Chapter 8
3004 Words
Chapter 1036: Champion!
Amid all the question marks filling the screen, someone finally wrote something different.
“I can’t describe it any other way than this—she’s too damn impressive!”
“She’s amazing! Cheryl Smith took first place in the qualifiers!”
“I suspect that the two of them have the same name. How can anyone not only excel at gaming but also at shooting?”
“Sudden thought here, but… what if Cheryl Smith turns out to be the champion?”
That’s right, Cheryl had taken first place in the qualifiers and successfully made it through to the finals. Once the finals were over, which would be held the next day, she would receive the medal.
Cheryl’s fans started chatting in the forums.
“Don’t go around bragging online just yet, guys! Stay low-key! Low-key, you hear?!”
“Yeah, the girl might have lucked out in the qualifiers, that’s all. If we start bragging and she doesn’t win tomorrow, it’ll be really embarrassing!”
“Cheryl is still young! It’s okay even if she doesn’t win this time! She can always try again after four years!”
“Yeah! You’re right!”
—
As for the Club HS members, after they easily won the match, the host couldn’t help but ask Lionel during an interview, “Do you have any comments about Ms. Cheryl Cheryl Smith’s participation in the Olympic Games?”
Lionel, who was completely unaware that Cheryl had already cleared the qualifiers, smiled and replied, “Well, what matters is that she gained some experience by participating, right? God C is cooped up in the club with us all the time. There’s only so much energy one can have. Since her talent has gone to gaming, it’s a given that she won’t do as well in other areas… That’s perfectly understandable, no?”
He cleared his throat and added, “Besides, Cheryl is still young, so do be patient with her. We’ll eventually compete on a global scale after this, so we can clinch a world championship title for everyone too!”
The host: “??”
Utterly bemused, she looked at Lionel and asked, “Uh… Haven’t you looked at Ms. Smith’s results in the qualifiers?”
Lionel, who was even more lost than her, replied, “Yeah, the match just ended, so I haven’t had a chance to look at my phone yet. I was told to come here for the interview immediately. What’s the matter? Did she rank too low? But that’s perfectly understandable, isn’t it? People shouldn’t be so demanding toward kids!”
“…”
The host kept quiet for a while. Then, she tried to give him a hint and asked, “Seeing that Ms. Smith has ranked first in the qualifiers, how confident do you feel about her taking the champion title tomorrow?”
Lionel: “???”
Lionel felt like he was dreaming even as he walked down from the stage. He pinched himself hard, the pain making him inhale sharply. Only then did he turn to Zac in disbelief. “Hey, Zac. Just what kind of genius have we recruited?!”
The answer to his question came the next day—Cheryl was the champion!!
An uproar went through the whole country!
Cheryl’s fans were incredibly excited.
“Oh my god! I only became a fan because she’s so pretty. What kind of unbelievable person have I become a fan of, though?!”
“Nation-wide top scorer in the college entrance examinations, a godlike player in games, and a champion in shooting? Dear Lord, any one of those titles is enough to brand one successful in life. God C is unbelievable!”
“God C is no human; she’s a god!”
At the same time!
A proud Harvard University official also posted on their f*******: page: “We await the champion.”
The moment they made the post, people swarmed to it.
The staff of MIT also raised a furor.
Over at the student admissions office, the head of the department sorely wished he could turn back time.
Why on earth had they allowed students to take care of their official f*******: page?!
Great, not only was Cheryl the top scorer, but she was also a world champion now. If she had picked their school, their reputation would have been so much greater than Harvard!
To save the situation—as well as to prevent the department head from holding him accountable for the farce—one of the teachers in the admissions office smiled and said, “Tsk, those things can only help us in terms of our reputation. The student that we recruited this year is the one who will bring us actual benefits. Don’t forget, he’s from the Stannards in New York!”
MIT had recruited the heir to a conglomerate this time. He hadn’t even started his studies at the university, yet he had already sponsored a good number of the university’s research projects!
In addition, he had also promised strategic partnerships with MIT that would last numerous years!
Recruiting him had granted MIT tremendous tangible benefits.
When the head of the admissions office heard the teacher, he felt a bit better.
After all, it wasn’t like Harvard University enjoyed similar benefits…
However, his mood had only just improved a little when the expression of a teacher, who was scrolling through f*******:, suddenly changed dramatically. She stammered, “S-sir, someone just revealed Cheryl Smith’s background…”
Chapter 1037: Why Didn’t Cheryl’s Mom Take Her Studies Seriously?
When the head of MIT’s student admissions office heard her, he couldn’t help but turn to her. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like her background can possibly be more amazing than our student’s?”
For her to train in shooting since she was a child, she must come from pretty wealthy family background.
Not many had the chance to try shooting as a sport.
However, the thought had only just formed when the teacher jumped to her feet. Close to tears, she said, “It certainly is more amazing—she’s a Hunt.”
“What?!”
The head of the department exclaimed at once.
