The girl sitting next to Shermaine, Miley Foster , looked at her with deep gratitude and said, "Thank you." Shermaine smiled and nodded slightly. Miley’s eyes instantly lit up with admiration. She looked at the stunning Shermaine in front of her and thought, ‘She finished that problem in like thirty seconds. That speed is insane. She’s definitely a total genius like Lorenzo.’

At that moment, Lorenzo glanced down at the two completed answer sheets in front of him. He knew full well that the one in Miley’s hand didn’t belong to her, but since it was Shermaine, he let it slide. Then, hearing all the compliments being thrown Wendelyn’s way from the audience, he had to admit she had some real talent. Still, in this world, geniuses were everywhere. It was better to stay low-key—being too flashy would only work against her.

Wendelyn, hearing the praise, gave a modest smile as if it were no big deal. Off to the side, Ruth was clearly pleased with how everything was playing out. She had raised Wendelyn herself, so naturally, she took pride in that.

Once Wendelyn got back to her seat, she turned and glanced at Shermaine. Noticing that the paper in front of Shermaine was completely blank, Wendelyn couldn’t help but smile, "Guess that kind of question really is too hard for you."

Shermaine kept a straight face. "Yeah. Super hard." She was starting to think she might’ve finally found something she wasn’t very good at—acting.

Miley was about to speak up, ready to clear things up and tell Wendelyn that the blank paper belonged to her and the one brought onstage was actually Shermaine’s. But then Lorenzo cut in, "Quiet. Class is starting." Miley had no choice but to open her textbook and wanted to wait until class was over to clear up the misunderstanding.

Class Concludes and Whispers Begin

After forty-five minutes of high-tension calculus, the class finally came to an end like a long-overdue release. Lorenzo wrapped up the lecture in his usual businesslike manner. The only thing lingering on his mind was Shermaine. He’d never gotten over what had happened at the International Mathematical Tournament years ago. Still, with so many people in the room and the crowd swarming toward Wendelyn, he didn’t even get the chance to say hi to Shermaine. And it wasn’t just Lorenzo—even the girl sitting next to Shermaine didn’t get the chance to speak up and explain. Lorenzo thought, ‘No rush. Now that I know Shermaine and Wendelyn are sisters, it’ll be easy to find her later.’

"Wendelyn, you’re amazing. Can you tell me how you usually study?"

"I’ve decided you’re officially my idol."

"You’re awesome, Wendelyn."

"Is that your mom sitting next to you?"

"Your mom looks so young. The two of you sitting together look more like sisters than mother and daughter."

The students were all talkative and flattering, showering Ruth and Wendelyn with so much praise they could barely stop smiling. Wendelyn answered each of their questions one by one.

Then a guy shifted the topic and asked, "Is that your sister sitting in the back?" Shermaine’s aura was icy and intense. Even though they were curious enough to gather around, no one dared to get too close to her. And Shermaine was stunning—striking in a way that totally outshone Wendelyn’s beauty, almost intimidating. But Wendelyn was a top student, so most people still gravitated toward her. Even so, plenty of them were curious about Shermaine’s background.

Someone chimed in, "Yeah, I was wondering too."

Then another asked, "Wendy, how old is your sister?"

"She’s one year older than me," Wendelyn replied. Wendelyn was eighteen. That made Shermaine nineteen. Wendelyn had skipped a grade, so she was younger than them, while Shermaine happened to be their age.

The guy asked, "What’s your sister’s name?"

Wendelyn answered, "Shermaine Shue."

The guy thought, ‘Shermaine Shue? That’s a unique and pretty name. Guess they’re not real sisters if they’ve got different last names.’ The guy continued, "Wendy, which college does she go to?"

Wendelyn pulled back her smile, looking a little embarrassed, and passed the question off to Shermaine. "You’ll have to ask Shermaine about that."

The guy turned his head, and the moment his eyes landed on Shermaine’s face, his heart skipped a beat. Shermaine pulled on her cap, revealing only her refined jawline. "The School of Hard Knocks."

