Ten minutes crawled by, second by second, as the tension among the online crowd hit a fever pitch.
With just five minutes left, something happened that sent the chat rooms into an absolute frenzy—
A reporter, clearly hoping to make waves, managed to corner Lauren right outside the entrance of Global Harmony Medical Institute.
“Ms. Brennan! Have you heard of Anastasia? What do you think about her applying to Global Harmony Medical Institute?!”
Everyone knew Lauren was notoriously aloof; eight times out of ten, she wouldn’t even spare the press a glance. This particular reporter was from a small tabloid, probably just hoping for a lucky break and bracing to be brushed off by Lauren’s bodyguards like everyone else.
But to everyone’s shock, Lauren actually stopped.
She looked cold and imperious as ever when she spoke. “Global Harmony Medical Institute isn’t a place just anyone can get into. I understand why people dream of coming here, but if you don’t have what it takes and still insist on applying, that’s an insult to the institute.”
The exchange was being streamed live. As soon as Lauren’s words left her lips, the chat exploded with comments.
“Is Lauren talking about Anastasia?! She must be, right?!”
“Who else could it be! Lauren is always so gracious—she never says anything harsh about anyone! The fact that she’s speaking out now just shows how out of line Anastasia must be!”
“Lauren’s absolutely right! If you know you’re not qualified but still apply, what do you think this place is? A free-for-all? That’s just disrespectful!”
The reporter, noticing the skyrocketing view count, felt certain his job performance numbers for the month were secured. He pressed on, “Then, Ms. Brennan, how many points do you think Anastasia will score on the exam?”
Lauren didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said, “Two years ago, when I took the exam, a professor from Kingsbridge University Medical School sat for it as well. His final score was thirty-nine.”
She paused, then asked, feigning ignorance, “By the way, what field is this Anastasia in?”
Of course, Lauren knew Anastasia’s background—she’d been keeping tabs on her for years. But she played innocent, forcing the reporter to answer.
“Uh, I think she’s in journalism! And from what I’ve heard, her grades aren’t great…”
Lauren didn’t say anything more; she just let out a barely audible, scornful laugh.
She didn’t need to speak ill of Anastasia—her meaning was clear as day. If a medical school professor could only manage a score like that, what hope did a struggling journalism student have?
Without a single overt insult, Lauren had trampled Anastasia’s reputation into the ground.
With Lauren leading the charge, her fans doubled down, flooding the chat with criticism, making Anastasia out to be a complete joke.
Right then—
“THE RESULTS ARE OUT!!”
Someone shouted in the live chat. Instantly, everyone rushed to the Global Harmony Medical Institute’s official website.
And then—
“???”
“???”
“What’s with all the question marks? What’s going on?”
“Go check the admissions list…”
“Oh my God!! Am I seeing things?! I must be hallucinating, right?!”
“I’m back—holy crap! Are my eyes broken?! Why do I see Anastasia’s name? And it’s a perfect score! First place!!”
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