Aurora Sinclair obediently took the test paper. Under the principal's smiling-yet-shrewd gaze, she pulled a pencil case from the new backpack Master Sinclair had bought for her and began to answer the questions seriously.
Principal Lawson had some business to attend to and left early, leaving Howard Lowell to proctor the exam.
Master Sinclair was still fuming, but he didn't say a word, simply sitting on the sofa in the principal's office and drinking his tea.
The minutes ticked by. After an hour and a half, Aurora Sinclair put down her pen.
Howard Lowell walked over to glance at the test. The handwriting was neat and elegant, which considerably improved his impression of her. But when he saw the large blank sections, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
'Her grades are terrible! She'll definitely drag down the school's average score!'
"Sinclair, are you ready to turn in your test?"
Aurora Sinclair glanced at the clock on the wall and shook her head.
Howard Lowell had no choice but to wait patiently. He thought Aurora Sinclair wanted to answer a few more questions, but to his surprise, she just kept staring at the paper without moving her pen.
He was left a little speechless. 'This student's composure is really something else,' he thought.
After what felt like an eternity, the two-and-a-half-hour mark finally arrived, and Aurora Sinclair handed him the test.
He didn't delay, immediately taking it to the senior year office for the three subject teachers to grade.
Just then, Linton Sinclair, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly stood up. With a look of delighted surprise, he said to Master Sinclair, "Dad, Stella's painting won first place! The president of The Calligraphy Association wants to take her on as his apprentice."
Principal Lawson, who was just about to enter, heard this, and a glint flashed in his eyes.
'The Calligraphy Association! So the Sinclairs really have some skills!'
Master Sinclair's eyes lit up. Although he'd expected his elder granddaughter's talent would get her into The Calligraphy Association, he never imagined she would take first place. This was a tremendous honor!
'Now the association's president wants to take her as an apprentice... With this, the Sinclair Family's status in Kingsford will...'
The more Master Sinclair thought about it, the more excited he became. He shot to his feet and told his eldest son, "Linton! Go and tell the family right away! We're holding a celebratory banquet for Stella tonight!"
"Okay, I'll go right now! Dad, are you coming with me to the association to pick up Stella?"
Master Sinclair pondered for a moment. "You go on ahead. I'll wait here for Aurora's test results before I come over."
Linton Sinclair glanced at Aurora Sinclair but didn't say anything. He nodded to Master Sinclair and left the principal's office with a spring in his step.
Principal Lawson, standing at the door, congratulated Master Sinclair and Linton Sinclair with a broad smile. In his heart, he now held a sliver of expectation for Aurora Sinclair as well.
The teachers at Kingsford No. 1 High School graded papers quickly. In less than half an hour, Howard Lowell returned with the scores.
Principal Lawson took a sip of tea and asked him, "How are the scores?"
"She passed everything!"
Principal Lawson was a bit surprised. Before he could speak, Master Sinclair happily cut in, "Principal Lawson, you said you'd accept my Aurora if she passed every subject!"
Seeing the inexplicable pride on Master Sinclair's face, Principal Lawson was rather puzzled.
'He didn't even look this proud when Stella Sinclair won first place just now.'
"Mr. Sinclair, I only said I would *consider* accepting her. Lowell, what are Sinclair's scores?"
Howard Lowell glanced at the scores on the test paper, then shot Aurora Sinclair a strange look. "Sixty points in every subject. A total of 180."
"Just a bare pass..." Principal Lawson sighed, feigning deep thought.
Seeing that he seemed ready to go back on his word, Master Sinclair's expression darkened.
Just then, Howard Lowell continued, "The accuracy rate for all the questions she answered on the test is one hundred percent!"
Principal Lawson and Master Sinclair were both stunned and rushed to look at Aurora Sinclair's test paper.
Three glaring "60"s were written on the score lines for each subject.
Looking closer at the paper, they saw that for all three subjects—Physics, Chemistry, and Biology—every single question that had been answered was marked with a check, not a single X.
The adults in the room fell silent, staring at Aurora Sinclair for a long moment, at a loss for words.
Finally, Master Sinclair held up the test paper and asked Aurora Sinclair, "Did you know how to answer all the questions on this test?"
Aurora Sinclair thought for a moment and shook her head. 'There was one physics question I didn't know how to solve!'
Principal Lawson instantly breathed a sigh of relief. 'So she's not a genius, just got lucky with a score of 60,' he thought.
Master Sinclair didn't say anything more, simply reaching out and ruffling Aurora Sinclair's hair.
Then he turned to Principal Lawson and shamelessly pressed on, "Principal Lawson, so what do you think? Can my Aurora get into your school?"
A troubled look appeared in Principal Lawson's eyes. "Mr. Sinclair, accepting a transfer student isn't my decision alone. I also have to consult the senior year director and the homeroom teachers. If she were enrolling in the second year, I'd approve it for you without a second thought."
Master Sinclair's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. "Are you saying my Aurora's scores aren't good enough to get into the senior year?"
Principal Lawson nodded, but he didn't dare to completely offend Master Sinclair. "Judging from the test, Sinclair's fundamentals are very strong. Given time, she could certainly get into a good university. However, based on her current scores, even if she did join the senior class, she might not be able to keep up. That's why I suggest she start from the second year."
Master Sinclair understood what Principal Lawson was implying, but thinking of Aurora Sinclair's special circumstances, he pleaded with him again. "Principal Lawson, can't you just make an exception? My Aurora is very smart. She'll definitely be able to keep up!"
Seeing that Master Sinclair was willing to cast aside his pride for the young girl beside him, Principal Lawson knew he couldn't reasonably refuse again and reluctantly agreed.
"Mr. Sinclair, how about this? Besides being good at sports, does your girl have any other special talents? Our school does give priority to students with artistic talents, like painting, music, or dance."
Master Sinclair glanced back at Aurora Sinclair and pondered for a moment. "Painting... My elder granddaughter was just accepted into The Calligraphy Association..."
Principal Lawson nodded in understanding. He turned to Howard Lowell beside him and said, "Go explain Sinclair's situation to the senior year director and have her assign Sinclair to a class."
***
The senior year director, Crystal Warner, was carefully looking over a test paper and the personal file on Aurora Sinclair that Master Sinclair had provided.
Normally, she would be unwilling to place a transfer student at such a critical point in the senior year, but after seeing Aurora Sinclair's student records from Sunstone Middle School, she felt a flicker of empathy.
She herself had tested her way out of a small, second-tier town into Kingsford, successfully staying and climbing step-by-step to her current position. The hardships she'd faced couldn't be summed up in a sentence or two.
Howard Lowell saw her brow furrow slightly and, thinking she was unwilling, added, "Aurora Sinclair is from the Sinclair Family of Kingsford. Her sister, Stella Sinclair, just won first place in The Calligraphy Association's entrance exam. I heard the association's president wants to take her as his apprentice..."
If there was one thing Crystal Warner hated in her life, it was people who relied on connections. It would have been better if Howard Lowell had said nothing. The moment he spoke, her expression changed completely. Any empathy she felt vanished into thin air.
She sneered. "Oh, so she's a young lady from the Sinclair Family! You could have just said so. Why bother trying to fool me with a fake file?"
'This is bad,' Howard Lowell thought, and he quickly explained, "Director Warner, please don't be angry. This file is absolutely real!"
Crystal Warner snapped the file shut and tossed it aside, clearly unconvinced. "A prominent family in Kingsford would throw their child into some godforsaken town to attend school since she was little? Who would believe that? You go tell the principal she can transfer in, but if it affects this year's college admission rates, don't come crying to me!"