Chapter 204

In the bathroom, Shermaine finished up and came out after washing her hands.

Joshua had prepared steaming sugar water with slices of ginger floating inside.

Joshua sat on the edge of the bed, his collar slightly open. He exuded an intensely sensual, almost irresistible allure.

He handed her the steaming cup of water.

Shermaine took it and settled onto the bed beside him, blowing gently at the hot liquid before taking careful sips.

“Are you feeling alright?” Joshua asked, his voice low and husky.

Shermaine replied confidently, “Don’t worry about me. I’m as fit as a fiddle.”

She thought, ‘Menstrual cramps? That’s never been an issue for me.’ If a girl suffered from period cramps, it was usually due to uterine coldness. She should pay attention to her diet–avoid too many cold drinks and spicy foods. If the pain was severe, herbal remedies could help regulate her body.

Joshua didn’t say anything more. He gently stroked her head. “Get some rest,” he murmured.

Shermaine sipped the ginger tea and softly said, “It’s not that I’m unwilling.”

“I know, it’s just bad timing,” Joshua said softly.

The moment had been perfect, but fate seemed to have other plans for him.

Late at night, the lights in the room were turned off.

Shermaine lay in bed; the space beside her was still empty.

The sound of running water drifted from the bathroom.

After what seemed like ages, Joshua finally emerged, with a chill still clinging to him, and settled in beside her.

“Good night, Sheary,” Joshua whispered.

“Good night,” Shermaine murmured.

Even though the SAT was finally over, Shermaine’s days remained quite packed.

The next morning, Shermaine dropped by Brightwater Academy. That evening, her Class 9 classmates threw a karaoke party.

After months of hard work preparing for the SAT, most of Class 9 could finally breathe easy, feeling they had no regrets about their performance.

Summer really wanted to get into Basterel University to stay classmates with Shermaine, but she wasn’t sure if her grades would make the cut. She felt pretty good about her SAT performance, but she’d have to wait for the results to know for sure.

“Everyone online is saying Jason will be this year’s SAT science champion. What do you guys think?”

“No way! The science SAT champion must be Shermaine!”

“Exactly! That Jason’s mom is totally delusional.”

Shermaine neither agreed nor disagreed. While listening to their chatter, she kept glancing at her phone.

Halfway through the party, she quietly slipped out.

She slipped away to a jewelry store.

As soon as she walked in, a sales associate greeted her, “How can I help you today?”

“A ring,” she said.

“This way, please.”

When she arrived at the ring display area, a dazzling array of rings glittered in the glass cases.

Shermaine had decided on platinum, and with so many designs laid out before her, she carefully examined each one.

Joshua actually had a ring ready–a jade heirloom from his family, so precious it was practically a relic. Rumor was, every descendant received one upon adulthood, carved from rare Imperial Jade: too exquisite to wear, too sacred to hide.

That morning, Shermaine tried it on briefly before returning it to its box for safekeeping.

“Hey, Milady.” A voice called from behind.

It was Roy.

Shermaine turned around. “What are you doing here?”

Roy said, “I was grabbing dinner with my squad.” He was just about to leave the mall when he unexpectedly ran into Shermaine.

Shermaine said, “Hey, come help me pick–which style do you think Joshua would like?”

Having been childhood friends, Roy naturally understood Joshua’s taste much better than Shermaine did at this point.

“Let me see,” Roy said, stepping up to take a look.

Just then, several well-dressed and distinguished-looking elderly people stepped out of a nearby elevator. Among them was a familiar face–Sarah.