《The Rebirth Of SOPHIA GREEN》


 Chapter 1 - 1: Waking Up

    Glinton University was the best research university in the country. Professors employed by this university were highly respected. The best students from all over the world came to work with them. Now, these famous professors were called by the principal to come to this office room at midnight. Because the lab caught fire and Professor Sophia Green died in the fire. Sophia Green was the legend of Glinton University, not to mention the whole scientific world.


    At 29, she had already accomplished many outstanding achievements across several fields, more than many scholars of far more advanced years. Who knew how much knowledge she had stored in her brain? There had never been a question she didn''t know the answer to. Perhaps the world is not perfect, so she lost the use of her legs in childhood, relying on a wheelchair to live only. Some people felt sorry for it. Others however harbored feelings of relief, fearing that such an exceptional brain in a fully functioning body would be unstoppable.


    "She wasn''t yet thirty; it''s such a waste of a life, a real tragedy" Albert Pearson almost went crazy when he heard the news. He''s insisting it was murder.


    "But I think it''s more probable that it was a terrible accident. There''s always something flammable and explosive in the lab." One of her colleagues, Professor Thompson, said.


    "Pearson?" another colleague, Professor Wilson, froze a moment, "As in the Pearson family, the richest family around? What does this have to do with him?"


    "Didn''t you know?" Professor Thompson looked around and whispered, "That assistant of hers was Pearson, the first heir of that family, the one running around after her all day every day. I only just found out myself. Sophia Green may not have known his true identity either. Who else do you think could ask the principal to call everyone here in the middle of the night?"


    "If Pearson''s involved in this, it''s not going to go away anytime soon." Professor Wilson answered, looking worried.


    It was midnight in the hospital, the lights in the ward were turned off, and all was darkness.


    Sophia Green opened her eyes and saw nothing. She moved her body, stretching. She was surprised to find that her legs responded.


    It was a feeling she had never felt before. She suffered from polio as a child, and her legs had not worked for as long as she could remember. For nearly 30 years, she had been in a wheelchair.


    While her freedom of movement had been diminished, the activity of her brain had outstripped everyone else as if in compensation.


    Unable to join in the rough and tumble games of other children, she had spent all her time reading. She had no idea how many books she had read over the years and how much knowledge she had accumulated.


    As she lay there, the memory of the fire in the lab last night haunted her. She could still feel the pain of the burning. But what has happened since?


    Sophia Green tried to move her legs again. Her muscles seemed a little stiff, but she could move them.


    As she was wondering about this, a voice spoke. "Sophia¡­ you''re¡­"


    Footsteps sounded, and the lights came on.


    A woman in her forties was standing, staring at her, astounded. Suddenly, with tears in her eyes, she rushed over to hug her.


    "Sophia! You''re awake, finally!"


    For all the books Sophia had read and all her intelligence, she still could not understand what was happening. Just then, some memories that did not belong to her surfaced in her brain.


    She focused on these memories, these ideas and names, and images, and began to understand. She was herself and also someone else. Another Sophia Green, a 19-year-old who had been in a car accident two years ago, this other Sophia Green had been in a coma ever since. This woman at her side was Kate, Sophia''s mother, who had been there every day, hoping that she would wake up.


    But this waking Sophia Green was not her daughter.


    As she looked through this girl''s memories, she found out that her father had died in an accident at work a few years ago. She and her mother were the only ones left. They were poor. She wouldn''t have even been in the hospital if it hadn''t been for the compensation paid by her father''s work.


    It was not dawn yet. The light had woken the other patients up, but when they saw the girl who had been in a coma for two years finally conscious, no one was angry. Everyone was ecstatic for her.


    Kate had called in the doctor, and they gave Sophia a thorough examination.


    "All functions of the body are normal, except for some weakness. Congratulations, Mrs. Green!" the doctor said, "But she''s been lying still for so long that her muscles have atrophied. She will need physical rehabilitation before she can make a full recovery."


    Kate Green looked over at her daughter in bed, eyes open, and still couldn''t believe it.


    These past two years had been years of desperation and painful hope. She had quit her job in order to take care of her daughter and be at her bedside every day. She had had the darkest of times, even thinking of taking her own life. But now that her daughter was awake, she felt the world was full of hope again.


    Sophia Green stayed in the hospital, working on her rehabilitation, and every day she made progress. Finally, two months later, she was allowed to leave. She was still frail, but she was strong enough to walk freely out of the hospital with her mother at her side.


    Kate Green lived on the fifth floor of an old apartment block without an elevator. Sophia Green had never been so happy to be exhausted as she made it to the top of the stairs. It was such a pleasure to be on her own two feet.


    Kate had been a junior high school teacher, but she had no job now, and so naturally, there was no income. But Sophia wasn''t worried. She was here now to take care of her newfound mother.


    And she had something else to think about: a new school year was beginning.

 Chapter 2 - 2: The Bully Is Coming

    Sophia Green had been seventeen years old when she had been in a car accident. It was during the summer holiday of her sophomore year. After the accident, Kate Green had managed to get Sophia''s schooling suspended, and now that she was recovered, it was time to go back.


    High school memories were far away for one of the Sophia Greens. At school, she had always been the one to be specially taken care of and looked after. Now, she was looking forward to going to school like a normal student.


    "I''ll go with you," said Kate anxiously.


    "Oh, please, Mom. Take a rest. It''s just some readmission formalities. I can do it."


    Kate Green had married early. She was only thirty-nine years old, but she looked older, thanks to the sadness and worries of the past few years.


    Sophia Green felt very sorry for taking up her daughter''s body. She didn''t want Kate Green to worry or work for her anymore. She didn''t want to trouble this lady who was now her mother if it was something she could do herself.


    It was enrollment day, no classes, just handing out textbooks and getting organized for the year ahead. They didn''t live far from the school, and Sophia wheeled her bike out of the apartment block and headed to school.


    It was the first time she, Sophia Green, had ridden a bike. Thanks to the other Sophia''s memories, she found her muscles knew what to do, and she felt like she was flying. After ten minutes of glorious cycling, she arrived at school.


    Armed with the relevant papers, Sophia Green entered the Office of Academic Affairs.


    "Hello. I''d like to come back to school."


    She put the documents on the director''s desk. In her alternate memory, she found she knew this man, a difficult person, it seemed, called Mr. Bull. "I had an accident two years ago, and I recently got released from the hospital, so I''d like to return to school."


    Director Bull had been reading when she entered. He raised his head on hearing the words. He glanced up at Sophia Green and started.


    She was back! The troublemaker was back! He had thought Sophia Green would never come back to school even if she did wake up, and here she was, right in front of him.


    Was she coming to school right out of the hospital? She should take more rest, he thought. If only so he could make her wait another year before she was readmitted.


    Thinking about Sophia Green''s previous behavior at school made him shudder. Director Bull desperately wanted to find a way to prevent her from coming back. Her grades had been terrible and he was sure she would never be admitted to university. He hated bad students who lowered the school''s college enrollment rate.


    He thought for a moment, cleared his throat, and said, "Sophia Green, right? Here''s the thing. Our school is one of the key high schools in the area so there are some strict conditions for enrollment. Even though you studied here before, you have to pass an exam before continuing onto 11th grade."


    "Exam?" Sophia was confused.


    "Yes, an exam. You can''t go to college if your grades are too low, can you? And then it would be no use going onto 11th grade, right?" Director Bull nodded as he spoke.


    He knew Sophia Green would never pass an exam. Her study habits had been the worst before the accident, and now she had been in a coma for two years. She couldn''t have got any better!


    Then he could use her low grades to deny her application to enter the 11th grade. At the very least, he could arrange for her to study in 10th grade for another year. Then it wouldn''t affect the school''s college enrollment rate this year.


    Sophia had no memory of this rule. Was it a new rule, or was Director Bull making it up to make things difficult? She didn''t know.


    But an exam¡­ that didn''t bother her.


    "Okay. I''ll take the examination. But, what mark do I need to pass?"


    Director Bull thought Sophia would find an excuse not to take the exam. He didn''t expect that she would just agree. But he figured she was just an impulsive kid, and she obviously hadn''t thought it through.


    "Just take a math test. One hundred and fifty points in total. You''re in if you can get ninety points."


    This was the usual standard applied by the school when they held examinations¡ªone hundred and fifty points in total and a ninety point pass mark.


    A passing grade was not too much for a high school student. Director Bull''s requirement sounded quite fair to her.


    "All right, ninety points." she nodded.


    "Just do it here. I''ll be watching you." Director Bull didn''t trust her one bit and wanted her where he could see her.


    "I know." Sophia answered a little impatiently. She could have finished the paper in the time they''d been talking. When she was admitted to Glinton University, she had got the highest entry score with full marks in math.


    Director Bull turned around and searched in the cupboard. Suddenly, he had an idea and took out a test paper.


    "This one."


    He handed the test paper to Sophia. She took a look at the questions, picked up her pen, and began to write. She didn''t even bother with calculations, just thought for a while and wrote the answer directly.


    Director Bull looked on, puzzled, and decided she must have just given up and guessed.


    Just then, a woman came in to look for Director Bull. She saw Sophia and said, amazed, "Is that Sophia Green? You recovered?!"


    Sophia remembered this woman. It was Mrs. Acheson, who had taught her math in the tenth grade and was also her headteacher. She was a nice-looking middle-aged woman. In her other memory, she had recollections of Mrs. Acheson, often criticizing her.


    "Hello, Mrs. Acheson." Sophia smiled, "I''m here to go through the readmission formalities. The director said I have to pass an exam, so I''m taking it now."


    "When did we start this kind of regulation?" Mrs. Acheson frowned.


    "The notice was just issued. It''s not your area, so, of course, you wouldn''t know." Director Bull responded.


    "Isn''t this this year''s college entrance exam paper? She hasn''t learned this stuff yet! It''s not appropriate for her. You must have got the wrong test paper." Mrs. Acheson taught mathematics herself. So she knew the level at one glance.


    "That''s why she''ll pass as long as she can get ninety points. Anyway, what do you want? Do you want to talk to me?" Director Bull was scowling at her.


    It reminded Mrs. Acheson of her reason for coming, "A student in my class has asked for five days'' leave. The school regulations state that more than three days'' leave must be approved by the director; that''s right, isn''t it? Here''s the note." She handed a piece of paper to Director Bull.


    "Kevin Green? This student is in the top thirty, right? Why is he taking so much leave? It will affect his studies."


    On hearing the name "Kevin Green," Sophia Green stopped her writing and put down the pen.


    Kevin Green was her brother.

 Chapter 3 - 3: Her Little Brother

    Sophia had been waiting for a chance to go and find her brother, but she hadn''t expected him to turn up here.


    "His family suffered a terrible loss. His older sister was burned to death in a fire. It was just him and his sister in the family. Now it''s just him, poor boy. And he has to organize his sister''s funeral all alone." Mrs. Acheson sighed.


    Sophia Green had died two months ago. The funeral should have happened by now. She thought that it was probably because she had died abnormally that her body must have had to go through a series of procedures, like an autopsy, for them to investigate the cause of her death, and that was what had caused the delay.


    Director Bull was silent for a while and nodded.


    "Well, ask him if he wants to apply for a student loan. He just needs to have certification. He''s an orphan now, and it''s easy enough to apply."


    "He''s not technically an orphan. He does have a stepmother. But she was bad for him and his sister, so they had just moved out. The school''s student loan quota is limited. I''ve told him about it before, but he said he doesn''t want to be difficult and would never apply for it voluntarily. But I''ll ask him later." Mrs. Acheson said.


    Director Bull signed the note and gave it back to Mrs. Acheson, saying, "Comfort the kid. Poor boy."


    "Don''t be too hard on this one." Mrs. Acheson said as she took the note, gesturing towards Sophia.


    Director Bull waved his hands, dismissively, "I won''t."


    Mrs. Acheson turned and left the office.


    Sophia Green remembered that she had seen Kevin Green on the morning of her accident and said goodbye to him when he left home. She had never expected that that would be a forever goodbye.


    Kevin Green was a very sweet child. He started to take care of Sophia Green when he was very young. Even when he went to high school, he always came home early, just to care for his sister.


    Sophia Green loved her brother and wanted to do everything she could to protect him. If Kevin was asking permission to leave, that must mean he was in school now. Sophia stood up. She wanted to go and check on him.


    "Where are you going?" Director Bull saw Sophia Green leaving his office and hurriedly called out to her, "You haven''t finished your test yet. Don''t you want to come back to school?"


    "I''ve done enough to get ninety points," she said. She didn''t even look back.


    As she strode out the door, she saw that Mrs. Acheson was not far away, and she ran after her.


    "Sophia, what are you doing? Didn''t Director Bull ask you to do that test?" Mrs. Acheson asked as Sophia caught up to her.


    "I want to check on Kevin Green." Sophia said, "Students should take care of each other. After all, we''re at the same school, and we''ll be classmates soon."


    She didn''t mention the test, and Mrs. Acheson didn''t ask either. College entrance papers were completely beyond Sophia Green''s aptitude level. She probably hadn''t been able to figure anything out and had just given up. If that was the case, Director Bull probably wouldn''t allow her to study in 11th grade but make her stay in sophomore for another year.


    Mrs. Acheson smiled. "How considerate of you. Okay. You can try and comfort him. You are about the same age and probably have lots of things to talk about."


    She didn''t think Sophia Green would be in the same class as Kevin. Colin High School had an advanced class. After midterms, the top students in each year would be assigned to the advanced class. Kevin Green, who was always in the top 30 of his grade, was sure to get in. But Sophia ¡­ it would be a miracle if she even passed Director Bull''s test.


    They soon arrived at Mrs. Acheson''s office, and Sophia, with one glance, saw Kevin waiting beside Mrs. Acheson''s desk.


    Kevin Green had just turned seventeen this year. He was tall and thin. It had been two months since his sister''s death, and he seemed calm. After all, it was a reality. Whether he accepted it or not, nothing could change the fact.


    Sophia Green looked at him and felt sad. She knew she couldn''t tell him the truth that she was still alive, just in a different way. It was so weird, so improbable that no one would believe her. People might just think she was crazy.


    And more than that, she wasn''t sure how long she could stay in this body. It was all so irrational and unscientific that it made her feel quite uncertain. If she was destined to leave again, she would rather no one had ever known about it at all.


    "Your note." Mrs. Acheson handed it to Kevin Green, "If there is anything I can do, please tell me. I will try my best to help you."


    "We are classmates. I''ll help you out, too." Sophia walked over and patted him on the shoulder.


    Kevin looked puzzled at first, looked up and asked in a low voice, "You are¡­"


    "I''m Sophia Green. I was one grade higher than you."


    "I¡­, my sister''s name was Sophia Green. What a coincidence." Kevin was shocked and stared at her eyes for a moment.


    Somehow, he had an inexplicable sense of intimacy when he looked at this girl.


    Sophia Green pretended to be surprised. "Really? That is a coincidence. Well, I''ll take care of you from now on. Come to me if you need anything."


    "You have a thing for being a boss, don''t you, Sophia?" Mrs. Acheson said with a bitter smile.


    Her words triggered something in her mind. She searched her alternate memory for her past behavior at school and was shocked at what she found.


    As Mrs. Acheson said, the previous Sophia Green was a "boss" -- the leader of a girl gang.


    Two years ago, the other Sophia Green had had ahead of strange hair and wore a pimped up, altered school uniform. She led a group of girls to bully her classmates, skip class and chill out in internet cafes. They''d done almost everything that was forbidden by the school.


    After her father''s death, her mother had indulged her so much that she had run riot. Though Kate had tried to persuade her many times to be good, she wouldn''t listen at all.


    Her family was not rich, and so usually, Kate couldn''t give her much money. In order to get the pocket money she wanted, she often made her friends stop other students on their way back home to get money off them. Many of her friends were rich kids, and they just followed her blindly. Naturally, almost all of the money they got was given to Sophia and became her snack money.


    At Colin High School, Sophia Green was seen as a monster.


    It seemed that Director Bull didn''t want her to return to school for some other reasons than just bad grades.


    Sophia Green had lain in bed for two years, and Kate had cut her hair short for convenience. Now it was the hairstyle of a neat pupil. Her old school uniform had been damaged in the car accident, and so before coming into school, she had found a simple white T-shirt in the wardrobe and some black trousers, and she looked neat and tidy.. She was ready for a new start.

 Chapter 4 - 4: A Good Reputation

    Director Bull was feeling very happy. It had taken Sophia Green less than five minutes to write something on the paper and hand it in randomly. He was certain that she could not pass the exam.


    And then he could use this as an excuse not to allow her to return to school for at least another year. If her mother forced his hand, he could just arrange for her to study in tenth grade again.


    He wouldn''t allow her to affect the school''s college enrollment rate. As the teaching director, he was very worried about the school''s standing. He couldn''t count on the useless principal, and he could only rely on himself to guarantee the school''s good reputation.


    He picked up the paper and had a glance. The multiple-choice and the blanks were finished. For the following part, she had just done the first question. In total, she had only finished one side of the test paper and had written nothing on the opposite page.


    He smiled coldly. The part completed by Sophia Green was in total a score of ninety. She would fail the test with just one mistake.


    He didn''t believe that Sophia could get all these questions right.


    He took out the answers and started to check the paper.


    The first one¡­ right! She must have guessed. The second one¡­ still right. What a fluke. The third one¡­ right again. He couldn''t believe it, and she was so good at multiple choice.


    There were twelve multiple-choice questions, each worth five points, with a total score of sixty. Once he had finished checking this part, Director Bull began to sweat.


    Full marks! Are you kidding me? He thought to himself.


    He immediately began to check the blanks. There were four questions with a total score of twenty. Sophia Green''s answers were all right again, not even a mistake with a symbol.


    The last question she answered was a ten-point arithmetic question. Sophia had solved the problem in a very simple way, with very few words, and yet still, the answer was correct.


    It all added up to exactly ninety points!


    Director Bull wondered if Sophia Green had peeked at the answers. Even his best students couldn''t correctly finish the multiple-choice and blanks in five minutes. He didn''t believe this girl could have that ability.


    Maybe she had sneaked a look at the answers while he was talking with Mrs. Acheson. The answer booklet lay on the table, not far away. It would have been possible.


    But, Sophia Green''s calculation steps were different from the answer booklet. How could he explain that? Could she have done this test paper before?


    But it was the original paper for the college entrance examination taken before the summer vacation this year. Maybe she really was getting better, Director Bull thought. She might have changed her mind after she woke up from the coma and intended to work hard.


    If so, that would be a good thing.


    "Well, Mrs. Acheson, I''m going home now." Kevin Green said.


    "Yes. Call me if there is anything I can do." she replied.


    He turned away, heading to the bike shed where he had parked his bicycle.


    "You seem to have something on your mind. Is there anything wrong?" Sophia asked as she followed him.


    "No, but thanks for asking." His feet shuffled along as he shook his head.


    "Mrs. Acheson mentioned that you have a stepmother who is not good for you. Be careful. She may make trouble." Sophia said.


    Kevin stopped suddenly.


    "Make trouble? She didn''t even attend my sister''s funeral."


    "But, your sister will have left you some money, right? I just mean, you should watch out. Your stepmother may come for it."


    Sophia had been thinking about this and was trying to find the solution. She must be able to protect Kevin. Her stepmother would certainly want to take away her money. A disgusting thought!


    She had needed to say something to Kevin to warn him to be prepared.


    "She¡­she did ask about it. But I just ignored her." Kevin Green looked a little worried.


    "Well, just be careful. I don''t think your sister would be happy to see her hard-earned money taken away by your stepmother, right?".


    She really didn''t want to leave her stepmother and her stepbrother and stepsister any money, not a cent. She felt sick at the thought of that family. She would rather throw all her money into the sea than gave it to them!


    Kevin Green nodded, "Right. Thank you."


    He gave her a slight smile. He didn''t know if it was because her name was the same as his sister''s, but this Sophia Green gave him a very warm feeling. Although it was the first time they''d met, it seemed as if they had known each other for a long time.


    Director Bull looked out of his office to see if Sophia Green was coming back. As soon as he looked, he saw Sophia and Kevin Green walking along side by side.


    "Come here." He broke into a cold sweat at once, walked out of the office, and waved at Sophia to return.


    Sophia Green said goodbye to Kevin and went into the director''s office.


    "Have you finished checking my test paper, Director Bull?" she asked.


    "Yeah. Forget about it. What''s up with you and Kevin Green?" he said seriously, "Don''t mess with him. If you make trouble like the last time when you chased Charles Smith, I will make sure you are expelled for good."


    Sophia searched for the name "Charles Smith" in her mind, and she was shocked again.


    Charles Smith had been Sophia Green''s classmate in tenth grade. She had fallen in love with him at first sight at the start of the school year and had begun chasing after him. When Charles Smith had been promoted into the advanced class, Sophia Green had taken a bunch of girls with her to block him at the school gates every day.


    The memory was a bit vague, and she couldn''t remember all the details, but it made her feel horrible.


    "Don''t worry. I just think of him as a brother." Sophia Green said helplessly.


    "Brother? What do you mean? You''re not related. Don''t play tricks with me." He frowned.


    Sophia Green didn''t know what to say.


    She definitely wouldn''t play any tricks about that. After all, he was her blood brother.


    "Fill out the form." Director Bull took out an application form and put it on the desk.


    Sophia Green sat at the table and filled out the form. She deliberately wrote very neatly to show how completely different she was from before.


    "Your writing is quite good. You will get more points if you write composition and essays like this." Director Bull was a little surprised by her good writing.


    "Go to Mrs. Acheson, and she will be your teacher. Remember, don''t make trouble this year. Study hard, alright?" He signed his name on the bottom of the form and handed it to her.


    Sophia Green walked out of the director''s office and went to the finance office to pay the fee for her books. The enrollment fee for Colin High School was around $100. Kate had given her the money at home that morning.


    After paying, she went to Mrs. Acheson with a receipt.


    "Come to pick up your textbooks this afternoon." Mrs. Acheson warned her, "We will have class tomorrow."


    Sophia Green nodded. She had already seen the notice on the bulletin board. Mrs. Acheson was the headteacher of class seventeen.. She would have a registration that afternoon, and then she would be fully readmitted.

 Chapter 5 - 5: Her Assistant

    It was not even 10 am when she got home. Sophia Green opened the door and entered the house. Kate wasn''t home. She turned on the TV.


    The Glinton University lab fire was being reported on the news, but there was no mention of the victim. Sophia Green had been following reports of the fire ever since she woke up, but the news never went into much detail.


    She thought about the scene of the fire all the time. She would never forget those terrible moments.


    She was sure that the fire had been targeted at her. When she had found the lab on fire, she had tried to escape, but the door was blocked from the outside. Ever since she joined the university, all the steps in and around the lab were transformed into slopes, so she could get around easily in her wheelchair. If only she had been able to open the door, she would have been fine.


    She could have jumped through the window if her legs worked. The windows were alarmed, but people could still escape from them in an emergency, and her lab was on the ground floor, so it wouldn''t have been dangerous to jump.


    But she couldn''t do it. There was no way for a disabled person to escape under such circumstances.


    She had no idea who would have had so much hatred for her. She had worked in that lab for years and did not make contact with many people. She could not figure out who she had offended.


    But she would figure it all out.


    Her new home, as the other Sophia Green, was not far from Glinton University. Seeing as her mother was not at home, and she had nothing to do, she decided to go to the university lab to see if she could find any clues.


    After thirty minutes of cycling, she got to Glinton University.


    It was the first day of the semester at Glinton University too. The freshmen came from all over the country, and everywhere she looked, she could see parents and children hauling luggage out of cars. With so many people about, she wasn''t stopped or questioned.


    Many students were talking about the fire. Everyone had heard about it on the news, and as Glinton students, they were all very interested.


    "I heard someone died," one student said to another, as Sophia passed by, "I hope it wasn''t Sophia Green. She''s my idol."


    "How could anything happen to her? That kind of star is always taken good care of. Don''t worry. Maybe it''s just a rumor, and no one died. There''s been nothing on the news about it, right?" the other student said.


    Sophia Green sighed inside. Her university had taken good care of her. But the fire was completely unexpected; there was nothing they could have done.


    She cycled towards the laboratory. It was a big school campus. And it took her a while to get there.


    And here it was. The school''s energy research station. It was an old building with three floors. It was said to be more than a hundred years old. The building had not collapsed in the fire but stood solidly. She wondered if it could still be used after renovation.


    The exterior walls of the whole building were burnt black. Sophia Green sighed and walked slowly into the building.


    Her lab was the first room on her left. Due to her mobility difficulties, the school had given her the room closest to the entrance.


    Being here again gave her a feeling of familiarity, but it also felt strange.


    She went to the door of her lab. The door was made of iron. She looked at it carefully and found nothing unusual. She did not know what had hindered her from opening the door that night.


    She gently opened the door and stepped into the laboratory. As she entered, she saw a familiar figure standing with his back to her.


    A tall young man in a simple and dignified black suit.


    She had always been looking up at him and had never noticed how nice his back looked in a suit.


    The man heard the noise and turned around. He stared at her with cold, dark eyes. In her memory, the eyes of Albert Pearson were always smiling. And whenever she had looked at him, there had always been a faint smile.


    But the person in front of her was completely cold. He was not like that warm Albert Pearson at all. She would have doubted whether it was even him if it wasn''t for this familiar face.


    "Who are you?" his voice was as cold as his eyes, "A freshman? You shouldn''t be here. Leave now."


    Sophia Green felt funny. She did not know why he pretended to be cold. No matter how cold he looked, he was still Pearson, the cute, warm assistant who followed her around all day.


    "Why are you here?" she said lightly.


    "I work here." Albert Pearson replied tersely.


    "I''m a student." Sophia Green replied.


    She didn''t say she was a student of Glinton University, deliberately misleading him though she should have been at college by now, and not just headed into the eleventh grade.


    "Students should not come to the laboratory."


    "This place is badly burned. So you can''t be here to work. Since neither of us has any good reason to be here, you can''t judge me."


    "I don''t want to talk about it. If you don''t leave, I''ll have the porter take you away." Hearing his own irrational words, Albert Pearson had nothing else to say and frowned.


    She was not a student here, so if the porter asked her to leave, it was not the end of the world.


    "I''m not a bad person. I''m actually a big fan of Sophia Green''s. I heard she had an accident. So I just wanted to come and check if it was true. You must be a big fan, too. We are all so sorry about it." She spoke politely.


    And she looked at Albert Pearson with a little expectation. She was curious about her assistant. Had he worshipped her? Judging from the way he had always acted, he seemed to.


    "I''m not her fan." Albert Pearson was not angry anymore, but his tone was surprisingly firm.


    She was a little disappointed. So, she did not have a place in his heart, but surely he was only here because he missed her?


    "You can check around. But you can''t touch anything. The police have obtained evidence, but they may have overlooked something." Albert Pearson continued.


    "I won''t touch anything. I just want to look around.. I won''t touch a thing."

 Chapter 6 - 6: Her Favorite Painting

    Several oil paintings were hanging on the walls of the lab. They had been damaged in the fire. They were all badly burned and were almost unrecognizable.


    These paintings were not famous works, but they had all been lovingly painted by wonderful artists. Many of them were colleagues at the Academy of Fine Arts. Some of the works were by teachers, and some were by students.


    One of Sophia Green''s favorite paintings was a gift from Albert Pearson. It was of a little girl looking up at the sky. The style was abstract. The girl''s face was not very clear, and yet it gave a feeling of hope.


    She still remembered how Albert Pearson had offered it to her like a treasure, "Ms. Green. I painted this for you. What do you think?"


    "Pearson, you can paint?" she had been a little surprised.


    "I learned a little as a child." He was looking at her expectantly as if waiting for her opinion.


    Sophia gave him the compliment she was sure he was looking for, "Very good. Hang it up for me, please."


    Albert Pearson smiled. He didn''t hang it up immediately; instead, he lingered in the lab with the painting in his arms for a long time before saying, "I shall hang it here, and then you can see it while doing your experiments."


    ***


    She remembered how fond he was of the painting. He would take it off the wall every couple of weeks to wipe off the dust. None of the other paintings received this treatment. In fact, she never saw Albert Pearson dust them at all.


    But now, the painting was burned to a half-scorched frame. The beauty of the painting was gone and would never be recovered.


    Standing behind Sophia Green, Albert Pearson suddenly said, "Miss. Green''s favorite painting used to hang there."


    She was startled, but he just walked to the side of the room and stopped talking.


    The laboratory was located in the corner of Glinton University, far away from the student activity area, and it was very quiet all around there. Sophia Green walked slowly to the fire extinguisher lying in the corner of the room. She crouched down and examined it carefully.


    The fire extinguisher had been badly burnt. She remembered that she had picked up the fire extinguisher when the fire broke out. But it didn''t work, and it was broken.


    She had had a very bad feeling at the time. Now, as she thought about it again, she realized a killer would have known she would try and use the fire extinguisher, and he would have broken it beforehand. After the fire, it was so damaged it was impossible to tell if it had been broken before or not.


    Albert Pearson stood in front of one of the experimental tables for a moment. Then he turned to the door as if about to leave.


    Sophia Green stopped him with a question, "Are you still working here?"


    Albert Pearson paused but didn''t look back. There was a slight bitterness in his voice, "She''s gone. How can I still work here?"


    Then, he strode away.


    Sophia Green suddenly felt sorry for Pearson. He was the assistant the school hired for her, not an official member of staff. Was he fired after she died?


    He had lost his job because of her. She wondered what he was doing now.


    But she wasn''t worried about him. Albert Pearson was hardworking and intelligent. It shouldn''t be hard for him to find another job, a better job. In fact, she had always wondered why a person like Pearson was willing to be her assistant.


    She had asked him once. And all he had said was that he had a personal interest and that he enjoyed scientific research. She thought that he would probably find a new research job somewhere else.


    Sophia Green searched in the laboratory for a little while longer but did not find any useful clues. It was almost twelve o''clock. She was afraid that her mom would be worried when she didn''t find her at home. So she left Glinton University and cycled home.


    Kate Green was there when she got back. She had bought a lot of delicious food and was preparing lunch in the kitchen. Hearing Sophia come back, she poked her head out of the kitchen, "Sophia, go and wash your hands. We''re going to eat."


    "Yes, Mom." Sophia Green replied and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.


    By the time she had finished, Kate had already started serving up. Sophia went into the kitchen to help her take out the bowls and set the meal on the table.


    Kate looked at Sophia with a smile in her eyes, "You''re so sweet today. Even helping me set the food out."


    Sophia searched her other memory and could not remember ever helping her mother with food or other chores. Her daughter had never loved housework, and so this new behavior naturally surprised Kate.


    It was a very simple home-cooked meal, macaroni, and cheese, just enough for two people.


    Kate was a good cook. "Yummy." Sophia said as she ate.


    Kate smiled at her daughter and said, "Then eat more. You''ve just recovered. The doctor said you need more nutrition."


    Sophia smiled, "Mom, you eat more too!"


    Kate was a little taken aback. She was grateful enough that her daughter had woken up. She didn''t expect her daughter to become more thoughtful than she was before.


    This morning, before Sophia Green went to school, Kate had been worried that she would wear inappropriate clothing. Kate White knew her daughter liked to dress with lots of individuality, and she was so used to indulging her that she wouldn''t be able to change her mind. But she was surprised when Sophia just put on a simple outfit.


    It made her happy. It seemed that her daughter had changed for the better since the car accident.


    After dinner, Sophia Green didn''t offer to clean the dishes. She wanted to but worried Kate might suspect something if her daughter had changed so much. It was better to take things slowly.


    And furthermore, Sophia had never done the dishes herself, so she didn''t know exactly what to do. Her brother, Kevin, had done the housework like cooking and washing up because she couldn''t move freely.


    She peeked at the door to see Kate washing the dishes, understood what she had to do, and intended to do it next time.


    After lunch, Sophia Green cleaned her room and put away some of her old clothes. She didn''t like these garish clothes. It had taken her a long time to find a simple set of clothes before school that morning.


    Tomorrow was Saturday. She was going to go and buy some new clothes. She didn''t want much, just a few plain clothes. She usually wore a school uniform at school and only wore her own clothes during the holidays. Her school uniform had been destroyed in the accident.. But the school issued new ones every semester, so she didn''t have to worry about that.

 Chapter 7 - 7: The Sister Alliance

    That afternoon, she arrived early. She found class seventeen and entered the room.


    A dozen students had arrived in the classroom already and were looking around for seats. The school mixed up the year group every semester into different classes, so most of the students didn''t know much about each other. They were free to choose their seats until the teacher made a seating plan.


    She had no interest in the high school course, nor did she intend to do it all over again. It was too simple for her. She came to school more to feel part of school life. Besides, she had nothing else to do at her age. So she planned to pass the college entrance examination first.


    Thinking like this, she felt the front seats should be left to students in need. So she quietly walked to the back row of the classroom. She found a seat, cleaned it with a paper towel, and sat down.


    Several students looked around at her, confused. A couple of classmates who knew each other were whispering.


    "Why did she sit in the back? It''s so weird. She''ll hardly see or hear anything in the back, and it''ll affect her studies."


    "Isn''t she a¡­ bad student?"


    A student suddenly said, "That''s¡­ Sophia Green! How could she¡­"


    Immediately someone asked, "Who''s Sophia Green?"


    "She¡­" he hesitated, looked back at Sophia Green, and found she was looking at him. His face suddenly changed, and he turned around hurriedly, "I, I got it wrong."


    Sophia Green was bothered. She thought that none of these young students would know her. After all, they hadn''t even started school when she had the accident. But obviously, there was an exception. The classmate who knew her¡­ she remembered him.


    His name was Dave Malone. He was one of the students who had been blackmailed by her. He used to be one grade lower than her. He must have had to repeat a year.


    She saw Dave Malone silently find a seat as far away from her as possible and sit down.


    She must have left an awful mark in Dave Malone''s memory.


    Students gradually filtered into the classroom. But no one chose the seats near Sophia Green.


    Suddenly, a loud voice was heard at the door.


    "BOSS!"


    Everyone turned around and looked at the door.


    A fat girl in a miniskirt and heavy makeup walked up to Sophia Green, with a massive smile on her face. She was followed by two other girls. They were all dressed outrageously.


    The school was only starting today, and they weren''t required to wear school uniforms until next week. Even so, their outfits were very eye-catching.


    Sophia Green knew these three girls.


    They used to be her allies.


    Why were they still here? Shouldn''t they have graduated long before?


    "Carol Carter." Sophia Green rubbed her forehead, "Your voice is still so loud."


    Carol Carter trotted towards Sophia. She hugged Sophia''s head to her chest, "I''ve missed you so much, Boss."


    Sophia pulled herself away from Carol''s embrace and smoothed out her hair.


    "Why are you three here? Aren''t you supposed to have gone to college?"


    Carol Carter looked proud, "We were waiting for you. If you never came back, we would never have graduated."


    "Yeah." The other two girls chorused in unison.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dave Malone looking over at them with a desperate look.


    These three allies of Sophia Green were Carol Carter, Mariah Carey, and Melissa Everly. They were in the same class when they arrived at Colin High School. They got along well and quickly became good friends. They soon became a gang led by Sophia with a stupid name¡ªThe Sister Alliance.


    Before the establishment of the Sister Alliance, there were other girl gangs. But once the Sister Alliance was formed, it quickly disbanded the others. These girls either drifted away or joined the Sister Alliance.


    For one reason alone, Sophia Green was too powerful! She was born strong, and she was interested in fighting and had learned some skills. She could beat anyone, even four or five people at once. At the beginning of the Sister Alliance, some older girls had challenged them. They were all defeated by Sophia Green and had to beg for her forgiveness.


    Since then, Sophia Green had led the Sister Alliance and conquered all the girl gangs. They became the biggest headache for the school leaders. Even the bad boys in the school stayed out of her way and dared not be arrogant around her.


    Sophia was always faithful to her friends. Her family was not rich. Kate usually didn''t give her much pocket money. Three of the girls in the alliance were rich and always wanted to give her some money. But Sophia Green was determined to be a person of integrity and pride and wouldn''t accept their money.


    So she led her girls to blackmail other students. She called it "The Robin Hood Crusade".


    It all ended with a car accident. And Sophia had no idea what had happened since then.


    Thinking back on all that Sophia Green had done, she didn''t know what to say.


    Carol told her about their experiences after the car accident. It had been during the summer holiday, and after the incident, the three of them and some other girls stayed at the hospital and wouldn''t leave, insisting that their Boss would wake up.


    When school started, their parents made them go back to school. These three went into the eleventh grade. With Sophia Green''s legacy, they were still the bosses in the school. They would still habitually blackmail students at the school gates, until¡­


    "What''s the money for?" Holding the money, Carol Carter was confused.


    Mariah Carey was confused, too, "We used to use this money to buy snacks for Boss, pay for combat training, and buy clothes. Now she can''t eat snacks¡­"


    Melissa Everly said, "Yeah. We don''t need it."


    So they gave the money back.


    Before the college entrance exam application, Director Bull called them to the office and said gently, "Do you want to sign up for the college entrance examination? With your grades, there seems to be no hope of actually getting into university. And after you fail, you have to retake courses on the south campus. And then you wouldn''t be on campus with Sophia if she comes back. Why don''t you just give up the examination? And you can study with the year below next year?"


    Their grades were really bad. Even if they took the examination, they couldn''t get into any university. Of the 750 points, they would probably get about two hundred points at most.


    As the leader of the three, Carol Carter thought for a while and finally nodded, "We won''t sign up for the examination. We''ll stay in eleventh grade until Boss comes back."


    Director Bull nodded satisfactorily. If they didn''t sign up for the exam, they were not in the transition rate.


    The year''s enrollment rate was safe again.


    Then a year went by. The next year, when they were faced with college entrance examination applications again, Director Bull persuaded them to agree to wait another year with the same words he used before.


    ***


    Sophia Green didn''t know what to say.


    Director Bull was always trying so hard to get a high college enrollment rate. She remembered the way he had behaved yesterday when she re-enrolled.. If it hadn''t been for the change of soul, Sophia Green would never have passed that exam.

 Chapter 8 - 8: Stay Low Key

    Carol Carter sat down beside Sophia Green. Mariah Carey and Melissa Everly sat close to them.


    Carol began to talk as soon as she sat down, "Boss. I took girls to see you yesterday and found that you had been discharged from the hospital. I was wondering if you would come to school today and here you are, you''re really here!"


    Melissa Everly poked her head around the side, "I asked my dad to find out what class you were in and he found out you were in class seventeen, so he went to the principal and got us transferred into this class. Now we can be the Sister Alliance again and keep ruling the world."


    Melissa Everly''s family owned a big company. They had donated a building to the school. So the principal usually satisfied her requests and would not offend her for something that seemed so trivial. In fact, her family donated money to the school every year. Another reason, Director Bull might want her to stay at school for two more years.


    Sophia Green couldn''t help asking, "Melissa. Haven''t your parents thought about other ways for you to study in the last two years? Like studying abroad or something?"


    Some students with poor grades and rich families would be sent to study abroad. They could pay their way into foreign universities, and their degree would be acknowledged when they got back. Many companies were willing to hire people with a background in studying abroad.


    Melissa Everly looked proud, "My mom wanted me to study abroad. But I wouldn''t agree. I had to wait for you to come back. If you didn''t come back, I''d still be waiting here. I wasn''t going anywhere."


    Mariah Carey said, "My dad also asked me to go abroad. But he couldn''t do anything if I said no."


    Sophia Green really didn''t know what to say. She couldn''t bring herself to praise them.


    Other students were looking at them. They didn''t know Sophia Green, but they knew the other three girls. Everyone looked afraid. Hearing these girls call Sophia Green "Boss," they knew that Sophia must definitely be a bad student.


    Students moved even further away from them, and there was a big space around them.


    Carol Carter, with sharp eyes, saw Dave Malone sitting in the front row. She smiled at him, "What a coincidence! Dave Malone. You''re here, too."


    Dave Malone said nothing.


    He touched his wallet subconsciously.


    He wanted to cry and go home.


    Just then, Ms. Acheson entered the classroom, and the students gradually quietened down.


    Ms. Acheson smiled, "Congratulations on your promotion from tenth to eleventh grade. As you know, the eleventh grade is the hardest and most important year of high school. You can call me Ms. Acheson. I used to teach the tenth grade. And I will be your lead teacher this year. I hope you will get good grades in the college entrance examination at the end of this year''s studying!"


    As she used to take tenth grade, some of the students knew her. Those that did whisper to their classmates beside them, "Ms. Acheson looks nice, but she is very strict. It''s impossible to be naughty in her class!"


    "With her here, those bad students can''t make trouble and hopefully will be obedient."


    The students were talking, and some glanced back at Sophia Green occasionally. They wanted Ms. Acheson to teach those in the back a lesson to stop them from making trouble.


    Carol was annoyed and gave hard looks to any of the students who were turning around to look at her. They were so frightened, and they quickly turned around.


    "Boss, how about scaring a few students so they won''t dare to talk about you behind your back?"


    Sophia was getting a headache from these girls. She hadn''t figured out how to deal with them yet. They seemed to trust her, and she couldn''t let them go the wrong way.


    "Stay low key!" Sophia said, "No action without my instructions. Is that clear?"


    "Yes, madam." Carol nodded obediently, "you''re the boss. We''ll wait until you give us an order."


    Sophia Green was speechless.


    It was going to be a long and arduous task to get them on the right path.


    Ms. Acheson asked several pupils to carry books for her.


    The class began to whisper again. Sophia said to three girls, "Wait for me after school. Let''s go to the hairdressers."


    Mariah smiled, "Do you want to do your hair? Amazing. I don''t think your hair is fashionable enough. But it is a little short and so it may not be easy to curl. Um¡­ but a small curl would look pretty good."


    Sophia gave her a look, "It''s not me but you who need to get your hair done "


    "Us?" Mariah was confused, "I just did my hair two days ago. It took, like, six hours."


    Her hair was dyed in seven colors, evenly distributed, and it looked like a rainbow. It was obvious that the stylist had taken a lot of time.


    "Dye it back to black." Sophia said.


    Mariah looked like she was about to cry, "No, boss. It''s so ugly!"


    Melissa chimed in, "Yes, Boss. The same hairstyle won''t highlight the strength of our Sister Alliance."


    Only Carol Carter did not object and stiffly said, "Boss is boss. No nonsense. We need to keep up with the boss."


    "By the way, put it in a ponytail after you''ve dyed it back. Don''t let your hair down." Sophia said.


    Despite being the boss'' order, Mariah Carey and Melissa Everly were struggling to accept it.


    Sophia Green could see it wasn''t easy for them. After all, it had been their way for many years. She thought a bit and said, "You see people who have status on TV. Their hair is all clean and tidy. It''s a status symbol. I didn''t realize that before. But from now on, our Sister Alliance should be like that, you know? We can''t be looked down upon."


    When she said so, the three girls cheered up and happily agreed to go with her to the hairdresser after school.

 Chapter 9 - 9: She Is Satisfied

    While they were talking, people were distributing books around. Piles of books covered the teacher''s desk. There weren''t many textbooks for eleventh grade, but the school had ordered a lot of revision materials. The whole desk was piled up.


    Ms. Acheson asked her helpers to classify the books and give them out.


    There were a lot of books. Each helper had a pile to give out, and it didn''t take too much time.


    The stack of books in front of Sophia gradually piled up. She didn''t intend to read these books, but with the three girls next to her, she felt obliged to set a good example for them and inspire them to study hard.


    She sorted the textbooks, laid them neatly on the desk, and looked around at them.


    Carol was the most obedient one. She saw what Sophia did, and while confused, she also put her books away carefully. Mariah and Melissa didn''t take it seriously but did the same.


    Sophia was satisfied. Treating books with respect was the first step, and they did it very well.


    After all the books were handed out, Ms. Acheson cleared her throat and said, "Each student should have seventeen books and ten exercise books. Count your books. If you don''t have enough books, check the booklist on the blackboard to see which one is missing. Also, check to make sure you don''t have a duplicate book."


    Students started to count their books. Some students didn''t get enough books, and they reported books they missed.


    Sophia Green saw the girls were still. She coughed and began to count her books.


    And so the three girls had to count too.


    "I don''t have ''the Mathematics Guide Manual''." Sophia said as she raised her hand.


    "I don''t have a Chinese textbook." Mariah raised her hand, too.


    Ms. Acheson looked up all the books that were missing from the extra ones. Finally, she said in a bit of a quandary, "There is only one ''Mathematics Guide Manual'' left. But both Sophia Green and Molly McDowell don''t have one. How about you negotiate between you who will use this book first? And I''ll check if there is one leftover somewhere else."


    Sophia was just trying to show her seriousness and set an example to her friends. She didn''t really want the book. She wanted to give it to Molly McDowell. But Molly McDowell said quickly, "Ms. Acheson, I get really good grades in school and she won''t study with the book. Give it to me. This book has to be used when the class starts, and it''s more useful to me. I''d like to look over it this weekend."


    ''Mathematics Guide Manual'' was a book for students to read before class. Hardworking students usually finished it before class.


    When Sophia Green heard what she said, she got upset. She had intended to give this girl the book, but now she changed her mind.


    Carol Carter was also very angry. But she couldn''t exactly deny what she had said. She looked at Mariah and Melissa. They also didn''t know what to say. It was true that Sophia didn''t study hard. There didn''t seem to be a point arguing with Molly McDowell for a math book.


    Sophia Green stood up and smiled, "I''m sorry. Ms. Acheson. I also need this book."


    Molly McDowell stood up and said angrily, "What do you want books for? Can you even do math? I know, I''ll pick a question. If you can work it out, I''ll give you the book."


    Ms. Acheson heard their quarreling and hurried to calm the situation, "Molly McDowell, don''t joke! We haven''t learned this book yet. How could you make her do that? I''ll keep the book. And I''ll give it to you when I find another one. Is that fair?"


    Sophia Green didn''t actually care. She just felt angry about what Molly had said. If Molly McDowell hadn''t said those words, she would have given her the book quite happily.


    But Molly McDowell didn''t agree, "Ms. Acheson. I really need this book. It''s no good for you. Give it to me first! It''s not too late to give her another one!"


    Ms. Acheson was a bit awkward, "Well¡­"


    Sophia was not a very patient person. She suddenly said, "McDowell. Do you mean what you just said?


    Molly McDowell didn''t react, "Which bit?"


    "You said you''d give me the book if I can work out a problem."


    "That¡­ of course, that counts." Molly was delighted. She hadn''t expected Sophia to be so angry that she was actually willing to do some work.


    "Choose a question." Sophia Green said lightly.


    Carol gently pulled on Sophia''s arm, a little worried, and whispered in her ear, "Boss. Don''t bet on it. If you lose the bet, you''ll lose face."


    She knew Sophia well. She couldn''t even work out the math questions in tenth grade, let alone eleventh-grade tests.


    Sophia smiled, patted her hand, and said nothing.


    Molly said happily, "You''ve said it. Don''t blame me when you lose. Please give me the book, Ms. Acheson. I''ll find her a question."


    Ms. Acheson couldn''t help with it. Now that the two students had reached an agreement and it was a study test, after all, she had no reason to object. So she gave the book to Molly McDowell.


    Molly flipped through the book and pointed to one of the questions at random, "This one. Do it. You''ll have twenty minutes. If you can''t work it out, this book is mine."


    Sophia picked up the book, took a look at it, and said lightly, "It won''t take twenty minutes. The answer is that ''x'' equals seven, and ''y'' equals fifteen."


    Molly McDowell handed the book to Ms. Acheson, "Ms. Acheson. There is no answer here. Please check whether she is right."


    Ms. Acheson took the book back and saw that it was a very complicated geometric problem. Although she was a math teacher, she could not tell the answer straight away. She picked up a student''s pen, drew two auxiliary lines, and spent a couple of moments working it out. She looked up in surprise.


    "Sophia Green''s answer is¡­ right!"


    Molly McDowell looked surprised. How was that possible? Even Ms. Acheson had taken some time to solve the problem. Sophia Green just gave the answer at once. She must have guessed it.


    Ms.. Acheson handed the book to Sophia, "Sophia Green has been studying hard lately. It''s paid off!"

 Chapter 10 - 10: A Good Opportunity

    Then she turned to Molly McDowell, "I will check if there are any extra books. If not, the school will order it. We''ll get it soon. It won''t affect your studies, don''t worry."


    Sophia took the book, returned to her seat, and put it on the pile of her books.


    Carol worshipped her, "Boss, that was so cool."


    Melissa smiled, "This is the first time I''ve ever been impressed by a good student. You are so great, boss."


    Sophia smiled, "In that case, let''s study hard together from now on."


    Carol wanted to take back her words, "I''m just kidding, boss."


    "Boss is just joking. Don''t be serious. I''m also impressed by the way you rob money." Melissa said.


    Mariah was glad that she didn''t have to say anything. She turned her face away and pretended nothing had happened.


    Sophia was helpless. It seemed that it would take some time to get the girls to behave and work hard.


    Molly McDowell walked sulkily to her seat, muttering, "Even if you''re good at math, you can''t get into college!"


    Sophia Green heard that but ignored her.


    There was no class that day. After the books were handed out, students were allowed to leave. It was Friday. They would not have class until Monday.


    As everyone left school, Sophia Green waited at the door for the three girls. She worried that they would change their minds and wouldn''t go to the hairdressers with her. When all three girls had arrived, she happily set off with them to the shed to pick up their bikes. Then four girls rode their bikes to the nearest hairdressers.


    Under her supervision, the three girls sat in the chairs as the hairdressers straightened their colorful curls and dyed them back to black.


    A little while later, they were all back to a fresh schoolgirl style. And now it was just their outfits that didn''t match with their crisp hairstyles.


    "I''m going shopping for clothes tomorrow. Will you come?" Sophia said.


    "Boss. A lot of new styles have come out recently. Of course, I''ll come! It''s been a long time since I went shopping with my boss." Melissa was instantly cheered up.


    Carol and Mariah also agreed.


    "Okay. So see you at the school gate tomorrow."


    She wouldn''t tell them in advance what kind of clothes she was going to make them get! If she''d told them, none of them would have turned up! She had better save that until she saw them tomorrow.


    Sophia said goodbye to her friends and rode home.


    Kate wasn''t home. Sophia guessed that she was looking for a job.


    In order to take care of her daughter, Kate had quit her job soon after the accident. It was not easy to find a job in Lands City. She probably wouldn''t be able to find one immediately.


    Sophia Green was considering making some money after everything had settled. Kate was her present mother, and she respected her and didn''t want her to suffer.


    She was just a student and couldn''t go out and get a proper job. There were not many ways to make money as a teenager. But it didn''t mean she couldn''t do anything. The Internet was so vast, and maybe she could find ways to make money online.


    There was a computer in her bedroom. It was old and outdated, but it still worked. She turned on her computer and tried to connect to the net. Their home network was a broadband connection to the phone line. They would have the Internet as long as their phone didn''t get cut off.


    She searched the web and was attracted by a message.


    Registration for an Online Chess Contest opens today for one week.


    Welcome to the competition.


    The champion of the contest wins to get a prize of $3000!


    Runner-up $1500.


    Second runner-up $750!


    In addition, there are ten Excellence Awards, and the prize is $150!


    For more information, please check out the official blog @ Online Chess Contest Official!"


    Sophia checked the blog, and it looked legitimate. She thought it was a good opportunity. She had learned chess a little while ago and even played with Albert Pearson from time to time. She was pretty good. It would be amazing if she could get into the top three. Even $150 for an excellent prize was not a small amount of money for her.


    The prize money was not too big, and so the real chess masters probably wouldn''t enter. She thought she had a good chance at winning.


    Just playing chess on the Internet - it wouldn''t take a lot of time, and it was cost-free. She carefully read the detailed information and planned to sign up.


    It was Saturday morning, and Sophia Green got up late. She walked out of her room and found that Kate had already left.


    She knew Kate must have gone looking for a job. She wanted to persuade Kate not to work so hard, but she was just a high school student. She didn''t want to seem too mature and, besides, she hadn''t made any money yet.


    Kate had left her breakfast in the kitchen, keeping it warm in the pan. Sophia heated the food a little more and ate. After breakfast, she did the dishes and went out.


    She went to the school gate to wait for her three friends to go shopping as they had agreed yesterday.


    The three girls arrived soon after her, and they were all together.


    Sophia waved her hand, "Let''s go."


    The four girls all rode their bikes, Sophia leading the way and the other three following behind. Carol had wanted to ride next to Sophia, but Sophia had stopped her.


    "We can''t ride side by side. It will obstruct cars behind us. It''s dangerous."


    "Yes, boss."


    After a while, Mariah Carey noticed something was wrong, "Boss. Shouldn''t we be going to the boutiques? It''s not this way."


    Carol also noticed that "Boss. You''ve got the wrong way."


    "No, I don''t." Sophia said, "Just follow me!"

 Chapter 11 - 11: Bullying

    When they stopped, Carol Carter couldn''t help saying, "Boss, this is the clothing mall. The clothes here are awful. They''re all boring and normal. The latest clothes are in the boutiques! I just think you wanna see another design of the dress. Shall we check it?"


    "Really? then let''s go!" She said abruptly.


    Sophia Green parked her bike and locked it up. Then she pointed to a store, "Let''s go have a look."


    Carol looked at the girls, and all of them had a bad feeling.


    The store was quite big. As soon as the girls entered, a shopping assistant came up to them, "Girls, we''ve just got some new clothes in. Allow me to give you some recommendations."


    Sophia nodded, "We want to buy some clothes suitable for students. Something that looks not too lavish. Simple clothes are fine."


    Mariah couldn''t help pulling Sophia''s arm, "Boss. I don''t want to wear these clothes."


    Sophia looked at her authoritatively. "Have a try! You haven''t tried it yet, and then you reacted too much?"


    Half an hour later, Mariah Carey despondently walked out of the clothing store in a knee-length dress.


    Behind her, Carol Carter wore a light pink, full-length jumpsuit. And Melissa Everly wore a white short-sleeved top and a skirt longer than Mariah''s.


    "My mini skirt, my halter tops¡­" Melissa was crying.


    Sophia had also bought some clothes: a large lilac T-shirt and some black leggings. She was already thin, and her outfit made her look even thinner.


    "Let''s go." Sophia said.


    They had just started walking when Carol suddenly called out, "Dave Malone! You come to buy clothes, are you?"


    Sophia Green looked back and saw her classmate Dave Malone. He was shopping with a boy his age. He heard Carol''s words and vaguely looked over to her.


    It took him a while to recognize the speaker as Carol Carter. The look on his face suddenly became fearful and a little puzzled.


    "Ca¡­ Carol¡­" Dave Malone had to approach them, "I¡­ I don''t have any money with me today." A fearful sound added to his voice because he knew that this person would be going to force him to give her money to him.


    Carol was not in a good mood in her boring clothes. She squared up to Dave Malone and gave him a withering look, "How can you go shopping without money?"


