Grace's tone was sincere, neither servile nor overbearing. The key point was that she had openly produced genuine evidence to prove her money came from investments.

  The principal couldn't help but be surprised when he saw the total value of the stocks held in Grace's portfolio—over two thousand dollars.

  He dabbled in stocks himself but had poor judgment; over the years, he had lost at least a few dozen dollars. He was actually less capable than this female student.

  Letting out a soft sigh, the principal finally smiled. "Excellent! Worthy of being a top student at our UST. Capable and responsible!"

  The Department Head also breathed a sigh of relief, having been worried the matter might fall through. He quickly added, "Then, President, shall I contact the media? We should promote this properly. It's a major event!"

  Such a large donation from a current student would be excellent publicity for the university. Anyone hearing about it would consider it a heartwarming story.

  Moreover, having media present for donations was customary. Sometimes the university arranged it, sometimes the donating company handled it themselves—all for the sake of good publicity.

  The principal nodded. "Yes, we must promote it, to properly commend our student, Grace."

  "President, promotion isn't necessary," Grace quickly interjected. "As I mentioned earlier, I prefer to keep a low profile. Furthermore, the essence of this matter is me making up for the trouble I caused the school. There's nothing particularly praiseworthy to publicize."

  Hearing this, the principal and the Department Head were taken aback, glancing at each other.

  Seeing their reaction, Grace continued, "How about just you, the President, the Department Head, and I take a photo with the telescopes? Then we can post the picture on the school bulletin board?"

  Since Grace put it that way, the principal nodded with an understanding smile. "Alright, if that's what Student Grace prefers, then we won't invite the media. We'll take a photo among ourselves to mark the occasion."

  The Department Head promptly agreed. "Then I'll go find a student from the school's photography club to help take the picture."

  As Grace suggested, several school leaders, the Department Head, and Advisor Lee gathered for a group photo with the four donated telescopes. Grace, finding it hard to decline their insistence, was placed in the center.

  After the photo, the school leaders went to examine the telescopes closely. Grace seized the opportunity to pull the Department Head aside, speaking in a low voice, "Head, I'd like to request some leave."

  "Leave?" the Department Head asked. "For how many days?"

  "National Day holiday is coming up soon. I want to go home. I plan to take leave starting now, connecting it with the holiday to have more ample time."

  Under normal circumstances, if a student wanted to take consecutive days off right before a holiday without a good reason, he definitely wouldn't approve.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  But after today's events, Grace was clearly different. The Department Head agreed without a second thought. "No problem at all. Do you have a leave form prepared?"

  "Not yet. Shall I bring it to you this afternoon?"

  "No need. I'll approve it directly. You can submit the form after you return. It's the same."

  Grace smiled at this, thanking him repeatedly.

  Instead, the Department Head, seeing no one was around, asked somewhat timidly, "Grace, can I... consult you about stock trading?"

  Grace: "..."

  Naturally, Grace politely declined. Even if she were a stock market genius, the market inherently carried risks and was always subject to unstable factors.

  No one can guarantee a 100% profit with no losses.

  Undefined Sushi, South Ring Branch.

  Chloe brought her roommates here to celebrate successfully receiving her acting payment.

  "Baby, you picked the perfect place. This is the best sushi restaurant in Aethelburg," Vivian couldn't help but praise as soon as they entered.

  Bianca also nodded. "That's right. I heard the ingredients are air-flown in daily, super fresh."

  Mina smiled at Chloe. "Chloe, we won't stand on ceremony today. We're definitely going to eat our fill!"

  All three were locals of Aethelburg from well-off families and had clearly dined here before.

  Chloe had been brought here once by her sister and loved it. She also felt the price and ambiance justified the term "feast." She wanted to treat her good friends to a proper meal.

  "Please, don't be polite at all. Eat a lot, order the expensive stuff!" Chloe, unusually bubbly, said happily, "After eating, let's go to SKP. I'll buy each of you a gift!"

  "In that case, I really won't be polite this time," Vivian said, linking arms with Chloe. "Because I want to share in your good luck, baby. A gift from you will definitely bring good fortune. When I land a role and earn money too, I'll definitely give you a gift in return."

  Mina nodded. "Exactly. Everything has been going so smoothly for Chloe lately. She must be blessed by the goddess of fortune. Let's get some of that luck, too."

  Laughing and chatting, the group entered the restaurant. But as they looked up, they literally bumped right into Cynthia, who was coming towards them.

  "Ugh, bad luck," Vivian muttered subconsciously upon seeing Cynthia.

  Cynthia was with two companions, apparently finished with their meal and about to leave. When she saw Chloe and the others, an expression of disdain instantly spread across her face.

  After the press conference, her worries had vanished. Chloe was clearly not one of the lead actresses, so she didn't really care who Chloe was playing anymore.

  Chloe initially didn't want to engage with Cynthia and even pulled her roommates aside to let the other group pass first. However, Cynthia stopped right in front of her.

  "Although I don't care, I'm still curious," Cynthia sneered, looking down her nose at Chloe. "Just who are you playing anyway?"

  "Don't tell me it's 'Cindy'. Your makeup and styling that day weren't a maid's at all."

  Seeing Cynthia brazenly bullying Chloe like this, Mina immediately stepped in to defend her. "What does it matter to you who Chloe is playing? You used underhanded methods to snatch her role, and now you have the nerve to provoke her every day? Do you really think we don't know?"

  Vivian snorted coldly in agreement. "Exactly. No sense of shame, acting all proud."

  But their words seemed to not affect Cynthia. Her family had the means, and she could take shortcuts.

  "If you have the ability, go buy a role yourselves. It's not my patent. I'm not stopping you," Cynthia retorted, then turned her gaze back to Chloe. "Fine, don't say. I bet it's some rich girl character with not much screen time."

  Based on Chloe's styling that day, Cynthia felt her guess was probably close.

  One of Cynthia's companions, a girl with short hair, suddenly spoke up, deliberately trying to embarrass Chloe. "You must have gotten your payment too, right? How much? Our Cynthia got 35 dollars!"

  Chloe looked at Cynthia's smug expression and finally responded softly, "8 dollars."

  "Ahahahaha!"

  "Eight dollars?"

  "How cheap!"

  "Oh my god, I thought it'd be at least fifteen dollars or something."

  Cynthia and her friends burst into laughter. Cynthia jeered, "Then you'd better be careful what you order today. This place is expensive. Don't spend half your payment on one meal."

  Chloe waited expressionlessly for her to finish, then added calmly, "I get eight dollars per episode. What about you?"