The long-anticipated Pinnacle of Academic Symposium had finally arrived, drawing everyone's attention.

Celine woke early and dragged Hailey along. "Hailey, let's go! I'll take you somewhere fun."

"Celine, where are we going? Everyone's heading to the Pinnacle of Academic Symposium today. I heard Mr. Alvarez and the 'genius girl' are making a joint appearance!" Hailey's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Celine curved her lips into a sly smile. "That's exactly where we're going."

Hailey was stunned. "What?"

Half an hour later, they arrived at the bustling venue. Renowned academic elites filled the space, creating an electrifying atmosphere.

From a distance, Celine spotted familiar faces, including Melody, surrounded by classmates from Yorhine University. Melody's public confession a few days earlier had made her a laughingstock, but she'd leveraged her father's connections to secure an invitation to this event. Surrounded by fawning classmates, she had regained her composure, a smug smile permanently etched on her face. Celine also noticed Sonia, Carly, Lucy, Tracy, Hazel, and other members of the Tate family; it seemed the entire clan had come to witness the "genius girl's" triumph.

Carly was the first to spot Celine. "Celine, what are you doing here?"

Tracy's haughty gaze fell upon Celine, brimming with disdain. "This is the Pinnacle of Academic Symposium, Celine. You dropped out of school at sixteen. Are you here to embarrass the Tate family?"

Sonia's tone was cold and stern. "Celine, leave now. This event is by invitation only. Do you even have one?"

Celine's clear eyes calmly met their judgmental gazes. She shook her head. "No. I don't have an invitation."

The Tate family wasn't surprised. To them, it would have been unusual if she had had an invitation.

Lucy chimed in, "Celine, you'd better leave before security removes you."

Just then, Melody approached with her classmates, a mocking grin plastered on her face. "Oh, isn't this our campus legend, the 'Goddess of Sleep'?"

Her classmates joined in the ridicule. "The 'Goddess of Sleep' is actually awake and attending the Pinnacle of Academic Symposium? That's hilarious!"

Melody looped an arm through Carly's and the other through Tracy's, grinning smugly. "Let me introduce you all. These are the 'Goddess of Sleep's' sisters. Unlike her, they're accomplished. Tracy here is a PhD graduate from the Ivy Plus Program, and Carly graduated from the Summit Scholars Program. Meanwhile, Celine is just the 'Goddess of Sleep'!"

Tracy and Carly had always been praised for their stellar achievements, earning them the title of the Tate family's "twin jewels."

Melody's classmates burst out laughing. "Celine, aren't you even a little ashamed?"

"Yeah, Celine. Go back to sleep instead of embarrassing yourself here."

The mockery was relentless, but Celine remained unfazed, smiling brightly.

Hailey, however, was furious. "What kind of family are you? You're supposed to be Celine's mother and grandmother, but you're leading the charge to humiliate her! Are you even sure Celine is your real family?" she shouted, pointing at Sonia and Lucy.

Celine was used to this treatment. She'd long accepted that having a family like hers was no different from being an orphan.

That sentence struck Sonia hard. Her expression flickered. Although Celine was Aaron's biological daughter, Sonia had always favored Carly, whose real father held an incredibly high status. Carly's background was truly extraordinary. This secret, however, remained buried deep within Sonia and Hayden's hearts.

Sonia looked at Celine coldly. "Celine, don't ever tell people I'm your grandmother. I don't have a granddaughter like you!"

Hailey was stunned by Sonia's heartless public declaration. Her fury boiled over. "What?"