Chapter 217: Holding a knife at Monica, screaming Jane Banner

New Jersey.

Methuen Girls' Orphanage.

A math class test was going on. The female math teacher came down from the podium. She had no experience in future advanced high school entrance examinations. She started walking around to check the students' answers, and walked to the side of a black-haired girl with twin tails in the first row.

At this moment, the black-haired girl with twin ponytails looked up and smiled sweetly at her, then lowered her head and continued to answer questions.

The female math teacher couldn't help but have a hint of an aunt's smile on her lips. Then she looked at the black-haired girl with twin ponytails and her neatly curled face and her flawless answers, and sighed in her heart: "Esther, what a pity."

The black-haired girl with twin tails, Esther, has always been her best student before. She studies well, can play the piano, and draws very well. She is polite and good at communication, and has a maturity far beyond her appearance.

Such an excellent Esther, not long after she came to Methuen, was noticed by a couple and went through the adoption procedures. But who could have imagined that she would encounter something like this right after she left.

Although this was an accident and has nothing to do with Esther, the key point is that the family who wants to adopt her in the future will not think so.

Because this is not the first time.

Looking at Esther's file, it turns out that she was adopted from abroad by an American couple. Then while she was away, their home caught fire and burned the couple to death, causing Esther to live in the orphanage again.

So pathetic.

Although the orphanage will make some modifications to the families who come to adopt children, and teach the children to show their distressed fake smiles to potential future parents to increase the chance of successful adoption, but such children will show off to their parents the day after tomorrow.

'How can a friendly smile compare to the natural smile that is inherited from the DNA after coming out of the mother's womb for survival?

Moreover, the modification is not random editing. This kind of important resume information cannot be deleted, modified or concealed by the orphanage.

Esther, who had two accidents, is already a disaster star in the eyes of some people. Even if there are couples who believe in science and are not superstitious and don't care about this, they may still have to face better options and give up on accidents all the time.

Esther.

Thinking of this, the female math teacher couldn't help but look away from her black-haired twintails and looked at the last row of the classroom. She saw that the little blond girl Beth Harmon was not immersed in answering questions, but looked up indifferently.

Looking at her, after their eyes met, Beth Harmon raised her hand.

This is not the first time.

The female math teacher came over, picked up the written test paper that had just been handed out on the table, glanced at it, and found that everything was correct. She whispered as always: "Go take the blackboard eraser to the basement and clean it."

Beth Harmon got up, walked to the blackboard, skillfully picked up the chalk dust-stained blackboard and erased it.

The female math teacher stood in the last row and watched Beth Harmon leave the classroom. The black-haired ponytail who had been immersed in the answer sheet raised her head and watched with her as Beth Harmon's back disappeared.

This is another point where the female math teacher sighs for Esther. Before Beth Harmon came over, Esther was indeed the best child in the Methuen orphanage.

But after Beth Harmon came over, even though she didn't argue about anything and was always very quiet, always looking at everything indifferently with her big eyes open, her genius IQ inherited from her mother who has a doctorate in mathematics, how could she not

It cannot be concealed.

In terms of learning, she is self-taught, which makes her a math teacher feel a lot of pressure. She prepares lessons more diligently than before, fearing that she will be looked down upon by a 9-year-old child.

In terms of hobbies, I fell in love with chess just because I went to the basement to wash blackboards and erasers and saw the old administrator playing chess alone. In just a few weeks, the chess club instructor from Bergen County High School came to the school to talk to the school.

After long discussions, she invited her to 1V12 in high school, where she won a great victory and met the world champion grandmaster and the famous Detective Chuck.

This experience made her, an ordinary math teacher, envious, not to mention attractive to the couples who came to adopt her.

Also 9 years old, Esther looks no worse than Beth Harmon, but the real gap is still there. She really needs to explain that one is precocious and excellent, while the other is simply excellent in IQ.

Outside the classroom.

Beth Harmon walked down the corridor with the blackboard eraser, turned the corner, came to a stairwell, walked down, opened a door, walked into the basement, came to the sink, and smacked the blackboard eraser hard.

After a while, she started washing with water. She turned around and looked inside. A chess set was placed there as usual, but the familiar old administrator was not sitting there. She frowned, walked over to look at the chess board, and casually

After taking a step forward in the endgame, he walked to the corner and started looking through the various chess books and the latest chess magazines placed here.

The Methuen Girls' Orphanage implements a closed management system. There are no mobile phones or TVs. Apart from regular weekly movie screenings, there is little information exchange with the outside world.

