Being Pursued By Ex-husband

Chapter 668 You Are My Lucky Star

Class Seven had always struggled with literature, but when they were suddenly proclaimed the best class in the grade, they became a popular topic of conversation during recess. Naturally, not all of them were studious types.

Most were discussing when the girl beside Rowen will be gone.

Celine was thrilled to have ranked first in the literature exam. As her best friend, Harper shared in her glory.

While they were having their meal, Harper was repeatedly lavishing exaggerated praise on Celine.

Already shy by default, Celine turned bright red upon hearing praise like that.

Suddenly, somebody sat down next to them. Turning around, Harper saw Leah, and her expression immediately soured. "Who said you could sit with us, Leah?"

Though Harper no longer had feelings for Rowen, she had other reasons to detest Leah.

Leah is a phony girl. I've suffered too much at her hands.

Alarm bells started ringing in Harper's head at Leah's sudden appearance.

Leah glanced at Harper. "I have something to discuss with Celine."

Harper became even more displeased at those words. "What could you possibly have to say to her?"

Leah gave a light laugh before turning to Celine. "We've read your essay, Celine, and it's very well written. I'm the vice president of the Novel Club, and I'd like to invite you to join us."

Celine did not know Leah well, but she knew Harper. The incident that day remained clear in her memory.

"Thank you, but I have no intention of joining a club."

Leah was taken aback. "Won't you at least consider? Every year, our club selects representatives to participate in the city's competition. There's a substantial cash prize if you win. Additionally, our school's Novel Club collaborates with the Writers Association of Jadeborough. Each year, we'll select ten outstanding stories to be published in a joint anthology with the authors from the association." Celine shook her head. "I'm sorry, Leah. I have no intention of joining the club."

Upon hearing her refusal once again, Leah did not try to persuade her further. "If that's the case, then I won't pester you anymore. My door's always open if you change your mind. Our president, too, thinks highly of you."

"Thank you."

Celine nodded, then turned around and smiled at Harper.

Initially a little downcast, Harper cheered up at once upon seeing her friend's smile. Then, she turned to Leah. "Are you done?"

Leah paused for a moment before responding, "That's all. Enjoy the rest of your meal, girls."

Without another word, she took her tray and returned to her clique.

When they were left alone once again, Harper said, "Are you not going to join the Novel Club? I heard about that competition in the city. The first prize is thirty thousand. However, you can't participate as an individual; you need to be represented by an organization.”

Celine was surprised. "That much?"

"Yeah, but nobody from the Novel Club has ever won first place. The best we've achieved is third. The prize money for third place is much less-only eight thousand."

Celine blinked. "Eight thousand is still a substantial amount."

Harper pondered for a moment. "That's true. After all, my allowance per week is only two hundred. Pathetic, right?"

Though Harper came from a well-off family, her mother only gave her two hundred to spend every week.

Harper enjoyed buying snacks after school, occasionally indulging in a cup of coffee. This habit cost her around sixty to seventy a week, not to mention the extra food she tended to buy when she had physical education classes.

"Are you considering it?" she asked huffily.

Celine thought for a moment, but ultimately shook her head. "No."

Being in her second year of high school, she would be facing the college entrance exams the following year, of which importance and urgency she clearly understood.

Harper breathed a sigh of relief. "You made the right choice by declining. I don't mean to badmouth Leah, but she's not a nice person."

Harper continued, her voice lowering, "Let me tell you something: their Novel Club selected three pieces to participate in the competition last year, and Leah's piece won third place. However, when it was made public later, the subject representative for literature from Class Four claimed that it was her work. She said Leah took her novel, slapped her own name on it, and entered the competition!"

Celine was taken aback. "Wouldn't the competition's stories be published? If Leah did that, won't she be easily found out?"

"Leah's uncle is part of the Writers Association. Besides, she couldn't care less about the prize money. Later, she spoke with the subject representative for literature from Class Four. I don't know what they discussed, but she ended up admitting that she had made up the lie because she was jealous of Leah."

Harper scoffed coldly as she went on, "I refuse to believe it. Such a thing isn't beneath her!"

Celine pressed her lips together. "I won't join their club, Harper. We'll be in our final year next semester, and we have college entrance exams to face next year as it is."

"I knew you'd have your priorities straight, Cece! The college entrance exams are the most important thing, isn't it? Which school are you thinking about applying to?"

"I'm thinking about applying to Jadeborough University," Celine answered somewhat sheepishly.

"Jadeborough University's requirements are too high for me to make the cut-off! Would you be applying to universities in our city? I'll do the same. I'll try my best to get into Jadeborough Teachers College, which is right across from Jadeborough University."

Celine smiled. "We still have a year, Harper. If you work hard, you can pass the exam, too."

The pair were discussing the college entrance exam over their meal, and before they knew it, more than twenty minutes had passed.

After recess, they had math for the first two periods that afternoon.

Celine's math skills were indeed lacking. Fortunately, however, she had one more point than the required passing score, so she managed to avoid being singled out.

On the other hand, the score of one hundred and fifty on Rowen's test paper beside her was particularly eye-catching.

The math test was challenging this time. The basic questions at the beginning were manageable enough, but the last two major problems were so difficult that only a handful of students from the advanced class could solve them; Rowen was the only one in the entire grade who scored full marks in math.

Everybody knew that Rowen was good at math. It was something they have long since gotten used to.

After math class ended, the grades for the other subjects were released.

Celine did well in her Ustranasion paper, scoring a hundred and thirty-eight points. Her performance in physics and chemistry, however, was average, at eighty-two and eighty-nine points, respectively. She fared a little better in biology, scoring ninety-six.

With the overall class rankings released, the class monitor posted the list on the blackboard at the back of the classroom.

Only then did Celine notice that Rowen had scored full marks in all three science subjects and a hundred and twenty-one in Ustranasion, with a total score of six hundred and eighty-eight, ranking him first in the grade. In fact, he was a whole ten points ahead of the student who ranked second.

Class Seven was an average class with no more than five students capable of scoring six hundred points.

Celine's total score was six hundred and forty-two, ranking her second in class and top fifty in the entire grade. She was trailing behind Rowen with a gap of a full forty-six points.

Clearly, the difference was exacerbated by her mediocre performance in math.

Harper scored a total of six hundred and nineteen, ranking her fourth in the class and top ninety in the grade.

This was Harper's best class ranking since high school, thanks to her improved math scores; she was no longer receiving failing grades.

Four students from Grade Eleven Class Seven made it to the top hundred of the grade, including Celine, who suddenly emerged as the highest-scoring student in literature in the grade. The feat left many astounded.

Harper was over the moon. She hugged Celine and gave her a peck on the cheek, "You truly are my lucky star, Cece. I'm going to get an increment in my allowance when I show my mother my results! Oh, I'm delighted!"

Celine touched her cheek, rooted to the spot in utter embarrassment.

Thankfully, the bell for class rang at this moment. It was time for physics.