Chapter 2296


    Leighton was taken aback, his ears turning red as he met Nicole''s teasing gaze.


    "You''re the one who''s dumb! I know it’s pronounced petty!1"


    Nicole blinked and helpfully pointed out, "But you just said ''pi'' not ''pe''.”


    Leighton stiffened. "No, I didn''t."


    "Yes, you did."


    "I didn''t!"


    "You did! Estelle heard it too." Nicole nodded toward Estelle. "Right, Estelle?"


    Not wanting to get involved in their childish argument, Estelle cleared his throat and said, "I didn''t catch


    what you were saying."


    Nicole clicked her tongue. "No wonder so many young idols are clueless these days. It''s because


    managers like you spoil them."


    Leighton suddenly wanted to kick her out of the car!


    Estelle chuckled. "Leighton just isn''t great at thenguage. He''s fine in other subjects."


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    This wasn''t just to cover for Leighton. The Hall family had good genes for academics. Leighton''s


    grandmother had been an educator before she retired, and his siblings excelled in school. Leighton’s


    younger brother even won a world championship at the age of ten.


    Leighton might not have been as brilliant as his cousins or his younger brother, but his grades were


    respectable. He secretly applied to a regr program at a film academy, intending to switch majors


    once there.


    However, his father found out and made him switch to Salcator Medical University. Despite the high


    admission requirements, Leighton got in.


    With hisnguage scores just barely passing, he still ranked in the top ten of his program, indicating his


    strength in other subjects. After being scouted in his third year, he signed with an entertainment


    company. Due to missing too many sses in his fourth and fifth years, he couldn''t graduate, but the


    university allowed him to keep his student status and take a leave of absence. He could stillplete


    his degree within two years if he returned.


    In the entertainment industry, image was everything. From foodie personas to straightced types,


    having a persona was crucial, whether it was genuine or not, as long as the fans bought it. Estelle,


    upon learning about Leighton''s academic history, initially considered marketing him as a top student.


    However, Leighton refused, feeling that not graduating was too embarrassing.


    Estelle, having seen many shameless individuals in his career, thought that boasting about Leighton''s


    high scores was hardly shamefulpared to others who unted average grades. But after hearing


    Leighton mispronounce words, Estelle was relieved that Leighton had insisted against it. otherwise,


    they might have faced a major bacsh.


    Leighton didn''t seek the spotlight. Aside from being stubborn and showy, he didn''t pretend to know


    things he didn’t. This helped him maintain a solid reputation in an industry where scandals often


    erupted.


    However, publicly "dating" was another matter. In the idol industry, dating was taboo. Leighton''s desire


    to transition away from his idol image was evident in his coboration with Nicole, a move against the


    Nicole, skeptical of Estelle''s defense, smiled and said, "Excelling in other subjects doesn''t really help in


    this industry. Poor reading skills lead to poorprehension, making it hard to understand scripts, let


    alone portray


    roles convincingly. Academic achievements are often mocked by audiences when actors perform


    poorly yet make a lot of money. Last year’s grassroots Best Actor only had a middle school education,


    and no one mocked his education after he won all those awards."