She took the report card from her bag and handed it to Landon Sinclair. "Sir, look. For this month's exam, Chloe Sinclair's combined score for all her subjects was only 99. Several of her teachers have already spoken to me about her problems. Furthermore, in the past, Chloe's way of dressing was nothing like a student's..."
"Ma'am."
Landon Sinclair suddenly cut the teacher off mid-complaint.
He stared at her, his eyes unblinking. "You said yourself that was all in the past. My little sister is attending school and following the rules now. Why can't we let her past be the past?"
He paused, then continued, "As for Chloe's grades, you needn't worry. I'll be tutoring her at home. I guarantee that by the mid-term exams, her scores won't look like this."
The teacher opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say.
Landon Sinclair's words had left her completely speechless.
"But the school's teachers are professionals..."
"And I'm more professional than they are."
Although Landon Sinclair was a physicist, he was also an adjunct professor at Aethel University and even supervised a few Ph.D. students.
"If there's nothing else, ma'am, I'll be going."
The teacher opened her mouth, finally managing, "O-Okay."
Landon Sinclair glanced down at the girl who only came up to his chest. "Chloe, it's fine. Go on to class."
Chloe Sinclair nodded. "Okay."
She took a few steps, then suddenly turned and ran back. She looked at him earnestly. "Don't worry. I won't let you down."
Chloe's expression was serious, but Landon Sinclair just chuckled, as if humoring a child. "I know. Now, get to class."
Chloe knew her brother didn't believe her, but she wasn't worried. She just slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked into the classroom.
With Nina Sinclair absent today, it was the most peaceful day Chloe had had in a long time.
Ken Lawson, the one who had started trouble last time, hadn't shown up again, not that Chloe cared.
She opened her backpack, intending to work on this year's math competition problems, but instead her hand touched a few small pastries.
Chloe was speechless.
She reached in again and pulled out three packs of spicy strips.
In no time, her desk was piled high with snacks.
Summer Beckett, who sat in front of her, saw the spread and her eyes went wide.
"Chloe, can I have some?"
Summer Beckett was a bit older than Chloe, but she couldn't help herself when she saw the table full of snacks.
Chloe didn't mind and gave half the snacks to Summer.
'Landon must have put these in my backpack before he left.'
'She'd been wondering about that. She carried this backpack every day, but it had felt much heavier this morning.'
At the thought, Chloe shook her head with a wry smile.
She couldn't help but wonder, 'Why did my family care about me so much in my past life, but I acted like I couldn't even see it?'
Chloe was in a great mood all day.
She had 54088 unlock the Physics module, and she dove into her studies.
In less than a day, her progress bar had already reached 10%.
[DING—]
[Congratulations, Host, on setting a new record. You have received one Grand Gift Package.]
Chloe froze.
'Eight, what's a Grand Gift Package?'
54088 replied, "The Grand Gift Package is a random reward from the System. As you advanced the progress bar to 10% within a single day, the System is awarding you one Grand Gift Package. Do you wish to open it now?"
Chloe understood immediately. 'Open it now.'
[DING—]
[Congratulations, Host! "Extreme Sports" Mode unlocked!]
In an instant, all sorts of theoretical knowledge about extreme sports flooded Chloe's mind.
Her body also seemed to move as if it had been honed through endless practice, already familiar with the techniques for the extreme sports now in her head.
Chloe was both thrilled and amazed. She decided she would go try it out after school.
When the final bell finally rang, Chloe gave all her remaining snacks to Summer Beckett, then grabbed her backpack and dashed out of the classroom.
She ran all the way to the alley where she'd run into Jasper Shaw last time.
The alley wasn't a busy place; you could be in there for a long time without seeing a soul.
Chloe looked up at the wall, which was about three meters high. She took a running start and leaped lightly. Before she could even process it, she was already standing on top of the wall.
Chloe practiced a few more simple moves, not stopping until she was drenched in sweat.
She checked the time and saw it was getting late. Hurriedly, she grabbed her backpack off the ground and ran back toward the school gate.
She didn't notice the silver-gray Maybach parked not far away.
Jasper Shaw watched the girl's nimble movements, a smile gracing his lips. "How very interesting."
Chloe jogged all the way back to the school gate, completely unaware that her every move had been watched.
Now she was sitting in the car, enjoying the air conditioning and munching on a slice of watermelon.
Landon Sinclair helped Chloe take off her backpack, casually hefting it in his hand.
It felt much lighter, and Landon's expression instantly softened.
"Chloe, did you like the snacks?"
'Just as she'd expected. Before she even had a chance to ask, her brother had already admitted it.'
"Landon, don't stuff so many snacks in my backpack. I can't finish them all."
Landon nodded quickly, then a thought occurred to him. "So, did you give the rest of the snacks to a friend?"
Chloe thought of Summer Beckett. After a moment's hesitation, she mumbled, "I guess."
But Landon was thrilled.
Nina had told him before that Chloe had a bad temper at school and that none of the other students liked her.
He had been worried about that, but now that Chloe had a friend, he could finally relax.
"A boy or a girl?"
"A boy."
Landon froze.
She saw his pupils dilate as he gripped the backpack tightly in his hand.
"Brother?"
Chloe didn't understand why Landon's expression had changed so suddenly.
"Ahem." Landon waved his hand. "It's nothing."
But inside, his heart ached.
He noticed Chloe's hair was damp with sweat and quickly changed the subject. "Did you have gym class today?"
"Yeah." 'She couldn't exactly explain that she'd been practicing parkour in an alley.'
Landon's heart immediately ached with pity.
"Here, dry your hair."
As he spoke, a handkerchief magically appeared in his hand.
Chloe didn't hesitate to take it. Her damp hair was plastered to her forehead, and the sticky feeling was making her uncomfortable.
After a few moments in the air conditioning, Chloe felt much better.
Just then, another notification from Eight sounded in her mind.
[DING—]
[Extreme Sports progress bar: 1%. Congratulations, Host, on taking the first step.]
Chloe was slightly surprised.
'This Extreme Sports gift package was different from the other skills.'
'With this gift package, she had absorbed all the knowledge without needing to study it. Her body had adapted just as quickly; even without practice, it was as if she already had muscle memory.'
'Like in the alley earlier—she had effortlessly performed difficult moves like reverse vaults, two-handed vaults, flips, and wall spins.'
'The only thing that couldn't keep up was her stamina.'