“I’ll ask again—do both parties fully understand the rules of this contest? If anything is unclear, I can explain it once more.”

“After all, this isn’t just about exam scores. It concerns the division of marital assets. I hope you’re taking this seriously.”

The notary glanced at his watch. Only fifteen minutes remained before the college entrance exam results would officially be released.

I spoke calmly. “Sir, just announce the results. In a few minutes, the scores will be out anyway—what’s the point of guessing then?”

The notary hadn’t expected me to be so blunt, but with a quick nod, he proceeded to read the second-round results.

“This round: Ms. Jade, mother of Vivian, estimated a total score of 712. Ms. Gwen, mother of Perrie, estimated is zero.”

The room erupted in murmurs.

Half the guests gasped at Jade’s astonishingly high estimate. The other half burst into laughter at my supposed foolishness.

“Seven-twelve?! That’s provincial top scorer level! But what’s going on with the ex-wife—zero again?”

“Well, it makes sense. Jade was a top student at Stanford, after all. Her daughter scoring high isn’t surprising.”

“Oh, now I get it. Honestly, when it comes to marriage, genetics matter. That Gwen—original wife or not—didn’t even finish high school. No wonder Mr. Shaw is divorcing her.”

“Exactly! Look at how polished Miss Vivian is. She's clearly raised with care. Not like some people, who must be complete idiots. Otherwise, how else do you explain two rounds of zero?”

Hayden laughed heartily, then pulled Jade into a proud kiss.

“Hahaha! That’s my daughter! Jade, you’ve raised Vivian beautifully!”

Jade furrowed her brows when she heard I’d written another zero. Her eyes kept flicking at me, as if trying to see through me. But when Hayden kissed her so suddenly, she put on a bashful smile.

“Hayden, there are people watching!”

Then she turned toward the others, her voice sweet yet provocative.

“I just believe that three years of hard work will pay off. We’ll know soon enough once the results are out. But I have faith—Vivian won’t disappoint us.”

Then she looked back at me and added, “But Gwen, haven’t you always called Hayden saying your daughter’s grades were great? So why write zero again? Are you just giving up half the property like that?”

Unfazed, I smiled faintly. “There’s still one round left. Whoever wins or loses isn’t decided yet.”

Vivian seized the opportunity to mock Perrie again. “Some people might’ve faked their scores all along. Now they’re just trying to scam money out of Dad using this guessing game. But the college entrance exam reveals true ability. I get why she had to write zero—she couldn’t even guess closely.”

Their words quickly sparked gossip among the guests—and worse, pierced my teenage daughter’s vulnerable heart.

She blinked rapidly, eyes red and brimming with tears, and looked at me with hurt and disbelief.

“Mom… You know what I’m capable of. Why would you write zero on purpose?”

I shook my head, keeping my voice low but firm.

“That is your score.”

“No way! I checked my answers after the exam. I’m definitely above the cutoff for a top university!”

Seeing her so worked up, tears streaming down her face, my heart ached.

She had always known her father was barely around. I was the one caring for her, tending to his parents, working the land—doing it all on my own.

Even so, she never once complained. She was the kind of child who finished her homework after school and then helped out with house chores.

When I stayed silent, she finally choked out, “Mom... are you scared I didn’t do well? Or did you just give up, thinking there’s no point in fighting anymore?”

“But after everything you’ve been through all these years—after all the pain—that property is yours. Why should they be the ones to take it from you?”

“Mom, we still have a chance. Don’t give up, okay?”

My silly daughter. Even now, she was still trying to defend me.

She wanted to fight for what’s rightfully mine—but all I wanted was to protect her.

Sighing, I patted her head. “Alright. I’ll guess properly in the next round.”

Hayden scoffed, his eyes full of contempt. “Your mother already said that zero was your real score, and you still think you can get into a top-tier university? You're delusional!”

Hearing her father’s blatant favoritism, Perrie bit her lip, her fists clenched tight at her sides, her eyes glistening with unshed tears and silent humiliation.

Suddenly, Jade chimed in, turning to Hayden with a falsely sympathetic tone. “Hayden, you can’t blame the child. Maybe it’s her mother, venting old resentment toward you through the girl.”

“After all, Perrie is your biological daughter. Since she believes she can get into a top-tier school, how about we switch up the final round? Let’s guess which university they’ll be admitted to.”

Hayden thought for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. For the final round, let’s guess which universities they’ll get into. I’ll wager 50% of my total assets. Whoever guesses correctly—wins.”

The room erupted once again, filled with gasps and frenzied whispers.

“Fifty percent?! That means if she wins this round too, Jade gets everything! The ex-wife walks away with nothing!”