    Dave Malone was timid and took out his wallet at once, "It''s my bad, Carol. Here, here is all my money." He doesn''t want to create chaos. That''s why he immediately give his money.


    The boy beside him stretched out his hand to stop him, "What are you doing? Dave. Why are you giving your money to her?"


    Carol ignored him, grabbed the wallet, and smiled back to Sophia, "Boss, money! Not too much but enough from this guy here!"


    Sophia Green didn''t know what to say. She suddenly felt like a villain. What should she do? She felt disgusted with the old habit of this young Sophia that owns her body.


    She was just about to say something when the boy with Dave Malone, his brother, rushed up and stared at her angrily, "Who are you? Why do you bully other people? Do you think you''re gangsters or something?"


    Dave drew the boy back in horror, "Barry, leave it. They¡­"


    Mariah Carey couldn''t believe her ears, she rushed in front of Sophia and shouted at Barry Malone, "Who are you? How dare you get involved in our Sister Alliance''s business? Fuck off! Fuck off! I''ll kill you. Believe me or not."


    Kill¡­ She can''t believe what she heard.


    Sophia Green was shocked. She pulled Mariah out of the way, walked up to Carol, and took the wallet from her hand.


    Carol smiled with pride, "Give him a lesson, boss. Let him know the strength of the Sister Alliance. Kick his ass."


    Sophia Green walked slowly up to Dave Malone. The look on his face suddenly changed. He retreated step by step, "Boss. I''ve¡­ already given you¡­ the money."


    All of a sudden, Barry rushed up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.


    Without thinking, Sophia Green quickly lowered her shoulders, turned abruptly, reached for Barry Malone''s hands as she kicked him in the back of the knees, and pushed him to the ground with his hands still caught.


    "Good job, boss!" The girls cheered.


    Barry Malone was completely stunned. He used to study at the Martial Arts School and had just transferred to Colin High School this year. He was considered quite strong among the boys. He didn''t expect to be caught out by a girl who looked thin and weak.


    In fact, Sophia Green was stunned, too. Out of her knowledge, the young Sophia really had good skills in martial arts.


    That was not her own ability. She had been paralyzed for years, so naturally, it had been impossible for her to learn fighting skills. These skills belonged to the original Sophia Green. When someone attacked, she just reacted without thinking. She is moving actively and quickly.


    Sophia let go of Barry and went to Dave, put the wallet back in his hand, and said: "Take it!"


    He was shocked, "Boss. I¡­ I''m willing to give it to you. No¡­no¡­"


    Sophia Green ignored him and turned away. When seeing her walk away, the other three girls were confused, but they followed her obediently.


    "Don''t you want the money, boss?" Carol asked.


    Sophia Green turned and stared at her. She said completely seriously, "You can no longer blackmail other students. You know it''s illegal? They may call the police and send you to jail. We need to change and leave this kind of habit. Other students are innocent, and they did nothing against us,"


    Carol felt a little aggrieved, "But¡­ but then you don''t have the money. Do you want my pocket money instead?"


    Sophia Green shook her head, "No! Your boss has the ability to make money! We can a better way rather than bullying another student,"

 Chapter 12 - 12: Sadness Of Her Death

    Sophia Green left the three girls at the intersection and cycled home.


    As Sophia Green passed a funeral parlor, she glimpsed Kevin Green walk in. She stopped, parked up, and followed him into the store.


    "You''re¡­ that girl?" Kevin was surprised, "How could you..."


    He knew that only people with family funerals would come here. Naturally, he wasn''t going to ask her why she was here.


    Sophia Green smiled, "I just passed the door of the shop and saw you coming in. I just wanted to ask if there''s anything I can do. I''m not busy, and we''re classmates, let me know if you need anything. I am willing to help you by any means,"


    Kevin forced a smile, "No, thanks. I¡­ just came to get a photo framed. It''s needed for the funeral tomorrow. There''s nothing else to do. No need to help. I can handle it,"


    The shop was very small. There was just a shopkeeper, no other employees. Sophia saw the shopkeeper was busy in front of the printer as a picture of her was slowly coming out of the machine.


    She didn''t like to have her picture taken. There were very few photos of her. This one, she remembered, was taken by Kevin on his cell phone on her birthday last year. One of her memorable days with her family.


    She tore her eyes away and asked, "Can you manage on your own? There''s a lot to prepare for a funeral. Don''t be polite to me. I have the same name as your sister. It''s kind of fate. I''m happy to help. I really wanted to extend my help, Kevin,"


    Kevin shook his head, "No, I''m okay... I know you mean well. Actually, my sister had a colleague. He''s been helping. Most of the funeral things were taken care of by him. I didn''t have to do much."


    Sophia Green was surprised, "A colleague?"


    Because of the way she worked, she didn''t have much interaction with her colleagues at school. She certainly didn''t expect any colleagues to take care of her affairs after her death. Who would be that person?


    Kevin nodded, "He''s a nice guy. I don''t know his name. He asked someone to cremate the body and arrange the funeral. I''ve just done little bits. My sister¡­" He cut himself off and sighed, "She¡­she never had a good life, she suffered while she lived and she suffered when she died. Even after she died, there was no way to bury her right away. It''s taken more than two months for the police investigation to be completed and only now, finally, can her body be buried. Anyway, it''s over. She left a good memory to us; however, her death made us all suffered" A pang of sadness crossed at Kevin''s eyes.


    Hearing his words, she felt miserable about the life she had had. She couldn''t help feeling pity for herself.


    She was silent for a while. Then she looked up into Kevin''s sad eyes, "Kevin, you must be the one she loved most, right? She must have hoped that even if she died, you would be able to pull yourself together. People die, it''s inevitable, and death is not necessarily the end. You have to believe that she may be living a happier life in another world right now!"


    Kevin was in a daze for a moment and nodded slowly, "I know. Don''t worry. I''ll go back to school and continue my life after the funeral and all those things. If I live well and happily, my sister will be happy wherever she is."


    Sophia knew him. It would have been a weight off his mind to say that. It was exactly what she wanted to see. If Kevin Green never let go and was always sad, she didn''t know what she would do.


    She turned to leave. As she walked to the door, she stopped suddenly and asked, "By the way, as there''s no school tomorrow, could I attend your sister''s funeral?"


    Kevin looked at her. He always got a strange feeling with this girl.


    He nodded, "It''s ten a.m. tomorrow. At the funeral home."


    "Got it. See you tomorrow."


    On her way home, Sophia wondered who was helping Kevin with the funeral. Was it Principal Lewis from Glinton University? Or some other colleague?


    Could it be¡­ Albert Pearson?


    Sophia thought about the day she had seen Albert Pearson in the lab. She thought he really was a good man. She had been dead for two months, and he was still there, at the scene of the fire, he had not forgotten her.


    It was more than she could have expected from an assistant.


    She wondered whether he had found a new job yet. With his ability¡­ he surely could find one easily.


    It was too early when she got back, and Kate still wasn''t home. Sophia hadn''t heard her mention finding new work. It seemed that she hadn''t found a job yet. In a big city like Lands City, with so much competition, it wasn''t easy.


    Sophia wondered if there was some other way she could help. Maybe she could send a resume online.


    So she called Kate, "Mom, I want to help you send out your resume online. Do you have any certificates or anything?"


    Kate thought for a while, "Yes. There are some certificates in my drawer. Is it useful to send a resume online? I never tried that."


    Sophia replied, "Let''s have a try. I''ll email your resume to some reliable schools, and maybe you''ll get an interview."


    "That would be great. I''ve actually got an interview today. Fingers crossed."


    Sophia Green hung up. She found Kate''s certificates and qualifications, and she made a resume for her online and sent it to some recruiting websites looking for teachers. She had been a professor in her previous life, but she got it through her scientific achievements, so she didn''t know much about the rest of the teaching profession.. This was all she could do to help her mother.

 Chapter 13 - 13: Knowing A Person

    Having sent out the resume, she opened the blog she had started yesterday. Her blog username was "Knowing A Person." The phrase "Knowing a person for such a long time" was from a poem called "The Eternal Love." Her name Sophia had come from this poem. She left out the last five words and used the front three words as her nickname.


    She clicked through to the tournament website. It was still too early to start the first stage. The competition interface had not yet opened up, but there was a game mode, which allowed players to play with each other for fun. It was always available.


    Sophia Green had not played chess for a long time. She suddenly felt nervous, she had only played chess with Albert Pearson in the lab and once, with a player online. She began to doubt her chess skills.


    She had some free time, so she opened a game and clicked "Start." She wanted to play a game of chess with someone to test her level.


    ***


    Toby Damon received a call from Grey Cooper. He didn''t want to answer it. But he answered the phone out of courtesy. After all, Grey Cooper was the boss of a big company. He didn''t want to offend him.


    "Mr. Damon. We haven''t spoken for a long time." Grey said, "but I would like to ask you for a favor, OK?"


    Toby frowned, "I''m just a chess player. What can I do for you?"


    Grey Cooper could hear the reluctance in his tone, but he charged on cheerfully, "Well, a friend of mine has sponsored an online chess contest. He wants to make the whole thing look a bit more formal. So I thought it would be good to have a famous chess player as one of the competitors. You''re the top expert in the country, and we were wondering if we could use your name? You don''t have to do anything, just forward a blog message and play a couple of games."


    In fact, Albert Pearson hadn''t asked him to do anything of the kind. But he had asked Albert to check his business accounts, a very troublesome and tricky affair, and Albert had done it all overnight without asking for anything in return. The detailed breakdown had been sent to him early that morning.


    Sure enough, the accounts had been altered, and it had been done by someone inside his company, so skillfully that it would have been hard for even a professional to discover it. Fortunately, he had such an amazing friend like Albert Pearson, who was able to find the problem in time.


    Albert had done him such a huge favor, and, as a friend, he felt he would be indebted to him if he did nothing. But Albert Pearson didn''t need anything from him, so this was all he could think of.


    Toby Damon didn''t like Grey Cooper. Last time, Grey Cooper asked him for a favor, it had been to "guide" his friend through a chess game. For the sake of the money he was offered, he had agreed.


    He had gone to Mr. Pearson''s house and played a game of chess with him. Mr. Pearson was very good, but Toby Damon was an international chess player, so he finally won.


    Mr. Pearson had lost but laughed it off, "You really know how to play chess, Mr. Damon. I have a friend who also plays chess. But she is not here now. Can you play a game of chess with her online? She usually plays chess with me and wins every time. She must be very bored."


    Toby Damon also played chess on the internet. Chess was available on many game platforms, and, like a chess player, he often played online and knew how it worked. As Mr. Pearson had made the request, he had just agreed.


    Mr. Pearson made a phone call and asked his friend to go online and open the online game interface.


    Toby Damon thought at first that he could finish it in a few minutes. But as he played, he got more and more thrilled. The way his opponent played was quite odd, and she didn''t seem to have any clear strategy or training. But each move implied a hint as if she had seen through the next dozen steps. He finally lost.


    He had heard that a computer program had beaten the world champion in Go recently. So he suspected that his opponent was not a real person but a computer program. If the Go programming could beat a world champion, it wouldn''t be a surprise if a computer could beat him.


    But Mr. Pearson would not admit it so Toby could do nothing but leave, feeling angry and cheated.


    Because of that incident, Toby Damon didn''t like or trust Grey Cooper and didn''t want to work with him again.


    The silence on the phone persisted as Grey waited for Toby''s response. So finally, he played his trump card.


    "Of course, it''s not a free favor. How about fifteen thousand dollars as a prize? That''s open to negotiation if you''re not satisfied."


    Toby Damon was not a rich man. Fifteen thousand dollars wasn''t a small sum of money to him. He thought about it and nodded, "Fine. But¡­ You''re not going to end up using a computer program to win the championship, are you? That would be so unfair! If it came out, it would affect my reputation!"


    It''s a despicable thing to win a prize with a computer program under the guise of a real person.


    Grey Cooper didn''t know what to say, "Of course not! There''s no chess programming that good anyway! That''s just Go where they can do that, right? It would cost a lot of money to build that. Chess isn''t that popular in this country. I wouldn''t spend that kind of money on it. Besides, why would I bother?"


    Toby Damon was dubious. But for the sake of the reward, he finally agreed.


    But he was still not at ease. He opened the computer, signed up for an account, and entered the game interface. He wanted to check if there was any chess programming at work.


    He clicked, "start." The system automatically assigned him an opponent named "Knowing A Person.." The game was on.

 Chapter 14 - 14: Missing A Person

    Toby Damon was surprised to see the nickname "Knowing A Person". It was not a person''s name at all. It was like a random combination of three words, with no meaning at all. People usually gave their nicknames some meaning, didn''t they?


    Before he could think much about it, the chess game began. Toby was playing the white pieces and could move first. He clicked a pawn and moved a step.


    A black piece responded.


    After a little bit of play, Toby Damon noticed something was wrong.


    This feeling, d¨¦j¨¤ vu! The sensation made his forehead sweat.


    It took more than half an hour to finish the game. Toby Damon tried his best. Finally, the system showed: checkmate.


    Toby Damon''s white pieces were lost. The black pieces had won!


    The black pieces, moving weirdly and with strange tactics, seemed to be moved by an eye that saw through everything¡­the idea had arrived in Toby''s mind when he started to play, and it only grew stronger.


    It was the chess programming he had encountered at Mr. Pearson''s house.


    He was enraged.


    Toby picked up his phone and called Grey Cooper, "I''m sorry, I''m not going to be a consultant for you! No matter how much money you offer, I just don''t agree!"


    Grey Cooper was confused, "We had a deal, right? Why have you changed your mind so soon?"


    It hadn''t even been an hour, and it seemed he had just changed his mind at will. He was so unreliable.


    "You said you wouldn''t use any chess programming for the tournament, didn''t you? I just logged in with my account and played an account called ''Knowing A Man, '' which is chess programming, right? I know it''s true, so what else can you say?" Toby said angrily.


    "I will figure out this whole thing, Mr. Damon. Don''t worry. I''ll speak to the host." Grey replied and hung up the phone. He was disappointed in Toby Damon. He wouldn''t have gone to him had he known that he would be so tricky.


    Still, he called Albert Pearson, "Albert. That chess player, Toby Damon, said that you''d used chess programming to create a fake player. Is that true? I thought the tournament hadn''t started yet."


    Albert grunted, "Are you an idiot? Why would I do that? Toby Damon¡­ Is he the chess player who played with me last time? Why does he always say his opponent is chess programming when he loses the game? Is he a bad loser? If he loses when he plays with a person face to face, does he say the person is a robot? No¡­ Now the question is, why did you go to him?"


    "I just wanted to help you out. It seems that Toby Damon enjoys undeserved fame. He has no skill at all. Forget it. I was going to help you get him as a famous competitor. But I didn''t expect him to be so useless." Grey Cooper sighed, "He said that there''s an account called ''Knowing A Person,'' and he claims this is just a computer. Isn''t that funny? I guess it''s just a player more skilled at chess."


    Albert Pearson was surprised, "What did you say the name of the account was? ''Knowing A Person''?"


    "Yeah, it''s a weird name, right? Just look at these three words, it really is like a name randomly chosen by a machine, isn''t it? I wonder why the player chose it, and it doesn''t make any sense."


    Albert Pearson was silent for a while and, then, slowly said, "Longing for a person for such a long time. Missing a person for such a long time. But she can only tell her feelings to the moon above the lake. Knowing a person for such a long time."


    Grey laughed, "Oh, I see. I''ve never heard this poem before. Is that chess player a genius? He has such a weird name, and it''s actually a literary reference. I think this guy might win the championship. Who is he, I wonder? Does he have a ranking? No. People with rankings wouldn''t play for just three thousand dollars. It would be beneath their dignity."


    Something occurred to him and before Grey Cooper finished talking, Albert had hung up the phone, turned on the computer, and entered the game interface.


    He searched, and sure enough, there was a user named "Knowing A Person". They were currently offline.


    He sighed. Maybe it was just his foolish hope. How could she¡­


    He had seen her autopsy report. He had seen her cremated. Maybe he just missed her so much that he would connect everything with her.


    Even though he knew that no matter how much he missed her, she wouldn''t show up again. He still couldn''t help¡­


    Albert Pearson hadn''t known the origin of Sophia''s name at first. He had read lots of books, but he couldn''t remember everything he saw like Sophia Green. He could only remember some of the famous poems he had learned by heart.


    Once, he asked casually, "Ms. Green. Was your name given to you by your mother?"


    Sophia was doing an experiment. When she heard his words, she replied, "Yes. My mother liked classic literature. So she just picked a name from a poem for me."


    "Classic literature?" Albert Pearson thought about it, "I can''t think of any poem it might come from. It seems my knowledge isn''t really up to scratch."


    Sophia Green laughed, "Your knowledge is excellent, Pearson. You don''t have to be too modest. It''s an unusual poem. People usually haven''t heard of it unless they''re really into poetry. It''s called "The Eternal Love". There is a section in it: ''Longing for a person for such a long time. Missing a person for such a long time. But she can only tell her feelings to the moon above the lake. Knowing a person for such a long time.'' Actually, I don''t really like this poem. It''s too sad, right?"


    Albert Pearson also smiled, "I think it''s a good name and a good story. Is your brother''s name also from your mother?"


    Sophia shook her head, "No. My mother had difficult labor when she gave birth to him. She never got the chance to name him. My father gave him his name, and he just picked one at random. Speaking of that, you have a good name. Pearson. I can see that your parents expect a lot from you!"


    The connotations of Albert Pearson''s name were easy to understand, brilliance, and intelligence. Those were what many parents expected from their children, and Albert knew just how much his parents expected of him.


    ***


    After the game, Sophia was tired. It had not been easy at all. She had just entered the game casually; she hadn''t expected it would be such a battle. Interestingly, the way her opponent played was similar to someone she had played with before.


    Maybe it was just a common way of playing chess.


    Sophia was even less confident than before. If her opponent for the tournament was better than this one, she would probably lose. It seemed likely that there would be someone better than them.


    She had thought she might get an Excellence Award, but now, it seemed unlikely.


    While thinking, she heard the door open.. She turned off the computer, went to the living room, and saw Kate had come back.

 Chapter 15 - 15: Her Own Funeral

    "Mum, how was the interview today? Is it okay? " Sophia asked casually, taking her bag from her.


    Kate smiled, "Fine. Are you hungry? I''ll cook some of your favorite dishes,"


    "Yeah. I''ll help you." She followed her Mom to the kitchen.


    She had not yet learned how to cook. As she helped her mother, she said, "Mom, I want to go to one of my classmate''s sister''s funeral tomorrow. Is that okay? It is the last day of the funeral,"


    She might be back late after the funeral, so she thought it would be better to ask her mother''s permission first, lest she should worry.


    "Your classmate''s sister. That sounds tragic. Of course, you should go and make sure you wear dark clothes, black preferably. It''s not done to wear too bright to such a sad event. Where is it? If it''s the funeral home, it''s a little far from here. You''d need to take the bus. Do you know which bus you should take?" Her Mom''s voice was full of concern.


    "I know. I''ve checked. It''s a bus seventeen." She answered quickly.


    With her mother''s consent, Sophia was reassured. She knew that Kate was very kind and would not object to her going out home alone.


    She didn''t tell her friends. After all, they had nothing to do with it. Just thinking about the fate of her tragic death, she trembles hard. But she knew someone plotted behind it. She needs to keep calm and find the real culprit. She can''t let the person roaming free while her own family suffered her loss. She needs to figure out possible clues that led her to that person. She can''t remember that she offended someone in the past.


    Early the next morning, Sophia searched in her wardrobe for a long time before eventually finding a more formal black coat. There were some embellishments on it that she thought made it look undignified, so she took them off. After a few minutes, she quickly fixes herself and throws a side glance to the mirror inside her room. As she gets satisfied with her look, she heads towards the door.


    There was a bus stop near Sophia Green''s home. She didn''t have to wait long before the bus came.


    As it was a Sunday morning, there were not many people on the bus. Sophia Green found a seat and was about to sit down when she heard someone behind her call out her name.


    She looked back and saw Ms. Acheson.


    "Good morning, Ms. Acheson." She greeted her immediately.


    Ms. Acheson nodded a greeting, "Where are you going? It wouldn''t be..."


    "Are you also going to the funeral, Ms. Acheson?" Sophia asked.


    "Well, I thought I''d see if there was anything I can do to help. Kevin''s such a good kid, and it''s so unfortunate, and today is Sunday, so I was free." Ms. Acheson said in a sad tone.


    Sophia was touched. She walked over to Ms. Acheson and sat down next to her, "It''s very kind of you, Ms. Acheson."


    Ms. Acheson sighed, "I didn''t expect such a thing to happen. In fact, I used to know his sister. She was also a student of our school. Well, she''s the same name as you, Sophia Green. She was a legend at the time. She got into the university at the age of ten! Unfortunately, it seems only the good die young."


    Sophia was silent. Ms. Acheson couldn''t have imagined what kind of mood she was in then. A surge of pain and sadness crossed her heart.


    To go to her own funeral¡­ even if she told everyone, would a single person believe it? If she tells Ms. Acheson that she is the original Sophia Green, would she believe it or rather think she''s crazy.


    The bus stopped near the funeral home, and Sophia and Ms. Acheson got off the bus and headed towards the door.


    She had thought her funeral would be cold and empty. But surprisingly, there was a whole crowd. She never expected this kind of sympathy.


    Both sides of the road were lined with people dressed in black, male and female, mostly young. She didn''t know many of these people. She only knew a few colleagues from Glinton University and some relatives. For a moment, she could not figure out why these people had come here.


    There were many wreaths in the hallway. Sophia had a quick look at a few of them and saw most were signed by unknown names.


    Entering the hall, she heard a few people around her talking about her death.


    "I didn''t even know she was dead. I thought it was a rumor! The TV news didn''t even cover it. I almost can''t believe it."


    "Neither do I! She was always the person I admire the most. I thought I''d get a chance to meet her at Glinton University. But¡­"


    "I read all her academic papers and will always regard her as an icon. She is my inspiration! What a pity she died so young."


    "She is a great inspiration to every young generation, but she met her end in a tragic way,"


    Sophie heard all of it in a clear voice. She wanted to tell them that she''s not totally died but comes back to life in a different body.


    ***


    Sophia Green had been in the lab all her previous life and had not paid much attention to the outside world. She had never known that she was so famous. Sophia focuses her time by discovering so many things. Trying to invent new products and read more books.


    She had no idea that there were so many people in the world who cared about her. No idea that her death would make her realize that the outside world had something good awaits for her.


    As she walked over to the table which her ashes rested, she felt herself flutter like a candle. She could not breathe, and the strong grief she felt for the moment.. She wants to run away because she doesn''t want to see her own ashes.

 Chapter 16 - 16: Why Does She Look So Familiar?

    Kevin Green stood in the hall, accompanied by a neighborhood friend, Marcus Pierce. Marcus Pierce was over ninety years old. He was in good spirits and good health, and except for a limp, there was nothing wrong with his body.


    Marcus Pierce and Kevin lived in the same community. Marcus was the oldest man there and was well respected. The old man had a warm heart. Kevin Green was just a child and had no adults around to guide him. He pitied the boy and stood at his side to help him take charge.


    After announcing the start, the host briefly introduced the important figures among the guests. Then three minutes of silence followed.


    This kind of solemn and sad atmosphere made Sophia a little uncomfortable. Everyone was sad for her, and she didn''t know how to react. After all, she was still there!


    Then Principal Lewis of Glinton University went to the stage to deliver the eulogy as Sophia Green''s foremost colleague. After finishing his short eulogy, he shook his head sadly. He bowed slightly to Marcus Pierce and invited him to come to the stage.


    Marcus Pierce couldn''t walk well, and Kevin helped him up.


    "I''ve watched Sophia Green grow up. She was¡­ clever and thoughtful. I''m really sad that she was gone so suddenly." Marcus Pierce never went to school and couldn''t even read. He didn''t know what to say but his true feelings, "The child was born, unfortunately. But she was very strong and optimistic. I couldn''t keep up with her. I don''t really believe she''s gone. When I saw Kevin, her brother, yesterday, I asked him when his sister would get off work and play Go with me. I taught her to play Go. I could beat her until the fifth grade and then never again!"


    He only spoke a few things about Sophia Green, and simple as they were, they were all heartfelt and sincere. All the guests felt sad for her. Many were secretly wiping away their tears.


    Then came the service.


    Afterward, Marcus Pierce and Kevin Green thanked the guests. Everyone said something comforting. Kevin''s eyes were red. He didn''t say anything, just nodded. Marcus Pierce thanked the guests one by one.


    Soon, it was Sophia''s turn.


    She stepped forward and bowed to the picture on the chapel.


    It was strange to attend her own funeral and bow to her own portrait while she was still alive.


    As she passed Kevin, she did not say anything but patted him on his shoulder as consolation. Then she nodded to Marcus Pierce and retreated with her head down.


    Marcus Pierce suddenly stopped her, "Have I seen you before, Miss?"


    Sophia Green stunned and shook her head, "No, I''ve never seen you before."


    "Hmm." Marcus Pierce said to himself, "Why does she look so familiar?"


    Sophia felt nervous suddenly and quickly left. She was quite familiar with Marcus Pierce in her previous life, and he had helped her a lot, but she never thought it would be possible for Marcus Pierce to recognize her as she currently was.


    Her present appearance and age were so different that she thought she would never be recognized by others.


    She walked out of the hall to wait for the funeral to end. She wondered if there was anything she could do to help.


    Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure coming slowly through the crowd.


    It was from Albert Pearson.


    He was still in a black suit, smooth and unruffled. He walked through the hall slowly but did not bow and mourn like the others. Instead, he raised his head and stared at the portrait of Sophia Green for a long time without blinking.


    No one hurried him. Everyone waited in silence.


    Albert Pearson stayed for a long time, eventually closing his eyes slowly. Then he opened his eyes and strode away.


    Some young people were quietly discussing the relationship between Albert Pearson and Sophia Green. Looking at his behavior, they wondered if his relationship with Sophia had not been a little unusual. However, no one dares to speculate any further about it. After all, this was Sophia Green''s funeral. It would be inappropriate to talk about the dead like that at their own service.


    As for the guests from Glinton University, they would not talk about it. They were all people of status and not given to gossip. No one would have said anything even if they knew the identity of Albert Pearson.


    There were lots of guests. The memorial service did not end until noon. Eventually, Kevin Green and Marcus Pierce had thanked everyone, and the crowd drifted away.


    Sophia Green was still standing in the hallway and did not leave with the rest. She had something else to say to Kevin Green, so she just waited there. She had nowhere else to be, after all.


    When the guests were almost gone, Sophia stepped forward and asked Kevin, "Is there anything I can do for you?"


    He shook his head. "No, thanks. My sister''s colleague had arranged everything. There''s a man around to help bury her in a short while. You don''t need to worry."


    Sophia nodded with relief, "Okay, then I''ll go."


    She didn''t want to see her body being buried. It would be too weird.


    Just then, a middle-aged woman walked in from outside. Sophia frowned when she realized who it was: it was her stepmother, Linda Barber.


    Kevin looked up, and his face grew even sadder as he saw Linda, but he said nothing.


    The funeral was long over before she decided to turn up. He knew she wasn''t here for that.


    And sure enough, she marched over to Kevin and said, "I heard your sister left some money to you, didn''t she?"


    Kevin Green bit his lip, "None of your business. My sister has nothing to do with you! "


    He had no respect for Linda Barber. Even if she were his stepmother, he wouldn''t be polite.


    "Hmmm," Linda said, "We''ll see about that.. I''ve asked a lawyer. Legally, I have a share of her legacy!"

 Chapter 17 - 17: Sophia’s Legacy

    Kevin was getting angry, "You''re not going to get anything from my sister! Have you forgotten how you treated her when she was alive? After my father died, it was you who drove us out of the house. If it weren''t for my sister, we would have starved to death on the streets! Aren''t you ashamed to mention my sister''s legacy?"


    Sophia stepped forward and stared coldly at Linda Barber without speaking.


    Linda Barber felt a chill in her body as she looked back at Sophia. She did not know this girl, but for some reason, she felt a little shy when she met her eye.


    She turned her head away from Sophia and said to Kevin, "I checked the law of succession. The first in line of succession is spouse, children and parents. But Sophia didn''t get married. Naturally, she had no spouse and no children. And then there are siblings.


    As a stepmother, even if I have no kinship with her and no inheritance, I do have a son. He and you are half-brothers, and he enjoys equal inheritance rights. He could have at least half of Sophia Green''s legacy. She was a famous scientist. She must have lots of money. I will make an application to the court to find out. You''re not getting all the money!"


    Sophia Green did have some money. With her abilities, it was not difficult for her to make money. She had never actively pursued making money as a primary goal. It was not part of her disposition to live lavishly or crave luxury, and she had not intended to leave too much money to her brother. She always thought that a person had to fight for what they wanted; too much money would only wear away his will and made him unwilling to work hard.


    Over the years, she had taken various jobs and made a fair bit of money. It was just for the living expenses of Kevin and herself. But slowly, she saved about 300 thousand dollars. It was not much, but enough to put Kevin through college. She also bought a house years ago. This was all left to Kevin Green to make sure he would not run into trouble or find himself homeless.


    The savings were in a bank account, the card of which she left for Kevin. The bank card was opened in her name, and the card was kept at home. Kevin knew the card and its passcode. He usually withdraws money from the card for their daily expenses.


    Sophia Green would never agree to give the money to Linda Barber, not even one dollar.


    She didn''t just dislike Linda, and she hated her very much.


    Sophia Green''s biological mother died after giving birth to Kevin. Less than half a year later, Mr. Green married Linda Barber. At that time, Mr. Green''s thought was simply that he wanted a woman at home to help him take care of his children.


    Linda always acted very well in front of Mr. Green. While she didn''t treat Sophia and Kevin with any real affection, she, at least, did not treat them too badly. A year later, Linda Barber had a son with Mr. Green. Then she became colder and colder towards them. For the kids'' sake, Mr. Green didn''t say much but secretly took care of them.


    When Kevin Green was two and a half years old, Mr. Green had died. Sophia was fourteen years old at the time.


    Mr. Green''s estate was not much, only a house and one million and five hundred thousand dollars'' bank savings over the past decades.


    The first thing Linda Barber did was to entrust Kevin to Sophia to take care of. At that time, Sophia was living in her dorm room at Glinton University. She couldn''t even take care of herself and often relied on the help of the dorm administrator. She couldn''t bring up a child who was only two years old.


    She was young and angrily turned up at the family home to confront Linda. As a result, Linda Barber called Sophia''s relatives on her mother''s side, blocked her from entering the house, and threw out all the things she and Kevin had at home, saying that they had nothing to do with the family from that point on.


    When Sophia had calmed down, she checked the inheritance law. Then she asked Principal Lewis for help, hired a lawyer, and sued Linda Barber.


    And she won. The court ruled that half of the estate legally belonged to Sophia and Kevin.


    Linda Barber eventually had to give Sophia seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for half of the estate. But she refused to give up the house. She claimed that as half of the house belonged to Sophia and Kevin, they could live there. But she knew that they definitely wouldn''t live there as long as she was around.


    There was nothing more that could be done. Things dragged on for such a long time, and in the end, they couldn''t get the house.


    With her father''s legacy, Sophia survived through the toughest two years. She rented a house and hired a nanny to take care of little Kevin. Then she slowly made some money and bought a house, and took over raising Kevin.


    Kevin Green was a very sweet and clever boy. Once he had grown up a bit, he took the initiative to do the housework, and so now he could help look after her rather than her always worrying about him.


    And now Linda Barber was after her legacy. This, in Sophia Green''s view, was beyond ridiculous and hateful.


    She hadn''t asked Linda Barber for the part of her father''s house that belonged to her and her brother, and the woman now dared to demand her money from Kevin!


    Just then, two boys about the same age as Kevin came running in through the door. Both of them looked a little confused when they saw Sophia standing there, and they both stopped, amazed. "Sophia!"


    Sophia recognized them at once: one of them was Bernard Holmes and the other Luis Mendoza. They were two of Kevin''s good friends.. Sophia had met them several times when they used to come over to study with Kevin at their house.

 Chapter 18 - 18: Bad News

    They studied well. In school, it was usual for people with good grades to get on with other hard-working students, and the opposite was also true. Bad students hung out with bad students. It was a common phenomenon. Kevin had good grades, and his friends were generally good students.


    She did not speak but nodded slightly. It seemed that even though she had only been at school for one day, her fame had already spread. These two boys weren''t in her class, and yet they could recognize her.


    Bernard walked up to Kevin and said, with a look of a panic, "Bad news. Your cousin is here. I just saw him!"


    As he spoke, a young man with a broad face entered and shouted, "What''s the matter, Aunt L? Have you got the money?"


    Sophia looked at the man, and she saw it was Linda Barber''s nephew, Nicholas Sands. He was very large, in every sense of the word.


    In the past, Linda used to call Nicholas every time she bullied Sophia and Kevin. Nicholas was tall and big, like a man mountain, and he was very frightening. He was two years older than Kevin. When Kevin had just started high school, he was in eleventh grade, and he always picked on Kevin. At that time, Sophia was still in a wheelchair, and there was nothing she could do. She had no choice but to tell Kevin to avoid him and not confront him.


    Linda was even more arrogant when she saw Nicholas had arrived. Her tone got tougher. "Kevin, take out the money you''re hiding. Sooner or later, the money will be mine, so there''s no use holding on any longer, you''re just making things harder for yourself. I''m too busy to stay here any longer."


    Marcus couldn''t take it anymore. He stepped forward and said in disbelief, "What are you doing? Sophia had such a hard life when she was alive and you never helped. Now she''s died, and you don''t even attend the funeral but come to ask for money before she''s even in the ground. Don''t you have any decency?"


    Linda stared at Marcus angrily, "Who are you? What does our family have to do with you? When did you get the right to talk to me about my business?"


    Marcus was too angry to form a reply, "You¡­ you¡­"


    Marcus was old and Sophia worried about his health. She quickly stepped forward to support him and helped him into a chair. She turned around and said coldly and clearly, "Get out."


    Linda was startled. She glanced back at Nicholas and regained her courage. She said roughly, "Who do you think you are? Did you have any kind of upbringing? How dare you talk to your elders like that! It''s none of your business. Get out of here and take the old man with you, or you will suffer."


    Sophia replied as coolly as before, "How can you talk about ''upbringing'' to me when you talk to Marcus like that? Oh and another thing, you talk about the inheritance law, you think you can get her legacy, do you? Go back and study it some more. How dare a person who has not fulfilled their duties as a relative talk about the right of succession? Even the doorman downstairs is more qualified than you to get something from Sophia!"


    In order to win her father''s inheritance case, she had memorized all the inheritance legislation. Linda had picked the wrong person to bully about inheritance law.


    "What are you talking about? Nicholas, get this girl out of here." Linda said angrily.


    Following her order, he strode toward Sophia.


    Suddenly, he stopped as if hit by a thunderbolt, "Bo¡­ Boss?"


    With her new hairstyle and fashion choices, she looked very different from Sophia from before the accident. Nicholas hadn''t recognized her at first. Now, as he looked at her properly, he broke into a cold sweat at once.


    When Sophia heard him say that, she looked back through her memories and realized that Nicholas Sands had been beaten up by Sophia before. When Sophia was a freshman in high school, Nicholas had been in the same grade as her. Unhappy with her and her gang, he led several boys to fight the Sister Alliance. As a result, a group of boys was beaten up by Sophia, and Nicholas was too scared to come to school for two months.


    She looked straight back at Nicholas, got up, and walked over to him. In a calm tone, she said, "I heard you bullied my little brother, is that true?"


    "Bro¡­ brother? Who? I wouldn''t dare." Nicholas backed away like he had seen a ghost.


    "Him!" Sophia pointed at Kevin.


    Nicholas forced a smile, even uglier than a scowl out of the compost of his face, "I¡­ Boss. I didn''t know that. I won''t go again. I''ll get out of here right now. From now on, Kevin is my boss. I''ll treat him really well. Boss, I''ll definitely follow your orders. I''m sorry."


    Sophia looked at Linda, "Take your aunt with you as you leave! No more trouble!"


    "Ah?" Nicholas looked at Linda with some difficulty. He was afraid of Sophia, but he didn''t want to mess with his aunt.


    Linda glared at him. "Who do you listen to, boy? She''s just a little girl. Why are you afraid of her? Aren''t you good at fighting?"


    "Didn''t you hear me?" Sophia said coldly.


    There was no emotion in her voice, but it was majestic.


    Nicholas sweated and dared not hesitate any longer. He immediately ran to Linda and took her by the arm to leave.


    If he angered his aunt, he would get a scold at most. But if he angered Sophia¡­ He didn''t want to imagine the consequences.


    Linda bellowed as she struggled, "Kevin. Kevin, you boy! That money will be mine sooner or later! I won''t give up! I''ll be back!"


    Her voice grew fainter and fainter, and finally, she could no longer be heard.

 Chapter 19 - 19: Sophia Changed

    Bernard and Luis gazed in the direction of Linda''s departure. They had hurried here for Kevin when they had seen Nicholas. They thought things might get out of hand with such an odious person like Nicholas involved. They hadn''t expected that it could be solved with just a few words from Sophia.


    They had always thought of Sophia as the gang leader, a devil that everyone wanted to avoid meeting. Everyone at school is afraid of her wrath. No one dares to go against her well. They were afraid of her, and at the same time, they despised her. But having witnessed what just happened, a new notion came to the pair of them.


    It seemed that¡­ maybe it was a good thing to be a gang leader''s brother.


    Kevin was stunned too, and after a little pause said, "Thank you, Sophia. I am so grateful that you helped me,"


    Sophia''s eyes softened as she turned to Kevin, "We are classmates, and I''m older than you. So you can call me sister. Don''t worry, I''ll be there for you from now on, and I won''t allow anyone to bully you. I won''t allow any harm that might happen to you,"


    Kevin looked back into the hall, lowered his head, and said nothing.


    Sophia''s words had reminded him of his sister. They were two different girls, but somehow, they made him feel the same. He had felt that the first time he saw Sophia. The tenderness he saw in Sophia''s eyes makes him feel happy.


    This girl, not only was her name the same as this feeling she gave him, but it was also very much like his sister.


    When he looked again in her eyes, he felt they were both very kind and warm.


    It was as if his sister was still there. An unexplainable feeling filled Kevin''s heart with Sophia''s kindness.


    Sophia thought he couldn''t get used to it. So she began to say, "That''s fine. You don''t need to call me that if you don''t want to. I¡­"


    "Sister." Kevin softly spoke before she had finished speaking. He wanted to cry on her shoulder because he feels that his sister is within this girl. He wanted to tell her how happy he is right now, being with her around.


    This long-lost word made Sophia''s heart shudder. She was frozen for a moment before she nodded her head slowly.


    "Yeah. That''s it from now on I will be your sister, Kevin!" Sophia wanted to burst out of her tears in front of his brother, but she can''t simply do it as she thought Kevin would not going to believe her if she tells him that she''s come back to life in a different body.


    Even if her identity had changed, even if she was no longer the same person in her body, in her heart, he would always be her brother, and this would never change.


    "I''m going home now. If that woman comes back to make trouble again, just call me." Sophia said, turning away.


    She didn''t want to see her own burial. If she stays longer, she can''t hold her tears, which is threatening to drip down.


    As soon as Sophia left, Luis couldn''t help but say, "Kevin, you''re so lucky to have Sophia as your sister. No one will dare bully you in school now! You can do whatever you want. She will always be at your back,"


    Bernard was also a little envious, "How come she was so kind to you? I''ve always thought she and her friends were mean and bad! I didn''t expect Sophia to be so great! That''s awesome! Can you tell her that we also want to be her brother?" Bernard can''t hold his emotions not to express his opinion in front of Kevin. Witnessing what had happened a few minutes ago made them shocked. Sophia Green really changed!


    ***


    In the evening, Sophia called Kevin and asked him what had happened after she left. She was relieved to hear that Linda hadn''t gone back to make any more trouble, and the burial had gone well.


    She turned on her computer and saw that she had a response from the resume she had sent out for Kate: a primary school had invited her for an interview!


    She told Kate, who noted down the time and place. But Kate wasn''t holding out too much hope. There were fewer children in the city and so less demand for teachers. It wasn''t easy to find teaching work. To find a formal and stable job like the one she had before was almost impossible. She would never have resigned had it not been Sophia''s accident.


    But she didn''t regret it. She had lost a job, but her one and only daughter had recovered. It was enough for her.


    Sophia was also not holding out much hope. She didn''t expect much from the chess tournament, and she wasn''t sure she would even pass the first round. Now that she had a moment, she logged onto the game page and decided to have a practice. Perhaps she could improve.


    She clicked "start". Soon the system assigned her an opponent, and the game quickly began.


    Two minutes later, the system popped up a message: ''checkmate.'' She had captured her opponent''s king. It was game over.


    She played a dozen more games of chess, and every time Sophia beat her opponents in less than three minutes. She was shocked. Were those people¡­ all new players?


    Finally, in her 18th game, she found an opponent that made her work a little harder, and it took her about ten minutes to win.


    She sighed with relief. It seemed that there were a lot of new players and no one on the same level as the player she had met last time.


    She had regained some of her confidence in her chess skills. It seemed that it might be possible for her to win an Excellence Award after all. She logged off.. What she hadn''t known was in that final game she had been playing Albert Pearson.

 Chapter 20 - 20: A Glimpse Of Hope

    Albert stared at his computer screen in a daze. As he watched the profile named "Knowing A Person" go dark, something lit up in his heart. He had hopes that suddenly arose in his heart as he gazed at the screen. Maybe the person is Sophia.


    Yesterday, he had asked his staff to notify him as soon as the account "Knowing A Person" went online regardless of what he was doing. He waited for this person to go online because he wanted to play chess again with "Knowing A Person." Immediately he was notified, this happened during a meeting, and when he logged in and saw the words "Knowing A Person" on the screen, it gave him the strangest sensation, as if the person on the other side of the profile might be Sophia. Albert had mixed feelings and pressure during these moments, but he didn''t care about his mixed emotions. All he wants now is to be able to play with the person behind the account again.


    Suddenly the time stopped for him by these moments. Regardless he is in the middle of a meeting, and everyone is looking at him. Albert was no master chess player, but he was still excellent. The average chess player was no match for him. Having heard" Knowing A Person" was good at chess, he had prepared himself, but still, he found he was surprised once the game had begun. He was finding it difficult and more strange¡­ the way "Knowing A Person" played was odd, quirky, much like the way Sophia had once played. Suddenly an old memory flashed in his mind. Each movement of the person behind the account gives him a vague scene: the person he missed so much, Sophia.


    It intensified his strange feeling: was it the soul of Sophia playing chess? Was it her who challenged him right now?


    After ten minutes, Albert had lost. The game was over. He wanted to talk to the person and ask a few questions, if possible.


    The game allowed dialogue between players. He opened the dialog box to talk with" Knowing A Person." But it was at this moment that the profile picture suddenly darkened.


    She had logged off. And left him hanging in the dark again? He felt like the person behind the account he was playing with was running away.


    Albert stared blankly at the computer screen. He had an impulse to try and find the person on the other end of the computer and see who it was. But at the same time, he was afraid, afraid that it would not be Sophia, but just a chess player who played like him. Doubt ran down his head.


    He feared that all his hopes would come to nothing. His heart wouldn''t be able to bear such pain. He''d rather fool himself that it was somehow Sophia at the other end than confront reality. He''d rather pretend that the person behind that account is the woman he cared a lot¡ªa pang of pain crossed in his heart.


    "Sophia, was it you? Give me some hint and ease this pain of loneliness that I am bearing right now," He silently told himself all these thoughts.


    His subordinates in the meeting looked at each other, wondering why Mr. Pearson had been staring at his computer for so long, saying nothing. But Albert was known for his quick temper. So no one dared to ask or even move. They sat quietly. The whole conference room was silent. They waited for him to talk again and hear his instructions.


    After a while, Albert noticed that he was in the conference room surrounded by people. Slightly staring them, he said abruptly, "Let''s all take a break,"


    The employees, finally relieved, got up, and left the room.


    Only his assistant, Ryan, remained by his side, waiting for his next orders. As Albert''s assistant, he couldn''t leave with everyone else. His job was with his boss, and only he had an inkling about what might have just happened.


    "Ryan," Albert said, "Keep monitoring this account and report to me as soon as it logs on again. Don''t forget to inform me,"


    Ryan was puzzled, "Mr. Pearson, why don''t we have a hacker check the address? When she logs into the game server, she''ll leave an IP address. We could follow this and find whoever it is."


    Albert shook his head, "No. For one thing, it''s immoral, and secondly, it''s illegal to employ hackers to invade other people''s privacy. We''re not doing that. We are protecting our own privacy too, not to leak important information inside our company. Hiring a notorious hacker will be a big risk for us. We have lots of confidential information that should not be exposed to our opponents,"


    Ryan was speechless. It wasn''t as if they had never done that before. He was confused by the sudden change of Mr. Pearson''s behavior. This was the first time he had refused to take any easy steps to ascertain the identity of the person behind the account. Ryan is aware that the company has important documents to protect with, but his suggested solution is a simpler, easier way and does not endanger the entire company''s security. He quickly shook his head while following his boss, fading back. Why did his behavior change so suddenly? A question that strained Ryan''s mind, and he heaved a deep sighed. Confused, he just followed him out of the meeting room. He could do nothing to criticize every decision he made. He was just a lowly assistant to Mr. Pearson. During his many years of serving him, he was well aware of his attitude. And every command Mr. Pearson made must be done correctly and abruptly.


    Mr. Pearson does not like many reasons, what he said should be done immediately and without wasting time. He grew up into a luxurious life but remained low key. He chose to hide his own identity and become Sophia''s assistant. Whatever his reason for staying low key, only he knows.. Even his family couldn''t stop him and let him make any decision he wanted.

 Chapter 21 - 21: She Looks Smart

    It was the first official school day. Sophia set off on her bike for school, having had some breakfast. She was wearing a new dress she had bought on Saturday. She looked smart.


    The school would issue uniforms that day, and from then on, someone would check whether students were wearing the right clothes at the school gate.


    She arrived early. She glanced in at her class, and there were only a dozen students there. As the school day had not yet begun, everyone was sitting around, chatting. Sophia walked into the room and looking about casually.


    The class quietened down in an instant. The students all kept their heads down and did not even dare to breathe.


    ***


    She hadn''t done anything!


    Most of her classmates hadn''t known her identity three days ago on the registration day. But when she showed up, the news about her past had spread across the campus like wildfire. Everyone knew that Sophia, the arch-bully, was coming back and that it would be a disaster for the school.


    The students who had not seen Sophia in person soon saw her photo anyway. It wasn''t difficult to find. Two years ago, many photos of the Sister Alliance were posted on the school forum. They had uploaded them themselves. Anyone could see them with a simple google search. Some of the students worried that they might have her by accident by walking past without recognizing her and that they may now be in trouble.


    Sophia walked to her seat and sat down, looking out the door.


    She was in the back row, with a second door to the classroom near to her. A few students who had just arrived were heading for that door when they saw her looking out of it. They immediately turned and ran towards the door at the front of the room for fear of being targeted by her.


    Of course, not all the students were afraid of her, and some didn''t pay her any attention. Molly McDowell, for example, just glanced at her as she passed, and walked by with her head held high.


    Molly''s family was rich and powerful, and she didn''t believe Sophia would dare to mess with her.


    Before long, the other three girls of the Sister Alliance arrived.


    They were all dressed in the clean and tidy clothes Sophia had bought with them that weekend. With their hair in neat ponytails, they looked just like everyone else.


    The class looked at the three girls taken aback. A few brave students looked at them a few times. It was an odd and surprising sight to see the Sister Alliance wearing such plain clothes.


    Didn''t they always wear miniskirts, crop tops, and have colorful hair?


    Just then, the bell rang.


    Ms. Acheson arrived and walked to her desk, smiling kindly.


    Although she did not say "Stand up," the students stood up automatically and said, not quite in unison, "Good morning, Ms. Acheson!"


    "Good morning, everyone!" Ms. Acheson leaned slightly on her desk and waved for everyone to sit down, "As school has just started, we don''t have our class committee. So we will select some students to be the members of the class committee in the last period of the day. We will have a monitor and several representatives in charge of different subjects. Anyone who wants to be considered can write an application, and then we will have an open election."


    Ms. Acheson''s words immediately caused a stir in the class, and many students were eager to put themselves forward. Some had already started to take out paper to begin writing their application.


    Carol tapped Sophia on the arm and whispered, "Boss, you should be the monitor."


    Sophia shook her head, "No."


    She didn''t want to be a monitor or a committee member. Knowing her real age, she felt competing with her classmates for the class committee would be like bullying them. And she knew that everyone was afraid of her. If she became the monitor, the students would be terrified.


    Molly sat in front of Sophia. She looked back at Carol and said to her neighbor in a voice audible to the back row, "I might put myself up for it, but I''ll be in the advanced class after midterms so I won''t be in this class for long."


    Her friend hesitantly replied, "Molly, your grades are good, but only the top sixty students get into the advanced class. There are over forty classes in our school which means less than two students a class can get into it. I heard that Kevin got excellent grades, and he might have a chance."


    Molly frowned, "You''re right. My grades were ranked sixty-two this time. If I can''t get amazing grades in midterms, I won''t get into the advanced class. Maybe, I should go for a math representative or class monitor. If I get into the advanced class, I''ll give it to another student."


    "Hmmm." Carol remarked from behind, unconvinced, "As if you can be the math class representative."


    Molly turned and smiled smugly, "I got full marks in maths in our last exam. Ms. Acheson will definitely choose me as the math class representative."


    Ms. Acheson said from her desk, "Okay, stop talking. Let''s start our class now."


    The class was quiet again.


    In the first class of the semester, Ms. Acheson taught from the new textbook about the sine and cosine laws.


    Sophia stared straight at the blackboard, looking like she was studying hard. She did this on purpose. She wanted to set a good example for the three girls and motivate them to study hard. Of course, she was just acting, and she had no interest in such simple knowledge. She knew it all.


    The girls of the Sister Alliance were following her example, and they listened to the lesson carefully. Their grades had never been excellent, but they were not too bad. They could keep up with the lesson.. As Sophia was listening, they were willing to listen too, just for their boss.

 Chapter 22 - 22: A Difficult Test Question

    "Okay, that''s all for the new lesson. Now let''s have the practice to check what you have learned in this lesson."


    All the classrooms in Colin High School were equipped with projection equipment. Ms. Acheson projected several questions for students to do.


    After a while, Ms. Acheson asked, "Are you finished? Now let''s look at the first question."


    Immediately, a student raised his hand and answered the first question. Ms. Acheson was very satisfied. She explained the solution to the first problem to her students briefly and continued to ask the following questions. She was giving another chance to another student to give their answer.


    Sophia saw Melissa at the next table, working out the second question. She glanced at Melissa''s answer and saw that it was correct. She made a gesture to Melissa, indicating her to put her hand up and answer the question.


    Melissa was less sure about her answer. But as Sophia encouraged her, she raised her hand.


    Ms. Acheson was surprised, and then smiled, "Melissa. Have a try."


    "Is the answer quarter root six?" Melissa said.


    "Good. That''s right." Ms. Acheson happily announced it.


    Molly glanced at Melissa and whispered disapprovingly, "I raised my hand... I should have been picked."


    Sophia quietly gave Melissa a thumbs-up in praise. This made Melissa instantly happy, and her eyes crinkled up, and she smiled broadly.


    When it came to the last question, none of the students in the class raised their hands.


    This question was very difficult. Ms. Acheson had told them that it''s difficulty was about the level of the college entrance examination. It could not be solved by using the sine and cosine law alone, but they also needed to apply the knowledge they had learned before.


    Ms. Acheson was a little disappointed, "Has anyone worked it out? Or just had a go? We have learned all the knowledge points one needs for this question. Try to have a think and give me an exact answer, "


    Molly glanced back at Sophia unkindly and suddenly said, "Ms. Acheson, I saw Sophia do it. She was just embarrassed to say it!"


    She had just looked back and seen the blankness of Sophia''s sheet of paper. If Sophia was asked to stand up to answer this question, she would definitely make a fool of herself for not having an answer to give!


    Ms. Acheson frowned slightly, "Molly. You can''t get other students to answer questions. This is a violation of our behavior code, and you know that?"


    Molly flushed and looked down. She didn''t dare to speak again.


    Ms. Acheson looked at Sophia. She had seen Sophia doing math problems before and thought her math was good, so she asked, "Sophia, have you worked out this question?"


    Sophia had to stand up. She knew that Molly had deliberately set her up to get her back for math book palava.


    "The answer is root three-seconds plus one! Ms. Acheson."


    Molly snorted contemptuously. This problem was very difficult. She had made a few auxiliary lines on her rough paper and thought for a long time but still could not come up with a solution. Sophia hadn''t written anything on her paper. How would she be able to get the right answer? Mental arithmetic? This question couldn''t be solved by mental arithmetic.


    As she thought this, she suddenly heard Ms. Acheson said, "That is the right answer. You may sit down."


    Molly was confused. How was it possible? If she couldn''t work out such a difficult question, how could a bad student like Sophia be able to do it?


    Ms. Acheson explained the solution to the problem to the students in detail. But many students still did not understand. Even after she had repeated it, there were still many students who could not get it.


    After finishing the exercise, Ms. Acheson said, "I want to take a moment to praise one of our class: Sophia. As some of you may be aware, she was in a terrible accident two years ago and woke up just before the summer vacation. The question we just looked at is very difficult and she was the only one to work it out by herself. I can only imagine how hard she must have studied when she woke up to make such wonderful progress. This kind of hard-working attitude is worth learning from."


    ***


    Sophia felt a bit bad, and she hadn''t tried; any effort had been in her previous life. She had been so overwhelmed by the joy of being in a body that could freely move that she had just run around all day and never read a book ever since she woke up.


    Ms. Acheson continued, "So I have decided to ask Sophia to be our class'' math representative. Would anyone like to comment on that?"


    A few of the students who were hoping to be the math representative themselves were surprised and a bit disappointed. But no one directly stood up against it. Even Molly could not say anything. After all, that question had proven Sophia''s strength in math. She couldn''t match her.


    Sophia had somehow become the math representative for her class. She didn''t really know what the class representative should do. She had never been a class representative before. In her previous life, she studied well, but she was paralyzed and couldn''t move freely and so had stayed out of that side of school life. And the other Sophia Green had been a troublemaker. No teacher ever asked her to be a class representative.


    She imagined that the class representative probably assisted the teacher, giving out and collecting homework and other things like that.


    After class, the Sister Alliance gathered around to congratulate Sophia. The elections were in the afternoon and yet she was just elected as the math representative in the first period of the day


    Carol Carter, who had been a class representative before, explained the role to her. Besides giving out and collecting homework, class representatives had a few other responsibilities, but mainly they just did whatever the teachers wanted of them.

