Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Encountering Reporters Again
Chloe Sinclair’s move stunned everyone.
Nina Sinclair, sitting behind her, looked up at the sound, her eyes wide with disbelief.
’What did I just hear?’
’Chloe Sinclair is turning in her paper?’
’I haven’t even finished the essay, and she’s already turning in her paper?’
’Did she just scribble random answers?’
The more Nina Sinclair thought about it, the more certain she became. A smile she couldn’t suppress spread across her face.
’I’ll just wait and see what Chloe Sinclair does when she flunks this exam!’
The proctor frowned.
She recognized Chloe Sinclair; she’d been on TV and was quite famous.
Even her own little niece, who hated school, had started studying like a maniac after watching Chloe Sinclair’s show.
Her first impression of Chloe had been positive, but now that Chloe wanted to turn in her paper without even checking it, the proctor felt a little displeased.
"Are you finished? You think you got everything right?"
Chloe Sinclair said nothing.
The proctor was skeptical, but when her eyes fell on Chloe Sinclair’s paper, which was densely covered in writing, she drew in a sharp breath.
Because Chloe Sinclair had actually finished the entire test in just one hour.
Whether her answers were correct or not, students were allowed to submit their exams early. So, under the proctor’s watchful eye, Chloe Sinclair left the exam hall without issue.
—
Since the college entrance exam was such a momentous occasion, scores of media reporters had been waiting outside since early that morning.
Chloe Sinclair didn’t want to be in the spotlight, so she put on a face mask before leaving campus and quietly slipped out through a side gate.
But the moment she stepped out, she found herself facing a crowd of reporters.
Chloe Sinclair: "..."
’Why are there so many people?’
Chloe Sinclair considered retreating, but she was spotted by a sharp-eyed reporter.
She sighed in resignation.
There was no point in running. She could only take off her mask and put on a faint smile.
The smile didn’t reach her eyes, however, betraying a mix of wryness and resignation.
The reporters surrounded Chloe Sinclair in a circle, thrusting a forest of microphones toward her face.
Eager to get the scoop, the reporters didn’t immediately notice that the person in front of them was the champion of the "Genius" competition.
"Excuse me, miss, are you finished with your exam? How were the questions? There are still fifty minutes left. Did you submit it early, and are you confident you’ll get a good score?"
The reporter fired off a rapid-fire barrage of questions. Any other student would probably have been stunned speechless.
Only Chloe Sinclair paused for a moment, then said, "I finished. The questions were very simple, so I turned it in early."
After speaking, she glanced at the time. "My father and brothers are waiting for me, so I’ll be leaving now."
The reporters nodded, staring blankly at Chloe Sinclair’s retreating back.
One of the reporters said, "Why do I feel like I’ve seen that student somewhere before?"
His colleague next to him nodded as well. "Her face is really familiar, I just can’t place her."
The two looked at each other, and one of them continued, "Oh, right, I heard Chloe Sinclair is at this exam site. I wonder when she’ll come out..."
The other reporter froze. "The student we just interviewed... I think that was Chloe Sinclair!"
...
After a long moment, the reporters said in unison, "We blew it."
Of course, Chloe Sinclair was oblivious to the reporters’ inner turmoil.
Fearing that Mr. Sinclair and her brothers were still standing foolishly under the sun, she ran as fast as she could.
When she reached the main entrance, she saw them, standing right in the most sun-scorched spot, staring eagerly at the gate.
Her dad was wearing a thin shirt, its back soaked with sweat. His forehead was beaded with perspiration, but his eyes never wavered from the gate.
Seeing this, Chloe Sinclair felt her nose tingle.
"Dad!"
Chloe Sinclair ran over, feigning displeasure. "Didn’t I tell you not to wait outside? Not only did you wait, but you had to stand in the sunniest spot of all."
She glanced at the other parents, who were all taking shelter from the sun. "Look, they all know to hide under the trees for shade. But you guys... your faces are all red from the sun."
She was truly angry, but her heart ached for them just as much.
Seeing that Chloe Sinclair seemed genuinely upset, Mr. Sinclair quickly said, "We just wanted you to be able to see us the moment you came out."
’What if the exam was hard and our daughter couldn’t do the problems?’
’Wouldn’t she have a breakdown if she came out and couldn’t find us?’
Mr. Sinclair didn’t dare to dwell on it and simply listened to his daughter’s scolding.
But he soon realized something was off and asked in surprise, "There’s still so much time left. Why are you out already?"
Chloe Sinclair explained, "I came out as soon as I was done."
Mr. Sinclair immediately guessed what had happened and said with a serious expression, "You can’t do this again. I know you were worried about us, but you can’t joke around with your future."
"Then you could just not make me worry."
Mr. Sinclair was at a loss for words.
Chloe Sinclair chuckled. "I’m just kidding. I would never do something I’m not confident about. I checked my paper many times before leaving."
’And I double-checked the answers with Eight.’
Only after confirming her answers were what she expected did she decide to submit her paper early.
Only then did Mr. Sinclair relax and let out a long sigh of relief.
The group got into their RV and went to the hotel they had booked in advance to rest for a while and prepare for the afternoon exam.
Chloe Sinclair wasn’t flustered, but the Sinclair Family was extremely nervous. They even ate a light meal with her at lunch.
In the afternoon, Chloe Sinclair entered the exam hall without a hitch.
Nina Sinclair came in after her. She glanced at Chloe before sitting down at her own seat, her face expressionless.
’After all, she had no idea what kind of crazy stunt Chloe Sinclair would pull next!’
The afternoon math exam went incredibly smoothly for Chloe Sinclair.
After her System’s upgrade, these math problems were as simple as one-plus-one in her eyes.
Even so, Chloe Sinclair still checked her work carefully several times before submitting her paper early.
This time, the proctor didn’t say much. After confirming she could leave, she allowed Chloe Sinclair to exit.
Chloe Sinclair was smarter this time.
Fearing she would be caught by reporters again, she bolted as she neared the school gate, dashing out like a little rabbit.
But unexpectedly, the reporters, desperate for a story, were even sharper and chased right after her.
Chloe Sinclair: "..."
She gave up.
She turned her head in resignation and took off her mask.
Taking a closer look—well, what do you know? It was the same two reporters from that morning.
"Hello."
"Chloe Sinclair?"
The two reporters probably never expected to be so lucky. They had missed out on a huge story that morning, only to be hit with such a big surprise in the afternoon.
"Miss, could you please give us five minutes for an interview?"
The reporter glanced around, keeping his voice low as he spoke.
He seemed afraid other reporters would steal his scoop.
Chloe Sinclair’s previously frustrated mood instantly brightened. She nodded and readily agreed.
The two reporters were very professional. Their questions weren’t out of line, and they stuck to the time limit—five minutes meant five minutes.
"Chloe, thank you so much for today."
The two reporters’ grateful expressions left Chloe Sinclair feeling a bit overwhelmed by the attention.
The reporter then explained, "We’re both intern reporters. If we don’t get a story, we might be out of a job next month."
"Anyway, thank you. We promise we won’t write anything sensational."
