Chapter 62: Step Up the Game

John looked at Ethan, his eyes gradually becoming dangerous.

The little girl had a problem?

She was perfect.

Ethan quickly explained, "I heard that every month, girls have a few days when their emotions can be a bit... you know..."

He blushed as he spoke.

John pondered for a moment and then sent a message to Diana.

[Remember to take care of yourself during your special time. Drink plenty of water, eat well, and get enough sleep.]

After sending the message, he silently waited for Diana's reply.

John's phone rang, and he felt a sense of excitement as he quickly answered, "Little girl..."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore! You big fool!" Diana replied.

With a "click," she hung up.

John held the phone tightly, taking a moment to compose himself.

After a while, he slowly put down the phone and turned his stern gaze towards Ethan, who was standing beside him, confused.

After a brief silence, John spoke slowly, "Bring Jackson back and send yourself to Siberia."

Ethan was taken aback. What did he say wrong? It seemed like his argument made sense. But that wasn't the point. The point was...he was in big trouble!

"Boss, the project in Siberia is almost finished," Ethan said hesitantly.

"Is it?" John glared at him, "Then choose between Antarctica and Africa."

Ethan felt like he was about to die.

"Antarctica..." he said reluctantly.

At least he wouldn't have to endure the scorching heat and he'd get to see cute penguins.

In John's cold gaze, Ethan silently wiped away his bitter tears.

No more words, it was time to pack and depart.

Meanwhile, in Siberia, Jackson stood in the icy cold, dressed like a polar bear, his phone in hand.

"What? Boss wants me to come back early!" he exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down his face.

He knew it! Boss missed him!

He was coming back to Cloud City!

...

After the test results were released, Diana suddenly gained a lot of attention.

During lunchtime, as she walked down the hallway, people kept looking at her.

"Is that Diana? Wow, who said she was a joke? I think she's a campus beauty!"

"I don't believe she could get the first place. I suspect she must have climbed over the wall and stole the test paper at midnight!"

"She was hiding her abilities all this time, huh? Do you guys think she used to pretend to be a weak student?"

"A weak student is just a weak student. Who in their right mind would pretend to be one? Let's see, the professional exam is in the afternoon. That's when she'll reveal her true colors!"

Sitting in the cafeteria, Diana could occasionally hear the discussions around her.

She didn't really care.

She had expected this to happen from the beginning.

Let them talk as much as they want.

Later on, she would use her abilities to slap their faces hard.

She would make them know that she, Diana, was not a loser!

As she was lost in thought, her phone suddenly lit up on the side.

Diana glanced at it.

[Ronin: Hey girl, I have something to tell you...]

Ronin?

Why did this guy suddenly pop up?

Diana picked up her phone and typed a few words. 

[Diana: Hurry up and tell me, stop beating around the bush.]

[Ronin: Don't get mad.]

After hearing this, Diana's eyelids twitched a few times.

Uh-oh, this is a sign that she's about to be tricked.

[Diana: What's the matter?]

[Ronin: Well...that Frank guy announced in the world channel that he's willing to pay a large sum of money for your personal information. A little bit of your information has been leaked...]

What?!

Diana widened her eyes and suddenly felt that the chicken leg in her hand were no longer appetizing.

But soon, she realized that something was off.

[Diana: This doesn't make sense. I've protected my information so well that regular hackers wouldn't be able to breach it. So how was it leaked?]

[Ronin: Well...]

[Diana: Hold on, it couldn't have been you, you worthless dog!😡]

Diana's eyes widened as she asked the key question.

Her hacking skills were now among the best in the world, so how could they have been so easily breached?

Unless she did it herself!

There was silence on the other side for a moment, then a message came through.

[Ronin: According to what I know, it was revealed to him by a top-notch hacker who refused to reveal his name.]

Diana gritted her teeth, making a "clicking" sound.

Sure enough, it was Ronin!

[Diana: Don't play me! What did you reveal to Frank?😠]

She was livid!

She had been looking forward to seeing Frank's petrified expression during the solo competition!

And now "Ronin" had ruined it all!

[Ronin: Don't panic, little girl. I only revealed that you are a female. I didn't say anything else.]

[Diana: Really?]

