Ivanka was done with her mutiny. On the other side, Michael was moving fast on the mountain.In about ten minutes, he found about two dozen different herbs.It was a combination of luck and skill.On his way to look for other medicinal herbs, Michael also encountered Doska’s group.Surprisingly, Doska also had a dozen handfuls of herbs in his hand.But then again the others around him were empty-handed, it was plain to see.They probably knew that if they were spread out, there was a chance none of them would advance. Putting all their herbs in one person’s hands would be better. Micheal had no idea why they had picked Doska. He shook his head in slight confusion.When he saw that Michael was about to leave, Doska could not resist and spoke.“Stand still.”Michael did not want to pay any attention to it, but a man was already blocking the way.Michael stopped. He did not want to make a move for the moment.He looked at Doska. His gaze was chilling.“What do you want?”Do
“Yo, how dare you return with a handful of wild weeds?” Doska snorted lightly in mockery.Michael did not pay any attention and ignored him completely.He just handed over what he had in his hand straight to the referee.Seeing that he was being ignored, Doska immediately wanted to speak again, but the surrounding people talked him out of it.A few of the men scowled at Doska while grinning evilly. “Let’s watch. He’ll be embarrassed in a moment.”Doska also calmed down. The corners of his mouth curled in mockery.Obviously, he did not think Michael would be able to pass the first stage.Or rather, no one believed it but Ivanka.Even Anais added in her two cents and said with a look of regret, “I didn’t expect the first stage to be this. It looks like Michael is going to end at the first stage. What a pity.”Even Madam Wright was worried for him.Ivanka heard and did not comment on it. However, she still believed in Michael in her heart. The referee took over and conducted a
“Who would believe that he didn’t get any help?”The statement set off an uproar. Indeed, many people had been eliminated at this stage. Michael’s advancement as an outsider was suspicious in itself. Or maybe it was not just Doska. Many people had this suspicion; they just did not say it out loud.Once someone brought it up, it naturally led to the dam breaking, and a steady influx of skepticism started.“Yes. How long has an outsider been here? How was he able to find these herbs so precisely?”“Isn’t that so? I even saw Doska’s grandma take Michael out this morning to look for herbs. I hadn’t seen him before. Did he memorize it after just one turn? I don’t believe it.”“There’s something shady. He must be cheating. The Heroes Meeting would never tolerate cheating. They never need a hero who cheats.”“Get out of here. Disqualify him!”The noises continued. Under Doska’s lead, some people were agitated and said they wanted to disqualify Michael from the competition.Mdm.
Anais was about to open her mouth, but Ivanka beat her to it.“Anais just went to the restroom and came back. Why? If you even suspect Anais, is the village chief untrustworthy in your eyes either?”Anais gave Ivanka a deep look. Her gaze was conflicted.Doska was reluctant, but ultimately there was nothing he could do.That was how the issue went.In the end, Anais gave Ivanka a meaningful look.Her eyes had mixed emotions in them.Michael passed the first stage with flying colors.The second stage was called Valor.There were 33 people in total. Each person took a turn, and the rest fought against each other, similar to a wrestling match. At the end of the day, only eight people were left on the field. The one left out of each round would be drawn by lots.In the first round, everyone rubbed their hands together and tried to draw their turn out of the rounds. But it ended up being drawn by an unassuming man.Michael glanced at the number 12.Then he took another look
In the second round of the competition, Michael was matched against Doska.When Doska heard the news, he was so thrilled he nearly jumped for joy.He stared at Michael with eyes filled with hostility. He was eager to begin.Michael, however, paid no mind.It was not just a match Doska had been waiting for. Michael had been anticipating it as well. It was time to settle some matters.As the referee announced the start of the match, both men prepared to enter the arena.Before Michael stepped onto the stage, Ivanka called out to him.“Be careful later.”Michael looked at her with puzzlement. “Don’t you trust me?”Ivanka rolled her eyes. “I’m telling you to be careful not to kill the guy. Mdm. Wright is still here, after all.”Hearing this, Michael glanced at the worried-looking Mdm. Wright sitting on the sidelines. He nodded to show he understood.When they went on stage, Doska’s voice dripped with jealousy as he said, “Ivanka is being so nice to you now. You’d better enjo
Although everyone was puzzled by the sudden change, they chose to comply.It also gave Michael a day to relax and recover.Hand in hand with Ivanka, they walked back home. They looked like a perfect pair, as if they were made for each other.Behind them, Anais’s eyes fixed on their backs. She silently made up her mind about something.Later that evening, Anais sought out Ivanka and Michael. Whatever she said to them remained unknown, but she stayed for quite some time before leaving late into the night.When she finally walked away, her steps were light. The gloom she had carried earlier seemed to have lifted entirely.The next day, all the finalists gathered as instructed in the village chief’s courtyard.The referee arrived late, only to tell everyone to stay put and wait. He promised to return shortly.However, as the hours passed, the referee never came back.Morning turned into evening, yet they were left waiting with no further instructions.During this time, three in
