Chapter 5: Training in Taekwondo Since Three

"Oh, what's her name? Elena Campbell?" "Please hold on." After about half a minute, the voice on the phone returned, "You’ve got it wrong. Dr. Campbell… I mean, Elena Campbell hasn’t broken any laws, nor has she escaped from prison." "If you misuse police resources like this again, we will arrest you!" Malachi was still holding the phone, but before he could say anything more, the call was abruptly cut off. He stood there, stunned, and so did Mary, who had been listening to the call nearby. She had heard every word clearly. Elena watched their reaction with a sense of irony. "If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my room," she said, turning and heading upstairs. Mary watched Elena’s solitary figure, and for a moment, a wave of guilt washed over her. After all, Elena was her biological daughter. "I'm sorry, Elena. I wrongly accused you," Mary said, her tone uncharacteristically gentle. Elena paused, her heart clenching at the rare softness in her mother's voice. "Your father also wants to apologize. He didn’t mean to wrong you," Malachi added with a sigh. Elena frowned slightly. "There’s no need." The room fell into a heavy silence, only broken when Elena spoke again, "I’m going to my room." "Elena!" Mary called out to her again, standing up. "What happened earlier?" Elena knew exactly what Mary was asking about. She furrowed her brows. "I’ve already told you, I can’t explain it." The guilt that had momentarily softened Mary’s heart quickly gave way to anger once again. She looked at Elena with open disappointment. Taking a deep breath, Mary tried to suppress her frustration. "This morning, your teacher called. If you keep skipping classes like this, the school will expel you." "I know," Elena replied, seemingly unconcerned. But Mary’s anger flared at her indifference. "What do you mean, 'you know'? Elena, you're not a child anymore! Look at you—you're twenty years old and still haven’t started university. Anna is already in her second year! What future do you think you’ll have if you continue being so useless?" Elena’s expression remained unchanged as she stared at Mary. She had explained her academic situation to her mother countless times, but neither Mary nor Malachi had ever taken her explanations seriously. They always assumed she was lying or making excuses. By now, Elena was tired of wasting her breath on them. She forced a smile. "Don’t worry. The future you’re afraid of won’t happen. My goal is Princeton." "You want to get into Princeton?" Mary asked, incredulous. Elena nodded calmly. "Elena, do you even know what Princeton is? It’s one of the top universities in the entire United States! Anna worked day and night to get into Princeton, and you think you can make it?" "I can," Elena said, her confidence unwavering. Mary felt like she was on the verge of losing her temper. She took a deep breath, ready to argue further, but by then, Elena had already gone upstairs to her room. Elena had spent two straight days at the research institute. Although they had made a breakthrough, she was exhausted. As soon as she got to her room, she was about to take a shower when her phone rang. She answered the call, and a handsome face appeared on the screen. "Elena, I’ve received an invitation from Master Hill. He wants to have a match with you." Elena raised an eyebrow. "The real Master Hill?" "There’s no mistake!" "Alright, I accept." Willard Quick jumped up, unable to hide his excitement. "Elena, you and Master Hill are legends in the piano world! This match will be highly anticipated!" "I’ll let them know right away!" Elena ended the call, took a quick shower, and went to bed. The next morning, she changed into her running clothes for her morning workout. When she reached a nearby park, she saw a group of elderly men practicing taekwondo. A small crowd had gathered around them, applauding their moves, clearly impressed by their skills. "Great job, Giles! Your technique keeps getting better!" "Indeed! In this area, few can match your skills!" The old men praised each other, not holding back on their compliments. Elena paused, watching them for a moment before stepping forward. "Your push kicks and side kicks are not accurate." Elena had been practicing taekwondo since she was a child, so even after just a brief observation, she could tell their moves weren’t up to standard. Although she didn’t speak loudly, her words drew everyone’s attention. Seeing her young and pretty face, the older men’s expressions turned sour. "What do you know?" "Exactly! You don’t understand anything, yet you dare to criticize?" "Giles has been practicing taekwondo for decades. How could he be worse than you?" Despite their criticism, Elena remained calm. "I’m just telling the truth—his moves are off." "How shameless can you be?" one of the grumpier old men snapped. "Get out! Get lost!" "Alright, alright, she’s just a young girl. Why are you all getting worked up?" Joe Giles, the man who had been praised earlier, stepped forward with a smile. "Young lady, you seem to know a lot about taekwondo," he said. "I do," Elena nodded. Joe looked her over. With his experience, he could tell she wasn’t lying. After a moment’s thought, he spoke again. "How long have you been practicing?" "Around three years old," Elena recalled before answering. Her words were met with laughter from the surrounding crowd. "Did you hear that? She claims she started at three! What a liar!" The old man who had wanted to confront Elena earlier laughed mockingly, and the others joined in. But Elena stood there quietly, unfazed by their ridicule. Joe watched her, having already formed an opinion. "If you think my push kicks and side kicks are inaccurate, can you demonstrate them?" Elena didn’t agree right away. She checked the time first. There’s enough time, she thought. "I have to go to school soon, so I’ll only demonstrate once." "Hmph, bragging at such a young age. I’d like to see you try—" The mocking voice from earlier was suddenly cut off.