bChapter 58 /b

Janice almost rolled her eyes at Ruth’s fake concern but held herself back. After all, Ruth was still Shermaine’s mother. She picked bup /bher bspoon/bb, /bready to take a sip of soup, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through her head, making her feel dizzy.

Her hand trembled, and the spoon slipped from her grip, ttering against the bowl. It was just a mild episode, but she worried that the headache might keep her upter that night.

“Grandma, are you okay?” Shermaine furrowed her brow.

“Don’t worry, Sheary. I’m fine,” Janiceforted her.

Ruth’s heart leapt with glee as she realized Janice’s headache was acting up again. “Janice, you don’t look well. Should we call a doctor to check on you?” she asked.

“No need,” Janice replied. This condition had been bothering her for years. She had consulted renowned doctors, but none of them found anything wrong. She had even sought out several famous traditional medicine practitionersb, /bbut none had been able to help.

She was now considering seeing Darius, the renowned traditional medicine doctor Joshua had rmended, known for his exceptional skills.

“Alright then,” Ruth replied. She didn’t mind that her mother–inw was suffering. In bfact/bb, /bshe believed Janice deserved it for never treating Wendelyn fairly.

After dinner, Ruth went to her room to pick out a dress for the parent–teacher meeting next Monday. Even though she knew it would be embarrassingb, /b

she still wanted to look her best.

Janice’s headache was so bad that she didn’t want to go for a walk. After dinner, she went back to her room, hoping some rest would ease the pain. bJust /bas she was about to lie down, Shermaine walked in.

Janice forced a smile and asked, “What’s wrong, Sheary?”

Shermaine had been meaning to feel Janice’s pulse for a while, but the past few days had been hecticb. /bEvery time she had ba /bfree moment, Janice was already resting in bed.

“I’m here to check your pulse,” Shermaine said.

Janice chuckled warmly. “Sheary, you know how to treat someone?” She thought of her granddaughter as a little treasure–full of surprises.

Shermaine didn’t hide the truth. “Yeah, I gave Mr. Owen York a checkup recently. His condition should be better now.” She sat down by the bed and gently ced her fingers on her grandmother’s wrist.

After a moment, she withdrew her hand. “Grandma, if you trust me, I can perform acupuncture for you right now. With a week of treatment, your headaches will be gone. You won’t have to endure sleepless nights from the pain or take any medicine anymore.”

Janice would never doubt Shermaine. She held Shermaine’s hand and said, “Of course I trust you, dear. I’m just curious–who taught you all this?b” /b

Pleased by the trust her grandmother had in her, Shermaine smiled faintly and replied, “Grandma, I know a bit of both traditional medicine and bmodern /bmedicine. I took some electives in modern medicine at Sterling University. And as for traditional medicine, I picked it up by reading blots /bbof /bmedical books. It’s something I enjoy studying.”

Janice was stunned. “S–Sterling University?”

Shermaine exined, “Yes, I left Maple Leaf Ville to study abroad when I was very young.” She attended middle school in the town for only a short time before skipping ahead to high school.

While in high school, she anonymously published a paper in a mathematics journal solving a world–ss number theory problem. That bpaper /bearned bher /bseveral admission offers. So focused on math, she packed her bags and headed to Pouton University, known for its outstanding math program.

b1/3 /b

Chapter b58 /b

b“/bbYou /bbwent /bbby /byourselfb?/bb” /b

b“/bbYes/bb.” /b

Janice’s eyes welled up with tears. She felt a deep sympathy for her granddaughter, imagining how hard it must have been for her to go to an unamstar bce /ball alone.

She then said, “Thank goodness your brother brought you back. But you’ve suffered so much, with a clueless mother and a negligent father. I’m sorryb, /bSheary. You shouldn’t have had to go through all that.”

She sighed, thinking back to how Ruth used to be normal and loving, and how Jameson once cared more about the family.

Shermaine didn’t feel like she had suffered. The people in Maple Vige had treated her well, and now, both her brother and grandmother were good to

her.

After chatting for a while with Janice, she called Danielle, asking her to have someone send over a set of acupuncture needles.

About half an hourterb, /ba young man, probably an intern from Yaleview Hospital, arrived with the needles. “Dr. Shue, here are the needlesb,/b” he said.

“Thank you,” replied Shermaine.

That night, after Shermaine performed acupuncture on Janice, Janice’s headache gradually eased, and she quickly fell asleep. It was the first time she had slept so soundly since being gued by this persistent condition.

The next morning, Ruth came downstairs after getting ready and saw Janice already dressed to the ninesb, /bready bto /bgo out.

‘She looks vibrant and a bit healthier. This doesn’t add up,’ Ruth thought. ‘Normally, she’d still be in bed at this hour. How could she be up already today?‘

By this time, Shermaine was already at school. The parent–teacher meeting was being held in the gymnasium, which could hold over ba /bthousand people. Around nine o’clock, the parents of the senior students began arriving one after another.

