Ultimate Choice System: I Became The Richest!

"No way, the Crown Veridian Hotel?! That place is famous!" a girl whispered excitedly.

"I've heard their suites cost more per night than most people make in a month!" another added, her eyes darting to Noah.

"Forget the car, this guy owns that hotel?!" someone in the back exclaimed.

Olivia blinked rapidly, trying to compose herself. She cleared her throat, the professional demeanor she'd cultivated momentarily slipping as she pressed further. "Noah, forgive me, but that's a bit…unexpected. You're still so young, and yet you're the largest shareholder of one of the most prestigious hotels in the city?"

Noah's lips twitched into a faint smirk, his eyes gleaming with quiet confidence. "Age doesn't determine capability. The opportunity was there, so I took it."

The students who overheard this seemed torn between awe and intimidation.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"I can't believe it. I'm sitting here stressing over exams, and this guy owns a five-star hotel," a boy muttered, shaking his head.

"I need to figure out what this guy eats for breakfast because clearly, I've been doing life wrong," a girl added with a laugh.

Olivia, meanwhile, latched onto his words, her curiosity fully piqued. "That's…incredible. Could you tell us a bit about how you came to acquire such a significant share in the hotel?"

Noah gave a small shrug, his tone measured. "I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I made the right investments at the right time. It wasn't an easy process, but it was worth it."

Olivia's mind raced as she tried to reconcile the calm, composed young man in front of her with the image of a high school student. "And your car—the Lykan Hypersport outside—is that yours as well?"

"It is," Noah replied casually. "I bought it a few months ago."

The camera operator's jaw dropped audibly, and even Olivia couldn't contain her amazement. "The Lykan Hypersport is one of the rarest supercars in the world! It's worth millions!"

Noah raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing. "And yet, it still gets me from point A to point B."

A ripple of laughter broke out among the students at his understated humour, but the awe in the crowd only grew.

Olivia gathered herself quickly, realizing the magnitude of the moment. "Noah Thompson, perfect scores in every subject, owner of a five-star hotel, and driver of one of the rarest supercars on the planet. You've achieved so much already. Do you have any advice for those watching at home?"

Noah tilted his head thoughtfully before answering, his voice steady. "Stay focused, work hard, and don't let distractions hold you back. Everyone has potential; it's what you do with it that counts."

The crowd grew quiet, hanging onto his words, as Olivia gave him an admiring nod. "Thank you, Noah. I think it's safe to say you've inspired a lot of people today."

"I aspire to inspire," Noah said, his smile calm yet infectious, leaving an impression on everyone around him. His words carried weight, resonating with the students and the reporters alike. The journalist, Olivia, paused to process his statement, her admiration evident as she took a step back, giving Noah the space to rejoin his peers.

Noah turned his gaze toward Lily, who stood a few feet away, clutching her results envelope with both hands. Her knuckles were pale from gripping it so tightly, and her expression was a mix of nervous anticipation and determination.

"Lily," Noah called out, his tone soft yet encouraging. "You're up next. You've got this."

Lily glanced up at him, her eyes wide. "You think so?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Absolutely," Noah replied, his calm demeanor unwavering. "You've worked hard. Trust yourself."

Encouraged by his words, Lily nodded and took a deep breath. Emily, standing beside her, gave a small cheer. "You've got this, Lily! Open it already!"

The small crowd that had gathered around Noah now shifted their attention to Lily, their curiosity piqued. Some of the students who knew her began murmuring.

"She's one of the top students, right? I bet she did well."

"I heard she studied with Noah sometimes. So that's a bonus, she will definitely get top scores too."

Lily fumbled slightly as she broke the seal on the envelope, her hands trembling. Noah stepped closer, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Deep breath," he said with a small smile.

Lily nodded, inhaling deeply before pulling out the results sheet. Her eyes darted over the paper, scanning for her grades.

Slowly, Lily's face lit up, a brilliant smile replacing her earlier nervousness as she clutched her results paper tightly. "I got a perfect score in mathematics!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with joy. "And…oh wow, I only missed two or three marks in the other subjects!"

The crowd around her erupted in cheers, with Emily jumping up and down beside her. "You're so amazing, Lily!" Emily exclaimed, her face glowing with admiration.

