Chapter 4

Although it sounded like Alicia was worried about me, in reality, every word was like a blade that stabbed into my heart.

The rest of the guests around us shot mocking looks at me. I wasn't able to get a single word out before Alicia turned away to affectionately lock arms with Hugo.

"Everyone, look! This is the man who was named the top scholar thanks to Taylor's tutoring. His score is so good that the country locked it to keep it a secret."

Alicia smugly swept her gaze across the hall before finally letting her eyes linger on me. It felt as if they had been waiting for their chance to gloat in front of me.

"Hugo's the real deal. He's smart and not afraid to endure hardship," Alicia said. "I feel relieved that Taylor will have someone so wonderful to help her out once she starts attending classes at Woodrow University."

A few of their snobbish relatives immediately noticed what was going on and surged forward to curry favor with Alicia.

"We were worried that Taylor would have a hard time when she was dating a certain heir of a prestigious family. We were concerned that he would have a short temper. It's wonderful that you've found yourself a top scholar to be your future son-in-law. They're truly a perfect match for each other!"

"She's right! Certain people can only score 421 points even though they're rolling in cash. Our dear Taylor is destined for greatness in the future. She definitely has to find someone who's as intelligent as she is to be her partner."

It seemed that Alicia and her relatives were already choosing to ignore the fact that Taylor and I were in a relationship.

Milo sighed as he stood to the side, balancing a wine glass between his fingers. He turned to me and said, "Let me be real with you, Daniel. Although money is a powerful thing, it can't buy real talent. You should take a leaf out of Hugo's book from now on.

"Although the party is being hosted in your family's hotel, the glory belongs to Hugo today. You should bask in his presence a little more. If you repeat the year, you might be able to get into a proper university next year."

The fawning guests formed a circle around Hugo. His eyes were full of triumphant glee when he looked at me.

"Don't be too upset, Daniel," he hollered, his tone dripping with faux magnanimity. "You spent so much time and effort tutoring Taylor in the past. How did you mess up so badly on your own exams? But that's okay. I'll ask around if there are any suitable tutoring classes when I get to Woodrow University."

A faint smile played on my lips as I stared at Hugo's smug face. "Are you sure that you'll be able to get to Woodrow University, Hugo?" I asked.

The smile disappeared from Hugo's face upon hearing my words.

"Are you still mad at me, Daniel?" he asked haughtily. "I know that you're jealous of me because I was named the top scholar. But that just goes to show how capable I am. You can't deny the truth. Taylor also said that a person's attitude is the deciding factor for many things."

"Watch your attitude, Daniel!" Taylor chimed in to support Hugo. "Hugo's a big shot in the province right now. In fact, people from the Department of Education and the media are coming over to interview him later. Don't you dare humiliate yourself and tarnish Hugo's reputation!"

The doors to the banquet hall swung open at that moment. The sounds of a commotion erupted from that direction.

"They're here! The people from the media and the admissions office are here!"

A few reporters who were carrying recording cameras entered the hall, followed by two well-dressed middle-aged men. The principal was hot on their heels, excitedly shouting, "Congratulations, Hugo! Our school has finally produced a genius with a locked score thanks to you!"

Hugo couldn't hide his excitement upon hearing his words and hurriedly adjusted his collar.

The reporter at the front of the pack, who was holding a microphone, aimed his camera at Hugo and said, "I heard that you're the only student who got a locked score in our city this year, Hugo. What do you have to say to the netizens and the other students?"

Hugo took a deep breath before shooting a calm and practiced smile at the camera. "I think that the college entrance exams don't just test a person's knowledge. It also tests a person's attitude.

"Truth be told, I wasn't excited when I saw my results. I knew that the country was acknowledging my capabilities. It proved that my score was so good that the country needed to keep it under wraps."

The reporter nodded upon hearing his words. A smile broke across his face before he said, "The netizens and other students are rather curious about what the results page of a locked score looks like, Hugo. Would you mind sharing your results page with everyone right now? Give us a chance to share in your glory."

"Of course," Hugo said, pulling out his phone without hesitation and navigating to the college entrance exam results site.

"Oh my god! My toes are curling from the imminent second-hand embarrassment."

"He's actually going to show his results page. He truly believes that the results page of a locked score looks like that!"

"Look at the expressions of the reporters and admissions office staff members. They're not even looking at him in confusion anymore. They're looking at him as if he has loose screws in his head!"

As expected, the noisy banquet hall fell silent in an instant.

"No… That can't be right!" the reporter exclaimed, being the first to snap back to his senses.

He pointed at the screen and shouted, "I interviewed a student with a locked score whose results landed him a spot in the top ten of the province last year. The actual results page of a locked score looks nothing like this!"