Chapter 871 One Step At A Time
“I was just thinking how good their children would look if they ever had one!”
Given how exceptional Sophie and Tristan were, it was not surprising that onlookers began talking about how beautiful and bright their children would turn out, especially when Sophie herself was so intelligent.
The spectators were certain the couple's future children would be a heartthrob.
“All right. That's enough. I should stop looking at them before I start wallowing in self-pity.”
“This is crazy! They've been kissing for a solid five minutes!”
“I know. Sophie is so lucky. She's both a medical genius and a good kisser!”
Meanwhile, Tristan finally pulled away from her. When he noticed that her long hair was all ruffled, he brushed it tidy and said, “Go ahead.”
Despite what he said, Tristan was reluctant to let Sophie go and would never have done so if he had a choice, but there was a multitude of things she needed to attend to.
Besides, it would not be fair for Tristan to keep her all to himself since he knew how ambitious Sophie was.
If he truly loved her, he should let her do what she enjoyed.
In front of him, Sophie touched her lips after the kiss, feeling too embarrassed to look at anyone around.
Dang it!
Aware that all eyes were on them, Sophie stood where she was and covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “All right. You should get going.”
“Okay,” Tristan agreed and left in his car reluctantly.
It just so happened that Sandra and Simon had just arrived at school after Tristan left, and the two ran over to Sophie.
“Sophie! I suppose you're all prepared for today's assessment,” they said. Since it was a highly-anticipated day for all the students at the University of Medicine, they figured Sophie would be stressed out.
“Actually, I didn't do much to prepare for it,” Sophie answered.
Her words reminded Sandra that, indeed, there was no need for someone like Sophie to prepare for an evaluation of that level. True that! It's Sophie Tanner we're talking about. This kind of exam is not enough to stress her out.
“By the way, what's wrong with your lips? You've been covering your mouth all this while,” Simon commented when he realized something was amiss.
“Oh. It's nothing.”
Sophie's cheeks turned red in a flush of heat, and she scolded Tristan in her heart. It's all his fault! I wouldn't end up in this situation if it weren't for him!
“Are you sure? Are you not feeling well?” Simon asked again, worried.
“Simon, as I said, I'm okay. Anyway, I need to go over to the chancellor's office.”
Previously, Dominic had asked to speak to Sophie about the evaluation.
“All right. All the best, Sophie. You can do this,” her friends said. Although they were no longer classmates with Sophie after she skipped a grade, they still remained good friends who supported her regardless of her goals.
After Sophie left to meet the chancellor, Simon and Sandra went back to their classroom, where everyone was talking about Sophie. The duo was unfazed since Sophie was a popular girl at the university, not to mention the fact that the evaluation would happen on that very day.
It was not until Simon logged on to the university's forum that he finally understood why Sophie was covering her mouth back then.
When Sandra also learned about the news, she darted a knowing glance at Simon and asked, “Are you okay, Simon?”
She knew that Simon had always liked Sophie despite the fact that Sophie already had a boyfriend.
The question dropped a weight on Simon's heart, but still, he forced a smile and replied, “I'm okay. How can I not be okay, Sandra? It's true that I like her, but I also know that she deserves the best. She's meant to be with someone as outstanding as her.”
I'm obviously not the best option.
“Simon, you're better than you think,” Sandra blurted.
“I know I still have a lot to work on, but it's fine. I'll work harder in the future.”
I might be nothing compared to Tristan, but there's still a long way to go. I'll put my shoulder to the wheel and strive to improve myself.
Sandra nodded at Simon's statement without saying another word, knowing full well there was no dissuading him since even she herself adored Sophie.
Meanwhile, the chancellor spoke to Sophie after the latter arrived at his office. “Sophie, I was thinking about making this evaluation an opportunity for all the students to learn, so we will conduct the assessment at the studio and live stream it for all the university students,” the chancellor proposed, thinking it would benefit other students to learn from Sophie.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Sawyer, but I don't think this is the best way to evaluate me.” Sophie had always kept a low profile.
“Sophie, the live stream won't affect the evaluation in any way. Besides, this can silence those people who doubt your ability. If everyone at the University of Medicine sees what you can do themselves, they will be fully convinced. I know you don't care what they say about you, but just take it as a request from me.”
Since the chancellor had said so, Sophie put her personal preferences aside and agreed to the live stream.
So, when the clock struck nine, Sophie went to the studio, where several professors were already seated, waiting to commence the written test.
Is there a need to have that many invigilators when I'm the only candidate?
Since there was no class that day, everyone at the university tuned in to the live stream via their laptops and phones.
“Why do I feel nervous watching this?”
“Me too! I don't understand why they need so many people to watch one single person taking the evaluation. We all know how difficult those professors can sometimes get,” another student complained.
“Come on. Why are you guys nervous? It's not like you two are the ones taking the assessment.”
From their screens, they saw Sophie taking a seat and picking up a pencil before attempting the questions. The questions were not at all a challenge to her since they were about medical theories, which Sophie already knew thoroughly by heart.
“She looks so calm! I always panic during theoretical tests, but look at her. She's unfazed!”
“Well, for all you know, she might be faking it. She's still in freshman year. There's no way she has mastered all the things we learn in sophomore and junior year.”
The truth was some of the professors had deliberately chosen tough questions for the evaluation since they did not want Sophie to skip a grade. Although those were just theoretical questions, they were so complicated and required a candidate to have a thorough understanding of human anatomy and rare illnesses.
In fact, some of the professors were feeling smug about how difficult the questions were.
“Rest assured that she will not pass. Not even doctorate students can tackle those questions,” one of them stated.
“I think so, too. I don't even know the answers to some of the questions.”
“Actually, aren't we too despicable to be doing this to her?”
“Why? We're all doctors. We know we should always learn things one step at a time instead of taking shortcuts.”
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