Chapter 36
At 1:25 PM, the highly anticipated Frixyia speech competition kicked off at Argrol University amidst the enthusiastic applause of faculty and students.
The host, a friend of Sharon’s, said a few words to liven up the atmosphere before inviting Patrick to the stage.
Eager to see Yvette make a fool of herself, Patrick didn’t resort to his usual formalities. The students of Argrol University had. prepared themselves for a lengthy speech, but to their surprise, Patrick spoke only a few sentences before declaring the competition officially started.
The students were relieved to avoid his long monologue, and the applause grew even more enthusiastic, which pleased Patrick. Unbeknownst to Patrick, the applause was indeed for him, but not in the way he had imagined.
The host had previously conspired with Sharon, fixing the draw in the box so that Sharon would be first and Yvette second. As the stage lights illuminated and the curtain lifted, the two contestants were supposed to show up together, but only Sharon stood alone, inciting a wave of murmurs from the audience.
“What’s going on? Why is Sharon standing alone here?”
*Could it be that Yvette ran off at the last minute?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Are we going to leave here without seeing anything today?”
Winona looked down, biting her lip, the smile at the corners of her mouth sinister and malicious.
The host glanced at the script, confirming that the process was correct. According to the plan, both Sharon and Yvette were supposed to stand behind the curtain and draw lots together.
The host felt powerless, unsure where the problem had arisen, and could only look to Sharon for an explanation. Sharon was unhappy; she had wanted to shine in this competition and had gone so far as to buy an expensive outfit and perfect her look, eagerly waiting for this moment. But now Yvetle was missing right before the event was set to begin. Seeing the crowd growing restless, Sharon knew she had to step forward. She took the microphone from the host’s hands. “Hello, everyone. As you can see, Yvette appears to be missing. Perhaps she had an emergency or simply ran away. Regardless, the competition may not continue today, and as for who wins or loses, I think we all know the answer.” Once Sharon finished speaking, the audience’s reactions grew louder and more disdainful.
Some students had become Yvette’s fans because of the basketball court incident and had even made banners to cheer her on. Now that Yvette was absent, they could not accept it and started throwing their banners on the ground.
John, sitting in the cheering section, saw them toss their banners and silently picked them up from the floor. He worried that Yvette’s absence was due to something serious and felt an urge to go outside and find her.
Jeremiah sat in the back row, motionless. The veins in his neck were clearly visible beneath his black collar, and his subtly trembling Adam’s apple had a certain unspoken allure.
Andrew was about to lose his patience. ‘Running away at the last moment is simply too embarrassing. Is this really Jeremiah’s type? Andrew felt a bit of disdain, thinking that even if Yvette lost, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to help her out. But to lose without a light was just too shameful,
The students were preparing to get up and leave when Victor grabbed Winona and started to walk away. Just then, a soft voice spoke up. Tll compete in Yvette’s place.
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Everyone turned to the source of the voice, and at the entrance of the auditorium stood a figure. It was Bonnie, who had gathered her courage to stand there. Seeing everyone looking at her made her nervous, causing her palms to sweat and her body to tremble, but she forced herself to remain composel.
In her heart, Bonnie cheered herself on, and when she lifted her head again, her eyes sparkled with determination.
She walked step by step toward the stage, ignoring the murmurs around her. Despite the pressure, she pushed herself to reach the stage.
Those who were about to leave saw this situation unfold and sat back down, Winona held onto Victor, staying behind; she recognized Bonnie as the girl who had been rude to her for Yvette earlier, now coming to Yvette’s defense.
Sharon glared at Bonnie with disdain, her tone mocking. “You’re going to compete for Yvette? Why? She’s a coward, and you’re going to step in and embarrass yourself for her? How stupid.”
Bonnie shook her head firmly. “Yve must have had an urgent matter; she wouldn’t just bail at the last minute. I’m willing to compete. What are you scared?”
Sharon sneered, looking smug. “You think I’m scared? Fine. If you lose, you have to say ‘I’m a pig’ three times in front of everyone. If you agree, I’ll compete with you.”
Bonnie knew she couldn’t back down at that moment. If she gave in for Yve, it would only fuel the rumors gritted her teeth. “Fine, I agree
“Sorry, I don’t agree, Yvette said.1.
even more. She
The door to the auditorium swung open again. The moment everyone heard that chilling voice, they knew the newcomer was Yvette. There was no other voice like hers in all of Argrol University.
Yvette stood in the doorway, wearing a crisp shirt, her long legs straight and elegant. There were slight bloodshot threads in her eyes, adding an ambiguous fierceness to her appearance.
All eyes were instantly drawn to Yvette. Even Victor couldn’t help but look over.
As Yvette passed the last row, she noticed Jeremiah and Andrew sitting upright in their seats, and paused for a moment. No one caught that little action, but Jeremiah saw it clearly. He realized Yvette wasn’t as indifferent as she seemed.
Andrew’s jaw dropped at the moment Yvette walked in. He had lost hope in Yvette, thinking she wouldn’t show up, but to his surprise, she had returned.
He glanced at Jeremiah, who didn’t appear surprised at all. It seemed Jeremiah had believed from the very beginning that Yvette would come, which is why he was so calm.
Andrew couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Could someone really trust a person they have only met a few times?
Eventually, he understood that true love at first sight does exist, along with unwavering trust and support, because he himself had met someone like that.
Bonnie watched as Yvette approached her step by step, tears cascading down her cheeks, hitting the stage below.
“Look, it’s Yvette! Yvette really came back!”
“Yealt, she didn’t bail at the last minute.”
“So what if she did? Isn’t that even more humiliating?”
“Hey, at least she shows courage.
Tobias sat at the outer edge of the front row. As Yvette passed by him, he caught her attention despite Patrick’s unfriendly.
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glare. “Don’t push yourself; I’ll step in and handle this for you.”
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Patrick, of course, disagreed and replied sharply, with a hint of reproach in his tone. “Mr. Sunderland, the competition between students is scheduled; we can’t just interfere. He then pretended to be supportive and said to Yvette, “Go ahead, Ms. Zeller. I know you won’t disappoint us.”
Yvette politely thanked Tobias and then walked up to the stage. Patrick’s irritation only deepened as he watched Yvette ignore him; he felt like he could grind his teeth to dust.
“Don’t be a crybaby,” Yvette said to Bonnie.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
Seeing Yvette, Bonnie finally released the tension she had built up, relaxing completely as her voice trembled with emotion. Yve, you finally made it.”
Honestly, Bonnie was anxious too; she feared that Yvette might actually bail at the last minute. But her heart reassured her that Yvette wasn’t that kind of person, and sure enough, Yvette didn’t disappoint her.
Yvette’s delicate features still bore their usual coldness, though there was a hint of softness in her eyes. “Just sit back and watch closely
Bonnie cheered Yvette on before stepping off the stage. When Bonnie returned to her seat, Yvette finally turned to face Sharon directly.
Sharon refused to back down and glared right back, only to realize that Yvette’s cold eyes seemed to notice her as if she didn’t exist at all.
“No need for a draw; you can start firs
first, Yvette said.
Sharon and the host were unable to use any of the elaborate lines they had prepared. Under Yvette’s gaze, both felt a pang of awkwardness, as if Yvette was aware of their plan.
With confidence, Sharon walked to the center of the stage and placed her prepared speech on the podium, ready to begin her presentation