 Chapter 23 - 23: Refuse To Fight

    They had a longer break time after the second class, and Ms. Acheson asked everyone to pick up their school uniforms. Each student had two sets of uniforms so that each of them always had a spare set.


    Colin High School uniforms were very plain. Girls wore white short-sleeved shirts with blue trim and a blue knee-length ruffle skirt.


    Boys had the same short-sleeved shirts as girls. But they had to wear trousers, which made them very unhappy. They thought it was too hot to have to wear trousers in summer.


    The uniforms were not custom-made for each student, but there were plenty of sizes. The school had measured the students'' dimensions before, so there were enough clothes for each size. The student had no choice but to accept the standard uniform provided by the school.


    Sophia got her items of school uniform and put them away. She planned to take them home for cleaning at lunchtime. The new clothes would inevitably be contaminated with bacteria from the production process, so it was better to wash them. She is a neat little freak and doesn''t wear clothes without it washed. Her mother had a great influence on her way of living since childhood.


    When she got home at noon, she saw that her mother had prepared lunch and was waiting for her. Kate looked very happy.


    "I got the job!" Kate couldn''t wait to announce the good news, "I start straight away and I am going in tomorrow! It''s the primary school you found online. I went to the interview today and taught a lesson. The principal was satisfied and asked me to sign the contract this afternoon."


    "Congratulations, Mom!" Sophia smiled and felt happy hearing the good news.


    Kate smiled, too, "I''ve never taught primary school. I''m used to junior high. So it might be a bit tricky, to begin with. I''ve got a lot to learn. For the first few days, I may not be able to come home and cook lunch. There''s a canteen at your school, and you can buy a meal card and eat there for a little while, right?"


    "Okay." She nodded and went silent. She had no choice but to eat at the canteen since Kate had informed her immediately about the new arrangement they''ll have.


    There was a canteen, and she just hadn''t been there yet. After arriving back at school in the afternoon, Sophia went to get a meal card. She didn''t know how long she would eat at school, so she put ten dollars on the card. Before she left home, her Mom gave her enough allowance for school. She is thankful that Kate didn''t notice any changes in her attitude and behavior. Even her friends at school didn''t hint that she is a different person now.


    The first class in the afternoon was P.E., one of the students'' favorite lessons. As soon as they could, everyone rushed to the playground.


    Sophia went to the playground with her three friends. The sun was very hot, and Sophia looked for a shady place where they could rest. When her classmates saw her, they began to move away to the other side, fearing to come closer to her and don''t want to get her offended.


    Sophia wanted to do something about it, but it was almost time for class, so she didn''t say anything. She just let this moment pass, for now, maybe one day she''ll change their thoughts about her.


    She saw a horizontal bar in the shade of the tree. So she pulled herself up onto the bar and rolled over to sit on it.


    The horizontal bar was high. No one could get on it. So nobody was sitting on it.


    "Good job! Boss." Carol clapped her hands and said, "You''re amazing!"


    Sophia smiled, "Do you want to come up? Give me your hand. I''ll pull you up."


    Carol was excited, "Yeah!"


    Sophia had just reached out for her hand when suddenly a shadow flashed past her, jumped up onto the horizontal bar, and sat beside her.


    Sophia turned her head and saw Barry Malone, the boy she had met the other day. The arrogant daredevil came in suddenly. She wanted to flee away, but it''s too late because the guy appeared right in front of her.


    "Sophia." Barry looked at her, "Let''s have a fight. I wasn''t focused that day. If it''s a real fight when I''m ready for it, there''s no way you''d win."


    Sophia didn''t know what to say. Did Barry think she was some kind of fighting cock - The type of person who fought for no reason? In fact, she didn''t like fighting at all.


    "No," Sophia replied immediately. She doesn''t want to create another chaos.


    Barry frowned, "Why not?" He couldn''t believe what he heard from her mouth.


    "Fighting is not allowed here. And¡­" Sophia added thoughtfully, "Fighting is not good for the unity of the school or its students. This will ruin both our reputation and could be the deep grounds for both of us get expelled in this school,"


    ***


    Just then, the bell rang. Sophia jumped off the horizontal bar and joined up with the rest of her class. Left in disbelief, Barry wondered why this girl suddenly changed. The arrogant Sophia Green, the most notorious gang leader, refused to have a fight. Normally, the Sophia Green he knew wouldn''t give a chance to any person to slip away once she was being challenged.


    Barry also had P.E. class that period, but different teachers taught him and Sophia. He threw a disgruntled look after Sophia and then had to jump off the horizontal bar and run to his class. He promised that one day if given a chance to rechallenge her, he''ll give no chance for her to win. He became a laughing topic among the circle of his friends.


    He never allowed his ego to get stepped because he is prideful.. He can''t accept being bullied by his friends, hearing them saying he is so weak and lost the fight with a woman.

 Chapter 24 - 24: P.E Lesson

    Sophia''s P.E.''s teacher was a middle-aged man who was a little overweight. He blew his whistle and ordered everyone to stand in line in height order.


    "Good afternoon, everyone. I''m Mr. Cromwell. You can just call me Cromwell. I will be taking your P.E. class. I''m not sure about the length or timing of the class because other subjects may take priority."


    He sighed as he spoke.


    The students couldn''t help but protest in a monotone, "No! We can''t allow P.E. to be replaced by other subjects. Sir, this is a part of our subject, and removing P.E. is too drastic. We still want extreme activities rather than a boring subject,


    Carol had already studied in the eleventh grade the year before. She explained to Sophia, "We''ll have three months'' P.E. at most. After that, the lesson will be taken over by other subjects. And we also won''t have music, art, or I.T."


    Sophia understood the situation. There was no P.E. test in the college entrance exam, so in order to have more time to study the school would stop the P.E. lessons.


    Mr. Cromwell got everyone to line up for a run as a warm-up, and then he prepared the students to practice long jump.


    He made the students line up behind a white line in front of a long sandpit.


    When they were ready, Adam blew his whistle, and the students began to jump, throwing their bodies as far forward as possible.


    Sophia stood behind the line, swung her arms, kicked her feet, and jumped out. She turned around to see that she had left the other students far behind.


    She knew she was in good shape, but she was still recovering from a serious injury. She hadn''t expected to jump so far.


    Mr. Cromwell glanced at the ruler on the ground, and beckoned to her, "Sophia, come here!"


    It was the first P.E. lesson. Sophia hadn''t expected the teacher to know her name. It seemed that her previous troublemaking had made her famous. Without ever having taught her before, Mr. Cromwell knew who she was.


    "What''s wrong, Mr. Cromwell?" Sophia asked.


    He smiled and said in a warm voice, "I have been paying attention to you ever since you entered the school all those years ago, due to your physical skill. I just never spoke to you about it before. I''ve seen your grades, and I know that they''re not great, which may make it hard for you to enter college. Well, I think you could try for an athletic scholarship. That jump was excellent. With more training, I really think you could get into college as an athlete."


    Sophia knew that Mr. Cromwell had her best interests at heart, but she replied, "I''m sorry, Mr. Cromwell, but I don''t want to be an athlete."


    She knew she would have no trouble getting into Glinton University with her grades. She didn''t need all the effort this would entail.


    Mr. Cromwell felt sorry for her, "You know, Glinton University wants athletes. You could even get a place without taking the college entrance exam. This would be a good opportunity. And you have the ability. You should have a go."


    "I know you mean well, but I still want to take the college entrance exam and maybe become academic research when I''m older," said Sophia.


    Mr. Cromwell could only nod when he heard her say, "Fine. You have your own ideas. But don''t be too quick to say no. Think about it. Ask your parents for advice when you get home. This is a big decision. Consider it carefully."


    "All right," she said.


    Seeing her teacher so enthusiastic, she was afraid that it would hurt him if she rejected the idea point-blank. She would just turn him down a few days later, and then it would show she had seriously considered it.


    After the long jump, the class was given a little time to get some rest.


    It was hot, and there was not much shade in the playground. Sophia and her friends walked under the nearby trees to enjoy the cool air. There were quite a few students there already with the same idea. When they saw Sophia, they seemed a little intimidated and began to edge away from her.


    Sophia smiled at her classmates and said, "You don''t have to be afraid of me. You can do whatever you want. Stay if you like. I won''t do anything for you. I won''t beat you."


    The second she had finished speaking; all the other students quickly got up and ran away from the shade of the trees into the sunshine.


    Carol looked pleased, "Boss, now there are just a few of us! It''s much more spacious!"


    ***


    Sophia wondered how to show her classmates that she was kind. She really didn''t want them to think of her as this frightening monster.


    "Carol," Sophia looked at her, "If you tell them that I really don''t beat people up, will they believe you?"


    Carol shook her head firmly, "No! That you don''t beat people up? I don''t believe that!"


    "Well, can you get them to come back?" said Sophia.


    Carol was surprised, "You want them to come back? If that''s what you want, Boss, I can get them back."


    "Actually, forget about it," Sophia replied.


    As she spoke, Carol suddenly pointed ahead of her, "Someone''s coming."


    Sophia turned to look in the direction she was pointing and frowned slightly.


    It was Barry Malone again.


    Barry strode over to Sophia. He stood in front of her, saying, "We haven''t been properly introduced. My name is Barry. I''m Dave''s cousin. I just transferred to this school today. Sophia, I really want to compete against you."


    Sophia found that there were only two kinds of students at this school, the kind who were afraid of her, like the ones who had just run away from the tree and the other kind who were not afraid but rather were always trying to challenge her, like Barry Malone and Molly McDowell.

 Chapter 25 - 25: Save Someone

    Wasn''t there a kind of student who was neither afraid of her nor wanted to challenge her?


    She didn''t look at Barry. She said, "If you fight with me, I''ll let you beat me up!"


    Barry frowned and took a step toward her.


    Sophia continued saying, "If you beat me up, I will tell the teacher. Have you completed your enrolment file yet?


    She was implying that as he had only just transferred to this school, his enrolment would be canceled if he was caught fighting on his first school day.


    ***


    He had heard various stories about Sophia''s bad behavior from Dave, and he had been very angry. He wanted to be Robin Hood, and he felt that it was his duty to stand up and protect the other students from Sophia. Just now, he had seen that Sophia had driven all the students out of the woods and occupied the shade herself.


    He intended to "get rid of evil for the people," but¡­ if he beat her up, would people really think he was bullying her? Would anyone believe it?


    Mariah laughed, "Look at you, you''re so frightened¡­ Go away. She will kill you if you upset her."


    "Shut up!" Sophia said.


    These words would only make others hate her more.


    She saw a girl in the middle of the playground suddenly drop to the ground.


    The student nearest to the girl hurried forwards and shouted, "She''s fainted!"


    Sophia hurried over and bent over to pick up the girl. She didn''t know her. The girl wasn''t in the same class as her.


    She saw the girl''s eyes were closed. Her face was pale and sweaty. She reached for the girl''s hand and frowned, "She has heatstroke!"


    Several students had crowded rounds. They were afraid of Sophia, but they were also worried about the safety of the girl. Several of her classmates bravely came closer. They were panicking, "What should we do? Should we call the doctor?"


    Mr. Cromwell and the other PE teacher were still far away on the other side of the playground. They were calling the school nurse while running towards the girl.


    Sophia recalled the first aid for heatstroke from her reading. She bent over and picked up the girl. Then she took the girl to the shade of the tree and laid her flat on the ground. She was strong and could easily pick this girl up.


    The onlookers were stunned. Was Sophia¡­ helping to save someone?


    In their minds, Sophia, head of the Sister Alliance, wasn''t kind enough to not beat people up, would she really try and help this girl? Didn''t she have ideas for any bad reasons for it?


    One student, a close friend of the girl, gingerly came up and tried to ask, "Sophia¡­ Boss, are you¡­"


    "Who''s got cold water?" Sophia ignored her and asked the other students.


    The students were scared when they saw Sophia, but hearing her question, one of them raised his hand, shakily, "I''ve got a bottle of water."


    "Give it to me!"


    Sophia opened the bottle. She slowly fed the girl some water and sprinkled the rest on her skin. After that, she suddenly thought of something. She touched the girl''s chest.


    Then she looked up, "Could the boys please move aside for a moment and could The girls surround us. Don''t let the boys see inside our circle."


    The boys did not know what was happening. But, they didn''t dare to disobey Sophia and quickly scattered. The girls had realized that Sophia was trying to help, so although confused, they did as they were told.


    Mr. Cromwell had hurried here with the other PE teacher, and as they arrived, trying to get close, a boy stopped him hurriedly, "Boss said boys couldn''t go any closer¡­''


    Mr. Cromwell was puzzled, but he didn''t want to embarrass anyone or be embarrassed himself. So he stood a little way off and called to Sophia, "What''s happened, Sophia?"


    "This girl has a heat stroke. Have you called the school nurse?"


    "Yes, I have. They''ll be here soon!"


    Sophia asked Carol to support the girl. She reached her hand up the back of the girl''s top and undid her bra. As the bra loosened, the girl''s flat chest suddenly bulged upwards.


    The girls looked at each other and were a little embarrassed for her. They knew the reason why she had heatstroke: her underwear had been too tight, so she couldn''t breathe properly and that coupled with the high temperature, had caused heatstroke.


    After a little while, the girl came round and opened her eyes slowly. She was startled. Then it began to sink in what must have happened. With a flushed face, she lowered her head.


    Then the car from the infirmary drove into the playground. The school nurse got out of the car. Seeing that the girl had come round, the nurse examined her efficiently and said, "You had a heat stroke. Come with me to the infirmary. Good first aid! Things could have been much worse!"


    The girl turned her head to look at Sophia and said in a low voice, "Thank you."


    Sophia smiled, "That''s alright. You''re welcome. And,"


    She bent down and whispered kindly in the girl''s ear, "don''t wear your bra so tight anymore. It''s not good for you."


    The girl blushed, and she bit her lip with embarrassment.


    The nurse took the girl away. Mr. Cromwell came forward, "Sophia, I didn''t expect you to know first aid. Thank you for helping!"


    Sophia thought she should be modest and said, "It''s nothing. I just read some books about first aid a little while ago and remembered a bit."


    This was an understatement. She had read lots of books; she had read the books on first aid more than ten years ago. However, with her amazing memory, she could remember everything clearly. She wanted to seem modest, so she said she had read them recently.


    There was some time before the end of the class. Sophia saw that the students who had just gathered under the tree had not left, though they still kept a certain distance from her.


    This was a relief. After the incident with the girl, her bully image should have shifted a little, right?


    Barry, who was standing not far away, did not approach. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn''t.. He turned around and walked away.

 Chapter 26 - 26: An Invitation From Friends

    The last period in the afternoon was a class meeting when Ms. Acheson would preside over the election of the class representatives.


    Students had already handed their applications to Ms. Acheson. For some posts, there was only one candidate, and so they could be elected directly. When many candidates were competing for one post, they had to give a speech to persuade the class they were the right choice. Then there would be a vote. The candidate with the highest number of votes was elected.


    Ms. Acheson stood in front of her student, holding the applications, she said, "Two students are running for the class monitor: Carol Carter and Molly McDowell. Please welcome them to the front to give their speeches. The first one will be Carol Carter!"


    Sophia was surprised. She hadn''t expected Carol to run for the class monitor. Carol hadn''t mentioned it that day when they were together at the canteen.


    Carol smiled sheepishly at Sophia, "Boss, I didn''t think Ms. Acheson would give me a chance actually to be considered, so I just applied on the off chance. I was afraid of losing face, so I didn''t tell you."


    Sophia smiled and encouraged her, "Go on! We''ll be supporting you! You can make it, and we''re on your back,"


    Carol went up to the platform, cleared her throat, and said, "Hello, everyone. I''m Carol Carter. I want to be the class monitor because¡­ I want to make progress. My Boss... my good friend, has been doing very well in school recently. I don''t see her working hard, but I know she must be working very hard. So I, um, I want to work hard too, for all of you! I''m a responsible person. I really am. Hopefully, you guys will give me a chance to be your class monitor!"


    She spoke haltingly but with feeling. She smiled nervously and went back to her seat. Silently wishing she could get the most number of votes from her classmates. She even saw Sophia gave thumbs up after her short speech. That earned her supreme confidence, recognizing Sophia''s support.


    Molly gave her a scornful look and went up to the front.


    She smiled, "Hello, everyone. I''m Molly. I want to be the class monitor to develop our class better and unite us as one. Meanwhile, I want to practice my own ability to become a great leader and could help other students when they have a concern,"


    Her speech lasted about ten minutes. Ms. Acheson actually had to interrupt her, explaining there was limited time before she stopped.


    Then a few more students made a speech for other positions, and when they were all finished, the students started voting.


    Sophia wrote Carol''s name on the paper. Then she wrote down the names of several other students who had run for class positions and handed the slip in. She wished Carol could win as a class monitor.


    Ms. Acheson asked a couple of students to help count the votes, and with their help, the results were quickly discovered.


    "I will announce the names of our class representatives." Ms. Acheson looked at the list in her hand, "The monitor will be¡­"


    Molly glanced triumphantly at Carol. Her speech was much better than Carol''s rambling speech. She had spent all last night looking up online campaign speeches and it had taken her a whole hour to memorize it. Besides, she got good grades. Carol''s grades were bad, and her behavior was poor. It was clear who would be elected as the monitor.


    "The elected class monitor was Carol." Ms. Acheson announced it loud and clear.


    Carol was shocked. She didn''t think that she would be elected as a class monitor, and when she heard Ms. Acheson call her name, she was stunned. It took her a moment to stand up. A quickly glanced at Sophia, who was silently sitting beside her, and gave her best smile as if telling Sophia that they made it.


    The students broke into applause.


    "Congratulations, Carol!" They said in a loud chorus.


    Only Molly looked annoyed. She can''t accept that she was defeated by a student who had a poor class performance.


    She was mad, she thought to herself. Her speech had been perfect, so perfect it could have qualified for a composition competition. She couldn''t believe Carol''s simple, and stuttering words had beaten her.


    What on earth had the class been think when they voted for her? It was so unreasonable. She knew she was better than Carol, not just academically as well as other talents. The anger passed through Molly''s eyes as she felt she was being deceived. She wants to lose her temper immediately, but she can''t misbehave because they are in front of Ms. Acheson.


    Ms. Acheson announced the rest of the class representatives. As she finished speaking, the bell rang, and the class was over.


    Carol looked very excited. She grabbed Sophia''s hand, "Boss! I''m so happy! Let me treat you tonight! We can go singing! Let''s have fun! "


    Mariah and Melissa happily agreed. Sophia thought about it and sighed, "Dinner is fine, but let''s skip the singing bit."


    She had thought back and discovered that the previous Sophia couldn''t sing at all.


    As it happened, nor could she.


    In either life, she had no musical talent whatsoever. What a shame!


    She had learned everything fast, except for music. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn''t do it. Her talent focused on academics since she spent most of her childhood reading so many books. As much as she wants to grant their request, she knows herself that she''ll be embarrassed. Besides, she is reluctant to associate with her new friends now knowing the fact that they are a teenager while she''s already thirty years actually.


    Mariah laughed, "Boss has no musical talent! She can''t sing! Carol, aren''t you afraid that Boss will beat you for embarrassing her?"


    Carol said coolly, "No, I can take it."


    Seeing everyone in high spirits, Sophia didn''t want to ruin their good moods and so agreed to go.

 Chapter 27 - 27: An Invitation From Friends

    Before leaving school, she called Kate with Mariah''s phone and said she would be home late. She used to have a phone but it was destroyed in the car accident. As she hadn''t made any money recently and Kate had only just got her job back, she didn''t intend to buy one until she had succeeded in making some money. After all, mobile phones were not cheap. She can''t bear to ask her Mom to buy a new phone for her as she knows that she doesn''t have enough savings after spending a lot of money during her entire time of coma.


    Kate was still at work. When she got the call, she told Sophia to come back early, not to stay out too late, and hung up. She could not be too strict with her daughter, especially after the car accident: she couldn''t bear to make demands of her.


    "Boss, what do you want to eat?" Carol asked Sophia first.


    "Whatever, anything¡­" Sophia was not fussy about food and had no special dietary requirements. "There used to be a night market in front of the school, right? It''ll be opening any minute now. We can buy any food that tastes good,"


    Because of her physical disability, she had never been to the night market. Although the previous Sophia had memories of the night market, there were just memories, and she wanted to experience it for herself.


    Carol thought it was a good idea, and neither Mariah or Melissa had an opinion, so the four rode their bikes and soon arrived at the night market.


    It was not yet dark, and most of the night market vendors had only just set up. Carol came here often. She picked a barbecue booth and ordered some food. She just got some money from her Mom earlier as her weekly allowance, so she dares to invite Sophia after she won as a class monitor.


    "Two six-packs of beer." Carol shouted to the owner as she sat down.


    Sophia frowned and her eyes furrowed towards Carol, "Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol. Why are you ordering a beer?"


    Carol laughed, "I''ve got a fake ID boss; after all, I''m nearly an adult, only two years till twenty-one. Don''t you like drinking anymore, boss? You used to drink the most! Then Mariah¡­"


    Sophia felt that this was a battle she would not win, and it was just beer. She thought silently and would give in. So she turned to Melissa and asked, "Do you drink?"


    "No, I don''t," said Melissa immediately. "I am afraid my parents will discover, and they beat me up!" She sounded fearful upon uttering her words.


    "Okay, we''ll not give you a beer, only the three of us will have it," Carol said.


    "Boss, I hope you will understand my reason and won''t get mad at me," Melissa said apologetically.


    "Why would I get mad? I respect your decision for not having alcohol as you said, your parents restrict you from drinking," Sophia said in a soft voice.


    The three girls look at her in shock. They can''t believe what they heard right straight from her mouth.


    The food was quickly delivered to their table.


    "Boss, are you okay?" Carol couldn''t help but ask.


    "Of course, I am okay. Let''s have our food now since it looks as good, I guess!" She changed the topic immediately. The three went silent even though they wondered why she suddenly changed recently.


    After dinner, it had grown dark. There was a karaoke bar near the night market. The four girls went in and ordered a private room.


    When Sophia got into the room, she purposely sat in a corner. Carol, Mariah, and Melissa scrambled to order songs. When they had finished, they realized that Sophia hadn''t even ordered one.


    "Just order one, Boss!" Carol looked mischievous.


    "No! I can''t sing," She refused abruptly and shook her head.


    "Then, I''ll order for you!" Carol insists.


    "There''s no need." She refused again. Factly, she doesn''t have talent in singing.


    The girls were singing and making fun of Sophia, but she sat firmly in the corner of the sofa and refused to move. Carol had bought some more beer and was more daring than usual. She ran over and pestered Sophia to sing a song.


    Sophia regretted that she had not stopped Carol from drinking. Finally, to get Carol to leave her in peace, she had no choice but to pick up the microphone.


    As soon as she started singing, the other three girls cowered back immediately. Her voice had a penetrating power that seemed like it could destroy the earth, and all three of them had covered their ears.


    But Sophia didn''t stop. They had forced her to sing, it was their fault, and she would torture their ears to see who would dare pester her to sing next time!


    "Boss, I have to go to the bathroom!" Carol suddenly exclaimed, "I drank too much!"


    She quickly slipped away, and obviously, she is just making an excuse.


    Mariah immediately followed, "Me too! Boss, I have to pee!"


    Melissa glared after these two unfaithful companions, and turned around and said, "Ah, Boss, the barbecue didn''t seem very well cooked, oooh. I have to go to the bathroom too." Without waiting for her response, Melissa flew away.


    And she rushed out of the private room before she had even finished speaking.


    Suddenly, Sophia was left alone in the whole room.


    She continued singing her song. Although she knew she was not good at singing, it was just for the fun of it. The three girls had ordered lots of songs. Having heard them once, she was able to remember them, though when she sang, they sounded totally different. As she was singing, she heard someone push the door open behind her and come in. She couldn''t help laughing, "You''re brave. You want to hear this?!"


    But when she turned around and saw the person coming in, she was stunned into silence.


    It was from Albert Pearson.

 Chapter 28 - 28: He Was Drunk

    How was he here?


    She noticed that Melissa had not closed the door properly, and it was half-open. The noise in the room was very loud, without the soundproof door shut, and he must have overheard.


    Sophia didn''t know what to say to him for a moment. Finally, she said, "Are you the one¡­ from Glinton University that day? How come you''re here?"


    Albert''s eyes were a little cloudy, and he seemed drunk. He narrowed his eyes and laughed, "You still¡­sing¡­so bad!"


    As he spoke, he walked over to her, grabbed the microphone from Sophia''s hand, and shouted into it, "Do you know how badly you are singing?"


    She did know actually. He didn''t have to yell it into the mic!


    Albert took a look at the screen, held up the mic, and started to sing along with the lyrics.


    He had a good voice and a good sense of music. Sophia had heard him sing before and always thought that he would have made a good singer.


    After the song, Albert suddenly turned to Sophia and said slowly, "It should be sung like that, you know?"


    Then he handed the microphone to Sophia, "Your turn."


    Sophia took it but did not go on singing. She looked out and grabbed a passing waiter, "This gentleman is drunk. Which room is he in? Please ask one of his friends to collect him."


    The waiter quickly apologized, "I''m sorry, Miss. I hope he''s not scaring you. This gentleman seems to have come alone. He doesn''t have any friends here. Maybe you can check if he has a phone and calls someone to pick him up?"


    Sophia awkwardly supported Albert up under his shoulders and sat him down on the sofa. He keeled over into a horizontal position.


    She checked his pocket, and there was his cell phone.


    His phone had no password. Sophia swiped and entered. She clicked on the call log and saw the last call was to someone named simply, "You."


    The last call would probably be someone close to him. She dialed the number and immediately heard an automated message: "The number you have dialed is not in use."


    She was confused. She took a look at the number and was stunned.


    It was the number she used in her last life.


    In the fire, her cell phone and sim card would have been destroyed, and so naturally, this number didn''t work.


    She looked at when this call had been made: only two hours ago!


    Albert had dialed her old number this evening!


    Sophia was shocked! He must have pressed the wrong number in his drunkenness, surely? Otherwise, what reason could he have for dialing an out of use number?


    But that "You" was weird. Who would name another person''s number as "You"? Why had he done that?


    She didn''t dwell on it and quickly called "Ryan," the second number on the call log.


    After just a couple of rings, someone picked up, "Mr. Pearson, what''s the matter?"


    Judging by his words, he must be Albert''s subordinate.


    Sophia was confused. Albert was just an assistant. How could he have become a boss so quickly? He must have got promoted fast!


    In some ways, it was not surprising that Pearson had left research and gone into business. Whether the business was big or small, he had the skills to become the boss.


    "Mr. Pearson is drunk. Could you please come and pick him up?"


    "Mr. Pearson''s drunk? Right. Text me the address, I''ll come right away." Ryan replied.


    Sophia hung up and tucked it back into Albert''s pocket. The waiter intended to take Albert back to his own room. But Sophia refused. His assistant would be here in a moment. She was happy for Albert Pearson to rest there for a while.


    Carol and Mariah came back in together and saw Albert lying on the sofa. Carol shouted wildly, "No way! Look how strong our boss is! In the time we went to the bathroom, she got a hot guy back here and down on the sofa!"


    She leaned in closer and said praisingly, "What a face and what a hot body! Good taste, boss! Do you want to do it here? How about¡­ Mariah and I guard the door for you?"


    This girl would really say anything when she got drunk.


    Mariah also came over to take a look, and smiled, "He''s much more handsome than that Charles Smith!"


    Carol frowned and pushed Mariah, "Shut up! Why would you mention him?"


    "Sorry." Mariah replied and dropped her head.


    Sophia didn''t remember much about this, Charles. She just knew that the previous owner of this body was after him. But she didn''t care about that. Anyway, she didn''t plan on paying attention to him ever again.


    Not long after that, Ryan arrived. He politely thanked the three girls, went and picked up his boss, who was lying, passed out on the sofa.


    Albert came to, struggled against, and said drowsily, "You''re¡­ here. I don''t... go¡­"


    Ryan smiled sadly, "Mr. Pearson, you drank too much¡­ Why did you come to a karaoke bar on the other side of town alone? You really know how to make people worry about you¡­"


    He sighed, turned his head, and smiled at Sophia, "Thank you. Sorry to trouble you."


    "It''s okay. See you then." Sophia took a look at the time, "We should go too. It''s late. We have class tomorrow."


    Ryan nodded, and half dragged, half carried Albert out of the room.


    As soon as the two men left, Carol came over and said with a grin, "Boss, that Pearson guy is really hot! Why did n'' t you ask him where he lives? At least, you should''ve got his number."


    Mariah agreed, "Yes, boss. I''ve never seen such a handsome man. He looks like a movie star¡­ Boss, why don''t I catch them up and ask for you? They won''t have gone far¡­"


    She was already heading out the door as she spoke.


    Sophia grabbed her back. She regretted agreeing to come out with them. She should''ve stopped these two "adults" from drinking at dinner. What if these two got crazy together?


    Right then, Melissa came back. Sophia decided it was time they all went home.. Worried about the two drunk girls, Melissa and her walked them home before heading back themselves.

 Chapter 29 - 29: Tough Opponent

    When Sophia got home, she saw that Kate had been waiting up for her. She couldn''t go to bed or relax until her daughter was under her roof again.


    It was late. Sophia got ready for bed and then turned her computer on to practice with a few more games of chess. She really wanted to get the Excellence Award. After all, her family''s financial situation was not stable yet. She wanted to use it all the time before the tournament started to practice and improve her confidence.


    If this were her previous life, she would not have to worry about money. She could just take on various well-paid projects. There were always lots of people in her area wanting to work with her. She had never needed to accept any of them.


    But now, as a high school student, she had little chance of making money. Things that were easily done before were now completely impossible.


    She wondered if she could find a tutoring job once the chess tournament was over. She could earn some money and lighten Kate''s burden. She knew the family was not well off. Almost all the savings had been spent on her treatment.


    After logging into her account, Sophia clicked "Start". The system automatically paired her to an opponent, and the game began.


    "They''re online!" Toby Damon stared at the user icon of "Knowing A Person" as it lit up on the screen. Immediately, he picked up the phone and dialed a number, "Hey, man. The account I was telling you about just got online! Check it out, and you''ll see I''m not lying. I''m sure it''s chess programming playing automatically. It''s such a dirty thing to do. Why don''t you try it, man?"


    "Yeah. I''m getting online now. But come on, you''re not stupid, are you? If they had this program, the company would be so excited to promote it. Why do they cheat in secret? What''s good for them? How much do you think it costs to develop a program like this? And then cheat, for three thousand dollars? As if."


    Kip Strong hung up the phone. He was logged in. Searching through the list of players, he found the account "Knowing A Person." He didn''t really believe Toby''s paranoid words. He thought he was probably making excuses for losing.


    The game showed that the account was playing chess at table twenty-seven. He found the table and went in to watch and wait.


    During the game, other players could enter the ''room'' to watch at any time. If either of them left, the watching player could click "start" to join the table to play.


    He watched for a while, and couldn''t understand the way" Knowing A Person" played. Just as Toby said, it was quite strange, and there didn''t seem to be any learned strategy. Every step confounded his expectation, and he could not guess where the player would go next.


    Generally speaking, only a novice who had not learned the strategy of the game would play so irregularly. But each step KAP took was so effective, and in less than two minutes, KAP had checkmated its opponent.


    The opponent sent a message, "I''m done. I''m going to sleep. You''re good. Are you a professional chess player?"


    "No." KAP replied.


    It did not say anything else.


    As soon as the player who played with KAP left, Kip immediately clicked "Start". Soon, the opposition clicked "Start" and the game began.


    ***


    When Sophia played the second set, she quickly realized it would be much harder. Her opponent was really good at chess, every step unlocking an impressive sequence. She had to concentrate on defense, so each step took time. It took her more than half an hour to checkmate her opponent.


    She was unsure about this Excellence Award. Making money online was not proving easy. She had already met two strong opponents, and there were most likely lots more opponents at the same level as these two and probably even a lot better than them.


    She thought she should consider the tutoring job. After all, it was more reliable.


    She turned off the computer with some frustration and went to bed.


    Kip was sweaty all over. He hadn''t met such a strong opponent for a long time and only in international competitions where that happened.


    Even then, Bruce, the world number one player, had taken forty minutes to checkmate him, while this KAP had just checkmated him in less than thirty minutes. It was just horrible.


    He was half-persuaded that this KAP might be a computer program. Could there really be such a tough chess player in the world?


    But on the other hand, he felt instinctive that KAP''s strange way of playing was nothing like a mechanized procedure.


    He was also good at Go. He had once seen the match between the Go programming against the world champion, and the machine had behaved like the most flawless player, completely in accordance with the normal strategy.


    This KAP didn''t act like a computer program at all.


    But if it was a real person, Kip had no idea who they were.


    Kip ranked sixteenth in the world. He had studied the chess play of all those above him, but KAP''s chess methods were completely unfamiliar to him. He was sure, and this person was definitely not anyone among the top fifteen in the world.


    So, who was this KAP?


    He had recorded the match on his computer, and he studied it all night, with no luck.


    After a lot of thought, he finally dialed a number.


    "Mitch, I''ve met a very tough opponent, and I''ve sent the video to your inbox. Have a look when you''re free."


    "Tough opponent? Who? How tough?" Mitch laughed.


    "He or she can checkmate me in thirty minutes."


    Mitch couldn''t laugh. He knew what that meant.


    "I''ll watch it right now. Give me a moment." He hung up the phone and went straight to his emails.


    An hour later, Kip got a call from Mitch.


    "Next time this person gets online, please be sure to tell me."

 Chapter 30 - 30: Kevin’s New Dorm

    Two days later, Sophia arrived in class early and saw a face that made her very happy. Her brother Kevin appeared in front of her.


    "Kevin, you''ve come to school!" Sophia walked up to him and quickly asked so many questions, "Have you taken care of everything at home? Your stepmother didn''t come back, did she?"


    "It''s all done. My stepmother hasn''t come to me since that day you saved me. Thank you, Miss. Green!" Kevin nodded, and a shy smile slipped in his lips.


    "Miss. Green? Didn''t we agree last time that you would call me sister?" Sophia stared at him, feeling a little when she heard her little brother addressed her.


    "Oh, sorry, I mean, sister!" Kevin was embarrassed, but he repeated it, "Sister. There! Sorry, I am not used to it!"


    "Yeah, it''s okay! That''s right!" Sophia smiled and patted his shoulder.


    She walked to her seat, not noticing that the rest of the class was watching her petrified. They were surprised at Sophia''s behavior before Kevin. They have no idea what happened to her.


    Had Sophia¡­just made Kevin Green her brother? Did she wake up at the wrong side of her bed, today? These are the thoughts lingered in her friend''s mind.


    In just one morning, the news had spread all over the school, and everyone knew that Kevin was now Sophia''s younger brother. To everyone''s surprise, no one dared to question Sophia because they were afraid of her. Even her close friends are amazed at the sudden change she has made in recent days.


    There had always only been four girls in the Sister Alliance. It was the first time that Sophia had involved a boy, the first brother in their group.


    "Is it true that Sophia''s got Kevin Green in her gang now?"


    "Don''t get on the wrong side of him, and you better be careful when you see him! Sophia had his back now as they said he now her declared little brother,"


    "Oh, no, I bullied Kevin last term¡­ I''m finished. I''d better transfer to another school! Sophia might run after me!" One of the students exclaimed.


    "Oh, Kevin is so lucky. How come he got included in Sophia''s group?"


    "Maybe because ¡­he''s hot? Maybe Sophia really likes him or knows him before," Another one uttered.


    When Kevin arrived that morning, he had applied for a bed at the school dorm. His home was quite far from the school. He used to go back home every day to take care of his sister, but now his sister was no longer there; staying at home would only make him sad, and so he decided to live at school from now. After the burial of his sister, he went back to school to start a new life. He often misses her older sister after her tragic death.


    Ms. Acheson immediately agreed to arrange this for him, but there were so many students already boarding at the school dorm that he would have to go wherever they could find a free bed.


    "It seems that only room 509 has an empty bed. That dormitory¡­" Ms. Acheson hesitated, "The students there are rather badly behaved. I''m afraid that¡­"


    "It doesn''t matter. Dorm 509 is fine." He quickly assured Ms. Acheson that he could handle bullying from other students. He doesn''t want to get pitied from his teacher. He thought that he needed to stand alone.


    Kevin didn''t care. The dorm was just a place to sleep. He usually studied in the classroom and would only go to the dorm at night, so all he needed was a place to lie down. To skip the sad reality, he is bearing silently.


    "You can live there for now. If there are any problems, just tell me. When another dorm becomes available, I will switch you out." Ms. Acheson was worried. The boys in that dorm were particularly troublesome. She can''t let harm happen to Kevin because his sister Sophia had become close to her heart.


    "Thank you, Ms. Acheson!" Kevin bowed his head to give his thanks to his teacher.


    "Don''t mention it, Kevin. Don''t hesitate to inform me if other boys have done something against you," Ms. Acheson said.


    "Noted, Ms. Acheson!"


    Despite her concerns, there was nothing else to be done. She repeatedly told Kevin to tell her if he had any friction with his roommates.


    Kevin got the key to dorm 509 and went to class.


    The dormitories at Colin High School were four-bed rooms with two top and bottom bunks and four simple desk-cabinets.


    Dorm 509 was all male. In short, it was dirty, messy, and had a bad smell! He is not used to this kind of environment, but he needs to accept it.


    The floor of the room was littered with rubbish, the desks were littered with clutter, the beds were messy, the quilts were scrambled on the beds, and there were stinky socks hanging by a bedside.


    It was lunchtime when Kevin went to the dorm to drop off his luggage. A fat boy was sitting on his bed playing on his phone.


    "Hi, I''m moving in here." Kevin greeted him, "My name''s¡­"


    The fat boy looked up and impatiently interrupted him, "Another new guy? Right. There''s no hot water left. Go get some!"


    "Alright." Kevin put down his luggage and nodded.


    He picked up the kettle and went to get hot water.


    The boiler room of Colin High School was on the first floor of the dormitory block. After filling the kettle, he took it back upstairs.


    The dorm he now lived in was on the fifth floor. There was no elevator in the dormitory block, so it was a pain going up and down. After bringing the water back to the bedroom, Kevin took his luggage to the only empty spot and began to make the bed. Just then, the other two roommates returned. Seeing Kevin making his bed, they immediately understood what was going on.


    "Hey, new guy!" One of the boys, whose hair was dyed yellow, shouted at him, "You must be brave. Did you know that the three students who lived here before you all cried to the teacher and begged to be transferred out of here? One of them couldn''t get a transfer and decided he''d rather rent a house off the site than stay here...."

 Chapter 31 - 31: Protecting Her Little Brother

    Kevin climbed onto his bed and slowly smoothed out the sheets with his hands. He shook his head and said, "I didn''t know that."


    "You¡­" the yellow-haired boy laughed, "Which class are you in?"


    "Class seventeen."


    "Oh, class seventeen¡­" He was interested, "That''s Boss Green''s class. Do you know Boss Green? Is she scary?"


    "No. She is very kind." Kevin didn''t bother to raise his head.


    The other three were surprised. Someone thought Sophia Green was tender? What the hell!


    The boy who came in with the yellow-haired boy hadn''t spoken yet. He wore a pair of glasses, which he reached for as he said, "Actually, our dorm isn''t as bad as everyone thinks. If you obey us and work hard, you can live here. But from now on, you have to wash all our socks. Do you have any feelings about that?"


    Kevin looked up at the boy with glasses and shook his head, "No. I don''t like washing socks."


    The boy suddenly laughed, "Do you really want to know why our three former roommates moved out?"


    Kevin shook his head again, "No. I don''t like to intrude on other people''s lives."


    The glasses boy laughed, "Good. You have balls. Tell me your name. Since you''re in this dorm, we should probably know your name before you run away as well."


    "My name is Kevin Green." He jumped off the bed.


    The room was suddenly still and strangely quiet.


    "What did you say?" The glasses boy couldn''t believe it.


    "Kevin Green. K-E-V-I-N-G-R-E-E-N. I am in class seventeen."


    The glasses boy had broken out in a cold sweat. They were sharing a dorm with Kevin Green.


    Kevin Green, who had just returned to school and whose name was everywhere, is Sophia Green''s only brother?


    He immediately forced a smile, "Oh, why didn''t you say so earlier? I was just joking before¡­ haha, we''re all very friendly. Hey, brother, do you have any socks you need washing? I can do that for you... I''m really good at getting them clean!"


    The fat boy who had just asked Kevin Green to get hot water jumped out of bed and smiled, "Me too, I was just kidding, brother. I didn''t really expect you to go get the water. Oh, you''re so funny. Let us do these things for you in the future. Have you eaten lunch? Shall I buy you some food?"


    Kevin Green was puzzled, "I''m not your brother, and I''ve already eaten."


    The yellow-haired boy smiled at him ingratiatingly, "Brother, you must be exhausted making the bed. We''ll do that for you."


    Were they kidding?


    The boy with glasses hurriedly went to pick up the broom lent against the wall behind the door. It was dusty and clearly hadn''t been used in weeks. He began sweeping the floor and laughed, "We''re never usually this messy. I can''t believe you two haven''t cleaned up the dirt already. Do you want to upset my brother?"


    "Ah¡­ Yeah. Sorry, Kevin. And my socks are too stinky, sorry, I''ll wash them right now."


    "Whose leftover noodles are these? They''ve gone all moldy! We need to chuck them away."


    And suddenly all three of them started cleaning, in earnest.


    Kevin didn''t know what to say. He unpacked his bag, put his things away, and got on his bed to have a rest. At this time of year, with the long summer days, afternoon classes were later. He liked to take a nap at lunch, so he would have more energy for the rest of the day. None of the boys dared to make any noise, and they too crept into bed. They stared there, silent, until Kevin, having had a good rest, got out of bed.


    "I''m going to class now. See you later." Kevin said, leaving the room.


    The three boys looked at each other; they all looked worried.


    "Do you think Kevin will complain to Sophia?"


    "I heard that she''s very protective. Someone once picked on one of her sisters and beat them up so bad they ended up in the hospital!"


    "Yeah. I heard that, too. She''s so strong no one can defeat her! Apparently, she''s totally unreasonable, and it''s no use begging for mercy from her."


    "Someone in our class said that Sophia just beats people up with no reason, it''s super horrible!"


    "What should we do? Do we have to transfer?"


    "Well, let''s see. Kevin seemed pretty cool. Maybe he won''t ask Sophia to beat us up."


    Before class in the afternoon, Sophia asked Kevin, " How does it feel to be living in school? Are your roommates bullying you?"


    "No. They''re nice, a little odd but nice."


    "Well, if someone bullies you, just tell me!"


    "I will."


    Kevin still found it hard to believe that they hadn''t known each other for longer. He felt so used to her manner, and it felt natural to do as she asked.


    Was it just because her name was the same as his sister? Or was it her eyes¡­ always full of concern?


    Although Kevin had said everything was fine, Sophia was still not at ease. She asked one of the boys in her class to help point out Kevin''s three roommates after school. She wanted to have a friendly word with them.


    "My brother Kevin lives in your dorm. I hope you''ll help me look after him. He doesn''t always find it easy to get along with other people. If he does anything wrong, please don''t mind. This is the first time he''s lived at school, and so it may take him a little while to get used to things. If you can help him, that would be brilliant. Thank you!"


    The three boys of dorm 509 nodded. "Yeah, don''t worry, boss. We will treat him like family!" said the bleached blond boy.


    "You all seem great. I''m happy he has roommates like you. I''m relieved!"


    She left satisfied but leaving the three boys in a mess.


    "Did she come specifically just to threaten us?"


    "Looks like it."


    "So, should we consider transferring?"


    "Do we have to? I don''t want to leave here¡­"


    "It must be so cool to be Boss'' little brother¡­ I wish we were so lucky."


    Sophia hadn''t realized the effect her words had had on those three boys. She still hadn''t fully accepted her ''gang boss'' image.. She still saw herself as quiet Professor Green.

 Chapter 32 - 32: I Have To Find Him

    As she was now the math representative, she had to help Ms. Acheson collect and give out homework every day. She thought the job would be tiresome. After all, there were around thirty students in the class, and it was likely at least a few of the students would be lazy and not finish their homework on time.


    She was ready to have a friendly chat with students who had not handed in their homework properly. She wanted to encourage everyone to do their homework well.


    But she soon discovered that her fear was unnecessary. Although some students in class seventeen didn''t get good grades, they were very serious about doing their homework and would always hand their homework in on time.


    Every time she needed the math homework in, she found it had been collected by the group leaders and put neatly on her desk. At no point had she had to urge anyone to hand in their homework?


    She was very satisfied with her classmates'' attitude towards learning.


    Lanie Schultz, who taught English to Class 17, looked at Ms. Acheson''s desk and sighed, "Ms. Acheson, all the homework is in already? You''ve only just finished your math class, right? Whereas my class representative has still not received all of the assignments yet, there are still several books missing. These students are too disobedient. They always put off doing their homework. Sometimes I have even finished all the rest of the marking, and they will still not yet have handed in."


    As the former teacher in charge of the class, Ms. Acheson felt responsible for this problem, "Some classmates are not handing in their homework on time? I will talk to them. School''s only just started. This is not good¡­ I thought all the students in my class studied hard. Maybe it''s because I was the headteacher that they are extra careful with my homework?"


    Just then, the English representative came in with several homework books, "Ms. Schultz, here is the rest of the homework from the students who didn''t hand in yesterday, there are still three books missing."


    He handed the homework to Ms. Schultz, thought for a moment, and said, "Ms. Schultz, I just overheard you. I have a suggestion. How about asking Bo¡­ Sophia Green to collect the rest of the homework? She is the math representative. She always gets all the math homework in time. But the students don''t listen to me at all."


    "Sophia?" Ms. Schultz was surprised, "I know her. I taught her in the first year. She was a real troublemaker, I''ve been pleasantly surprised that she gets her own homework done."


    "No, she''s not a troublemaker anymore." Ms. Acheson said quickly, "Sophia does very well in math. I don''t know about her English. But I''ve been surprised too. She has made great progress recently. Those three girls who were always naughty with her before are now all studying very hard as well. I think, you know, a person who has lived through a life and death experience will always change. And that can only be a good thing."


    She had decided that Sophia Green''s change must be due to her car accident and her long stay in the hospital. That she had realized the value of life and the value of time and decided she would study hard.


    It''d only been a week since the start of school, and Ms. Schultz had also already formed a good impression of Sophia Green. She thought for a while and then shook her head. "No, I''d better ask them for it myself. If Sophia wants to study hard, I won''t add to her burden, which would just delay her study time."


    Just then, the receptionist led a middle-aged woman through the door of the classroom. The woman entered and immediately shouted, "Where''s Kevin Green''s headteacher?"


    Ms. Acheson was stunned, "And you are..."


    "I''m Kevin''s stepmother. I have to find him. Get him here now!"


    "Ms. Acheson, she insists on finding Kevin Green. I had no choice but to bring her to you." Said the receptionist.


    There were always parents coming to school to visit their kids. The school issued cards to them. Parents could come in if they had one of these cards.


    But Linda had no card, and she looked like she had come to make trouble, shouting about being a stepmother. The receptionist had been worried about this and didn''t let her come in. But Linda wouldn''t back down and kept pestering, so eventually, he thought the best idea was to bring her to see Ms. Acheson first.


    Ms. Acheson had known for a long time that Kevin had a stepmother called Linda Barber. Though for all the years that Kevin had been at high school, Linda had never turned up to see him or his teachers. Ms. Acheson also knew Linda''s nephew, Nicholas Sands, who had often bullied Kevin. Ms. Acheson had often reprimanded Nicholas for that and met Linda at those meetings.


    But this time, for once, she was here for Kevin. Ms. Acheson instinctively felt this couldn''t be a good thing.


    Out of politeness, Ms. Acheson asked, "Why do you need to see Kevin?"


    Linda shouted, "I''ve come to tell him to give me my money! I just had someone check his sister''s account: there is over three hundred thousand dollars in it. Besides, his sister''s house and research projects are worth a lot of money. I asked a lawyer and we have a right to a share of the money. Let him come here and give me the money! Don''t think that he can hide in school and not go home. I will still find him. "


    After she had finished her diatribe, Ms. Schultz couldn''t sit still any longer. She wasn''t his headteacher, but she was very fond of Kevin. He was a hard-working, well-mannered student, and she knew enough about his life to know this woman was a nasty piece of work.


    "Honestly, what have you done for Kevin Green and his sister over the years? Have you even cared about them a little? And now you have the cheek to turn up and demand money?" Ms. Schultz was really angry. "The students are in class, Jimmy. This woman is not a good person, don''t let her into the teaching area!"


    Ms. Acheson gave Lanie Schultz a quiet pull on the arm and motioned to her to stop talking. She knew Ms. Schultz meant well, but she had a big temper, she would say anything when she was angry. It wouldn''t be good if she flew off the handle at Linda. After all, Ms.. Schultz was a teacher, and Linda could always complain.

 Chapter 33 - 33: Confronted Him

    The English representative saw what was going on. He and Kevin used to be in the same class and were friendly, and naturally, he was worried about him. It suddenly occurred to him that Kevin seemed to be under Sophia''s protection.


    As a teacher, it was difficult for Ms. Schultz to get involved or speak her mind; but Sophia was a student. She wouldn''t have to worry about that so much. And so he hoped that Sophia could help Kevin.


    He quietly slipped out of the office and ran back to the classrooms.


    It was break time, and Sophia was explaining a math problem to Melissa. It was not difficult, but Melissa didn''t have a very solid foundation of understanding. Sophia had explained it several times to her, but she still didn''t quite get it.


    The English representative saw Sophia in the classroom. He ran over, "Boss, a woman who is calling herself Kevin''s stepmother, came in and made a fuss. She''s in Ms. Acheson''s office now. Do you think you should check it out?"


    Sophia frowned. She hadn''t expected Linda to come to school. She thought that after the last time, the woman would step back. But, it seemed she underestimated Linda''s greed.


    Sophia was glad that Kevin wasn''t in class. It was better to fix it without involving him.


    She stood up and said, "Okay. I''ll go take a look."


    With Linda''s unreasonable manner, she would certainly be making it difficult for the teachers. They couldn''t deal with her freely. But Sophia did not need to worry about that. She was the head of the Sister Alliance. There was nothing she dared not say or do.


    As she left the classroom, she saw Melissa following. She didn''t want this to involve anyone else, so she asked Melissa to go back. But Melissa insisted on coming too.


    As they got to the door of the office, they heard Linda''s voice, "I don''t care! Both the money and the house, at least half of all of it should be mine! I can''t be a stepmother and get nothing! I''m not leaving until I see Kevin!"


    "Whether you leave or not, the school is not going to give you what you want." Sophia''s voice, icy cold, cut across Linda''s ranting as she strode into the office.


    Ms. Acheson was surprised. She waved her hand at Sophia, "This has nothing to do with you. What are you doing here?"


    "I came to use the phone," Sophia answered.


    "The phone¡­why, what''s wrong?" Ms. Acheson asked, confused. Couldn''t Sophia see she was in the middle of a situation here, what was she doing using the phone at this time?


    Sophia turned to Linda, "If you want to get part of the legacy, take it to court. What''s the use of coming to our school to make trouble? Do you really think it''s going to help you, harassing Kevin here?"


    Linda was a little intimidated when she saw Sophia, but she gathered herself, thinking that she was in the right, "You are just a student. What does our family issue have to do with you? What''s wrong with the teachers in this school? Letting a student get involved in things that don''t concern them. If you don''t get her under control, I will tell everyone that your school is run by the students!


    Sophia ignored her, went to the corner of the office, picked up the phone, and dialed, "Hello, the police, please."


    The whole office was stunned.


    It was not that the school had never called the police, but Linda hadn''t been violent, so it seemed a little extreme.


    Sophia continued speaking, "There''s a woman at our school who is making trouble. She is trying to extort one of our students without good reason. She is also threatening the teachers¡­ I think she''s dangerous."


    Linda angrily shouted, "What are you talking about? How am I a dangerous person? You''re bullying me! Go ahead, call the police! What am I afraid of? The money is mine, and I''m sure the police will help me get it back."


    Ms. Acheson''s initial impulse had been to stop Sophia from calling the police, but when she heard what she said, it seemed very reasonable. It would be a good way to resolve the situation. The police could bring the situation under full control.


    The police arrived very quickly.


    When Linda saw the uniformed policeman, her rage was momentarily muted.


    Sophia gave her a look. She knew this woman was a cowardly bully. Once the police arrived, she wouldn''t dare make a scene.


    The police asked both sides about the situation and finally told Linda, "If there is a dispute over the estate, you can sue and go through the appropriate legal channels. However, it is illegal for you to come into a school and start threatening people. If you don''t stop, it could get more serious, and you could even end up in jail."


    Linda was stunned when she heard the word "jail" and said, "How come? I''m just asking for the money that belongs to me."


    The police explained to her, "You think the money belongs to you, but there is no legal basis. If you really feel you are right, I suggest you sue. If the court decides that the legacy belongs to you, they will help you recover it according to lawful precedent."


    Linda ground her teeth, "Okay, fine, I''ll sue! I need this money. If I can''t get the money, I''ll... "


    She saw the policeman standing beside her, and hurriedly swallowed her last words.


    Sophia walked slowly to Linda, staring at her and said, "You really want to sue?"


    Linda raised her head, "That''s right. I''m going to sue Kevin till he loses everything!"


    The police on each side shrugged helplessly. Even if she won, the most she could get was half of the property, right? How could that make the defendant lose everything? How big was the feud between this woman and her stepson?


    Sophia smiled, looked her in the eye, and said deliberately, "Well, you wait and see you. Be sure you don''t regret it! It''s a good opportunity to settle old accounts."


    Linda Barber was taken aback, "Old accounts?"


    Sophia ignored her and turned away. It was time for class, and she went straight back to the classroom. The police were there anyway, and Linda wouldn''t dare to make a scene anymore.


    Had Linda not come to make trouble, Sophia would have let her old grudges with her go, but now that she had brought it up, Sophia didn''t mind settling the accounts that she didn''t have time to deal with in her previous life.

 Chapter 34 - 34: He Could Figure It Out

    Sophia told Kevin about Linda''s visit to the school, and hearing that Linda was going to sue him, he was worried.


    Sophia comforted him, "It''s okay. She can''t win. Don''t worry."


    She had already planned well for Kevin. She wouldn''t let him be bullied by someone like Linda.


    Thinking of Sunday''s chess match, Sophia went home to practice a few more games.


    After winning three games in a row, she finally met another strong opponent.


    Its user name was "Pacific M." As soon as the game started, this player had a great strategy. The gameplay was slower and harder than any before. She needed much more time to think out her moves.


