Chapter 267 - 265: Senior Year, Class 1

Her deskmate couldn’t help but laugh. "See? Class President, you really do use all your brainpower on studying."

"Talent is always more important for competitive stuff. Just being smart doesn’t do much." Renee Reid didn’t seem to mind. Just as she said, games were only a pastime for her; she wasn’t obsessed with them.

As the lunch break was ending, a few of the guys who had eaten with Ethan Sterling walked into the classroom together, still excitedly talking about him.

A curious classmate called out, "Where’s the new transfer student?"

"He went to the teacher’s office."

"Is he being placed in our class?"

"We’ll find out in a bit, won’t we?"

The teachers had already graded that test anyway. They could definitely calculate Ethan Sterling’s score over the lunch break.

One of the boys happened to sit in front of Renee Reid. After returning to his seat, he suddenly turned around and looked at her. "Class President, Ethan Sterling was always first in his grade at his old school, too. You’ve got a rival!"

Renee rolled her eyes, speechless. "First place isn’t reserved for me. If you’ve got what it takes, you can be number one, too!"

The boy chuckled. "I definitely don’t."

Just then, the bell for class rang. The classroom quickly fell silent, and all the students’ eyes turned in unison toward the door. The boys, in particular, were hoping to see Ethan Sterling appear with Ms. Sanders.

Soon, the familiar sound of leather high heels clicking on the floor grew closer, and then Ms. Sanders’s figure appeared in the doorway.

And standing behind her was none other than Ethan Sterling!

The next second, someone in the class spontaneously started clapping, and the other students joined in.

Seeing this, a hint of a smile spread across Ms. Sanders’s usually stern face. She turned to Ethan Sterling and said, "The students are all very happy to have you."

Ethan was both touched and happy, and he nodded lightly. ’That little bit of nervousness he felt from being in a new environment vanished.’

He followed Ms. Sanders into the classroom. She stood at the lectern and began, "I’m sure you all know by now, but our new student has earned a place in our class based on his test scores. Let’s give a warm welcome to Ethan Sterling, who has transferred from Veridia!"

Enthusiastic applause erupted again. Ethan bowed slightly to show his thanks before speaking up. "Hello, everyone. I’m Ethan Sterling. I’m very happy to join you all as classmates for the final stretch of high school as we sprint toward the college entrance exams. I look forward to studying with you all!"

"Ethan Sterling, for now, you can sit in the last seat by the window on the left. If you need anything, just let me know," Ms. Sanders said.

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Sanders."

After he spoke, Ethan slung his backpack on and walked toward his seat. On the way, he passed by the boys he had already gotten to know, and they exchanged greetings with a look.

Renee Reid watched him with a trace of curiosity. His appearance was as elegant as his handwriting, and his smile was infectious.

After Ethan got to his seat, he subconsciously glanced toward the front right, and his eyes met Renee’s.

Renee smiled generously and gave him a nod. Ethan nodded back lightly in response.

Then, Ms. Sanders at the lectern suddenly spoke again. "I have one more piece of good news. Although this news concerns one student in particular, I hope the rest of you can be inspired by it."

After speaking, Ms. Sanders’s gaze swept past the first few rows before finally landing on Renee Reid. A visible pride and admiration filled her eyes. "Our class president, Renee Reid, has been granted early admission to Lorcain University! Let’s congratulate her!"

Gasps of surprise erupted from the students, followed once again by a round of enthusiastic applause.

"That’s awesome, Class President!"

"Renee, that’s our girl!"

"Let me get some of that good luck!"

Renee stood up, her face beaming with the joy of her early admission. She then gave a deep bow to her teacher and classmates. "Thank you, everyone."

Ethan also clapped along spontaneously, his gaze on Renee filled with a hint of curious inquiry.

’To get early admission to Lorcain University, she must be an outstanding girl.’

At 8:30 PM, classes for the third-year students at Lorcain Second Middle School ended right on time.

Cecilia Sterling’s car was already waiting across the street. As students poured out of the school gates, she peered through the darkness, carefully searching the crowd for her brother’s figure.

After a moment, Ethan Sterling finally emerged, laughing and talking with a few other boys. Cecilia quickly honked the horn to get his attention, then stuck her hand out the window and waved. "Ethan!"

Seeing his sister, Ethan’s eyes lit up. "Sis!"

He then turned to say goodbye to his classmates. "My sister’s here to pick me up. I’m gonna head out. See you tomorrow!"

Before the boys could react, Ethan had already taken advantage of a break in traffic to dash across the street.

Before getting in the car, he didn’t forget to wave to his classmates across the street one more time.

The boys finally raised their hands in response, but their attention was completely captivated by Ethan’s sister and the car she was driving.

"Damn, Ethan’s sister is gorgeous!"

"She’s driving a Cullinan? Is Ethan a rich kid?"

Cecilia had seen the whole interaction between her brother and his classmates. After he got in the car and settled down, she couldn’t help but ask, "How was your first day? It looks like you’re getting along great with your new classmates!"

Ethan didn’t deny it, just smiled and nodded. "It was great. Everyone’s really easy to get along with, and the study environment is good, too."

"That’s good. I’ve been on pins and needles all day, worried you wouldn’t adjust to the new environment." Cecilia’s tone suddenly shifted as she asked with concern, "You got into Class One, right?"

"Of course! With my grades, it had to be Class One!"

Only then did Cecilia finally relax completely.

"Sis, you really don’t have to come pick me up. The school is so close to home, I can just walk back myself."

Hearing this, Cecilia said as she turned the steering wheel to make a U-turn, "Well, it’s your first day. From now on, you can get to and from school on your own. My classes are about to start soon, too."

The car slowly pulled away, happening to pass right in front of Renee Reid, who was standing at a bus stop on the side of the road.

"Renee, look, it’s Ethan! He’s getting picked up after school!"

her classmate beside her said upon seeing this.

Renee nodded; she had seen it too. "He’s probably from a rich family. There are a lot of wealthy people over in Veridia."

"But he seems pretty easy to get along with. He doesn’t have that sense of superiority you see with some rich kids."

"It depends on the person. Not every rich kid thinks they’re better than everyone else, and some normal people have a mysterious level of self-confidence," Renee said.

Her classmate thought she had a point and couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Then, her eyes lit up and she pulled Renee into a light jog. "The bus is here! Quick!"

Back at home, a lavish dinner was already set on the dining room table. Seeing the huge spread of food, Ethan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, "Sis, did you find a cook from Veridia?"