Chapter 88: School Scandals and Sierra

After parting ways with Kason, Sierra’s expression turned icy. She rubbed her hands where Kason had touched them until they were nearly red, showing no signs of stopping. By the time she got home, it was late, but Dickson was still up, waiting for her. Seeing her return, he sprang up, his eyes alight with excitement and admiration. “Sierra, I watched your livestream today; you were amazing!”

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through some trending topics to show her. “Did you know you’ve gone viral? You’re on several trending searches now. People are calling you an inspirational figure.” After all, who else could come out of a three-year stint in prison and still dominate like that?

“Oh, and Northwind University is trending too, but it’s all negative. The school will definitely have to make things right by you this time.” Dickson was more animated as he spoke, genuinely seeing Sierra as a sister after their time together.

Sierra, unaware of these developments, checked her phone to find it flooded with missed calls and messages, though none from the school. The next morning, she received a call from the university asking her to come in for a meeting. Sierra went, curious to see what tactics they would try this time. She suspected that resolving the issue wouldn’t be easy, and she was right. This time, Wagner and the others had a new demand.

“You know our biochemistry department is different; practical skills are as important as theoretical knowledge. You proved your theory knowledge yesterday, but we need to test your practical skills again.” This plan was concocted by the faculty leaders in an overnight discussion. It seemed like a desperate attempt since one could self-study theory in prison but obviously couldn’t access laboratory equipment. Everyone knew theory wasn’t the same as practice, and this was their last chance to save face.

Sierra could almost read their minds and looked at the faculty with a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile. “I have no problem with demonstrating my practical skills, but I have one condition!”

“Speak,” Ricky said.

“If I pass the practical test, I demand a public apology from the school,” Sierra said with a laugh. “It can’t always be on your terms, right?”

The faculty’s faces soured at her words. Sierra’s smile faded into a more mocking expression. “If you disagree, that’s fine by me. I’m flexible.” After all, it wasn’t she who was in a hurry. Northwind University was still trending for all the wrong reasons.

“Fine!” Ricky gritted his teeth and agreed. “If you pass the practical, I’ll apologize.”

“Mr. Ricky!” Sierra cut him off sharply. “Do you think I’m easy to fool? I want an apology from the school, not just from you.”

“Your apology means nothing to me!” These people really thought she was easy to push around. A single apology from Ricky meant little; he was just the scapegoat for the faculty. Sierra’s stance was firm, and the vice-chancellors hesitated. This was no small matter. If Sierra’s practical skills turned out to be flawless, a public apology from the school would become… after all, since its founding, the university had never publicly apologized to a student.

“This matter needs further discussion,” Wagner said. Now, he couldn’t underestimate Sierra. What if she really could perform the practical skills?

“Please provide an answer quickly,” Sierra said as she stood. “After all, I don’t have much time to spare.”

After Sierra left, the school’s leaders exchanged glances. One of them said, “I’ll check with the president; you all do some digging.” They needed to find out if Sierra could really handle the practical tasks. Wagner nodded and immediately called Denise.

Denise had only just woken up, genuinely weak this time, not feigning. Upon receiving Wagner’s call, her pupils dilated. “Mr. Wagner, I’m sure she doesn’t know how to use the lab equipment, at least not before she went to prison.” Back then, she was in the same literature department as Sierra, though it seemed Sierra had taken some biochemistry electives, which Denise hadn’t paid any attention to at the time—Sierra had been too inconspicuous. Thinking this over, she added, “She might have taken some biochemistry electives; you might want to check that.” The school had records of all these details.