The weather was clear today, without the sizzling heat of sumr. As autumn set in, the bright sunlight was accompanied by occasional breezes, easing the lingering heat waves of the previous season.
The Sea View Pavilion, ntioned by Winston Sullivan, was located directly across from Tsinghua University. It was a mid-to-high-end Chinese restaurant with a decor leaning toward traditional Chinese style. Its padauk courtyard doors exuded a classic charm, designed with an air of tiless elegance.
By 11 a.m., people were already waiting outside the Sea View Pavilion.
Three n and four won gathered in a shaded area to avoid the sun, standing on tiptoes every so often to peer down the road, as if waiting for soone.
"Has Professor Sullivan arrived yet?" asked a girl with dimples and a baby face, her appearance cute and endearing.
She was dressed in a simple cotton shirtdress, her outfit ordinary and almost modest. It was evident that she hadn’t fully adapted to her new identity yet, as she was still dressed much like a high school girl. She even held a sun parasol printed with cartoon characters.
Standing next to her was a tall girl with strikingly cool and refined features. Upon hearing the question, she maintained a calm deanor and reassured her, "Professor Sullivan already ntioned in the group chat that he ran into sothing unexpected and will be a bit late. He told us to head inside first and not wait for him. Didn’t you check the group ssages?"
"I did," the baby-faced girl responded sheepishly, rubbing the tip of her nose. "It’s just... I wasn’t waiting for Professor Sullivan. Actually, I..."
She wasn’t waiting for Professor Sullivan. Why would she wait for him...
She was waiting for Nathalie Quinlan.
The top scholar of their graduating class, who had achieved a perfect score on the national college entrance exam, setting an unprecedented historical record for McKinney’s top exam results.
It was likely that no one would ever surpass this score!
Originally from McKinney, this baby-faced girl’s parents didn’t work there. After finishing middle school, she had been taken by her parents from her grandparents’ ho to their workplace.
She attended high school in Hestinn, but her middle school years were spent at McKinney’s No. 1 Middle School.
So, when college entrance exam results ca out in July, she quickly read the news about Nathalie Quinlan on her phone. She recalled how this record-breaking score had even caused quite a stir on Twitter at the ti...
Since then, she’d been curious to et the top scholar from her semi-alma mater and see what she was like.
There were a few photos of Nathalie Quinlan online, but the resolution was terrible, and it was hard to make out her facial features from them.
"You’re waiting for Nathalie Quinlan?" The tall girl beside her instantly saw through her unspoken hesitation, directly exposing her little secret.
She glanced at the sweltering asphalt road outside and frowned. "Ever since Nathalie joined our group chat, she hasn’t said a word in there. She doesn’t seem like the type to arrive ahead of ti. Most likely, she’ll co along with Professor Sullivan and the others. It’s so hot outside—I think we’d better stop waiting and just go inside first."
The baby-faced girl’s expression turned slightly hesitant.
"If she’s coming, we’ll et her no matter what. It’s just a matter of sooner or later. Tiffany, let’s head in first!"
"But..."
"Let’s go grab seats. When Professor Sullivan and the others arrive, they can just head straight to the private room and find us."
This reasoning was flawless.
After hesitating for a mont, the baby-faced girl nodded her agreent.
The group stopped waiting outside and went in ahead.
*
At that mont, a figure stepped out of a car, leisurely heading toward the Sea View Pavilion.
Nathalie Quinlan was dressed casually today. Her cotton shirt was unusually tucked into one half of her jeans, while the other half hung loose in a carefree fashion. She carried nothing but her phone, which was connected to her earphones. The earphone wires dangled lightly around her shirt collar and were snugly tucked into her ears.
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