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Chapter_34
The following day, like every other, Yvette arrived in class, intending to sleep through the lecture. She had just pulled her jacket over her head when a loud thud echoed on her desk. Blinking in confusion, Yvette slowly lifted her head, her throat feeling a bit dry. In front of her was a stack of books, and she couldn’t immediately comprehend what was going on.
Bonnie, out of breath and sweating, stood before her. “Yve, these are all introductory Frixyia books. You should take a look. For the next three days, just focus on reading these books. I’ll take care of the professor’s tasks for you,” Bonnie said, offering the books with a determined look on her face.
Yvette finally understood what was happening. She smiled faintly and casually flipped through the books. Bonnie had brought ten books in total: three introductory, five intermediate, and two that focused on advanced vocabulary.
“Did you find these books yourself?” Yvette asked, intrigued by Bonnie’s determination.
Bonnie shook her head innocently. “No, a very handsome librarian helped me. He saw me looking for Frixyia books and asked what I needed them for. I told him about your bet with Sharon, and he recommended these books, saying you’d definitely need them.”
Yvette frowned slightly, but maintained her usual composed demeanor. “Oh.”
Noticing the slight change in Yvette’s mood, Bonnie thought she was upset about her interference, and her own face fell a little. Yvette wasn’t one to express concern for others, which made Bonnie feel a bit down. But then, Yvette surprised her. “The books are good, Bonnie,” she added, breaking her usual indifference.
Bonnie perked up immediately, thrilled that Yvette wasn’t upset with her. She practically bounced with energy, urging Yvette to start reading. Yvette, with no real choice, began flipping through the pages.
As Yvette delved into the Frixyia books, the professor couldn’t help but notice. He’d seen the campus forum and was aware of the upcoming competition between Yvette and Sharon from the Frixyia department. But he wasn’t sure last-minute studying would help Yvette. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around the behavior of today’s students.
To most of the professors, Yvette had become a sort of enigma. She was the talk of the campus, known for her lack of academic participation and frequent absences. Most assumed that she was simply here for a degree, sent by the Chambers family, without much care for her grades. The professors didn’t expect much from her academically, assuming the courses were too challenging for her. Tobias, however, was the only faculty member who hadn’t entirely given up on her GPA.
Meanwhile, Andrew was scrolling through his phone when he stumbled upon a post that stopped him in his tracks. It was pinned at the top of the Argrol University forum with bold letters: [Sharon from the Frixyia Department will compete in a Frixyia contest with Yvette from the Physics Department in the auditorium! To be held in three days.]
Andrew rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was seeing things correctly. The Yvette mentioned in the post was the same cool girl he had met at the steakhouse. Without wasting another second, he sprang from his chair, startling the others in the library with the screeching sound. Ignoring the stares, he ran out, heading straight to the villa he shared with Jeremiah off-campus.
“Bad news, Jeremiah! Something terrible has happened to your girl!” Andrew shouted as he burst through the door.
“Shut up.” Jeremiah’s voice was calm, but there was a warning tone, cutting through the noise.
Andrew took a deep breath, holding up his phone and showing Jeremiah the post. “Yvette is going to compete in a Frixyia contest,” he said in disbelief.
Jeremiah took a glance at the phone and then looked away, unphased.
“You knew about this already, right?” Andrew pressed, still in shock.
Jeremiah pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it slowly. His expression remained unreadable as he exhaled a plume of smoke. “Yes,” he muttered, almost too calmly.
Andrew wasn’t going to leave it at that. “I bet you don’t know Yvette’s background.”
Jeremiah gave him a sidelong glance, his sleeves casually rolled up, revealing a slim wrist. “Tell me.”
Andrew didn’t hesitate, recounting everything he had read on the forum. “It’s a sad story. Yvette is the long-lost daughter of the Chambers family, one of the four major families in Seacrity. Her mother, Lilian, was Mr. Chambers’s first wife. Yvette was just recently found by her family, but I heard she had some conflict with the Carter family on the basketball court a few days ago and got kicked out. Now she’s staying on campus. I never expected a cold and beautiful girl like her to have such a complicated background.”
Jeremiah listened closely, his frown deepening as Andrew spoke. His eyes grew more serious, his usual stoic demeanor slipping into something more intense. Andrew, sensing the change, fell silent. It was clear that Yvette was someone special to Jeremiah, and the way he reacted to her situation made Andrew feel uneasy.
Jeremiah took another drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling around him as his gaze turned cold. “She won’t lose.”
Andrew hesitated, glancing at Jeremiah. “You really think so?” he asked, unconvinced. “Frixyia is one of the hardest languages in the world. I had trouble with it, and I only learned it under a lot of pressure. Yvette’s from the countryside—she’s bound to lose.”
Jeremiah’s unwavering confidence in Yvette only seemed to strengthen Andrew’s resolve. He figured that if Yvette lost, he would step in to divert attention from her failure and protect Jeremiah’s pride. Andrew didn’t mind losing face himself; he had no shame and could always disappear afterward.
Over the next three days, Sharon’s constant promotion of the competition made sure nearly everyone at Argrol University was aware of it. Usually, the auditorium didn’t require tickets, but this event was so highly anticipated that the student council had to distribute them to keep order.
Sharon, following Winona’s advice, personally approached Patrick to ensure fairness. Patrick, eager to see Yvette humbled, readily agreed to her request.
Victor and Winona arrived early to take their second-row seats. Winona even visited the backstage area to offer Sharon some last-minute encouragement. When she saw Yvette there, she approached her with a fake smile.
Bonnie, who was handing Yvette some water, nearly bumped into Winona as she turned around. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. Did any water spill?” Winona asked, feigning concern.
Bonnie ignored Winona’s words, huffing slightly as she quickly handed Yvette the water.
Winona, feeling irritated, couldn’t help herself. “Yvette, how can you make others fetch water for you?” she asked, her voice dripping with faux sweetness.
