Chapter 356: The Plan Goes Bankrupt (Part 4)

Chapter 356: Chapter 356: The Plan Goes Bankrupt (Part 4)

The counselor pulled out his phone, poised to call the police. ’Judging by her outfit, she’s clearly not from a wealthy or influential family,’ he thought. ’She’s probably causing all this trouble because she fought tooth and nail to get into Aethelgard University, only to find out she can’t enroll. The shock was too much for her, so now she’s just making a scene! Someone this sheltered will scare easily. Once the police arrive, this whole mess will be over!’

"Counselor, I’ll return your own words to you: don’t be rash. You wouldn’t want to lose something big over something so small. Judging by your age, you’re a master’s graduate at best. It couldn’t have been easy to land a counselor position at a competitive school like Aethelgard University. If you were to lose that job over this incident, it would be a terrible shame, wouldn’t it?" Seraphina Sterling threw the counselor’s warning right back at him. ’Threatening people? She’d done this more times than she could count.’

"Hmph! So young and already so good at making threats! Let me tell you something: in this world, academics alone aren’t enough. You also need morals and integrity! No matter how you threaten me today, I will not process your enrollment papers! Even if I have to quit my job as a counselor, I will not do anything that violates the school’s regulations!"

The counselor put on a preachy air, his expression stern and his words full of righteous indignation. An uninformed bystander might have thought Seraphina Sterling was some kind of gangster and he was a champion of justice.

"So, does that mean if you’re caught violating school regulations, you’ll resign on the spot? Excellent! You have principles! I just love people with principles!" Seraphina Sterling started to applaud, the smile on her face disarmingly sweet. It was like the bright sunshine of early spring, dazzling enough to make one lose their train of thought.

"Dean, you heard that. It looks like you’re going to need a new counselor! But this time, try to find one who’s a bit sharper—someone who won’t embarrass the university and our school over a bit of petty cash! I’m a student of the School of Economics and Management at Aethelgard University now, and I’d hate for our school’s reputation to be... ruined by people like him!"

Seraphina Sterling gave her phone a little wave. ’The internet really is a wonderful thing,’ she mused. ’It solves problems so quickly! It hasn’t even been an hour, and the dean is already here, all without me having to make a single call. The web is a powerful tool. Very powerful. It has potential. I can definitely make use of this.’

"Sutton, that’s enough from you," the dean said sharply. "You two, hurry up and get her enrollment processed! The semester is just starting, there’s a ton to do, and military training begins tomorrow. She hasn’t even been assigned a dorm room yet. How long are you going to let this drag on?" The dean berated the counselor harshly, completely disregarding the other students present.

Hearing that he was supposed to process her enrollment, the counselor forgot all about his scolding and immediately protested, "Dean, we can’t do that! She was late! She missed the registration deadline! According to the school regulations, a student in her situation cannot be admitted!"

The dean shot the counselor a stern glare. "Taylor Sutton, use your head. If she were actually late, do you think I would be telling you to let her enroll? Is your brain filled with paste? Can’t you even figure out something so simple?"

Taylor Sutton’s brow furrowed. ’Of course I know she wasn’t late,’ he thought. ’But I already promised them I wouldn’t let her enroll without a fight. I’ve already taken the deposit! If I just let her register now, how am I supposed to explain that?’ After a moment of internal conflict, Taylor Sutton finally spoke up.

"Dean, I’m not the one who said she was late. It was the students here on the welcoming committee. If we just let her register now, how are we supposed to explain that to the other students? This would be a clear violation of school regulations!"

"That’s right, Dean! The registration period was already over by the time she got here. We can all vouch for that!" an upperclassman, Holly Lowell, chimed in, still firmly backing Counselor Taylor Sutton.