Chapter 49
“Josie, remember what you said today. You’d better not regret it. I’m really curious to see if someone who switched majors in their senior year can actually manage to graduate smoothly!” Vincent pushed through the crowd and walked away in embarrassment.
Not far away, Gavin stood up, drenched in cold sweat. It looked like Josie couldn’t be reasoned with. She had no respect for Vincent’s face, publicly humiliating him like that. Normally, Vincent and she had the best relationship. But now, even he had lost so much face in front of her. Gavin knew he wouldn’t dare approach her again.
Fortunately, Vincent had beaten him to it, or it might have been him who was humiliated. He patted his chest, feeling an unexpected sense of relief, as if he’d narrowly escaped disaster. It seemed clear now: with Josie, not only should you avoid provoking her, but you also needed to flatter her. What if one day she snapped and exposed the evidence of him borrowing money? Her transformation was genuinely frightening. The sweet, gentle girl she once was seemed completely gone. ‘Could it be leaving David’s team that affected her so badly?’ Gavin wondered. Gavin had no idea that Josie’s change wasn’t because of leaving the team, but because of the ruthless manipulation and exploitation she had endured from them all.
Josie returned to her dorm, feeling inexplicably lighthearted. Thinking about how Vincent had looked in that moment, she felt oddly satisfied. But compared to the suffering she endured in her previous life, this was nothing. It was just losing face in front of others. If she couldn’t handle that, what would she do when bigger challenges came? As she thought about the trouble Vincent was going to face in the future, a sneer appeared at the corner of Josie’s mouth. If Vincent still had any sense of pride or shame, both would soon vanish entirely under Natalie’s scheming. In her previous life, she never got to ask him if he regretted his actions. In this life, if the opportunity arose, she would love to ask him.
She had been feeling down because of Leo’s death, but after she confronted Vincent, her mood had lifted significantly. Josie wasn’t going to give those who bullied her the satisfaction of seeing her struggle. She had to work harder than ever before. She opened her laptop, grabbed a book, and started studying on her own.
What she didn’t know was that her confrontation with Vincent had been filmed and posted online, quickly spreading across the school forum. When Natalie saw the video, Kyle was sitting beside her, handing her a small cake to cheer her up. “I heard that the idea for the innovation competition was yours. Natalie, you’re amazing. Here’s a reward.”
The small cake, covered in strawberry slices, looked tempting and delicious. “Kyle, are you trying to fatten me up?” Natalie’s voice was soft and sultry, drawing out her words in a way that could make anyone weak in the knees. Kyle’s legs gave way, and he sat back down, his tone turning gentler. “You’re not fat at all. And what’s wrong with gaining a little weight? Chubby people are cute. Don’t be like Josie, starving herself to keep her figure. She looks like a ghost—it’s so unattractive!” “Wait… she really only eats vegetarian food to keep her figure?” Natalie blinked in disbelief, as though she couldn’t believe it. “But didn’t she say she’s eating vegetarian to save money for buying a gift for Vincent?” Natalie looked like she had been deceived and handed her phone to Kyle. The video on the phone clearly showed everything, especially Josie’s cold, emotionless eyes and the faint disdain at the corner of her mouth. Kyle broke into a cold sweat. “She… she’s lost it, hasn’t she? How could she treat Vincent like that?” He tossed the phone back to Natalie and rushed toward Aiden’s office. “Hey!” Natalie hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. She had planned to use the video to her advantage. Since Vincent had already stirred things up, it would be hard to explain if she didn’t give Josie a gift. Natalie pulled out her phone and tapped a few times.