The guy thought, ‘Nineteen and already at the School of Hard Knocks? Is that her way of saying she never even went to college? Figures. Not every rich kid is like Wendelyn. Shermaine’s probably just another spoiled brat who only knows how to party!’ With that thought, the way he looked at Shermaine shifted.

He said, "You’re hilarious." But his tone had lost its earlier politeness and turned a little smug.

Shermaine tilted her chin. Her eyes, cold as ice beneath the brim of her cap, locked on him. "Do I know you?" A wave of pressure hit, and the guy instinctively backed down, falling silent.

Shermaine stood up. "You’re blocking my way." The second those words dropped, the whole crowd quieted and stepped aside. Standing in the aisle, Shermaine said briefly, "I’m going to the ladies’ room."

"I’ll go with you," Ruth said, rising too.

Shermaine didn’t object. She could already imagine how they’d tear her apart behind her back the moment she walked away.

Wendelyn pointed the direction. "It’s at the end on the right." That only made her seem even more well-mannered and composed, while Shermaine came off proud and unapproachable.

Miley Defends Shermaine

With Ruth gone and Wendelyn left alone, the others got bolder with their questions. Someone asked, "Wendy, is she really your sister? How is she so different from you?"

Someone chimed in, "Exactly. She’s so young and already slacking off like that? Unbelievable." They prided themselves on being self-righteous and always looked down on people who didn’t care about academics.

Another said, "Your family’s loaded, right? You should just ship Shermaine off to study abroad or something. Otherwise, she’s gonna end up embarrassing you all. If a prestigious family like yours raises such a total failure, people are gonna laugh their heads off."

Someone else added, "That’s what spoiled rich kids are like. And let’s be real, who would dare talk trash in front of them anyway! They’re the type who throw their weight around and look down on college students like us."

Wendelyn looked conflicted. "Don’t say that. She’s just not the type to open up right away. Her personality’s not as bad as you think."

"Wendy, come on. Stop trying to defend her. We’re not blind—we can tell what kind of person she is," someone said.

Wendelyn’s eyes welled up in an instant. Only then did they switch to a gentler tone. Someone said, "Alright. We won’t badmouth Shermaine in front of you anymore. Don’t get upset."

But Miley, the girl Shermaine had helped earlier, thought they were getting way out of line. She wondered, ‘They’ve got such wild imaginations—why aren’t they writing novels instead? Judging someone that harshly off a few casual comments? Students at Basterel University aren’t all that morally superior, clearly.’ As for Wendelyn, Miley found her kind of fake. If Wendelyn really thought they’d crossed the line, she should’ve snapped back hard. But she didn’t.

Miley couldn’t help but say, "You guys are way out of line. For students at a top-tier university, you sure sound like the trolls I see online." She continued, full of indignation, "So what if she’s nineteen and already out in the real world? That doesn’t mean she’s uneducated. And so what if she’s a little cold and distant? Are you saying she doesn’t have the right to be? Or do you think you’re better than anyone else?"

After Miley said that, they all felt embarrassed because they knew she kind of had a point. Besides, Shermaine hadn’t actually done anything to them and they didn’t need to be so mean. Plus, Shermaine was a girl.

Wendelyn gave a polite smile. "You’re the girl who solved that problem like me earlier, right? Thank you for standing up for Shermaine. You’re really kind. But I do want to clarify something—there’s a reason for it. Shermaine really hasn’t been to college. That said, whether she goes or not doesn’t matter to us. Our family has always respected her choices. As long as she’s happy, that’s what matters."

Miley was speechless. She thought, ‘She played nice first, then hit Shermaine where it hurts. There’s no doubt that Wendelyn’s a top-tier hypocrite.’ And just like that, her respect for Shermaine shot up. Shermaine didn’t even go to college, yet she was sharper than most people who did. That alone made her worth admiring.

Miley remarked, "Then Shermaine must be amazing. That question earlier—" Her words got cut off as Shermaine appeared at the classroom door. "Wendy, ready to go?" Shermaine asked.