Chapter 522


    Perrin hadn''t seen Carter for a long time. John was also Carter''srade-in-arms before he retired


    from the military. The three of them chatted about old times,pletely unaware of the time flying by.


    Maximilian had specifically tagged along with his father there that night to meet his idol, Sophia.


    Initially, he wanted to discuss how he could achieve such high scores as Sophia on every examination.


    However, after asking a few questions, he realized that having an extraordinary intelligence quotient


    was an innate privilege.


    Not to mention, Sophia had a high IQ and was also a hardworking student. It came as no surprise that


    her grades were always outstanding.


    Maximilian''s results were not bad, and getting into a top-tier university wasn''t a problem for him. Still,


    he had ambitions, and his current grades were still a littlecking to enter his desired school.


    Now that he realized the fundamental reason for Sophia''s excellent grades, Maximilian felt somewhat


    disheartened.


    Sensing his silence, Sophia knew she might have inadvertently dampened his hopes.


    She took a sip of coffee before turning to smile at the young man. “What''s the matter? Are you feeling


    discouraged?”


    Maximilian had always been an exemry student since childhood. In addition, because of Carter''s


    profession and Maximilian being a boy, thetter developed a prideful character.


    His questions and Sophia''s answers had indeed caused him to lose heart.


    Maximilian wasn''t adept at lying, but he was also too embarrassed to admit that he had been


    demoralized by the few questions.


    As a result, he blushed and remained silent.


    Sophia arched her brow and said, “Are there any students whoe from particrly wealthy families


    in your ss?”


    At his age, Maximilian had yet to understand the connection between family background and studying.


    Hearing Sophia''s words, he merely assumed she was changing the topic of discussion and nodded.


    “Yes. Our ss prefect and ss representative both came from rich families. The ss prefect''s


    parents own apany, so they are loaded, while the ss representative''s father is the chairman of a


    listedpany, and his mother is thedy boss of an art exam training center.”


    “Do you envy their wealth? Do you feel inferior because of that?”


    Maximilian was baffled after hearing that. “Why should I envy their wealth? Those are things their


    parents gave them. Their parents worked hard for them before they were born. Besides, there are also


    students from low-ie families in my ss. Although my family is not exceptionally rich, we don''t


    lack money. I am still blessed with having pocket money to spend, so why should I feel inferior?


    Moreover, if I perform well in the university entrance exam, get into a top university, and work harder to


    further my studies, I may earn a decent amount of money after graduating.”


    Students are naive, after all. Sophia smiled. “So, why do you feel discouraged because my IQ is high


    and I achieve such good grades? My intelligence is innate, just like others'' family backgrounds. These


    are things beyond our control. Even though someone''s IQ cannot be altered, a person''s family


    background can. Simrly, academic performances can be changed too. I believe you don''t need me to


    tell you the story about how the clumsy birds have to start flying early, right, Max? My talent just makes


    it a little easier for me to do well in my studiespared to others, but if you work harder, it doesn''t


    mean you can''t catch up with me one day.”


    Listening to their conversation from one side, Kylie couldn''t stop herself from chuckling. “Max, Sophia


    rarely puts so much effort into consoling someone. If you still feel disheartened, she will probably be


    depressed.”


    Sophia nced at Kylie without refuting thetter. “If the future pir of our nation decided to give up on


    pursuing his dreams because of me, that''ll be an unforgivable sin on my part,” she chimed in.


    Maximilian fathomed Sophia''s intent, blushing slightly in embarrassment. “Thank you, Sophia.”


    “You''re wee.” Sophia grinned and picked up her handbag. “Excuse me. I''m going to the restroom.”


    Kylie nodded in response. Sophia nced at Perrin, who was happily chatting with Carter and the


    others. She didn''t interrupt them and got up to leave the room.


    Carter booked the hotel, which had just recently opened for business. That was Sophia''s first time


    visiting that ce, so when she stepped out of the private room and reached the junction at the end of


    the corridor, which splits into several paths, she couldn''t figure out where the restroom was.


    Fortunately, she ran into a waiter who showed her the direction to the restroom.


    The restroom wasn''t crowded, so it didn''t take Sophia long to finish using the toilet.


    The time was past eight at night. Many of the guests in the other private rooms had finished their


    dinners and were dispersing. Sophia noticed a group of people moving in her direction, so she


    instinctively stepped aside to let them pass.


    This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Heath Barker didn''t see Sophia at first. However, Shiloh Chambers, standing beside him, suddenly


    nudged him and said exaggeratedly, “Heath, look at that. Hurry up and take a look. Where did that


    beautye from? She''s gorgeous!”


    Heath was absorbed in a popr game on Twitter and on the verge of advancing to the next level.


    Shiloh''s disturbance had caused him to lose his in-game progress. He clicked his tongue in annoyance


    and shifted his gaze upward to see Sophia, dressed in a pink floral dress, standing quietly at one side.


    The square cor of the dress revealed her delicate neck. As he looked up, Sophia''s exquisite


    countenance entered his vision. She was slightly lowering her head, and from his point of view, her


    glossy, rosy lips resembled freshly cleansed cherries.


    Heath narrowed his eyes and put away his phone. “What beauty? She''s your sister-inw.”


    Shiloh was taken aback. Before he could react, Heath was already striding toward Sophia.


    At that moment, Sophia was gazing down and replying to Katherine''s message. Right after she finished


    typing, she heard a man''s voice sound beside her. “Are you waiting for me?”


    She subconsciously took two steps back and looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Do we know each other?”


    Heath Barker. Sophia recognized that man before her, but she wasn''t inclined to be acquainted


    with him.


    “Don''t you remember? We met a few days ago.”


    Hearing that, Sophia smiled faintly. “Is that so? I don''t seem to recall.” She paused briefly before adding


    nonchntly, “I don''t usually remember unimportant people.”


    With that, she reced her phone in her bag and walked past Heath to return to the private room.


    That was the first time in Heath''s life that he had been referred to as an unimportant person. Amused


    and intrigued, he reached out to grab Sophia, who was leaving. “Hold on. Since we''re fated to meet,


    why don''t you leave me your contact details?”


    She shook off his hand. “I don''t think that''s the case. Your friend is waiting for you, mister. I''ll be taking


    my leave now.”


    He would be insolent if he insisted she stay for a third time.


    Hence, Heath pursed his lips and didn''t attempt to stop her anymore. Instead, he merely watched her


    retreating figure pensively. Interesting. It''s been a long while since Iid my finger on a woman as


    beautiful and fascinating as her.