—
The almighty netizens had indeed dug up Cheryl’s family background.
However, this wasn’t to the netizens’ credit but that of a certain somebody who couldn’t resist showing off his daughter. This said person had “accidentally” spilled the beans.
Mr. Justin “Slave To His Daughter” Hunt, who had now transformed into Justin “Proud Daddy” Hunt, had outright given all the employees of Hunt Corporation bonus pay equivalent to a month’s salary.
When asked about the reason for the bonus, he merely replied cryptically, “I’m in a good mood.”
“Why are you in such a good mood?”
Someone asked cautiously.
He’d initially thought that the cool and aloof CEO wouldn’t answer him, but unexpectedly, Justin smiled and asked, “Have you heard of Cheryl Smith?”
“Yes! She’s our first gold medalist this year! She—”
The man, who was also watching the Olympic Games, was about to sing Cheryl’s praises when Justin said, “She’s my daughter!”
The subordinate: “!!!”
He immediately launched into a crazy bout of flattery, which made Justin so giddy with glee that he nodded and said, “Exactly. Neither of the two lousy boys at home can compare to my daughter! My little girl is the best.”
The subordinate: “…”
Peter had only joined the company this year, and judging from the CEO’s actions, he was intending to have him take over the company next year!
He was such an outstanding young man. Not only did he achieve a perfect score on the college entrance examinations at the tender age of ten and complete his university education in two years, but he also completed his double Master’s degree in three years. On top of that, he even successfully applied for a doctorate!
In addition, it was said that the AI system designed by Peter was equipped with the ability to think autonomously. This would undoubtedly revolutionize the world of IT engineering!
Was there anyone who wouldn’t be impressed by someone like that?
Though Cheryl had clinched a gold medal and brought glory to the country, Peter’s achievements had allowed the country’s technological advancements to progress beyond what was thought possible!
But if the CEO said so, then…
With that, every Hunt Corporation employee now knew that Cheryl was Justin’s daughter!
Had it just been the core employees in the know, the secret wouldn’t have spread. However, it was obvious that Justin wanted people to know, so everybody automatically began to spread the news about Cheryl to outsiders.
Just to celebrate their little princess’ victory, the Hunt Corporation’s official f*******: page even held a giveaway that rewarded 1,000 lucky winners with $1,500 each.
Given the fanfare they were making, wasn’t it obvious that Cheryl’s family background would be exposed?
An uproar went through the Internet.
There was a f*******: post introducing all the members of Cheryl’s family:
“Here’s an introduction to Cheryl Smith’s family.”
“I’m sure everybody already knows this, but Cheryl herself is a Harvard student.”
“Cheryl’s father is the CEO of Hunt Corporation and the holder of three Master’s degrees.”
“Her elder brother, Peter Hunt, is the valedictorian who achieved a perfect score on the college entrance examinations at the age of ten, five years ago. After graduating from university in just two years, he went on to further his education. It is said that the young man, who is a genius in the IT field, will soon take over Hunt Corporation!
“Alexander Yale, also her elder brother, was admitted to Harvard University at the age of thirteen and has graduated with a degree in medicine. He is also the youngest surgeon ever and his hands are said to be insured for millions of dollars.
“Her paternal grandfather…
“Her paternal grandmother…
“Her maternal grandfather…
“Her maternal grandmother…”
Although Justin’s father was somewhat of a jerk, it was undeniable that he had graduated from an Ivy League university back then. Iris, Ian, and Yvette didn’t need further elaboration, either—their academic qualifications were no secret. It wasn’t difficult to look them up.
This information was all on Wikipedia, and someone had collated and publicly posted it.
When netizens saw the post, they became incredibly excited.
As expected, intelligence ran in the family for star students!
What a family of geniuses!
However, among the envious and idolizing comments, a joking comment appeared:
“Why didn’t Cheryl Smith’s mom attend school properly?”
Compared to the group of big bosses with excellent academic qualifications, there was indeed nothing about Cheryl’s mother. Nobody could even find out which schools she had attended.
After all, Nora had never officially attended school her whole life. Therefore, she didn’t leave any academic records.
The person who posted the comment was actually just joking, and it should have blown over after eliciting some laughter.
Alas, people found the joke especially amusing, so the comment instantly garnered more Likes than the actual f*******: post itself, continuing all the way until it reached over a million Likes!
The hashtag #WhyDidntCherylsMomGoToSchool started to trend.
When Nora suddenly saw the news after she woke up, she was utterly bewildered.
Chapter 1038: A Birthday Party Filled With Big Bosses pt.1
Nora wasn’t going to hold it against the netizens, though.
After all, they were just joking.
She was a lot more easy-going these days. Though the sight of the news had angered Justin so much that he wanted to have the trending topic removed and delete the entire discussion online, Nora stopped him. She said, “The topic is trending at its peak right now. If you delete it, everybody will find it strange. It’s not like they are really ridiculing me anyway, so don’t take it to heart.”
