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Novel Catalog
Chapter_277
Though James was typically known for his strictness with students, he was rarely one to lose his temper. However, when he heard the students’ response, his patience finally snapped. With a swift motion, he slapped the test paper onto the desk, his voice suddenly cold and stern. “If none of you are willing to ask anything, then we’ll call it quits for today. Just remember, you might regret this later.”
James knew that although Yvette had no intention of revealing her true identity as Siren at this moment, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. By the time the students learned of it, they would be too late to change their minds or undo their actions.
Jay, sensing the tension, nodded at Yvette and said, “Let’s not bother with this. Instead of wasting time with these questions, wouldn’t it be better to discuss things with me?”
Yvette turned around and, without a second thought, rolled up her sleeves, exposing her slender wrists. She lightly tapped the test paper with her fingertip, her eyes looking up at the room as if nothing had fazed her. The nonchalance in her posture clearly indicated that the test and the atmosphere in the room didn’t affect her at all.
She glanced around the room, her gaze landing on the students. “Since we’re betting, there should be stakes. What do you have to offer?” she asked, her tone calm but commanding.
For a moment, the room went silent. The students were caught off guard, not expecting her to take the situation in such stride. Then, one by one, their minds began to recall the rumors they had heard—Ryan had mentioned that Yvette had once won a staggering 100 million dollars in a single night.
One by one, they spoke up in unison, “We don’t have any money.”
Yvette’s expression remained indifferent. She crossed her legs and looked at Ryan, who had his gaze fixed on the floor. Her voice remained as neutral as ever, “Whatever you have, put it up.” Her words were simple, direct, and carried an unmistakable weight.
Spencer, whose face was twitching with discomfort, stepped forward. He hesitated for a moment, clearly struggling to contain his thoughts before saying, “Ms. Zeller, this feels inappropriate. Isn’t this just gambling?”
Yvette nodded, her face serene as always. “Yes, it is.”
The room buzzed with disbelief. The students turned to look at James, wondering how he could possibly allow open gambling in the lab. Wasn’t this going too far? But, to everyone’s surprise, James didn’t even flinch. Instead, he simply nodded and said, “Let’s go with what Yvette said. If you’ve got money, put it up. If not, I can lend you some. Just sign an IOU.”
Jay’s eyes widened in disbelief. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. ‘Wow! The way this master makes money is so unconventional,’ he thought. ‘Who would’ve thought this could actually work? It seems Mr. Owens has also gone astray.’
Meanwhile, Marcus, standing nearby, didn’t say much but his raised eyebrows showed his own growing intrigue. “I can lend too, at a lower interest rate than Mr. Owens. Feel free to come to me,” he added, making it clear that he wasn’t going to be left out of the financial fun either.
As the students began to discuss among themselves, they couldn’t help but glance at Yvette, who sat there, completely unfazed by the chaos unfolding around her. Ryan, who had been the most vocal earlier, stood quietly to the side now, his head lowered in silence.
After a few minutes of discussion, Spencer, the first to place the bet, stepped forward again, this time with a more serious look on his face. “Ms. Zeller, since Mr. Owens has approved of this, we agree too. We’ve only managed to gather 15,000 dollars. Is that acceptable?” he asked, his voice laced with a hint of uncertainty.
Yvette didn’t even look up immediately. She was still propping her chin on her hand, a slight smirk on her lips as if she were thoroughly amused by the whole situation. After a moment of pause, she nodded slightly at the mention of 15,000 dollars and replied with clarity, “That’s fine. If I lose, I’ll give you 150 thousand dollars—ten times the amount you’ve put up.”
The moment those words left her lips, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The stakes were now much higher, and the students couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. They thought to themselves, “This is too easy. Yvette must just be a rich fool. If we had known this, we would’ve made the test even harder… What a missed opportunity.”
With the bet officially placed, Spencer sighed in relief. He was already feeling a sense of victory, though he wasn’t about to admit it just yet. “You can take as long as you want with the test. We’ve got experiments to run and can’t afford to wait around. Ms. Zeller, you can go to the second room on the left. Just call us when you’re done.”
Yvette looked up briefly, her eyes scanning the room, as if noticing the subtle shift in the crowd’s demeanor. She narrowed her eyes slightly and replied nonchalantly, “No need. Twenty minutes will be enough. I’ll do it here.”
The entire lab fell silent as soon as those words left her mouth. Everyone was stunned. Twenty minutes? Was she serious?
Jay and Marcus, who had already seen Yvette’s genius in action, couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. They knew she was skilled in physics, but the test covered so much more—biology, astronomy, mathematics—and they weren’t sure how she could possibly complete it in such a short time.
James didn’t say anything, but his gaze never left Yvette. He knew she was capable, and he had no doubt that if she said she could finish it in twenty minutes, she would.
Yvette completely ignored the incredulous looks of disbelief from the students. With a casual flick, she pulled a pen from the table, and her foot tapped lightly on the ground. A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she focused on the test paper in front of her.
She began to write.
Her hand moved quickly, fluidly, the pen barely stopping. To the casual observer, it seemed like she was hardly thinking about it, just writing down answers without hesitation. Jay, Marcus, and James, who were closest to her, could see the speed at which she worked, and they were astonished. She barely even glanced at the questions; it was as if she was solving them in her head before even reading them.
The other students exchanged glances, murmuring to each other. “Is she pretending to be this fast?” one of them whispered. “She’s not even looking at the questions. Who does she think she is, a genius with a photographic memory?”
A petite girl, her voice laced with disdain, added, “Exactly. Does she think she can just breeze through this? What does Mr. Owens see in her? We’re all top science students. What makes her so special?”
One of the more perceptive students, a girl with glasses, shot them a look and said in a low voice, “Do you really think Mr. Owens is clueless? If she wasn’t capable, do you think he, Maxwell, or Mr. Decker would treat her this way? Have you thought about that?”
The two who had been whispering fell silent, embarrassed by their own ignorance. They hadn’t considered that perhaps they had underestimated Yvette. But still, they couldn’t quite wrap their minds around it—could she really finish twenty questions in twenty minutes?
At the fifteen-minute mark, Yvette’s pace slowed slightly. Spencer, watching closely, thought she was likely struggling with his optics question, the one that had stumped him for weeks. He had put it in the test hoping to test her limits.
But to Spencer’s surprise, Yvette didn’t falter. She didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate—she simply kept writing. And the answers came fast, like a machine processing data.
By the nineteenth minute, Yvette set down her pen, twirling it in her fingers briefly before placing it neatly in the holder. Without so much as a glance at the others, she looked up, raising an eyebrow with her signature calm expression. “All done.”
The room was deathly quiet. No one moved.
The students couldn’t believe it. How could this be possible?
James stood up and cleared his throat, his eyes scanning the stunned faces around him. “The test is finished. To ensure fairness, I’ll project the answers on the big screen so we can all grade them together.”
“Sounds good, Mr. Owens.” “I agree.” “Great idea.” The murmurs of agreement rose in the room, but no one’s eyes left Yvette, whose calm demeanor only deepened the mystery.
Yvette, still unfazed by the growing tension, pulled out her phone, tapping it with a casual air. A message from Jeremiah popped up on the screen: [I’m at the door, waiting for you. No rush.]
She replied with a simple “Okay,” and stood up, her expression softening just slightly.
Turning to the room, she added, “I’m leaving now. Jeremiah’s here to pick me up. He’s already at the entrance.”
James blinked, caught off guard by her sudden departure. “You don’t want to stay for the result?” he asked, his voice still carrying a hint of surprise.