“Even if her daughter didn’t score zero, her grades probably aren’t great. If they just name a random second-rate college, maybe she’ll get lucky and sneak in.”

“Yeah, but it’s just a maybe. Vivian, on the other hand, with over 700 points—she could get into any school she wants.”

“At this point, the only chance the ex-wife has is if she guesses a realistic university for her daughter. Otherwise? She’ll be walking away with nothing but signed divorce papers.”

I ignored their chatter and picked up the pen slowly, writing down just a few simple words.

The notary soon read out the guesses.

“Ms. Jade has written: Stanford-Harvard University.”

“Ms. Gwen has written... the same: Stanford or Harvard University.”

A wave of disbelief rippled through the room.

“Did she go mad?” someone whispered.

“Guessing zero twice and now this? Did she ever even understand the rules?”

Only my daughter exhaled in relief.

Jade let out a laugh so smug it creased her face like the crow’s feet.

“Gwen, I never knew you had such high hopes for your daughter. But are you aware that Stanford and Harvard University are the top universities in the entire country? Not just anyone can get in.”

Hayden glared at me with disgust. “You're indeed a country bumpkin. Completely brainless!”

“I was actually willing to show you a little mercy, thinking you’d had it tough over the years. But now—”

At that moment, the banquet hall’s large screen began a five-minute countdown to the release of the college entrance exam results.

I waved my fan lazily, cutting him off. “Enough. The three rounds are over. Just sign the notarized agreement. Or are you afraid I’ll back out when the scores come out in a few minutes?”

Hayden opened his mouth to argue, but Jade gently tugged his sleeve and whispered something to him. Finally, he gritted his teeth and signed.

The moment to check the scores finally arrived.

Jade looked graciously toward me. “Gwen, you’re older. Why don’t you go first?”

I didn’t even glance her way. I rubbed my temples and sighed. “Oh dear, age really does dull the memory. I rushed out so fast this morning, I forgot the admission ticket. I can’t remember her exam number either...”

Then I turned to my daughter. “Sweetheart, do you remember it?”

Perrie looked at me, then slowly shook her head.

Mocking voices rose almost instantly.

“I doubt she forgot—more like she’s afraid of embarrassing herself.”

“Jade, you go ahead and check the results first. Let some people see what it means to overestimate themselves. A peasant’s daughter dreaming of Stanford or Harvard University? What a joke!”

“Exactly! Stop wasting our time. Let us see what a real top scorer looks like. Who knows, the school might send over a celebration banner any minute!”

Egged on by the flattery, Jade smiled confidently and entered Vivian’s exam information into the system.

Everyone leaned in toward the screen, eyes wide with anticipation. Some even pulled out their phones to record this “historic” moment.

But the next second, the score that popped up had jaws dropping.

“Zero?!”

“No way—maybe it hasn’t refreshed yet. Or the system’s glitching from traffic. How could it possibly be all zeroes?”

“This can’t be right! That’s not my score!” Vivian panicked. “Mom, are you sure you entered the right ID number? Try again!”

But no matter how many times Jade refreshed the page or logged in and out, the result stayed the same—Zero points.

Hayden’s face twisted with rage. Without warning, he slapped Vivian across the face.

“This is what you call ‘Stanford material’? I spent hundreds of thousands hiring the best tutors every year for this? This is how you repay me?”

“You said your score would help me keep my assets—now you’ve made me a laughingstock!”

Vivian crumpled to the floor, pale and stunned, while Jade had lost all composure.

“This—this can’t be her score... Hayden, you have to believe me. There must be some kind of mistake!”

I had no patience for their little family drama. Raising my voice, I intoned coldly, “Well, zero isn’t all that bad. Just a bit off from the number you confidently guessed earlier.”

“Looks like you’ve lost the first two rounds. Now let’s see my daughter’s score. Oh—and wouldn’t you know it, I just remembered her exam number.”

Hearing that, Jade’s eyes flickered. She quickly turned to Hayden and whispered, “Hayden, even if it looks like we lost, think about it. She guessed zero both times. She can’t win either.”

“Unless her daughter handed in blank papers for every subject, it’s impossible to score all zeroes. Even guessing randomly gets you some points.”

“So if her daughter scored anything at all, she still guessed wrong, and that fifty percent stays yours.”

“And about that university guess—if her daughter’s grades are poor, there’s no way she’s getting into Stanford. If she does get in, there’s still a whole month before official acceptance. A lot can happen at that time...”

Honestly, Jade’s logic was sound. Their scheme was airtight.

But they wanted me to walk away with nothing?

Then I’d make sure they walked away with even less.

Soon, the system returned my daughter’s score. And when it appeared on the screen, the room fell into stunned silence. Everyone turned to stare at me and my daughter in disbelief.

“This... how is this possible?”