All the students at the School of Physics were talking about whether Chloe Sinclair would be able to make it back for the exam.

"I haven’t seen Chloe Sinclair in ages. I have no idea how she’s doing. I heard there was a leak in the lab, and something happened to both Chloe Sinclair and the other personnel."

"Who’d you hear that from?"

"Do I even need to hear it from anyone? You can find out just by asking around. Besides, no matter how busy Chloe Sinclair was in the past, she always made time to come to class. But look, it’s been over half a month and we haven’t seen hide nor hair of her. If something didn’t happen to her, what did?"

"The university just told Chloe Sinclair to go home and rest. Besides, my uncle works in that lab, and he told me no one was injured or killed. You can get in legal trouble for spreading rumors, you know."

The student who had spoken immediately fell silent.

"Holy shit, Chloe Sinclair’s here!"

Just as everyone was in the middle of a heated debate, someone in the classroom shouted.

Everyone froze, their eyes instinctively turning to the door.

They saw Chloe Sinclair leaning against the doorway, panting as she asked, "I’m... I’m not late, am I?"

The students snapped back to reality. One of them, who was close to the door, shook their head. "There are still fifteen minutes before the exam starts."

Chloe Sinclair let out a long sigh of relief and sat down in her usual spot.

This was just a small monthly test, so it wasn’t a formal affair; everyone sat wherever they liked.

Not long after Chloe Sinclair had taken her seat, the professor walked in carrying a sealed packet.

Professor Myers walked in just in time to see Chloe Sinclair borrowing a pen.

He pretended not to notice and simply went over the general rules for the exam.

Everyone already knew the drill.

"Since the exam is about to begin, I’ll take attendance first."

With that, Professor Myers picked up the attendance roster and began calling out names.

"Chloe Sinclair."

Chloe Sinclair’s name was first on the list, so Professor Myers called her name first.

Three minutes later, Professor Myers reached the last name on the list and frowned.

"Nina Sinclair."

...

The classroom was dead silent. No one spoke for a long moment.

Professor Myers’s expression darkened. SLAM! He smacked the packet down on the desk.

"Is Nina Sinclair present?"

Again, there was no answer from the students.

Seeing this, Professor Myers took a black pen from his pocket and decisively crossed Nina Sinclair’s name off the list.

After doing so, Professor Myers looked up and announced, "If any of Nina Sinclair’s roommates are here, please inform her that she has failed this course for the semester. She will need to take a makeup exam next semester. If she doesn’t pass the makeup, she’ll have to retake the course."

No one dared to disregard Professor Myers’s words.

Nina Sinclair’s roommate could only nod in acknowledgment.

However, a few sharp-eyed students spotted Nina Sinclair standing outside the door, her face grim.

Before anyone had a chance to give a warning, Nina Sinclair stormed in, wearing a pair of delicate high heels.

"On what grounds!"

Professor Myers was taken aback for a moment but quickly realized Nina Sinclair must have heard him.

"This semester, you have had fifteen unexcused absences from my class and have missed two exams. As a student, I find your performance unacceptable."

Nina Sinclair met Professor Myers’s gaze and was instantly rendered speechless.

"I... I..."

She opened her mouth several times but couldn’t find the right words to say.

Seeing her struggle, Professor Myers raised his gaze slightly and asked coolly, "Are you still taking the test?"

He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Nina Sinclair was on the verge of tears.

It was no use. Professor Myers couldn’t be swayed by either threats or pleas, so in the end, Nina Sinclair had no choice but to fall silent.

But when her gaze fell on Chloe Sinclair, her expression was full of indignation.

She pointed a finger right at Chloe Sinclair. "But Chloe Sinclair has been absent almost every day since the semester started! She even ran off to act in a movie. Why am I the only one failing?"