Could it really be a contest of who ate the most?The idea was absurd.As the crowd exchanged shocked and incredulous looks, Matthias snorted before explaining.“You all know that the Heroes Meeting changes every year, and this year is especially unique. This time, the champion of the Heroes Meeting will not only be granted a request of their choosing, but they will also marry my precious daughter and become the next village chief.”Michael’s heart skipped a beat. Even though he had been forewarned, the sheer bluntness of the arrangement still managed to shock him.“You all performed well, at least in the first two rounds. But in this final test, only one person stood out.” He pointed at Michael.Michael sat there with his back straight and unwavering under the scrutiny of the crowd. He seemed unfazed by being in the spotlight as if he were entirely accustomed to it.His calm demeanor, devoid of any noticeable reaction, only made Matthias feel more conflicted.“Why, Chief? What
Matthias snorted. “She’s nothing more than a dumb pretty girl.”“She’s not,” Michael retorted without hesitation. The quick rebuttal only deepened Matthias’s displeasure.After finally finding a promising candidate, discovering he was a lovestruck guy was hard to accept.Matthias tried both persuasion and coercion, reasoning and admonishment, but Michael refused to budge.Every time, Michael gave the same response.“I’m not good enough. I’m not worthy of Anais.”Matthias was so exasperated that his face turned red.Before Matthias could explode in anger, Michael fixed his gaze on him and spoke earnestly.“Before the finals, I knew this test would be different. Anais was the one who told me.”Hearing Anais’s name, Matthias’s demeanor softened immediately. His agitation faded.Had Anais tipped Michael off about today’s test?No, it could not be.For the sake of fairness, Matthias had not told anyone about the test. Even the referee had only learned about the true nature of
In the face of Laura’s meltdown, Ivanka’s words seemed a bit smug.She was doing it on purpose.“You! Ivanka, how can you be so shameless as to say such things? Are you still a woman?” Laura’s hand, which was pointing at her angrily, trembled uncontrollably.Laura’s tears fell like a snapped pearl necklace. Ivanka laughed in a low voice. “Of course I am, otherwise how did I become the one Jonah wakes up to every day? Laura, since things have come to this, you’d better hurry home and stop embarrassing yourself here.”“What’s the point of chasing after someone who doesn’t like you like this?”She acknowledged Laura’s persistence toward Jonah. But insisting too much would turn into clinginess. Jonah’s dislike and disdain for Laura was clear. He never once gave Laura a chance. Even so, Laura refused to give up.Sometimes she did not think thoroughly before doing things. “Whether there’s a point to it is not for you to say!”Laura was still persistent.But the next second, Iva
It would not have been nice for Ivanka to be present during Jonah’s conversation with his mother. The Sadler family’s house was large. She went directly to the grass field outside.Margaret had a Golden Retriever. When Ivanka saw the maid bring it out to play, she immediately squatted in front of the Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever was very gentle and did not bite. Margaret saw the Golden Retriever wagging its tail at Ivanka. The gesture was clearly a sign of fondness and affection for Ivanka.Even the dog liked Ivanka, and she still did not like her. Could she really be the problem?Margaret began to contemplate and reflect on herself. As she was trying to approach Ivanka, someone had already walked up to Ivanka first.This person was no other than Laura, who she had once hated.When Laura saw the cozy scene of a person and a dog. She instantly rushed to Ivanka. “Ivanka, you’re so despicable. You won’t even spare a dog. Are you planning to drug it too?!”Ivanka kept
However, Jonah seemed to have heard some hilarious joke. “Do you really mean well? Do you mean well by trampling on my feelings?“You said everything started because of Ivanka. Why don’t you say it all started because of you?”Jonah let out another rhetorical question.He was extremely emotional.Margaret could not bear to watch him like this. She roared, “Enough, don’t think that I’ll compromise and stop interfering with you guys if you are like this!”Jonah laughed slowly. “Then what you said before was nonsense. Since I can’t get what I want, what else is left if I cure these legs?“You really don’t get it. You think that I’m driving you to your grave when it’s the opposite. Then what kind of mother-son bond is there between us to speak of?”At the end of Jonah’s speech, the mockery at the corner of his was extraordinarily obvious. His eyes even seemed determined.Margaret sensed it.“Are you going to cut ties with me for Ivanka?” Margaret found it incredulous. When she ask
