Among these people, the one who reacted the most was Laura. When she saw Cooper step forward, her expression changed instantly—she wasn't afraid, she rather looked like she was hurt."Cooper, are you sure you want to speak up for Jade?" She spoke in a completely different tone from her earlier tough demeanor. Her demeanor had softened a lot, and even her gaze on Cooper became gentle.Jade wasn't the only one who noticed. Even Melanie caught on. "What's going on? Why do I feel like Laura is interested in Cooper?"Jade shrugged, making a gesture to imply that she was just as clueless."What, do you have a problem with this?" Cooper said gruffly, looking at Laura with a cold gaze. "If you dare to touch Jade, I won't let you off the hook."Laura had never been embarrassed like this before, so she immediately burst into tears. "Cooper, don't take this too far. What am I to you if you protect her like this?"There were gasps all around them.The information contained in Laura's words
The bet was set."Jade, I'll surely defeat you," Tiffany whispered as she passed by Jade. "I will make everyone know that I am the true number one at Clotheap University."She then walked away with an air of arrogance.Watching her leave, Melanie looked worriedly at Jade. "You've gotten yourself into trouble this time, Jade.""Why do you say that?" Jade asked, puzzled.Melanie looked surprised. "Don't you know? The McAuley Group is quite significant in Centus. Tiffany has been groomed as the heiress since childhood, is fluent in several languages, and excels in various fields like music, chess, academics, and painting. She's the limelight growing up.""So what?" Jade was still confused."Because your existence threatens her position. There's no room for two at the top. How could she allow you to steal her spotlight?" Melanie analyzed.Jade shook her head but appeared to agree with Melanie. "You're right."Actually, the reason Tiffany came to pick on her was not as Melanie had
Neve was anxious. These days, she had noticed that Lloyd was no longer paying attention to her. If she couldn't marry into the Zeals, she wouldn't be able to establish herself in the entertainment industry.A bold idea suddenly flashed in Neve's mind: What if she aced this exam? Wouldn't that secure her the title of Miss Clotheap? If so, both Jade and Tiffany would be left in the dust. Neve would ascend to legendary status at Clotheap University.The more Neve thought about it, the more excited she became. She composed herself and called Jacob. "Jacob, can you help me with something?""What's up? Tell me," Jacob replied.Glancing around to make sure nobody was listening, Neve said, "I need the test papers for this coming exam.""No problem." Although Jacob didn't ask Neve what she needed them for, he had already guessed that it had something to do with the competition for Miss Clotheap. He was fully supportive of Neve in order to secure that title.…In a blink of an eye, the da
No one would have imagined that the person who had stolen the test papers was actually in their own class. Everyone was discussing who it could be.The lecturer asked everyone to quiet down and looked at Laura. "Laura, come up to the front."Laura felt utterly confused, unsure of what was happening, yet she obediently went up to the front. "What's the meaning of this?""What's the meaning of this? Are you still pretending to be clueless? You've disappointed me too much," the lecturer said angrily with a raised voice. "The papers were found under your bed. How much longer are you going to hide it?""What?!" Laura exclaimed. "I didn't steal the papers. Are you sure you've got the right person?""You didn't steal the papers? Then explain why the papers were found under your bed.""I-I don't know," Laura said, feeling wronged. "But I didn't do it! Why are you trying to make me admit to something I didn't do?""No need to say anymore. Have your parents come here. The university takes
As expected, Laura's face contorted with anger. "I'm going to confront her."Ignoring Neve's protests, she ran toward the classroom.Neve watched her go with a sinister smile.'Fight!' she thought.The harder they fought, the less attention there'd be on the test paper issue. That was the only way for Neve to come out of this unscathed.As for Laura, Neve thought she shouldn't have stayed at a prestigious school like Clotheap University in the first place. Consider it bad luck that Laura ended up taking the blame for her.…Laura stormed into Jade's dormitory, shoving the door open and shouting, "Jade, come out!"Jade was already aware of the leaked test papers, but she hadn't expected Laura to come looking for her. She walked to the door and saw Laura, furious, with a crowd of onlookers behind her. "You're looking for me?" Jade asked."Jade, in front of all these classmates, did you steal the papers to frame me?" Laura's emotions boiled as she glared at Jade, ready to tear
Jade flashed a helpless smile at Melanie. "Guess it's just the classic case of jealousy, huh?""Jealousy?" Melanie paused for a moment, then suddenly understood. "You mean Cooper?""Who else could it be? Even a fool can see that Laura has a crush on him," Jade replied with exasperation.Melanie nodded, then furrowed her brows. "But that still shouldn't be a reason for her to come after you."Jade smiled wryly. Jealousy could really drive people insane.…Later that afternoon, Jade spotted Laura on her way to class.Laura was accompanied by her parents, who wore troubled expressions, barely able to lift their heads. As Jade and Laura's eyes met, a flicker of anger flashed in Laura's eyes."I won't let you off the hook," Jade murmured, reading Laura's lips.Laura left the school—expelled.The incident gradually faded from everyone's memory after it circulated for a while. Jade busied herself with her laboratory work and studies, eventually forgetting about it as well.…Dur
After Laura left, Jade pushed Cooper aside. "Why did you let Laura misunderstand?"Cooper shrugged nonchalantly. "I had to do something to stop her from pestering me. If I didn't divert her attention to you, who knows how long she'd keep bothering me."Jade rolled her eyes at him and walked ahead, but Cooper stuck to her like a fly. "Wait up! Where are you going?""I'm going to eat. Do me a favor and don't follow me, okay?"Cooper's eyes lit up. "Perfect, I haven't eaten either. Let's go together."Dealing with someone as shameless as him rendered Jade speechless.They found a restaurant and sat down.Jade intended to order something casual, but Cooper ended up ordering a feast—appetizers, mains, desserts, soup, the works.Jade frowned at him. "Can you finish all of these?" Cooper replied with a confident smile, "Of course I can."As they began to eat, Jade couldn't shake off the image of Laura's gaze when she left. She asked Cooper, "What's your deal with her?""What deal?
Unfortunately, Lloyd failed. Jade wasn't pretending—she genuinely wasn't afraid.Retracting his probing gaze, Lloyd waved his hand to dismiss his men and put on a smile again. "Don't misunderstand, I have no ill intentions. If possible, I'd like to have a chat with you.""A chat? About what?" Jade remained stern as she kept her eyes on Lloyd, her sharp gaze cutting through him.Lloyd felt uneasy under Jade's stare as he sensed her hostility, which seemed deeper than mere caution toward a stranger. It felt more like a profound enmity.Upon reflection, though, he realized he hadn't had any conflicts with Jade before. Their few encounters had all been at school.'Oh, I remembered now. Is it because of the incident with my father's pharmaceutical company stealing Jade's medicine?' Lloyd had been unaware of it at the time but didn't find it surprising even after learning about it later. After all, business was like warfare, where it was often the survival of the fittest.Despite that,