    On the other side of the ocean, it was still morning.


    Mitch started nervously at the game and did not relax for a moment.


    Behind him stood three of his chess-player friends, all staring intently at the screen with the same nervous energy.


    These three players were among the top twenty chess players in the world. They had just got together at Mitch''s home to play chess. Mitch had received an international call, and immediately, he turned on the computer and began to play chess online.


    They were all chess masters. After a few moves, they immediately understood the situation.


    The game had been going on for two hours. Everyone was standing stock-still. The sound of Mitch clicking his mouse filled the room.


    Mitch was sweating. He stared unblinkingly at the moving pieces on the screen and held his breath.


    Facing a strong opponent, Sophia felt her nerves tingling.


    The harder the task, the more active she felt, it had always been the way. Upon looking at the computer, it felt as if all the cells in her body had been activated.


    Initially, she had played chess just to win those one hundred and fifty dollars. But now she was really getting into it.


    "Castling¡­" When Sophia finished this move, the possibility of the next twenty moves sprang up in her mind, "Queen¡­ take!"


    The queen was one of the most useful pieces in chess. The opponent''s queen was taken. The situation was looking good for Sophia.


    The whole game could take a maximum time of three hours, so each one had an hour and a half to make their moves. Time was running out. If no one had won by, then it would be declared a draw.


    Just then, the screen of the computer suddenly flashed and darkened. Sophia was in darkness.


    The power had shut off.


    The weather was hot, and a lot of people in the community used air conditioners, which often resulted in a voltage overload. So, power outages often happened.


    Sophia sighed. This game of chess was only half played; it was so annoying, but there was nothing she could do. It would take at least a few hours for the electrician to fix the circuit. And by now, the system would have registered it as if she had forfeited the game. There was no going back to that game.


    With regret, she went to bed and slept in the dark.


    She had no idea that her unfinished game had shocked the world of chess.


    Though Mitch had been declared the winner, he and his friends all knew that he was likely to lose if the game continued. His queen had been taken first, which was pretty bad for him.


    KAP could beat the chess champion, Mitch Watson. Who was he or she?


    Could it really be chess programming?


    "I have checked out the blog associated with this account. It''s newly registered. I can''t find out their identity, though." Kip told Mitch over the phone," I don''t have the authority to check the IP address. I only know that, according to the blog, it''s a woman. She lives in Lands City. But you know, Land is so big. There are millions of people. It''s completely untraceable."


    Mitch frowned. "Don''t investigate her anymore. If she doesn''t want to show up, it''s best we don''t dig her out. It would only make her unhappy. I don''t think she wants to play chess seriously. But I think she''ll definitely show up at the contest. I''ll play her again then.


    Kip was surprised, "You¡­really want to participate in this contest?"


    To participate in an online chess game with only three thousand dollars'' prize? It was just a small contest. Even his friend, Toby, disdained to be a consultant for it! Mitch, the world''s number one chess master, was going to compete!


    If such a thing was known to the organizers, they would go crazy!


    "Of course!" Mitch thought for a moment, "The enrollment won''t be closed by now, right? Find a computer expert. Get him to register a bunch of accounts and log in to them at the same time. The system matches players automatically, right? If any account was matched with Knowing A Person, you can switch over that account to me. I want to play some more games with her. And I''ll bear the cost."


    "Just leave it to me. Wait for my word!" Kip said.


    He hung up the phone. It was three o''clock in the morning. Mitch sent him the video of that unfinished chess game, then he clicked on it and watched it over and over again.


    The more he watched, the more he felt that it was operated by computer programming. Normally, as a top master, he could get the next ten steps or so. But chess games were changeable, and there was no way to accurately predict it.


    But this person seemed to have seen through all the changes and predicted all the possibilities. Such a farsighted ability to discern the moves was not within human capability.


    But how could a computer have such a weird spontaneous way of playing, so lacking in normal routine? He couldn''t figure it out.


    With the idea of giving it a try, he sent a private message to Knowing A Person''s blog.


    "Hello. Are you a professional chess player? I am a chess player and I greatly admire your skills.. I want to play chess with you if you want? Whenever you''re free, of course. Thank you!"

 Chapter 35 - 35: Let’s Get Started

    By the time Sophia saw this message, it was already the next evening. She hadn''t looked at her computer all day. Carol had come over and asked her for her help with math, so she hadn''t had a chance to go online.


    Carol had been working very hard recently, especially in math. She was making remarkable progress. Her parents were very happy. It was a good thing that their daughter started to study hard. So that weekend, Mrs. Carter urged Carol to go to Sophia''s to study.


    Sophia was surprised to see the message. Had she crossed paths with a professional chess player during her games? It was just a small online contest. How would it attract professional players to participate?


    But she was very keen to play chess. She logged back into the game interface, found a table to ''sit down'' at but did not click "start." Then she replied to the message, "I''m online now. I''ll wait for you at table eighty-nine."


    She waited a few minutes before someone sat opposite her. He sent a message to greet her, "Hello, I am the person who wrote to your blog. It''s a pleasure to play chess with you."


    Sophia Green simply replied, "All right. Let''s get started!"


    Then she clicked "Start."


    Kip sat in front of his computer all day waiting for her to show up. He wanted to talk a little bit more and ask her for some personal information. But when he saw her reply, he knew what she meant. She obviously wasn''t going to reveal her personal information to a stranger online.


    He stopped asking questions and clicked "start." And so the game began.


    Kip tried his best this game, and it lasted one hour. Finally, he was checkmated.


    Kip was a little frustrated, but also rather excited. He was about to suggest another game with her when he suddenly saw her profile picture go dark.


    She had logged off.


    Sophia hadn''t meant to go offline totally. But she heard the phone in the living room ring and got up to answer it. Fearing that the player would be waiting too long for her, she simply quit the game so that he would know that she was gone and that he should find another opponent.


    It was Kevin calling. He sounded worried, "Sister, someone calling themselves a lawyer just called me. He said he wanted to talk with me about something my sister had left with him. I was afraid it was a scam¡­ Do you have any advice?"


    Sophia smiled. It looked like the lawyer she had engaged had finally made contact. "Did the lawyer say who they were?" Sophia asked.


    "Yes. He said he was Jacob Williams from Cinda Law Firm. He said my sister had commissioned him to do some work for her before she died. But I¡­ I don''t trust him. Maybe he was paid by my stepmother to trap me!"


    Sophia smiled, "He should be trustworthy. When does he want to meet you? I''ll come with you if you like."


    Kevin agreed quickly. "I''ll be much calmer if you''re there with me. He said to meet tomorrow afternoon. I can choose the time."


    "I have some stuff to do tomorrow, but I''ll let you know when I''m free." Sophia was concerned about her tournament match, but the game wouldn''t take all day. She would still have time.


    Kevin hung up and suddenly thought of something.


    Why had he gone to Sophia first when he got the lawyer''s call? It had been a completely subconscious decision. Whenever anything happened, the first person he thought of was Sophia.


    They''d known each other for a little over a week. He didn''t understand why he trusted her so much.


    It was like trusting his own sister.


    Sophia was in a good mood. Now the lawyer, Jacob Williams, had stepped in, it seemed like the matter would be settled soon.


    In her previous life, she had been in bad health often because of her disability. So she had always worried that she might not live particularly long. She had accepted the idea of death a long time ago. But the only person who she had worried about was Kevin.


    She went to the lawyer, Williams, a while ago, to get everything in order in the case of her death so that Kevin wouldn''t have to worry about Linda or anything. She hadn''t told Kevin about these things for fear that Kevin would be sad.


    Williams was told that he didn''t need to get in touch with Kevin unless there was any trouble after her death. If Linda hadn''t caused such a problem, Kevin would never have met Jacob Williams.


    Naturally, no one expected her to die so suddenly.


    Sophia Green went back to her room, turned off her computer, and went to bed.


    After breakfast the next day, Sophia turned on her computer and entered the game interface.


    It was the first stage of the competition, and all registered accounts could participate. The rules were simple. The computer system would automatically match opponents. The winning party got the point, and the loser lost a point. If the game ended in a draw, neither party would score or lose a point. According to the points, the top five hundred players could enter the second stage.


    The second round of competition will be held tonight. The third and fourth stages would be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The same points system would also be used for those too. The final would be next Sunday morning.


    Sophia intended to meet the lawyer with Kevin in the afternoon. So as soon as the tournament opened, she began. She wanted to score enough points as soon as she could, then she would be free to go with Kevin this afternoon.


    She clicked "start", and the system immediately assigned an opponent to her.


    Sophia saw her opponent was named "M378" and felt a sense of familiarity. She seemed to have played with someone with the name of "M" before.. But it was a pretty common name, so she didn''t pay much attention to it and began to play chess.

 Chapter 36 - 36: The Game

    After a few moves, she knew that her opponent was ridiculously good. Their chess strategy was similar to that "M" she had met before.


    She got excited. To have such an opponent, she loved it! And it makes her more eager to pursue the game.


    Mitch (because of course, it was Mitch) was excited, too. This excitement was something he hadn''t felt in years.


    He told his friends about it on Twitter. They were all in the chess circle. So the news spread quickly. He knew that this small online contest had attracted the attention of the chess world.


    Almost all the master chess players were watching the game nervously in front of their computers.


    And, it was just the first game in the first round.


    The game interface displayed the number of people watching. As long as you had a registered account, you could log in to watch.


    Sophia did not notice that the number of onlookers had exceeded two hundred. All her attention was on the game, and she didn''t notice anything else around her.


    She was more nervous playing this game than she had been against "Pacific M." She had to contemplate every move, analyze which was the best of all, and never let up.


    The opponent was so good that if she slackened, for even a moment, she would lose the whole game.


    Mitch was extremely tense, his eyes staring straight at the computer screen, his fingers slightly trembling as he held the mouse. The air-conditioner was on in the room, and the temperature was normal, but he was still sweating.


    His friend nearby picked up a towel nearby and wiped his forehead lightly, not daring to use any strength, for fear of disturbing him.


    Mitch was not disturbed. In fact, even if someone had hit him, at that moment, he would not have felt it. All his senses were honed on the game.


    It was no less than a battlefield.


    Kip watched the game at home. His computer master had written a program that registered four hundred accounts into the tournament, hoping that one of them would be assigned to compete with KAP. Fortunately, it had done the trick.


    Kip thought that was the most intense game he had ever seen. The intensity was comparable to a world championship chess game. It was very exciting for a chess player to witness such a match.


    Toby, sitting beside Kip, could not help asking, "Kip, who do you think will win?"


    "It''s hard to say¡­ No one has an absolute advantage yet! Either of them could win!"


    "How? Mitch is the world champion!" Toby was staring at the computer screen. He was also a professional chess player and could see the strength of both sides, "I think this KAP is definitely a computer program! Let''s see, and after the game, there must be a company that announces they developed this program!"


    "Oh, shut up!"


    "Sophia. Time to eat!" Kate walked into the room.


    Sophia didn''t look up, "Wait a minute; I have to finish this game!"


    Seeing her daughter''s focus, Kate didn''t want to disturb her. She just let her be. "Remember to eat once you''ve finished."


    Sophia didn''t notice what her mother was saying, but answered on autopilot and continued the game.


    At two o''clock in the afternoon, there were less than ten pieces left on the chessboard. The system decided: over!


    In other words, they had reached a situation where the rest of the pieces were unable to take each other.


    The two sides had drawn!


    Sophia stood up. Her neck was very sore, and she needed to rest for a while.


    She hadn''t eaten her lunch yet. Kate went out. She went to the kitchen and microwaved her meal before she returned to the tournament.


    After that, she didn''t meet any strong opponents. Basically, she could finish a game in three minutes. Half an hour later, Sophia saw that her score had entered the top five hundred and stopped.


    It was already three o''clock in the afternoon, and she had to accompany Kevin to meet the lawyer.


    Professional chess players chatted excitedly in the most popular chess chat room.


    "OMG! Did I get it wrong? Someone had drawn with Mitch Watson at chess! How long has it been since that happened last time?"


    "Who is this person? A new player? How come I never heard about them?"


    "This competition is so exciting! I have to register an account and join the game!"


    "Me, too! No. It seems that we have to sign up¡­"


    "Didn''t Mitch register hundreds of accounts? They were all signed up. You can just ask him for one!"


    "Those weren''t registered by Mitch, and it''s Kip Strong!"


    "Let''s go to Kip!"


    ***


    Sophia, who was already offline, naturally didn''t know that the tournament was about to become populated with chess masters.


    Dozens of accounts named "M" popped up and quickly occupied all the top spots on the scoreboard. Sometimes, these "M" accounts played against each other, and the games were not pretty.


    By the end of the first stage, the rankings were spectacular. At the top of the list, the names of accounts were all composed of "M" plus numbers.


    All the players in the game left messages on the official blog, reflecting on the situation.


    "Has the program gone wrong? Why are there so many Ms occupying the top of the ranking list?"


    "They were real players! I have met two Ms. Their chess skills are indeed very impressive. I lost in just two minutes!"


    "I have met one, too. Who are these people?"


    "It''s horrible! It''s not about the program. I suspect it''s a bunch of masters coming to make trouble!"


    "I think they''re world-class masters! I''ve studied chess for three years and was defeated in five minutes! Unbelievable! Are the players with international rankings?"


    "Why do I feel that all the chess masters from all over the world are playing? Ha-ha¡­ Of course, it''s impossible. This competition is only at the amateur level."


    "Are Ms going to rule the world? Are they aliens?"

 Chapter 37 - 37: The Lawyer

    Albert quickly learned about the situation. He immediately looked at what was going on, looking at the records of the games. Each game was made a record of and stored in a hard drive. Each step of each game was there. Albert''s chess skills were not as good as those international players, but it was not too bad. He knew what he was looking at.


    He found that each of the M players was good, all playing at an international competition level. But¡­ why would international players come to participate in such a small tournament?


    He immediately sent someone to check the IP addresses. The results came back quickly.


    Those players with M in their username "M" were all from foreign countries.


    Albert couldn''t figure out what had happened and why this amateur online chess game had suddenly attracted so many foreign experts'' attention.


    He suddenly thought of a reason.


    That secret player named" Knowing A Person".


    He found KAP''s chess game out to watch and was stunned.


    What kind of duel was that? The strength of both sides was extraordinary. It was totally unthinkable. Who were these players?!


    There was a smile on his lips. No matter who those Ms were, this "Knowing A Person" really made him¡­ I feel excited!


    Sophia rode to Kevin''s and asked him to call the lawyer to make an appointment. They would meet in a coffee shop near Kevin''s house.


    Not long after, Williams'' car stopped in front of the coffee shop. He walked in and approached Kevin without hesitation.


    Kevin stood up, "You are¡­"


    "Hi. I''m Jacob Williams from Cinda Law Firm. I read your profile. You''re Kevin Green, aren''t you?" Williams sat down and took out a piece of paper from his briefcase, "This is the will that your sister, Miss Green, had notarized during her lifetime. She said that after her death, if no one tried to take your property away from you, there would be no need to trouble you with this. But I''ve heard that someone named Linda Barber has brought a lawsuit against you. The court is in the process of hearing it. So, according to my previous agreement with Miss Green, I will be responsible for the whole thing."


    Kevin was stunned, "Wi¡­ will? She¡­ Why did she make a will? What was she worried about? Was she so unhappy when she was alive that she¡­"


    Jacob Williams hurriedly waved his hands, "You''re overthinking it. Almost everyone who has something to pass on will make a will. We do this for a lot of people. It''s just a very sensible thing to do, just in case. It doesn''t mean anything else. You can take it as a sort of insurance. In fact, many of the people who come to us have very happy families and successful careers, and that''s what they want to safeguard. But there is no guarantee against accidents, right?"


    Kevin felt a little more at ease. He took the will and saw the familiar handwriting. His eyes began to itch.


    In the will, Sophia made it clear that all her estate was to be left to Kevin Green without any other heirs.


    The legacy she mentioned was also specified, including the house that Linda Barber lived in.


    The house Linda lived in was bought at the expense of Sophia''s parents. Later, Linda took it after the death of Sophia''s father. Sophia had filed a lawsuit. The court ruled that half of the house belonged to Sophia and Kevin. But Linda did not follow the verdict. Sophia got enough money at the time to support her and her brother, so she hadn''t made a fuss about it.


    But her indifference did not mean she had forgotten about it.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll get all the property mentioned in the will for you. You won''t lose a penny." Williams was very confident, "Also, Miss Green said, if your stepmother came to make trouble after her death, I could help you file a lawsuit and pursue her for abandonment. She could face up to five years in prison."


    Kevin was confused, "Abandonment?"


    "Yes, the crime of abandonment. When you and your sister were both minors, Linda Barber, a stepmother, had the obligation to raise you. But she forced you out of the house, which constituted a crime of abandonment."


    For a moment, Kevin was finding it hard to keep up. He hadn''t realized his sister had planned so much.


    Williams continued, "If you have no objections, I will file a suit for you in court now. You''re a minor now, so Barber is still your legal guardian. But as she will also be the defendant now, you''ll need to appoint another guardian. Of course, I will help you do all these things."


    Kevin thought for a while and finally nodded, "I agree!"


    Williams added, "And if there''s anything in the future, call me anytime. If Linda Barber threatens you again, I''ll take care of it for you. If she dares to touch you, I will sue her, and she will really feel it!"


    ***


    It was Kevin''s first contact with a lawyer. It felt really good and pretty cool¡­


    Williams gave Kevin a business card and told him to contact him whenever he needed help. Then he left.


    Kevin was silent on the way home.


    He knew his sister was good to him, but he had not thought that she had thought so much about him and his future. Even dead, she was still trying to protect him.


    His eyes were wet. He bit his lip and clenched his fists to keep his tears from falling.


    Sophia noticed that Kevin was crying and thought he was sad about what might happen. She reached for Kevin''s hand and whispered, "Don''t worry. I''m here!"


    Kevin paused for a moment. Through his hazy tearful eyes, he seemed to see his sister standing beside him.


    Every time there was trouble, his sister would do exactly that, hold him by the hand and tell him, "Don''t worry. I''m here!"


    A sudden impulse arose in his heart. He turned and hugged Sophia.


    Sophia didn''t push him away. She patted him on the back and whispered in his ear. "It''s all right¡­"


    "Sister¡­ sister...." Kevin kept repeating the word.

 Chapter 38 - 38: The Traitor

    It was a long time before Kevin got a hold of himself and let go of her hand.


    "Sister, I¡­ will go home!" Kevin said, turning to the neighborhood.


    Normally, he would say thank you at this moment to thank her for being with him and comforting him.


    But he didn''t want to say it. And he didn''t want to say it to her in the future.


    Just like with his sister, no matter how much you do for each other, you never need to say "thank you."


    When Sophia got home, it was seven o''clock in the evening. Kate had prepared dinner and was waiting for her. After dinner, Sophia turned on her computer, and the second stage of the contest had already begun.


    When Sophia opened the ranking list, she was just as confused as the other competitors across the country.


    What did those rows of neat M plus numbers mean? From number one to thirty-nine, they were all Ms.


    Among them, it also included "M378" who had played chess with her.


    Has the server been hacked by hackers?


    She opened the official blog and saw that people were also talking about the tournament. They all said that the Ms were very strong. It was like a team of chess masters had come to join the tournament.


    But it was just a three thousand dollar prize. Could it really attract so many chess masters?


    Sophia couldn''t help wondering whether these chess players were... poor?


    Sophia quickly got into her next game.


    There were five hundred contestants in the second round of the competition. According to the ranking scores, four hundred contestants would be eliminated, and only one hundred left to enter the third stage. The match was getting quite brutal. Basically, losing a game or two meant it was all over for you.


    Sophia had seen the comments and was a bit afraid of these Ms. The M she had met strongly, and now there were even more of these Ms. It was nerve-racking.


    When Sophia got to the third game, she met another M.


    It turned out that her opponent''s chess skills were very high. But Sophia tried her best and managed to win this game in forty minutes.


    She took a rest for a while, drank some water, and continued to play.


    At the beginning of the second stage, no one had any points. Three hours after the start of the round, those Ms had quickly sprung to the top of the list again, neat and eye-catching.


    Sophia had encountered three Ms in this round. Each of them was skilled, and it took more than half an hour to finish the game. As for the other players, Sophia could defeat them in five minutes.


    By the end of the second round, "Knowing A Person" had jammed itself into the top part of the scoreboard, squeezed into tenth place. It stood out in a row of Ms and destroyed the neat formation.


    Naturally, the current ranking did not represent the final result. These points represented only the number of wins. Some lazy people, like Sophia, stopped playing when they saw that their points were good enough to enter the next ground.


    The other players who had lost confidence in the tournament began to make jokey remarks on the forum.


    "Call the manager, get that "Knowing A Person" down, keep the formation neat! Hey! People with obsessive-compulsive disorder can''t stand it anymore!"


    "I suspect that KAP is a traitor to the M Army! M Army is the alien who conspired to capture the earth! Come on, Miss KAP. The earth is under your guard."


    "Eh? Am I here for the game or for the show? I''m out now, but I''m still so excited."


    She opened her blog and saw a notification in the upper right corner that there were more than five hundred people following her and more than one thousand messages. The game was directly linked to her blog account, so everyone could see each other''s blog name. This nickname couldn''t be changed during the contest. Otherwise, they would lose their right to continue in the tournament. There were so many people writing to her: teasing her and inviting her to play chess, including some of the Ms.


    She didn''t want to play more chess! After two rounds, she had played dozens of games. She did not want to continue playing anymore for fun!


    Unbeknownst to Sophia, the words'' chess match'' started trending.


    Usually, not many people care about chess. Such a small match would only be noticed by some chess enthusiasts. But it had become a hot topic because people were talking of ''Knowing a Person" was a takedown of the M Army.


    Many internet users who didn''t know anything about chess had joined the discussion.


    "It feels like a group of students in a group fighting, and the teacher has come to instruct them."


    "M378 must be the top student in the class. They never fail, and they''ve even tied with the teacher!"


    "Have you noticed that the sponsor is ''Flying Network''? Does it seem to be owned by Pearsons? Why is the prize money so low then?"


    "It is Pearsons! Oh, it''s such a small amount. Wow, what are you thinking about?"


    Then there were many comments about Albert Pearson. Though this Albert Pearson never made public appearances and no one knew what he looked like, people were intrigued. He was the richest and youngest head of a company. It didn''t matter what he looked like.


    Mr. Pearson could just be whatever he liked.


    The next day was Monday. Sophia had to go to school.


    Yesterday''s match restored her confidence in winning the Excellence Award. So she was in a particularly good mood.


    In the first class of the day, Ms. Acheson presented a new student to the class. He introduced himself as Louie Delgado.


    The arrival of Louie Delgado had an immediate effect on the girls, for no other reason, then Louie Delgado was very, very handsome.


    After class, many of the more confident girls approached Louie and chattered away to him. Louie seemed a little intimidated.. He lowered his head and didn''t utter a word.

 Chapter 39 - 39: Say My Name

    "Is he really that good-looking??" Sophia asked Carol.


    Were her aesthetics out of date? She couldn''t see what the fuss was about.


    Louie had fair skin, a thin, wiry physique, big eyes, and a delicate, almost feminine bone structure. With a wig and some makeup, he would make a beautiful woman.


    Sophia preferred men who looked manlier, more like Albert Pearson.


    She caught herself, and she shook her head fiercely. How could she think of him like that? He was just her assistant, and she had been five years older than him, he was basically like a little brother.


    Carol was looking down at her book. Hearing Sophia''s question, she replied, "I don''t think so."


    However, Melissa had already rushed over to him. She looked excited and was chattering with the other girls who circled him.


    During class, many of the girls were very distracted, and they kept looking over at Louie. Ms. Acheson frowned when she noticed what was going on.


    "Louie Delgado, switch with¡­ Carol Carter, sit at the back for the time being."


    Carol was unhappy. She really wanted to share the table with Sophia. But, she had to separate from her. She had no choice but to pack her things and sit in the third row where Louie had been.


    Louie packed his things up and moved next to Sophia.


    "Hello, I''m Louie."


    "I''m Sophia."


    Ms. Acheson had done this with good reason. With Louie sitting in the back row, the students at the front had to turn back if they wanted to look at him, which was a much harder thing to achieve unnoticed.


    Sharing the table with Sophia also ensured that the girls would not harass Louie during recess.


    And sure enough, it worked.


    After the second class, only Melissa could have continued trying to get to know Louie, but even she just went back to do her homework after Sophia asked her if she''d finished it. The other girls in the class wanted to come up, but they didn''t dare to disturb Sophia¡­ between Louie''s beauty and life, they chose life.


    Louie wondered why no one harassed him now, and he had changed seat. It didn''t take long for him to hear of his next-door neighbor''s reputation, and he was a little in awe of her.


    He did not say another word for the rest of the day.


    Sophia didn''t start any conversations with him either. She had her homework to do. Although none of it was difficult for her, she still had to get it done . She couldn''t be a bad student who did not hand in her homework; it would set a bad example for other students. The Sister Alliance, in particular, needed her as an example to study hard.


    After school, she set off for home immediately. None of her friends lived in the same direction as her anyway, and this evening marked the beginning of the third stage of the chess tournament. She had to get home in time.


    It was getting dark.


    There was an alley that turned off from the street, which was a slightly quicker route home. Sophia rode her bike into the alley and decided to take the shortcut.


    The alley was very quiet, the streetlights were dim, and the light was not good enough to see the way. Sophia usually didn''t go this way after dark. But she was in a hurry.


    As she entered the alley, she saw several girls gathered around. The girls all wore Colin High School uniforms, but they had been refitted so the skirts were shorter and the tops were tighter.


    The other Sophia Green used to wear her school uniform like that. Generally speaking, the girls who did that were mostly bad girls. They often bullied other students after school and blackmailed them for pocket money.


    Sophia frowned. She thought that she had been the only really bad girl in school, and since she was now reformed, she thought the problem had been solved. She didn''t expect that others would continue behaving badly. It looked like they were mugging a classmate.


    She thought that as the boss of Colin High School, she couldn''t just stand by.


    She cycled up and stopped beside the girls. She was shocked at what she saw.


    "Come and play with us, handsome boy! I promise you, and it''ll be fun."


    "Let go of me!" A boy''s voice rang out.


    "Come on. It''ll be exciting!"


    "Ha-ha. Scream if you want to. No one will come to save you!"


    The girls had surrounded Louie Delgado.


    Louie''s uniform was looking messy and disordered. He was struggling to resist the girls'' "wandering hands," and he looked scared.


    Sophia was surprised.


    How could she handle this?


    She gave a cough.


    A few of the girls turned around and saw Sophia. They stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.


    The leader came up, "Boss. We''re not messing with you so¡­"


    Sophia raised her chin slightly and pointed to Louie, "He''s my deskmate!"


    The other girl looked unhappy at this interference, and she clenched her fist tightly, threateningly. But soon, she realized that the strength difference between them was too great. She unclenched her fist.


    "Let''s go, girls!"


    The other girls followed the lead girl and walked away. Several of them turned round to look back at Louie from time to time.


    Louie looked like he was about to cry. He was clearly overwhelmed.


    Sophia Green didn''t even know how to comfort him. He had been harassed by a group of girls, and then she had rushed out to save him.


    The plot was familiar, but the details were off.


    The story usually goes about a tall and handsome man who comes to save a beautiful girl. What was going on with this situation? Does beauty save the hero?


    Well, she was not a beauty, and Louie Delgado... couldn''t really be called a hero. That story had been getting old anyway.


    "Do you want me to take you home?" Sophia asked, finding it even more awkward.


    Louie shook his head and bit his lip. "No, my home is not far¡­ I can go back by myself... Thank you¡­"


    "You''re welcome. Well, I''m going now." Sophia got on her bike. Suddenly, she turned back, "If any other girls try to harass you, just¡­ say my name!"


    She said no more. The more she talked, the weirder she felt.


    Then she got on her bike and carried on down the alley without looking back.

 Chapter 40 - 40: I Will Try To Learn Later

    Back home, Sophia immediately turned on the computer. The third stage was already underway. She wanted to get enough points to get into the next stage, so she had to win enough games before the end of this round.


    There were one hundred contestants left, soon half would be eliminated, and the final fifty would enter the fourth round of the competition.


    The addition of the M Army had turned the heat up on the competition much earlier than planned.


    Two members of the M Army didn''t show up, so thirty-seven M Army members participated in the competition. That was to say, if they all got through, there would only be thirteen spots left for other players.


    Other players barely had a chance!


    A lot of people logged on to watch the tournament this round, especially to see Sophia''s matches. There were thousands of people watching each game. Sophia didn''t pay attention to her blog, so she didn''t know where those people came from.


    She didn''t care about those things. It was a contest; all she needed to do was play chess. No chat was allowed in the competition window, which allowed her to focus on playing without interruption. She met several members of the M Army, and each was difficult. She had started late. In order to get enough points to make it to the fourth round, she had to keep playing until midnight when the time window for that round came to an end.


    "Checkmate! Okay! KAP wins again! This is her fifth match. She now has enough points to enter the next round! Unfortunately, this time, KAP did not meet M378. The previous match between these two players was very exciting and it ended with a draw. No winner, no loser. I really want to see them play again."


    In the chat room online, someone explained what was happening.


    Lots of messages appeared on the screen.


    "That''s it? I don''t get it, but it seems awesome!"


    "I fell in love with KAP. It feels like a person facing up to thousands of troops. It''s so exciting!"


    "It makes me want to learn chess. I will try to learn later."


    "So good¡­"


    "Love, KAP!"


    "If KAP wins the final, I''ll send ten yachts to the host!"


    Sophia went to bed after playing chess. She had to get up early for school the next day. She did not check her blog regularly. She only ever logged in the blog to enter the game. She didn''t notice that her fans had exceeded six figures in two days.


    The next day, when Sophia came to school, she found a bar of chocolate on her table. She turned her head and looked at Mariah, "Did you put this here?" None of the other Sister Alliance girls were there.


    Mariah shook her head, "No., it wasn''t me."


    She was confused. Suddenly, she thought of another possibility.


    "Can it be¡­" She looked at Louie.


    Louie lowered his head and dared not look at her. "Yes..." He whispered, "It was me. Thank you for yesterday! "


    "You''re welcome," Sophia said dully.


    Why did it feel like things were getting weird?


    The first class was math, and the teacher assigned homework at the end of the class.


    After class, the students began to do their homework. The students of class seventeen were very good at getting their math homework done.


    Time was tight. They had to finish their work at recess and hand it over to the group leader. Otherwise, after the second class, the math class rep would "kindly" come to them to ask for their homework.


    Sophia was doing it, too. Math was easy for her, and so she finished it in five minutes.


    Louie came up to her. He blushed slightly, "I don''t know how to do this math problem. Can you¡­ tell me how to do it?"


    Like a math class representative, Sophia felt that it was one of her jobs to help students solve their problems.


    "Which one?"


    "The second one!"


    Sophia explained the method of solving this problem to him. He was a little embarrassed, "I¡­, I still don''t get it."


    Sophia had no choice but to explain it in detail to him. Then Louie understood it. He thanked her and continued to do his homework.


    After school at noon, the students either went home or went to the canteen to get lunch. Only Sophia did not move in either direction.


    Her mother was busy with her new job, so she had to eat at the canteen. But Colin High School''s canteen was badly designed: there were not enough windows offering food for the number of students who ate there. A large queue quickly formed, which was very tedious.


    So Sophia didn''t go to the canteen immediately. She wanted to wait until the rush had died down; it would save her some waiting time.


    She stayed in her seat and took out a magazine to read. It was the latest science and technology issue, which she had borrowed from the library, the kind she used to read in her previous life.


    While she was reading, Kevin came and sat next to her, looking at her as if he had something to say.


    Sophia asked, without raising her head, "What''s the matter? Has someone bullied you again?"


    "No. I... I heard people say," Kevin hesitated for a moment," you have taken someone else as your brother too?"


    Sophia looked up and knew that he was talking about Louie. She smiled and said, "No, I just saw someone bullying him and helped stop it. After all, he is in our class. Why do you ask?"


    Kevin looked relieved and smiled, "Nothing. Sister, I''m going to the canteen for dinner. Aren''t you coming?"


    "You go first. I hate queuing. I''ll go when there are fewer people."


    "But if you go late, none of the good food will be left! How about I queue up to buy lunch for you? You just sit here and wait for me, okay?"


    Sophia smiled, "That''s all right.. I''m not picky. You go first!"

 Chapter 41 - 41: I Made Them For You

    She knew that Kevin was picky and only liked to eat a particular food, and he had become a good cook because of that. If it were a choice between bad food and no food at all, he would choose the latter.


    Sophia waited a little longer before heading to lunch. By this time, most of the first group of students had finished eating, and there were only a few people in line before the meal windows. Casually, she got some food and then, having finished, headed back to the classroom.


    Lunch break was nice and long, and so Sophia continued to read when she got back.


    A moment later, Louie came in. He sat in his seat and handed Sophia a plastic box.


    Sophia was surprised. She didn''t take it immediately but asked him, "What''s this?"


    "It''s¡­ I baked a few cupcakes myself." Louie said, with a hint of red in his cheeks, "Here you go."


    "No, no. Keep it for yourself."


    "But I¡­ made them for you¡­" Louie reached out and placed the box on her desk before she refused again, "They really are delicious. If you¡­ like them, I''ll bring more for you."


    The cake had been put on her table. Sophia felt she could not refuse again, so she nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."


    Speaking of baking, Kevin was good at it too. When she lived with Kevin, he used to bake all kinds of snacks for her.


    After the evening classes, Louie packed up his things and began walking outside. Halfway to the door, he turned around to remind Sophia, "Be sure to eat it today, it won''t taste as good tomorrow."


    The girls in the class who had not gone home yet turned to look at Sophia, their eyes full of surprise.


    The girls nearest Sophia didn''t dare say anything. But several students who were far away from her began to whisper.


    "When did they get so close?"


    "Haven''t you heard? Last night, several girls from another class tried to take advantage of Delgado, but Sophia handled it for him. People are saying that Sophia wants to take Louie as a brother!"


    "The two best looking boys in the class become her brothers¡­ does she just want to take brothers now?"


    "Forget it. If she wants to do something, she''ll do it. No one''s going to fight her, right?"


    "Right! A boyfriend can''t be more important than life¡­"


    Sophia took her box of cakes from her desk and intended to take it home.


    "What''s this?" Mariah approached curiously.


    "Cakes¡­ Louie Delgado made them." Sophia raised her hand, "Do you want to have a taste?"


    Before Mariah could answer, Melissa jumped up and said, "I want to try!"


    "Then come with me! No eating in class!"


    Sophia picked up her bag and went to the shed. Melissa followed behind her hurriedly. Mariah and Carol also came out. They all lived at home and would be going home soon.


    Sophia unpacked the box with four exquisite cupcakes. Four cakes and four people, she gave them one each and kept one for herself.


    Louie was a good cook. The cake was soft and delicious.


    After eating the cake, she threw the paper box into the dustbin and rode home.


    It was the fourth round of the chess competition, and the opponents were very strong. She should have got back earlier. She was at risk of not accumulating enough points.


    Only thirteen people would advance to the final after this round. Then it was sorted into the top three, and the rest got the Excellence Award.


    In other words, as long as she could survive this round, she would get an Excellence Award! If she was lucky, she might get a higher reward.


    She could almost see the money beckoning to her.


    As soon as she got home, she rushed into the room and turned on the computer.


    The competition had been going on for half an hour. She had been delayed for some time because of school. When she logged in to the game interface, the game chart looked very odd.


    The only contestants left were part of the ''M'' Army. The icons of the other contestants were all marked off, indicating that they had been eliminated.


    Although the tournament advanced contestants according to their points, contestants could not play endless games. Losing a game didn''t eliminate the contestant, but it would make the contestant lose one point. Once a score was below minus three, the contestant was eliminated immediately.


    The members of the ''M'' Army were fighting with each other. It was quite fierce. Only thirteen contestants could be left after this round, and there were over thirty Ms, so some would definitely be eliminated.


    Several chess tables had displayed the word "Thirty Minutes", meaning that many players were in a tough battle, and hadn''t finished a game in half an hour.


    Sophia clicked "Start" and began to play.


    Once she appeared, the audience on the webcast immediately boomed.


    "I thought she wasn''t coming."


    "Finally, someone comes to kick your ass, Ms. Ha-ha!"


    "Is this ''M276'' going to lose? After watching a few games, I''m beginning to get the hang of the rules!"


    "KAP is great! Kick their ass!"


    "I''ll send you a yacht. I''ll keep watching!"


    "I feel like I''m watching the World Chess Championships! It''s so intense. I didn''t feel it in the first few rounds, but now¡­ They are all masters! What the hell is going on here? It seems that KAP''s chess skills are even more terrifying than I thought!" The host of the webcast chimed in.


    The audience was getting even more excited.


    "Picture a peerless master coming out of a deep mountain and easily defeating a bunch of masters!"


    "It''s so exciting!"


    "I don''t know chess. I can''t tell the strength of these people. Is the host, right?"


    "I''m a chess teacher. This level¡­ It really is like an international competition. No exaggeration. That ''M378'' seems like Mitch Watson¡­"


    "Oh my god! Mitch Watson? The world champion? Are you kidding? Why would he take part in a domestic network competition?"


    The host added, "You''ve reminded me, I think you''re right. This M378 is a bit like Mitch''s chess style: quick, ruthless, and surprising. But¡­ why would he take part in this game?"


    Sophia had never played a live webcast. Naturally, she didn''t know the number of people watching her each game.


    Her mind was all on chess.. Each of her opponents was a master, and she did not dare to relax.

 Chapter 42 - 42: What Was He Thinking?

    Playing chess with these people, for her, was also a master class for her chess skills. As she watched her opponents'' moves, she learned. In the next few sets, she felt that her chess skills were getting better and better.


    She was glad that she had not met that "M378". That player was adamant. If she met him in this round, with the time limit, she doubted she would be able to get even one point. This kind of competition wasn''t just about ability; it was the luck of the draw.


    There were many players matched with opponents of their level. They couldn''t finish a game in the set time, so they got no points, and would be eliminated in the end. After all, it was just a small game. The system hadn''t been perfected.


    The game ended at midnight. Sophia came a little late but still got enough points. She had class tomorrow, so she got off the line and went to bed.


    Once again, the chat room fired up.


    "Am I imagining it, or Is KAP playing faster?"


    "Waiting for KAP to destroy the M Army!"


    "Looking forward to the big game this weekend!"


    There was only one post on Sophia''s blog: a chess game promotion message which had automatically been created when she clicked "Share" at the time of registration. She had never checked her blog comments, so she had no idea that there were over ten thousand comments below that solitary post.


    The next day, Sophia went to school as usual. During the second recess, she went to deliver her homework. When she came back, Kevin came over and handed her a paper bag.


    "Sister, I made some fruit pie. Try it!"


    Sophia stumbled. She didn''t expect Kevin to make her food. That being said, she did miss his cooking. After the cupcakes sent by Kevin, it seemed quite normal, and she took the bag.


    Kevin smiled with satisfaction and said, "Sister, I don''t know what flavor you like. There is strawberry pie, apple pie, lemon pie, and banana pie. Which one do you like? I will make more for you next time."


    Sophia put the bag away and said casually, "I like lemon pie."


    "I''ll make more lemon pie next time." Kevin said immediately.


    As he spoke, something suddenly occurred to him.


    His own sister¡­ preferred lemon pie, too. Every time he had made a fruit pie, he always made more lemon pie to suit his sister''s taste.


    Ever since seeing the lawyer with Sophia, Kevin had had a strange feeling that the present Sophia Green had some kind of connection with his sister.


    He knew it was impossible, but he could not get rid of this feeling. Seeing Sophia Green, he always had this feeling that his elder sister had come back.


    Louie came back at this moment. When he walked to his seat and sat down, Kevin gave him a look. He raised his eyebrows slightly as if he were trying to provoke him.


    Louie was baffled and wondered how he offended a student who had never spoken to him. He lowered his head to avoid looking at Kevin and got the books for the next lesson from his desk.


    Kevin raised his voice and said, "Sister, if there''s anything you want to eat in the future, just tell me. I''m good at cooking. The food I make is more delicious than any you can buy!"


    Sophia was confused.


    The atmosphere seemed¡­ weird! Was Kevin competing with Louie?


    Kevin''s fruit pie was really delicious. He had made a lot. After school, Sophia shared them with girls of the Sister Alliance.


    Fruit pie was difficult to make. Sophia didn''t want Kevin to spend much time on it. After all, he was in 11th grade, and studying was the most important thing for him. So, she told him not to do it again.


    Kevin frowned slightly, "Do you prefer cake?"


    Sophia was confused, "It''s fine. Why?"


    Kevin smiled. "Nothing, I see."


    Sophia was even more confused.


    What did he know? Why was this kid so strange?


    After class, Sophia rode home as usual. As soon as she left the school gate, she saw someone waving at her.


    She knew this man. When Albert Pearson had got drunk in the karaoke bar, it was his assistant Ryan Sampson who had come to pick him up.


    "Hello, Sophia Green?" Ryan came over with a smile, "I''m Ryan. We met the other night briefly. I have something to discuss with you, okay?"


    As he was a friend of Pearson, she thought he was probably okay.


    "What is it?" She asked.


    Ryan smiled, "Well, let''s grab a coffee, and I''ll tell you in detail!"


    "All right."


    Sophia followed him into a coffee shop, where he ordered two cups of coffee.


    Ryan then explained what he had come for.


    His purpose, however, sounded like a sarcastic joke.


    "My boss, Albert Pearson, heard you sing when he was drunk last time we met. Afterward, he asked me to inquire about your identity. He wants you to sing to him¡­ Of course, we will pay you!"


    Sophia was lost for words.


    Pearson wanted to pay her to sing¡­


    What was he thinking?


    "Are you making fun of me? This is cruel!" Sophia stood up, intending to leave.


    Gosling hurriedly stood up, "No. Mr. Pearson was sincere. I haven''t heard you sing. But Mr. Pearson said that though he was drunk that day, he still remembered your song. He said it was the most beautiful song he had ever heard... Please, he''ll be really annoyed with me if you don''t say yes. You can ask for whatever you want. How about one thousand dollars for a song?"


    He had never heard Sophia sing, but since Pearson was willing to make so much effort to invite her to sing, her song must have been¡­ truly amazing.


    Sophia was startled by the money he offered, "Are you kidding me?"


    One thousand dollars for a song? With that kind of money, he could invite a top singer to perform. But he invited her, someone with no musical talent at all; what normal person would do that?

 Chapter 43 - 43: Only Goddess Could Match You Ms. Green

    But Ryan Sampson didn''t sound like he was kidding. She was just a high school student. He wouldn''t have come over to make fun of her, would he?


    Pearson was not a rich man. He would like to spend so much money to ask her to sing. Was her song that important to him?


    It occurred to her that she had been to KTV with Pearson once before in her former life.


    It was the first time she had ever gone to KTV. Previously, when her friends invited her, she had always refused for fear of giving others trouble. When Pearson invited her that day, she was going to refuse.


    "I''ve booked a lovely little room, and there are no steps. It''s perfect. It took me ages to find it. Please come!"


    "I really want to go singing, but no one wants to go with me!" Pearson said, with a sad look on his face, giving her big cow eyes.


    Not being able to stand his pleas, Sophia had to agree.


    Pearson had driven her to KTV. When they got there, she found that this KTV was designed accessibly: there were no steps, just gentle ramps. It was very convenient for wheelchair users.


    It seemed that this KTV was newly opened. The decoration was still new, and the smell of new paint could still be smelt.


    As she entered, a waiter came running over to help push the wheelchair. She could do it herself, but the waiter insisted on pushing her, adding that it was his pleasure and that the boss would deduct his salary if he didn''t. Since he had said that, Sophia had to agree.


    On the ground floor, there was a door with the words "Goddess Hall" written on it. The waiter pushed Sophia and stopped in front of the room.


    Sophia was confused, "Isn''t it just a little karaoke room?"


    The waiter smiled, "It is! We just named it grandly."


    Pearson stepped forward to open the door, laughing, "Only ''Goddess'' could match you, Ms. Green."


    The room was spacious. All the furnishings were set in horizontal, and there was a lot of space in front of the facilities. Her wheelchair was free to move around the room, and she could use any facility, without any hindrance.


    The waiter pushed Sophia to the stage and left. The chair in front of the stage had been removed, and Sophia''s wheelchair could park there. It was easy for her to operate.


    She didn''t know many songs, and she knew that she was not very good at singing. She was embarrassed and asked Pearson to choose songs for himself.


    "You choose first. I want to hear you sing!" Pearson went to the stage, "Which one do you like?"


    Sophia chose several songs at random. Pearson also picked a few.


    "Sing!" Pearson said, giving the microphone to Sophia.


    Sophia cleared her throat and sang.


    Pearson was shocked and then laughed with his hand over his belly.


    "It''s awful." Albert honestly appraised, "Ms. Green, your voice¡­ is painful!"


    Sophia agreed. She didn''t want to torture Pearson''s ears anymore. So, she just handed the microphone to him, "You sing!"


    Pearson didn''t take it, "You keep singing. Though it''s terrible¡­" He smiled, "I love it!"


    Sophia decided that Pearson must have a peculiar taste in music to invite her to sing. The worse it was, the more he loved it, it seemed. A taste that only belonged to him.


    After all, good singers were easy to find, but it was not easy to find someone who sang so badly, like her.


    She felt bad for him if this was the case.


    "Fine. I''ll sing for him," Sophia said, "but I won''t take any money."


    With her knowledge of Pearson, she thought, though he may be a boss, he was just at the start of his career. This much money for one song was certainly not a small sum for him, and although she was short of money, she couldn''t let him pay so much.


    When Pearson was her assistant, she didn''t help him very much. So this time, she would do him a small favor.


    Ryan was in a quandary, "You don''t want money? What do you want? How about... we offer you a good job in our company when you graduate from college?"


    "No." Sophia shook her head, "I don''t want anything."


    When she graduated from high school, she could figure out a way to work and make money. For her, making money was not a difficult thing.


    This made Ryan feel even more awkward. If Sophia had wanted more money, he could satisfy her. Pearson had plenty of money. As long as he could please the boss, he didn''t care how much money it would cost.


    But she didn''t want money¡­ What should he do?


    "It''s up to me to choose the time!" Sophia continued, "Let''s make it this Friday after school. School finishes a little earlier on Fridays. The location shall be the KTV next to the school, where I met Mr. Pearson last time.


    Ryan hesitated, unable to raise any objections, and agreed, "Well, I''ll tell Mr. Pearson."


    After Sophia left, Ryan called Albert Pearson and explained the situation.


    "Time is not a problem¡­ But does she really want no money?" Albert didn''t believe it, "What does she want?"


    Ryan hesitated and said, "Could it be that she fell in love with you the last time you met? Maybe she wants to have the opportunity to¡­"


    Albert said nothing.


    Ryan continued, "She is pretty cute and nineteen this year. I mean, she is an adult. If you like her, you could definitely take her out. Since she sings so well, you could even make her a singer if you like."


    "I don''t like younger girls." Albert replied faintly.


    After hanging up the phone, Ryan couldn''t help saying to himself, "You might change your mind about that."


    After all, he knew his boss was very attractive to girls. He thought that the reason Sophia refused to take the money must be to make a good impression on Pearson and then pursue him.. He hoped it worked: maybe it would help cheer his boss up and put him in a better mood.

 Chapter 44 - 44: Why Was He Upset?

    Pearson was twenty-four and had never been in love. He was called "The National Bachelor" on the internet. Although not many people knew his identity, it was widely known that the Pearson family had an eligible heir. Many girls expressed their love for him online. If he wanted a beautiful date, it would have been the easiest thing in the world.


    However, Pearson was very stubborn. Ryan used to set him up with beautiful women, but he never liked any of them, which worried Ryan a little.


    There were two options. One, Pearson was gay, so women wouldn''t be for him. Or, two, Pearson had physiological problems!


    If it were the second option, it would not bother him, though he hoped it would be helpful for him. And if it were the first option, he wished he would just tell him so he wouldn''t keep setting him up with the wrong people.


    Anyway, he hoped this might be an opportunity¡ªa chance for his boss to really have a normal relationship.


    When Sophia arrived at school the next morning, Louie put another box on her desk.


    "What''s this?" Sophia looked at the box, "Louie, you really don''t need to bring food to me every day."


    Louie smiled, "I like baking snacks, and I heard your friends loved the cupcakes. So I brought some more."


    Sophia opened the box, and there were fresh, home-made cookies inside.


    Although she had never done it herself, she knew that baking cookies were very time-consuming. Did he think that because she was the boss, he had to treat her specially?


    She thought Louie was doing too much. He could just buy some cookies from the store. He was taking a lot of trouble to do it himself.


    She said to him seriously, "Louie, don''t bring me any more baked goods. All right? Thank you, but it takes too much time to do that every day."


    "Yeah." Louie replied and bowed his head to read.


    At the end of the first class, Kevin ran over. He also brought a box for Sophia.


    "Sister, I baked some cakes! Have a try!"


    What was going on?


    Was it a rule of being a brother to feed the boss every day?


    Kevin''s grades were so good that she did not worry about it holding up his work. With his ability, as long as he performed, as usual, he would definitely get admitted into Glinton University. Sophia, though reborn, was still used to being cooked for by him.


    However, Louie did not do well in his work. He had asked Sophia several math problems, all of which were of only medium difficulty.


    She didn''t want his work to suffer because he was baking her snacks.


    Sophia thought that would be the end of it, but the next day, Louie came and put a snack box on her desk.


    "It''s a red bean cake today!" Louie smiled. He smiled like a sweet child.


    Would there be something different every day?


    She had to talk to Louie and tell him that she was not that kind of boss, he didn''t have to do anything for her. She would still protect him even without the sweet treats.


    After all, protecting Louie was a piece of cake for her. Once she claimed that he was under her protection, no one dared to bully him again. She didn''t need an actual cake.


    Louie bit his lower lip, leaving a flash of white print on his ruddy lip, with an expression of grievance, he said, "Is it because¡­ my baking is not as good as Kevin''s?"


    Sophia Green was confused.


    Why was he upset?


    Sophia didn''t want to hurt Louis'' feelings, so she accepted his red bean cake and said again, "You really don''t need to give me things anymore!"


    Louie smiled and pulled out his textbook to do his homework as if she hadn''t said a thing.


    Kevin had baked little fried fish for Sophia as a snack that day. It was delicious. Sophia had always liked it. She asked Kevin to make more so she could give her mother some to taste.


    "Boss, I think I''ve gained two pounds!" Carol pinched her stomach and looked sad, "ah well, keep recruiting brothers! Ha-ha. I''m not afraid of getting fat!"


    Melissa was infatuated, "Prince Charming''s snack is so delicious!"


    "Who is this crazy girl? I don''t know you!" Sophia said.


    Melissa shook Sophia''s arm back and forth, "Boss, can you help me get close to Louie? I like him so much."


    Sophia shook her off, "No. You''ve got to focus on work. No, distractions!"


    But Melissa was in a hurry, "Boss, I heard that Louie is going to art school. He won''t go to the same university as me! If I don''t seize the opportunity now, we''ll never be together!"


    Sophia gave her a look, "Tell me, what do you like about him?"


    Melissa''s face went gooey, "He is so handsome!"


    Sophia was speechless.


    As soon as Sophia left school on Friday afternoon, she saw Ryan Sampson waiting for her. He had come by car, which was parked on the side. It was nothing special, and students walked past without noticing him.


    "Hi, Miss Green. Mr. Pearson went to make the reservation, and I''ve come to pick you up." Ryan leaned over to the door.


    "You don''t need to pick me up. I can ride there, or I''ll have to come back to school to pick my bike." Sophia said, pointing to her bike, "You go first. I''ll be there in a minute."


    The KTV was very close to school. Sophia got there quickly. When she entered the door, Ryan was already there, waiting for her at the door. He led her to a private room.


    The room was dimly lit, and Pearson was sitting on the sofa in the shadows. Hearing someone come in, he looked up, his dark eyes glistening with dots of light from the screen.


    "It''s you?!" Pearson stood up, and the screen lit up half of his face, "Aren''t you the student from Glinton University who was an admirer of Sophia Green?"


    "You misunderstood me." Sophia smiled, "Not everyone who visits Glinton University is a student of Glinton University."


    Pearson paused for a moment. He didn''t care.. He switched subjects, "I don''t remember much about KTV that day, but I remember your voice.

 Chapter 45 - 45: Let’s Be In Touch

    Thank you for singing to me. If there is anything you''d like, any wishes you''d like granted, I can make that happen."


    "Wishes?" Sophia smiled, "Well, I''ll save that idea for later. I''ll tell you when I think of some."


    Ryan went to the karaoke machine and asked, "Which songs do you want, Miss Green? I''ll order them for you!"


    Sophia named a few songs she "could sing." For her, "could sing" just meant that she knew the lyrics, as for what it would sound like¡­ she couldn''t guarantee that they would like it.


    Ryan ordered a few songs, "Done. What would you like to drink, Miss Green? Mr. Pearson?"


    He already knew what Pearson liked, but it was always good to ask, just in case.


    "Jasmine tea."


    "Jasmine tea."


    They spoke almost in unison.


    They were both surprised.


    Ryan smiled, "Mr. Pearson and Miss Green clearly have a lot in common. I''ll be back shortly."


    But Sophia remembered that Pearson had always liked coffee, not tea. It had been she who liked to drink tea, and her favorite had always been jasmine tea. She liked the fresh and elegant taste. She used to make lots of it in the lab to enjoy slowly.


    Once, she tried to recommend jasmine tea to Pearson. She had poured him a cup and told him to taste it. He had taken a sip and made a face, saying it was tasteless, that he was a coffee man. And she had left it at that.


    "This is for you!" Pearson picked up a box from the table.


    Sophia approached and saw it was a cell phone.


    "I can''t accept that!" Sophia shook her head, "It''s too expensive. I''m just singing you a few songs."


    She didn''t know much about cell phones, but this one was exactly the same as the one Melissa had, and Melissa always had the best of everything.


    Pearson unwrapped the box, picked up the phone with his long fingers, and he placed it in Sophia''s hand.


    "You don''t have a phone. It''s inconvenient for me when I try to contact you. Take it so I won''t waste my time getting hold of you next time." He sat back on the couch. "My time is precious. If you can save me a few minutes, it''s worth a whole lot of money."


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    "I''ll give it back to you when you don''t want me to sing to you anymore."


    "Whatever." came the reply.


    Sophia thought some more, "you can''t call me during class time."


    "That''s fine. I''m also busy during weekdays." Pearson said.


    She turned on the phone and saw that two numbers had been saved in the contacts, one was named "Mr. Pearson" and the other "Ryan Sampson". Ryan''s doing most likely.


