fanqie novel
Chapter 80
Chapter 80
In the hallowed halls of academia news hadn’t yet rippled out to the frenetic world of social media.
The hashtag of Superiority College’s making an exception was blowing up, causing quite a stir in the media. The filming crew had a meeting to discuss it. Meanwhile, at the admissions office of Greenmeadow International School, the dean’s office was in a flurry.
The dean summoned Latham to his office. Without skipping a beat, Latham declared, “I’ll make it simple. Consider this my resignation if you expel Cordelia!”
The dean’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “Do you think this institution can’t function without you, Latham?”
As the standoff continued, the office phone pierced the tension with its shrill ring.
Caught off guard, the dean instinctively answered. The voice on the other end spoke in crisp English. “Hello, is this Greenmeadow International School? I’m calling from Top Crest Academy’s admissions office.”
Confused, the dean responded, “Well, can I help you?”
“Yes, we’re wondering if a student named Cordelia is at your school. We’re interested in offering her a place at our academy with her choice of major!”
The dean was dumbfounded. “What?”
At that moment, a teacher, glued to the online chatter, burst into the office exclaiming, “Sir, Superiority College just responded on their Twitter! And, and…”
“And what?” The dean asked, his heart racing.
“No… it’s…” Feeling like he had entered a fantasy, the teacher handed his smartphone to the dean.
Superiority College’s tweet was bold, featuring an image from a prestigious math journal and a single line of
text.
Superiority College posted. [Want to know why we scouted her? Here’s the reason!]
The tweet set off a domino effect. Official accounts from Top Crest Academy, Ontoky City Institute of Technology, Ontoky City Aeronautical University, and others all cut in with similar messages, tagging Superiority College to inquire about joint training programs or late scouting opportunities.
The response from Superiority College was aloof, ignoring the requests from these institutions.
The dean didn’t quite grasp the math journal’s significance and was still puzzled. “What’s all this about?”
Why were all these top schools suddenly clamoring for Cordelia?
Upon seeing the academic journal, Latham was thunderstruck. He looked at the dean and, despite his professional demeanor, swore. “Damn, now I get why Superiority College made an exception!”
“Why?” the dean asked, intrigued.
“Because Cordelia is a genius!”
After hearing of the explanation of Batra’s Conjecture, the dean was ecstatic. “So that’s it! I’ll confront those. reporters camping outside. I’ll give them a piece of my mind!”
As he made for the door, Latham quipped with a smirk. “Well, it seems the school can manage without me. Sir, maybe you should approve my resignation first?”
The dean clapped Latham on the shoulder, saying in a delighted tone, ‘The real question for today’s meeting is how much bonus we should give you.”
Online, the tide had turned.
Following Superiority College’s tweet, a group of clueless people were roaring.
[What the hell! They couldn’t make an exception for her only because of some papers she published, could they?]
[Exactly. I try to get some papers, and the college will make an exception for me, right?]
Later, the confused and critical voices were silenced by those in the know explaining the gravity of publishing in such a revered math journal and solving a conjecture that had stumped the world. Understanding dawned, and the tone shifted.
The comments section exploded with awe and admiration.
[Dang! Lia’s the bomb!]
[Can’t agree more!]
[Lia’s the bomb, indeed!]
Mixed among the fanfare were apologies from previously uninformed onlookers while the detractors had gone silent.
Back at Greenmeadow International School, the school day had ended after six classes.
Students of the experimental class were gathering outside the school’s drama club. Some were extras, and others were just there for the spectacle since Hayley had declared there would be a cast change today.
On their way to the music room, Hayley taunted Cordelia. “Still in denial, huh? Need to hear it from the assistant director that you’re out?”
Cordelia ignored her and quickened her pace.
After reaching the music room, the assistant director greeted them with a grin. Hayley pointed at Cordelia and said, “Assistant director, perfect timing. She insisted on getting this role. Please tell her you’ve had her replaced.”
The assistant director’s brow furrowed in confusion as he said, “Replaced? We’re not replacing anyone!”
Hayley was baffled. “But, she’s all over the scandalous news! You still want her in the filming?”
The assistant director seemed even more surprised. “Haven’t you checked Twitter?”
The students were just out of class and had not yet caught up on social media. Prompted by the assistant director, they eagerly pulled out their phones,
Shock and awe spread through the room as they scrolled through the feed.
With her fingers still bandaged, Merry managed to navigate her phone. She could only muster one response. “Holy smokes, Lia, you’re incredible!“/
The other students joined in with their praise, “Lia, can you sign something for me? If I ever hit rock bottom, your autograph might be my ticket to fortune!”
“Turns out we’ve been classmates with a legit genius! I’m so lucky!”
Witnessing the scene, Hayley turned as pale as a ghost.
Standing beside Hayley, Juliána swayed slightly, her eyes wide with disbelief. She turned to look at Cordelia, who had grown up in an orphanage. Could it be true that she was so talented like that? It seemed impossible!
The assistant director ignored their stunned expressions and smiled at Cordelia, saying, “Cordelia, come on in
for makeup!”
Cordelia nodded and was about to follow the assistant director into the room when Hayley, unable to accept the situation, blurted out. “She can’t even play the piano. You can’t seriously consider her for this role!” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
The assistant director’s face hardened. “Don’t worry about that. Joy, a student of the renowned Stanton, will be here shortly to give Cordelia professional guidance. Cordelia only needs to look the part. We’ll use a hand double for the close–ups!”
Hayley wanted to protest further, but a commotion far away had caught their attention. The assistant director looked up, suddenly excited. “Mr. Sullivan, you’re just in time! We’ve finally cast our Muse. Come, meet her. This is Cordelia!”
Bland appeared impatient. Such a minor role had been cast and recast several times within the production, and eventually, he had stopped caring about who would fill it. It didn’t matter to him.
But after hearing the assistant director’s announcement, he froze, feeling a chill run down his spine.
“What? Lia was going to play this role? If Everard found it out, would I still exist in this world the following day?” he thought nervously..