Recently, things had been tough for Sylvia Green. Since the university entrance exams ended, her relationship with Ethan Templar had become the talk of the town. Everyone knew about it, and behind her back, people whispered about her.

Despite Sylvia’s repeated explanations that she hadn’t known Ethan had a fiancée and that their relationship was never romantic, no one believed her.

But she wasn’t lying. Before, she had no relationship with Ethan other than being somewhat close. It wasn’t until after the exams that they officially became a couple, and by then, Ethan had already broken off his engagement with Arden Forster.

Just thinking about it made Sylvia furious. If it weren’t for Arden announcing their broken engagement in front of everyone, her relationship with Ethan wouldn’t have caused this mess. Sylvia was sure that Arden had done it on purpose.

She hated Arden. From the first time she saw her, she knew she couldn’t stand her.

No matter what others said about her, Sylvia remained with Ethan. There seemed to be some kind of magnetic pull between them, as if they were meant to be together. And even though people gossiped about their public displays of affection, like kissing in the bushes during the day, Sylvia didn’t care. After all, she had crossed over from the 21st century, where kissing in public wasn’t a big deal.

But soon, Sylvia’s attitude changed.

Twenty days after the exams, the results were announced. The group of intellectual youth didn’t do too badly in the exams. Although not perfect, their results surpassed initial expectations.

Sylvia’s results were also decent. Even without the answers from Chu Hàn, her background from the modern world made her more than capable of handling elementary school-level math problems.

However, there were some tricky questions that cost her a few points. There was one question about the color of a fish, something she couldn’t make sense of at all. She just couldn’t understand it.

Even so, she managed to score well, earning 302 points.

It wasn’t a high score, but compared to others who barely scraped through with just one or two hundred points, her result wasn’t bad at all.

In the village, some people barely scraped by with just a few points on their exams.

Among the group of students who scored a few dozen points were Sylvia Green's cousin and older brother. Without Sylvia's tutoring, they could only rely on their own abilities, and that truly reflected their true academic performance.

Her younger brother, the best performer in their family apart from Sylvia, scored just over a hundred points.

So, Sylvia had the highest score in her family and stood out compared to most others in the village.

When the results were announced, the villagers had a different opinion of her. Despite her poor reputation, everyone acknowledged that she would likely be a student in the future. In their village, having a university student was rare.

Even though no one openly praised her, no one deliberately cut ties with her either.

But just as Sylvia's results were being discussed, the scores of Arden Forster were revealed in the intellectual youth group.

Arden's results were almost perfect. She only missed a few points in the language exam, but scored full marks in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and politics. She was also ranked first in the province for the science stream.

She hadn't wanted to boast about it, but how could such a big achievement stay hidden? People in the factory couldn’t keep it quiet and spread the news everywhere.

The top scorer in the province was from their factory, and that was huge news.

After saving the twin babies from the Taylor family, Arden’s name became even more talked about. Her beauty, medical skills, and now her top exam results—it seemed like the heavens had given her all the best qualities.

With the spotlight on her as the one with the highest score of the country, no one even cared about Sylvia’s results anymore.

So, Sylvia had confirmed once again, Arden is definitely her nemesis, the subject of countermeasures!

Since the university entrance exam results were announced, Sylvia Green had become the subject of relentless gossip. Everyone in town was talking about her relationship with Ethan Carter. Despite Sylvia repeatedly explaining that she hadn’t known Ethan was already engaged, no one seemed to believe her.

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The truth was, Sylvia had never had a serious relationship with Ethan. They had only shared a few ambiguous moments. Their relationship became official after the exams, but by then, Ethan had already broken off his engagement with Arden Forster.

Sylvia was furious. She realized that Arden had intentionally mentioned the broken engagement in front of everyone, making it clear that if it weren’t for her, things between Sylvia and Ethan wouldn’t have become so messy. Sylvia was convinced Arden had done this on purpose.

She had never hated anyone as much as she hated Arden.

From the moment Sylvia first met Arden, she felt an instant dislike. No matter what others said about her, Sylvia remained close to Ethan, feeling an undeniable pull between them, as though their connection was destined.

As for how others judged their public displays of affection, Sylvia didn’t care. In the modern world she came from, showing affection openly was normal. A kiss in public was no big deal.

But soon, her indifference began to fade.

After the exams, results came in. The group of intellectual youths did fairly well—nothing perfect, but they all exceeded expectations.

