We Will Meet Again

Valentina was not ungrateful; especially since things had come to this point, she smiled and said to the beaming Rory with a pleasant tone, "Rory, thanks for coming here." "Miss Ricardo, this is what I should do." Rory was over the moon at this moment, even happier than winning millions. To keep up with Valentina all the time, Rory had arranged for people to watch over her in the school early, and he would receive any information immediately. The effect was impressive so far. "Miss Ricardo, if you encounter any problems in the future, don't hesitate to find me," said Rory as he handed over his business card, "You're always welcome to visit my house, too." On his way to the teacher's office to get the papers, Byron bumped into Rory who was heading out of school. "Mr. Howard?" Byron's father was the deputy mayor; their families had always been in a great relationship, and Byron always respected Rory. However, Byron and Eric were always at odds. "Byron." Rory was in high spirits and happily patted Byron's shoulder while passing by. "Mr. Howard, why are you at my school? Are you inspecting the work?" Byron was curious about what could make Rory so ecstatic. "Yes, work. Ahem, Byron, you are also a senior, right? Do you know..." Rory trailed off, having had an idea. Byron asked, "Who?" "Eh, nothing, just forget it," responded Rory. Originally, Rory wanted to ask Byron to look after Valentina for him. They were of the same age, and Byron was an excellent student. Valentina would surely be pleased. But then... if Byron started dating Valentina... he would go from being the mayor to the deputy mayor. He was clearly getting carried away, not really thinking straight. Rory muttered to himself, "That was close. I almost ruined my own future." Suddenly, Rory remembered that he had a son. Eric was disagreeable, performed poorly in academics, had a bad temper, and was overall just not good at anything. But if he could win the heart of Valentina, that would be enough! At this time, Rory was unaware that his good-for-nothing son, under the instructions of Gabriel, was scouring through Lakeside Elite looking for Valentina. "Enough chit-chat. I need to rush to work, bye!" said Rory. Byron watched as Rory exchanged laughs and conversation with his assistant before leaving, feeling completely puzzled. At that moment, the school's loudspeaker came on - "Good afternoon, everyone. This is your principal, Christopher. I am here to clarify an issue." The teachers immediately called for the students to be quiet and listen to the broadcast. "Valentina from Class 8 in the third year obtained full marks in yesterday's math test but was deemed to have cheated by her teacher. After careful investigation, we found that Valentina was falsely accused. Her score has now been rectified. Her actual score is 100. On behalf of the school, I formally apologize to Valentina…" Upon hearing the broadcast, Byron abruptly stopped and looked in the direction of the broadcast room. Right after the principal's apology, another voice came on, "I am Valentina's math teacher…" As Valentina was chased out of the classroom by the math teacher, the totally unsupervised students of Class 8 each stuck out their necks curiously, listening to the commotion outside. Everyone wanted to see what kind of big messy scene Valentina would be in. But even after waiting for the duration of a class, they didn't see Valentina come back dejectedly. The math teacher was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they heard from students of other classes that several high-level school officials headed for the principal's office. They wondered what kind of meeting could be taking place. They speculated that it must be related to Valentina's cheating incident and couldn't help but admire Valentina's bravery for actually daring to march to the principal's office. Even if it ended with being lectured by parents or an even more severe outcome, her courage at that moment was enough to make everyone in awe. So, when the principal's apology broadcast began, all fifty-plus students in Class Eight were shocked to the core. They each doubted if their ears had betrayed them, they had surely nothing but misheard. After a short and bizarre silence, the classroom erupted into a riot, momentarily uncontrollable. The teacher's voice, even when banging at the lecture stand, was drowned amid the loud discussions. "Wow, someone tells me what Valentina did!" "Valentina's incredible. Wth how cruel mean can be, she actually made him apologize to her in front of the whole school. This is absolutely unprecedented and unlikely to happen again. If it were me, I'd definitely have it written in my family annals as a source of ancestral pride." "Does anyone know what happened in the principal's office for the past few dozen minutes? I would even give up a month's breakfast money for a clue." "How did she do it?" "Valentina scored 100 points? Haha, this is absolutely the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Valentina had been submissive but received an apology from the principal and teacher, which was surprising. She got full marks considering her academic brilliance was usually lacking, which was equally surprising and hard to believe. "She scored 100? I heard from Diana that she left the examination room in just a few minutes. Can someone tell me how she completed her paper and still scored full marks in just a few minutes? Even with the answer sheet, copying wouldn't be this fast, right?" "The principal said that an investigation proved... What kind of investigation? Did they check the surveillance footage?" "I'm not sure, but I just saw the police arrive, so…" "So, can Valentina tell me how she perfectly cheated by evading both the surveillance camera and the police? As a student struggling with my studies, I urgently need to know." "As Valentina's classmate of nearly three years, I find it impossible to believe that she scored full marks according to her intelligence level. However, the Principal, Mathematics teacher, and even the just-departed police officer confirmed that she did score full marks. The only explanation is that it must be a supernatural event," explained someone. "It's simply impossible. Valentina's stupidity doesn't justify a perfect score," Diana, the most emotional, exclaimed. Upon the revelation that Valentina cheated, defiantly disrespected the teacher, and even created havoc in the Principal's Office, Diana felt great as if she had taken revenge. Her emotions were so strung that she was unable to control her outrage upon hearing the broadcast. She was jolted back to consciousness by the synchronized gaze of her classmates and the grimacing teacher. Diana's face flushed deeply, extending to her neck. She hurriedly bowed her head and sat down, wanting nothing more than to hide in a hole due to this unprecedented embarrassment. Valentina! Diana clenched her teeth with resentment, fantasizing about grinding Valentina into bits and blaming her for everything. Byron, while fetching the papers required by the teacher for the classroom, spotted Valentina downstairs in conversation with an impressive, well-dressed gentleman. They seemed to be engaged in an enjoyable conversation, with the mature man handing her something. From his vantage point on the staircase, Byron found Valentina standing there casually with her hands buried in her pockets. She seemed to have become different. Yet, considering the broadcast just now, he felt a sense of aversion in his heart. Just like everyone else, Byron vehemently disputed the idea that Valentina, famous for her academic incompetence, could ever score full marks. He couldn't help but wonder how she evaded the surveillance and teachers. Tim said, "I hope we have another chance to meet again." Valentina asserted, "We will." Valentina's certainty aroused suspicion, leaving it open whether she was simply straightforward in her speech or if there were deeper implications.