For taciturn Beth Harmon, there's nothing unacceptable about that, and she also has chess.

Of course, reading magazines recording major chess news events from the old administrator was one of her few pleasures.

Then she saw it published that grandmaster Patrick Kloster won the world championship title in the Rejing World Championship Challenge, and calmly began to read the review of the final game in the magazine.

A bald old man came in with a tool box and a ladder, glanced at Beth, and remained silent.

"His confidence is a little low."

After a long time, Beth looked up at the bald old man: "What happened recently?"

The bald old man looked at Beth in surprise and said slowly: "I heard that Patrick Kloster lost to Detective Chuck in a game held on Long Island."

Having said this, the taciturn man couldn't help but add: "He lost completely. He must have been severely hit. You are right, he is no match for Detective Chuck."

"I told you so."

It's no surprise to Beth Harmon.

At first, the two only played chess and had almost no unnecessary dialogue. However, as Beth showed her superb chess talent and won honors with the help of the old man, Beth liked to tell the old man all her feelings after she came back.

Then she talked about her judgment: the world champion grandmaster is completely unable to compare with the top mathematician Chuck Wolf.

But the old administrator, whose only hobby was playing chess, didn't believe it. He gave her popular science about what it means to be a world champion, but it still didn't change her opinion until she learned about the battle at Channing Manor from her friends in the chess club.

Later, he realized that she was right.

"It's a pity that he is not married..."

"Why?"

Facing the old administrator's sudden sigh, 9-year-old Beth Harmon looked over in confusion.

"nothing."

The old administrator did not explain the rule that unmarried people cannot adopt children. He shook his head and then glanced at her: "It's time for you to go back. Someone will come over today. You should be well prepared."

"Nothing to prepare for."

Beth naturally knew what the old administrator meant by preparation, and said indifferently: "My life is very good now."

Every once in a while, couples who want to adopt a child will come over. This day is almost like a festival in the orphanage. Everyone puts on their most beautiful clothes, looks beautiful, shows the neatest standard smile, and looks eagerly.

He looked at the couple who came in and wanted them to adopt him.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

The old administrator shook his head: "As time goes by, you will understand. Now, get out of here!"

After saying this, he suddenly looked towards the stairs, vaguely feeling that someone was there, but he didn't see anyone.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Beth Harmon could only take the magazine and leave.

The exams have ended long ago, and there are no other classes scheduled today. The girls, big and small, are laughing and playing, showing off their youthful vitality that they usually don’t have.

Um.

Today was a rare indulgence allowed by the Methuen Orphanage, mainly to be shown to potential adopters and donors who were about to visit.

A car drives in.

The director of the orphanage stood at the door to receive him. After a couple got off the car, he immediately greeted them with a smile: "Mr. Kloster, Mrs. Kloster, welcome to Methuen!"

That’s right!

The visitors were none other than Linda and his wife.

Linda took the initiative to take charge of the greetings.

Patrick Kloster, on the other hand, stood reservedly with his hands behind his hands, looking at the building in Methuen. His eyes suddenly looked towards the attic room on the second floor. A petite shadow flashed away, and the corner of Patrick's mouth couldn't help but reveal a smile.

A playful smile.

Under the guidance of the dean, the Klosters began to visit the Methuen Orphanage. Linda remembered her husband's reminder and asked proactively: "Dean, I heard that there is a child named Beth Harmon. She

Why aren't you here?"

"Oh, Beth, she's in her room."

The dean glanced at the world champion, suddenly understood, and explained with a smile: "She likes to study chess records. I think she will be very happy to see Mr. Kloster again."

"I hope so."

Patrick Kloster smiled pointedly and said: "If possible, I hope to personally train the next generation of American chess to truly have the power to dominate the world."

"This is everyone's hope."

The dean smiled flatteringly, and then led the two of them upstairs to Beth's dormitory, where they met Beth sitting there reading a chess magazine.

"Bess, come see Mr. Closter and Mrs. Closter."

The dean greeted.

Under the gaze of the dean, Beth could only stand up and walk over, saying hello numbly, and then looked at Patrick Kloster strangely.

"meet again."

Patrick Kloster looked at Beth, then saw the chess magazine in her hand, and smiled: "You are watching my game in the finals, do you understand?"

"Still researching."

Beth looked at him: "But I know it was difficult for you to win. Is it because your confidence was shattered by Chuck Wolf?"
To be continued...