The Silent Siren and Her Affectionate King

Chapter 22

Vivian shook her head no. She remembered seeing beef-flavored cup noodles earlier, so she took that instead. She boiled some water in the electric water heater just as the microwave beeped, signaling that it was done heating up.

"Tomorrow's orientation day, right?" Eric asked her. Vivian nodded and glanced at him as he continued to speak, "I don't think you know about it, but they'll give everyone challenge quizzes tomorrow like they do every year. It's a chance to get promoted on the spot."

Hearing this, she looked at him. Her face was as deadpan as ever, but she felt surprised on the inside. Vivian wasn't aware of this information. She didn't expect they'd immediately be testing students on the first day of school.

"Students have the option to decline or accept. If a student declines, they'll stay in their current grade. If a student accepts, they'll be tested in five categories: the arts, the sciences, computer science, math, and literature. Of course, if they pass, they'll be able to get promoted to a more suitable grade. However, there'll be a punishment based on the current grades of those who fail, so there's only a few hundred who'll take it up every year," Eric informed her.

Vivian digested what he said as she poured the hot water into the instant noodle cup. She was confident about herself, but she also didn't want to underestimate the school's system.

"I heard that the quizzes will be harder this year, but I have a feeling you'll do well, though," he commented, waiting for her to finish preparing her food. The girl slightly raised her eyebrows as if asking him why he thought so. "I saw a bit of what you were translating earlier. You'd need an understanding of the main topic to be able to translate it smoothly to English," he explained.

It was true. Vivian was translating a foreign paper from Country K about a compound that could potentially enhance paracetamol to reduce the side effects of humans consuming it. Her father let her read books in different languages when she was younger, and with her ability to pick things up quickly, she can understand at least ten other languages today.

At this point, 3 minutes had passed, Vivian's noodles were done cooking, and she drained the water. She mixed in the seasonings and grabbed some bottled water for them before going to the second floor with Eric.

"What took you guys so long? We've decided to watch the latest installment of the Revengers. It isn't publicly out yet, but my mom got her hands on the film from a friend," Albert said as he saw the both of them enter. Eric passed the popcorn on while Albert connected his phone to the large projector in the room without waiting for their answers. Vivian put the bottles on the table and sat on a single-person sofa.

Vivian didn't watch movies that much. It wasn't that she didn't like them; she just preferred reading books or watching shorter videos over them. By the time the movie had ended, it was around 10 in the evening already. Vivian collected her trash so she could throw it outside later. She still wanted to shower, so she was just about to say goodbye when someone called her.

"Oh, Vi, wait! What's your number? And do you use Flipper? Let me follow you there!" Albert said as he held his phone out. Seeing this, Gavin and Eric wanted to exchange information with her, too. Vivian didn't mind, so she did.

"I'll send you to your dorm," Eric told her. Vivian quickly shook her head. His dorm was just there, and the roads had streetlights and were easy to follow. Albert and Gavin, who saw her immediate rejection, held in their laughter. They were so used to seeing people fawning over him that the scene seemed comical.

Vivian threw her trash and said her goodbyes before returning to her dorm. She remembered she needed to pick her laundered clothes up so she did just that, took a shower, and went to sleep.