From Trash to Treasure: The Sinclair Family's Beloved Genius

Zoe Yates set the location at a hotel restaurant. As soon as they entered and sat down, a waiter brought over the menus.

Chloe Sinclair’s eyes lit up when she saw the place, but she still cautioned, "This restaurant is pretty expensive. Maybe we should find another one?"

"It’s just a few dishes. How expensive can it be?"

As Zoe Yates spoke, she glanced at the menu, but when she saw the prices, she shuddered.

Her eyes were glued to the prices on the menu, her face deathly pale.

She never would have imagined that a simple tofu dish could cost three hundred yuan.

She instinctively looked over at Chloe Sinclair, only to find her expression perfectly calm as she flipped through her own menu, seemingly unconcerned about the prices.

Zoe Yates’s face changed, and she felt incredibly embarrassed.

’Chloe Sinclair clearly knew how expensive this restaurant was. Why didn’t she try to stop me? Instead, she just sat there so calmly.’

’It’s because she’s not the one paying, so of course, she doesn’t care at all.’

But when she remembered her own words from moments ago, Zoe Yates felt a massive headache coming on.

Just as she was about to say something, Evelyn Thompson had already ordered seven or eight dishes, none of which were cheap.

Zoe Yates’s face was a mask of anguish as she shot a resentful look at Evelyn Thompson.

"Zoe, you’re so much more generous than *some people*. This meal must cost several thousand, right?"

As she spoke, she casually glanced in a certain direction, her meaning obvious.

Evelyn Thompson’s comment cut Zoe Yates off, leaving her in an awkward position where she couldn’t speak, but couldn’t stay silent either.

She forced a bitter smile. "Evelyn, we’re all classmates. Let’s not ruin the mood."

Evelyn Thompson wasn’t pleased. She huffed lightly but still gave Zoe Yates some face. However, her gaze toward Chloe Sinclair was anything but friendly.

Chloe Sinclair paid her no mind, simply looking down and scrolling through her phone.

When it was time to pay, Zoe Yates agonized for a long time before finally footing the bill.

Evelyn Thompson’s suggestion to go shopping afterward was immediately shot down. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Annoyed by the rejection, Evelyn Thompson sulked. Zoe Yates could only suppress her own anger and explain, "I want to go check out the lab, so I won’t be joining you guys."

Hearing this, Evelyn Thompson’s face immediately filled with envy. "I heard you got a 700 on your college entrance exam. A top student is a top student, I guess. Getting into the lab right after the semester starts is amazing."

Not just anyone could get into the labs at Emberfall University. Usually, only the graduate and doctoral students working under the professors were allowed in.

It was incredibly rare for a freshman to be able to enter a lab.

In response to the admiration in Evelyn Thompson’s eyes, a flash of contempt crossed Zoe Yates’s own. As if she were speaking casually, she said, "Chloe, Sylvia and I were both chosen by a professor. How come I haven’t heard anything about you..."

She paused, her eyes filling with mock apology before she quickly added, "Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t selected."

Chloe Sinclair’s expression remained unchanged as she quietly watched Zoe Yates put on her one-woman show.

After she finished, Chloe Sinclair slowly said, "It’s true, I’m not going to the university’s lab."

Just as she expected, a trace of schadenfreude flickered in Zoe Yates’s eyes, but her words were laced with comfort. "It’s fine. You can still get a guaranteed spot in a graduate program later."

Chloe Sinclair paid her no mind, her lips pressing together slightly.

To an outsider, it would have looked like she was upset.

Seeing that her words had gotten a reaction out of Chloe Sinclair, a glint of triumph flashed in Zoe Yates’s eyes.

Her mood improved considerably.

After parting ways with the others, Chloe Sinclair went to a nearby mall, planning to buy a few new clothes.

Because her hand was still wrapped in gauze, she drew a lot of stares.

Noticing this, Chloe Sinclair quickly picked out a few items and returned to her dorm.

Early the next morning, Chloe Sinclair’s eyes snapped open the moment before the dorm room lights turned on. She changed into her military training uniform and headed to the cafeteria.

"It’s not even seven. What’s she in such a hurry for?"

Evelyn Thompson looked confused, then slowly began to get her things in order.

At seven o’clock, dozens of formations filled the vast training grounds. One of them was composed entirely of men, with the sole exception of a few delicate-looking young women standing in the front row.

"Damn, look at the palest one in the middle. She’s gorgeous. Her eyes look just like my ex-girlfriend’s."

"The one next to her isn’t bad either. I’ve seen her on Weibo. She’s an actress with five million followers now."

"Then what was she thinking, majoring in Physics?"

"She probably just likes Physics. The School of Physics has a pretty high cutoff score. I heard it went up by a whole twenty points this year."

Physics was a popular major. While it wasn’t the most popular one at the university, there was no shortage of people who loved the subject.

The male students who were talking immediately cast looks of admiration toward Nina Sinclair.

"Tch."

Suddenly, someone muttered under their breath, "That girl you were just talking about, the palest one. Do you guys know what she scored on her college entrance exam?"

The others shook their heads slightly.

The person paused, his eyes lighting up with passion. "Chloe Sinclair. Yesterday’s newly-crowned campus belle of Emberfall University, and also the only person to get a perfect score on the entrance exam. So, do you know why the cutoff score for Physics at Emberfall suddenly jumped so much this year?"

The crowd shook their heads again, still clueless, but their expressions made it clear they were dying to know.

"Because most of the people who applied to the School of Physics this year did it for Chloe Sinclair. After all, she’s only the third perfect-score candidate since the college entrance exam system was established. I heard yesterday that the school’s academicians and professors have been fighting over her for months."

"How do you know all that?"

The speaker’s expression soured. "Because I was gunning for her department, too! But the cutoff score shot up by more than twenty points, so I got transferred here."

The gossiping onlookers were utterly shocked. But before they could say anything, the drill instructor singled them out.

---

Chloe Sinclair had no idea she had become the subject of their discussion. At that moment, she was standing in the front row of her formation, listening to the drill instructor’s announcements.

"Why are we still missing two people?"

Just as he finished speaking, Sylvia Holloway slowly walked over, called out, "Reporting!" and prepared to rejoin the ranks.

"Who gave you permission to enter the formation?" The instructor was young, but his demeanor was extremely stern. "Don’t you know that in the military, being late is a serious offense!"

Sylvia Holloway and Zoe Yates were both startled. Zoe instinctively retorted, "But we’re not in the military right now."

At her words, the instructor’s gaze turned icy, and a cold aura radiated from him. "Today is the first day, so I won’t punish the entire group. But you two will now run ten laps around the training grounds. Rejoin the formation when you’re done. If you can’t finish, the whole group runs."

As soon as he said this, all eyes turned to Sylvia Holloway and Zoe Yates.

Stared at by everyone, the two girls flushed bright red. They shot a hateful glare at Chloe Sinclair before reluctantly heading to the running track.

By the time they finished their laps and returned to the formation, both of them were on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, the instructor didn’t make things too difficult on the first day, and the rest of the morning passed without incident.

Chloe Sinclair’s physical fitness had improved greatly after the System’s modifications, so despite standing for half a day, she felt no discomfort.

"Chloe, why didn’t you wake us up to come with you this morning?"

After military training ended at noon, Zoe Yates’s expression was grim, her eyes holding a trace of blame directed at Chloe Sinclair.

’If Chloe Sinclair had just woken us up, we never would have been late!’