[Ronin: Of course, Frank paid me $400,000 for this lousy piece of news. Hey, I wouldn't pass up on an opportunity to make some money.]

Even through the screen, Diana could feel Ronin's joy.

How did she not notice before that Frank was a fool with too much money?

Diana gnawed on a piece of pork and let "Ronin" off the hook for now.

[Diana: Alright, I'll let it go this time.]

[Ronin: Little girl, to make it up to you, I can lend you a hand.]

[Diana: Help me?]

Help with what?

[Ronin: I see you're running for student representative. Your votes seem to be falling behind a bit. How about I use a little trick to help you boost your votes?]

Diana squinted her eyes.

It could be a method.

But she didn't want to win so dishonorably unless it was absolutely necessary.

[Diana: Let's talk about it later. I have confidence in winning fairly. Don't worry about it.]

[Ronin: Alright, then I'll leave now~]

Ronin quickly went offline.

Diana closed the chat window and opened the voting page to check.

Maybe because of her top scores in the arts and sciences, her votes had increased significantly, reaching two hundred all of a sudden.

However, compared to Maddie's three thousand plus votes, she was still far behind.

She rubbed her chin and frowned.

The speed was too slow, she needed to step up her game.

In the afternoon, there was a major exam for the students, which required them to perform their chosen instruments in front of three professors to test their actual skills. Diana was sitting outside the exam room, casually playing games with her legs crossed while others were either looking at the sheet music or discussing nervously.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating Diana's performance. Some believed that she was a terrible student and couldn't play the piano, while others thought that she appeared calm and collected, and maybe she was holding back her best moves. The tension was high, and some even placed bets on the outcome.

After the students from another class finished their exams, they began to leave the area one by one. Liam stood at the door of the exam room and saw Diana from a distance. He didn't deliberately come to find her, but she was too eye-catching, sitting there so casually like a beautiful painting that made everyone around her fade into the background.

But this woman... she really made him angry! Liam pinched his arm, feeling the lingering pain from being pushed over last time.

"Wow, she's so pretty!" Caleb stood next to Liam, admiring Diana.

Liam turned his head and asked, "Who are you talking about?"

"Diana, who else?" Caleb blurted out before sighing, "But she's just too dumb. She's probably only this pretty because she traded her IQ for it. Liam, do you know that everyone is betting on whether Diana is really a genius or just pretending to be dumb?"

Upon hearing this, Liam rolled his eyes at his friend. "Could you guys be any more bored? So childish!"

"I think it's pretty interesting!" Caleb chuckled. "Most people are betting that Diana is going to be at the bottom, but I think she's going to surprise everyone and come out on top!"

Liam frowned and pulled out a $100 bill, placing it in front of Caleb.

"Put me down for a bet too."

Caleb was taken aback. Who was it that just called him childish?

"Liam, are you also rooting for her?" Caleb asked, surprised.

Wow! Was this the first time Liam had shown interest in a girl?

"Heh, I'm betting that she's a complete idiot," Liam sneered, a hint of disdain flashing across his ruggedly handsome face.

He wasn't going to be the one at the bottom this time around.

Caleb took Liam's money, pondering for a moment. "Liam, you're not just trying to get back at her for pushing you over last time, are you?"

"Keep talking like that and I'll twist your head off!"

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up!" Caleb pleaded, afraid. Liam's face had darkened, and Caleb knew it was time to back off.

At that moment, Maddie walked over to a group of girls who were praising her.

"Wow Maddie, you play so well! Even the teacher keeps praising you!"

"Yeah, the student representative vote for first place is definitely going to be you. Have you decided what piece to play at the freshman reception party?"

"I heard that the internationally renowned piano master Sophia Jones will also be coming this time. Maybe she'll notice you!"

Listening to these compliments, Maddie raised her head with a proud heart.

Suppressing her pride, she tried to look humble: "The results haven't come out yet. It might not be me!"

"It's definitely you. Anyway, it couldn't be Diana, that joke!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Maddie couldn't help but smile.

As she shifted her gaze, she suddenly saw a tall figure standing motionless at the stairway, staring at her.

She subconsciously looked at the boy's face, and after seeing who it was, she was stunned.

Liam Baker?