    At that moment, Ryan entered the room with the tea and stooped to pour each of them a cup.


    He smiled at Sophia, "Shall we start, Miss Green?"


    Sophia nodded.


    Ryan walked to the karaoke machine and pressed "Start."


    The intro to the first song began to play. Ryan handed the microphone to Sophia, and moved aside, waiting for his moment to disappear. He wanted to give them space and time to maybe find something together¡­they could be something, couldn''t they?


    He was pretty sure Sophia liked Pearson, and her beautiful voice obviously appealed to Pearson, maybe he could be tempted.


    Sophia cleared her throat and began to sing.


    As soon as she opened her mouth, Ryan was in shock.


    Her voice wasn''t beautiful; it was ear-splitting!


    He looked over at Pearson, only to see him leaning back with his eyes closed, apparently enjoying himself.


    Ryan had always thought his boss was a bit strange, but now he realized that he had underestimated just how odd he was.


    Was he a masochist?


    Ryan couldn''t bear it any longer. Quietly, he withdrew from the room.


    He finally realized why Pearson didn''t like the beautiful girls he used to introduce him to.


    So it turned out he liked this kind of girl. Was it some kind of power plaything?


    Sophia finished the song, had a little break, took a sip of tea, and then carried on singing. She sang five songs before she stopped.


    Pearson stood up and said, "Thank you. I meant what I said, if you have any wishes or requests, just ask me."


    He picked up his coat. "I have to go. You can keep having fun here. Order anything you want. I am a bit of a VIP here, so you can sign the bill, and I''ll pick up the tab. If you''re free next Friday, I hope you''ll come again."


    "Let''s be in touch. I''m ready to go now too." Sophia said.


    She stood up and walked out of the room with Pearson.


    Ryan was waiting outside. Seeing them come out, he hurriedly came up, scratching his head in embarrassment, "I, er, had a stomach ache."


    Sophia smiled. She knew that Ryan had been scared away by her voice.


    Ryan and Albert Pearson drove away together.


    Ryan smiled and said, "Mr. Pearson, what do you think of that girl? Isn''t she cute?"


    Instead of answering his question, Pearson instead posed another, "What about her family background, did you find anything about it?"


    "Yeah. Her father died at work a few years ago and they got thousands in compensation. But then Sophia had a car accident a couple of years ago and was in a coma for two years. Her mother was a teacher but quit to take care of her and almost all their money was spent on her treatment. Now her mother teaches in a primary school. In order to make more money, she asked the principal to allow her to teach extra classes. It seems like they have it pretty hard."


    "I don''t like to owe anyone anything. Arrange it so that her mother gets a more cushy, higher-paid job. And don''t let anyone know I did it, clear?" Pearson said.


    Ryan smiled, "I''m already one step ahead of you, boss. I''ve already got a good job lined up for her and was just waiting to get your go-ahead. I''ll sort it all out tomorrow."


    When Sophia got home, she put her new phone on the table. Kate saw it and immediately got nervous, "Is that phone yours?"

 Chapter 46 - 46: I Have A Good News

    Sophia told her how she got it. Kate couldn''t believe her ears.


    "Someone paid you to sing as you do? Really? They''re not trying to trap you, are they? I heard there are traffickers in the area. I don''t think you can go anymore. No, it''s too dangerous!"


    If it hadn''t been Albert Pearson, Sophia would never have gone, but she knew he was a good man and knew there was no risk.


    She smiled, "Don''t worry, it''s near the school. It''s fine. Who would try and kidnap a girl like me?"


    She would like to come across some traffickers. With her strength, it would be bad luck for any would-be kidnappers who tried to take her. She could kick their ass easily!


    Saturday arrived, and she could stay at home all day. Kate didn''t have to go to work, but she got a call in the morning and went out. At noon, she came back with a whole lot of food.


    "Mom, why are you so happy?" Sophia could see Kate was in a particularly good mood.


    "I have good news!" Kate laughed as she took the food into the kitchen, "The school principal is transferring me to a junior high school because of my good work. I am much better at teaching junior high. And the salary is double for less work!"


    "That''s amazing. Congratulations, Mom!" Sophia smiled.


    Although she used to be a professor, she had never actually done much teaching. She was mainly engaged in research, so she didn''t know much about teaching itself. But she did know that her mother stayed up every day to prepare for class and that she was a hard worker. It made total sense she would be promoted for her efforts.


    "And I''ll have time to cook lunch for you. You won''t have to eat in the canteen anymore ¨C you can come home to eat!"


    "Great!" Sophia nodded and smiled. She pondered for a moment and said, "Will you teach me how to cook too? I don''t even know how to use a gas stove yet!"


    She had been helping out before, but just doing dishes and washing up. She had heated leftovers before, but that had just been using a microwave.


    "It''s very easy." Kate smiled, "Here. I''ll teach you right now, and then we can boil some water."


    She pointed to the lighter on the gas range, "Press the switch down and turn it. There!"


    She demonstrated, and Sophia got it right away.


    Kate poured some water into the kettle and put it on the stove, "Have a go!"


    Sophia pressed the igniter as Kate had done.


    A blue flame sprang up in front of her. The heat stunned her.


    The little flame before her seemed to turn into a huge tongue of fire, engulfing her entirely. She felt like she was burning all over. She tried to cry for help only to find that she could not make any sound at all.


    "What''s the matter, Sophia?" Kate shook her arm anxiously. Sophia was trembling all over and she had broken out in a sweat. "Are you all right? You''re scaring me, sweetheart."


    Sophia regained control of herself and took a hasty step back. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, "I''m¡­ I''m fine. I''m gonna¡­wash my face."


    She walked quickly to the bathroom and turned on the faucet in a panic. She stretched out her hand to feel the coolness of the water on her hands. It calmed her, and she gradually came back to normal.


    She hadn''t felt that way when she had seen Kate use the stove for cooking before. But when the flame had come so close to her, and she had felt its burning breath on her face, she couldn''t hold back the sudden fear that had taken hold of her.


    She had thought that the fire had vanished into the recesses of her memory and that she was safe from the fear and helplessness of that time.


    She was wrong.


    Meanwhile, Kate was worried about Sophia and had followed her into the bathroom. Seeing Sophia with her hand under the faucet and staring at the stream of water, she was even more perturbed.


    "Sophia, what''s the matter? Do you need to see a doctor?"


    Sophia looked over at her, reached to turn off the tap, and smiled, "I''m fine. I just saw the faucet and thought of a problem my math teacher once told me in elementary school."


    Kate was relieved. "What''s the problem? Tell me."


    Sophia racked her brains to think of something to distract her attention. "It''s¡­ the question about the water flowing in and out. Water is poured into a pool at a certain rate while water is also being let out of the pool. The question is will the pool ever be filled? I can''t figure out why someone would do such a stupid thing? It''s just a waste of water!"


    Kate smiled, "It''s just a math problem. It doesn''t need so much thought! You should go and rest, and I''ll finish cooking."


    Sophia nodded and went quietly back into the living room.


    That evening, Kevin called to tell Sophia that his lawyer had filed a formal lawsuit to enforce the half-ownership of the house he and his sister had been entitled to and to prosecute Linda Barber for desertion.


    "Williams said that that woman had counter-sued, asking for a division of my sister''s legacy. But he was sure we would win the case."


    "Good." Sophia nodded.


    Williams had been a top student at Glinton University and was well known amongst his peers in the city. Kevin had the will, which was bulletproof evidence. If Williams couldn''t win this legacy case, he wouldn''t be able to call himself a lawyer.


    As for the property left by Sophia''s father, the court had recommended that one party pay half the price to the other and buy the house. But Sophia didn''t have the money at the time. Linda did, but she had refused to pay.. Even when Sophia had finally come into more money, she still didn''t claim her lawful share.

 Chapter 47 - 47: I’m Your Fan

    The current market value of the property was about 200,000 dollars. Kevin could get hold of about 100,000 dollars. He had 300,000 dollars worth of legacy left by Sophia, from which he could take out 100,000 dollars to buy the house from Linda, or he could ask for 100,000 dollars from Linda.


    As for the crime of abandonment, Sophia had only mentioned that on a whim. It would be difficult to prove, considering it had all happened so long ago. She didn''t care if they could win the case, as long as it scared Linda off a bit. Linda was a cowardly bully, and something like that would make her cautious.


    Anyway, she didn''t care if Linda went to jail or not.


    The day of the final chess tournament arrived. Sophia turned on her computer early that morning. It wasn''t time yet. The game had not started.


    She logged on to her blog and found so many letters and messages to her.


    "I''m your fan and want to be your friend!"


    "I want to play chess with you. I really, really want to, please!"


    "Hi, I''m a chess player. May I have the honor of playing chess with you? Your performance in the competition is amazing!"


    "Looking forward to your match with Mitch Watson!"


    ***


    It was only at this moment that Sophia realized how much attention this online chess contest had attracted.


    Was it that chess was very popular nowadays? Weren''t all the boys talking about Grand Theft Auto or something? Was that now out of fashion, and everybody had started to play chess?


    Who was Mitch Watson?


    She turned off the dialogue and didn''t respond to any of the messages. She just wanted to make money. She didn''t want a distraction. She didn''t want to lose.


    She googled "Mitch Watson" and found that he was the world number one chess player. What did this man have to do with her? Why would anyone expect her to be playing a match with Mitch Watson?


    How would she ever beat Mitch Watson? What a joke! She was just an amateur, and she could not be compared to professional chess players!


    She took a quick look at the comments and realized that everyone was guessing that "M378" was this Mitch Watson!


    She decided these people had wild imaginations. Maybe they hadn''t realized the situation? Didn''t they know? "M378" was at the same level as her at chess. How could they possibly be the world number one chess player? If that really were the case, she would be able to compete in international competitions!


    She entered the game interface to wait.


    It wouldn''t be too long until the finals began!


    The list with the names of the thirteen contestants appeared on the screen, ordered by the ranking of the previous round.


    There was a list of Ms on the chart. However, in seventh place, there was an anomaly:


    Knowing A Person.


    This account was like a lonely white lotus, blooming in the middle of the list, standing out in its difference.


    The chat room immediately fired up, full of discussion.


    "Great! My KAP goddess!"


    "Feels like my heroine is surrounded. Haha, it''s so funny! Kick their ass, my queen!"


    "Come on, my goddess! Kill them! Do us all proud!"


    The final applied a knockout system. That was to say, and once a contestant lost one match, it was all over for them. There was no chance to enter the next round.


    There were thirteen contestants, and it wasn''t even. The system automatically paired them up. And the thirteenth contestant would get a free pass to the next round. The surviving contestants continued to compete till they got a clear result.


    Sophia played with "M006". She was in black, and it was her opponent''s turn to start first.


    However, after waiting for a while, "M006" had still not started. As time was counting down for his first move, he began.


    "M006" played very slowly. They knew every step would count. That was fine by Sophia, and she was not in a hurry. After all, it was the final. Her opponent must be very cautious.


    But Sophia played quickly, and when it was her turn, she played in five seconds. The time that her opponent waited was long enough for her to think of several ways to play.


    "M006" was good at chess. It was not an easy match for Sophia. But after nearly an hour, Sophia got the advantage after taking her opponent''s queen.


    At this point, her opponent suddenly quickened up their pace. No longer as before, slowly, and methodically moving each piece.. Sophia began to enjoy herself and went on playing.


    Since "M006" had sped up the speed of their playing, it seemed that the chess skills of M0006 seemed to have improved all of a sudden. Sophia thought for a while and changed her game plan. After a further hour, she finally checkmated her opponent''s king and won.


    Luckily as it was the final, there was no time limit. If it had been in the first few rounds, these two would have been at a deadlock for so long that Sophia sure would have been knocked out due to a lack of points. She always worried about this loophole in the previous rounds. When two good players are playing together, it would certainly use a lot of time. They might even both be eliminated due to a lack of points and not a lack of merit.


    Of course, the rules of the game were fair to everyone. In addition to the competition of the chess skills between players, there was almost always some element of luck.


    If the number two contestant came across the number one contestant in the first inning of the finals, there was no way around it. One would have to eliminate, and one is eliminated.


    When Sophia finished the game with "M006", other players were still playing. Everyone had to wait until the last player had finally finished.. Then, the system would assign opponents for the next round.

 Chapter 48 - 48: It Feels Like A War

    "I''m¡­ I''m losing¡­" Lanie couldn''t believe it. She looked at the computer screen and back to Mitch Watson, who was sitting in front of the computer screen instead of her.


    She had come to Mitch on specifically that day as they were both playing in the final together. The opponent she was assigned to was the well-known "Knowing A Person". She was a bit nervous, carefully considering every step, very cautious. But after an hour, her queen had been taken, and she had lost the advantage.


    Mitch''s game was finished. He glanced at her chess game and said, "You''re losing."


    Lanie sighed, "I know. Could you, would you¡­play for me?"


    Mitch paused and nodded, "Okay, but¡­ I''m not sure I can win."


    He lasted another hour and finally lost the game.


    Lanie reassured him, "It''s not about your skills. It''s my fault. I was already at a disadvantage; it was almost impossible to recover. "


    Mitch stared at the computer screen, lost in thought, and didn''t even hear what she was saying.


    There was a burst of cheers in the chat room.


    "We won! Ha ha ha! My goddess is great!"


    "Just as I expected, I knew KAP would win, but it was a tough game."


    "I''m so happy. I will send her a yacht! If my goddess gives a live broadcast, I''ll send her twenty yachts."


    "She must be a queen!"


    "Call for the goddess to show herself. As soon as she shows up, I''ll send her a thousand yachts."


    "Are you serious, toff? That''s two hundred thousand dollars! What if she actually did a live broadcast, would you really pay up?"


    "What should I be afraid of? It gives you my word. My blog is certified, you know. You will know who I am if you google me!"


    Some of the people did google him, and then they believed him.


    Sophia took a break when Kate began to cook lunch. Sophia didn''t go close to the kitchen because of her fear of fire. Instead, she made a cup of jasmine tea and drank it while waiting for the next round to begin.


    Half an hour later, the last set of players finished their games. The six players who won the game advanced forward, along with the lucky contestant who had no opponent, so a total of seven players qualified. This round was still not even, and there was still one contestant left.


    Sophia looked at the screen. She didn''t want to meet "M378" yet. If she didn''t, maybe she could make it to the top four! And that would mean there was hope for her to enter the very last match! If she got into the top three, she would get so much more money.


    However, she was really not sure she could defeat "M378". If she lost, she would be eliminated and would only get the 150 dollars'' excellence award.


    The schedule for the next set of games was up.


    Sophia looked at the column of her opponent.


    No one!


    The result made Sophia jump in her seat. No opponent meant that she was automatically through to the top four!


    As long as she won another game, she would be able to enter the final! In that case, she could get more than two thousand dollars.


    For her, it was such a lot of money!


    This round would be sure to go on for a while, and it wouldn''t be over for two-three hours. According to the rule, three hours was the maximum time allowed for any match. Sophia stood up, left her computer desk, and went to the living room to watch TV for a while.


    The news was on.


    "The registration of the Arts examination has been announced. The registration time for this year will be on October 22nd. Please be careful not to miss the time of registration on the Internet, examinees."


    Sophia remembered that Louie was going to take the art exam.


    A little later, Kate got lunch ready. Sophia helped bring the food to the table.


    The meal was simple noodles. After lunch, Sophia helped to wash the dishes. She checked the time, and it was already two o''clock in the afternoon. She went back to her room to look at the game. This round was nearing the end, but there was still one more match to go.


    Soon, they finished, and the winners of this round were announced. They were the top four, Sophia included!


    Sophia''s heart beat a bit faster. She was worried that she would run into "M378" in the next game, and if she did, she would have to compete for third place with the losing player of the other pair.


    The prize money between second and third place was double the other!


    The contestants'' names appeared on the screen, and the system randomly matched them. Sophia nervously stared at the screen, nibbling her lips, praying she wouldn''t get "M378"!


    There they were, and Sophia''s opponent was:


    M378!


    She suddenly felt that she was in danger.


    It seemed that getting runner-up would not be so easy.


    Right that second, all over the world, many people were paying close attention to the tournament.


    The chess players who had been eliminated were all watching in front of their computers. They came from different countries, different time zones. Some countries were still steeped in the night. However, nothing could diminish the players'' enthusiasm for watching the game.


    The words kept popping up in the chat group.


    "Mitch finally comes across KAP. I really don''t know who will win!"


    "I thought they were going to meet in the final, and I didn''t expect it so soon."


    "Looking forward to it. It feels like a war!"


    "I wonder who this person is. If she wins today, our chess world is just... well, I don''t want to say! "


    "Hey, does anyone care about my game with Jimmy? We''re still in the game, too! "


    "Don''t you two want to watch the big game? It won''t be any fun for you guys to play!"

 Chapter 49 - 49: Risky Moment

    "Yeah¡­ let''s play next time, Jimmy. Let''s watch the game first. I''m excited! I have absolutely no desire to play."


    "Yeah! You know what, me either."


    Everyone was talking about the upcoming match between KAP and M368.


    "They''re finally meeting! Ah, I''m really looking forward to it. Come on, KAP goddess! Bring it home!"


    "I don''t know why I''m so excited about a chess match. I don''t even know the rules¡­ but I''m just so excited!"


    "Love you, my goddess!"


    "I want to know, am I the only one who wants to see the goddess meet her nemesis?"


    "You are not the only one¡­"


    Something shocking happened before the penultimate round could take place.


    Two of the players went off-line at the same moment.


    They had both surrendered!


    Sophia was a little confused. The two men had worked so hard to reach the semi-finals. What could have happened to them? Why did they throw in the towel?


    The winner would enter the final and would win at least 1500 dollars! Didn''t they want the money?


    The host was shocked, too. They had not prepared for this situation.


    The whole tournament had been full of surprises. The players had been far more skillful than they had ever imagined. And the mystery of the M Army, which seemed to have been composed of international players, had never been solved. Now, in the semi-finals, there was a double withdrawal!


    This situation was awkward. Should the remaining game now be called the final?


    The organizers could not figure out what to do and had to suspend the competition while they took a moment to decide what to do next.


    Someone called Albert Pearson and asked for his advice.


    Pearson said slowly and clearly, "Just change it to the final. Do you want these two to have another game after this one? It''s pointless."


    Immediately, the organizers issued an announcement. The semi-final was canceled because two of the semi-final players had abstained, and so the final would be held directly.


    Sophia was surprised. She didn''t expect to have made the final so easily.


    The game began.


    Sophia was white and moved first.


    M378 quickly followed. His pace was quick and almost equal to Sophia''s.


    She was a little nervous at first, but after the first ten steps, she was fully engaged in the game and had no more energy to think about anything else.


    M378 took a safe way this time. He didn''t attack rashly but sought to save his pieces each move. His defense was almost unassailable.


    Sophia saw dozens of moves in her mind in a flash, but she found that there was no one-size-fits-all solution. There were always ways to crack them. Every step was extremely dangerous.


    The chess players in the chat room were shocked.


    "Isn''t Mitch good at hitting at the start? He''s not daring to attack! "


    "Is he worried, do you think?"


    Sophia had to admit that she was having a hard time playing chess.


    After placing a piece, she had to rethink the layout and consider more possibilities.


    She checked the time of the game. It had been two hours. According to the regulations, the winner had to be decided within three hours.


    Just then, she heard her mother calling her, "Sophia, time for dinner!"


    "I''ll eat later, Mom! Don''t worry about me. You can eat first!"


    Sophia looked back to her computer and found it was her turn.


    She had not had time to conceive the layout of the next step fully, so she took a step forward from her previous idea.


    As soon as she moved, she shouted, "Dame it!"


    Sure enough, after three steps, Mitch took her castle.


    It was a very important piece in the game. Losing a castle may not be the end of the world, but it was not inconsequential.


    Sure enough, within a few moves, she was gradually at a disadvantage.


    She took a deep breath and suddenly made a bold decision.


    And she immediately launched into a fierce attack.


    It was a very risky moment to attack. It had a lot of flaws, but it was also the only way to change the whole situation.


    She would have to bet on her luck!


    The offense ripped a gap in Mitch Watson''s tight defense. But at the same time, he also took her other castle. And one of her pawns also suffered a fierce attack. And the king and queen were attacked at the same time!


    The situation suddenly changed!


    M378 hesitated, but there was nothing else to do. He had to remove his king from danger and abandon the queen.


    Sophia took her chance and made her victory certain.


    With two minutes to go, those magic words appeared on the screen: checkmate.


    Sophia had won!


    The audience in the chat room went crazy.


    "KAP really won! She''s so amazing!"


    "It''s so exciting!"


    "I can''t understand it, I feel shocked. It looked like a battle between two greats, like war!"


    "I''m more nervous than playing Grand Theft Auto!"


    Even the host cried out excitedly, "KAP is so great! Taking that risky move at a critical moment, only she would dare do it! I wouldn''t even dare to think that way! She''s my idol! What a hero!"


    He was referring to a move that KAP played, which at first seemed to put her at a disadvantage. He had worried she had made a mistake, but it had been the turning point that changed everything.


    The people in the chat room were all offering gifts, and the host was so happy that he almost jumped up to dance. He was not a professional at this, just a chess amateur. But a few days ago, he saw the intense online discussion about the chess competition and out of interest, and he opened a specialized chat room for it.


    He hadn''t done it for money. It was just a hobby that he wanted to share with others. He didn''t expect that he''d make so much money.. After several live broadcasts in the chat room, the gifts from the audience had added up to nearly four thousand dollars. He was still in college, and that amount was even more than the scholarship he had been given for the year!

 Chapter 50 - 50: She Had No Idea

    He decided to pay more attention to "Knowing A Person." He thought she might bring about unexpected good things.


    At the end of the game, the group of chess masters was utterly silent. They couldn''t believe their eyes. Mitch had been world champion for several years, and he had seemed almost invincible. How could he lose, like this, to an unknown player?


    It was inexplicable.


    After a period of silence, the chat group suddenly blew up.


    "I can''t believe it! Mitch has met his match!"


    "Who the hell is this person? Why did she enter the competition? Was she here for Mitch?"


    "Is Mitch here? Are you all right?"


    The topic of discussion first revolved around the motivation of this player, "Knowing A Person," to participate in the competition. No one thought she came for the money. That motive was completely ignored. No one even mentioned it. Most people thought she had come to challenge the chess world.


    Her target must have been Mitch. She must have expected him to come to this game.


    They were all certain that soon she would be in the international arena!


    Then, the players turned to the analysis of the movement that changed the whole game.


    "She must have planned everything before and made a mistake deliberately. After Mitch ate one of her castles, then she attacked seriously!"


    "It''s going to go down in the history of chess. I have no idea what kind of talent would come up with such a strange move!"


    "She seems to have known everything. It''s so scary! How many moves could she have planned in advance?"


    "I admire her so much. How could she think of such a strange strategy? I thought she made a mistake. Silly me!"


    "If it wasn''t for that move, they may have been deadlocked at the end of the game. We watched something really special. I feel quite overwhelmed."


    Mitch didn''t log into the chat group. He just stared at his computer screen and sat silently for nearly an hour. His friend Lanie sat by his side without disturbing him.


    "Lanie, book a ticket for me!" Mitch suddenly stood up, "The sooner, the better!"


    Kate did not know that Sophia had become a chess superstar. She was still waiting for her daughter to eat. Seeing Sophia coming out of the room, she smiled kindly, "Come to eat now. It''s getting cold!"


    Sophia washed her hands and sat down at the table. She picked up her knife and fork and said, "Mom, I won a small chess game online, and the prize money is three thousand dollars. I don''t think it will be long before they give me the money. May I borrow your card to give them the details for payment?"


    Kate was surprised, "What game? Could they be scammers? Three thousand dollars? Do you have to pay for anything before they give you the money?"


    Sophia laughed, "No, it''s an official event, a small online competition. The participants are amateur chess lovers. I''ve been playing for more than a week! I was just lucky enough to win."


    Kate nodded, "OK, but remember, if they ask you for any money, even one cent, it means they are liars! I do have a card with no money on it. Use that one just in case you''re being cheated."


    After the meal, Sophia saw she had a message from the official account of the tournament.


    "Congratulations! You are the winner! Please send us your name and details. We will pay the prize money to you within two working days. In addition, one of our sponsors is very interested in your chess skills and would like to play with you. You would be paid. You can name your price."


    Sophia was surprised. Would someone pay to play chess with her?


    She had just made three thousand dollars'' prize money, but it wasn''t so much. She did want to find a way to make money more regularly. She didn''t want to miss this opportunity.


    She replied with her details and added, ''I can play chess with your sponsor, but there are conditions. I can only play chess online, and I don''t want my life to be disturbed so I can only play on weekends."


    She was wary of strangers and didn''t want to play chess at a stranger''s home. She wouldn''t feel safe.


    If that person wanted to play chess face in face, she could always reserve a chess room. It was negotiable as long as the price was right


    Soon, the official blog replied, "Fine. The gentleman has agreed to play online. And the time also suits him. He just wants to play chess with you. Please name your price, and we will discuss it."


    Sophia decided to aim high, and they could always negotiate down. There was nothing to be gained by pricing herself low.


    "One hundred dollars a game!"


    In reality, she would take $50. But this gave her some room to bargain. One hundred dollars was basically the same as the excellence award. She had to play lots of games to get that. There was no way anyone would pay $100 for a game.


    "Deal! The exact time will be sent to you by email. The money will be settled on the day, and it will be sent to your bank account."


    Sophia couldn''t believe it.


    One hundred dollars for a game?


    That "gentleman" must be an idiot with more money than sense. He hadn''t even tried to bargain with her.


    As she was logging out of her blog, she saw that her fans had exceeded 700,000. She had had no idea.


    Chess must still be quite popular, she thought. She was just a small-time online chess champion, and yet she was gaining so much interest. Maybe other players were getting the same thing through all the Ms who had won the excellence award were very hard to distinguish from each other.


    "Yes, I see. Thank you." Ryan hung up the phone and said to Pearson, sitting on the couch, "Mr.. Pearson, the sponsor has communicated with ''Knowing A Person.'' Isn''t $100 too much for a game? Aren''t you going to bargain?"

 Chapter 51 - 51: Complementary Advantages

    Albert looked up at him, "Is it?"


    Ryan nodded again, "Yes! It''s almost the price of playing with a top player."


    Ryan hadn''t watched the tournament. After all, it was just a small project sponsored by the company. As Pearson''s assistant, he was still swamped and didn''t have time for such small fry. The champion of such a small game wasn''t going to be a chess master. How dare she ask for the price of a professional chess player?


    Pearson thought and said, "So you think one hundred dollars is a lot. Well, I give you 200,000 dollars a year, is that also too much?"


    Ryan immediately shook his head," Mr. Pearson, I''m wrong. One hundred dollars is not much! It''s a small price to pay, a very small price!"


    Pearson was still thinking about something. Ryan was worried, afraid that his boss would think that he gave him too much money and would want to cut his salary. He hurriedly changed the subject, "Mr. Pearson. If you like, I can try to invite that chess player to play chess at your home..."


    Before he could finish his words, Albert interrupted him, "No! Never let me see her face! And don''t tell me her name!"


    He didn''t play chess with the player named "Knowing A Person" because of his love for chess. He was looking for that familiar feeling. As long as he didn''t see this person, he could just sit in front of the computer and imagine that the one who played chess with him was the person in his heart


    But if he were to see the face of "Knowing A Person," he was sure that he would be instantly disillusioned.


    After all, that person couldn''t be her. She could never come back.


    "Oh, by the way, there is one other strange thing," Ryan said, "About those M accounts. When the organizer contacted them to give them the bonus, no one responded! They don''t want the money! It''s weird."


    Monday came round again, and Sophia went to school early.


    In the first math class, Ms. Acheson announced that there would be a change of seats in the last class of the afternoon.


    The seats had been freely chosen at the beginning of the school year when everyone had just got back to school. Ms. Acheson had not known the class then, so she had let them sit where they liked.


    After two weeks'' observation, Acheson had been able to figure out each student''s grades and general character and wanted to give them a more suitable seat to help them improve their grades.


    The intention, Ms. Acheson said, was to give students "complementary advantages", that was, if one student was good at math and the other was also good at math, the two students could share the table so that they could help each other. For students with poor grades, Acheson was trying to arrange them to sit next to those with excellent grades for a similar reason.


    Sophia Green was not fussy about her seat. It didn''t matter where she sat.


    But she soon found that many girls'' eyes were on Louie beside her.


    Sophia couldn''t help but shrug and laugh to herself. Her desk mate was really popular!


    In the third class of the afternoon, Ms. Acheson put the seating chart on the screen for everyone to see. She had spent two nights designing it. It was intricately and carefully put together. Nearly everyone was switching.


    But Sophia''s seat hadn''t changed, and neither had Louie''s.


    Some of the students had been worried that they would be sharing a table with Sophia. There was a lot of relief when they saw the chart except, of course, for those who had hoped to sit next to Louie.


    Mariah and Melissa had both been moved to the front. Carol had already been moved to the front, and that was where she remained. The three were not happy with the new seat allocation. They wanted to sit closer to Sophia, but there was nothing they could do about it.


    Dave was sad. He had been sat next to Carol Carter. Ms. Acheson had done this deliberately. Carol''s math was poor, but her English was very good, whereas Dave was bad at English and good at math, and she wanted them to help each other.


    Dave almost wanted to cry.


    Melissa was sat with Kevin. Kevin was good at every subject, and Melissa was the opposite. Kevin would now be able to help her a lot.


    It was the same with Mariah and Molly. But Sophia thought it might be a mistake: both of them had quick tempers. Sophia was worried that they might get into a fight. But this was just her fear, and she would have to wait and see what it would really be like.


    To Sophia''s surprise, Molly and Mariah did not quarrel at all after they spent a day together. The next day after school, Sophia asked Mariah how she felt about her new neighbor.


    "She was kind." Mariah said, "I ask her questions I don''t know, and she is always willing to help me. However, if there''s a question I can do that she can''t, she''s not happy¡­but that''s pretty rare."


    It seemed that Molly was a very proud person and unwilling to concede defeat. Ms. Acheson had a really good eye. The two sat together would satisfy Molly''s vanity and also help Mariah.


    Sophia went to the shed to get her bike to go home for dinner. Just as she was out of the school door, her phone suddenly rang.


    The phone Albert had given her. She kept it in her bag. It was much more convenient to have one, and he had been right.


    "Mom, what''s wrong?"


    "Have you finished school? Could you buy some soy sauce when you walk by the supermarket."


    "Sure."


    There was a store on the way home. Sophia cycled to the supermarket, went in for the bottle of soy sauce, and headed to the register.


    A bearded foreigner in front of her was talking with the cashier in a very British accent. But the cashier couldn''t speak French and was quite worried. Sophia wanted to check out as soon as possible. She had just heard the foreigner''s words and lent forward to tell him in French, "Sir, this is just a small store. They don''t take the euro. You have to exchange money at the bank."


    When she saw the foreigner''s face, she was surprised.


    Was this Mitch Watson?

 Chapter 52 - 52: What A Funny Man

    She had googled the chess rankings and saw Mitch''s photo. With her memory, if she saw someone in a photo, she could recognize that person at once.


    Mitch was happy to meet someone who could communicate with him. He looked happy and said to Sophia, "Miss, can you change my money?"


    Sophia shook her head, "No. I don''t have much money on me. You can just go to a bank nearby to exchange!"


    She glanced at what Mitch had in his hand. It was just a bottle of water. She said to the cashier, "I can pay for it!"


    The cashier relaxed, took the soy sauce in Sophia''s hand, and checked it out with the water in Mitch''s hand. She paid and gave the water to Mitch, "Here you go!"


    Mitch took the water and handed some money to Sophia, "Thanks. This is for you!"


    Sophia didn''t take the money. A bottle of water was not even worth a dollar. But the money in Mitch''s hand was one hundred euros. She didn''t want to take advantage of this foreigner.


    "No, no, really."


    Mitch laughed, and his beard swayed, "You''re so nice, girl. By the way, I want to ask you something. Do you know if there''s a chess master here?"


    Sophia stumbled, "A chess master? Who are you talking about?"


    Mitch sighed, "I don''t know who she is. I just know she''s at Colin High School. I want to find her and play chess with her face to face."


    Sophia didn''t know what to say, "If you don''t know her name, I can''t help you find her. Out of curiosity, who''s worth you coming all the way here? You live far away, right?"


    Mitch was number one in the world, and he would come all the way here to play chess with someone. Sophia couldn''t imagine who this person could be!


    Mitch nodded, "It''s quite far. It takes a dozen hours by plane. I came so impulsively that I didn''t get much information about her. I can''t find her, and I only have a few chess friends here. I haven''t seen them yet, and I don''t want to bother them."


    Sophia thought this foreigner was quite cute in a crazy for chess kind of way. But she could not help him, so she just showed him the way to the bank and told him to go there to change money.


    Mitch thanked her again and walked to the bank.


    As he arrived, he got a call. He didn''t know the number but answered anyway.


    "Mr. Watson, I heard you''ve come over to visit us!"


    On the other end of the phone, a strange voice said in French, "Why didn''t you tell me? I would have given you a warm welcome!"


    "Sorry, you are¡­"


    "I''m Toby Damon. We''ve played chess together before. Lanie called me and told me you are here and asked me to help to take care of you¡­ Where are you now? I''ll come to pick you up."


    "Thank you. I''m in a bank right now." Said Mitch.


    "I see. And what is the specific address?!" Toby responded, a little disbelievingly, he might as well have said he was under the sky.


    When Sophia got home, she handed the soy sauce to Kate and relayed her encounter.


    "What a funny man!" Kate said as she cooked.


    She thought for a while and said, "I remember one of my students who was quite good at chess. He used to sign up for the school chess competition and won the championship!"


    Sophia was interested, "Who?"


    "I think his name was¡­ Albert Pearson. Yeah. That''s the name! It was a long time ago. The boy was very clever and had even skipped a grade, which impressed me very much. I''ve always remembered him."


    Sophia thought of the Pearson she remembered. She asked, "What happened to him?"


    Kate smiled, "I don''t know. I was teaching middle school. All I know is he went to Colin High School after graduation. As for other things, I don''t know."


    "Oh." Sophia said. She didn''t know if it was the same Albert Pearson she knew. Pearson skipped a grade? She didn''t seem to have ever asked about school or heard anything about it.


    She suddenly realized that she knew nothing about Pearson.


    Kate had finished cooking. She picked up a plate and served up. "Oh, I remember taking a picture with him at that time. The picture should still be here somewhere."


    Sophia went out of the kitchen to look for her mother''s photos. She knew where the family album was. Soon, she brought out several thick albums.


    As a teacher, Kate took photos with students every year, and there were lots of them. Kate was a thoughtful person. She organized all her photos by date, which made it all very convenient.


    According to Pearson''s age, the photo should have been taken more than a decade ago. Sophia found the album and soon found the photo.


    Although he had just been a teenager in the photo, Sophia recognized him at once. It was him!


    Albert Pearson had not changed much. He was as handsome then as he was now. It was just that he looked cold. There was no smile on his face in the picture.


    Kate was young and beautiful at that time. Her smile was sweet. A little girl held her hand; she must have been about seven years old. The girl was very cute, and her head was turned up, looking at Pearson, with curiosity in her big eyes.


    Right then, Kate came up. She looked at the photo and said, "As I remember, the photographer came late that day. You were in primary school and finished school early.. I picked you up first and then went back to school for the photos. As a result, the whole class all wanted to take a photo with you! When I took a photo with Pearson, you ran over, held my hand and asked me, ''Why can''t this boy smile?''"

 Chapter 53 - 53: Sophia Was A Little Surprise

    Sophia was surprised that she had a photo with Pearson.


    Kate thought for a while and said, "Actually, it seemed to me that Albert had never smiled. He probably didn''t like smiling¡­"


    Sophia was a little surprised. In her memory, Pearson was an outgoing person with a smile on his face. Sometimes, he even smiled like a psycho. Could that be true that he didn''t like smiling?


    Sophia thought it over some more, and it occurred to her that when she had first met Pearson, he didn''t seem to laugh or smile much at all.


    The next morning, the French teacher, Ms. Pascal, announced in her class that in order to improve the students'' enthusiasm for learning French, they would have a French competition.


    The rules were very simple. Each student would choose a rival of his or her level. The two would compete with each other in the tests and exercises and then compare their grades. After each test, the one with the lower score would give a gift to the one with the higher score.


    Of course, this "gift" would just be something small. It didn''t need to be anything fancy, a little notebook or eraser would do.


    The students were immediately interested.


    Any two students were allowed to pair up. Naturally, people gravitated to those who were of a similar level of French. No one wanted to lose all the time.


    After a bit of discussion, many of the students found their opponents and handed their pairings to Ms. Pascal.


    She looked at it, "It seems that there are two students who have not handed in their pairings. Sophia and Molly?"


    Sophia had to stand up, "Ms. Pascal. No one wants to work with me!"


    She knew the reason: they were all afraid that she would hit them if they beat her.


    Molly also stood up, "Ms. Pascal, my worst French test score was 147, and my best was full marks! No one can beat me, so no one wants to pick me!"


    As she said that, an idea came to her, "Ms. Pascale, let me work with Sophia! There''s only the two of us left anyway."


    She knew her math was not as good as Sophia''s. But at least, she could win in French.


    Ms. Pascal felt a little embarrassed, "It is true that you often get full marks. Sophia, do you agree to have Molly as your opponent? It is potentially a little uneven."


    Sophia shrugged carelessly, "It''s fine."


    Molly looked at Sophia, gave her a smug smile, and sat down.


    She got full marks most of the time. As long as she always aimed for a perfect score, she couldn''t lose anyway!


    Mariah frowned, "Molly, you''re very good at French. You just want to embarrass Boss, don''t you?


    Molly raised her eyebrow, "Who''s trying to embarrass her? She agreed on herself, didn''t she? I never forced her!"


    Mariah was worried about Sophia''s situation. If Molly always beat Sophia, she''d have to keep buying Molly presents after every test. It wasn''t about the expense but about Sophia losing face in front of the class.


    Sophia didn''t care either way: winning or losing didn''t matter much to her.


    After school, she came across Molly in the bike shed. Molly had decided to go and find her, "Sophia, let me help you with your French? I don''t want it to be unfair between us."


    Sophia grabbed her bike, "Don''t bother."


    Molly followed her, wheeling her own bike, "I really don''t mind. I''m actually a very generous person. Are you on your way home now? Remember to buy me a gift when you pass the stationery store. I''m not picky. A biro is fine."


    Sophia ignored Molly. She pushed her bike to the school gate and was about to get on her bike when she saw a familiar person.


    Mitch accosted a passing student and tried to speak to them in French. The student looked dazed and could only say, "Sorry, I don''t understand you!"


    Molly''s eyes lit up. She went up with her bike and tried to talk to Mitch. She thought her French was so good that she could communicate with this French guy. How lucky that now she could show off how good she was in front of Sophia.


    But after hearing Mitch''s speech, Molly was stunned.


    Mitch''s French was spoken in a local accent she could not make head nor tail of. It was very difficult to understand. Molly could follow less than 30 percent of his words, and the rest was like listening to a river. She had no idea what he was talking about, where the words stopped or started.


    She tried to communicate with Mitch, only to find that her spoken language was not fluent at all. The college entrance examination did not include oral French, so she had mainly focused on the studies of listening and writing and had never practiced spoken French.


    Mitch couldn''t talk with Molly. Suddenly, he caught sight of Sophia who was not far away. Happily, he came up to her, "Hello, how nice to see you again! I''m trying to find a chess master at your school. Do you know this person could be?"


    Sophia was confused, "I don''t know. Are you sure there is a chess master at my school?"


    Molly drew closer and looked at Sophia with some disbelief, "You¡­ you understand him?"


    Sophia turned to her, "He asked if there was a chess master in our school. I never heard of one¡­ Do you know?"


    Molly broke into a triumphant smile, "Speaking of chess masters, you''re looking at the right person! There is a chess group in our school. And I am the group leader and foremost chess player at this school."


    Sophia was surprised and translated the words to Mitch immediately.


    Molly was a bit uncomfortable when she heard Sophia speak French as fluently as she did English. She always thought Sophia''s French was poor, and now it didn''t seem like that at all. She suddenly lost her confidence in the French competition.


    Mitch Watson was very surprised, he immediately said, "That''s who I''m looking for! That''s the person I want to play chess with."

 Chapter 54 - 54: I Don’t Know You Were So Good

    He had managed to find Toby yesterday and was hoping that Toby could help him find the master who played chess online.


    Toby seemed quite proud, "I''ve already looked, and we have the target! The person we''re after, the chess player, is almost certainly a student at Colin High School!"


    He gave Mitch a look, which seemed to say, "Aren''t I a regular SherlockHolmes!"


    Mitch stood up immediately, "Great, yes. I''m going to Colin HighSchool right now!"


    ***


    Didn''t this guy want to find out how he knew?


    Toby grabbed Mitch and explained to him, "Firstly, KAP always played chess at a fixed time at about eight o''clock in the evening. Except for a weekend when she played whenever. That is to say, during the workday, she is only free after eight o''clock in the evening. What kind of people has a schedule like that? I did a survey. Only Colin High School students finish school at seven-thirty! So, she''s probably a student of Colin High School."


    Mitch was doubtful, "What about all the people who work? Wouldn''t this also fit with office hours?"


    Toby shook his head and said, "No, I don''t think so. If an adult inwork is so skilled at chess, they would have gone straight to the international chess competitions where they can make more money! Only a brilliant student would keep themselves at this level, and I think she''s simply enjoying this demonstration all over the world without anyone knowing who she really is!"


    Mitch felt that his analysis was not completely free of loopholes, but there was logic to his words, "You''re right, that does make some sense. I might as well give it a go."


    He had wanted to go that day, but it was too late, and the students had already finished school. So he waited until noon the next day before he turned up at the school gates.


    Sophia was very surprised, "I don''t know you were so good!"


    She had wondered who could have enticed Mitch to come all the way here. She never suspected it might be Molly! She was genuinely and thoroughly impressed.


    Mitch got excited, "Well, Miss, would you play chess with me?"


    Sophia interpreted his words. Molly seemed a little embarrassed, thought about it, and said, "I have to go home for lunch. Otherwise, my mum will be worried. How about this? You go and eat first. I''ll come back early for afternoon classes, and we can go to the activity center where our chess group usually plays chess?"


    Mitch was very happy and repeatedly nodded, "Fine, fine. I''ll wait for you. Thank you!"


    They all parted ways. When she returned to her class in the afternoon, she found Molly looking a little down.


    Curious about the results of the game, she asked Molly as she passed her, "Well? Did you win?"


    Molly looked up at Sophia, frowned slightly, and said, "Of course, I won."


    Sophia was very surprised, "Really? You beat Mitch Watson! That''s amazing!!"


    Molly paused, "Mitch Watson? Which Mitch Watson? Why does that name sound so familiar?"


    "That world champion! Didn''t you recognize him?" Replied Sophia.


    Molly was completely shocked, "That''s him?!"


    "Yeah¡­ Don''t you love chess? How could you not have recognized him?"


    Molly sighed, "Well, since it was Mitch Watson, I can admit I lost, but now I''m not ashamed. I did wonder. He beat me in two minutes. I was like, who is this guy? And there we go, he turns out to be the world champion! Why did he come to our school? He said he was looking for a master. Who could be that person?"


    Sophia shrugged.


    After returning home in the evening, she logged into her blog and saw a private letter sent by the organizers of the chess competition. It asked her to enter the game interface and play chess with a player called "Chubby" and gave her a password.


    After the chess tournament, the game website continued to operate, and people could still use their blog accounts to log indirectly. As a matter of fact, part of the tournament''s function was to promote the website. The site allowed you to set the privacy of your game by setting a password for your tablet. Only those who knew the password would be able to enter, play, or spectate.


    Sophia found table seventy-four, clicked into it, entered the password, and was ready to start the game.


    She clicked the start button, and her opponent did likewise.


    Three minutes later, Sophia had checkmated her opponent''s king. Her opponent immediately clicked the "Start" and continued to play against her.


    In less than ten minutes, Sophia had won three games in a row. The profile photo of "Chubby" darkened. They''d gone offline.


    Sophia also exited the game. The organizers sent her a message and told her that the money would be sent to her card account.


    She couldn''t believe it. She had just made three hundred dollars in ten minutes. It was so easy!


    The organizers had proved they were trustworthy. The three thousand dollars'' prize money had been sent to her account the day after the contest.


    It was so easy to make money off these rich people.


    She was just about to log off when she got another message from the officials.


    "Hi. Another gentleman wants to play a game of chess with you. Are you available? He''s offered five hundred dollars for a game!"


    Sophia was surprised.


    Was chess really that lucrative a game? Were chess players so rich? Suddenly she felt she had found a way to get rich.


    Sophia immediately replied, "Yes. I''m available!"


    They sent the table number and the password where the game would take place. Sophia remembered the numbers and found the appointed table to ''sit down.''


    "She agreed. You can play chess now." Toby hung up the phone.


    "Great." Mitch didn''t even turn his head; he just immediately clicked the start button.


    Mitch had returned from Colin High School crestfallen.


    "She wasn''t at Colin High School. I found the chess ''master'' of that school, but she was no good."


    Toby frowned, "My analysis is flawless, I''m sure she''s there.. Maybe you just didn''t find her this time."

 Chapter 55 - 55: The Confrontation

    Seeing that Mitch was in a bad mood, he quickly comforted him, "Don''t worry. I have a friend who works on that game site. I''ll call him and ask if he can help to make an appointment with her."


    He picked up the phone and called his friend.


    His friend knew some more information about" Knowing A Person" but firmly refused to disclose any of it. He only revealed one thing.


    "There is a sponsor who plays chess with her for a hundred dollars. If you are willing to pay, I can ask her if she''s willing to play chess with you through the official website."


    Toby translated his friend''s words to Mitch. Mitch was shocked.


    "What? Just one hundred dollars a game? That''s so cheap! I can play a trial game and get two thousand dollars!"


    He mused for a moment, "Call your friend back. I want to play chess with her. I will offer one thousand dollars!"


    Toby responded, "One thousand dollars is too much. That guy just offered one hundred¡­ How about this? Five hundred dollars?"


    He called his friend and asked him to make an appointment with KAP.


    Sophia realized that the higher the price must mean the stronger the opponent.


    Her opponent was incredibly good and was at the same level as "M378", the player she had met in the finals. Their chess styles were quite alike. She focused on the game. It was a hard-fought battle, but she eventually managed to win.


    The organizers of the website immediately sent a message to inform her that the five hundred dollars would be sent to her account the next day.


    Although Sophia was tired, she was happy. She had made eight hundred dollars in one day! This was not a small sum of money! She looked at the time on the computer and saw that it was one o''clock in the morning.


    Having stayed up so late, Sophia slept through her alarm and had to dash for school.


    Director Bull stood at the gate of the school, ready to catch students who were late. When he saw Sophia, he frowned, "Why are you late? You have dark circles under your eyes, did you stay up late last night playing online games?"


    Sophia had to admit, "Yes."


    Technically, chess was a kind of online game, so she could not contradict him.


    "I''m deducting one point from your class!" Director Bull announced.


    A point deducted because of her! Sophia felt sorry for Ms. Acheson. She wondered how she could earn the point back.


    She took a look at the school''s point system. Entering into the top thirty in the exam would earn points. But the exam wasn''t until next week. Doing good deeds could earn points, but that wasn''t the sort of thing she could count on. Taking part in competitions and getting awards could earn points, but there were no competitions on at the moment. She must hope there was a chance for her to show her kindness and do a good deed!


    It was Friday, and there was no class in the evening. Sophia was wheeling her bike out of the school gates when she suddenly noticed that a few boys who were not in school uniform were standing there. They were watching the students coming out of school. Their eyes flickered with something menacing.


    Sophia was pleased: maybe this would be her chance to score points.


    She looked at the boys and realized that one of them was familiar.


    She searched her memory and remembered that he was Linda''s son, AdamGreen, her half-brother.


    Adam was fifteen. He was two years younger than Kevin but much taller than him, and he looked strong. Had he come here to make problems for Kevin?


    Right then, Kevin came out with his bike. Adam made a sign to the boys, and they immediately came forward and circled him.


    Sophia stood nearby watching. She wasn''t in a hurry to intervene because first, she wanted to hear what Adam was going to say.


    "Kevin, you ungrateful bastard! You have no right to steal my sister''s property! She was also my sister, and I deserve half of her legacy. Give it to me!"


    Kevin frowned, "Now you remember to call her'' sister''? If you had come to see her even once when she was alive, I would have happily given you half of the estate, but did you ever come? You are her brother too, but you ignored her, and now you have the gall to ask for money."


    Adam stepped forward and raised his fist, "Enough talk! Agree to, give me the money or I''ll beat you every day until you give in!"


    Sophia could tell things were escalating, and she took a few steps forward to protect Kevin from being hurt.


    Kevin frowned, "Don''t even think about it. I''m not giving you anything!"


    "You want to get a taste of my fist?" Adam was angry now and was squaring up to his older brother.


    Sophia was about to come forward when a boy she didn''t know ran over and gave Adam a shove.


    Adam was caught off guard and immediately fell to the ground.


    "Who are you?" Adam said angrily, "You want to get beaten, too?"


    "You dare to come to our school to bully someone who is in the protection of our boss. It''s you who is going to get beaten!" As he spoke, the boy turned his head and glanced at Sophia. She realized he was doing this to win favor with her. He raised his voice, "Kevin is the boss'' brother. You dare to bully him, and you''ll pay for it!"


    Several other students nearby heard their words, came over and surrounded them.


    Adam had just wanted to come to the school gates with his buddies to scare Kevin. Seeing so many people gather, he got worried and began to back away.


    Director Bull, having heard the noise, came out to see what was going on. He asked what happened and berated Adam and the boys. They were not students at his school, so there was nothing Bull could really do. He could only give them immediate detention for an hour.


    "Well done, everyone. That was the right thing to do. One point for your class, you, you, and you." Director Bull said to the boy who had intervened and a couple of others who were nearby.


    Sophia was stunned.


    She wanted to earn points too!


    The boys were very pleased. They insisted on escorting Kevin back home.. Kevin protested but found himself swept along by them.

 Chapter 56 - 56: It Made Her Feel Free

    Sophia was just about to go home when the phone rang. It was Pearson.


    "Hello, Miss Green. I''m in the KTV near your school. Are you available now? I want to hear you sing!"


    "Does it count as a good deed? Can I get points?"


    "What?"


    "Forget about it. I''m available. I''ll come over now!"


    Sophia called her mother to tell her she would be home late, and she went to the KTV by bike.


    As she entered, she noticed that the KTV seemed different. It seemed that it had been remodeled.


    "Did you redecorate it?" Sophia asked the waitress.


    "Yes. We''ve got a new boss, and he ordered it. It''s just finished. You''re one of our first customers!"


    Sophia followed her to the room. As she passed the rooms, she saw that they were all empty.


    "There are so few people today," Sophia said questioningly.


    This KTV was close to Colin High School. Usually, the students would head there on a Friday evening. It should have been full of students coming here to relax and unwind. How come there wasn''t a single guest here? It was usually packed.


    The waitress smiled, "Maybe it''s because we just decorated it, and we were shut for a few days."


    She opened the door for Sophia and politely backed away.


    As soon as the waitress left the room, she nodded to the hostess, who promptly turned the sign on the door to ''closed.''


    The waitress leaned over to the hostess and whispered, "What do you think our new boss has to do with that student girl? I think he bought the KTVbecause of her, and he hasn''t even told her."


    "Wow, this is the way rich people chase girls?! Well, it works for me. It makes our job so much easier!"


    "He''s really hot! Do you think he might like me?"


    "Whatever. He''s obviously really into that girl."


    "That girl is really cute."


    "Cute?! Haven''t you been here for ages? Don''t you know who she is?"


    "No, who is she?"


    "She''s the boss at Colin High School, and she literally seems to run the school. Sophia Green? Our boss''s taste is pretty interesting."


    Pearson was singing as she entered the room. Sampson was standing there, clapping and cheering from time to time. He was yelling, "Good job.Mr. Pearson!"


    Pearson glanced at him with a little disdain and just carried on singing.


    The rooms were completely different from before. The new decoration was simple and elegant. It made the room feel more fresh and natural.


    Sophia loved it.


    Pearson''s voice was very good. Sophia sat down on the sofa and listened quietly. After singing two songs, he stopped and handed the microphone to Sophia.


    "Your turn."


    Sampson hurried over to the machine, and politely asked, "What would you like to sing, Miss Green?"


    "The songs I sang last time. I can only sing those songs."


    After Sampson ordered the songs, she began to sing.


    Pearson sat on the sofa and listened quietly. Sampson lasted two songs and then had to leave. It was twice as long as last time, and his endurance was getting better. If it went on like this, he would soon be able to get used to it completely.


    Sophia didn''t hate singing. On the contrary, she liked the feeling. It made her feel free. She didn''t sound bad to herself, and she didn''t sound bad to Pearson either. She sang with great passion.


    After a few songs, she stopped, "Mr. Pearson. I should go home now." Sophia said.


    "Yeah. I''ll get you a car."


    "Don''t bother."


    "Don''t rush away!" Sampson said as he pushed the door open, "Mr. Pearson, Miss Green sang so hard, why don''t you treat her to dinner? You must be hungry, Miss Green."


    Sophia was a little hungry, but she shook her head, "No, I''ll just go home to eat."


    Sampson smiled, "Mr. Pearson and I haven''t eaten yet either. Let''s sit together, and we can go somewhere nearby. Mr. Pearson, surely you don''t want her to go home hungry, do you?"


    Pearson narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sampson, "You''re very talkative today."


    Ryan Sampson looked sheepish.


    Pearson stood up and turned to Sophia, "What would you like to eat?"


    Sophia was surprised and said, "Fish."


    Then she remembered that her current identity was the high school student Sophia Green. She and Pearson were not as familiar as she had been with him once, and now she was just speaking her mind.


    Pearson didn''t seem to mind. He nodded, "Fine. Let''s eat fish."


    Ryan repeatedly nodded, "I''ll make a reservation right now!"


    He was gone in an instant.


    Sophia was surprised. He was really on the ball.


    Moments later, when Sophia and Albert walked out of the KTV, Ryan was already waiting at the door, smiling, "There is a restaurant nearby. Their fish comes highly recommended. I have reserved a private room. This way, please..."


    Sophia was very impressed with his efficiency.


    The restaurant was not far away, and the three of them soon arrived.


    The restaurant was so full that the foyer was full of guests, and there was a queue out the door. As soon as Ryan Sampson opened the door, a waiter greeted him and said with a smile, "This way, please!"


    She led the way and brought the three a very tastefully decorated private dining room.


    As they walked, she asked Ryan curiously, "There are so many people here. How did you reserve a private room at such short notice?"


