GoodReadShe didn't even need to look to know how they'd see her. How they'd belittle her. Her emotions were all over the place, and predictably, she bombed the rest of the questions.
When the scores were finally announced, Joy had only managed to scrape 73 points, landing her ninth in her group. That score was painfully low.
Joy walked off the stage, utterly dejected, casting a cloud of gloom over the Austenberg team. They were too disappointed and upset to even comfort her. How on earth could Joy, who had performed so flawlessly in the previous round, crash and burn so badly this time? "Joy, are you sick or something? Or just in a bad mood? This performance... it's nothing like the last one," someone asked bluntly.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Maybe this is her true level," Selene smirked.
Joy reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, snapping, "Selene, what nonsense are you spouting!" "Why so defensive?" Flora glanced at her coolly. "Hit a nerve, did I?" "You! All of you!" Joy was fuming, her face flushed with anger.
"Flora, what's there for you to be so smug about? Think you'll definitely score well? You might end up doing worse than me! Better watch out, or you'll be the one everyone's laughing at!" After her outburst, Joy plopped down in her seat, sulking. She knew deep down, Flora would undoubtedly score higher. Regardless of her feelings towards Flora, she had to admit, Flora's talent was almost supernatural. And that just made her even angrier.
The host called up the next group of competitors. One by one, they made their way to the stage. The rest of the competition was relatively uneventful. The Austenberg team performed steadily-not spectacularly, but at least they maintained their usual standard.
Mr. Tanner was somewhat satisfied. He smiled and nodded encouragingly at each contestant as they coff the stage, acknowledging their efforts. Just standing there and competing was an achievement in itself.
After several rounds, the Austenberg team found themselves in third place. The Medical Organization took the lead, followed by the team from M country.
As another group of competitors left the stage the host continued calling names From the Medical Organization, Crystal, from the Austenberg team, Flora, from the R country team, Chen Jiang At the mention of Flora's name, the previously indifferent crowd instantly perked up, craning their necks for a better view. This was going to be the highlight of the competition! The Austenberg team was buzzing with excitement. With Flora stepping up, they might just catch up and reclaim the points they were behind on.
"Flora..." Mr. Tanner began, intending to offer slast-minute encouragement. But when he met Flora's clear, confident eyes, he found himself at a loss for words: Did this powerhouse even need his pep talk? He worried that saying too much might actually throw her off.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Just do your best," he managed to say.
Flora nodded and strode confidently onto the stage. Every eye in the venue was on her.
Once all the competitors were on stage, the host instructed, "Please check your equipment for any issues. If there are none, we'll start the competition immediately." After all the contestants gave the all-clear, he declared, "Very well, then now-let the competition begin!" The crowd erupted with excitement as the competition finally kicked off. Their eyes were glued to the
electronic screens, more specifically, Flora's computer screen. Theyanly had eyes for Flora! The other- competitors were merely no background noise at this point.
They watched as the question selector appeared on Flora's screen. With a casual flick of the mouse, she selected a '9'. The questions popped up immediately.
The crowd leaned in, eyes wide, hearts pounding in sync with Flora's. They were more anxious than the one actually answering the questions. X
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