My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot-Chapter 56 - 53: You Want to Fight Me for a Student?
By the time Master Sinclair found out, Aurora Sinclair had already been doxxed and was being ridiculed across the internet.
The students from the Arcadian University School of Arts were especially vicious.
[Just because the family has one genius doesn’t mean you can act all high and mighty. Know your place!]
[They’re both daughters of the Sinclair family, so why is there such a huge difference in character?]
[I have to emphasize: Arcadian University is the best university in the country. Even if the entrance exam scores for the Academy of Arts are lower, that doesn’t mean we lower the standards for our students. Certain opportunists should just give up!]
[As an Arcadian University student, I applaud my school for upholding its principles!]
...
Soon after, a video from an unknown source was leaked, showing Aurora Sinclair causing a scene at an airport and being taken away by the police.
Clickbait accounts jumped on the story, calling Aurora Sinclair an uncultured airhead who didn’t follow airport regulations. In no time, the nickname "the Airhead Second Miss" spread throughout the social circles of Kingsford’s Great Families.
However, regular netizens weren’t interested in any of that. Instead, their attention was drawn to the hen in the video.
[HAHAHA, this is hilarious! Who brings a hen to an airport?]
[This is the stupidest video I’ve seen all year! Can you imagine how traumatized that poor chicken must have been?]
[The hen’s like: "C’mon, let a girl catch a flight! What’s the big deal?"]
[HAHAHA, this cured my depression! I could laugh at this video for a whole year!]
...
Master Sinclair ordered the Sinclair family’s PR team to immediately contact the clickbait accounts that were stirring up the drama. But they made an exorbitant demand: fifty million, and not a penny less, to delete the video.
"Pay them—"
Master Sinclair said this with a grave expression, his eyes downcast as he sat at the head of the conference room table.
The major shareholders and the heads of the Sinclair branch families seated below him all had different expressions.
One of the major shareholders was the first to speak. "Mr. Sinclair, we can’t give in. If we do it once, they’ll just do it again. The people behind these accounts just want to tarnish the Sinclair Group’s reputation and make our stock plummet. We should sue them!"
But one of the heads from a branch family disagreed. "That’s not realistic. We can sue over the Arcadian University situation, but what about this video? The person in it is the Second Miss. We should issue a public apology right now. After all, she was the one in the wrong first."
"Word is already spreading in high society that the Second Miss is an airhead. Having her apologize now could salvage some of the Sinclair family’s dignity."
The conference room devolved into chaos, split into two factions: those who refused to compromise and those who wanted an apology. Most of the heads from the branch families favored having Aurora Sinclair apologize.
Linton Sinclair stole a glance at his father and asked cautiously, "Dad, this is about the family’s reputation. What Aurora did at the airport has had a terrible impact..."
"Bullshit! Who did it impact? So Aurora didn’t know you can’t bring a hen on a plane? What was Sue Quinn doing at the time? Aurora might not have known, but she should have! Bring Sue Quinn to me later—"
Linton Sinclair immediately cowered from the scolding, lowering his head and saying no more.
Master Sinclair swept his gaze over the assembled heads of the Sinclair businesses and snorted heavily. "Send out cease and desist letters and suppress the story. I don’t need to teach you how to do that, do I?"
The manager of the Sinclair Group’s PR department immediately took his leave to carry out the order.
***
Meanwhile, after reading the entertainment news a student had sent him, Chester Greene of the Arcadian University School of Physics said nothing. He simply pulled out his phone and logged into a social media account he hadn’t used in ages.
He silently reposted the comment that called Arcadian University the best in the country and added his own: [You’re right. Why go to the Academy of Arts? My student, of course, belongs in the College of Physics.]
Although he rarely posted, his popularity was immense.
Not long after he posted it, teachers and students from the College of Physics began to share and comment on it.
In particular, nearly all of Chester Greene’s students—from PhD candidates and graduates down to undergraduates—formed a neat, virtual queue to flood the comments section.
[The professor is right! Why would our junior be studying art? Physics is the one true path!]
Some of the more mischievous students even went to the official account of the Arcadian University School of Arts to thank them.
[Thank you for your magnanimity in letting our junior go.]
It was well-known that the Arcadian University School of Physics was nicknamed the "Academy of Geniuses." Its students were almost all top scorers on the national college entrance exam from their respective provinces.
They carried with them the aura of academic prodigies, inspiring a certain fear of intellectual dominance in ordinary people wherever they went.
This was especially true for students from schools like the Academy of Arts, whose average entrance exam scores were 200 points lower than theirs. Lacking confidence, their general sentiment was: ’We can’t afford to mess with them!’
Just then, Erin Archer, the vice dean of another powerhouse school at Arcadian University, the Academy of History, suddenly reposted Chester Greene’s comment and replied: [What, are you trying to steal my student?]
