chapter1239

Lucy shot Lydia a skeptical look. "So how did she finish the test so fast?"

Anders was silent, but the suspicion in his eyes said it all. He obviously thought Lydia had cheated. How else could anyone complete the entire exam in just thirty minutes? But there was no proof, so all they could do was wait for the results. Maybe Lydia was just bluffing, and all her answers would turn out to be wrong.

When the exam ended, some students left with big smiles, while others looked ready to cry. The ones who were happiest were those who had prepared for everything. The students from Country D, in particular, walked around like they owned the place.

"Did you notice the student sitting next to me? He was sweating buckets the whole time."

"Really? Was the test that hard for them?"

"I think so. It looked brutal."

A group of Country D students strolled by, chatting in their own language, making no effort to hide their jokes.

"Tomorrow, they are finally going to see what real technology looks like."

"I heard they're still practicing suturing on animal livers. We've moved on to 3D- printed organs."

"Fancy equipment still needs skilled hands. Suddenly, a calm voice spoke up right beside them.

They all turned to see Lydia, who was giving them a look that could freeze fire. If you're so amazing, then go win the championship tomorrow."

They hadn't expected her to talk back so directly. But when they realized she was just a normal contestant, their sneers returned.

"Come on, ourcountry has taken the championship every year. Why would this year be any different?"

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "You never know."

One of them scoffed. "You don't even know how to do robotic surgery. How are you supposed to win?"

"Go home and get some rest, little girl.

"Eighty percent of your contestants today were sweating through their shirts."

"Big deal. So you know how to use surgical robots? We do too!" someone shot back from the crowd.

The mood immediately shifted. Lydia glanced over and saw a girl with a ponytail smiling at her. "Hey, I'm Peyton. We were in the same exam room."

Peyton had noticed Lydia during the test. Lydia was cool as ice and had put down her pen long before anyone else. Peyton had also heard that Lydia was the president's Star student at Capital Med School, so she'd wanted to introduce herself After all, you could always learn something from someone that talented.

Lydia nodded at her. "Lydia." It was as simple as that.

The Country D students, annoyed by Peyton's interruption, demanded that she apologize. Peyton just crossed her arms. Apologize? For what? If anyone should be apologizing, it's you guys. You're the ones talking trash about us."

Peyton wasn't the type to back down.

The Country D students turned an ugly shade of green. "What, you can talk big but can't own up to it?" Peyton didn't care if they made a scene.

Rude. Wild. Totally disrespectful. Just wait and see." The students grumbled as they hurried off. It wasn't fear. They just didn't want to stoop to her level.

Peyton scoffed as they left. "They are so annoying. They always think they're better than everyone."

Lydia grinned. "If you really want to teach them a lesson, do it on the competition floor. Beat them at their own game."

Peyton laughed. "Exactly. That's the spirit. But honestly, I don't think our team prepared enough this time." She ran a hand through her hair. "We'll just do our best."

At this point, there wasn't much left to say. It was like every exam-when you get the paper, you always regret not reviewing that one topic a little more.

After the test, most of the students from this country looked totally defeated. Lydia was the exception. Peyton seemed fine too, probably because she and her classmates had practiced with surgical robots back at school. No wonder she wasn't stressed.

At two in the afternoon, the results were posted. Pass, and you could move on to the afternoon round. Fail, and you were out.

Marilyn and Yara stood in front of

Mr. Russo and Dr. Tomlinson,

staring at their shoes. They had really bombed the theory test which was supposed to be the easy part. They didn't even want to think about what would happen in the afternoon or the next day.

The two professors watched, looking just as worried. The foreign schools already looked down on students from this country. If they did badly here, it would be a complete embarrassment. Instead of making their country proud, they'd just make it look worse.

As soon as they spotted Lydia, the professors hurried over. "Lydia, how did your test

go?"

Lydia nodded. "It was fine."

Marilyn and Yara twisted their hands together, even more anxious. Fine? How fine? Was she just bragging?

Her answer, though, seemed to calm the professors. Even if the team didn't place, a strong individual performance could still help. They were realizing they'd underestimated the competition.

Lydia looked at Marilyn and Yara. "When we get back to the hotel, do you two want to start practicing washing your hair while doing a handstand?"