In the past, parent–teacher meetings were held in ssrooms. This was the first time that all the senior students and their parents gathered together.

Once all the senior students and their parents had arrived, the principal stepped onto the stage and began his speech.

In the audience, Alice was fidgeting, clearly nervous. She kept sipping waterb, /bbut no matter how much she drank, her throat still felt dry.

The words Shermaine had said in the cafeteria the other day haunted her all night like a nightmare. No matter how much she tried tofort herself, she couldn’t shake the unease–it was unbearable.

Sitting among the parents of ss 9, Ruth felt quite restless. She just wanted the principal to get to the point and stop wasting time. In stark contrast, Janice was chatting andughing with the other parents in ba /bsoft voice.

About half an hourter, the principal finally said, “In theing months, I hope all senior students will put in their best effort and excel in bthe /bSAT, getting into the universities of their choice.

“However, there’s one issue that’s been causing a lot of trouble for the school. It concerns Shermaine Shue, a transfer student from bss /bb9/bb. /b

“She got straight A’s in the recent midterms, and there have been rumors that she might have cheated. The gossip spread bthroughout /bbthe /bsenior bss /band even caught the attention of the district school office.”

Hearing this, the parents in the audience exchanged nces and began whispering among themselves.

Ruth immediately straightened her back. ‘Finally, he’s talking about what I’ve been waiting to hear. So, has bit /bbeen confirmed bthat /bbShermaine /bcheated, and is she going to be expelled publicly?!‘ she thought.

The principal continued, “The student who made the report not only used Shermaine of cheating but also imed that Dean Mason bMoe /bbepted /bbribes to cover for Shermaineb. /b

bChapter /b58

b“/bbThe /bbrumor /bbspread /bquickly and has inevitably tarnished the reputation of our school, Mr. Collins from the district office even came to our school to bconduct /bban /binvestigation. Todayb, /bwe’ve invited him to announce the results of the investigation,”

Everyone was eager to hear the oue. Most of them assumed that Shermaine would undoubtedly be expelled this time, including Leslie

Christopher stepped onto the stage, adjusted the microphone, and said, “Last Friday, Ipleted the investigation into whether Shermaine bhad /bcheated. Now, I’ll announce the resultsb: /bShermaine did not cheat duringst week’s midterms. She earned her scores through her own abilities

There was an uproar in the audience. Those people had no reason to look down on Shermaine. She hadn’t cheated–she’d gotten straight A’s bthrough /b

sheer skill.

Alice’s mind went nk. She shot to her feet and screamed, “No way! There’s no way Shermaine could have gotten straight A’s!”

Meanwhile, Ruth, seated further back, waspletely stunned. Her face twisted with disbelief. She didn’t even notice when her handbag slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. ‘Shermaine didn’t cheat? How could that be possible?!‘ she thought, her face dark with rage.

Then, arge electronic screen was lowered behind the stage. It began ying ba /bvideo of Shermainepleting some tests in the principal’s office.

Everyone watched as Shermaine calmly filled out the paper with ease, writing rapidly, bas /bif she didn’t need to think at all. It was almost unbelievable she finished a math test in just 15 minutes and scored full marks.

Christopher continued, “This is the video I recorded while proctoring that day. The papers bI /bgave were harder than your midterms, but for Shermaine, it was just another normal test, no challenge at all. So, for those who have been spreading rumors about Shermaine cheating and insulting herb, /bit’s time to formally apologize.”

The principal then took the microphone and added, “Alice Joy from ss 3, your malicious report has seriously damaged the reputation of the school, bits /bteachers, and Shermaine. The school has decided to take severe action. Alice, you are expelled.”

Alice’s face was filled with disbelief and terror. ‘I–I’m getting expelled? How did this happen?‘ she thought.

Shermaine’s ssmates led the apuse, and the sound echoed throughout the gymnasium.

‘There’s always a price to pay for doing bad things,‘ Shermaine thought, smiling faintly. She nced at her watch–another public apology was likely about to take ce at Basterel University.

Meanwhile, in Basterel University’s broadcasting studio, Erin spoke into the microphone, “Hello, everyone. I’m Erin Murray from Comparative Literature. bI /bwasn’t thinking clearly when I let greed get the best of me and epted money from my ssmate Wendelyn bto /bspread false rumors about Shermaine on ithe /iuniversity forum.

“I sincerely apologize to Shermaine and ask for her forgiveness. And I’d like to take this opportunity to tell everyone the whole story…” Hearing her words, Wendelyn, who had been taking notes in the ssroom, pressed too hard bon /bher pen and poked a hole in the paper.

Immediately, surprised nces from her ssmates turned toward her. They couldn’t believe that Wendelyn, who seemed bso /bbpretty/b, could actually be such a malicious iperson/i.

.

and bsweet/b,

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