Amid all the question marks filling the screen, someone finally wrote something different.
“I can’t describe it any other way than this—she’s too damn impressive!”
“She’s amazing! Cheryl Smith took first place in the qualifiers!”
“I suspect that the two of them have the same name. How can anyone not only excel at gaming but also at shooting?”
“Sudden thought here, but… what if Cheryl Smith turns out to be the champion?”
…
…
That’s right, Cheryl had taken first place in the qualifiers and successfully made it through to the finals. Once the finals were over, which would be held the next day, she would receive the medal.
Cheryl’s fans started chatting in the forums.
“Don’t go around bragging online just yet, guys! Stay low-key! Low-key, you hear?!”
“Yeah, the girl might have lucked out in the qualifiers, that’s all. If we start bragging and she doesn’t win tomorrow, it’ll be really embarrassing!”
“Cheryl is still young! It’s okay even if she doesn’t win this time! She can always try again after four years!”
“Yeah! You’re right!”
—
As for the Club HS members, after they easily won the match, the host couldn’t help but ask Lionel during an interview, “Do you have any comments about Ms. Cheryl Smith’s participation in the Olympic Games?”
Lionel, who was completely unaware that Cheryl had already cleared the qualifiers, smiled and replied, “Well, what matters is that she gained some experience by participating, right? God C is cooped up in the club with us all the time. There’s only so much energy one can have. Since her talent has gone to gaming, it’s a given that she won’t do as well in other areas… That’s perfectly understandable, no?”
He cleared his throat and added, “Besides, Cheryl is still young, so do be patient with her. We’ll eventually compete on a global scale after this, so we can clinch a world championship title for everyone too!”
The host: “??”
Utterly bemused, she looked at Lionel and asked, “Uh… Haven’t you looked at Ms. Smith’s results in the qualifiers?”
Lionel, who was even more lost than her, replied, “Yeah, the match just ended, so I haven’t had a chance to look at my phone yet. I was told to come here for the interview immediately. What’s the matter? Did she rank too low? But that’s perfectly understandable, isn’t it? People shouldn’t be so demanding toward kids!”
“…”
The host kept quiet for a while. Then, she tried to give him a hint and asked, “Seeing that Ms. Smith has ranked first in the qualifiers, how confident do you feel about her taking the champion title tomorrow?”
Lionel: “???”
Lionel felt like he was dreaming even as he walked down from the stage. He pinched himself hard, the pain making him inhale sharply. Only then did he turn to Zac in disbelief. “Hey, Zac. Just what kind of genius have we recruited?!”
The answer to his question came the next day—
Cheryl was the champion!!
An uproar went through the whole country!
Cheryl’s fans were incredibly excited.
“Oh my god! I only became a fan because she’s so pretty. What kind of unbelievable person have I become a fan of, though?!”
“Nation-wide top scorer in the college entrance examinations, a godlike player in games, and a champion in shooting? Dear Lord, any one of those titles is enough to brand one successful in life. God C is unbelievable!”
“God C is no human; she’s a god!”
At the same time!
A proud Harvard University official also posted on their Facebook page: “We await the champion.”
The moment they made the post, people swarmed to it.
The staff of MIT also raised a furor.
Over at the student admissions office, the head of the department sorely wished he could turn back time.
Why on earth had they allowed students to take care of their official Facebook page?!
Great, not only was Cheryl the top scorer, but she was also a world champion now. If she had picked their school, their reputation would have been so much greater than Harvard!
To save the situation—as well as to prevent the department head from holding him accountable for the farce—one of the teachers in the admissions office smiled and said, “Tsk, those things can only help us in terms of our reputation. The student that we recruited this year is the one who will bring us actual benefits. Don’t forget, he’s from the Stannards in New York!”
MIT had recruited the heir to a conglomerate this time. He hadn’t even started his studies at the university, yet he had already sponsored a good number of the university’s research projects!
In addition, he had also promised strategic partnerships with MIT that would last numerous years!
Recruiting him had granted MIT tremendous tangible benefits.
When the head of the admissions office heard the teacher, he felt a bit better.
After all, it wasn’t like Harvard University enjoyed similar benefits…
However, his mood had only just improved a little when the expression of a teacher, who was scrolling through Facebook, suddenly changed dramatically. She stammered, “S-sir, someone just revealed Cheryl Smith’s background…”