Sylvia’s results were good, especially considering she hadn’t had the answers from Joe Han. With her background from the modern world, the basic school subjects were easy for her. She missed a few points on some tricky questions, but overall, she scored well—302 points, which was solid.

It wasn’t the highest score, but compared to others in the village, she was proud. Some students barely scored a dozen points, and her younger brother, despite being second-best in the family, scored just over 100.

When the results came out, the villagers began to view Sylvia differently. Despite her flaws, they now saw her as someone who would probably attend university, which was a rare thing for people from the village.

Just as people started to praise Sylvia, the results for Arden Forster came out.

Arden had nearly perfect scores. She was first in the province for the science stream, missing only a few points in the language exam.

The news spread fast. Arden became the talk of the town—not just for her beauty, but for her remarkable academic achievements. The villagers were amazed that someone like her was from their midst.

Her achievements overshadowed Sylvia’s, and people began to forget about Sylvia’s results. Arden became the star of the village, and it was hard for anyone to compete with her.

Meanwhile, Sylvia struggled with her feelings of inadequacy. After everything she had gone through, how could she still be overshadowed by someone like Arden?

Days passed, and things got worse for Sylvia. She was still waiting for her university acceptance letter, but while others received their notices, Sylvia’s was nowhere to be found. She stayed calm at first, but as the days went on, she began to feel anxious. Eventually, her family encouraged her to inquire.

When she went to ask, the school staff told her that, although she had the required points, her application was rejected for “moral reasons.” Sylvia was stunned. How could this be? Her grades were good enough—how could she be rejected?

In this era, not only academic performance was considered, but also one’s character. Despite her good scores, Sylvia had been caught in the swirl of gossip and her controversial relationship with Ethan. It wasn’t just her—many students with better results were also rejected for similar reasons.

As news of Sylvia’s rejection spread, the gossip in the village grew louder. Lily Mai, ever eager to share drama, told the intellectual youth group with excitement. She relished the chance to spread the story.

“I heard from Quinn that the admissions officer said she was rejected because of her behavior with Ethan,” Lily Mai said, practically giddy. “And guess what—she was even caught kissing him in the woods in broad daylight! She wasn’t hiding anything!”

With each telling, the details grew more exaggerated, and Lily Mai reveled in it. She had always been envious of Sylvia’s relationship with Ethan, and now, seeing Sylvia fall, she couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

Sylvia, however, didn’t take the news lightly. She knew that Arden was indirectly responsible for all of this—if Arden hadn’t made their relationship public, none of this would have happened. The fact that Arden had exposed everything had forced Ethan into a corner, and now their private lives were being scrutinized.

Sylvia couldn’t understand why Ethan hadn’t kept their relationship a secret. She had felt his affection, but now, seeing everything fall apart, she began to question everything.

As for Arden, she remained unaffected by the drama. In fact, she found it somewhat amusing. Sylvia and Ethan had been flaunting their relationship, but now they had to face the consequences. Arden had only made their relationship public, and considering everything that had happened, it seemed fair.

In this world, there were no so-called heroes or villains. Everyone had to live with the consequences of their actions. As for Sylvia, she had learned her lesson—some things were better left in the dark.

Arden sat to the side, listening to the gossip. She couldn't believe that Sylvia was pushing herself into such a mess. Sure, such actions might be considered normal in the 21st century, but this was the 1970s. Since she had crossed into this time, wouldn’t it be better to at least adapt to the customs here? Sylvia was clueless, but didn’t she realize that Ethan might have a problem too?

Was it possible that the power of love, once caught in its grasp, could turn someone into a fool?

In the original story, Sylvia and Ethan were just as affectionate, unable to hold back their feelings.

Sylvia had initiated a kiss with Ethan once, feeling the sweetness of it, and it became hard to control herself afterward.

However, back then, there were no complications, no one to scrutinize them, and so nothing came of it. But now, thanks to Arden, the relationship had been exposed to the public. There were countless eyes watching them, and not keeping things private made them vulnerable to judgment. It was no wonder that some people were turning their backs on them.

In the modern world, the idea of a man showing his raw desires and not hiding them is somewhat romanticized. The male lead, especially military men, are often portrayed as open about their passions. They are charming, even when a little wild.

But in reality, when such displays happen, the situation often becomes complicated, especially when you add in the expectations of a more conservative era.

Reading stories of passionate charactors in novels feels exciting, but when people are watching from the sidelines, every little detail becomes fodder for gossip.

Arden's actions were similar to dragging the main couple back into reality, where nothing was hidden, and everything was under the spotlight.