"Make sure you lure Mirabe into the physics department by any means necessary."


    The mere thought of this directive gave Matthew a headache. He knew exactly why the dean was so eager to snag Mirabe. Last year, during thepetition, she had effortlessly solved physics problems that even the sophomores and juniors, including himself, had struggled with. That alone showcased her remarkable talent.


    Matthew was all for convincing her to join the physics department, but the "how" part was a bit tricky.


    Lunchtime had been a missed opportunity because Meg was around, and he didn''t want to bring it up then.


    Fishing out his phone, Matthew suddenly remembered he didn''t have Mirabe''s contact on Messenger. After a quick moment of thought, he messaged his cousin, asking him to forward Mirabe''s contact info.


    About fifteen minutester, his cousin replied with a rather cool response.


    [No.]


    Matthew: "...."


    Not having luck with his cousin didn''t dampen Matthew''s spirits. He knew he''d run into Mirabe again at the uing lecture event, so he could just ask her then.


    Just then, Mr. Hammond and Anthony came over, prompting Matthew to pocket his phone.


    After chatting with the trio for a while, Mr. Hammond stood up as it was almost time for the event, saying with a smile, "I''m counting on you three bright young minds to deliver an enlightening life lesson to our senior students today."


    Taylor and the others also stood up, respectfully nodding to Mr. Hammond, "You''re giving us too much credit, Mr. Hammond. It''s a meaningful opportunity for us to help the underssmen in any way we can."


    Mr. Hammond nodded, waved his hand in a gesture that indicated there was no need for further discussion, and left the office.


    Soon after, Anthony led the trio to the auditorium behind the teaching building, which could amodate a thousand people.


    The auditorium was already neatly arranged, with all the photography equipment in ce.


    Before long, students from all eighteen senior sses began to trickle in, finding seats in their designated ss areas.


    After standing backstage for a while, Matthew stepped out again, hoping to run into Mirabe.


    As Matthew left, Meg turned her attention away, pulled up two chairs-one for Taylor and one for herself—and then casually started a conversation.


    "Taylor, don''t you think Parkside High School has lost the glory it had during our time?"


    "Hm?" Taylor looked at Meg, pondered for a few seconds, then replied, "I haven''t really kept up with Parkside High School''s recent state."


    Meg shook her head, her expression a mix of disappointment and resignation, "The choice of student representatives this time... I don''t know how to describe it." Recalling the girl they met at the cafeteria who imed to be particrly poor in literature, a faint smile yed on her lips.


    It seems like these days, being attractive could earn you extra points, making academic achievements... somewhat less important.


    Listening to Meg, Taylor, with his handsome features, didn''t show much emotion, simply stating, "Since Mr. Hammond has invited us back to inspire, we just need to do our part."


    Meg smiled, "You''re right, senior. After all, it''s not our generation anymore. Only a couple of top schrs emerge each year, and it''s unrealistic to expect them all to be from Parkside High School."


    "Right," Taylor concurred with a brief nod.


    Matthew, who had been outside, came back after a while. As he approached, Meg stopped the conversation and instead took out a fancy notebook, ncing down at it.


    It was filled with densely packed words-the content of her speech for today.


    In this enhanced version, thenguage has been made more natural and rtable for native English speakers. The dialogue flows smoothly, and the characters'' interactions feel more genuine. The narrative has been infused with a casual charm, making it more engaging and easier to connect with for readers.