The next day, as usual, Yvette arrived in the classroom intending to sleep through class. She had just settled under her clothes when a loud thud landed on her desk.

Yvette slowly lifted her head, her throat hoarse. Looking at the pile of books before her, she felt confused.

Bonnie, sweating and panting, said, “Yve, these are introductory Frixyia books. Read these for the next three days. I'll handle the professor's assignments.”

Yvette finally understood. She smiled and casually flipped through the books. Bonnie had brought ten: three introductory, five intermediate, and two with advanced vocabulary.

“Did you find these yourself?” Yvette asked.

Bonnie shook her head. “No, a very handsome librarian helped. He saw me looking for Frixyia books, asked why, and I told him about your bet with Sharon. He recommended these.”

Yvette frowned slightly, maintaining her nonchalant expression. “Oh.”

Bonnie, sensing Yvette’s low spirits and fearing she was upset about her meddling, felt sad. Yvette rarely considered others' feelings. Seeing Bonnie’s disappointment, Yvette uncharacteristically added, “The books are good, Bonnie.”

Bonnie brightened immediately. Ms. Gorgeous isn’t annoyed! she thought, her energy restored. She insisted Yvette read the books, and Yvette reluctantly complied.

The professor noticed Yvette reading Frixyia books and was speechless. He knew about her competition with Sharon from the Frixyia department, via the campus forum. He doubted last-minute studying would help, muttering about the incomprehensibility of modern students.

The faculty was accustomed to Yvette. She was the most talked-about student, yet no one held high hopes for her GPA. Since her arrival, she had slept through every class, leading professors to assume the courses were beyond her.

The Chambers family likely sent her for a degree only; the professors mostly ignored her. Tobias was the only faculty member who hadn't given up on her GPA.

Andrew, playing on his phone, accidentally opened the Argrol University forum. A pinned post glared: “[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. The Yvette mentioned was the cool girl from the steakhouse! He leaped from his chair, making a screeching sound that drew unfriendly stares. Ignoring them, he ran to the off-campus villa he shared with Jeremiah.

“Bad news, Jeremiah! Something terrible’s happened to your girl!” Andrew yelled.

“Shut up!” Jeremiah, having just finished a remote task, snapped.

Andrew took a breath and showed Jeremiah his phone. Jeremiah glanced at it and looked away.

“Jeremiah, Yvette’s actually competing in a Frixyia contest!” Andrew exclaimed, still in shock.

Jeremiah pulled out a cigarette and lit it. His expression remained unchanged.

“You knew about this, right?” Andrew pressed.

Jeremiah’s voice, hoarse from the smoke, was softer than usual. “Yes.”

“I bet you don’t know Yvette’s background,” Andrew said.

Jeremiah turned, sleeves rolled up, revealing a slim wrist. “Tell me.”

Andrew recounted the forum post: Yvette is the long-lost daughter of the Chambers family, one of Seacrity's four major families. Her mother, Lilian, was Mr. Chambers’s first wife. Recently found by her family, she’d clashed with the Carter family and was now on campus. "Never expected such a cold, beautiful girl to have such a complicated background," Andrew sighed.

Jeremiah’s frown deepened, his eyes sharp. Andrew hadn’t seen him like this in years and felt scared. Yvette was clearly special to him. This was only the second time Andrew had seen such an expression.

Andrew continued, “The forum says if she loses, she has to apologize to her half-sister in front of everyone.”

Jeremiah’s expression grew colder. He stubbed out his cigarette and pulled out the milk candy Yvette had given him. It hadn’t melted.

He stared at the candy, his eyes unreadable. “She won’t lose.”

Andrew doubted Yvette’s chances. Frixyia was one of the world's hardest languages. He’d only achieved mediocre proficiency under immense pressure from his father. A girl from the countryside couldn’t possibly know Frixyia.

Seeing Jeremiah’s confidence, Andrew thought men in love lacked wisdom. Still, he decided not to argue. If Yvette lost, he’d reveal his identity to divert attention. He didn’t mind losing face.

Within three days, Sharon’s promotion made almost everyone aware of the competition. The auditorium, usually ticketless, required tickets due to the massive crowd.

Sharon, following Winona’s advice, approached Patrick for fairness; he readily agreed, seeing an opportunity to discipline Yvette.

Victor and Winona secured second-row seats. Winona even visited backstage to encourage Sharon. Seeing Yvette, she approached her.

Bonnie, pouring water for Yvette, nearly bumped into Winona. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. Did any water spill?” Winona asked.

Bonnie ignored her, hurrying to Yvette.

Winona fumed. Why does Yvette always have someone doting on her? she thought. At home, Dad spoils her, and now she has people fetching water!

“Yvette, how can you make others fetch water for you?” Winona demanded.