Melt Me Inside [English]

Chapter 5: A Girl

“To our champion for the 2019 National ACM ICPC, Pierre Wolfram Villanueva, please come up on stage and receive your award,” the speaker announced.

Pierre smiled and stood up. For two years, he held the same award. Now, the third one is still his.

Three consecutive years is a great indication of his brilliance. Companies have been contacting him since last year, securing the prodigy.

Pierre just consistently gave them a pending answer.

‘I want to graduate first.’

Not until it was his internship where he secured on a decent company. He has even scored the highest grade from them, enabling him to work with them for extra income.

As Pierre stepped on the stage, he took the awards and posed for a picture before going back to his seat.

Winning as champion is a big help to him. Aside from his value in the market, he also received a 10,000 check and a chance to compete in the international ACM.

And Mr. Lopez won't charge him anymore for the installation fee.

After the ceremony, the contestants may go home or use the rooms until morning, but Pierre chose to go back to the new campus.

He just want to brag about it so bad to his dorm mates who wished him bad luck before leaving three days ago.

Pierre looked at the time on his phone. It was still seven in the evening.

Though buses would still be up until 11 o'clock, the dorms aren't. He may get scoldings from the dorm keeper.

He took a picture of the trophy and sent it to the group chat with his friends.

‘Who's losing?’

Few seconds later, Yeshua replied.

‘Good job! We thought you were dead tho.’

Pierre reacted on the message with an angry emoji.

Then, Marco's message appeared, ‘the fuck?????????????’

Jude sent a voice message.

(Pierre the Great, can you give us some money to buy drinks tonight, please?)

He replied with a voice message also.

“In your dreams. I'm saving for an apartment outside.”

The four of them replied with a dislike emoji.

‘What a miracle, Lester sent a message.’ Marco said.

‘Lol, he's leaving the dorm.’ Lester replied.

‘I can move in.’ Yeshua inserted.

‘Shut up, lover boy. Your wife won't let you!’ Jude replied.

Pierre laughed and turned off the phone before packing up.

He went outside the campus for the first time after three days of isolation from the outside world.

It was a tough experience for him, but all hard work were paid off. The championship is his in the end.

Before going to the terminal, Pierre went to Mr. Lopez shop. It was the most dim store in the alley, a block away from the university. 

He went inside, seeing Mr. Lopez rearranging on the boxes of computer components on the right shelf.

“Mr. Lopez.” Pierre called him.

As the former professor glanced, the young man shoved into his front the shiny trophy.

“I won.”