Chapter 161: You’re Really Good at Flattering Yourself
Beverly Lynch turned to look at the stage, her brow furrowing slightly.
Cecilia Nash smiled. "Worried about Little Jay? Don’t be. She knows what she’s doing."
Beverly Lynch kept her expression cool. "Oh."
Willow Summers glanced at Cecilia Nash’s phone. Unless her eyes were deceiving her, Cecilia had just failed somewhere in the thirties.
Cecilia Nash noticed the confusion in her eyes and admitted frankly, "Even a genius can’t be good at everything. Perfect color sense isn’t a test of intelligence, and I’m really not that great at it."
"You can actually improve with professional training," Sylvan said, pulling out his phone while munching on sunflower seeds. He glanced regretfully at his own record—he had only made it to level 39.
Willow Summers: "..."
’Then why do you two look so calm?!’
"But this is Little Jay we’re talking about," Cecilia Nash added gently. "If she dared to challenge so many people, it means she’s absolutely confident."
’Although, I also think my own guess is a little crazy. How could someone with a super-high IQ also possess superlative perfect color sense?’
But she believed it with absolute certainty.
The four of them stood behind Pauline Shaw, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCHing away on their sunflower seeds. Pauline was filled with a mix of conflicting emotions—humiliation, awkwardness, a feeling of being on pins and needles, and also doubt.
She turned her head to look at the stage.
’It’s impossible. Perfect color sense isn’t a dime a dozen; you can’t just find it anywhere.’
’Jane Lancaster didn’t confirm it for me. Does that mean she wasn’t the one who beat it?’
"Forget it, I won’t look then," she said with another smile.
Jane Lancaster: "If you want to look, then look."
’I was going to wait for you to clarify things yourself, but forget it.’
Luna Morgan instinctively held her breath, staring at the phone screen Jane Lancaster was holding up.
When she saw the words "Level Cleared" flashing on the screen, her eyes widened slightly. There was a faint SNAP in her heart, as if the suspense was finally over and her heart had hit the floor.
"You really were the one who beat it," she couldn’t help but mutter.
Ian Lane: "What do you mean? It wasn’t you who beat it, it was her? You’ve got to be kidding, right?"
Jane Lancaster unmuted the phone and turned up the volume. The congratulatory "Level Cleared" sound effect was playing on a loop, and it was incredibly loud.
"See it clearly now? If you still can’t, I suggest you go home and get your head checked."
Ian Lane: "..."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Quentin Woods was about to explode with rage. The genius with perfect color sense was supposed to be Luna Morgan, wasn’t it?
He rushed forward and snatched Luna Morgan’s phone. When he saw the "Level Failed" screen, he was completely stunned.
Luna Morgan said softly, "I’m sorry, Professor. I didn’t even pass level 79."
Quentin Woods couldn’t accept this result under any circumstances. "What happened? Didn’t you pass level 81 last time? How did you regress?"
His shouting stunned Luna Morgan for a moment. Ever since they had met, Quentin Woods had always been pleasant and kind to her. Even when he had caused a scene at Jane Lancaster’s party, smashing the champagne tower, and people had called him a bad-tempered, irritable, nasty old man, she had dismissed it.
Only now did she equate the rumored Professor Woods with the man standing before her.
Quentin Woods really did seem emotionally unstable and prone to anger.
Ian Lane quickly defended Luna Morgan. "Luna was just distracted a moment ago! That’s why she didn’t pass level 79!"
He cast a suspicious gaze toward Jane Lancaster.
Jane Lancaster: "???"
"Are you suspecting that I interfered with her test?" she couldn’t help but ask earnestly. "Do you really think I’d need to?"
"No!" someone in the crowd shouted back.
The difference was just too huge. One person beat all 100 levels, while the other got stuck at level 79, and in about the same amount of time!
Jane Lancaster had cleared a full 20 levels more than the other girl.
And everyone knew the later levels, which were all about sorting shades of color, were ridiculously difficult. They took up a ton of time and concentration. A 20-level gap was enormous.
Ian Lane’s face paled. Of course he knew what this implied, but he still wasn’t convinced.
Jane Lancaster: "So now you think I cheated again?"
The moment she said this, the crowd burst into laughter.
How could you even cheat at a game like this? The order is randomized every time, the answers aren’t fixed, and there’s no possible way to cheat.
Quentin Woods’s face was ashen. "You have perfect color sense. Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?"
It was as if she had deliberately dug a pit for him to fall into.
Jane Lancaster gave him a strange look. "Why would I tell you?"
Quentin Woods was speechless for a second, but he had always cherished talent. He could tolerate a bit of personality from a genius.
With that thought, he burst out laughing. "I get it! You wanted to secretly show off your skills at the apprenticeship ceremony and stun everyone! You young people certainly have character, especially one as talented as you!"
Jane Lancaster: "So now you want to take me as your disciple again?"
Quentin Woods was all smiles. "Of course! Wasn’t the bet that if you beat everyone, you could become my disciple? You’ve already won!"
Jane Lancaster: "You sure know how to sing your own praises, old man."
Quentin Woods didn’t get angry. He quickly adapted to his new "student’s" personality and joked along, "You little rascal, you’re good at keeping secrets from your teacher. I guess I’ll really have to rely on you to make me look good from now on."
Jane Lancaster: "..."
’Shamelessness truly knows no bounds. I’m impressed.’
"PFFT." Hearing this inner thought, Beverly Lynch couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
For some reason, Luna Morgan felt a little uncomfortable. Although Quentin Woods had been kind and amiable with her, he had never acted like this.
It was almost like he was groveling. He was being far too deferential.
Wasn’t he one of the top ancient painting restoration masters in the industry? No matter how much he cherished talent, there was no need for this, was there?
Jane Lancaster: "Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? Didn’t you just adamantly refuse to accept me? Well, as it happens, I’ve never wanted you as my master either."
"Jay!" Julian Lancaster couldn’t help but interject. "Professor Woods is a titan in his field. You could learn a lot from him."
Alvin Lancaster understood what his older brother meant. He was also thrilled that his sister actually had the gift of perfect color sense, but it was true that she would be better off with guidance from an industry titan.
"Jay, don’t hold a small misunderstanding against him. Professor Woods values your talent; he won’t treat you poorly."
Jane Lancaster: "But I never said I wanted to be Professor Woods’s disciple."
’Aren’t you all just doing the same thing, deciding things on your own? Do you think you can do whatever you want in the name of looking out for me?’
’Has anyone actually listened to a single thing I’ve said from the very beginning?’
Her gaze paused for a moment, landing on Jasper Sterling in the audience.
The young man met her eyes, and his handsome, almond-shaped eyes immediately crinkled into a gentle, dazzling smile.
’Jasper Sterling must have listened. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have pursued the matter at the party that day and caused Quentin Woods such huge embarrassment.’
Alvin Lancaster froze, then was immediately overcome with shame. It was true. From start to finish, he had been busy running interference for his sister—appeasing Quentin Woods, appeasing Mia Lanley.
All the while, he thought his sister didn’t understand his good intentions, but really, he was just being a smart-aleck.
His concern for his sister couldn’t even compare to that of an outsider like Jasper Sterling.