BXBX NOVEL Chapter 71 - 71: 71: She Had Already Weakened Her Abilities by Ninety Percent
“Is it done?”
Frank put down his pen, “Yes, it’s ready.”
There were 11 questions in total.
The classmates looked at the questions with piqued interest, many of them eagerly picking up their pens to try solving them.
Frank adjusted his glasses, marveling at the enthusiasm of these eager students.
Lily was utterly baffled, “What is this? I can’t understand any of it.”
Ben turned to Linda, “Linda, can you solve them?”
Linda began jotting down some calculations, “Some of the questions are easy, but the last few are quite tough especially the last one. I have no idea what it means.”
If she, a top ten student in their grade, struggled with it, Elizabeth probably wouldn’t stand a chance either.
But then Elizabeth walked up to the podium.
With a pen in hand and barely a glance at the paper, she swiftly began writing down answers.
Her speed was astonishing. Frank was first startled, then suspicious, and as he watched, his face grew increasingly serious…
Soon, he began to question his own intelligence, doubting if he truly deserved to be a teacher.
Five minutes later, Elizabeth put down her pen.
The room went silent.
The students were baffled, had she just randomly scribbled down answers?
“Would you like to double-check?” Frank asked her.
Elizabeth shook her head, speaking earnestly, “The questions are so simple. Everyone should know them. There’s no need to review.”
The classmates exchanged glances.
They all felt slightly insulted.
She had deliberately taken four minutes longer than she needed.
Elizabeth wanted to be seen as an average student. To seem ordinary, she had suppressed ninety percent of her abilities. Now she hoped she appeared just like everyone else.
Frank examined the answers she provided, feeling as if he’d experienced a sudden enlightenment.
His admiration for her was evident, “How did you solve the last question?”
“It was an easy one,” Elizabeth responded nonchalantly. Why wouldn’t she understand a question she set?
Frank was taken aback, “I need some time alone.”
Had he just encountered a prodigious talent? Such a rare gem!
A genius sent from the heavens?
After a long pause, he took a deep breath and announced to the class, “The answers are entirely correct. This proves that Elizabeth didn’t cheat.”
The classroom went quiet again, a pin-drop silence.
A few seconds later, all eyes turned to Ben.
He stared back at Elizabeth, disbelief evident in his eyes, as if trying to bore a hole through her with his gaze.
In a calm and indifferent tone, Elizabeth replied, “I told you it was simple.” Ben felt as if he’d been slapped across the face.
He had accused Elizabeth of cheating because she had supposedly received special treatment to get into this school. If she could score so well, there had to be some trickery involved.
But seeing her effortlessly solve the questions he couldn’t understand, he started doubting if she needed any special treatment at all.
Linda was stunned, the color drained from her face.
“Was it possible?”
“Did Elizabeth not cheat?”
“Did she genuinely earn the top score?”
“How could she be even better than me?”
Frank now believed Elizabeth had never actually been to a proper school before. A rural school surely couldn’t teach someone of her caliber.
“Now that the truth is clear, Ben, I believe you owe Elizabeth an apology,” he said.
With all eyes on him, after what felt like an eternity, Ben finally mustered, “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t dare to face Linda or the other students. He had never been so humiliated in his life.
Resentment bubbled up within him. If she was so capable, why did she need any shortcuts? If she hadn’t taken any shortcuts, he wouldn’t have misunderstood.
He truly detested Elizabeth now!