Chapter 13

“That’s none of my business,” Justin replied, barely glancing up from the sci-fi book in his hands. He seemed completely indifferent, as if the situation didn’t concern him. He wasn’t foolish enough to make the same mistake twice. Elysia had warned him to stay out of things that weren’t his concern, so he saw no reason to get involved. Anyway, it didn’t really matter to him.

“I’ve already given you the test paper. If you don’t want to take it, that’s on you,” Elysia said flatly.

Bianca was furious. Slamming Elysia’s paper onto the desk, she stormed out of the classroom. She handed the test papers to the math teacher and explained that Elysia hadn’t submitted hers.

The teacher waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll discuss this with your class teacher. You can head back now.”

Bianca’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Thanks for handling this.”

Landon Tate, the homeroom teacher, was troubled by the situation surrounding Elysia. In just a few days, he’d received multiple complaints suggesting she didn’t belong in Class L. He knew the students believed Elysia had used her connections to get in, which made them resentful. He wasn’t sure about her background either. All he knew was that Lorenzo spoke highly of her, and even Levi had asked him to keep an eye on her.

Initially, Landon planned to brush off the complaints. But with the math teacher also complaining about Elysia, he realized he couldn’t ignore it. Even if it risked his job, he decided he needed to talk to Levi to sort it out.

In the principal’s office, Levi took a sip of coffee and said seriously, “Landon, I assure you, Elysia got into your class on her own merit. She’s a promising student. If anything goes wrong with her, I won’t let you go.”

Landon nodded hurriedly. “Yes, I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure those students don’t spread any false rumors.”

Levi smiled. “Good. By the way, when you get back, have Elysia come see me.”

“Sure thing,” Landon replied. As he left the office, he felt sweat trickling down his back. From Levi’s tone, he figured Elysia was not just any student.

One single test score didn’t mean much, but Elysia’s exam was far more challenging than the usual tests at Milton School. Plus, she scored so high while looking completely relaxed—it couldn’t go unnoticed. On top of that, Zane was particularly concerned about Elysia’s studies and frequently checked on her performance. That was enough to raise alarms for Levi.

Zane was the largest shareholder of Milton School. After many years as principal, Levi had learned how to read people well. It made sense that he would give Elysia special attention—he couldn’t afford to upset Zane.

When Elysia came into the principal’s office, Levi greeted her with a smile and invited her to sit down. He then spoke slowly, “Elysia, could you try to pay more attention in class? The school has high expectations for you. I know you’re capable, but focusing a bit more would really help.”

“I think I’ve taken it seriously,” Elysia said. Sure, she had dozed off in class, but she didn’t disrupt anyone. Honestly, the lessons felt too easy and dull, so she passed the time with a nap. And today, she had even listened patiently and stayed awake, which was something she would never have done before.

Levi cleared his throat. “Could you please focus a bit more in class?”

Elysia stayed silent.

Levi sighed. “The last time your dad called, I really had to give him a piece of my mind. What’s going on with him? He claimed you didn’t even finish elementary school! Do people who don’t finish elementary school manage to tackle such tough exams and score so well? It’s hard to believe he doesn’t even know his own kid. He almost let a great talent like you slip away.”

Elysia raised an eyebrow. “Is he trying to win me over? What a sly man.” “I’ll do my best.”

Those four words made Levi smile with relief. “That’s all I ask. Now go ahead and head back to class.”

Elysia nodded and walked out. When she returned to class, she noticed her classmates were looking at her with frustration—Landon had just given them a stern warning not to gossip about her.

The students were genuinely angry. Despite their efforts to bring Elysia down, she appeared completely unfazed. They couldn’t help but think that having strong connections really made a difference.

“Oh! Isn’t this our class’s big spender?” Bianca sneered, inching closer. “Just wait. One day I’ll make sure you get kicked out of Class L.”

“I’ll see about that,” Elysia replied with a mischievous smile, eliciting a stir among the class.

“Bianca, chill out. We’re just nobodies. What if she gets annoyed and decides to throw all of us out?”

“Exactly! Who knows who’s backing her? I heard from her sister that she’s got some serious connections.”

“That’s not even the half of it. I heard that her sister is just an adopted daughter and gets overshadowed and bullied by her…”

“Her sister’s Emma from Class 2, right? I heard she’s the school beauty, too.”

“Yeah, that’s her. But Emma is sweet and kind. A loudmouth like that doesn’t deserve to be Emma’s sister. Plus, if you keep this up, Emma might end up getting bullied because of her.”

“Are you really not going to step in?” Leon frowned. “They’re saying some pretty nasty stuff.”

Justin’s face showed no extra emotion, but inside, he felt torn. Just as he was about to speak up for Elysia, her calm, icy voice echoed through the classroom. “Spreading rumors can land you guys in legal trouble. What you just said has already harmed me, and I can sue you at any time.”

Everyone was taken aback, and then Bianca laughed. “Harm? Who can prove that?” She looked around at the other students. “Can any of you back her up?”

Everyone shook their heads. “We don’t know anything.”

“Exactly. We don’t know anything,” Bianca smirked at Elysia. “Are you just being paranoid? Who said anything about you?”

With a faint smile, Elysia pulled out a voice recorder from her pocket and waved it at everyone. “Too bad for you, I just recorded it.”