She had once torn up that junior's predicted exam paper.
And now she realized—it was her. It had always been Celia.
Yara Lu had never disliked anyone this much before. In fact, she hated Celia with every fiber of her being. Celia was her nemesis.
······
"Professor Fu, Celia, I'll leave you two to talk," Su Mo said, excusing himself and leaving the office.
Nathaniel Fu stepped closer, his sharp, narrow eyes studying Celia's delicate, porcelain-like face. His lips curved into a smile. "So, you've been lying to me?"
Celia's lips lifted faintly. "Even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me. You've always thought I was just a pretty vase."
She was beautiful—breathtakingly so. She could easily rely on her looks alone, yet she also possessed extraordinary talent.
Nathaniel's expression softened. "That day in the multimedia classroom—wasn't it you who said you couldn't solve the equation on the board?"
"Actually," Celia lowered her gaze, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, "I figured it out right away."
"Oh?" Nathaniel arched a brow. "So my lecture bored you enough to fall asleep?"
"…How could I dare, Senior Fu?"
The way she uttered Senior Fu—soft, melodic, impossibly sweet—struck something deep within him.
Nathaniel let out a low chuckle. By the age of ten, she had already survived the countryside and sent her violent stepfather to prison. By thirteen, she had entered Tsinghua University. What a remarkable woman.
He found himself staring at her flawless profile, unable to look away.
Not long ago, at the Night Club, someone had asked him whether he had ever imagined that a girl might suddenly appear—one who could truly match him.
He hadn't.
"Anything else you're hiding from me?"
Yes. For instance, that she was King, the mysterious perfumer—and his true bride.
But Nathaniel already had Yara. That day, outside Yecheng Gate, he had chosen without hesitation.
Celia calmly shook her head. "No more."
"Really?" His eyes narrowed. Why did he find it so hard to believe her?
At that moment, Elder Jiang approached. "Nathaniel, Celia, the two of you will lead the team to Country Z early tomorrow morning. Get some rest tonight—I expect good news from you both."
"Of course, Elder Jiang," Nathaniel replied. Celia nodded firmly. "We'll do our best."
······
News of Celia's prodigy status at Tsinghua spread like wildfire.
That evening, Yara logged into the university forum and froze—Celia had already climbed to the top of the Most Beautiful Schoolgirl rankings, seizing the number-one spot.
No matter how Yara refreshed the page, Celia's votes surged far beyond hers.
Comments filled the thread:
"So Celia is the prodigy everyone's talking about!""Turns out her admission into Class 28 wasn't luck—it was sheer brilliance.""Didn't you just call her a thief yesterday? Looks like the notes belonged to her all along. How embarrassing.""Yesterday you drove her away, today you're begging her to come back—what a turnaround.""Not only talented, but stunning too. She really deserves the title of the capital's most beautiful schoolgirl."
Yara slammed her phone onto the table, fury rising in her chest. She knew she had lost the battle for campus beauty.
Celia, the new arrival in the capital, had become a legend overnight.
After school, a line of luxury sports cars parked outside the university gates—each there for a glimpse of Celia.
The young men of Beijing all knew by now: the adopted daughter of the Shen family wasn't just beautiful—she was a genius.
As Celia walked out, she caught sight of Julian Fu waiting for her.
He had come to see her.