Give it a try

Boss Red looked at the man who spoke. "So what if she is a lady?" He gave him a meaningful glance.

Sorry..." The man shut his mouth, shaking his head slightly with pity for the masked lady.

Boss Red went to his seat, sat down, put on his headphones, and focused on his computer screen.

The masked lady was given a headset, and soon the game started. She was moving her mouse carelessly from left to right, occasionally typing on the keyboard, and focusing solely on the mouse at times.

As the game progressed, Boss Red started sweating, evident from his movements with the mouse. It was clear that he was losing.

"I am here," the masked lady suddenly spoke. Before anyone could comprehend her words, Boss Red's hand paused on the mouse, and he gazed at the masked lady as if she were a ghost.

"Don't tell me you lost," someone in the room asked.

"It's not even been thirty minutes yet. Did you go easy on her?" another person questioned.

"The game you played is the one that even Black Dot failed to finish. You can't even beat someone immediately while playing this game. What on earth is happening here?" the man who observed the game from the beginning expressed his disbelief.

Boss Red's face paled as he ignored the people's comments and continued to stare at the masked lady's silver eyes. "Since you won, I will honor my words. Congratulations, you are welcome to our club, and you are now the new Boss." He bowed slightly, retrieved a tag from his pocket, and handed it to the masked lady. "This is your authority tag," he said. "May I know your name? It's not necessary for it to be your real name," he asked.

"My name..." the masked lady paused for a moment before replying, "Address me as Phoenix."

"Phoenix..." everyone repeated the name in their hearts, unable to contain their curiosity about the masked lady's identity.

"Phoenix. It suits your character," Boss Red praised, welcoming her as the new Boss. "Once again, welcome Boss phoenix"

With a slight frown of dissatisfaction with the title, the masked lady reiterated, "Just Phoenix or Lady Phoenix is fine. You can retain the title." She showed disinterest in holding on to the position of Boss and returned the tag.

Despite the masked lady's reluctance, Boss Red insisted, "I cannot retract my offer. You may have returned the tag, but you are still the Boss," he affirmed.

Unperturbed, the masked lady simply replied, "Whatever," indicating her lack of interest in the title.

Boss Red then asked, "Lady Phoenix, will you be staying the night here? I can arrange for someone to prepare your quarters."

Acknowledging the offer, the masked lady replied, "Ask someone to prepare it, but I will not be staying tonight. Perhaps another time. I am just here today to join the club." She replied and gets ready to leave.

Noticing her intention to leave, Boss Red quickly stopped her, saying, "Lady Phoenix, as you are now the Boss, may I inform you of the gaming competition scheduled in two weeks? Please consider leading us in the competition." His plea was earnest.

The mention of a competition caused a somber mood to settle over the room, with everyone sporting grim expressions.

Observing the room's atmosphere, the masked lady gave Boss Red a questioning look.

Boss Red proceeded to explain, "Actually, despite our club's popularity, we have been underperforming since the former Boss's accident. We have fallen behind and lost our fan base, making us less valued in comparison to other gaming clubs. We considered withdrawing from this year's competition but seeing your performance,you have sparked my hope."

"I see," the masked lady nodded in understanding. "Not bad at all. I would like to give it a try," she confirmed, ready to test her abilities in the upcoming competition.

Reassured by her response, Boss Red smiled and declared, "Then, we will rely on Lady Phoenix for this competition."

Downplaying the importance of her involvement, Lady Phoenix stated, "It's not a big deal. I will now take my leave." And with that, she bid farewell to the group and departed.

As Lady Phoenix left, murmurs and discussions broke out among the club members, questioning the decision made by Boss Red and speculating on the potential outcomes of involving a new leader in the upcoming competition.

"There is something different about her? Why did you suddenly want her to lead us in the competition? What if we lose," someone commented.

"It's better than withdrawing in advance," Boss Red replied firmly. "Our club has been losing out, and I haven't been a good leader lately." Someone asked.

"You bestowed the title upon her out of doubt of your capabilities. How can you be so sure she is capable?" another person questioned.

"I have a feeling that I made the right decision," Boss Red responded. "That's enough for today. Bobby, contact Black Dot and update him."

"Right away," Bobby replied as he picked up his phone.

Boss Red closed his eyes and murmured, "I hope my feeling isn't just my imagination." He dialed a number and made a call.

After the call connected, Boss Red requested, "Register our club for the competition."

The shocked recipient on the other end replied, "I thought you had given up. Did you manage to recruit a gaming god to your side? That's why you want to join now?"

"Just register us," Boss Red insisted and disconnected the call immediately.

With the call ended, Boss Red's phone rang again. He answered and listened to an angry voice on the other end.

"What are you thinking? Did my father give you the position to hand it over to a woman?" Black Dot shouted. "Once we present her as the leader, we will be a joke. If we lose, we'll have no pride left."

Boss Red remained composed and replied, "Whether we win or lose, we will give it a try."

"Fine. If we lose, I'll sell the company immediately," Black Dot threatened before disconnecting the call.

Boss Red sighed helplessly.

________

The masked lady walked along a rarely traveled path, and she picked up a well-prepared bag that was placed in a secluded corner. She created an ice wall to protect herself in case anyone passed by and changed into an average-looking dress. With a thought, the wall disappeared, and she removed her mask, putting it inside the bag. The lady's extremely beautiful face could now be seen; yes, she is the beauty queen, Snow. Looking up at the sky, she took in a breath of fresh air and smiled; anyone who saw her now would think she came out of a painting. She took the bag and walked towards the school.

___________

In a small abandoned hut.

"How is it? Did you manage to convince them that you are capable?" Sonia asked excitedly.

"What do you expect?" Snow redressed her hair proudly. "Want to hear? I am now their leader," she chuckled. "But in two weeks' time, I am going for the gaming competition," she added.

"Competition?" Dimitri frowned. "Just be careful of Mother; only your luck can determine whether you will be exposed or not," he said.

"I know you won't let me get exposed," Snow said. "Oh right, what is your progress?" she asked, staring at the others.

"I've fixed my time for the weekend. I don't want to be tracking time," he added.

Snow frowned. "Were you not informed?" she asked.

"That?" Dimitri gave her a puzzled gaze.

"Mom will be delivering food for us every weekend," Snow replied.

Dimitri's mouth twitched. "I will find another time," he said.

"Well, I am going tomorrow," Desmond said. "I just traded my treasures for money, so I have enough to buy a company. I am going out tomorrow to find one."

"My career is similar to Desmond's. You guys are aware. I've set the day after tomorrow to secure funds. I already saw a breakdown company that I want to buy. I have investigated everything about it. It's not at risk, so I am safe with it," Dave commented.