    Sampson looked proud, "It''s a talent of mine, a secret one!"


    As soon as they entered the private room, Ryan gallantly pulled out the two chairs for Sophia and Albert to sit down. Sophia wondered whether he had done it intentionally, but the two chairs were next to each other.


    Once the three had sat down, the waiter brought the menus.


    "Our specialty here is fish. If you have any other preference, do let us know."


    "I''m not picky¡­ Miss Green, are you happy with fish?" Albert turned to Sophia.

 Chapter 57 - 57: When He Was Drunk

    "Absolutely."


    Ryan ordered a few dishes for them all to share.


    Sophia assumed that it might take a while for them to get their food as the restaurant was so busy, but everything came surprisingly quickly.


    Once the food had begun to be served, another waiter appeared with a bottle of wine. Sophia had no idea when Ryan had ordered it.


    Without asking for Pearson''s agreement, Ryan poured him a glass of wine and said with a smile, "I''ll drive, Mr. Pearson, so you can drink freely. There is nothing to worry about."


    Then, he turned to Sophia, "Do you drink, Miss Green? Would you like some wine?"


    Sophia shook her head, "No, thank you!"


    Albert Pearson said nothing, but picked up his wine and drank slowly.


    Throughout the meal, Ryan kept him topped-up. After several glasses, Pearson''s face had grown reddish, and yet Ryan kept pouring.


    Sophia had known Albert to be a non-drinker. How could his habits have shifted so quickly in just a few months?


    Ryan hardly ate. When he felt that Pearson had drunk enough, they got up and announced that he had to use the bathroom and left them alone.


    Sophia thought Ryan was odd but didn''t think too much about it. She was quite full and ready to leave.


    "Mr. Pearson, I have to go." she stood up.


    Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist. Albert Pearson was looking up at her with a faint smile, "Ms. Green¡­"


    Sophia was stunned. Ms. Green, he said¡­ Was she¡­It was the way he had talked to her before, in her different life.


    "What are you talking about?" Sophia struggled a little, but she could not get away. Pearson''s grip was too strong for her to release herself.


    As quickly as he had grabbed her wrist, he let her go and smiled again, "Ms. Green, you are dressed so strangely today!"


    Sophia looked down at the clothes she wore. It was just her school uniform.


    Pearson continued, "Actually, I never like calling you Ms. Green. But I''m afraid you will get angry if I use your name."


    "I won''t be angry," Sophia said.


    Albert suddenly cheered up, "Well, may I call you Sophia? I want to call you that, Sophia. I want to ask you¡­"


    He stared at Sophia and said, emphasizing each word, "Would you like¡­ a man younger than you?"


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    Pearson continued, "And¡­ if a man is not as smart as you, would you automatically dislike him?"


    Sophia still stayed silent.


    She really shouldn''t have let him drink so much. When he was drunk, he just seemed to talk nonsense.


    Pearson sighed, "You really¡­ dislike¡­"


    As he spoke, he suddenly passed out on the table.


    It was a while before Ryan Sampson came back. As he saw the situation, his face suddenly turned a little pale.


    "Mr. Pearson, you weren''t meant to fall asleep!" Sampson lifted Albert up and supported him on his shoulder. He smiled at Sophia, "I''m sorry, Miss Green. I have to take Mr. Pearson back."


    "Sure."


    Ryan looked at the unconscious Pearson, he was disappointed in him and whispered, "I just wanted you to get some Dutch courage, flirt a bit! You weren''t meant to pass out on the poor girl."


    Suddenly, Pearson stretched out his arm and caught Ryan by the neck.


    Ryan suddenly got goosebumps all over his body, "Mr. Pearson, you don''t¡­love me, do you?"


    Pearson said vaguely, "Love¡­"


    Ryan felt uncomfortable.


    He couldn''t work out what was going on with his boss at the moment.


    Looking at the back of Sophia Green, who had walked out of the restaurant, he still thought there was a chance for the pair of them.


    ***


    The next day, Ms. Acheson had an announcement in her math class.


    "There is a Mathematical Olympiad Contest in October. Only one student in our school can attend it. Good math students can fill out a registration form to sign up for the contest. Sophia, as our math representative, you must count the number of people in our class who want to sign up for the contest. After the second period, go to the director''s office to get the application forms and tests from Director Bull. When the forms are filled out, just hand them back to Director Bull."


    After class, some students came to Sophia to sign up, but there were not many, only six or seven people. Sophia had no intention of signing up. She wasn''t interested in this kind of competition. As soon as she finished her second class, she decided to go to Director Bull to pick up the registration forms.


    Molly followed her, "I''ll come with you!"


    Sophia was puzzled, "I can pick up a form for you. You don''t need to come."


    "I want to fill the form in first!" Molly insisted.


    Sophia didn''t want to argue with her. Molly was a very proud person, and she wanted to get hers in ahead of everyone else. Sophia knew that very well and allowed her to follow as she didn''t want to waste any time arguing.


    They arrived at Director Bull''s office and saw two people talking to Director Bull about something.


    "No. It will distract students'' study! Absolutely not!" Director Bull''s tone was firm.


    "But it would also help improve students'' thinking ability!" A man was still trying to convince him.


    "Mr. Watson?" Molly said as she walked up and recognized one of them.


    Watson turned around and saw them. He smiled and said in French, "It''s you¡­ What a coincidence! We meet here again."


    Molly didn''t know how to reply.


    She couldn''t follow his words.


    The man who came with Mitch was Toby. Last time, Mitch couldn''t find the chess master in school, nor had he devised a new plan to find out who it might be.


    "Maybe this particular player only likes to participate in tournaments. She isn''t in the school group," Toby said confidently, "so, if we hold a chess competition at Colin High School, maybe she''ll show up!"

 Chapter 58 - 58: A Big Fan

    Mitch had no real faith in this plan, but it was better than anything else he''d come up with.


    Toby, seeing that the two students already knew Mitch, gave them a brief explanation of what they were planning and that they just needed to get the director''s support.


    Molly got excited, "It''s a great idea! I''m a big fan!"


    Director Bull frowned, "You need to be focused on your studies! Studying is the most important thing for all my students!"


    It suddenly occurred to Sophia that if she participated in a chess contest held at the school and got an award, maybe that would earn her points?


    According to the school rules, anyone who won a prize in a competition held by the school would be given bonus points. The higher the ranking, the more points.


    She had been responsible for the loss of one point from her class last time. If the game was held, she could probably win a prize. And Molly, as the leader of the chess club, would probably win a prize, which would mean the class could get two points.


    Thinking about that, Sophia said, "Director, although chess isn''t technically part of the college entrance exam, it''s still really good for intelligence. It helps with critical thinking and generally helps improve general ability. I''ve learned chess and found it really helpful to train my mind, and you can see how much my math grades have improved."


    Director Bull said nothing.


    "You know how to play chess?" Toby asked curiously.


    Sophia nodded, "Just a little."


    Toby laughed, "Chess requires deep knowledge. If you''re interested, I can give you a tutorial. How are your chess skills? Have you ever participated in a competition or anything? Have you ever been ranked?"


    Sophia replied after a little thought, "I''ve only taken part in an online competition that I saw advertised. It had cash prizes, so I wanted to try. I didn''t expect there to be any powerful contestants, and actually, I ended up winning the championship. The prize money was quite a lot. I''d like to enter a tournament like that again."


    Toby''s voice trembled, "What¡­ what kind of competition was it?"


    "It was the Online Chess Contest that was held two weeks ago. You signed up via a blog. But you''re a professional chess player, and you wouldn''t care about such a small tournament.


    "May I know your username?" Toby asked, trying to sound casual.


    "Knowing A Person" Toby gasped, "What is it? Did you take part in that competition too?" Sophia asked.


    "You said you took part in the tournament for money?"


    Sophia froze for a moment, "Doesn''t everyone compete for the money?"


    Toby was shocked by her answer. If those Ms knew what she was playing for, they would be surprised.


    Molly suddenly said in surprise, "You are ''Knowing A Person''? I''ve watched the final match of that online chess game. I didn''t participate in the tournament. I just watched it. People were being funny and saying that it was Mr. Watson who competed in the final against you. Isn''t that funny? It must have been hype! That kind of professional player wouldn''t play in a small tournament like that."


    Sophia smiled, "Of course not! And how could he, as Mr. Watson, be here?"


    She translated Molly''s words to Watson in French and finally asked, "Of course it wasn''t you, was it?"


    Mitch was stunned for a moment, "It¡­ was me."


    "What?" Sophia couldn''t believe her ears.


    "What?" Molly was flabbergasted, and even she could understand what he''d said.


    Director Bull didn''t know what they were talking about, but repeated, "I won''t agree!"


    Toby looked back at him. "Well, I don''t want to sponsor it either," he said, "if you want to do it, you can pay for it."


    The director didn''t know how to reply.


    "Why did you come to talk to me if you don''t want to sponsor it? What''s the deal?" He said to himself.


    Sophia had never believed that her opponent could really be Mitch Watson!


    Did she beat Mitch Watson?


    If someone had told her that it was Mitch Watson sitting on the other side of the board, she wouldn''t have dared compete!


    Mitch was so excited that he kept inviting Sophia to play chess with him and asking her if she wanted to become a pro.


    Sophia''s attitude was quite clear. She didn''t have any plans to become a professional chess player. She was not that interested in chess and had no intention of making it a lifelong career.


    But she agreed to play chess with Mitch whenever she was available.


    It was almost time for class when Sophia remembered that she was here to get the Mathematical Olympiad application forms. She asked Director Bull for them and hurried back to class.


    Molly was upset. She thought she was at least better at chess than Sophia. But now it turned out Sophia could even beat Mitch Watson, the world champion, who had beaten her in two minutes flat.


    Sophia did well in math, and Molly was not sure she could beat her for the Mathematical Olympiad application. Was her opponent some kind of mythical being? Why did she have to be in the same class as Sophia Green?


    Sophia distributed the application forms to the students who had signed up. Molly suddenly noticed that she did not have any leftovers for herself.


    "Did you not sign up?" Molly asked Sophia.


    "No."


    "Why not? You''re good at math."


    "I just don''t want to sign up."


    Molly felt more at a loss than relieved.


    When she got back to her seat, Mariah looked at her grumpy face and asked, "What''s wrong with you? You''re not happy?"


    Molly sighed, "It seems that I can''t beat Sophia in anything. I''m annoyed."


    Mariah suddenly smiled, "Actually, there''s one lesson you will definitely be better at."


    "Which one?"


    "Ha-ha. I''m not telling!"


    Molly soon found out.


    The next class happened to be music. The music teacher announced that the music class would be changed to math after the monthly exam, which meant that it was their last one. The music teacher was a sentimental person. She announced it like it was a big farewell from a TV show.

 Chapter 59 - 59: I Can Take Over

    The music teacher usually asked the students to sing together. But she had changed her mind and asked the students to sing one by one. Each student sang a line of the song. She chose a sad song, especially, which made everyone feel a little emotional.


    Sophia had a bad feeling.


    When it was her turn, she sang so quietly, hoping that no one would hear her, but the music teacher said, "I can''t hear you. Sing again. Sing it loud!"


    And she had to.


    The students were too shocked to say anything!


    The sad atmosphere that the teacher had carefully curated became a little more light-hearted.


    Molly smiled and stood up, "I can take over!"


    She was very happy to beat Sophia in one subject.


    After school, Sophia went to collect the application forms from the students. They hadn''t managed to complete them yet, and Molly said she would hand them in when she was finished.


    Her eyes were full of smiles as she spoke, and she looked very happy.


    Sophia didn''t understand what she was so happy about, but if she wanted to do the hand in, that was fine by her.


    "You should hurry up, though. Director Bull gets off work at twelve-thirty. If you miss him, you''ll have to hand them in tomorrow afternoon."


    "Yeah. I''m almost done!"


    When Molly was finished, the other students finished it one after another and handed the forms to her.


    Kevin came over with his application form, and Dave came to hand in his. Molly picked up the forms, and Keven, Dave, and her walked out of the classroom together.


    When they got to the door of Director Bull''s office, a boy happened to come out. He took one look at Kevin and said sarcastically, "The liberal arts students shouldn''t try to enter this contest. If the school is only selecting one student, it will definitely not be a liberal arts student. Even if you hand in the form, what''s the point?"


    Before Kevin had time to respond, Molly couldn''t help saying, "What are you talking about? How do you know that art students can''t do math? Kurt Weller, you are too full of yourself !"


    Kurt Weller was the number one for science in his class. He always got full scores in math, and his brilliance was well known in the school. People all said that he would be the top science student in next year''s college entrance examination.


    However, this boy''s emotional intelligence was not so high, and he was very arrogant. It was fair to say, not many of his fellow students liked him.


    Kevin, on the other hand, had the best math of anyone in the liberal arts class. Besides, he had a good temper and was always willing to help his classmates. Needless to say, he was very popular with other students. Kurt was jealous of Kevin because of this.


    Kurt said proudly, "Even if I am arrogant, what can you do to me? Exceptional people are allowed to be arrogant! But you''d better not bother with this form. The representative of our school can only be me! It is impossible they''ll find someone else!"


    Dave was rather timid and hated quarreling with others, but he couldn''t help saying, "It''s rude of you to say that, Weller!"


    Kurt raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh yeah? Well, let''s compete! You haven''t handed in your application forms yet. If you lose, you can''t hand in those forms. How about that?"


    Molly had an impulsive temper and a short fuse. She immediately said, "Fine! How shall we do this?"


    Kurt smiled, "That''s easy. Let''s solve each other''s problems. I''ll compete against you three! Let''s see who can''t solve a problem first. How about it? The subject is limited to stuff we''ve already learned. But you won''t be able to beat me even if you gave me college-level questions. Of course, I''m not going to embarrass you like that!"


    The four were in agreement.


    Class Seventeen was not far away, and the four entered the classroom together and found seats to sit down in.


    "You first!" Kurt raised his chin contemptuously.


    Molly took out a notebook and wrote down a question.


    "This one!"


    It was a difficult question; it even exceeded the difficulty of the college entrance examination math questions. Molly had been trying to solve it for hours. Eventually, she had asked the math teacher. The teacher explained it to her once but strangely enough for Molly; she still did not get it.


    She had spent so long doing this question that she could copy it out by memory and didn''t even need to pick up a book.


    Kurt picked up the pen, drew a few auxiliary lines on the paper, and five minutes later, the problem was solved.


    He smiled triumphantly, "See if the answer is right?"


    Molly had been staring at him as he wrote, and naturally, she had seen that his answer was exactly right.


    She was a little dissatisfied, but could only admit, "Yes, that is right. It''s your turn!"


    Kurt picked up his pen and wrote on the paper. The question was so short that he finished it in less than a minute.


    "Do it! All three of you can work together if you like!"


    He sat down with his arms folded.


    The question was short, but this meant there was less information given, and the question was quite difficult to solve. The three of them were working together, and even after half an hour, they still couldn''t solve it.


    Then Molly''s phone rang. It was her mother calling to ask why she hadn''t come home.


    Molly said in a hurry, "Sorry, mum, and I couldn''t get back for lunch, I''m studying."


    She hung up the phone and continued to solve the question.


    Kurt yawned and laughed, "You can just throw in the towel and go back to lunch if you like! Green, you live at school, right? There''ll be no food for you left in the canteen if you don''t go now.

 Chapter 60 - 60: She’s Good In Math

    Molly was upset, "This question doesn''t seem to have an answer."


    "Of course it does. If you throw in the towel, I''ll show you how to solve it! It''s definitely something we learned in high school!"


    "We won''t throw in the towel! Damn it!"


    After a while, Kurt pushed them, "I have to eat. Have you finished yet? Are you trying to starve me or what?"


    Kevin suddenly raised his head, "I''ve worked it out!"


    He handed in his answer.


    Kurt looked over it and frowned slightly, "You''re right. My turn!"


    In order to save time, they put out problems at the same time and did them at the same time.


    Kurt''s question was so complicated that he wrote a whole page. He handed it over to the three and picked up the problem written by Kevin.


    The four students picked up their pens and started working on the problems.


    Some of the other students started trickling back into the classroom. The students were surprised to see Kurt in there.


    A classmate approached and asked, "What are you doing?"


    No one answered him. He looked at the paper in the hands of the four people and understood the situation, "Is this a¡­ competition?"


    Many students gathered around to see. They had seen ball games, but they had never witnessed a game of maths questions, especially not when the opposition is the best student in the science class. As Kevin''s classmates, everyone hoped his team would win.


    Both questions were quite difficult. Although Kurt was good at math, it was not easy for him to work out this question. More students filtered back into the classroom and sat quietly, watching.


    "I''m done!" Kurt gave a sudden cry.


    Kevin was surprised, raised his head, and took the paper from Kurt''s hand.


    "You''re right¡­" Though he was reluctant to admit it, "but I''m almost finished working out your problem. Just wait!"


    The bell rang, and Kurt laughed, "I have to go. I can''t wait for you! Whether you can work it out or not, I won in time! Keep your word, and you can''t sign up!"


    He swaggered out of the classroom toward his class.


    Molly was angry at Kurt''s manner, but she had to admit that Kurt Weller was a very brilliant student.


    "It was me that agreed to compete with him. I won''t hand in my application form! I''ll give up the Mathematical Olympiad trials." Molly took back her form and said, "You can go to the trials, though! I''ll just quit the race alone!"


    Kevin frowned, "No. I agreed, too. I won''t hand in my application form either!"


    "Me three." Dave added, "Our school can only choose one person. Even if I did hand my form in, I''ll still never surpass Kurt. He is annoying, but he is indeed the brightest.


    Molly wanted to retort, but she couldn''t think of anything to say. She knew that the last question, the one that Kurt gave them, was actually easier than the one they gave him, and yet Kurt had still won.


    "Damn it. He''s rude enough to be mean about our liberal arts class." Molly was very angry, "Just because we can''t beat him doesn''t mean there isn''t anybody else who could surpass him. There must be a liberal arts student who''s good at maths? Oh, I think I know someone!"


    "Who?" Dave suddenly looked more cheerful.


    "Boss Green! She is very good at math!"


    Kevin didn''t like the idea, "My sister didn''t sign up in the first place, which means she doesn''t want to participate in the match. I don''t think we should bother her."


    "She''s the only person I can think of." Molly said, "I''m going to ask her. Maybe she will agree! It can''t do any harm."


    ***


    In the afternoon, Ms. Acheson announced in class that the school would hold a monthly exam on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. After the exam, some of the top students would be selected into the advanced class, and the remaining students would continue to study in their original classes.


    Sophia had heard about this before. She had heard that the top class was very tightly managed and had a lot of homework. She was very familiar with senior three knowledge and did not need to do so much training, so she would rather not enter the advanced class.


    She was hoping to earn some points for her class, but it seemed that she wouldn''t be able to do it in time. And if she entered in the top thirty, she would be selected into the advanced class.


    Points were really hard to get!


    After school that afternoon, Molly approached Sophia.


    "Boss Green, you should fight for our liberal arts students and teach Kurt Weller a lesson!" Molly shook Sophia''s arm as if she were about to shake it off, "Come on. Please!"


    Sophia was about to go home and was a little impatient with her. She said, "Weller is a hard worker, and he studies a lot, but his emotional intelligence is a little low. He is too over the top and full of himself.


    Eventually, someone will teach him a lesson."


    "Boss. You can teach him a lesson! Right now!!" Molly was not planning on giving up, she held onto Sophia''s arm, "Teach him a lesson. Let him know there is always someone more competent and capable than you!"


    "No. I''m not the teacher!"


    "Boss, are you afraid of losing to him and losing face?" Molly tried to prod her into action, "S you don''t dare?"


    "Yeah, whatever¡­" Sophia wasn''t taken in by this trick.


    Molly wasn''t defeated, yet she came up with another idea. She continued to persuade her, "Boss, if you get the prize at the Mathematical Olympiad, you get priority to enter a prestigious university and get a bursary to a top school, like Glinton University. What''s more, the top three of the Mathematical Olympiad get awards."


    "No!" Sophia replied flatly, "I won''t get points for class¡­"


    Molly was confused, "Class¡­ points?"

 Chapter 61 - 61: School Regulation

    The school regulations stated that if you take part in the school competition, you can get class points, but an out of school competition, one at a higher-level, didn''t qualify. This kind of thing only happened once a year, so the school didn''t have it as part of the rule book.


    If a student won a prize at the Mathematical Olympiad, the school would reward him or her, but the reward just didn''t include class points.


    Molly was going crazy. Wasn''t it more interesting for Sophia to get the Mathematical Olympiad prize and the attention of prestigious universities than class points?


    Class points were just a school management system. If a class''s points were high, they were higher in the school''s weekly list. It was just a school-wide distinction and didn''t have much importance.


    It didn''t even begin to compare with the Olympiad awards at all.


    Sophia sighed, "Our class was deducted one point because of me last time. I haven''t yet had a chance to make it up."


    Molly was totally speechless.


    She was focusing on the wrong bit! They were talking about Mathematical Olympiad, one of the most prestigious math competitions!


    But once Sophia had mentioned it, Molly suddenly got an idea, "Well, Boss, if taking part in the Mathematical Olympiad can help to get class points, will you have a go?


    Sophia thought for a while and said, "Maybe¡­"


    "OK. Wait for me!"


    Molly rushed to Director Bull''s office, where Director Bull was looking at some school papers. Seeing Molly come in, he looked up and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Director Bull, I''d like to discuss something with you." Molly walked over to him, "If someone in our class can win an Olympiad prize, can you give our class some points?"


    Director Bull was confused, "Class points? Are the two comparable? That''s like an athlete wanting a sticker from their coach having won a gold medal at the Olympics?!"


    Molly sighed, "I know, but listen to Director Bull, can you promise me that if someone in our class wins the Mathematical Olympiad award, you will give us some class points?"


    Director Bull laughed, "I really don''t know what you are thinking about¡­ Which class are you from?"


    "Class seventeen!"


    "That''s a liberal arts class? Well, fine. If someone in your class can win a Mathematical Olympiad prize, I''ll give you whatever points you want. How about one hundred points?"


    Director Bull said all this casually because he really didn''t want to tangle with Molly.


    In his view, the student who would eventually make it through the qualification trials would have to be Kurt Weller. No student from class seventeen would even qualify for the Olympiad. So how could they risk getting an award?


    Molly was satisfied. Director Bull managed the school points system. He had the right to decide what merited points.


    "Oh, by the way, please may I have one more application form."


    When Sophia arrived at school the next day, the first thing she saw was Molly coming toward her. She felt worried.


    "I''ve sorted it, just like that! Director Bull has promised to give our class one hundred points if you can get a good score in the Olympiad! With that, we''d be able to top the list for the whole school year!" Molly grinned and handed her the form, "Fill it out now!"


    "One hundred points? Are you kidding me?" Sophia was doubtful about the number.


    "He said it himself, and I recorded it!" Molly shook her phone proudly, "Aren''t I smart?"


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    She picked up her pen and wrote her name on the form.


    Molly was afraid she would regret saying yes, and as soon as Sophia was finished with the form, she took it away from her, "I''ll hand it in for you!"


    It was Thursday, and the monthly exam would be held in the afternoon. For most students, it was just an ordinary monthly test, and there was nothing to be nervous about, just a way of checking their progress over the last month. Only a handful of students were vying for a spot in the advanced class, and they, of course, did revision and tried to prepare.


    Before the exam, Melissa ran over to ask Sophia, "Where are you going to spend your holiday, boss? My mum wants to sign me up for an overseas tour. You can come with me if you want to?"


    After the exams, they would be a holiday for ten days.


    Speaking of travel, Sophia had an idea, "I want to go to Bridge Town."


    She had never traveled in her alternate life because of her mobility issues. Once she saw a promo video for Bridge Town on TV and had wanted to go there ever since.


    Albert Pearson had actually suggested they go there together several times in her old life, but Sophia, knowing she would be less convenient to travel with, had never agreed.


    Now, none of that was a concern, and it wouldn''t even cost much to get there. She wanted to go right away.


    Melissa changed her mind at once, "I want to go to Bridge Town with Boss. That will be much more fun. I don''t know what my mum was thinking¡­"


    Sophia didn''t know what to say about this quick turn around.


    Melissa quickly told Mariah and Carol about it, and they immediately decided to travel with Sophia too.


    Sophia thought of Kevin. She wanted to take him with her to relax. After all, with his sister''s death and the ruckus, Linda was causing a lot of pressure on him. It would be nice to take advantage of the opportunity to hang out.


    In her alternate life, Kevin had never had much chance to travel as he wanted to stay close to her. She wanted to make up for that now. This was her chance to get rid of that old regret.


    When she told Kevin, he agreed right away.. There was a sense of inexplicable inevitability about traveling with Sophia as if it was just meant to happen.

 Chapter 62 - 62: I Believe You Have The Ability To Do It

    The exam started in the afternoon. As Sophia was completing her paper, she calculated how many points she would have to drop in order to avoid being put in the advanced class. For French, a composition usually wouldn''t get a full score and so she could deduct ten points, plus she could get some subjunctives wrong and lose a few marks there. She wanted to get a max of 110 points.


    Then she considered how much points she should get in other subjects. She didn''t want to get a low grade, and she just didn''t want to be in the advanced class.


    Math¡­ how about one hundred and thirty points? She wrote it down.


    Ms. Acheson was invigilating. Walking past Sophia, she saw the number she wrote on the paper and immediately understood what she meant.


    "You must be calculating how many points you need in all your subjects to enter the advanced class, right?" Ms. Acheson smiled, "Don''t be nervous. Just do as you usually do. I think you have a chance of getting into the advanced class. You can actually set your math score up a bit. I believe you have the ability to do it."


    Sophia could only smile. She couldn''t tell Ms. Acheson the real reason she was making these calculations.


    After school, Kevin asked Sophia when he passed her, "Sister, how do you think you did? Do you think you can get into the advanced class?"


    "Definitely not¡­ Come on now, Kevin. But I think you can do it!"


    "Yeah, maybe."


    Before Friday''s exam, Melissa excitedly showed around a brochure, "Boss, I found a tour group to the Bridge Town over the same dates as our holiday! Their itinerary is well planned: it''s just travel, no shopping and if we buy in a group we get a good discount."


    Her family was rich, and she didn''t care much about a discount, but she knew that her boss would be glad to hear that word.


    Sure enough, Sophia''s eyes lit up when she heard the word "discount." She had a look at the brochure and found that the itinerary planned by the tour group was pretty good. They were free to travel most of the time. And the tour group would have prepared the food and accommodation in advance. They could also eat somewhere else. It all looked good.


    That said, however, the group purchase only applied to the purchase of a group of seven people or more. There were four of them, plus Kevin. They needed two more to qualify.


    She had told Kate about the trip and asked her if she wanted to come too. However, Kate didn''t like traveling and had asked Sophia to go with her classmates. Sophia did not know whether she really didn''t like traveling, or was simply afraid of spending money. After a lot of persuasions, Kate still wouldn''t agree, so she had had to give up.


    "That''s all right. I''ll ask if anyone would like to join us." Melissa said.


    As soon as she finished speaking, Louie Delgado, who sat next to Sophia, raised his hand, "I want to come traveling with you. Take me with you!"


    Melissa''s eyes lit up, "Really? You want to come?!"


    She was very excited that such a hottie would be joining their group.


    With Louie, they were now only one person short, and by the end of the day, Carol had also got Dave signed up.


    When Carol told Sophia the news, she looked doubtful, "Did you threaten him?"


    "No, absolutely not! I''m not that kind of person!"


    And so they had their seven people.


    Melissa and Sophia went to the travel agency to pay. The travel agency said they would need to meet at seven o''clock tomorrow morning in the same place.


    Bridge Town was not very far away, so they would take a bus to get there.


    The whole trip would take two days and one night. They would spend one night in a local hostel. Back home, Sophia packed some clothes and groceries and put them into her backpack.


    ***


    The next morning, Sophia took the bus to the travel agency. As soon as she got to the door, she saw a coach parked outside and several early birds waiting outside.


    Sophia walked up. None of her friends had arrived yet. The weather was already pretty hot. Afraid that it would be stuffy inside the coach, she didn''t want to get on just yet and stood to wait outside.


    The guide walked up and smiled, "Hello, everyone. I will be your tour guide. You can call me Katherine. We will be leaving in half an hour. Please don''t stray too far while you wait to board."


    As she was talking, a bus came to a halt at a stop nearby. Sophia watched as the passengers spewed out; she was sure her friends must be arriving soon.


    And sure enough, she saw Dave step off the bus, and another student followed behind him.


    Sophia knew him. It was Barry, the same Barry, who always wanted to fight with her.


    "Hi, Green." Barry greeted Sophia with a smile from a while off.


    "Hi." Sophia nodded in response. She wasn''t sure why Barry was here. Was he here to fight her again?


    Barry walked over with Dave. Dave explained, "Yesterday, I told my cousin that I was traveling. He was interested and signed up for the tour¡­ The group hadn''t been full up."


    Before long, everyone else arrived. Kevin and Louie came by bus. Carol and Mariah were brought in by their families. Melissa had been driven there by the driver of her family.


    "The time has come. Let''s get on the couch!" Katherine said.


    The tourists wandered onto the couch one by one. There were two and three-person seats on the bus. Sophia took a seat for two at random.


    Kevin immediately ran over, intending to sit next to Sophia. But at the same time, Louie squeezed over and was also aiming for the seat next to Sophia.


    The two boys looked at each other with hostility in their eyes.


    Sophia was in a dilemma. These two boys just couldn''t get along, and they always acted like enemies.


    She pointed to the empty seats behind her, "You two¡­ sit there!"


    "No!"

 Chapter 63 - 63: Nice To See You Again

    They said simultaneously.


    Sophia wanted them to get along, and so she took a hard line, "Sit down!"


    Louie reluctantly took the window seat and looked out the window.


    Kevin had to sit next to him and turned his head to the aisle.


    Sophia was speechless.


    Soon, everyone found their own seat. Carol ran over to sit with Sophia. The Malone brothers sat together. Mariah sat with Melissa.


    Everyone talked and laughed along the way. Only Kevin and Louie remained silent; they didn''t even look at each other.


    In order to mediate the atmosphere and ease the inexplicable hostility between the two, Sophia turned around and asked Louie, "Are you an only child, Delgado?"


    She shared a table with Louie and chatted with him sometimes. But she had never heard him talk about any siblings.


    Louie was surprised, "Um, yes¡­ no¡­"


    Kevin mocked him, "Yes or no? Are you not clear about that?"


    Louie lowered his head, "I¡­ used to have a big sister. But she fell ill and died¡­"


    Kevin paused for a moment, "I''m sorry¡­"


    Sophia hadn''t expected that. She had just asked the question casually, but she had touched on something serious and deeply personal.


    Louie smiled bitterly, "It''s alright. It''s been a long time now. I''ve let it go. My sister took good care of me when she was alive. She liked to decide everything for me. It all happened very suddenly. I couldn''t get used to it for a long time. That feeling, you probably can''t understand¡­"


    Kevin turned his head to look at him, "I know it! My sister passed away because of an accident before the summer vacation¡­"


    Louie was surprised, "You¡­"


    Sophia then heard the two boys talking about their sisters. Later, they talked about cooking, and they even started sharing tips and ideas on cooking and baking.


    Their relationship was suddenly surprisingly friendly.


    The bus took five hours, and they reached Bridge Town at noon.


    The architectural style here was colonial and archaic. The buildings were all legacies of the past. The old-fashioned pavilions lined both sides of the street. In this old town, it was as if history was alive and actually present somehow.


    When they had wandered quite far through the old quarter, they came across some more modern buildings. There were shops selling souvenirs and lots of restaurants.


    Katherine had arranged the place for them to eat lunch, and a simple meal was already prepared.


    But many of the tourists wanted to eat some of the more local specialist cuisines, so they gave up the free lunch arranged by the tour group and went to eat somewhere else. Katherine was happy but reminded them to be careful and told them to assemble in the original place on time, or they would risk being left behind.


    "There are so many restaurants here. Shall we go and find a place to eat? It''s not like we''re here everyday! It would be a waste not to eat some special food!" Melissa brought it up at first. Afraid that others would disagree, she added, "My treat!"


    "My treat! What would you like to eat?" Barry said.


    "Since we''re all hanging out together, let''s just pay for what we eat. Let''s look around. You can eat whatever you want." Sophia said.


    Everyone endorsed the proposal. They immediately set out to search for delicious food.


    Kevin searched on his phone, "There''s a restaurant called'' Fresh Mutton''? Their mutton is delicious and has an excellent yelp rating. Shall we check there? It''s not far from here."


    "Yeah, let''s go!" Louie agreed first.


    The others were also up for it. It sounded good.


    They found it easily despite it being slightly out of the way and small.


    It was lunchtime, and Sophia thought that a restaurant with such a high score might be overcrowded. But when they arrived, there was only one person in front of the counter. They didn''t even see a waiter.


    "Is it closed today?" Kevin asked curiously.


    "But the door was open."


    "Shall we go in?"


    "It''s so strange¡­ I don''t want to go in. Kevin, are we sure it''s good?"


    They were hesitating when suddenly, a car stopped at the door of the restaurant. The car door opened, and two people got out of the car.


    The clerk at the counter immediately got up to greet them, "This way, please!"


    Sophia''s eyes lit up. She cried," Mr. Pearson!"


    The two people were only Albert Pearson and Ryan Sampson.


    Albert turned around, but before he could speak, Ryan had already run over and laughed, "Did you come here to look around, Miss Green? How lovely. Ooh, I have an idea, would you like to have dinner with us?"


    Albert Pearson followed Ryan over and greeted her, "Nice to see you again."


    Kevin knew Pearson and went forward to say hi.


    Melissa had been gazing at Louie, but when she turned and saw Pearson, she then couldn''t take her eyes off him.


    When Pearson had been drunk on KTV, she had been in the washroom and had not seen him.


    "Are you here for dinner? We haven''t seen anyone around, and I''m not sure why¡­" Sophia said.


    Pearson smiled, "Probably because it''s awful."


    " Really? Then why are you here?"


    "Well, this way we don''t have to wait in a line. Well, would you like to join us?"


    Melissa jumped in before Sophia had time to talk, "Yes! We''ll come!"


    A waitress came out and greeted them, "Come with me, please!"


    She led the way and took them upstairs. They met several waitresses along the way, but no guests. The restaurant was very quiet.


    They came to a large room. The waitress opened the door and invited them in. Then, she took out the menu and asked, "May I have your order?"


    They were embarrassed to order first, all looking at Pearson.


    Ryan stood up and laughed, "Order whatever you want. It''s on Mr. Pearson''s account. Don''t stand on ceremony."


    He said and looked at Sophia.


    Sophia felt that something about this was strange.

 Chapter 64 - 64: I Remember You

    The menu was passed around, and everyone ordered one or two dishes. Finally, it was passed to Pearson. He casually added two more. Seeing that everyone had ordered enough, he sent the waitress away.


    As the waitress came downstairs, she saw two customers coming in who were asking the hostess if they were closed.


    She replied with a smile, "Yes, I''m sorry. I''m afraid you''ll have to find somewhere else. We have an important customer today,"


    One of the tourists said, "But I just saw a couple of people going upstairs¡­"


    "Yes, the whole restaurant has been booked out by them. Apologies for the inconvenience."


    The tourist was stunned, "I didn''t think the car parked out front was that fancy! Rich folk are so low-key nowadays!"


    He shook his head, sighed, and left. People had the right to book the whole restaurant, and there was nothing to be done.


    Meanwhile, in the room upstairs, Sophia curiously asked, "Mr. Pearson, why did you want to travel here? It is not a particularly popular destination these days, is it?"


    "A friend always wanted to come here, and I found I had some time, so here I am," Pearson replied.


    Sophia smiled, "Oh, I see. Is your friend Mr. Sampson?"


    Pearson didn''t expect her to say that.


    And neither did Sampson, who suddenly felt a little nervous.


    ***


    A few days ago, Sampson had managed to get Carol''s telephone number. He had called her and explained his identity to her.


    Carol found it a little odd, "You''re the one who picked Mr. Pearson up at KTV? I remember you. What do you have to do with me?"


    Sampson smiled, "Well, when we met, I felt we had a connection¡­"


    "Spit it out. What are you up to?" Carol preferred to speak directly.


    Sampson spelled out his plan.


    He was trying to make a match between Pearson and Sophia, and he wanted to get some information about Sophia from Carol to create more chances for them to meet.


    "Absolutely." Carol was on board immediately.


    She had met Pearson that night at KTV. Though he had been drunk and she hadn''t actually spoken to him, she had been impressed by his good looks. Carol would do anything to get her boss with a man who looked like that.


    It wasn''t long before Carol gave Sampson some useful information, "Some of us are going with Boss to Bridge Town during the holiday. It''s the perfect place for a romantic encounter!"


    Sampson was thrilled, "Yes! Of course!"


    That day, Sampson had to try and find an opportunity to convince Pearson to go away.


    "Mr. Pearson, how about we all have a little holiday. We could go tomorrow even. I''ve heard that Bridge Town is beautiful at this time of year. It would do you good to relax."


    Pearson was reading a document and doing his best to ignore Ryan until he heard the words "Bridge Town." He looked up.


    Sampson took the opportunity to say, "Really old buildings cover most of the town, and going back there is like stepping back into the past."


    He went on and on about the joys and pleasures of Bridge Town, and by the end, he even felt that he would have a lifelong regret if they didn''t visit.


    Pearson didn''t listen to a word. He was thinking about something else, someone else.


    Bridge Town. That was where he had always wanted to take her. But she never got to go. Maybe he should go into her memory.


    "Fine!" Pearson replied, breaking his reverie, "Go and make the arrangements!"


    Ryan couldn''t believe how easy it had been. He was ecstatic.


    He immediately booked the best restaurants and a five-star hotel. He even decided to get a local driver to pick them up as soon as they entered the city to give them a special tour with a guide, which gave them a personalized, chauffeured tour of the best spots.


    During lunch, the driver and tour guide, out of professionalism, did not eat with Pearson and went elsewhere.


    Ryan had been looking for an opportunity for Pearson to meet Sophia by chance, but he really hadn''t expected Sophia and her classmates to meet Pearson as soon as they arrived at the restaurant. Ryan Sampson couldn''t help feeling that these two people were meant to be together! It seemed that the fates were lining up for them to be together!


    But Sampson wondered what Pearson had meant by his words?''


    Pearson hadn''t come for the fun of Bridge Town. He had agreed to visit because he, Ryan, had wanted to come, and Pearson was willing to accompany him.


    Pearson had come to Bridge Town for him!


    Ryan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. What if his boss really was in love with him!


    No. He couldn''t accept that.


    He quickly changed the topic, "Miss Green. Have you come by yourselves or as part of a travel group?"


    "We''re here with a group. We''re all meeting after lunch."


    "Well, we have our own guide here. Do you want to join us?"


    "No, thanks. Our guide is very good. I think we''ll stick with her."


    While they were talking, the food was served.


    The specialty of this restaurant was roasted lamb. The waitress came in with a cart that contained a large plate filled with the carcass of a whole sheep. It looked mouth-watering, all greased, and the oil was slowly dripping down the surface of the meat to the plate.


    She transferred the huge carvery plate over to the table.


    The lamb was roasted to perfection, and the whole room was filled with the delicious smell of roast meat and mint.


    "Wow! It looks delicious!" Carol''s eyes lit up at once.


    The chef picked up the knife, nimbly separated the meat from the bones, and carved it into pieces. Then he bowed and said, "It''s done. Please enjoy it!"


    Everyone raised their cutlery, picked up a piece of the meat, and dipped it in the sauces on the table.


    "Very good!"

 Chapter 65 - 65: Isn’t That Miss Green?

    Sophia took a bite. It was overwhelmingly tasty, and she understood now why it could be called a specialty.


    She was even more puzzled than ever. The food in this restaurant was so good. How come there was no one else there? It was so strange! The business should have been booming, with the delicious food, the good online presence, it was very odd.


    Other food followed. It was a lamb and mutton restaurant mainly and naturally, and the dishes were mainly of these varieties, fried Lamb with Cumin, Mutton Soup, Saut¨¦ed Lamb Slices with Scallion. Even though most of these dishes were the same type of meat, each had its own distinct taste.


    In addition, there were some vegetarian dishes that were really good. Everyone was pleased. Carol didn''t forget her mission and said to Sophia, "Boss, your friend is very generous! And he has great taste!"


    Pearson refused to take the credit and explained, "Mr. Sampson chose the restaurant."


    Sampson felt nervous again.


    Why did he mention him? Was he in love with him?


    The mutton was delicious, but it was good to be balanced by the vegetarian dishes. Otherwise, it might have been too greasy.


    The table was self-rotating. Sophia wanted to eat some vegetables, and she was trying to rotate away from the large plate of meat in front of her. The vegetable plate was a little far away from her, and it had not rotated towards her. She tried to reach it but failed.


    Barry, who was sitting next to her, said, "Let me get it for you. What would you like to eat?"


    Sophia was in a daze. Before she could refuse, he picked up some celery and put it on the plate in front of her.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, I can''t eat celery." Sophia smiled, "I''m allergic."


    She spoke quietly, but as soon as she said that, both Kevin and Pearson suddenly looked at her.


    Without noticing the eyes of these two, she saw a plate of vegetables coming towards her, and she happily scooped some up and started eating. The stir-fried vegetables were fresh and delicious, and she was happy.


    After lunch, Sophia stood up to thank Albert Pearson for his treat.


    "You''re welcome. You sing to me. I have always wanted to thank you. A meal is the least I could do."


    Barry, who was standing to one side, cast a long look at Pearson, turned on his heel, and went downstairs.


    "As we''re all here, let''s travel together! The more, the merrier!" Ryan exclaimed.


    Sophia smiled, "We''ve got an appointment with the tour guide. If we don''t show up on time, she''ll be worried. So, thank you, but we''ll go and meet the others now."


    She took her friends downstairs and headed to the meeting point.


    Albert looked at the leftover food on the table and suddenly said, "Don''t order celery from now on."


    Sampson didn''t know what to say and eventually muttered, "OKAY."


    He hadn''t heard what Sophia had said during the meal, so he didn''t understand why his boss was saying this.


    "I have to go to the washroom. Just a moment, Mr. Pearson!" Sampson said and ran out.


    Pearson was taken aback, had he just been ordered to wait by his employee, how disrespectful!


    However, Ryan was surprisingly fast and came back in less than a minute.


    When they returned to the car, they found only the driver was there, and the guide was nowhere to be seen.


    "Where has he gone?" Pearson asked.


    "I''ll call him, Mr. Pearson" Ryan picked up his phone to call the guide.


    "What? You''ve come down with something! Oh, dear." Sampson sighed and hung up the phone, "The tour guide is sick and can''t finish the job, unfortunately. Let''s find somewhere to go, and they''ll send another tour guide to us shortly."


    Albert was quite confused.


    He had gone upstairs for a meal for just over an hour, and the tour guide had just fallen ill, like that?


    Ryan picked up his phone and googled a few things, "Well, there is a mansion nearby which was lived in by a general. We could visit there?"


    "Fine."


    Sampson gave a sly smile. He secretly sent Carol a message, "We''re coming to the mansion too."


    The driver was familiar with the place, and he started the car and soon came to the property.


    It was a big house, covering an area of over ten thousand square meters. Its owner was a general, a compelling person back in the day. The house where he lived was, unsurprisingly, very well built.


    Albert got out of the car and walked to the gate with Ryan. They bought tickets and entered.


    No sooner had they arrived within the mansion than Sampson cried out in surprise, "Isn''t that Miss Green? They''re here too!"


    He rushed up warmly to say hello to Sophia. Sophia saw him and smiled.


    "What a coincidence! Sophia said, glancing at them, "But where''s your guide? Didn''t you have your own one?"


    Ryan replied, "Oh, we had a little trouble with the, but another will be here soon. Oh, perhaps we could join your group and follow you around for a little while?"


    "Well¡­" Sophia looked to Katherine, who was just beginning her spiel about the location, "You''ll have to ask our guide."


    "No problem!" Ryan immediately went over and explained what had happened to them and offered to pay


    She didn''t know what to do, "There are lots of different bits of this package. I don''t know how to charge you if you just want to follow us. How about this? You can just follow us for free. And you''ll just have to take care of your tickets, meals, and accommodation, all right?"


    "You are delightful!" Ryan Sampson complimented her, "And so pretty and efficient and good at your job!"


    Ryan ran back and reported to Pearson.


    Pearson didn''t really care about having a tour guide. He just wanted to walk around. But he could sense something was up with Ryan''s decision and the way he was acting.. He didn''t know what, but he was sure there was something afoot.

 Chapter 66 - 66: It’s Not Easy To Pin My Boss Down

    Katherine was a professional tour guide. As she spoke, she led the tourists through the gate toward the main hall and made sure no one got left behind.


    As they were making their way, an elderly couple suddenly said that they could not walk any further and that they wanted to sit down and have a rest.


    Katherine walked over, "Oh dear, we''ve only been walking for about ten minutes. Could you try for a little longer? The front is fascinating."


    The old lady smiled bitterly, "We are old and not as strong as the young. My husband¡­ He is weak. The doctor had advised him to stay in the hospital, but he felt that if he didn''t travel now, he might not have another chance in his lifetime."


    Sophia noticed that the old man''s face was ashen and waxy. It was clear he was very ill.


    "Let''s give them a rest. The old man is really out of strength." Sophia told Katherine.


    Katherine nodded, "All right. You can have a rest here. Don''t go far away. If there is anything, just call me. We will pick you up when we come back."


    She asked for two chairs from the staff and sat the couple down. Then, she asked the staff to help take care of them before the group moved on.


    Then, the group moved onto one of the wings of the house. There were several separate wings. Katherine said this was where the general''s wife had spent most of her time.


    There were lots of tourists on that day. People were everywhere. The weather was hot. They had visited several different parts of the house and were all feeling tired. Katherine let them have a break for ten minutes, and then they would reassemble for the next part of the trip.


    "Dave, go get some cold drinks and ice cream!" Carol told Dave, "I want a chocolate one."


    Sophia said, "Don''t bully your classmate!"


    Dave smiled, "It''s all right, Boss. I''d like to go!"


    He went off to the snack booth just ahead of them.


    He returned quickly with a large bag of cold drinks and various kinds of ice cream and shared them with the others.


    "You like chocolate too?" Carol asked, casually seeing him eating the same flavor as her.


    Dave nodded, "Yeah, it''s delicious."


    Carol was about to continue chatting when she saw Ryan Sampson waving to her from not too far away.


    She looked around and saw that Sophia was talking about something with Kevin. Albert Pearson was looking down at his phone. So she quietly bypassed the crowd and went to Sampson as privately as possible.


    Sampson took her to a corner out of sight and said in a hurry, "How come there''s nothing going on between them? I''m so worried. Sophia''s always talking to Kevin, they''re not, are they?"


    "No! Definitely not! Boss sees him as a kid. But you know, Barry is a bit weird today. He keeps staring at her. I think he might be after her."


    "Oh yeah?"


    "I don''t like Barry. He''s arrogant, he doesn''t seem able to distinguish right from wrong, and he used to want to fight with the Boss! He''s nowhere near as nice and polite as Mr. Pearson, and nowhere near as hot."


    "And let''s face it. That''s the strangest reason!"


    This was Carol''s first undercover job, and she was a little nervous. She looked around, making sure no one had noticed her, and asked, "I''ve wanted to ask you, why are you targeting my Boss? With Mr. Pearson''s background, there must be a bunch of beautiful women who want to be with him. And he doesn''t seem to have that much interest in her. Why do you want to set them up? It''s not easy to pin my Boss down!"


    Ryan sighed, "The problem is Mr. Pearson seems indifferent to all women. At least he actually talks to Miss Green."


    "Oh? My Boss is completely bewitching!"


    She thought for a while and suddenly said, "By the way, are you going back tomorrow? Our bus has the absolute number of seats for you and Mr. Pearson to join us. If you figure out a way to get Mr. Pearson and Boss to sit next to each other, they''ll be together on the road for five hours."


    Ryan''s eyes lit up, "That''s a great idea! I''ll make up an excuse like I''m car sick or something to get Sophia to switch seats with me. She''s so kind, and she''ll certainly agree!"


    After discussing the strategy, they came out of their hiding place like thieves.


    Carol waited for a little while after Ryan had left. She walked slowly to the spot where her group had gathered. Suddenly, she heard a woman screaming, "Watch yourself! Oh, you got my dress dirty!"


    Then she heard the voice of a boy apologizing, "I''m so sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to!"


    She looked in that direction and saw that Dave was apologizing to a young woman, with a chocolate ice cream in his hand. He had walked without looking where he was going and had got ice cream on the woman''s clothes.


    "You have to pay for this! This is Aphrodite. I can''t wear it like this! Pay me now!" The woman was furious.


    Next to the woman stood a burly man with a proud look on his face, "You better have enough money on you, kid."


    As he spoke, he reached out to push Dave Malone.


    Carol trotted up, pushed the man away, and snarled, "What are you doing? Are you trying to bully him, big man? "


    The man had been taken aback. He didn''t expect to be pushed away by a girl. He scowled and said to Dave, "You got my girlfriend''s dress dirty. You have to pay! It''s only fair."


    "Fine. How much?" Dave said.


    The woman held out her hand and said, "One thousand bucks."


    "How much?" Both Dave and Carol were stunned.


    The dress didn''t look particularly expensive. How could it be worth a thousand dollars!

 Chapter 67 - 67: It’s A Coincidence

    Dave''s family was not wealthy. He didn''t have that kind of money.


    Carol didn''t believe it, "You''re saying your dress is really worth a thousand dollars? You''re serious?"


    Sophia was resting in the shade not far away, and when she heard the noise of the row, she looked up to see Carol was quarreling with someone. She got up and walked over.


    The rest followed along behind her.


    "What''s happening?" Sophia asked.


    Carol saw Sophia coming and felt more confident, "Boss, you judge. Dave accidentally got ice cream on this woman''s dress. She insists that he should pay her one thousand dollars! How can a dress be worth that much?"


    The woman''s boyfriend had been very confident, thinking he was quickly the most influential person in this situation. But when he saw the number of people gathering on the other side, he felt his advantage weaken, and his manner was less aggressive than it had been before.


    "You should pay for damaging other people''s clothes! The chocolate stain can''t be washed off. She can''t wait for it again. You have to be reasonable."


    Sophia took a look at the part of the woman''s dress that had been damaged by Dave and frowned slightly, "We will pay. But you have to prove this dress is worth one thousand dollars? Do you have the receipt? We can''t just believe whatever you say."


    "Who goes out with receipts for their clothes in their pocket? This is Aphrodite, a designer brand! You can just google it. This is in their latest collection. It actually costs five thousand dollars!" The woman said.


    Sophia didn''t know much about luxury goods. She didn''t care about them. "Well, let''s go to the store, and we''ll pay for another dress if it really is authentic." She said.


    The woman was about to say something, but the man beside her interjected hurriedly, "Who has the time to go to the store with you? Do you think our time is worthless? Just pay up right now!"


    Sophia frowned slightly. Judging from the man''s reaction, she began to see the situation. The dress was almost certainly a fake.


    "This dress is not genuine!" Melissa suddenly spoke out, "Most of my mum''s clothes are Aphrodite, and she has this model. But it''s not quite the same. I''m sorry, but this is just a really good fake, right?"


    The woman''s face suddenly blushed, "How dare you? My dress is authentic! I don''t wear fakes, however good they are! Are you trying to insult me?"


    The man was even angrier, "As if my girlfriend would wear a knockoff version. What evidence do you have to prove it''s fake?"


    "I don''t know for sure, and I just know that I''ve seen the real one, and it''s different. Aphrodite is a company owned by Pearson. Their clothes are very high-end. I can tell a fake product immediately." Melissa said.


    The woman trembled all over with rage, "Are you bullying us now? You know, I''ll call the police for criminal damage and slander."


    The two sides were arguing when a low voice spoke from behind them.


    "I''m sorry, did someone say this dress is a high-end fake?"


    Everyone turned around to look at the newcomer.


    It was from Albert Pearson.


    The boyfriend was so happy and relieved that they finally had an ally.


    "It''s clearly a bad fake."


    The man could almost have spat blood at Pearson''s words.


    "What do you mean a bad fake?" The man said angrily, "You''re a man. What do you know about women''s clothes?"


    "You''re right, and I don''t know much about women''s clothes." Pearson said calmly, "But I know that all Pearson''s clothing company products have an iconic feature. The patterns and letters on each button and buckle are all carved by hand. The design of the pattern is very delicate. Each master makes a unique pattern with a slight change in the carving, which means no two buckles or buttons¡­''


    He looked at one of the decorative buttons on the woman''s dress, "¡­are exactly the same. But the pattern on this button - look at it - it''s not hand-carved at all. It''s painted, see?"


    She looked down at the button on her dress. Obviously, it was printed and not carved by hand.


    She suddenly turned to the man and grabbed his clothes, "This was your birthday present to me? A fake Aphrodite dress? You fooled me with a crap knock off! No wonder my friends laughed when I showed it to them the other day. You''re a liar! How can I turn up at my sister''s party now, knowing that you gave me lies?


    The man was worried, "Listen to me, honey. I didn''t know it was fake. How could I have known? I don''t specialize in women''s clothes like this guy. I was fooled too. They said it was genuine."


    Pearson looked at him, "Pearson''s clothes can only be bought in a Pearson store if you go to the right store. You say you didn''t know it was fake. Then this crap fake¡­ where did you buy it?"


    Before the man could retort, the woman slapped him in the face, "We''re done! Don''t let me see you again!"


    She turned around and ran away.


    The man chased after her, and soon, the two figures had disappeared around the corner.


    Melissa looked at Pearson with admiration, "Mr. Pearson, I didn''t expect you to know so much. It''s amazing. Your surname is Pearson. Does that mean you and the Pearson Group¡­"


    "It''s a coincidence!" Pearson said quietly.


    Melissa looked closer at Pearson, "Your buttons don''t have any carved patterns. So you don''t wear Pearson clothes?"


    Pearson nodded, "Pearson''s clothes are too boring and ugly! I prefer to get my clothes from other brands."


    Ryan was surprised.


    His boss had just said bad things about his own company. Wasn''t he afraid that his words might be overheard and damage the image of the company?


    Once the fight was over, Katherine continued the tour.. They still hadn''t seen all the inside of the mansion, and it was wearing them all out.

 Chapter 68 - 68: He Had A Secret

    All the people in the tour group were busy taking photos. But Sophia didn''t take out her phone or join in any of the group photos. She just quietly looked at the furnishings and information boards around.


    Albert walked over to her, "Don''t you like taking photos?"


    "No, not really," Sophia said.


    "Me neither."


