Chapter 84: Misguided Expectations

Siana Vance walked alongside the Academic Director toward the main finance department building.

In her heart, she was firmly convinced that Julian was currently living a pitiful, impoverished life after severing ties with their parents. He was probably struggling to afford basic daily meals, regretting his impulsive decision in secret, but far too proud to come crawling back on his own.

If she, his eldest sister, showed up in front of his entire class today, offered him a warm lifeline, and invited him back to the Vance family estate, Julian would definitely break down in tears of gratitude.

She would use this opportunity to gently guide him back, protect him from Eleanor’s harsh temper, and ensure he lived a comfortable life from now on.

"Miss Vance," the Academic Director remarked cheerfully as they climbed the stairs, "your family really produces outstanding talent. Your younger brother, Leo Vance, has consistently been one of the absolute top performers in his class. He is almost guaranteed to take one of the highest scholarship spots today!"

Hearing Leo’s name, Siana Vance’s smile faltered slightly.

In the past, she would have proudly agreed and showered Leo with endless praise. But ever since she had personally stepped inside Julian’s cramped, dismal storage room and learned how he had been fed cold leftovers for years while Leo lived like a spoiled prince, a heavy, suffocating knot of guilt had taken root in her chest.

"Leo is indeed very diligent," Siana Vance said quietly, her voice lacking its usual enthusiasm. "But today, I am primarily here for my other brother, Julian."

The Academic Director blinked in mild surprise, but quickly smoothed it over with a polite smile. "Ah, of course! It is wonderful to see such strong family bonds."

Little did the director know, Siana Vance’s hands were tightly clenching her designer handbag. Her heart was beating rapidly with nervous anticipation.

She kept picturing the moment she would walk into his Class . Julian would look up from his desk, startled and disbelieving, and she would walk up to him with the gentlest smile she could muster, letting him know that his sister was finally here to stand by his side.

As they turned the corner toward the third-year finance classrooms, the loud, bustling chatter of students echoed down the hallway.

The stage was completely set—not only for Siana Vance’s tearful family attempt, but also for Victoria Sterling’s grand arrival, and the official unveiling of the exam scores that would shatter everyone’s expectations once and for all.

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Inside the large tiered lecture hall, all two hundred students from the third-year finance major had been temporarily gathered together for the grade-level meeting.

Deputy Director Abraham stood proudly on the elevated podium, beaming broadly as he announced, "Everyone achieved commendable results in this placement exam."

He paused, clearing his throat. "However, this time around, a few students’ exam scores have plummeted quite dramatically. I strongly urge those specific students to reflect deeply on their study habits."

Deputy Director Abraham’s tone was sharp, and his eyes drifted deliberately toward the back rows.

Ethan Mercer instinctively lowered his head, his chest tightening. He had just noticed that the exact moment Deputy Director Abraham uttered those words, the man’s gaze had locked directly onto him. The student whose scores had crashed was undoubtedly referring to him.

Ethan clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

He hadn’t wanted to perform poorly. But he had completely underestimated the difficulty of these advanced academic exams. Ever since his rebirth, he had relied entirely on distant memories of his previous life. In his past life, he hadn’t touched university coursework for years before his death. How on earth could he magically remember complex university economics and financial formulas off the top of his head?!

"Before we announce the official exam rankings," Deputy Director continued with a warm smile, "I have the privilege of sharing some fantastic news with everyone."

"Thanks to the personal generosity of Siana Vance, General Manager of the Vance Group, special academic scholarships have been established for this exam: fifty thousand doller for first place, thirty thousand doller for second place, and ten thousand doller for third place!"

Because many students at Capital University came from wealthy, privileged backgrounds, they didn’t pay much attention to such modest sums of money. Most students remained calm. Only a small handful of students from disadvantaged or ordinary family backgrounds cast deeply envious glances toward Ethan, Leo Vance, and Natasha. In past semesters, those three had always locked down the top three spots.