Justin narrowed his eyes, but then suddenly smiled and said, “Fine. Your birthday will be here soon, though. A lot of people are planning to visit to celebrate it. Let’s not turn them down.”
Nora: “…”
Honestly speaking, she couldn’t be bothered to celebrate her birthday. If she had that much time to spare, she’d rather catch up on sleep.
But since Justin had put it that way, if she continued to turn him down, it would make her seem a little unappreciative.
So, she nodded and replied, “Okay.”
—
There were still a few days to Nora’s birthday, so after Cheryl clinched the champion title, she hurriedly returned to the club for more training.
On the day of her return, Lionel and the others decorated the clubhouse in celebration of her victory.
Although they now knew that she was a Hunt, they had indeed gotten along very well during the past month, so they didn’t shun Cheryl.
Lionel, in particular, even wagged his brows and said, “Hey, God C. Why did you hide your true capabilities? You should have just told us that you’re a master marksman!”
A surprised Cheryl replied, “But I’m really not that good at shooting. Dad, Mom, and my brothers all outshine me at it.”
Lionel: “?”
He swallowed hard. “But didn’t you say that shooting was your hobby…?”
“Uh-huh! Shooting is my hobby, just not my favorite one. I also like skiing, jogging, long jump, and swimming. Among those hobbies, I’m the weakest at shooting. That’s why I can’t really be bothered to spend much time training in it!”
The Olympics had age requirements for all the disciplines, but the one for shooting was the lowest, so Cheryl had participated in that. However, as every participant was only allowed to take part in three disciplines1 at the most, Cheryl would only be able to sign up for a maximum of three disciplines in the next iteration of the Olympics four years later. She was still considering what she should sign up for.
Everyone: “??”
All of them were flabbergasted. “What are you the best at, then?”
Cheryl raised the keyboard she was holding and replied, “Gaming, of course. Didn’t I already say so?”
“…”
Lionel’s lip corners spasmed a little.
Suddenly, he said, “What a shame.”
“What’s wrong?”
Puzzled, Cheryl c****d her head to the side.
Lionel gave her a wry smile and replied, “Considering how smart you are, it’s a real shame that you’re not spending your time on scientific research beneficial to humanity, instead!”
Games could indeed make one a champion.
So could the Olympics.
However, neither had as great an impact on humanity as scientific research.
Lionel wasn’t looking down on gaming or the Olympics. He merely thought that if Cheryl had the ability to invent something that could benefit humanity, then wouldn’t that be a better use of her superior intelligence?
However, Cheryl said, “Nah, it’s not a shame!”
Before Lionel could reply, Cheryl explained, “I’m already doing that!”
Had Cheryl only been studying all this time?
Nope!
After she completed her studies, she also delved into scientific research.
For one, she was interested in human genetics. For another, the gene serum hadn’t been thoroughly destroyed and still existed in the world. Cheryl wanted to study and invent a real, proper gene serum that could bring out a human being’s potential yet not harm their genes or reduce their lifespan.
A serum like that would be a lifesaver for a lot of patients.
It could even improve the constitution of someone with poor health or the genes of people with hereditary diseases…
Justin had even gotten in touch with Harvard University and sponsored a huge sum of money to set up a research project exclusive to his daughter.
However, all that would only be set into motion after Cheryl won the gaming competition.
As they said, slow and steady wins the race!
Lionel: “!!!!!”
Everyone else: “!!!!!”
Even Zac, someone seen as a golden boy and one of the standouts in San Francisco, suddenly felt a little small next to Cheryl.
He was an outstanding man, but compared to Cheryl’s mutant-like family members, he was a far ways off.
—
A few days later, it was Nora’s birthday.
A few reporters sneaked over furtively to the entrance of the Hunts’ residence.
“Sigh, I’m surprised that news of Mrs. Hunt’s birthday was leaked. I can’t tell if the Hunt's were just too careless or what…”
“Who cares? Any photographs we take would trend anyway! Even now, the topic about why Mrs. Hunt didn’t study properly is still going viral!”
“Yeah, what kind of sheer dumb luck was it that allowed Mrs. Hunt to marry Mr. Hunt and even give birth to such amazing kids? This must be because Mr. Hunt has superior genes! Although, I’ve heard that mothers contribute a lot to how intelligent a child is!”
“Haha! The Hunt's have totally proven how untrue this statement is.”
“Mrs. Hunt was a Smith. The Smith's are also very clever and shockingly capable, so in terms of genetics, she must also be very intelligent. It’s just a shame because I heard she grew up in the boonies. Her talents must have gone to waste!”
“Yeah! I also heard that she grew up in a small town in California and has never attended school… For someone like her to marry Mr. Hunt, this must be a political marriage between the Hunt's and the Smith's. Mrs. Hunt is so lucky! You can pretty much say that she’s a winner in life without even needing to do anything!”
“Shh, a guest is here. Let’s see who they are…”
- Writer