    The memory of the other Sophia struck him. He remembered that she didn''t like to be in pictures, either. When they had tried to look for a picture of her for the centerpiece at her funeral, they could only find one Kevin had taken on his phone at her birthday when he had insisted she let him.


    "By the way, I''ve meant to ask, what do you do?" Sophia was curious.


    She wanted to know what Pearson would do now. He was no longer her assistant.


    She had sensed that this young man was far too talented to be her assistant. She had even offered to help him get better jobs, but he had always turned down her help.


    "I have a small business," Pearson said.


    "Clothes?" Sophia asked.


    Pearson smiled, "How do you know?"


    "Well, I''ve seen your clothes. You''re not particularly showy in the things you wear or particularly tied to one brand. But you knew that little detail of the Pearson Group''s clothing. So, I thought you might be in the clothing business." Sophia said.


    Pearson had a sly look in his eyes, "You''re right. I''m in the clothing business."


    He had no intention of revealing his identity, and since she had said it, he just agreed with her.


    It was not the first time Pearson had been mistaken for someone else. He had accepted it then just as he did today.


    ***


    Two years ago, he had been instructed to go to the Glinton University Institute to meet a professor named Sophia Green. Sophia was leading a new energy project. His father wanted him to talk to Sophia about making an investment.


    In return for funding this project, Sophia would then sell the patent to Pearson once she had made a success of it.


    It was undoubtedly a win-win cooperation project. Pearson had been sure it would not be difficult to get her agreement. It was a straightforward matter.


    Pearson went early that day. It was not that he wanted to go early, but he couldn''t sleep at night. Despite the sleeping pills he had taken, he had still woken early.


    He had a secret: he had depression.


    To the world, the young master of the Pearson family had both money and status. He didn''t lack for anything, and so they assumed he must be very happy every day. It would surely be impossible for him to have anything to do with "depression."


    But what no one knew was that Pearson''s huge wealth brought him no happiness but an untold amount of endless pressure.


    Pearson had been brought up to believe in perfection. He must deserve to be the heir of the Pearson family!


    Thus, he had been studying hard and being strict with himself ever since childhood. He had not had a day of freedom, not a day of happiness.


    As an adult, Pearson found it hard to be truly content. No matter what people, what things, it was difficult to get close to him or make him happy. Everything he wanted in the world was easy to get. He could gain no sense of accomplishment.


    It was getting harder and harder for Pearson to fall asleep, and he was always restless. Eventually, he went to the doctor and was diagnosed with depression.


    Pearson had smiled bitterly at the result: if the news had ever come out, he could just imagine the headlines. The prince of the richest family suffered from depression. Are you kidding me?


    With dark rings under his eyes and a suit bought from the street, Pearson entered the laboratory.


    The lab was quite early in the morning. Pearson saw a thin girl sitting in a wheelchair at the table, facing him quietly and beautifully.


    She held a test tube in her hand and was watching it intently.


    Hearing someone come in, the girl didn''t look up. She just said, "Bring me the hydrochloric acid. Thank you!"


    Pearson wondered who she was talking to. There was no one else in the room, was she speaking to him?


    Pearson stepped forward, found the hydrochloric acid she wanted, and put it in her hand.


    The girl squeezed up a drop of hydrochloric acid with the burette tube, diluted it, and dropped it into a tube. She observed it quietly for a while and sighed. Then she picked up the pen on the table and wrote on a piece of paper, "1367."


    Pearson looked at the number and asked curiously, "What''s this?"


    "That means I''ve failed 1367 times. But it also means that I''ve got 1367 wrong methods, and so now I''m a step closer to success, right? "The girl laughed.


    She looked up at Pearson, "Hello. I''m Sophia, and I''m in charge here. You must be the new assistant. Very good! What''s your name?"


    Her smile was as warm as the sun.


    Pearson was stunned. Assistant? Knowing that she had mistaken him for someone else, he tried to explain, "I''m Albert Pearson. I¡­"


    But Sophia had already started asking him to do things before he had finished talking, "Let''s try sulfuric acid! It might work! Pearson¡­May I call you Pearson? Look for sulfuric acid!"


    Pearson gave up his explanation and went to look for sulfuric acid for her immediately.


    Pearson was instructed by Sophia to do things in the lab all morning. Towards noon, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen came in with a lunch box in his hand.


    "Let''s have lunch, sister!" Kevin walked into the office and saw a man there, "Who''s this?"


    "Oh, he''s my assistant. You can call him Pearson. Let''s eat together, Pearson! My brother is very good at cooking!"


    Kevin smiled and said, "Yeah, can''t deny it.. I''m pretty good! I knew my sister had applied to the principal of an assistant, but I didn''t expect you to come so soon! Luckily, I brought a lot of food today. There''s plenty for all of us!"

 Chapter 69 - 69: You Can’t Reveal My Identity

    Because of Sophia''s mobility difficulties, returning home at noon was too troublesome for her, and Kevin didn''t want her to eat takeout everyday, so he insisted on cooking lunch and bringing it to her every day.


    Pearson tried to say no, but somehow he found himself sitting down and eating with Sophia.


    There was a spare set of dishes in the lab. Kevin found it and gave half of the rice to Pearson with a smile on his tender face, "Hey, come eat. It''ll get cold!"


    Pearson ate. Kevin had brought rice and a simple dish. Pearson wondered if it was because he had been so tired all morning, but he thought this simple meal was better than all the delicacies he had ever eaten.


    That afternoon, Pearson tried to make it clear that he was here to talk about investing, but for some reason, he couldn''t. He did experiments with Sophia and analyzed the possibility of various results. Before he knew it, it was dark.


    "See you tomorrow, Pearson!" Sophia smiled at him when she left.


    Pearson felt tired when he got home, and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


    He hadn''t slept that well for a long time.


    He had intended to explain his identity to Sophia the next day. But when he woke up, he found he had changed his mind.


    Perhaps being Sophia''s assistant and doing experiments with her would cure his depression.


    He found Principal Lewis of Glinton University the next morning and asked about Sophia''s assistant. Principal Lewis told him that they were trying to recruit one, but had not found a suitable person yet.


    "I''ll do it!" Pearson said.


    Principal Lewis couldn''t believe it, "You want to be Sophia''s assistant?!"


    "I don''t want wages," Pearson said, "and I can donate another building to the school!"


    Principal Lewis was stunned.


    So I couldn''t turn down an offer like that!


    "Of course, there is one condition," Pearson said, "You can''t reveal my identity."


    Principal Lewis became suspicious of Pearson''s motive, "Are you interested in Sophia Green?"


    "No. I promise you. I just want to get some sleep!"


    Soon afterward, Pearson asked someone in his company to talk to Sophia about the deal. Sophia had no issue with it and signed the contract.


    Pearson once heard Kevin complain to Sophia, "Your assistant Pearson... He eats like a horse! I have to cook three times as much food!"


    Sophia smiled and said, "He''s a kid, he''s still growing, just like you. So naturally, he needs to eat more."


    Albert was stunned.


    He was twenty-two years old, and he was an adult man, not a kid.


    Pearson decided to bulk up to prove that he was no child. So he began exercising and of course, with all the exercise he had to¡­eat more.


    Looking into Kevin''s grumpy eyes, Pearson offered, "How about I pay the cost of my meals?"


    Sophia laughed, "No. I can support you!"


    She knew that the assistant was not on the payroll and didn''t get much salary. As a professor, Sophia made more money than he did.


    Albert Pearson was totally speechless.


    It was the first time he heard a woman say she was going to look after him.


    But it had all worked out as he hoped it might. After becoming Sophia''s assistant, he no longer had to take any sleeping pills. All the symptoms of his depression slowly faded away in his happiness at his new work.


    He knew it was all because of the girl with a sunny smile.


    "Sophia, I found something interesting. Come and see it!" Barry suddenly ran over and waved to Sophia.


    Sophia walked over and asked, "What?"


    Barry looked at Pearson not far away and whispered, "I don''t think those two men mean well by you. Don''t get too involved with them. There''s more to them than meets the eye, and you wouldn''t be able to fight them, you''d lose."


    Sophia thought it was funny that Barry was talking to her like he was an adult. "It''s all right. Mr. Pearson and Mr. Sampson are very nice people." She laughed.


    Barry frowned, "Don''t be fooled by appearances. Good looking people are not necessarily good people! A person like Mr. Pearson must have a girlfriend, and probably many!"


    "You''re overthinking things."


    "No, I''m sure he has more than one girlfriend!"


    "I mean, he and I are just friends. Whether he has one girlfriend or eighteen, it''s got nothing to do with me."


    Barry was startled and suddenly smiled, "Oh, I see. I thought¡­ haha, yeah, I think too much."


    He scratched his head, "Well¡­ I want to go over there and see. Do you want to come?"


    "No, there are so many people taking pictures over there. I don''t like being photographed."


    "Uh¡­ Okay."


    Sophia thought that Barry Malone was an interesting boy. He had insisted on fighting her before, but now he was worried that she would meet bad guys. It seemed that a child''s mind was usually sweet and straightforward.


    After visiting several more parts of the house, Katherine announced that everyone would go back to the bus for a rest before going to the next attraction.


    The group followed Katherine to the exit. When they got to where the old couple was resting, Katherine didn''t see them.


    "They just left, they said they''d wait for you on the bus." The staff member said, "I''m sorry there are too many people here, and I couldn''t escort them, but they said they knew where it was."


    When they reached the exit of the mansion, Sophia caught sight of the old couple talking to a middle-aged man.


    Katherine walked over, "We''re going to the next spot. What are you doing?"


    The old lady laughed and said, "This man said he would sell us a piece of Ming dynasty porcelain. He said it had been passed down through the generations of his family. I think it''s very good. I want to buy it.. He said he needs money now, and so the price is very good."

 Chapter 70 - 70: It Can’t Be Wrong

    "This doesn''t feel very legit," Sophia said, half to herself and half out loud.


    The middle-aged man selling porcelain was upset, "It''s part of my family history, I''m only selling it like this because I have debts to pay. Don''t ruin my one chance to get my life on track with your muttering about ''legit." You know nothing about porcelain. This lady knows it. She can see it''s real."


    The old lady nodded, "I know it. This is an antique pot. The seal character on it, and the color, are all very good. It can''t be wrong. Ten thousand dollars is quite cheap. When I sell it to someone else, I can get my husband treated at a better hospital."


    Sophia frowned and said to that middle-aged man, "Did you hear that? This money is needed to cure his illness. It would be too awful of you to scam them, and now you know what that money is needed for. "


    A trace of hesitation flashed through the man''s eyes but soon disappeared. He replied forcefully, "It is authentic! This lady knows! Why are you suggesting I''m a liar and a scammer? Do you know anything about antiques?"


    Sophia said quietly, "I don''t know antiques, but I know there''s no such thing as easy money. If it were genuine, you would have sold it yourself, so you be here making up such a lie."


    The tourists crowded around, agreeing with Sophia''s words, urging the old lady not to be too greedy and to beware being cheated.


    The old lady was in a hurry, "I just want to make some money and get a better hospital for my husband. I know antique identification. I won''t be fooled! It must be the real thing! I''m sure of it."


    She was very stubborn, and she didn''t want to listen to anyone trying to help her. The old lady said she would go to get the money for the man.


    Sophia did not speak for a long time. Suddenly, she said, "It seems I can''t change your mind. But if it does turn out to be fake, will you have any money left for your husband''s treatment?"


    The old lady hesitated for a moment.


    Ten thousand dollars, that was all the money she had!


    Though she believed that this antique was authentic, she couldn''t help contemplating the awful reality they would face if it did turn out to be a fake? What if she couldn''t get the money¡­ what would her husband do?


    But the temptation was so great. She often watched antique appraisal shows and knew that if the porcelain was true, the price was far, far more than she would be paying now.


    She hesitated.


    "People who know nothing about antiques are not easy." Pearson walked over, "Those who know a little but think they know a lot, they are very confident with themselves. Others very easily fool them."


    He went up to the middle-aged man, reached for the porcelain, touched it, and within a second, pronounced, "It''s a fake!"


    Sophia was surprised that Pearson knew antiques. Was this another skill?


    She had never heard him mention that before.


    It seemed Pearson was a one-person counterfeit crackdown band today.


    "What are you talking about?" The man growled.


    "I can''t tell you the reason, but I know it''s fake. Madam, would you like to believe me?" Pearson said.


    The old lady hesitated for a while, looking into Pearson''s serious, certain eyes and finally said, "Fine. I won''t buy it! I believe you, young man!"


    Just then, the police arrived. It turned out that one of the group had called the police. Seeing the situation had gone pear-shaped, the middle-aged man tried to run away and was caught by a police officer.


    "You trying to fool some more tourists?" The policeman frowned, "You cheat tourists every day here. One of these days, you''ll go to jail!"


    The man tried to run again. Only to be caught again and firmly and unceremoniously dumped into a police car.


    The old lady hurriedly thanked Albert and Sophia, "Thank you. I almost got fooled! You are much more sensible and knowledgeable than I. You could tell at one touch that it was a fake. I''ve been studying antique identification for so long, but I''m not so good at actually feeling it."


    Pearson smiled, "I really don''t know how to identify antiques. Actually, it was just a hunch!"


    He couldn''t tell her that there was a genuine Ming Dynasty pot in his living room at home. He had just touched that pot and knew it felt different, and that was how he knew it was a fake.


    There was one day left of their tour, and the group continued without Albert Pearson and Ryan. When they assembled around the bus, ready for departure, Sophia saw Pearson''s car parked next door.


    Ryan Sampson got out of the car, "Miss Green. Can I discuss something with you?"


    "What''s the matter?" Sophia asked.


    "I''m getting a bit carsick," Sampson laughed, "so I wondered if I could take your seat on the bus, and you could ride in the car?"


    Sophia was confused, "Won''t you still get carsick on the bus as well? I didn''t think it literally meant just cars?"


    "The bus is more spacious." Sampson explained, "it''ll be much better."


    Sophia didn''t quite understand his situation but was happy to agree anyway when Barry came over suddenly and said, "I can change seat with you. I''d actually prefer to take the car."


    Ryan didn''t know what to say.


    Suddenly, several of the group raised their hands, "I''d like to take the car, too!"


    Ryan had not planned for this.


    He has just wanted a chance for his boss to spend time with Sophia. Why were they all making it so difficult?


    Suddenly, Albert Pearson got out of the car and said, "You all take the car. I want to try the bus."


    Sophia was surprised, "Try?"


    Albert realized that he had said something wrong and hurriedly said, "I mean, this bus looks nice."


    "Whatever you like," Sophia said.

 Chapter 71 - 71: Did You Know Each Other Before?

    Ryan Sampson''s stress levels were on a roller coaster, going up and down. He almost couldn''t take it. But now, it seemed settled.


    Kevin, Mariah, and Dave got into Pearson''s car, and the rest of them took the bus.


    Kevin wasn''t bothered about being in the car, but when he knew Pearson would be on the bus, he didn''t want to be cooped up with him for hours.


    To him, Albert Pearson would always be his sister''s assistant. He had even helped to arrange the funeral, and now when Kevin saw him, it always made him think of his sister, and he couldn''t help but feel sad. He had said hello to him in Bridge Town but couldn''t bring himself to say anymore.


    Barry had the opposite problem, he wanted to take the car, but he didn''t want to let Pearson spend several hours with Sophia without him there.


    Katherine, the tour guide, didn''t mind this new arrangement, but she did ask that the car should be in her sight at all times. After all, she was responsible for the safety of her group.


    They got on the bus and took their seats.


    When Sophia got on, she took a seat at random.


    Barry immediately followed, wanting to sit next to her.


    But, a gloved hand stretched out and pulled him into the seat in front.


    Ryan smiled darkly, "Sit next to me, boy!"


    Barry frowned, "Who would¡­"


    He looked back and saw that Pearson was now sitting next to Sophia, calmly, as if he were supposed to be sitting there.


    The journey was going to take about six hours, the car with Kevin and the others ahead and the bus following behind it.


    "Kevin has been avoiding me" Albert was looking helplessly at the car in front.


    Sophia had noticed that already. Throughout the trip, Kevin had barely spoken two words to Pearson, and yet Sophia remembered how friendly they had been before. Sharing jokes with each other, Kevin teasing Albert for eating too much and generally getting along when Kevin came to see Sophia in the lab.


    "Did you know each other before?" Sophia asked, following his train of thought.


    "Yeah. I was his sister''s assistant. It''s funny, and his sister had the same name as you, Sophia Green." There was something in his face, in his eyes that shifted when he said her name, a depth of feeling, or something.


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah. I know. Kevin told me about that. I was actually there at her funeral."


    Albert was surprised, "Really? I was there too, well, I helped Kevin arrange it. In fact, he didn''t talk to me much then either. Maybe I remind him of his sister, and it makes him sad!"


    "The funeral, you arranged it?" Sophia looked at him in amazement. She had heard from Kevin that his sister''s colleagues had helped arrange the funeral, and while it had crossed her mind that it could be him, she hadn''t really thought it possible.


    What an amazing person, what an amazing assistant! Albert Pearson was incredibly kind.


    Pearson nodded slightly, "Yes. Kevin is really still just a child, and his family situation is not good. He and I are friends. I wanted to help." He said with some sadness in his eyes.


    Sophia quickly changed the subject, "How about your clothing business? Is that going well?"


    Ryan had been listening to their conversation. When he heard Sophia ask about the company, he interrupted, "It''s great. My boss is doing an excellent job!"


    Barry glared at Ryan. What was he trying to do? Make a good impression on Sophia because of his glowing career and money? It wasn''t fair, just because he was still a student. He didn''t like these guys.


    Sophia laughed, "That''s good."


    She always thought Pearson would succeed if he left the lab to do something else. Now it seemed that she was right.


    But this comment sunk Barry into an even greater mood.


    "That''s good," what did that even mean? Did that mean she liked Pearson? That she wanted to be with him?


    Sampson saw the look on Barry''s face and suddenly laughed, "Boy, how old are you?"


    Barry gave him a dirty look, "Eighteen. Why?"


    "I hear Sophia is nineteen, right? Girls, nowadays, don''t tend to go for boys younger than them!"


    "Bullshit! You''re not a girl, and you don''t know!" Barry retaliated.


    He was not even sure what his feelings were for Sophia. He just found her fascinating. She was so different from any girl he''d ever met, and he wanted to get to know her more.


    And he didn''t like to see this handsome, older guy getting close to her.


    The bus was approaching a dangerous mountain pass. Katherine stood up from her seat and warned them all loudly, "Please fasten your seat belt, everyone. This is a dangerous stretch. I''ll come and check in a moment to make sure they''re all done."


    Most of the passengers put them on, but Sophia noticed a few who were reluctant, and so she persuaded them one by one until all the passengers had done them up, and she went back to her seat satisfied.


    There were many bends on the road, and it was quite bumpy. The bus driver was very careful.


    As the bus made its way along the road, they suddenly heard a loud crash in front of them. The bus veered to one side, scraping along the side of the mountain, before eventually coming to a halt.


    A man in the bus screamed, he held his hand on his head and shouted at the bus driver, "What the hell was that?"


    Passengers looked over at the man, and they noticed that he hadn''t been wearing his seat belt. He must have unfastened it again after Katherine finished checking. As the bus veered off, he had been thrown against the window and hit his head on the glass. Fortunately, it did not seem particularly serious, just a little surface wound.


    The driver wasn''t paying any attention to him, and said with a tremble in his voice as he pointed in front of him, "It seems that¡­ there''s been some crash."

 Chapter 72 - 72: Don’t Come Over Me

    As soon as Sophia heard the word ''crash,'' she instantly jumped out of the bus. Fear had flooded her body.


    Her brother was in the car ahead.


    As she walked, she could see a sports car had smashed into the side of the mountain. The tail of the car was sticking out into the road. In order not to crash into the car, the bus driver had quickly turned the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes.


    "It just rushed out like crazy, and I almost couldn''t avoid it." The bus driver had followed her out.


    It had been the scariest moment of the driver''s career; he had a coach load of passengers, what if he hadn''t been able to brake in time? It didn''t bear thinking about.


    Sophia looked ahead and saw Pearson''s car safely parked in front. Her whole body relaxed with relief. Pearson''s driver had climbed out and walked over, saying, "That really freaked me out. It was going so fast, and I nearly hit it. We all could have died."


    Kevin, Mariah, and Dave had all gotten out too and were walking over.


    "Is the guy in there still alive?"


    The side of the mountain completely blocked the front seat. The bus driver tried to pull open the passenger door but couldn''t do it. It seemed to be locked from the inside. The driver of the sports car did not move at all, nor did he react. They didn''t know whether he was dead or alive.


    Sophia shouted to the visitors who were just getting off the bus, "Get the safety hammer down!"


    Pearson had already stepped out of the bus with the safety hammer in hand. He went straight to the sports car and hammered several times on the glass. The glass quickly broke apart. He reached inside the door, pressed the switch, and opened the door.


    As soon as the door opened, Sophia got a strong whiff of alcohol. It seemed the driver had been blind drunk and lost control around the corner.


    The bus driver frowned. He couldn''t stand drunk drivers. To endanger your own life is one thing, but to endanger the life of everyone else on the road as well as one of the most selfish things you could do.


    Almost all the passengers had got off the bus. Some stood far off for fear of blood, while others got a little closer but still didn''t want to be in the way. No one knew quite what to do but seemed instinctive to turn to Albert Pearson for guidance.


    "Call the police¡­ call an ambulance!" Pearson said as he leaned into the car.


    Sophia hastily picked up her phone and called the ambulance.


    The bus driver called the police and explained the situation to them. He hated drunk drivers, but out of humanitarianism, he would help.


    Kevin walked to the car and asked, "What''s the matter? Is it serious?"


    "Don''t come over!" Sophia said immediately, "Get back! There''s blood everywhere. Don''t look! You''ll feel sick."


    Just hearing that, Kevin backed away immediately. He had a phobia of blood. When he saw it, he got dizzy and nauseous.


    Suddenly, he thought of something.


    Had he ever told her he didn''t like blood?


    "It will take twenty minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Can he hold on for that long?" Sophia asked.


    "I''m not sure. It''s probably an arterial hemorrhage. But I can''t see the wound clearly enough. I need to stop the blood, or he''ll bleed out before the ambulance comes." Pearson said, "I have some first aid knowledge. I can help him."


    Sophia turned to the bus driver, "Do you have a first aid kit in your car?"


    "Yes!" The driver ran to the bus, "I''ll go get it!"


    The passenger with the wounded head got out of the bus, swearing loudly and shouting, "How come no one cares about me? My head hurts!"


    The bus driver was very impatient with him. He opened the first aid kit and took a band-aid out for him, "Sort yourself out!"


    The man was angry, "I have a big bump on my head! I''ll be disfigured! I may have a concussion. You have to pay!"


    There was a man in a life-threatening condition. The bus driver couldn''t be bothered to pay attention anymore to him. He jumped out of the bus, ran to the front of the wrecked sports car, and handed the first aid kit over.


    Albert Pearson put the first aid kit aside and frowned, "This is difficult. I can''t reach the wound from here. He''s stuck, and I need to find a way to move his body and, at the same time, stop the bleeding. Do any of you know anything about first aid? I''ll get him up on the back seat, and I need someone else to help stop the bleeding."


    The bus driver said, "I could help you hold him, and could you stop the bleeding? I don''t know anything about first aid, though."


    Pearson shook his head, "No, it''s not that easy. If you hold him in the wrong place and anything touched the wound, it could cause secondary damage."


    The bus driver asked the tour group, but there were no medics among them.


    Sophia took a breath, "I''ll do it!"


    Pearson looked at her, doubtfully, "Are you sure?"


    She was just a high school student. It wasn''t too difficult to do, but you did need to have a bit of knowledge. Could she really do it?


    Yes, I''m sure!" Sophia said, "I''ve read quite a few books about first aid."


    "Well, it''ll have to do. Have a try. I''ll direct you." Albert had no alternative, so he nodded.


    He broke the glass in the back seat with the safety hammer, climbed into the back seat of the car, and slowly pulled the driver''s body towards him.


    Sophia leaned into the car. As the driver''s body moved, she soon saw that the wound was in his thigh.. The blood was still gushing, and the bright red liquid was striking.

 Chapter 73 - 73: What’s Wrong With You?

    She took disinfectant, gauze, and a tourniquet from the first aid kit, disinfected the wound, then wrapped the gauze and tourniquet, and managed to stem the bleeding.


    "All right," Sophia said.


    Pearson leaned over and saw that the blood had stopped. He nodded and got out of the car.


    Sophia also got out of the car. Her hands were covered with blood. It looked scary.


    Kevin was looking over at her. Sophia hurriedly turned her back so that he couldn''t see the blood on her hands. Then she turned to the tourists and said, "Do you have water? I want to wash my hands."


    Katherine got a bottle of water out of the bus for Sophia. She was about to offer to help her when Pearson came over and took the water, "I''ll do it!"


    He unscrewed the cap and tilted the bottle. Sophia stretched out her hands. The cool water poured over her hands, slowly washing the blood off her hands.


    "Congratulations!" Pearson praised her, "That was very well done. It almost felt like that wasn''t the first time we worked together¡­ Isn''t that strange?"


    Sophia had seemed to anticipate everything he was worried about before he mentioned it, moving in perfect sync with what he was doing.


    Sophia washed her hands, walked a little farther away and shook them several times, then looked back and laughed, "Well, that''s just luck, right? There''s no way we could have worked together before, is there?"


    Just then, the ambulance and fire trucks arrived. The firemen helped move the car, managing to get the driver''s door open. The paramedics stepped forward, got the driver out, and took him to the ambulance.


    "Excellent first aid!" one of the paramedics said, "Without doing what you did, he would have died before we got here."


    "I need first aid, too!" cried the man whose head had been cut, "My head hurts!"


    The paramedics checked him over quickly and said, "I don''t think you need first aid anymore. You''ve already got a band-aid on it!"


    The man said angrily, "I might have hurt my brain. The travel agent should pay me compensation!"


    The paramedics wanted to shut him up, so he told him to get into the ambulance." We''ll get you tested if you insist."


    The man was satisfied, "Finally. I want my whole body checked! I''m going to do all the tests possible!"


    Sophia gave the man a searching look. She couldn''t believe he wanted a general check-up, sounded like he really had had a brain injury if he thought that was a good idea.


    The bus was in a bad way, having scraped against the mountainside, and although it could be started, the driver was not comfortable driving it in its current condition. He had contacted the company to send another bus, and they were also sending a trailer to pick up the other one for repair.


    The wrecked sports car wouldn''t be dealt with until the traffic police came. It had to be moved to a place that didn''t affect traffic.


    "Sister¡­" Kevin called to Sophia, "Have some water!"


    He had unscrewed the top of the water bottle and handed the water to her. Sophia took it and had a sip. She frowned and said, "Is there any still water?"


    "Don''t you like soda water, sister?" Kevin looked at her.


    "No, I don''t."


    "Oh¡­ Well, there''s some jasmine tea on the bus. Do you want that?"


    "Yes!"


    Kevin returned to the bus, grabbed the jasmine tea, and handed it to Sophia.


    He looked at her strangely and frowned.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Sophia asked.


    "I''m fine. I just saw some of the blood and felt a bit uncomfortable." Kevin said slowly, "How did you know I can''t stand the sight of blood?"


    Sophia was in a daze. She hadn''t thought about it when she stopped Kevin from getting closer. She had done it subconsciously. She is thinking about it now, and it was hard to explain.


    "I don''t know. I just didn''t want you to be scared, you know."


    "Yeah," Kevin said, without saying anything.


    It took another two hours before the second bus arrived. The group got on the bus, and by the time the bus reached Lands City, it was already dark.


    Sophia had called Kate to tell her that she would be late getting back so she wouldn''t worry.


    The next day, Sophia got a call from Melissa.


    "Boss, it''s so funny!" Melissa laughed on the phone, "You remember the man who hurt his head?"


    "Yeah. Why?"


    "He went in the ambulance to the hospital and got them to check every organ of his body. He almost had a pregnancy test. Then he went to the travel agency with the bills. The travel agency rejected him outright. He protested and complained to the Consumer Association, and guess what?"


    Sophia couldn''t help laughing, "No compensation, right? He shouldn''t get anything."


    Melissa laughed. "Of course not! He only got hurt because he refused to follow the tour guide''s instructions, and now he''s landed himself with a huge medical bill!"


    Sophia was almost overwhelmed by all the things she had encountered over the last few days. She had never been on a trip like that in either life, and it had been quite an eye-opener.


    ***


    Two days later, Sophia received a call from Mitch Watson, inviting her to play chess. Seeing as she was on holiday, it seemed like a good way to pass the time. She hadn''t had the chance to play chess for a few days. The rich guy, Chubby, hadn''t been online to challenge her, and she missed playing chess.


    They met in a quiet chess club. He was there already when she arrived.


    "Hello, Miss Green." Mitch said in French, "I haven''t seen you for a long time."


    Sophia wanted to say it hadn''t really been that long, but she didn''t, she just smiled, "Hello, Mr. Watson."


    Mitch had already prepared the board. Sophia sat down, and they began to play straight away.


    When she had played him before, she hadn''t known she was up against the world champion, and so she hadn''t felt any psychological pressure.

 Chapter 74 - 74: Manipulating Innocent Person

    Under those circumstances, she had beaten him twice. Now, it felt a lot more stressful.


    They played two long matches. Sophia lost the first and won the second.


    Mitch smiled, "It''s so fun to play chess with you! Are you sure you don''t want to go pro?"


    "No!" Sophia said, "I like chess, but it''s not my passion, and it''s not what I want to do with my career. I have more plan for my future,"


    "Fair enough." Mitch smiled, "There is one other thing I''d like to ask you today. I need to ask you for a favor, Miss Green."


    "What is it?" Sophia asked, and a hint of curiosity added to her voice.


    "Well, there''s a competition coming up. I have to go back home for just over a week. Would you mind looking after my son? I don''t know many people here, and all the ones I do know are also going to this competition." Mitch explained.


    Sophia was confused, "Your¡­ son? How can you entrust your child with someone you barely know? Aren''t you afraid something might happen to him? I mean, I could sell him! Or maybe I will ignore him,"


    Mitch smiled, "No. I don''t think that''s something I have to be worried about! I know you are a good person. I hint nothing harm to your aura,"


    Sophia didn''t understand. Was he really so relaxed?


    She thought about it and said, "No, I can''t do it, I''m afraid. I''m going back to class in a few days, and my mum has to go to work, so there is no one at home during the day."


    "Oh, that''s alright. You just feed him when you''re available, once in the morning, once in the evening. My son''s easy to look after. He''s a good boy." He forcibly explained to Sophia.


    "That is really easy." Sophia was surprised.


    "He''s here now actually. I just left him at the reception desk." Mitch said, standing up with a smile and walking to the counter.


    Sophia was even more confused.


    "He left him at the desk? How could he do it easily?" She asked herself silently.


    Mitch walked over, and everything suddenly made sense.


    He was accompanied by a big dog, "Here he is. My son! Doesn''t he look cute?"


    He was a golden retriever, but his fur looks dull and uneven in length. There were some bandages on his body. He was clearly in recovery from wounds that had not yet healed fully.


    She got up from the seat and went to stroke the dog''s head. The dog was very docile. As she patted him, he lifted his head slightly and gave her hand a lick. The dog shakes the tail as if pleased with what she had done.


    Mitch said proudly, "What do you think? Isn''t he a good boy?"


    "Yes, he is. Where did you get him from?" Sophia asked. He clearly hadn''t come from a pet store, or he wouldn''t look so battered and abused.


    "He''s a stray I picked up. I hadn''t planned on looking after him. But he has been following me since the first day I met him. So, it just seems right that I take care of him now." Mitch patted the golden retriever''s head and said, "When I met him last week, he was a mess. He was covered in mud, thin and bruised¡­ He looked like he might have had a fight with other dogs. I took him to the vets and vaccinated him. He hasn''t fully recovered yet, but he is much better now."


    Sophia warmed up to the dog immediately. She patted his head and asked, "What''s his name?"


    "Pierre!"


    She gave Pierre a slight pull of the chain around his neck, and he followed her cleverly.


    "Are you going to take him back home with you later?" Sophia asked. After all, Mitch was a foreigner. He is practically strangers for Sophia. But because of his dog, Sophia learned to appreciate him immediately.


    Mitch smiled, "I''m actually planning on living here for two or three years. Originally, I just came here to play chess with you. But, when I got here, I realized there is so much fun to be had here! There is so much delicious food and fun things to do. I''m even going to improve my English."


    "So, you are attracted by the delicious food here," Sophia concluded.


    She knew of another foreigner who had been bewitched by the food.


    "Actually, there are other reasons. Mr. Damon took me to someone who is said to be able to predict the future. The man told me that I¡­" Mitch continued.


    He bowed his head slightly as a blush rose in his cheek, "would find a partner here, my soul mate! I''m really looking forward to it. Someone who is a gentle and caring person to become my future wife,"


    "Is that the man who lives under the pedestrian bridge?" Sophia asked.


    "Yeah! I often talk to him!" Mitch nodded excitedly.


    "Is he a blind man who wears sunglasses?"


    "Yes, exactly! He said he had become blind only when he opened his Inner Eye! This country is amazing, full of interesting and strange people. Aside from learning different cultures and languages, I realized that most people here are hospitable, " Mitch said.


    "Has Mr. Damon ever asked you to do anything for him?" Sophia probed.


    "Mr. Damon is very nice. Now that I want to stay here for a while, he''s suggested that we set up a chess training academy together." Mitch said.


    Sophia could see what Toby Damon was up to.


    Toby wanted to take advantage of Mitch''s reputation to start a training school to recruit students and make money. This is purely an act of evil.


    "Did he not feel guilty? Manipulating Mitch like this and using his ability to attract more people?"


    She suddenly felt sorry for Mitch at this moment. Someone took advantage of his kindness. For her, this kind of act is unforgivable. Toby was using an innocent person to get personal benefits.


    "She must stop this," she thought to herself.

 Chapter 75 - 75: Guide Dog Are Expensive

    Toby looked at his newly printed Chess School leaflet with satisfaction. He had had the artist revise it several times, and the final leaflet was beautiful.


    "Mitch Watson World Chess Champion"


    The words stood out against the background. With this kind of pulling power, he wouldn''t have to worry about finding students. He was just afraid that Mitch would return home one day, and he would lose his star. But he could cross that bridge when he came to it. Right now, all he had to think about was how he could use Mitch to attract more students.


    Suddenly a hand tapped him on the shoulder. Toby jumped out of his skin, "When did you get here, bro? You scared me."


    "I heard you''ve tricked Mr. Watson into running a training school with you?" Kip frowned, "How could you do that? If he finds out you are using him, I''m afraid he''ll get mad,"


    "I didn''t trick him. We came to a mutually beneficial deal." Toby explained hurriedly, "It''s good for him, and it''s a good career move for both of us. I''m not going to let this fail."


    Kip frowned, "I heard you took Mr. Watson to the pedestrian bridge to visit a fortune ¨C teller and told him he could find a wife here¡­ You lied to him about that. You know he doesn''t know enough English and just told him what he wanted to hear."


    "No, the fortune-teller really said that!" Toby protested, "I didn''t lie to him! I told him the truth!" He tried hard to persuade Kip.


    Kip remained dubious and asked, "Where is Watson now? Have you lied to him to get him to do something else?"


    He grumbled, "He went to play chess with Sophia Green and try to persuade her to become a professional chess player. What a stupid idea. If she became a chess pro, we all might drop a place in the rankings.


    Kip sighed heavily and patted Toby on the shoulder, "Man, you haven''t paid enough attention to chess over the years, and now your game isn''t where you want it to be. You miss the point. A strong opponent is the best way to improve your game. How you don''t get that, I don''t know."


    Toby was speechless.


    Kip continued, "Besides, will anyone notice you dropping from No. 55 to No. 56?"


    "Don''t talk about me like that. It''s very rude." Toby said, and his voice was full of resentment.


    When Sophia and Mitch parted at the gates of the chess club, Sophia suddenly said, "Mr. Watson, whatever cologne or perfume you''re wearing smells great."


    Watson smiled, "That''s kind! It''s not a very fancy one. They make it in my hometown; I don''t think they sell it abroad. If you like it, I can bring you some bottles over."


    "That''s all right." Sophia said, "I just think it smells good. The smell attracts more attention," She smiles a bit.


    After separating from Mitch, Sophia led Pierre, the dog home.


    Pierre walked to heal perfectly, following her footsteps. When they came to an intersection, Sophia was going to bring him to a stop to wait for the green light. When she looked down, she found that he had stopped automatically.


    She suddenly had a realization.


    Back home, Sophia called Mitch, "Mr. Watson, did Pierre have a collar around his neck when you found him?"


    "Yeah¡­ But it was too dirty. It had words on it but it was too hard to make out, so I had to throw it away. What''s the matter?"


    "He is not a normal stray. Pierre is a guide dog!" Sophia explained.


    "A guide dog?"


    "Yeah. He''s been specially trained. Whoever has lost him, must be struggling without him."


    "But he was very dirty when I found him. He must have been abandoned a long time ago. And I feel pity for him that''s why I bring him in,"


    "Guide dogs are very expensive. I don''t think anyone would abandon him. Maybe he got lost or taken or something?"


    However, she had no way of finding the owner of Pierre. For many people, dogs were pets. But for blind people, dogs were their eyes and their lifeline.


    She wanted to post a picture of Pierre on the Internet and would see if anyone could find the owner so they could come and claim him. She asked Mitch what he thought of this, and he agreed on the straightaway. It would be amazing if they could find his real owner.


    Sophia thought about it and remembered that she had a lot of followers on her blog right now and so she could share the image quickly if she posted it on there.


    She posted a picture of Pierre on her blog as soon as she got off the phone, hoping that someone who recognized him would tell the owner who would not be able to see Pierre themselves.


    It was only now that she was on her blog that she saw her followers now numbered over 1.5 million. It was a huge number! She had hundreds of messages in her inbox and thousands of comments. There was one solitary message from someone she actually followed ¨C the official online chess contest blog. It was another invitation to play ''Chubby''.


    Sophia had not played chess with this guy for a long time. She said yes immediately.


    The official blog soon responded that ''Chubby'' would be available tomorrow afternoon and hoped that she would be online then.


    Sophia didn''t have class the next day, so she agreed.


    Taking care of Pierre was really easy. He was a good boy: he wasn''t naughty and didn''t excuse himself inside. He just lay quietly on the ground. Sophia bought a bag of dog food, fed him some on time, and took him downstairs to the park for a while at night.


    When Sophia told Kate she was bringing home a dog, she was worried that he would get the house dirty, but as soon as she realized how well behaved he was, she quickly accepted him.

 Chapter 76 - 76: Sophia’s Doing Great Now

    The holiday from school passed very quickly, and before Sophia knew it, there were only two days left.


    She wanted to lie in bed and relax and sleep, but Kate woke her up early in the morning.


    "Clean up the room, and your aunt is coming to visit today!" Kate said, "They''re coming to town to get some work done on your cousin''s teeth and are stopping by to say hello."


    Sophia wasn''t the biggest fan of this aunt. Having scoured the other Sophia''s memories, she could see that they weren''t close. She didn''t live in Lands City and didn''t come to visit them often at all. She was a rather sour lady and not at all easy to get along with.


    Sophia got up for breakfast and began to help with the cleaning. There was very little to do as Kate was always on top of the housework. Kate was pulling out all the stops and had even done a new grocery shop to make a fancy meal.


    The aunt and cousin arrived at 10 am. They were a little different from the memory she had of them. Her aunt was tall and strong and had put on a little weight, and her cousin was quite short. He wore a pair of thick glasses and held his head in quite a haughty manner.


    As soon as her aunt entered through the door, she laughed loudly, "Sophia, I haven''t seen you for years. You''ve grown so much!"


    It had been six years since they had last seen each other; of course, she had grown!


    She smiled, "Hi, aunty. You''re looking well."


    The words didn''t come easily.


    "What a good girl!" She laughed again, "Oh, by the way, I brought you some of our specialty. Have a taste!"


    She put a small bag on the table.


    Kate hurriedly said, "Oh, there was no need. Let''s not stand on formalities. Sit, have a drink!"


    Sophia felt a bit embarrassed. They had not seen each other for years, but being family, they had to pretend to be all friendly and close. It made Sophia feel quite uncomfortable. She said, "I haven''t finished my homework yet, aunty, so I just need to get that done." And she tried to slip away.


    The aunt smiled, "Sophia has begun to study now! Wow, well wonders will never cease. Taking after your cousin, Reed, finally. Sophia, where are you placed in your class?"


    Sophia frowned, "You must have forgotten, aunt, I had a car accident two years ago, and I''ve only just returned to school."


    She had only sat her first monthly exam last week. The results would not be released until she went back to school, only then would she know her place in the class.


    Her aunt was a little embarrassed. She had known about the accident, but she had never once come to visit in those two years. After all, it costs money to visit, and she hadn''t felt she could come empty-handed. She had to buy presents, and it was another expense, she couldn''t quite stomach.


    They had only made the trip this time because Reed had an appointment with a specialist dentist.


    "Sophia''s doing great now." Kate said hastily, "Since waking from her coma, she''s had a whole new attitude, really keen to learn. It''s wonderful."


    The aunt laughed again, "Well, that''s wonderful news. No more running into trouble and school and fighting, eh? Maybe if you work very hard, you might even get into university. Oh, imagine if you and Reed were at the same university, you could look out for each other!"


    She looked at Reed as she spoke with pride in her eyes, "Reed wants to go to Glinton University. Of course, it''s just a hope¡­ Glinton University is not easy to get into."


    Reed was happily eating some fruit, and when he heard her words, he said, "I''m sure I can get in!"


    She patted her son on the head, "You should have this kind of ambition for Sophia."


    Kate smiled, "I would be happy if she gets into any university. It would be a lot to catch up on to match Reed after all Reed has been top of the class always, hasn''t he?"


    The aunt laughed happily, "Not the top of the class but the top of the school! But our city is too small to compare with Lands City."


    Sophia listened silently to her aunt, boasting about her son like that. Again, she said, "Auntie, I haven''t finished my homework yet. I need to get it done before school tomorrow."


    The aunt sighed, "Sophia, you''re right. You can''t delay your homework. You should probably do some extra exercises as well so that you can improve your grades quickly. After all, it''s an important year!"


    Sophia was totally speechless.


    "By the way, have you signed up for any extra-curricular classes? I heard that they pay a lot of attention to that in college admissions. With some extra talent, you will be more attractive to a college."


    Sophia shook her head, "No."


    With a face of surprise, the aunt said, "Well, that''s a shame. You should do something about that. Ideally, you start young. Reed has been learning the piano since he was five years old. He''s beyond Grade Eight now. Sister, as a teacher, you should pay more attention to her education. Reed, play a song for your aunt¡­ Oh, I forgot, you don''t have a piano¡­"


    Sophia listened impatiently but had to put up with it. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Aunt. Actually, I also signed up for an extra class."


    The aunt was surprised, "Oh, what''s that?"


    Giving a small smile, Sophia said, "Juicing!"


    "Juicing?" The aunt was confused.


    Sophia picked up the orange on the table, put a cup under it, and grabbed it with her right hand and squeezed it hard.


    At once, the orange burst and the orange juice poured into the cup. The orange was completely squashed.


    The two visitors were stunned and didn''t know what to say.


    "Please enjoy your juice!" Sophia put the cup in front of her aunt.

 Chapter 77 - 77: I Can Invite You

    The aunt hadn''t reacted yet.


    "I really do have to do my homework, or I''ll get told off at school."


    Then she sauntered out of the room without looking back.


    Kate smiled, "How cheeky of her. She squeezed orange juice without washing her hands. You can''t drink that. Well, I''m going to prepare lunch for us all. Why don''t you watch some TV, sister?"


    As she spoke, she walked into the kitchen.


    The rest of their visit went quite quietly after that. After lunch, the aunt and Reed went off to do some clothes shopping, and Sophia went back to her room to play chess.


    The official blog had sent her the room number and password. She entered the room and began the game.


    "Chubby" hadn''t improved much and still lost in three minutes. After five games, Sophia was embarrassed that she was beating him so quickly.


    She was making one hundred dollars in three minutes. Sophia felt a bit bad about it.


    She clicked the dialog box and spoke to ''Chubby.''


    "Sir, I think we should discuss the price." KAP sent the message.


    It took him a while to respond.


    "Fine. Two hundred bucks a game!"


    Sophia was surprised.


    She didn''t mean to raise the price!


    "No, you misunderstand me, that''s not what I meant! I think you''re paying too much!" KAP said.


    "Three hundred dollars! That''s a deal!"'' Chubby'' then went offline.


    Sophia was stunned.


    Unlike Toby, she felt bad!


    Her aunt got back that evening and went to bed straight after supper without much talk. When she saw Sophia, there was something wary in her eyes.


    Sophia enjoyed the quiet and went to her room.


    The next morning, the aunt took Reed to the dentist. Kate had to attend a meeting at her school to discuss some arrangements after the holiday and so couldn''t go with them.


    "Well, we will be heading straight back after the dentist, so we should say goodbye now." The aunt turned to Kate, "Well, sister, there are some words I don''t know whether I should say or not¡­"


    Kate was good-natured. Although she knew this sister couldn''t say anything good, she still said, "Just say it, sis!"


    "Well, your daughter should learn some more¡­feminine skills. Something like cello or painting. Wouldn''t that be elegant? As she is¡­ Who''s going to want to marry her as she is?" said the aunt, sighing, "Sister, I''m good for her."


    Sophia came out of the room and looked at her with a smile, "Don''t hurry off, aunt. I''ll squeeze some more orange juice for you. Just a minute. I have washed my hands!"


    The aunt was scared, and hurriedly said, "No, no. I''m not thirsty. I''m leaving now¡­"


    Then, she took her son by the arm and walked away without turning her head back.


    Kate said to Sophia helplessly, "You scared your aunt. She meant well."


    Sophia shrugged her shoulder, "I didn''t see that."


    Kate didn''t say anything more. It was almost time for her meeting, so she had to go.


    Sophia was the only one left in the house. She was bored. Pierre ran to her and rubbed her feet.


    Sophia realized she should take him for a walk. He must be bored.


    They walked along the road, and as they passed the Hall Hospital, Pierre suddenly made a break for it, the chain broke away from Sophia''s hand, and he ran towards the hospital.


    Pierre was always so obedient that Sophia hadn''t been holding the chain tightly at all. She ran after him as fast as she could.


    Since PE, music, and art were subjects that were not examined in the college entrance examination, the school just suspended these subjects and left classes to Chinese, math, and English from that week. Many students complained about it and considered it destruction to their bodies and minds.


    Obviously, the teachers didn''t think so.


    In English class, Ms. Schultz announced that an English class would replace PE class since then. She happily smiled as if she had won a prize.


    "Then, we can do two more sets of papers every week." Said Ms. Schultz.


    The whole class was silent.


    Since October, the weather has gradually turned cold, no longer as hot as before, but more suitable for outdoor physical education. But it was clear that the senior high school students didn''t have this opportunity.


    They all missed the PE teacher, Adam Cromwell. While, sadly, they couldn''t take his class anymore.


    While there was still a cheerful thing for them this week: the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday on Friday, after a long National Day holiday, their interests in this Mid-Autumn Festival holiday was still no decline. They were glad that the National Day holiday did not come together with the National Day holiday. Otherwise, they would have one day less.


    Although there were still a few days off, many students'' chat topics were about "Mid-Autumn," "Moon Cake," and so on.


    After class, Louie quietly came up, "Green, I want to talk to you about something!"


    "What?" Sophia turned back.


    "Kevin wishes us to visit his home and make mooncakes there on Friday! You can also bring some to your mom. In this way, you don''t need to buy them. I heard there are preservatives in the mooncakes."


    Sophia had been reading a book and didn''t join others'' talking about the Mid-Autumn Festival. On hearing Louie''s words, she just realized that it would be Kevin alone at this Mid-Autumn Festival.


    "If I accompany Kevin, he would be happy, right?" She thought.


    "Okay! I will see you on Friday." She nodded.


    "Fine. I''ll have the necessaries ready and wait for you!" Louie said with a smile.


    Sophia found that the relationship between Delgado and Kevin had been getting better and better. They spent a lot of time together. And Delgado visited Kevin''s house a lot. Delgado gave her a bag of cookies when he came by yesterday, saying it was made with Kevin.


    While they were talking, a head poked over, "I want to go, too! You are about to leave us alone, boss?"


    Sophia looked up and met Melissa''s sad eyes.


    "About that¡­ You should ask Kevin if he wants to invite you to his home." Sophia smiled, "Isn''t he, your deskmate?"


    Everly frowned, "My deskmate is so eccentric. He just invites you rather than me! I am unhappy!"


    "I can invite you. Though it''s Kevin''s home, I can invite you. I''ll talk to him later. I don''t think he will disagree!" Louie said with a smile.


    "Really?" Melissa was surprised.


    "Really."

 Chapter 78 - 78: The Invitation Of The Prince Charming

    Melissa was thrilled about Delgado''s invitation. Delgado was her number two prince charming, which was the ranking she made after she met Pearson. The invitation of the prince charming, of course, was a matter of excitement.


    Delgado told Kevin about it. Kevin approved without hesitation. Considering the relationship between Sophia and Sister Alliance, he also invited Mariah and Carol.


    Mariah couldn''t go there because she had to go back to her hometown. Carol had to entertain guests and had no time to go, either. They were very interested in "hand making mooncakes." It was a pity that they couldn''t go.


    "Don''t eat up. Leave me some!" Carol pitifully looked at Sophia.


    "It''s just Tuesday today. It''s been a few days before Friday."


    Sophia never cooked. Of course, she couldn''t make desserts. She checked on her phone and learned that the mooncakes were baked in the oven rather than the fire.


    She remembered the terrible feeling she felt the last time she saw flames. Since then, she tried to avoid getting close to the fire and the kitchen. Sometimes, she just helped her mum doing the dishes.


    ***


    When she walked out in the morning, she found Ever''s food was running out.


    Ever really ate a lot. The dog food she bought last time didn''t last for days. Ever was really not young. According to the age of humans, he was already a grandfather about fifty or sixty if he was a man.


    It was not often that a "grandpa" had such a good appetite.


    After school at noon, Sophia saw a pet store on her way home. She parked her bike, entered the store, and walked to the dog food counter directly.


    She saw a boy in Colin High School uniform, also choosing dog food. The boy stared at her as soon as he saw her.


    Sophia didn''t know him and considered him someone who knew her because of her big name.


    She smiled at the boy, friendly.


    Weller felt his legs weak. He just came to buy some dog food. How could he meet Sophia here?


    Did she come on purpose to trouble him?


    He wanted to run away but feared it would anger her even more. And his legs were too weak to run.


    He could only stare at her in silence, silently praying that she would not come to kick his ass.


    While Sophia just came straight to him, and when she got near him, she smiled at him.


    Kurt thought he couldn''t get away with the beating.


    Could he¡­ ask for help?


    Sophia didn''t understand the complex feeling in Weller''s eyes. She walked straight past him and reached for a bag of dog food on the counter. After some hesitation, she turned to Weller and said, "Do you often buy dog food?"


    Kurt couldn''t help guessing what she meant... But it''s too deep for him to understand


    He could only nod his head, numbly, "Yeah¡­ I''ve a dog¡­ at home¡­"


    "That''s great! I''d like to ask, is it appropriate for an eight-year-old Golden Retriever to eat this kind of dog food?"


    Looking at the dog food in Sophia''s hand, Weller bluntly pointed to the beside a shelf, "That one¡­ better¡­"


    "Oh, well¡­ Thank you!"


    Sophia got the dog food from the shelf and turned to Weller, "Goodbye!"


    Weller looked at the back of her departure in a daze. What did she mean by "goodbye"?


    Kick his ass next time?


    Suddenly, a sense of anger rose in his heart. Why didn''t she just beat him? Compared with living in fear like this, being beaten up as soon as possible was more like a save for him!


    Boss Green¡­ She was really tough.


    Ever had a good appetite that day. After eating a plateful of dog food, he still stared at the doggie bag in Sophia''s hand.


    Sophia put the dog food on a high shelf, keeping it out of reach of him.


    She was a little worried that eating too much would make his stomach worse. It would not be good if he gets sick because of that. So, his food must be rationed regularly.


    While eating, she took a photo and posted it on her blog, with the words.


    The Knowing A Person: Grandpa with SUPER good appetite!


    Ever''s age has been marked by netizens before. They all knew that Ever was actually a grandfather in the Golden Retriever world.


    As soon as the picture was posted, many netizens began to comment.


    "Grandpa really enjoyed himself!"


    "Does KAP change the dog food brand? It looks different from yesterday! He loves this one more!"


    "Can''t believe I would love a Grandpa. Oh, me!"


    "Can KAP give me your address? I sell dog food. I want to feed him!"


    "I just fell in love with your Grandpa. What can I do? Steal him away at night¡­ can I do that?"


    Sophia loved to read netizens'' comments. She could not believe that so many people had loved an abandoned dog. Many people cared about Ever''s life and health.


    Sophia didn''t check her blog much and engaged herself in science research before. She never knew that there were so many kind people in the world.


    Naturally, there were some people who were not so kind. She had seen someone comment, "It was just an old dog. You are really idle.


    Then, this person was criticized by others immediately. Everyone scolded him for his lack of love. For the criticism, the man was probably embarrassed and just deleted his comment silently.


    ***


    On Wednesday morning, Ms. Acheson asked Sophia to her office after the first class.


    Her eyes were full of smiles, "Sophia, the result of the Olympic mathematics tryouts have come out. You get full marks. You''re the number one! Congratulations! The Mathematical Olympiad competition will start after the mid-autumn festival holiday, and you will go to the competition on our behalf. Are you nervous?"


    This result was expected by Sophia, who was confident in her ability to do the test.


    "No, I''m not.." She smiled.

 Chapter 79 - 79: Full Mark Of The Mathematical Olympiad

    Ms. Acheson took out a book from the drawer and handed it to Sophia, "This is a review of the Mathematical Olympiad. Take a look at it. There will be a lot of experts from all over the country. You can''t be careless!"


    Sophia wasn''t going to take it, but she didn''t want to fail Ms. Acheson. She took over the book and said, "Thank you, Ms. Acheson!"


    With the book, she left the office.


    Ms. Acheson picked up her pen and was about to do her work when her cell phone rang.


    "Director Bull¡­ Okay. I''m coming!"


    Ms. Acheson was rather surprised that Director Bull asked her to go to his office without telling her anything.


    When she came to the office, she saw Director Bull talking with Mrs. Lee.


    The school had just set up a senior three (49) class that week, the legendary top science class. Mrs. Lee was the headteacher of that class. The class managed by her last year got a good grade, so the school asked her to take a new class this year.


