Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Do I Look That Old?
Mr. Sinclair: "..."
His smile froze, a complex look flickering in his eyes as he gave the man who had spoken a long, hard look.
He had been in his forties when Chloe was born, which made him sixty now.
He’d always thought he had aged well; after all, people online always said he didn’t look like he was sixty.
But this man’s words today plunged him into profound self-doubt.
"I’m her father." Mr. Sinclair had never been so insistent, explaining his relationship with Chloe in a dead-serious tone.
The other father scratched his head, realizing he had likely put his foot in his mouth, and quickly apologized.
Mr. Sinclair wasn’t angry. He simply nodded at the group of parents and took his seat at Chloe’s desk.
As he sat down, he glanced up and saw the messy pile of books in the drawer of the desk ahead. Then, he looked down at his own daughter’s desk.
’Very good.’
Her textbooks were stacked neatly, arranged with meticulous care.
"Well, if it isn’t Director Sinclair?"
Just as Mr. Sinclair was lost in thought, a hearty laugh suddenly sounded from behind him.
Hearing the familiar voice, Mr. Sinclair turned to look.
A smile touched his lips. "Director Beckett."
Mr. Beckett approached, his large belly preceding him and his eyes crinkling with amusement.
The two men chatted for a bit, and before long, it was time for the conference to begin.
With midterms over, the intense preparation for the college entrance exams would begin.
Kyle Stern took this parent-teacher conference very seriously. He even extended the meeting longer than other classes to speak with each parent one-on-one, analyzing their child’s individual strengths and weaknesses.
When Mr. Beckett heard that his son actually had a chance of getting into a four-year university, he boisterously declared that if his son succeeded, he would donate an entire academic building to the school.
This level of magnanimity stunned Kyle Stern. He found himself not daring to say much more, afraid that a few more words of praise would prompt Mr. Beckett to offer to build the school an entirely new campus.
In any case, Mr. Beckett left with a spring in his step, humming a tune on his way out.
When it was Mr. Sinclair’s turn, however, Kyle Stern’s expression grew serious.
"Mr. Sinclair, if Chloe maintains her current grades, getting into Emberfall University will be no problem at all. I’m just concerned about whether this recent online incident will affect her."
Mr. Sinclair shook his head. "Chloe has been acting normally at home. I haven’t noticed anything amiss."
Kyle Stern relaxed. She was a promising candidate for Emberfall University, after all; he didn’t want to see her falter because of something like this.
The two of them spoke for over half an hour before Mr. Sinclair finally left the school.
When he got home, he saw Chloe curled up on the sofa. She had a small lap desk set up and was bent over it, working nonstop on some calculations.
Mr. Sinclair couldn’t help but soften his footsteps as he quietly went upstairs.
「The next day, the *Genius* auditions officially began.」
Today, Chloe wore a black casual blazer with a black baseball cap. Beneath the cap’s brim, her eyes were as clear as autumn pools, seeming to hold the vastness of a starry sky.
At her side stood three men, each well over 1.8 meters tall.
One of them, a tall man in a face mask, leaned down and whispered in Chloe’s ear, "Little sis, don’t be nervous when you go in. I’ll be backstage."
At his words, Chloe looked up at Gabriel Sinclair.
She had originally planned to come to the venue by herself today, but she hadn’t expected her three overprotective guardians to insist on coming along.
It was already May, and the weather in Kennet was growing hotter by the day. Squeezed in the middle of a massive crowd, even she was starting to feel warm, to say nothing of the large men with her.
Gabriel, in particular, had to keep wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Why don’t you guys go wait in a coffee shop? I’ll come find you after my audition is over."
