Nina Sinclair's voice wasn't loud, and with few people left in the classroom, not many students understood what was happening.
Still, a few nearby students heard Nina's voice and turned around.
They saw that Nina's expression was grim; she looked a little angry.
The students nearby were surprised. After all, Nina Sinclair was usually so good-tempered. She was always top of her grade and even had hundreds of thousands of fans on a short-video platform. And while their school didn't officially crown a campus king or queen, everyone considered Nina the undisputed belle.
Besides, Nina usually took such good care of Chloe. So, even though their classmates looked down on Chloe, they would still show Nina some respect.
But now, Chloe was being ungrateful and trying to bully their goddess!
This was intolerable!
One of the girls immediately spoke up. "Chloe Sinclair, why are you bullying Nina again!"
Chloe couldn't even be bothered to lift her eyelids. She didn't say a word, her gaze fixed directly on Nina, before she finally spoke, her voice faint. "Move. You're blocking my light."
Seeing that Chloe hadn't risen to the bait and started a huge fight, Nina was momentarily at a loss.
'How is this possible?'
'Shouldn't Chloe be fighting with me or the other students right now?'
But Chloe's gaze was like a sharp sword, and Nina didn't dare to meet it. Before any other students could come to her defense, she scurried back to her seat, her eyes turning red.
Now, even more students saw the scene unfold, and their dissatisfaction with Chloe grew.
After school, just as Chloe was about to leave, she was stopped by her homeroom teacher.
Her homeroom teacher was Laura Rhodes, who was also the head of the twelfth grade. She was not yet thirty-five, but her sharp features and gaunt cheeks gave her a harsh, severe look.
Chloe didn't have a good impression of her.
In her past life, Laura Rhodes had targeted her relentlessly because of her poor grades, even calling her parents in for meetings several times.
What the teacher didn't know, however, was that Mr. Sinclair felt for his daughter and all the hard work she put into her studies, so he didn't care one bit even if she ranked dead last.
After calling her parents in several times to no avail, Laura Rhodes gave up on that approach and instead conspired with the other subject teachers to target Chloe together.
When she walked into the office, only she and her homeroom teacher were there.
The homeroom teacher got straight to the point. "Do you know that you ranked dead last in the entire grade on this exam?"
Chloe kept her head down and said nothing.
'The teacher scoffed inwardly.'
She despised nothing more than these meek, underachieving students. Not only did they drag down the class average, but they also prevented her from receiving commendations and awards.
SLAM!
The teacher suddenly slammed her palm on the desk, making the teacup on it tremble.
Chloe's eyes darkened, but she remained silent.
"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?!"
This time, Chloe answered truthfully. "I didn't go look."
She really hadn't gone to check the rankings today.
In her past life, her grades had never been great, especially when she first transferred to this school.
It was only because her second brother had put his work aside specifically to tutor her that she had managed to get into a top university.
But even then, she ended up getting expelled.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Rhodes."
Chloe apologized, just as she always had before, but the teacher just scoffed. "Have your parents come in tomorrow."
'She'd heard from Nina that Chloe was adopted by the Sinclair family, so she figured they probably didn't care about her much.'
Chloe wasn't surprised by the demand to call her parents. She just nodded, her tone calm. "Is there anything else, Ms. Rhodes?"
The teacher shot her an annoyed look. "We have administrators coming for an inspection today. Clean the office and take out the trash before you go."
The office itself wasn't dirty, but the trash can was overflowing.
Chloe paused on the steps to rest, holding the trash can. She took the opportunity to text Ethan, who was waiting for her at the school gate.
Just then, she saw a large group of people approaching in the distance.
They were an imposing entourage.
One man in particular stood out. His dark eyes were as deep as a winter lake, and at over six feet tall, he towered over the rest, a commanding presence.
"President Shaw, regarding this matter…"
The principal was speaking cautiously beside him when he suddenly noticed Jasper Shaw had stopped walking. Jasper's gaze was fixed on something to the side, and the principal couldn't help but follow it.
He saw a sweet-looking student standing on the stairs, watching them.
Her big, dewy eyes were enough to melt anyone's heart.
And yet... she seemed to be looking right at the man beside him.
In less than three seconds, the man—who hadn't said a single word since stepping through the school gates—suddenly strode forward, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Chloe stared, stunned for a moment, before crying out in surprise, "Jasper Shaw!"
Jasper Shaw raised an eyebrow. "It is."
"It's so good to see you're all right."
Her bright eyes then darted to Jasper's abdomen, a flicker of worry visible within them.
Jasper hadn't expected the Sinclairs' little girl to actually be worried about him. A sudden warmth spread through his usually icy heart, and his mood brightened considerably.
Then, his gaze fell on the trash can beside Chloe, and he frowned. "All by yourself?"
The can was one of those large barrels normally used for collecting water, its diameter wider than a large man. It was now stuffed full of trash. Seeing the beads of sweat on the young woman's forehead, it was clear the bin was incredibly heavy.
The principal, standing to the side, couldn't hear what they were saying. But he saw their benefactor's brow suddenly furrow, his mood clearly souring. He assumed one of his students had somehow displeased Jasper Shaw.
"It's so late! Why haven't you gone to eat? Why are you handling such a heavy trash can all by yourself? Where are the other students on duty?"
Chloe was still feeling happy about seeing Jasper and hadn't quite processed the situation. When the principal questioned her, she didn't bother covering for her teacher and simply told him the truth.
The principal's expression soured after he heard her explanation.
He glanced at the crowd of faculty behind him but didn't see Laura Rhodes among them.
Jasper, however, looked displeased after hearing the story. "Do all the teachers at Kennet First High School make their students do their chores?"
Cold sweat beaded on the principal's forehead.
It was common for teachers to have students from their class help clean their offices. Ordinarily, it wasn't a big deal.
But this time, of all the bad luck, Jasper Shaw had to be the one to witness it.
Especially when the student in question was so sweet-looking and appeared so frail.
It made the principal wonder if the teacher was deliberately singling this student out for punishment.
The principal quickly shot a meaningful look at the school administrators behind him. One of them immediately stepped forward to take the trash can.
However, the can was incredibly heavy. He managed to lift it, but only with great effort.
Jasper's eyes darkened, and his expression grew even stormier.
'The principal cursed inwardly, wishing he could just take out the damn trash himself.'
Seeing someone else taking out the trash for her, Chloe looked at Jasper with gratitude. "My older brother is waiting for me, so I should get going."
Jasper felt a pang of disappointment but nodded nonetheless.
Only after the young woman's figure had disappeared from sight did Jasper withdraw his gaze.
His eyes then met the principal's hesitant, expectant gaze.
"I will personally donate ten million to the school, as well as a full set of new teaching equipment."
"However…"