Following that, the two powerhouse schools ignited the age-old "liberal arts versus sciences" debate, and in the process, thanked the Academy of Arts into collective silence.
It was a completely unexpected public humiliation. The students from the Academy of Arts silently deleted their comments.
After just one day, the "airhead" label that had been attached to Aurora Sinclair was torn off by the students of Arcadian University’s two top schools.
As for the airport video, the protective students from the physics and history schools flocked to leave comments:
[The countryside breeds talent! I’m planning to go volunteer in a rural area after I publish my thesis.]
[Senior, take me with you! I want to contribute to the countryside too.]
[Our junior’s moves are so nimble! Has she practiced martial arts?]
Someone took it even further, posting a scientific explanation about why live chickens aren’t allowed on planes, and ended with the comment: [See? Studying physics is useful, isn’t it? Junior, you need to hurry over to the College of Physics for some remedial lessons.]
***
After seeing the news online, the dean of the Academy of Arts was completely baffled as to why Chester Greene and Erin Archer, who were both known for avoiding social events, would so staunchly defend this student.
A dreadful premonition began to form in his mind: Aurora Sinclair might have actually come for the exam, and the painting was hers.
He quickly summoned his assistant and told him to check the surveillance footage from the hallway to confirm whether Aurora Sinclair had attended the exam. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Ten minutes later, the assistant returned, his face flushed with anger. "Dean, the footage was maliciously deleted. They even arrogantly left a message: ’Since you didn’t believe it, don’t regret it.’ It’s a blatant provocation against our academy!"
The dean fell silent after hearing this and didn’t say a word for a long time.
The assistant continued, "Dean, this person is too audacious. They’re completely disrespecting us. Should we investigate?"
The dean glanced again at Chester Greene’s post, then shook his head, his face impassive.
"Let this matter rot. No one is to mention it ever again!"
***
When the Sinclair Group’s PR department went to contact the clickbait accounts to dial down the hype, not only did the accounts refuse payment, but they begged for an exclusive interview with Aurora Sinclair.
The PR department quickly checked the latest trending topics. Aurora Sinclair’s name was still on the list, but all the negative posts about her had been pushed down.
The new topics that had taken their place were even more popular than the negative ones had been, with public discussion volume already exceeding ten million.
#MissSTheTrueGenius#
#ArcadianPhysicsVS.History#
#TheBattleForMissS#
Clicking on them revealed a flood of memes inviting Aurora Sinclair to enroll. Even her airport video had been turned into remix videos by the two Arcadian University schools.
[History Lesson #1: On the Historical Relationship Between Airplanes and Chickens.]
[Popular Physics Lesson #1: Why Can’t Hens Go to the Skies?]
Every remix video ended with the shot of Aurora Sinclair jumping in the airport with the hen, but each clip was overlaid with a line of text.
[Knowledge is important. The Arcadian University School of Phys(His)ics(tory) welcomes Junior S for further education.]
This approach didn’t deny the negative impact of Aurora causing a scene at the airport, but it powerfully cleared her of the "airhead" label she’d been maliciously given by the clickbait accounts.
"Manager, do we still need to contact them?" a junior member of the PR team asked cautiously, swallowing hard.
Just moments before, he had already written press releases for various scenarios and was prepared to pull an all-nighter to control the public narrative.
"I don’t think so," the PR manager replied, his face a mask of disbelief.
’He never imagined that their Second Miss was a student of Chester Greene and Erin Archer. Or that she would cause the two powerhouse schools of Arcadian University to get into a flame war over her online.’
’It was simply incredible!’
He quickly picked up his phone to call Master Sinclair and explain the situation.
Master Sinclair burst out laughing, but after his laughter subsided, he thought of Alvin Morgan, and a flicker of worry appeared in his eyes.
’What exactly does he want to find out from Aurora?’
***
「The Sinclair Apartments.」
Jean Quincy had turned Aurora Sinclair’s bedroom upside down before she finally asked in frustration, "Aurora, is the business card really lost?"
Aurora Sinclair nodded. "It’s lost..."
"Ah! That was the business card of the Vice President of the Kingsford Calligraphy and Painting Association!" Jean Quincy was kicking herself. If she had known, she would have kept it safe for Aurora.
"It’s all Glenn Lockwood’s fault! You must have lost it when you fought with his bodyguards that day," Jean Quincy said indignantly. If it hadn’t been lost, she could have used that business card to slap the faces of those people at the Academy of Arts.
Master Sinclair, who was sitting to one side, felt it was a pity but was already at peace with it.
’Even if she doesn’t go to the Academy of Arts, two other schools at Arcadian University are fighting over his granddaughter. That wasn’t an honor just anyone could receive.’
"Aurora, you’ll have to work hard from now on! Which major do you want to apply for? Physics or History?" Master Sinclair asked with a chuckle.
Aurora Sinclair looked at him for a moment, then averted her gaze and shook her head. "After the exam, I’m going back to Sunstone."
