nyslfriends Chapter 181 Severing Inner Demons
Chapter 181 Severing Inner Demons
The debate was only halfway through when the ever-proud Ellie had already reluctantly admitted defeat in her heart and felt a sincere admiration for her unassuming opponent.
She gritted her teeth and made a silent promise:
The opponent is very intelligent and a respectable adversary!
We must find another opportunity to compete. Next time, she will definitely win!
But when the results of the match were announced...
"This year's champion is—Ellie Windsor!"
Upon hearing the name, Ellie froze, thinking she had misheard.
However, all the spotlights in the room suddenly focused on her!
Whoosh—!
Clap clap clap!
A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the audience. The host, with a nauseatingly satisfied smile, walked up to her and kindly handed her the microphone.
But Ellie didn't answer.
Her gaze swept past the revelers and landed squarely on the ground below the stage.
The Black boy who should have been the champion was calmly packing his schoolbag.
He didn't make a scene, didn't protest, and didn't even utter a complaint. He simply turned around quietly and disappeared into the darkness.
Ellie screamed inwardly, wanting nothing more than to rush up to him, grab his collar, and demand answers:
Why aren't you protesting?!
Are you mute?!
We both know perfectly well that you were the one who won this game!
But when she saw the boy's profile, she found that his face was filled with resignation to the coldness of the world and compromise with this messed-up world.
Ellie stiffly turned her neck and slowly looked around the audience.
Those judges in suits and ties, those cheering audience members...
Everyone seemed quite satisfied with this absurd result, as if a fairy tale should end with the beautiful princess winning.
On what grounds?
Just because she, a glamorous white girl, won, do these people feel entitled and at ease?
After the awards ceremony, Ellie did not attend the celebration. Instead, she walked off the stage with a cold face and went straight to the judges' table.
Excuse me, may I take a look at the rating sheet?
I think the other team won that match.
She gritted her teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately.
The chairman of the judging panel's smile froze for a moment, then a perfunctory and embarrassed expression appeared on his face:
"Ahem, Miss Ellie, the judges' decision is irreversible."
Besides, your debate was brilliant; both in terms of its impact and its engaging style, you absolutely deserve this championship. Congratulations!
That day, Ellie walked home alone, carrying the trophy.
As she walked, the cold, metallic touch of her palms felt like a venomous snake coiling around her nerves, making her feel an indescribable nausea and disgust.
Clang!
As she passed the street corner, Ellie didn't hesitate at all, and threw the trophy that countless people dreamed of into the roadside trash can like it was garbage.
Back home, the living room was brightly lit, and her family was excitedly preparing a party to celebrate her victory.
Ellie, with a cold face, casually made an excuse that she wasn't feeling well, and went straight into her room, locking the door with a "click".
She lay heavily on her back on the bed.
Everywhere you look, the walls are covered with trophies and gold-rimmed certificates that gleam blindingly under the lamps.
Ellie squinted, examining each of the medals she had once been so proud of.
Debate, writing, art, music...
At that very moment, an inexplicable sorrow and an intense sense of guilt instantly transformed into an invisible hand, gripping her heart tightly!
How ridiculous.
It turns out she wasn't some god-favored princess at all!
Everything she is so proud of is nothing more than a product of the prejudice and privilege created by this world.
Before this, she was kept in the dark like a fool, and was smugly pleased with herself.
But now there is no doubt that society has already secretly tipped the scales in her favor, using prejudice and privilege to put her on a much smoother shortcut than ordinary people.
Sizzle—!
A piercing sound of tearing fabric rang out in the quiet room.
Ellie jumped out of bed, her eyes bloodshot, and without any mercy, ripped the certificate off the wall and tore it to shreds.
[Grand Prize in Essay Contest] — Tear it to shreds!
[First Prize in the Choral Performance] — Tear it to shreds!
[Gold Award for Poster Design at the Youth Arts Festival] — Tear it all to shreds!
With each piece of paper she tore apart, a symbol of vanity, and the crisp sound of the paper breaking filled her with a morbid pleasure—a sense of revenge against the entire hypocritical world.
Just because she's a beautiful blonde, blue-eyed white girl, those sanctimonious judges indiscriminately bestowed honors upon her and supported her without any moral compass?!
This world is absolutely insane!
Her hand reached for the next frame—the highest award in the International Youth Humanities Debate Competition.
Ellie laughed self-deprecatingly.
In this highly prestigious competition, there are also many outstanding peers who give their all.
At the time, she thought she had won the championship by a narrow margin due to an extraordinary performance. Now it seems that she was too naive and ridiculous!
It's all just a script!
Ellie suddenly stood up and found a cardboard box.
He roughly swept all the trophies off the table and shelves, then kicked them into a dark corner out of sight, like throwing away trash.
"Um?"
Just as she was about to tear up the last certificate in her hand, her eyes red...
Ellie's hand froze in mid-air, as if frozen in place.
That was a certificate for a gold medal in the Mathematical Olympiad.
Ellie stared intently at the paper, lost in thought.
Does this certificate also contain the hypocritical favoritism and disgusting concessions of others?
A full minute passed before Ellie slowly shook her head, the confusion in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by ultimate clarity.
Do not!
This honor, however, is completely genuine, without a trace of fraud!
It was an objective result that she painstakingly derived, bit by bit, line by line, on the draft paper, through her own burning of effort!
Numbers don't lie; 1 is 1, and 2 is 2!
Black and white, right and wrong, are clearly distinguished and cannot be desecrated in the slightest, much less given any special privileges!
At that moment, Ellie felt as if she had grasped a ray of light in the abyss of despair, and she fully understood the infinite charm of that pure mathematical world.
From that day on, Ellie, who had once shone on the big stage, disappeared.
Whether it was the school's debate competition or the glamorous arts festival, Ellie was never seen again.
She severed all ties with the past.
Instead, there was a crazy academic genius who spent years engrossed in a thick math book, immersing himself in a corner of the library.
Because she understood that mathematics does not flatter anyone; it is ruthless and impartial.
You won't get an extra point just because you're pretty or have a prestigious surname.
That's why she can be at peace with all her achievements in mathematics and sleep soundly.
"Oh, Ellie, you're so lucky. Everyone likes you so much."
Once, while watching the teacher shower Ellie with exaggerated praise and compliments for winning the math competition, a "good friend" next to her, filled with sourness and jealousy, made a sarcastic remark.
Ellie gave her a cold look.
I know very well that this so-called friend just wants to take the opportunity to publicly ridicule me as a pretty face who only relies on my looks.
In the past, Ellie might have felt guilty.
But now, she can finally stand tall and fight back with confidence!
"Oh? If you're not convinced..." Ellie's lips curled into a cold smile, "Why don't you try getting a perfect score yourself?"
At that moment, the other person's face turned a deep shade of liver. Faced with absolute power, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal and could only slink back to his seat with his tail between his legs.
Only at that moment did Ellie completely sever her inner demons and get rid of the heavy guilt of robbing others of their opportunities.
Having cast aside all vanity and distractions, she chose only mathematics.
At least in this absolutely fair arena, Ellie absolutely does not want to lose to anyone!
Not to mention that cowardly turtle, codenamed No. 001, who's right in front of her now!