Even Olivia, the reporter, couldn't hide her astonishment. Her jaw dropped as she processed what Lily had just said. "Perfect scores in math and near-perfect scores in everything else?" she said aloud, her voice tinged with disbelief. She turned to the cameraman. "How are these students doing this? Is it suddenly easy to get these kinds of scores?"

The cameraman shrugged his own expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "No idea. Maybe the test paper was easy for this year."

In the broadcasting headquarters, the presenter watching the live feed couldn't hold back her incredulity. "Olivia, this is incredible! But let's get some variety. Try speaking to a few more students to see how they're feeling about their results."

Olivia nodded on-screen. "Will do," she replied, glancing around the crowd for her next subject. Ironically, her gaze landed on Layla, who stood a few feet away, staring at Lily and Noah with a green-eyed jealousy that practically radiated off her.

"Excuse me," Olivia said, approaching Layla with a polite smile. "Would it be alright if we took a look at your results and got your thoughts on the exams?"

Layla's face froze for a brief moment before she quickly masked her unease. She glanced at Olivia but then turned her attention to a nearby friend, pretending not to have heard the question. She muttered something to the friend and walked off briskly, her head held high as if the question was never asked.

Olivia hesitated, her microphone still in the air as she watched Layla retreat. The awkward tension hung for a moment before the cameraman whispered, "Move on."

Olivia nodded, lowering the microphone. "Well, it seems that some students prefer to keep their results private, which is perfectly fine," she said with a professional smile, covering the moment smoothly. She turned back to the crowd, scanning for another student who might be willing to talk.

Meanwhile, Olivia approached another student who was more than happy to share their results, lightening the mood of the segment as the camera panned to other cheerful faces in the crowd.

Layla, however, remained on the periphery, her envy simmering as the celebrations continued without her.

Noah made his way through the crowd, stopping beside Aiden, who was sitting on a bench near the results area. The envelope containing Aiden's test scores rested unopened on his lap, and he was clearly stalling, his eyes darting between the other students opening their results. Find your next read at empire

"Yo," Noah greeted casually, hands in his pockets.

Aiden looked up, startled out of his thoughts. "Yo," he replied hesitantly, his tone laced with unease. Though their friendship had survived Layla's drama, the lingering tension was still evident.

Noah raised an eyebrow, nodding toward the envelope. "So, are you gonna open that, or are you just trying to avoid your dad whooping your ass if the results aren't good?"

Aiden scoffed, crossing his arms defensively. "Please. My dad's chill. He said as long as I keep grinding on YouTube and eventually start my own business, he's not too worried about grades. He's got that 'Steve Jobs didn't finish college' energy, you know?"

Noah smirked, leaning against the back of the bench. "So, let me get this straight. Your master plan is to turn your dad's garage into the next big tech empire? Very forward-thinking."

"Hey, don't knock it," Aiden shot back with a grin. "Genius often looks like madness at first."

"Right. And you think genius involves you sitting here staring at an unopened envelope?" Noah tilted his head, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What's the real reason, Aiden? Afraid it's bad news?"

Aiden hesitated for a moment, then huffed dramatically. "Fine, since you're so invested in my academic destiny, I'll open it. But you're reading it first. Spare me the anxiety." He shoved the envelope toward Noah.

"Coward," Noah teased, but he took the envelope anyway, ripping it open with precision. He scanned the paper inside, and his smirk widened slightly.

"Well?" Aiden asked, his knee bouncing with nervous energy. "Am I a certified idiot or not?"

Noah handed the paper back to him with a nonchalant shrug. "Not an idiot. Actually, you did pretty well. High enough to qualify for advanced courses if you wanted."

Aiden's eyes widened as he read the results himself. "Wait, what? No way." He squinted at the paper, his voice rising. "I passed math with an A-Grade? A?! I didn't even finish the last question!"

Noah chuckled, clearly amused. "You're welcome, by the way. All that tutoring you ignored must've sunk in through osmosis."

"Okay, first of all, I never ignored your tutoring. I just…needed time to absorb it," Aiden said defensively, though the grin on his face betrayed his excitement. "Man, I can't believe I actually did this."

"Well, believe it. Your dad's not gonna have to sell the garage for you to open a bookstore after all."