She said to Ivanka in dissatisfaction, “Ms. Ivanka, please go out. I have something to say to Jonah alone right now.”Ivanka did not respond. However, the way she moved out already said everything.Jonah did not make a statement but silently agreed.He also did not want Ivanka to be present to see his embarrassment.“You’re being an ingrate. You never raised me like that! Since you’ve already spoken such, why are you still holding it against Iv? Is being a divorcee her sin?” Jonah’s expression was as dark as the storm clouds. Those eyes were locked on his mother. He felt that Ivanka had been deeply wronged.However, Margaret replied blandly, “Have you seen anyone wealthy choosing to marry divorcees? Are there really no other women out there?”“You are a woman too.” Jonah frowned.However, Margaret brought up a very realistic question. “I am indeed a woman. But no parent in the world would ever settle for anything less than the best option.”Those words infuriated Jonah.“Mom,
At Margaret’s rebuke, Ivanka was annoyed. “If you say so.”Whatever Margaret wanted to think was her own business. She would not interfere.Margaret immediately choked out in response, “You!”“You don’t have to target me. You know very well that I won’t get together with your son. I’m only here to administer treatment for your son.”Ivanka gave Margaret a bland look. Even her tone was bland.Margaret burst out laughing coldly. “It’s what you should do!”“I didn’t say that I shouldn’t,” Ivanka shot back indifferently. She no longer bantered with Margaret. She kept looking at her cell phone.In Margaret’s eyes, Ivanka was playing with her cell phone, and was playing intently too!There was a parasol over her head as she was leaning on a rattan chair. Most importantly, there were also refreshments on the round table to Ivanka’s left.Sheesh!“Ivanka, are you here to treat Jonah’s leg, or are you here to enjoy yourself?” Margaret chided Ivanka in dissatisfaction.When someone di
Jonah was concerned about Ivanka. But before he could finish speaking, he automatically lowered his voice.He was not the same as before.Call for him. With his weak legs, what could he do for her?Ivanka heard his tone but did not expose or console him. She only followed suit and said, “Rest well. I know my place.”“Alright.”Jonah answered half-heartedly. Ivanka turned around and left her back to him.On the terrace, there was a parasol and a rattan chair.She had only laid down on top of the rattan chairs for a few minutes when she heard footsteps from behind her. As the footsteps drew closer step by step, she subconsciously turned around.She only saw the servant who had just helped her carry a tray of food and walked towards her slowly.“Ms. Ivanka, the young master asked me to prepare some refreshments for you.”Ivanka nodded wordlessly.She was here to treat Jonah’s legs, not to enjoy the sunshine and eat. She did not eat anything. Her gaze was on the phone screen.S
As he said that, Jonah turned his wheelchair and moved closer to Ivanka.The delight on his face was hard to hide. Margaret did not see it. She was still in the hospital. It would have been better if she did not see her, but Ivanka also understood very clearly what Margaret meant by this. If she really wanted to have a long-lasting relationship with Jonah, they would have become a couple already. Why wait until that moment? As long as she agreed, it was not impossible, and that was what Jonah thought: he thought she would say yes.Ivanka gently laughed and shook her head. “Jonah, why are you still lying to yourself and others?”Even she understood it, so how could Jonah not know about it?However, Jonah was not willing to dwell on the matter. In the next second, he changed the topic. “It’s better to go to my room. The second floor has plenty of fresh air.”Ivanka saw that he was not willing to talk about it, so she did not say anything more. She nodded. Then a servant came
“If it’s my fault, you can always vent out your anger on me.” Michael made himself clear. It was not his fault, so he refused to accept being treated unfairly. Ivanka sneered, “It seems like you’ve forgotten that you were the cause of everything. If not for the fact that you refused to give up on me, I wouldn’t have invited Jonah for a roleplay. I don’t want to get into the details with you.” In the face of Ivanka’s mockery, for a moment, Michael felt as if something had stuck in his throat, and he did not know what else to say. Ivanka was utterly furious. It was pointless to speak any further to her. But he refused to become a punching bag on Jonah’s behalf for free. “You need to calm down. No one can get in the way of your choices. But I’ll never give up,” said Michael in a low voice. “I see. Since you refuse to give up, are you planning to steal the bride at her wedding as well?” Ivanka raised one of eyebrows. She felt amused. Michael blurted out a single word with
“Michael, I just didn’t want to upset Grandma. If you want to keep her posted on our progress, you might as well find someone else and get married so that there’s no more possibility between us. She will also stop thinking about me and you.” Ivanka had blurted it out without hesitation. Her tone was serious. She really meant it. Michael did not expect Ivanka to say this to him. Rosie had told Michael that Ivanka agreed to let him be her bodyguard because of her. At that time, Michael was over the moon thinking that Rosie had caused another miracle. But based on the situation, it looked like Ivanka did not plan to take other people’s concerns into account anymore. Michael’s mood turned foul. He could not say anything about Ivanka’s decision. “Iv, I refuse to accept this.” After a moment of silence, Michael said that to Ivanka. At that moment, he looked serious. Even though Ivanka could not see his expression, she could imagine his demeanor through his tone. “I know y