Ready to Rule The Real Heiress Strikes Back (Lydia and Connor) novel Chapter 1239

Lucy shot Lydia a skeptical look. “So how did she finish the test so fast?”

Anders was silent, but the suspicion in his eyes said it all. He obviously thought Lydia had cheated. How else could anyone complete the entire exam in just thirty minutes? But there was no proof, so all they could do was wait for the results. Maybe Lydia was just bluffing, and all her answers would turn out to be wrong.

When the exam ended, some students left with big smiles, while others looked ready to cry. The ones who were happiest were those who had prepared for everything. The students from Country D, in particular, walked around like they owned the place.

“Did you notice the student sitting next to me? He was sweating buckets the whole time.”

“Really? Was the test that hard for them?”

“I think so. It looked brutal.”

A group of Country D students strolled by, chatting in their own language, making no effort to hide their jokes.

“Tomorrow, they are finally going to see what real technology looks like.”

“I heard they’re still practicing suturing on animal livers. We’ve moved on to 3D-printed organs.”

“Fancy equipment still needs skilled hands.” Suddenly, a calm voice spoke up right beside them.

They all turned to see Lydia, who was giving them a look that could freeze fire. “If you’re so amazing, then go win the championship tomorrow.”

They hadn’t expected her to talk back so directly. But when they realized she was just a normal contestant, their sneers returned.

“Come on, ourcountry has taken the championship every year. Why would this year be any different?”

Lydia raised an eyebrow. “You never know.”

One of them scoffed. “You don’t even know how to do robotic surgery. How are you supposed to win?”

“Go home and get some rest, little girl.”

“Eighty percent of your contestants today were sweating through their shirts.”

“Big deal. So you know how to use surgical robots? We do too!” someone shot back from the crowd.

The mood immediately shifted. Lydia glanced over and saw a girl with a ponytail smiling at her. “Hey, I’m Peyton. We were in the same exam room.”

After the test, most of the students from this country looked totally defeated. Lydia was the exception. Peyton seemed fine too, probably because she and her classmates had practiced with surgical robots back at school. No wonder she wasn’t stressed.

At two in the afternoon, the results were posted. Pass, and you could move on to the afternoon round. Fail, and you were out.

Marilyn and Yara stood in front of Mr. Russo and Dr. Tomlinson, staring at their shoes. They had really bombed the theory test, which was supposed to be the easy part. They didn’t even want to think about what would happen in the afternoon or the next day.

The two professors watched, looking just as worried. The foreign schools already looked down on students from this country. If they did badly here, it would be a complete embarrassment. Instead of making their country proud, they’d just make it look worse.

As soon as they spotted Lydia, the professors hurried over. “Lydia, how did your test go?”

Lydia nodded. “It was fine.”

Marilyn and Yara twisted their hands together, even more anxious. Fine? How fine? Was she just bragging?

Her answer, though, seemed to calm the professors. Even if the team didn’t place, a strong individual performance could still help. They were realizing they’d underestimated the competition.

Lydia looked at Marilyn and Yara. “When we get back to the hotel, do you two want to start practicing washing your hair while doing a handstand?”