Alarieka waved a dismissive hand. “What? Got something on my face?”

The entire faculty, including Victor (former math teacher extraordinaire), looked on.

Chen Daoyuan frowned, glaring at her crossed legs. “Sit properly. This slumped posture is unacceptable.”

“Fine,” Alarieka said. She uncrossed her legs, though her flip-flops and the white bandage wrapped around her left ankle remained conspicuous.

Chen Daoyuan eyed her ankle, brow furrowed. “I meant to ask earlier—what happened to your foot?”

Alarieka said nonchalantly, “Nothing serious. Broke it a while back; hasn’t fully healed.”

After arriving in the capital, Alarieka had visited a hospital for a checkup. The doctor confirmed good recovery and removed her cast, replacing it with the white bandage. Hence the flip-flops she’d worn everywhere lately.

Chen Daoyuan nodded, dropping the subject. He then placed several answer sheets on the table before her. “See for yourself.”

Alarieka picked them up, scanning the scores.

Chinese: 139. Math: 143—deducted two points for one wrong multiple-choice and a minor calculation error in a major problem. English: 134. Science subjects: 278.

Total: 694.

Decent overall, yet Alarieka remained dissatisfied with her math score. Math was her strongest subject; she aimed for perfection. But the mistake wasn’t on the hardest final question—it was one of the simpler early multiple-choice items.

She distinctly remembered not getting it wrong. Reviewing her test paper confirmed it: she’d eliminated options A, C, and D, circled B as correct, yet inexplicably filled D in the answer box.

Nothing to be done now. No changing it. A momentary lapse—who knew what she’d been thinking.

Setting the papers down, she met Chen Daoyuan’s gaze. “So, what was the top score at your school?”

His expression turned inscrutable, complex.

“For this mock exam, you are indeed first in our school—over twenty points above second place.”

Alarieka arched an eyebrow. “And?”

The room full of lingering teachers clearly had more to say.

Chen Daoyuan glanced at a colleague. “But some teachers have concerns about your results.”

Alarieka laughed incredulously. “Concerns?”

Chen Daoyuan signaled a middle-aged male teacher in a gray shirt and yellowed glasses, his face stern.

The gray-shirted teacher approached, taking her math answer sheet. “The principal briefed us before you arrived. We’ll skip formalities and get straight to it.”

“Except for you, the highest math score in our school is only a bit over 120. Our top student ranked second in the capital’s high school entrance exam. That should give you an idea of how brilliant this student is. Even they couldn’t match your score.”

Alarieka had a rough idea where this teacher was heading, but she didn’t interrupt.

“Moreover,” the gray-shirted teacher added, “this wasn’t just our school’s exam. The mock test was a joint effort by high schools across the capital and neighboring cities. Scores have been coming in these past few days, and we’ve seen results from other schools—including top-tier high schools from every city.”

He paused, frowning slightly before continuing solemnly: “We found your math score of 143 is the highest in this mock test. Right below you is the top senior from the Ivy League-affiliated high school in the capital—who also happens to be the highest scorer overall across all participating schools. They scored 138.”

Silence hung in the office as the teacher stopped speaking, giving everyone space for reflection.

Alarieka nodded thoughtfully. “Please go on.”

The teacher’s gaze lingered on her face, then he visibly hesitated before asking, “Have I… seen you somewhere before?”

Alarieka offered a faint smile but remained silent. “I’m listening, teacher. Please continue.”