"Furthermore," Deputy Director Abraham added, his voice rising with excitement, "President Sterling has personally provided an additional grand prize exclusively for the first-place winner!"

BOOM!????

The entire lecture hall instantly erupted into an excited uproar.

President Sterling!

There was a special reward coming directly from President Sterling herself! Everyone knew that any prize issued by the head of the Sterling Group would be unimaginably extraordinary.

Leo Vance felt his heart hammer wildly against his ribs. Although Ethan would most likely take first place as usual, he was confident he would rank high in the top three. His score shouldn’t be far behind Ethan’s. President Sterling would definitely take note of his academic excellence, and perhaps he could use this golden opportunity to catch her attention and secure a future partnership!

"Deputy Director Abraham! What on earth is the grand prize President Sterling provided for first place?!" a male student shouted loudly from the middle rows, unable to contain his curiosity.

The Deputy Director smiled broadly. "President Sterling has authorized a luxury campus villa for the first-place student to reside in, rent-free, until graduation!" The crowd gasped in awe at the unprecedented reward, eager to see who would claim it.

"And on top of that... there is also a cash bonus of ten million doller!"

"This semester, President Sterling specifically funded this grand prize for the top scorer. Let us all congratulate our first-place champion in advance!"

The entire auditorium went dead silent for a second before exploding into absolute chaos.

Ten million doller in cash!

President Sterling was truly absurdly generous, handing out a ten-million-doller bonus just for an academic exam! Even though many of them came from well-off families, ten million doller in liquid cash was still an astronomical fortune for a university student.

Hearing those words, Ethan gritted his teeth bitterly.

If I had taken first place this time, that ten million doller would be mine! With that kind of cash, he could instantly pay off his high-interest loans and fund his future gaming company effortlessly.

No... wait.

Ethan suddenly shook his head, a cold shiver running down his spine. He had already invested eighty million doller into Starway Technology through Leo. He was destined to make hundreds of millions soon anyway; paying off a few hundred thousand in loans would be child’s play.

Besides, Ethan quickly realized he was actually relieved he didn’t take first place. If he had secured the top spot, he would inevitably be summoned by Victoria Sterling—and knowing what he knew from his past life, Victoria was a terrifying yandere who would lock him up and cage him!

Compared to ten million doller, keeping his personal freedom was infinitely more important!

Still... Ethan frowned deeply in confusion. In my previous life, I ranked first in this exact exam... why on earth didn’t Victoria Sterling ever hand out any massive ten-million-doller bonuses back then?!

As if a sudden realization struck him, Ethan clenched his fists tightly. It seemed that fate was stubbornly trying to entangle him with Victoria Sterling all over again, creating bizarre butterfly-effect scenarios that constantly dragged him toward her orbit. Fortunately, he was reborn and knew to actively avoid her at all costs; otherwise, he would have walked straight into the lion’s den.

Around him, students were green with envy.

"They say there are golden houses hidden within books—now I finally understand what that old saying actually means! Ten million doller... that’s literally buying a golden mansion!"

"Jealousy is completely distorting my face right now. Ethan is about to jump from being a regular student straight into becoming a multimillionaire. His life is just too damn blessed!"

Listening to the endless wave of envious whispers, Ethan felt utterly restless and anxious. He knew the golden rule of public life: the higher you are praised, the harder you fall. Once the actual rankings were read aloud, everyone in this hall was going to realize how badly he had bombed...

"As is customary for our major reviews," Deputy Director Abraham announced, holding up the printed result sheets, "today I will only be reading out the names of the top ten students and the bottom ten students."

"Let us begin with the bottom ten students."

"In last place—twenty-seventh from the bottom—we have ,Harry Taylor, with a total score of 270 points."

"Second to last—twenty-sixth from the bottom—Thomas Brown, with 273 points."

Sitting in his seat, Ethan began praying frantically in his heart: Please don’t let my name be called among the bottom ten!