Chapter 262

Just as everyone was abuzz with speculation about the bet between the two, the school’s end-of-semester honor roll was published. The list of scholarship recipients for the previous semester was also published simultaneously. Students in the top few spots of the honor roll were indignant when they saw the scholarship list.

“Josie Pearson only achieved fortieth place in her cohort. How come she is still awarded a scholarship? This isn’t fair!” one complained.

“That’s right! One has to be in the top ten to be eligible for a scholarship. That’s part of the criteria. How come someone like her, who was in fortieth place, could get a scholarship? This is unacceptable!” another raged.

“I agree! This is unacceptable!”

And the clamor continued.

In the midst of the raucous bunch intending to demand an answer from the school administration, the voice of another student standing nearby could be heard faintly. “Wasn’t she first in her cohort? How could she be in fortieth place? Are you guys mistaken?”

“Is there another student with the same name?” someone asked doubtfully.

“Probably. These are two distinct majors. How can the same person appear on two lists?” another answered confidently.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but have you guys forgotten something?” A clear voice rang out this time.

There were blank looks all around within the crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board. This was followed by complete silence. A student who obviously couldn’t read the room asked plaintively, “Hey! Why did everyone suddenly stop talking?”

Ian Sullivan burst out laughing. “That’s Josie for you. She’s my junior, and she has outdone herself this time!”

“What do you mean, Ian? Who’s Josie? Which junior are you referring to? Tell us!” The clamoring started again.

“Yeah! Who’s that? Tell us!”

One student who had kept pace with the campus gossip chimed in, “Who else could it be? It’s Josie Pearson. She’s that fourth-year undergrad who decided to switch to another major."

“And she has proven that she wasn’t doing it on a whim. That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment: double majors, first place in one, and fortieth for the other. Is she some kind of genius?”

“Oh, it’s her! So, could her bet with the Prof be related to her grades in her new major?” One student started speculating.

“Ooh! Maybe you are right!” Another student said excitedly.

“Hang on. If she was so capable, why would Prof Lawson ditch her?” A third student was skeptical.

“Well, is it possible that she ditched Prof Lawson instead…”

That was a million-dollar question. In the past, no one would have entertained such a possibility. David Lawson was in charge of the most popular major. It was simply unimaginable that Josie Pearson would drop that major, unless she was off her rocker.

Of course, no one said this out loud.

Finally, one fellow spoke. “I think it’s possible. I heard that Josie Pearson was not welcomed within the team, and what happened later proved that she was always the one being bullied."

“In fact, after she left, she became more attractive and made more friends. Most importantly, subsequent events showed that Prof Lawson was not so invincible."

“Notwithstanding the fact that his students didn’t win the Grand Prize in the last campus competition, for the last semester, he only had two students who placed first in their respective cohorts. And I heard one of his students did really badly!”

“That guy must have gotten in by the ‘back door’…” someone quipped.

“Hush! That’s a serious allegation. How would you know?”

“Hmm…”

As the ebb and flow of people in front of the honor roll progressed throughout the day, “Josie Pearson” and “Prof Lawson” became the most frequently mentioned names.

On this day, Kyle Langton had also returned to the university to complete his withdrawal application. Once the formalities were finalized, he planned to invite his former teammates to a meal. He would also take the chance to inform them of his relocation to the research institute and to formally bid them farewell.

As he passed by the honor roll, he inevitably overheard the heated discussions of the other students.

It was also at this moment that he learned from the others that Prof Lawson had made a bet with Josie Pearson in a bid to keep him in school. If Josie did not obtain 90 points or above in her new major, she could not demand that Kyle drop out of university.

In the end, Josie not only scored above 90 in her new major but also made it into the top fifty of her cohort.

Not only did this result humiliate Prof Lawson utterly, but it also meant that Kyle had no choice but to drop out.

Although Kyle felt somewhat grateful toward Prof Lawson, he had long resigned himself to dropping out. Yet, when he overheard the discussions by other students in front of the honor roll, he couldn’t help feeling upset…