used to be the one to defend Ayla previously, but ever since their last encounter, Adrienne never saw her with Ayla again. Something must have happened between them, but it didn’t matter to Adrienne. There would always be someone who would step up for Ayla regardless of the situation.
"Y-you..." Ayla’s new friend stuttered. The Springfield Academy prided themselves for having the best teachers in the whole of Changshi City, so for one to dare accuse someone of cheating would be a direct insult to those teachers.
"Did I say something wrong? If you have doubts, why don’t you go and check the test papers yourselves? I don’t need to prove anything to you." Adrienne’s obsidian eyes pinned them in place.
"Addie, there’s no need to be upset. She’s merely joking." Ayla tried to intervene, plastering that same sweet smile on her face.
"Joking?" Adrienne scoffed. "So insulting my intelligence and the reputation of our teachers is merely a joke to you, Ayla? You’ve surely broadened my views today. I will keep that in mind."
Ayla’s face blanched upon hearing Adrienne’s sarcastic remarks.
