Chapter 164

In fact, Ray would never have imagined that Joshua would take a liking to Shermaine. When he learned that Shermaine and Joshua were heading to Mysonna to investigate something, Roy had wanted to tag along. He was bored out of his mind and figured that following Milady might lead to some interesting adventures.

After Roy approached Joshua with the idea, Joshua flatly rejected him. Roy could sense the disdain through the screen, so he went to Henry, hoping he could soothe his bruised ego.

But Henry just gave Roy a withering look. "Can’t you see that Joshua has a thing for Shermaine?"

Roy was taken aback and shook his head. ‘What the hell? Is that even possible?’ he thought to himself.

Henry smiled, "Your powers of observation really are terrible."

Roy wanted to argue but, upon reflection, it seemed like there might actually be something to it. That night, when Roy had been playing games with Shermaine, he kept feeling like Joshua was staring at him. He hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, but thinking back on it now, it was kind of eerie.

Roy slapped the table. "This is bad. Joshua hasn’t been in a relationship in thirty years. What if he takes advantage of Milady?"

Henry thought to himself, ‘Why do you even care?’ and asked, "You’re not still into Shermaine, are you?"

Roy shook his head vigorously. "No way, absolutely not. I just think Milady is still young and can’t handle Joshua."

Henry rolled his eyes again, thinking, ‘Why is your focus so bizarre? Besides, is Joshua really that unsportsmanlike? And is Shermaine really that weak?"

So, during the days when he couldn’t get in touch with Shermaine, Roy kept imagining her being taken advantage of by Joshua. After all, Joshua was a thirty-year-old virgin.

Shermaine couldn’t help but laugh and casually replied: [Why not the other way around?]

On the other end of the phone, Roy gulped and thought, ‘Alright, Milady is really assertive. My worries are unnecessary. Milady is unbeatable, and naturally, Joshua is no match for her.’ Roy sent an emoji to show his admiration.

Roy asked curiously. [So, did you bully Joshua?]

Shermaine pondered, ‘Did I bully Joshua? A little, maybe. But he benefited quite a bit too!’ She didn’t reply to Roy. After all, it was between her and Joshua.

Without an answer, Roy had no choice but to obediently do the task Shermaine had assigned him. After accepting Lily’s friend request, the two started chatting.

Then, Shermaine saw a message from her senior, Danielle. Danielle, who was usually cold and distant, complained about Jason’s persistent pursuit. Even after being discharged from the hospital, he kept showing up, sending her flowers and treats. It was common knowledge around the hospital. Danielle had sent the message two days ago and hadn’t heard back from Shermaine, so she hadn’t tried to contact her again.

[Is it settled now?]

Given Danielle’s personality, she wouldn’t tolerate an unwanted man constantly disturbing her life and work.

Shermaine replied: [Is it settled?]

Jason could pursue Danielle, but he wouldn’t succeed. Shermaine knew Danielle too well; she didn’t like guys younger than her. When faced with rejection, those pursuit tactics should know when to stop; otherwise, they would only cause unnecessary resentment.

Within a couple of minutes, Danielle sent a voice message. [It’s settled.]

That was good. In Shermaine’s eyes, Danielle deserved someone better. Jason wasn’t a good match for her.

Danielle sent another voice message. [It was pretty dramatic.]

Shermaine replied: [What happened?]

Danielle explained: [The day before yesterday, I went to a high school reunion at Crown’s nightclub and ran into Jason. After it ended, he insisted on walking me home.] She continued: [I refused, but he kept pestering me, so I just found a guy to play along with me.]

It was an idea that came to Danielle because of Shermaine. Shermaine and Joshua had initially started with a similar arrangement. They had begun as an engaged couple, and now it was clear that Joshua had feelings for Shermaine.

Shermaine replied with a voice message. [Play your boyfriend?]

Danielle said: [Yes.]

The man Danielle found was a perfect match for her, both in appearance and temperament. After she explained the situation, he happily agreed to help.

What Danielle didn’t expect was that this man she’d pulled in to play along was actually Shermaine’s brother, Ross Jean.

A love child up against the legitimate heir of the Jean family – no wonder Jason had made such a hasty exit. In terms of presence alone, Jason, a young man still wet behind the ears, was no match for Ross.

Danielle was very satisfied with the outcome and grateful for Ross‘ cooperation.

Shermaine offered an objective comment. [So you and Ross have quite the connection.]

Danielle didn’t deny it. The trouble was that Jason didn’t seem like the type to give up easily; he was a bit obsessive. She and Ross would have to keep up this fake relationship for a while.

Danielle chuckled. [Why don’t you say I have a connection with the entire Jean family?]

Shermaine teased. [Are you thinking of getting together with Ross? He’s not bad.]

Danielle replied: [Ross doesn’t like my type of woman.]

Shermaine was skeptical. [And how would you know?]

Danielle replied: [I’ve done my research. Ross had a girlfriend in high school named Amelia Diaz.]

In terms of temperament and type, she was the complete opposite of Danielle.

Shermaine quickly searched for Amelia online and found her information. She was a well-known painter, with a gentle and pure appearance, indeed very different from Danielle’s vibe. Amelia was similar in type to Wendelyn.

In terms of looks and figure, Danielle naturally had the upper hand, but she seemed harder to get along with. Shermaine even thought Ross‘ taste in the past wasn’t that great. Her research showed that Amelia’s private life wasn’t so great either.

Although Shermaine thought they were quite a good match, she didn’t push them together. If Danielle were really interested in Ross, she’d definitely make a move.

The start of the school year was on February 13th. Currently, the senior class had already been in session for a while. Before coming to Mysonna, Shermaine knew she wouldn’t be able to return early, so she had already communicated with Isabel and taken leave.

The students in Class Nine only found out about Shermaine’s leave after returning to school. They probably wouldn’t see her at school for a while and couldn’t get in touch with her. At this moment, in the class group chat, it was another day of everyone missing and calling out for Shermaine. (Today is another day of missing Sheary.) This message was repeated almost every day in the group.

Shermaine typed: [I’m back online. Starting tomorrow night, I can continue to help you with remote problem-solving.]

As soon as she appeared, the class group exploded.

[Oh my, Sheary is back.]

[Group photo.]

[Without Sheary, even my meals taste bland.]

[Sheary, our longing for you is deeper than the ocean. When are you coming back?]

[Yeah, same question. When are you returning, Sheary?]

Shermaine: [Return date uncertain.]

While replying to messages, Shermaine took a moment to log in to the tech forum on her laptop. The private messages on the tech forum were also numerous. Some were supportive, expressing belief in her character, while others were harsh, calling her shameless, accusing her of being part of a team that couldn’t compete with Dolcie. They even suggested that was why she dared not attend the offline event organized by the tech forum when she couldn’t cheat there.

The offline event included a platinum-level expert competition. The winner would receive an official trophy and a prize of 5 million dollars. The event was to be held in Rodunst on June 30th.

It was only today that Xenhall had access to the internet, so it was normal that the tech forum officials couldn’t contact Shermaine.

Shermaine found the official invitation in her email and replied: [I will attend the meet-up. Please be informed.]