    Ms. Acheson was not familiar with Mrs. Lee. One was in charge of the art class and the other the science class. There was no competition or teaching interactions between them. She was surprised that Director Bull asked them here together.


    "What''s wrong? Director," asked Ms. Acheson.


    Director Bull coughed and said, "Well, a student named Sophia Green in your class got a full mark in the Mathematical Olympiad exam this time. But... Mrs. Lee says Kurt Weller in her class is more suitable for the competition. After all, he is a science student, and his math grades are very stable. And he actually did quite well in the exam this time, ninety-five points. There is just a small mistake."


    That set of papers was different from the school test paper, with a full score of one hundred marks.


    Immediately, Ms. Acheson immediately understood what he meant. "I have seen the exam result. Sophia is number one. She should go to the competition. Otherwise, the selection exam is just a show, isn''t it? Or have you already made a decision?" Angrily she said.


    "Here is the thing." Mrs. Lee said, "I heard from Weller that Green handed in her paper in less than an hour. We didn''t do a good job of keeping the test paper confidential this time. It was actually a mock test paper of another province last year. Sophia may have done this paper coincidently so that she can get full marks, I guess. While, in terms of the stability of grades, Kurt Weller is better!"


    Naturally, Ms. Acheson would not accept her argument. "Why do you think Green is inferior to Weller? She obviously did quite well in this exam. She should go!"


    Mrs. Lee picked up a file from the desk, "Look, here is the monthly report card. Weller got a perfect score of one hundred and fifty in math and Sophia Green? One hundred and thirty! Besides, the paper difficulties in liberal arts and science are not the same. That means Kurt Weller is better!"


    "Don''t think only science students can do math! It''s unfair. I protest!" Ms. Acheson was very upset, "If that''s the case, there is no need to hold the tryout. You can just let him go. It''s just a waste of time!"


    Seeing Ms. Acheson was unhappy, Director Bull hurriedly said, "Ms. Acheson, I didn''t mean that. After all, Olympic mathematics is a big game. And only one student can attend the match. So, it''s better to choose a student with stable grades. I''m not saying we have to choose Weller... How about this? Let''s have an extra round of the competition and test the top three candidates. Then we take an average of the two grades, is that okay?"


    "Green should be the one to attend the contest. Why should she take the exam again? This is so unfair to her!" Ms. Acheson frowned.


    "We never say that it must be based on the result of this trial to determine the final list! It''s normal to have one more round of tests. The Mathematical Olympiad also has two rounds, right? Besides, Weller is five points lower than Sophia in the first round, and we take an average of the two grades this time. Sophia takes advantage of it!" Replied Mrs. Lee.


    Ms. Acheson was very angry, but Director Bull was the school leader, she had no choice but to agree, "Fine. You can have an additional test! But this is the last time. You can''t have another one anymore!"


    When she walked out of the Director''s office, the more she thought about it, the more she felt suffocated.


    In the Director''s office


    Director Bull sighed, "I must have offended Ms. Acheson. She''s stubborn! She must be pissed at me."


    "Mathematical Olympiad is a big thing for school. She has to understand that," Mrs. Lee said. "In fact, I suspect that Sophia Green has already got the test paper secretly. I just didn''t say that in front of Ms. Acheson. You know, Mr. Cromwell, who is in charge of this exam, is chasing Ms. Acheson, isn''t he? "


    Ms. Acheson got divorced years before and then lived with her kid. The PE teacher, Mr. Cromwell, had the same condition, divorced, and had kids. He has always been nice to her. Sometimes, Ms. Acheson was too busy to pick up the kid, and he would help. Everyone considered him chasing her.


    For fear that the person in charge of the Olympiad exam would tell their students the test questions, Director Bull specially asked the PE teacher who had nothing to do with the grades of each class to take charge. He didn''t think of the relationship between Mr. Cromwell and Ms. Acheson.


    If Mr. Cromwell wants to please Ms. Acheson, he might leak questions deliberately to make her student be qualified for the Mathematical Olympiad contest.


    If Sophia gets a prize, Ms. Acheson will get a bonus in addition to the honorary certificate for the instructor.


    After Ms.. Acheson got back, she had been hesitant and didn''t know how to tell Sophia about it.

 Chapter 80 - 80: I Have To Talk To Her

    She just told Sophia to prepare for the Mathematical Olympiad. But then there would be another test waiting for her.


    Sophia would be angry about that, wouldn''t she?


    Ms. Schultz was there, noticed her sulk, and asked her.


    "This is too much! They just think we''re not top classes. This Mrs. Lee is really¡­" she stood up angrily, "I have to talk to her!"


    Ms. Acheson hurriedly grabbed her and said, "Please don''t. You teach English. Do you think Director Bull will talk about it with you?"


    Ms. Schultz was still aggrieved, and Ms. Acheson just had to comfort her.


    In the afternoon, Ms. Acheson hesitated for a long time and called Sophia to her office. "The selection rules this year are different from previous ones. There will be two rounds of competition, so... You have to take another exam," euphemistically, she said.


    She didn''t tell her much. Sophia would definitely be angry if she knew things happened before. It might affect her later exam mood.


    "Well¡­ fine. When?" Sophia nodded.


    Ms. Acheson didn''t expect her to answer so simply. She was startled, "The first class this evening¡­ It''s still in the Examination Center."


    "Okay. I''ll be there on time."


    Sophia didn''t think much about it. It was much easier for her to do questions than to think about those things.


    To her, there was one important thing.


    When she got to school at noon, Delgado handed her a bag of jerky and said it was made for Ever, especially. She mentioned to Delgado before that she had kept a dog for her friend, but she didn''t expect him to remember it.


    Sophia was happy and accepted it at once. She planned to take it to Ever after school.


    For the sake of Ever''s health, she imposed strict requirements on his diet and stipulated that he should not eat after seven-thirty in the evening. So, she had to feed him as soon as she got home from school. She couldn''t make it too late.


    After that, she went out for a walk with Ever and came back at exactly eight o ''clock. Then she could take a bath and go to bed.


    Sophia went to the Examination Center with a bag before the night class started. She intended to go home right after the exam instead of going to the class.


    The exam time was relatively long. A normal class lasted forty-five minutes, while exams are usually an hour and a half.


    Sophia came to the examination room and saw Ms. Acheson, Director Bull, and a teacher she didn''t know were there.


    The other two students had arrived and were sitting in their seats waiting. She recognized one of them. She had met him at the pet store. But she didn''t know another one.


    "This is the teacher of Class 49, Mrs. Lee," Director Bull introduced Mrs. Lee to her, "You sit in the front. We three invigilate and grade test papers here. Then we''ll decide the one to compete."


    "Yeah," Sophia replied. She thought it was too much. Three invigilators invigilated three students! Even the college entrance examination wasn''t so strict!


    After she sat down, Director Bull took out the test paper and gave it to them.


    Sophia Green picked up the test paper, wrote her name on it, and began to write.


    Mrs. Lee took a chair, sat next to Sophia, and stared at her.


    Ms. Acheson frowned slightly. She also took a chair and sat beside Weller.


    Director Bull was stunned.


    Should he take a chair and sit down next to the third student?


    This form of one-on-one invigilation had probably not been experienced by many people.


    The third student was a little confused. He didn''t know why they had to take an exam again, and the exam was so weird.


    When the teacher informed him to come and told him the form of the exam, he just wanted to give up.


    The average of the two exams¡­ Oh! He scored ninety-first points on the last test, nine points behind Sophia. That was to say, if he wanted to counterattack, he had to get at least ten more points than Sophia this time. With her one hundred points last time, what mistake would she make to give him a chance to counterattack?


    He really wanted to give up.


    Weller was quite nervous. Even though he asked Mrs. Lee to help him fight for the opportunity, but¡­ Whether Sophia had the ability or not, he wasn''t sure.


    And¡­ Would Sophia beat him if she failed the exam?


    He would rather be beaten up. He really wanted to take part in the Mathematical Olympiad.


    Sophia was nervous, too.


    She was worried that she would delay the feeding time. There were lots of questions on the test paper, and she couldn''t finish it in one class. In this way, she could not have gone back by seven-thirty, as usual.


    No. Hurry up! I couldn''t get fat anymore! That was very bad for a grandpa Golden Retriever!


    She quickened her pace.


    Mrs. Lee stared at Sophia''s pen, which hadn''t stopped for a moment. Her eyes couldn''t even keep up with its pace.


    Didn''t she??? need to think?


    She looked carefully at the answers written by Sophia. She had never seen this test paper. Director Bull kept it a secret from both of them. So, she didn''t know the answer either.


    The Mathematical Olympiad test is very difficult. Mrs. Lee couldn''t figure out the answer without calculating. So, for a moment, she couldn''t tell whether Sophia''s answer was right.


    The bell of the first night class rang, Sophia wrote down the last number and handed the test paper to Mrs. Lee who was still staring at her, "Here is my paper, Mrs. Lee!"


    Mrs. Lee was completely stunned. Director Bull and Ms. Acheson were also quite surprised.


    Time was only half over, and she just handed it in?


    "Can I leave now?" Sophia asked.


    "Not yet. You have to wait for the test result to come out!" Director Bull took the test paper, "I''ll mark your paper first. If you can get more than ninety-five points, we''re sure you can go to the competition. Otherwise, the decision can be made when the other two students finish their papers."


    Ms. Acheson was worried. Sophia handed in the paper too early. Could she do it, right?


    However, she had heard from other students that Sophia handed in her paper in advance in the first exam and still got full marks, so she still had something to look forward to.


    Director Bull took out the reference answer and corrected Sophia''s paper according to it.

 Chapter 81 - 81: Test Rules

    Director Bull was not very proficient in mathematics, but he could see that Sophia wrote a concise solution to each step of the problem and got the answer in the shortest time with the fastest method.


    With the reference answer, he checked the questions one by one until he came to the new filling part. "Why don''t you do this question, Green? Are you forgetting?" He took a careful look at the paper and asked.


    All the questions he had checked were correct, and he felt it was a pity to see an empty question. He thought about it and said, "Well, the time is not up yet. You can do it now."


    Sophia hadn''t spoken yet, and Mrs. Lee said first, "There are test rules. You can''t change the test paper after you hand it in. It''s the same everywhere. We can''t break the rules!"


    Ms. Acheson gave her a look. Rules? This exam just shouldn''t be held.


    Sophia was in a hurry to go home, and she didn''t want the teachers to argue for her. She knew Ms. Acheson wanted to help her, and hurriedly said, "It''s okay. I don''t know how to do it!"


    Ms. Acheson read the question and was confused, "It''s not difficult¡­ It''s just a little troublesome. If you calculate it carefully, you''ll be able to figure it out."


    Sophia could only say, "I really don''t know how to solve it. You can keep checking, Director Bull."


    Actually, she wanted to say that she deliberately left it out just because the calculation was too much! It was just a waste of time! Anyway, she could get enough points.


    Director Bull could only keep checking. Soon, he finished.


    Except for the blank filling part, all other answers were right!


    "Ninety-six points!" Announced Director Bull. The blank filling took four points.


    He cleared his throat, "With Green''s last score, Weller''s total points were less than hers even if he got a full mark. So, the representative of our school to go to the Mathematical Olympiad contest is Sophia Green."


    Kurt Weller, who was writing on his paper, stopped his pen in disappointment. It was meaningless for him to keep writing. Just read the last question; he had no idea how to solve it. There was definitely no hope to get a full mark. Even if he did, it was already meaningless.


    The third student was relieved. He really didn''t want to come. In the whole examination, he was not in the condition. He had no idea what he was doing.


    Sophia picked up her bag and asked, "Can I leave now?"


    "Yeah, go," Ms. Acheson was quite happy.


    Sophia immediately trotted away from the Examination Center.


    Director Bull looked at Sophia''s test paper with a smile. He chose the paper himself. It was absolutely no less difficult than the formal Mathematical Olympiad exam. Sophia could get ninety-six points, which had proved her strength.


    He was relieved to send Sophia to the contest. He used to doubt her strength, but then he considered it the right decision.


    "Ms. Acheson. Come to my office, please. I have some books, and you can give them to Green later," said Director Bull.


    Ms. Acheson smiled, "She will appreciate your kindness, Director Bull!"


    Then they left together.


    The third student had already packed up and slipped away. He didn''t want to stay here for a second.


    In the room, only Mrs. Lee and Weller remained.


    Mrs. Lee sighed, "You can go home, Weller. Let it be so!"


    Weller bit his lips reluctantly and whispered, "Does she know the answer? How could she do it so fast?"


    Mrs. Lee shook her head, "Director Bull chose the test paper himself. And there are only three of you. It''s impossible to leak it."


    Weller frowned, "Director Bull¡­ I think he likes Ms. Acheson. She is good-looking. Many people like her!"


    As he uttered these words, Mrs. Lee''s face got bad.


    Weller didn''t notice that and went on to say, "When the test results come out, we''ll know everything. It''s impossible for someone at the Mathematical Olympiad Center to leak the test paper to Green. Then we''ll all know the real her."


    He just didn''t want to admit that Sophia was better than him in math.


    Mrs. Lee ignored him. She clenched her right hand and strode away.


    ***


    It was right after seven forty when Sophia got home. There was still some time. She took out jerky from her bag and put it on Ever''s plate.


    As soon as Ever smelled the smell, he immediately jumped over and began to eat.


    Delgado''s little jerky smelt good. Though it was specially made for Ever, it smelt so good that even Sophia wanted to eat some.


    She took out her phone, took a photo of Ever, and posted it on her blog.


    Many netizens were fans of Ever. And she was glad to share his life with them to share the happiness.


    Knowing A Person, "There are jerkies today. Grandpa is very happy!"


    In one minute, the comments were already too many for Sophia to read.


    "Grandpa really had a good appetite."


    "The jerkies look delicious. I want to eat, too."


    "Bad table manners. Grandpa needs to pay attention to that!"


    "I was on a diet at night. But when I see the picture¡­ I want to go to dinner. What should I do? I can''t believe I''m hungry when I watch the dog eat!"


    "Look at the sixth picture. Oh, that kind of look. He seems to be afraid of KAP robbing him of his food, doesn''t he? He''s so alert. Ha-ha!"


    "I want to see KAP''s picture¡­"


    Sophia read several comments and couldn''t help laughing.


    Kate served the food and saw Sophia giggling at her cell phone and asked, "What are you laughing at?"


    "I put Ever''s picture online. They all like it!"


    Kate laughed, "Well, we have to eat. Go wash your hands! Look, Ever was almost done eating! Don''t you have to take him for a walk later?"


    After dinner, Sophia walked around with Ever.. Then she went back home to take a shower and go to bed.

 Chapter 82 - 82: We Work Together

    The next morning at breakfast, Sophia took the dog food out and poured some on Ever''s plate.


    Ever sniffed at the dog food but didn''t eat, he gave a look of disgust.


    Apparently, he wanted the small jerky she gave him yesterday.


    She could only post a picture on her blog to ask for help.


    "Grandpa is so picky. He won''t eat dog food. What should I do?" said KAP.


    Netizens went wild in the morning.


    "Ha-ha, the picky Grandpa is so cute!"


    "Beg him to eat!"


    "Reason with him! Kid¡­ oh no, it''s an old man, can''t be picky about food!"


    "Beauty, you''ll spoil him!"


    "Oh, my love. He is so cute."


    After accepting the advice of the netizens, Sophia tried to reason with him.


    "You can''t be picky about food. Ever! Do you know how many stray dogs don''t even have enough to eat? Cherish the grain, you know?"


    Ever didn''t respond.


    "Come on, Grandpa. Please!"


    He still didn''t respond.


    Sophia looked at the clock on the wall. Time was running out. She had to go to school in a moment.


    She pretended to be angry, "Ever don''t behave, I don''t like him anymore!"


    As she spoke, she turned and left.


    Ever hovered around for a few laps, wobbled over and rubbed his head under Sophia''s feet.


    Sophia was packing her bag, and she just ignored him.


    After a while, he turned and ran out. Later, he came back with the plate in his mouth. Then he put the plate on the floor, barked at her, and bent down to eat.


    Sophia was amused and bent down to stroke his head.


    Ever raised his head, he showed a docile look, squinted, and hummed twice.


    Sophia couldn''t help squatting down and hugging it.


    This little buddy, no, old buddy, was so cute! She even didn''t want him back to Mitch Watson.


    ***


    When Sophia arrived at school, the time was just right up. She was almost late.


    Director Bull was standing at the school gate. When he saw Sophia, rarely, he gave a smile.


    Sophia was stunned. Also, she gave a smile and walked into the campus.


    She walked a few steps and heard someone calling her.


    She looked back and saw the teacher who had been invigilated yesterday and turned and walked towards her.


    "What''s wrong, madam?" Sophia asked.


    Mrs. Lee looked at her and asked, "You''re good at math, Sophia. I think physics and chemistry should be good, too. Right? Why did you choose liberal arts?"


    If Sophia could choose herself, she would choose science. While in sophomore year, all students had already chosen their subjects. So, "that Sophia" had already made the chosen before she came. Then she had to study liberal arts.


    Naturally, she won''t tell Mrs. Lee about that.


    "I''m not good at physics. I can''t manage science," smiled Sophia.


    Mrs. Lee was a little disappointed. She thought for a while and said, "If you come to science class, maybe I can recommend you to take the exam as a math specialty. Glinton University wants math majors this year."


    Sophia didn''t expect Mrs. Lee would tell her that. She didn''t want to go to college as a specialty. For her, liberal arts and science were the same. It was not difficult for her to enter the Glinton University. There was no need to be so troublesome.


    And she didn''t want to leave Class 17 at all. There were classmates she knew and the teachers she liked.


    "Thank you. But I like liberal arts better!" Sophia smiled, "I''m going to be late. I should go."


    Mrs. Lee could only nod and let her go.


    Before she left work yesterday, she especially went to Director Bull''s office to bring in Sophia''s exam papers and read them carefully.


    Then she discovered a thing that surprised her.


    Sophia used the easiest solution to solve the questions. And her train of thought was very clear. As a math teacher for nearly a decade, she was unable to find the best solution in a short time.


    But Sophia did it.


    She thought Sophia had a special talent for math. A student like this would certainly enter a good university if she entered her top class.


    Surprisingly, Sophia was from a liberal arts class. What''s more, the class wasn''t a top class. And it was Ms. Acheson''s class. Mrs. Lee was very unhappy about that.


    Failing to persuade Sophia, she sighed and walked to her office.


    When she reached the door of the office, she suddenly saw a familiar figure.


    It was Mr. Cromwell.


    Mrs. Lee greeted him, "Hi, Mr. Cromwell."


    Mr. Cromwell turned back and saw Mrs. Lee." Good morning!" He smiled.


    "Mr. Cromwell. Have you ever taught class seventeen grade three?" Mrs. Lee asked.


    "Yeah, but not long, just a month. While PE is already stopped now, I''m just in charge of a few sports students. What''s wrong?"


    "Well, do you know a girl named Sophia Green?" Mrs. Lee.


    Mr. Cromwell paused, then nodded and said, "Yeah. I noticed her before. Her physical quality is very good. I wanted to persuade her to take the sports specialty, but she refused¡­ If she takes the sports specialty, I think she has a chance of getting into Glinton University!"


    "I just wanted her to take the math specialty. She¡­ How many specialties does she have?" Mrs. Lee said.


    Mr. Cromwell was too surprised to say anything.


    "By the way," said Mrs. Lee, "do you live in the teacher''s building, too? The light on the third floor of our 11th building is broken. Can you fix it? I''ve been trying to contact the electrician these days, but he''s too busy to come."


    Mr. Cromwell smiled kindly, "Yeah. It''s just a piece of cake. Well¡­ isn''t your husband at home, Mrs. Lee? He should be able to handle it."


    Mrs. Lee''s face turned a little pale. She shook her head. "He... isn''t at home. He''s on a business trip. It''ll take days to get back."


    "Well¡­ I''ll check it there after lunch."


    "Thank you."


    "No problem.. We work together."

 Chapter 83 - 83: Finish It Yourself

    They chatted for a while. Then Mr. Cromwell left and went to the playground to train sports students.


    Mrs. Lee''s look was very complicated. She frowned and got out of her mind for a while. Then she walked into her office.


    ***


    After that afternoon''s class, the school would have the Mid-Autumn festival holiday.


    All afternoon, the students looked a little excited and frequently distracted in class. In English class, Ms. Schultz asked a simple question, but several students couldn''t answer it.


    Ms. Schultz was unhappy, "It seems that there is too little homework."


    Then she asked students to finish a few more test papers.


    Right then, the students moaned. Ms. Schultz had such a strange logic. How did the distraction relate to homework?


    Ms. Acheson also assigned a lot of homework. With the homework assigned by other teachers, the amount of homework was exactly twice as much as the usual weekend.


    They just had an extra day off!


    And they soon realized that: it was a fake mid-autumn festival!


    What was the difference between a mid-autumn festival holiday occupied by homework and having classes at school?


    Delgado sighed, "Oh, no. I have to do my homework all these days."


    He looked around and saw that Sophia was writing the test paper she had just got hastily, and it was not long before she finished it.


    At once, an idea came to him. He got close to her with a smile, "Can you lend me your paper, Sophia? I want to copy it."


    Sophia didn''t look up. She continued her writing and said coldly, "No! Finish it yourself!"


    "How about¡­ another bag of jerky?" Delgado tried to persuade her.


    "Then, you should copy Ever''s homework!"


    No response from Delgado.


    Sophia knew that Delgado''s study was not good. He had to study hard during the critical period of senior three reviews. Although he wanted to study art, which had a low grade required to enter college, it wasn''t a sure thing by his grade.


    Depressingly, Delgado saw that Sophia finished all her homework in one self-study class.


    "By the way, is there anything I need to buy to make mooncakes?" Sophia asked Delgado before leaving school.


    "No. I''ll get everything ready." Replied Delgado.


    Then Sophia picked up her bag, walked to the carport, and then walked to the gate with her bike.


    Outside the gate, she got on her bike. As she waited for the green light at a crossroads, she saw a familiar figure in front of her. It seems to be the teacher who advised her to take the math specialty in the morning.


    Beside her was a man who looked a little decadent, stubble, and weary. He was arguing with her.


    "Don''t think I don''t know why you didn''t divorce me! I''m telling you, I''ve had enough of you! If you don''t give me the money, I''ll announce the fact that we''ve long been separated. And everyone around you will laugh at you!" The man said unscrupulously.


    "Shut up! You''re really not ashamed." She frowned.


    "Shame? I have nothing to be ashamed of. You know my company is an empty shell. There was nothing long ago! I don''t care about shame! I''m going to tell everyone that not only have I separated from you, but I have already hooked up with a widow."


    "You bastard!"


    Right then, the green light was on. Sophia rode past them. She didn''t look back, afraid of being seen by the teacher.


    Obviously, the teacher didn''t want anyone to know about it. Sophia didn''t mean to know about other people''s personal affairs.


    ***


    In the evening, Sophia told Kate that she wanted to make mooncakes with her classmates the next day. Kate agreed without hesitation.


    "Will the boy you went to his sister''s funeral be there?" Kate said, "If so, you invite him to dinner here. He will definitely be lonely on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival."


    Sophia didn''t expect her to say that. She was touched. Caring about an unfamiliar kid, Kate was really kind.


    ***


    The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. After breakfast, Sophia rode her bike to Kevin''s.


    Here, was also her home before.


    She came here last time to accompany Kevin to meet Williams. But she didn''t go up. So, it was the first time she walked into the house since the fire.


    Everything seemed so familiar to her, yet so far away.


    Kevin opened the building gate for her. She got into the elevator and got to the door.


    The red-brown security door was still affixed with the New year''s red couplets and images, which were a little dilapidated, but still complete. Sophia remembered that they were chosen by her. At that time, she was in the wheelchair watching Kevin paste them. At that time, she would never have expected something like that to happen in the future.


    Sophia Green reached out and rang the doorbell, and her hands trembled slightly.


    Soon, there was a slight footstep inside, and then Kevin''s smiley face appeared.


    "Come in, sis. There are slippers at the door."


    Sophia green looked down. The slippers on the ground were a new pair of women''s cloth slippers. They were quite simple.


    She used to enter the door in her wheelchair and didn''t need to change shoes. To her, shoes were just decorations, and it didn''t matter what shoes she wore.


    Did Kevin specially prepare these slippers for her?


    "You are so early! Have you had breakfast yet?" Kevin asked.


    "I''ve had breakfast at home." Sophia put on her slippers and walked into the room.


    The home was the same as before, basically unchanged.


    Kevin served some pre-made cookies and snacks for Sophia to eat. Sophia was at ease. As she ate, she picked up the TV remote control and turned on the TV to watch the news.


    Soon after, Melissa and Delgado arrived one by one. Delgado came with a big bag with things he needed to make mooncakes.


    Since everyone was there, they went into the kitchen and began to make mooncakes.


    The kitchen was so big that there was enough room for four people. When everyone washed their hands, Kevin began to arrange the job.


    Most of the work was done by him and Delgado.. As for Sophia and Melissa, who know little about cooking, were only assigned the task of filling.

 Chapter 84 - 84: Got Burned Himself

    It was quite easy. Delgado had already bought the bean paste, nuts, sesame seeds, lotus paste, jujube paste, and other fillings in advance. They just need to match these things according to their preferences.


    Sophia liked mooncakes with jujube mud stuffing best. She found that the most stuffing Delgado bought was jujube mud stuffing.


    "Why is there so much jujube mud? I love bean paste. But there''s only one bag." Melissa complained.


    Delgado could only say, "It was Kevin who wanted to buy more jujube mud. Don''t you like it?"


    "No!" Melissa shook her head, "Well, I''ll have all the bean paste mooncakes."


    Kevin and Delgado teamed up to make the mooncakes so fast that, without too much, they were pressed into shape, just barely baked.


    "Bake bean paste ones first!" said Melissa first.


    Kevin put the bean paste mooncakes on the baking tray and sent it to the oven as she said.


    "You can go to the living room to watch TV first. The baking will take a quarter." Kevin warned them.


    "No! I''ll keep an eye on it. I have to eat first!" Melissa stared at the oven for fear that her mooncakes would be robbed.


    Sophia laughed. She didn''t want to stare at the oven for fifteen minutes and went to sit in the living room.


    There was some unfinished work, Kevin asked Delgado to rest in the living room, and did the finishing touches himself.


    On television, a time-travel drama was on. Sophia used to barely watch TV, while then, she thought it was quite interesting.


    Suddenly, there was a scream from the kitchen, and then the crisp sound of the iron plate hitting the ground.


    Sophia hurriedly ran to the kitchen and saw Kevin frowning, looking a little painful.


    The back of his hand was red and swollen. It looked as if he had been scalded.


    Melissa was so worried that she cried, "Sorry¡­ I¡­ I just wanted to get a mooncake. I didn''t realize how hot the baking sheet was. Kevin pushed me away but got burned himself."


    "Don''t cry. Water his wound with cool water. I''ll get the medicine," said Sophia. Then she rushed into the living room, took a first aid kit out of the cupboard, and went into the kitchen.


    Melissa was already washing Kevin''s wound. She looked sad as she cried and held Kevin''s arm.


    "Well, let me do it."


    Sophia took a box of scald medicine from the first aid kit and slowly applied it to Kevin''s wound. Then she bandaged him carefully.


    "Does it hurt?" Sophia worried about him.


    Kevin smiled, "No, not at all!"


    Seeing the smile, Sophia didn''t know what to say. Was he¡­ burned stupid?


    But suddenly, a question occurred to her.


    Because of worrying about Kevin, she didn''t think much and got the first aid kit as quickly as possible. In that way, would Kevin doubt about her? After all, a guest should not know where the host''s first aid kit is on her first visit.


    Sophia didn''t say much more, but kept a watchful eye on Kevin''s reaction, hoping he wouldn''t pay attention to these details. He must have been hurt just now, and probably won''t notice anything else.


    Kevin seemed unaware of anything and sat quietly on the sofa while Sophia was bandaging him.


    Melissa finally stopped crying and came to apologize, "Sorry, Kevin. My bad. I made you hurt. It''s all my fault. I¡­"


    Kevin smiled and patted Melissa on the shoulder with the unhurt hand. "It''s okay. It doesn''t hurt anymore. It''s just a little hurt. It''ll be all right in a few days. You don''t have to worry!"


    "Be careful next time. The oven was very hot when it was opened. The mooncakes are baked at a temperature of 220 degrees. You will definitely be burned if you touch it with your bare hands." Said Delgado.


    He stood up and said, "Take a rest, Kev. Leave the rest to me."


    Kevin nodded without hesitation and said, "I want to make some bacon mooncakes, but haven''t started yet. The bacon is pickled in the kitchen. Do you know how to make it?"


    "Yes. Don''t worry." Said Delgado, walking into the kitchen.


    Sophia was more convinced that Kevin didn''t notice the details and had shifted his attention to bacon mooncakes.


    Before long, Delgado served up freshly baked mooncakes for everyone to enjoy. The sheet of bean paste mooncakes was knocked over accidentally, for Kevin was in a hurry to save Melissa. The mooncakes all fell on the ground, got dirty, and were inedible. Not even one was left.


    Melissa felt sorry about them. Those were her favorites!


    The new mooncakes had a sweet smell, and the smell filled the whole room. They were baked just right with good golden color.


    To show her apology, Melissa took the knife to divide mooncakes for them. She had never used a knife and just cut at random. The beautiful mooncakes ended up without a trace of beauty as if they had been gnawed by Ever.


    While no one cared about that, the opened mooncakes gave off a more intense aroma, which was so attractive that everyone picked up the fork and started eating.


    Most of these mooncakes were filled with jujube paste and were sweet and delicious. Soon, a plate of mooncakes was eaten up.


    Delgado then baked other mooncakes in the kitchen and put them in several bags. There were a lot of mooncakes, and they couldn''t eat them up. Those mooncakes were meant to be shared with friends.


    They divided these mooncakes. Delgado took several bags to take home or give his friends. Melissa also took several bags for Mariah and Carol.


    There were only Sophia and her mother at home. They had no relatives. So, one bag was enough.


    "By the way, Kevin," Sophia said, "my mom wants to invite you for dinner tonight. Will you come?"


    "I''d love to." Kevin smiled.


    Sophia was surprised that he would say yes so quickly. In her impression, Kevin was actually a bit of an introvert. She thought he would hesitate.


    After the wound on Kevin''s hand was treated with medicine; it was no longer a big problem.

 Chapter 85 - 85: Sophia’s Brother

    Changing the medicine once a day, the wound would scar in a few days. The thing was, his hand was wrapped with gauze, and it was not convenient to move.


    Shortly before noon, Louie was called back by his family. Before leaving, he carefully prepared lunch for Kevin.


    Sophia left her home address to Kevin, made sure he would come in the evening, and left with Melissa.


    By the time she got home, Kate had made lunch and was waiting for her.


    Sophia took out mooncakes and cut a piece for Kate to taste.


    "Good!" Kate ate a piece and was very impressed, "Your classmate is so good. He can just open a dessert store!"


    Ever probably smelled the aroma and came over. His big eyes stared at the mooncake in Kate''s hand. He walked around her, and sometimes, licked the residues on the floor.


    Kate smiled, "Does Ever want to eat mooncakes?"


    Sophia thought it was funny. She picked up her phone and turned to Ever.


    Kate put a small piece of mooncake on her hand and reached out to Ever.


    Immediately, Ever came up and swallowed it, and wagged his tail happily.


    Sophia posted the picture of Ever eating mooncakes on her blog.


    "Grandpa wants to eat mom''s mooncake. He walked around her for several circles, and finally succeeded." Said KAP.


    After seeing that, netizens left comments to her.


    "I''m eating mooncakes now. I almost choke up when I see that."


    "Grandpa is really a wily old dog!"


    "I want to feed Grandpa, too!"


    "Oh, I don''t even have mooncakes. Oh, my life¡­"


    "I really want to feed Grandpa. Give me a chance, please! How about a meeting with him?"


    ***


    Sophia had never paid much attention to the number of her fans. She took a glance this day and saw that the number had risen to nearly three million.


    Grandpa was really popular!


    Later, Kate went to the market. When she heard that Kevin had promised to come, she was going to cook a few more dishes.


    Sophia helped with the cooking. She could do some easy jobs like washing the dishes or vegetables. It was just that she did not want to go into the kitchen, afraid to see the flame of the natural gas stove burning in front of her.


    Later, the doorbell rang, and Sophia went to open the door.


    "Come in, please. Kev."


    Kevin brought some fruit and put it on the table. Kate came out of the kitchen and saw him. She smiled and said, "You must be Kevin, right? I heard Sophia mention you."


    "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Green." Kevin nodded to her.


    "Please make yourself at home! We don''t usually have many visitors¡­ oh, what''s wrong with your hand?" Sensitively, Kate noticed the gauze wrapped on Kevin''s hand.


    "He was scalded while making mooncakes," Sophia explained for him.


    "Oh, that must be hurt. Have a rest. The dinner will be ready in a minute!" Kate said with sympathy.


    Then, she went back to the kitchen.


    Kevin was sitting on the couch. "You really have a good mother, sis." He suddenly said.


    Sophia smiled, "Of course!"


    As a mother, Kate really did a good job.


    Soon, the meal was ready. Kevin wanted to help. But Sophia stopped him and asked him to sit and wait.


    Sophia went to the kitchen to help serve and get cutlery and set them on the table.


    "Come to dinner, Kevin!" Kate called him, "These are just some common dishes. I don''t know your taste. So, I didn''t make it spicy. If you love spicy food, we have chili sauce here."


    Kevin smiled, "Thank you, madam. I don''t like spicy food."


    They sat down to have dinner. The meal was very rich, with fish and meat and some vegetarian dishes. There were also some mooncakes on the table, which were brought back by Sophia at noon.


    "Just come here in your free time," Kate said as she ate, "I''m really glad you can come."


    Kevin smiled and replied, "Fine. I love you, aunt. I''ll make a cookie for you when my hand is good."


    Kate was delighted, "Great. The mooncakes you made are delicious. And the other cookies must be delicious, too!"


    She looked at him with a smile, and suddenly her eyes became sad.


    "If¡­ my son hadn''t gotten lost, he''d be a few years older than you now," she whispered, "He was as good as you when he was a kid¡­"


    Kevin was stunned and looked to Sophia, and found her in a daze, too.


    There seemed to be no such thing in her memory.


    Seeing the confused face of Sophia, Kate explained, "You were too young to remember that. You used to have a brother who was three years older than you. At his five age of five, I took him shopping one day. I went to the washroom on the way. When I came out, I just couldn''t find him¡­"


    She said, sighing, "You were just two years old, too young to remember anything. For many years, your father and I have been looking everywhere for him but failed. Then we were desperate about it. Seeing me sad, your father put away all the pictures of your brother to avoid me being sad when seeing them. I never told you about that..."


    Sophia was afraid that she would be sad and comforted her, "Maybe my brother met a good family and lived a good life. We may meet in the future."


    Kevin also comforted her, "Yeah. Relatives may meet after years of separation. Things like that happen a lot!"


    Kate forced a smile, "I also hope so..."


    It was the first time that Sophia heard about it. From inside, she wanted to help her mother to find this brother. Meanwhile, she knew that the chance was too small. Even if he was still alive, they did not know where in the world he was and how to find him?


    After dinner, Sophia got downstairs with Kevin. It was not eight o ''clock yet, and he could just get on the last bus in time.


    "Be careful!" Sophia told her.


    "Yeah. Go back, sis.." Kevin smiled.

 Chapter 86 - 86: I’ll Take Him

    Right then, the bus was coming. He got on the bus and left.


    When Sophia came back home, Kate said apologetically, "I¡­ shouldn''t have said that, should I? Will your classmate be scared?"


    On that occasion, she was emotional and just talked about Sophia''s brother naturally. She didn''t think much about it at the time but regretted later.


    Sophia smiled, "It''s all right. He won''t mind."


    "That''s good. Invite him home later. I really like the kid."


    "Yeah. Kev said he likes you, too."


    ***


    After the Mid-Autumn Festival, many shopping malls were making a big sale of mooncakes, which were not sold during the festival.


    When Kate went to the supermarket to buy vegetables, she bought some for their low price. Back home, she tasted and frowned, "It''s not as good as the one you brought back yesterday."


    Sophia smiled, "Of course."


    The mooncakes she brought were made by Kevin and Louie, and was far more delicious than those on sale.


    She worried about the wound on Kevin''s hand and called him. Kevin said he was fine, and he just needed to change the medicine on time.


    Then Sophia was relieved.


    When it was time to go to bed, Sophia got a call.


    "Hi, Sophia," Watson spoke in English with the local accent.


    "Hi, Mr. Watson. Are you back?" Sophia asked when she saw that the phone number showed a local landline.


    "Yes, I''d like to pick up my son tomorrow. Are you available?"


    Sophia was a little lost by the news. Having been with Ever for so many days, she was reluctant to leave him.


    "Yeah." Sophia answered, "When will you pick him up?"


    Watson thought for a while and said, "I''m going to meet a partner tomorrow. The meeting place is not far from where we first met. Where do you live? I''ll go to you after the meeting."


    Sophia thought about it and said, "I''d better go to you. You are not familiar with here. This is an old residential area. It''s hard to find. You say a place. I take Ever to meet you!"


    "Ever? Oh¡­ you mean my son. OK. Sorry to bother you. I''ll send you the address. I''ll be there at about nine o ''clock tomorrow morning."


    Sophia hung up and soon received an address from Watson on her phone. The place was close to where she lived, just a block ahead.


    She got up early the next day. Then she combed Ever''s hair, fed him some food, and held him for a while before loosening him.


    Ever was confused and didn''t understand why Sophia was like that. He seemed to be worried about Sophia and rubbed her feet as a consolation.


    Kate was also sorry that Sophia had to send Ever back. But they had to do that. After all, Watson was Ever''s owner.


    Sophia kissed Ever twice on his head. Then she pulled the chain and took him out the door.


    Walking to the street ahead, she then came to the place they appointed, a tea house. She waited at the door because the dog wasn''t allowed in.


    Watson had said that he would probably be done by that time. Sophia knew he would be out soon.


    As expected, after a while, she saw Watson coming down the stairs. Two people followed behind him. They seemed like natives. One was a young girl, and the other was a middle-aged man in his forties.


    "So, our cooperation has been decided. Wish us good cooperation! Mr. Anderson!" Watson said.


    The girl beside him immediately repeated his words in Chinese. That was when Sophia realized that the girl was an interpreter.


    Anderson laughed, "Good. I''m glad to have a cooperator like you. The Chess Training School will definitely be good!"


    The interpreter interpreted his words to Watson.


    Sophia was about to go to them. Suddenly, Ever rushed forward, broke free from her, and ran in the direction of Watson.


    The waiter tried to stop him but couldn''t do that in time.


    Sophia had to follow up and apologized to the waiter, "I''m really sorry for that. I''ll take him¡­"


    She was suddenly frozen before finishing her words.


    She had thought Ever broke free from her for seeing Watson.


    However, Ever didn''t run to Watson. He passed Watson directly and rushed to the interpreter.


    Watson, with a sad look on his bearded face, complained in English, "Son, you..."


    Ever just ignored him and ran to a stranger like that. How could he do that to him?


    With a look of consternation, the interpreter looked at the dog running around her, and suddenly cried out, "You are¡­ Mitch?"


    What? Sophia was confused.


    Did she call him Mitch?


    Watson was confused, too.


    This name sounded familiar.


    The interpreter looked quite excited. She bent down and held Ever tightly, "Why are you here? I thought I''d never see you."


    Everything happened so quickly. It took Sophia a long time to figure out that this young interpreter might be the first owner of Ever.


    Ever''s original name was Mitch.


    The interpreter took a while to calm down. Then she explained, "I''m sorry. I used to keep this golden retriever. Then I gave him to another man. I didn''t expect to meet him here."


    "What a coincidence! You can tell Mr. Watson about it, Miss Garcia. I have some other things to do. I should go now!"


    "OK," the interpreter interpreted his words to Watson.


    Watson shook hands with Anderson. Then, Anderson left.


    The waiter was still watching there. Sophia suggested to take Ever, or they should call him Mitch out of there and talk somewhere else.


    She knew the neighborhood very well. Knowing that there was a park not far ahead, she took the two to the park.


    After sitting down on the park bench, the interpreter walked with Mitch and told them the story about Mitch and her.


    Her name was Diana Garcia. Six years ago, she lost her sight after accidentally injuring the cornea. While waiting to change the cornea, she bought Mitch.


    Four years ago, the cornea was finally available for her.. After the surgery, she could finally see things again.

 Chapter 87 - 87: It’s Not Good For The Eyes

    Just as she was about to leave the hospital, a patient in the same condition as her, who had just been blind, happened to be in the same ward.


    Diana worked as an interpreter and had to travel a lot, so she wasn''t at home for a few days a year. During her blindness, the company didn''t ask her to go on a business trip. She just did some simple work like answering the phone in the company. Now that her sight had been recovered, the company had naturally asked her to do her original job.


    Although she didn''t want to give Mitch to someone else, she had to do that. Mitch was a guide dog. She thought it was better to give him to a blind man so that he could continue his work and help others.


    Thus, after meeting a blind man in the hospital, she left Mitch to him and told him to take good care of him. If his eyes were recovered someday and he didn''t want to keep the dog anymore, he could just call her. She would find Mitch another owner who was willing to keep him. And she specially kept the man''s phone number.


    But after that, Diana lost the news of Mitch. She once tried to call the man, but his number was out of service, and she couldn''t reach him.


    "I actually posted news about Mitch on the Internet," Sophia Green said. "didn''t you see that?"


    "I don''t use electronic products much. It''s not good for the eyes." Diana said, "I just read newspapers. I don''t even watch television much."


    In fact, the reasonable use of electronic products would not hurt the eyes. But Diana had lost her sight once, and she was afraid of anything that would hurt her eyes. She cherished her eyes so much that she won''t watch any electronic products.


    The news released by Sophia had aroused heated debate on the Internet, but it wasn''t reported in newspapers or on television. Diana, who only read newspapers and occasionally watched TV, would not know that.


    After hearing Mitch''s suffering, Diana couldn''t help crying, "I''m really sorry, Mitch. I shouldn''t have given you to that man. It''s all my fault!"


    Mitch comforted her, "My son¡­ no, Mitch had not wandered for long before I found him. It''s kind of predestined. He had been following me, and I just kept him."


    Sophia had just noticed that Diana was wearing the same perfume as Watson. She guessed that probably because of the familiar smell that Mitch had come to Watson.


    As an interpreter, Diana went abroad a lot. It was normal for her to buy the perfume, which was not available in China.


    Mitch was so closed to Diana that he seemed to attach himself to her, which made Sophia a little jealous.


    Mitch was just sitting there and watching quietly.


    After some time, Diana realized that she might not behave well, and hurriedly said, "I''m sorry for losing control of myself."


    Watson smiled, "It''s okay Miss Garcia. Do you want to take Mitch with you?"


    Diana shook her head and said, "I want to keep him, but I have to work, and I''m often away from home for many days. I can''t take him on the plane, either. So, may I ask you to continue to keep him, Mr. Watson?"


    "Yes, yes!" Watson immediately said, "I''d love to!"


    Sophia was standing beside and watching. She suddenly felt like a fifth wheel.


    She smiled and said, "I''m going home first. Keep on talking!"


    Watson got up, took out some money from his wallet, and handed them to Sophia, "Thank you!"


    Sophia didn''t take the money, "You are welcome. I can''t take them. I''m really glad to take care of Mitch."


    Watson was surprised, "But¡­"


    "We have rules here. There is no charge for helping a friend!" Sophia said.


    Although she had not been abroad, she knew from the book that foreigners usually pay for help, and that was the case even between friends.


    Watson had to put the money away and said with a smile, "Ok, OK play by your rules, my friend!"


    Back home, Sophia posted a message with a photo of Mitch, which was taken before they left home in the morning on her blog.


    "Grandpa accidentally met his first owner, and now he has returned to the owner who found him. It turns out its name is Mitch. Goodbye, Mitch!" Said Mitch.


    The news drew countless comments.


    "Never see Grandpa again? Oh, no, no!"


    "I don''t want to say goodbye to Grandpa."


    "Mitch? Why is the name so familiar?"


    "Knowing A Person PK Mitch Army. And Ever is just Mitch! What a fate!"


    "Is Mitch a spy from Mitch Army? He wants KAP to fall in love with him and then leave her coldly to break her heart!"


    School started on Monday. Sophia got up early and habitually opened the refrigerator to get dog food. It was only then that she remembered that Ever was no longer here.


    She felt a little lost, closed the refrigerator door and went to the bathroom to wash.


    After breakfast, she rode her bike to school as usual.


    There were some jams on the road, and Sophia delayed some time. When she came to the school gate, she suddenly saw Kevin getting off a bus with a luggage bag. He carried the bag with his left hand and looked a little tired.


    Kevin lived at school. He usually took some clothes or necessaries to school on Monday and back home on Friday if there was no necessity to go back in between.


    Sophia remembered that Kevin had hurt his hand, so she went up and grabbed his luggage, "Come on, I''ll carry it for you!"


    Kevin Green looked at her and smiled, "Fine. Thanks, sister!"


    Kevin''s luggage was a little heavy. Sophia put it in the back seat of her bike and walked with the bike to school.


    Suddenly, Director Bull came out of nowhere and said solemnly, "You''re late!"


    Sophia took a look at the clock hanging at the gate of the school.. It was stipulated that students should arrive at school before seven-thirty.

 Chapter 88 - 88: Contradictory Person

    Right then, it was seven-thirty and five seconds.


    She pleaded, "Kevin hurt his hand, Director. And there was a traffic jam. And we are just late for five seconds¡­"


    Director Bull didn''t listen to her at all, "Late is late, even one minute''s delay is counted."


    He looked down at the name tags around the necks of Sophia and Kevin, "Two points will be deducted from Class Seventeen!"


    Sophia didn''t say anything more.


    Unwilling to accept the fact, but they were really late for five seconds. Sophia could not refute that. She sighed and went to the school gate with Kevin.


    "By the way," Director Bull said behind her, "the first round of the Mathematical Olympiad Test is on Friday. Come to my office to get your admission ticket on Thursday. Come on! Come on!"


    Sophia said nothing.


    She thought he was a very¡­ contradictory person.


    Sophia quite cared about the deducted points and had been in a bad mood. She had not compensated the points that were deducted last time, and then more points were deducted again. It was such a shame.


    And she couldn''t find a chance to score because there was no exam recently. The only one she could score was the Mathematical Olympiad Test. But the first round of the exam was on Friday. And after two rounds of exams, it would be at least half a month later.


    It was really worrisome.


    When Sophia passed by the class scoreboard at noon, she felt even more upset when she saw that the score of Class Seventeen this week was the last place.


    Delgado worried about her, "Are you sad, Sophia?"


    Sophia shook her head and said, "No. I''m VERY happy!"


    Delgado really couldn''t tell that.


    When she came to school the next day, Delgado brought her a large box of handmade cookies and said, "Cookies will cheer you up!"


    He also took out a small box, "Here is some little jerky for Ever! Last time, you said he loved it."


    Sophia looked at the little jerky and was in a more complicated mood.


    Delgado didn''t know that she had already sent Mitch back to Watson, so he made the little jerky for Mitch. Seeing that, Sophia began to miss Mitch again.


    She took the little jerky and called Mitch Watson after school.


    "My friend gave me some little meat jerky that Mitch likes to eat. I want to send it to him. When are you at home? Can I pay for a visit?" Asked Sophia.


    Watson laughed, "Yeah. Welcome! I''ll be at home after five o ''clock in the afternoon. You can come at any time. I''ll send you the address. Mitch must miss you, too."


    Sophia hung up and stuffed the little jerky into her school bag.


    The address sent by Watson was not far from the school. She planned to go to Watson''s to feed Mitch after school before going home. Afraid that Kate would worry about her, she called and told her the issue.


    Kate still worried about her, "You go to his home alone? Is that safe?"


    "Yeah. He is a kind and trustworthy man. Don''t worry!"


    Kate was still worried. Sophia just sent Watson''s Wikipedia background files to her. He was a world champion with status, which finally assured Kate.


    She asked Sophia to call her when she got there and then agreed to her to go.


    If it was someone else, Sophia wouldn''t visit their house at will. But it was Mitch Watson, and she thought she knew about him.


    He was so kind to stray dogs. She didn''t think a man like that would be a bad person. Besides, even if Watson was a bad man, she didn''t think he wouldn''t hurt her.


    After school, Sophia rode her bike and got to the apartment Watson was renting according to the address provided by him.


    That was an upscale neighborhood. It covered a large area with a beautiful environment. And the building design was also very beautiful. Sophia stopped her bike at the gate of the community and was about to enter when she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Sophia Green!"


    She looked back and saw a car parked by the side of the road. The window was rolled down, Albert poked his head out of the window, "It''s really you."


    Sophia didn''t expect to meet Pearson there. She parked her bike and came over, "What are you doing here, Mr. Pearson? Do you live here, too?"


    The neighborhood was very upscale, and the price of the apartment there must be very high. She doubted that Pearson could afford to live there.


    Albert turned to look at the community and then shook his head, "No. I just passed by. Seeing you here, I came over to say hello. Do you live here?"


    "I don''t live here. I just come to visit a friend." Said Sophia.


    "What, friend? It''s getting late¡­"


    "A¡­ foreign friend. Actually, I¡­ come to see his dog."


    Albert frowned, "You, a little girl, come here alone to meet a foreigner? Have you been here before? Do you know each other well? Aren''t you afraid of getting into danger?"


    It was the second time that Sophia has been warned of the danger of meeting Watson. If Watson found out that, she didn''t know what it would look like on his face.


    "This is my first visit, but I believe him." Sophia smiled, "Excuse me, Mr. Pearson. I have to go in now."


    "No, wait!" Pearson suddenly opened the door of the car, "I''ll go with you. You, little girls, are so gullible. If this foreigner is really a bad person, how can you come back?"


    Sophia was surprised and was about to refuse his kindness. Pearson had already got out of the car and turned to the man in the car, "Wait here, Mr. Sampson!"


    Ryan looked out of the car with a smiley face, "Yeah. You chat slowly, Mr. Pearson. I''m not in a hurry! There is no hurry at all!"


    Albert ignored him and strode forward with his long legs without waiting for Sophia.

 Chapter 89 - 89: Sophia Was Speechless

    Sophia had to follow up. When they reached the guard''s room at the entrance to the community, the guard came forward to stop them.


    The number of households in this upscale community was not large, and the doorman remembered the appearance of each household. Seeing the unfamiliar faces, he just stopped them to ask.


    "I''m looking for Mr. Watson!" Sophia said, "He lives in Room 318 on the fifth floor of Building D!"


    The guard called Watson and allowed them in after getting his approval.


    Albert went ahead without saying a word. Later, they stopped at the door of Building D. He looked back at Sophia and said, "You make the call."


    There was a telephone downstairs. Sophia called Watson and asked him to open the door. Then they walked into the building.


    There was an elevator near the door. Sophia was about to walk towards the elevator when she saw Albert turning to the staircase on one side.


    She startled for a moment, followed up, and asked him, "There is an elevator. Why do you take the stairs?"


    Although the fifth floor wasn''t very high, it was quite tiring to climb up.


    Pearson didn''t answer her. He just walked up step by step. Sophia had no choice but to follow him to the fifth floor. Although she was in good physical condition, she felt a little tired.


    Watson had opened the door and was waiting in the doorway. Seeing Sophia, he smiled warmly and said, "Hello, Miss Green!"


    He also noticed Albert next to Sophia and greeted him, warmly, "Nice to meet you, sir!"


    Sophia introduced him to Watson, "This is my friend, Mr. Pearson. Mr. Pearson, this is¡­"


    "Mr. Mitch Watson?" Albert stared at Watson.


    "Yes, I am. Nice to meet you!" Watson laughed.


    He was the world chess champion. His fans were all over the world. It was very common for him to be recognized by others, and he had long been used to it.


    Albert and Sophia entered together, changed slippers, and walked into the living room.


    Before Sophia could sit down, she saw Mitch running out of the room and jumping at her.


    She came up, squatted down, and hugged him, "I miss you, Mitch!"


    He barked twice and buried his head in her bosom, rubbing around. It looked very intimate.


    Albert Pearson stood aside, wondering, "Mitch? The dog is named Grandpa on microblogs, is it him?"


    "Yeah. Do you also read microblog, Mr. Pearson?" Sophia said casually.


    "Then¡­ you are the blogger, Knowing A Person, right?" Pearson said slowly, standing behind her.


    "Yeah." Sophia nodded and scratched Mitch''s head for a while before loosening him.


    She took off her backpack and took out the box of little jerky given by Delgado from the bag. Then she went to the corner to take Mitch''s plate and poured the little jerky into it.


    She did not notice that Albert was staring at her with some complicated feelings in his eyes.


    Sophia had thought Mitch would be happy to see the little jerky he loved. However, Mitch just ate some and stopped eating.


    On closer inspection, Sophia noticed that, though it was only two or three days since Mitch left her, he seemed to... expanded a little bit.


    She looked back at Watson and asked, "What did you feed him?"


    He was so picky that he did not love little jerky anymore. And he was even¡­ fatter!


    She had worked so hard to keep Mitch in shape! Was that going to be destroyed?


    Watson smiled and said, "Nothing. I have been studying local food recently, so I buy a lot of delicious food to eat. Sometimes, I eat it myself. Sometimes, I share it with friends. When I can''t finish eating, I will pack them all back and feed Mitch. If he can''t finish eating, I will feed the stray dogs around."


    Sophia was stunned.


    If she came a few days late, would Mitch be a ball?


    "Well, do you walk him at night?" Sophia asked.


    Watson was a little embarrassed, "About that¡­ Well, I don''t know the way. Sometimes I go out and¡­ I can''t come back. So¡­"


    Sophia was speechless.


    Mitch ate casually with Watson without doing exercise. It was not a good thing for a Grandpa!


    Albert asked Watson, "Do you play chess together?"


    Watson nodded, "Yes, Sophia''s chess skills are good. I can''t even beat her! But she doesn''t seem to like playing chess very much. What a pity! I''ve always wanted to invite her to be a professional chess player!"


    Albert looked to Sophia, who was playing with Mitch. Both the girl and the dog were quite happy. She looked as lovely as a little girl.


    With a faint smile on his lips, he turned to the sofa and sat down and looked at her quietly.


    Suddenly, Watson said, "Oh, I haven''t asked you yet. What do you want to drink? Oh¡­ I just have coffee and cake¡­ Oh, that''s rude."


    Sophia didn''t even look back, "Water is fine."


    Watson turned to Albert and asked, "Mr. Pearson¡­"


    "Water, please."


    Watson sighed and went to the kitchen to boil water. He had no habit of drinking boiled water. He drank only mineral water and drinks. So, he never boiled water. Fortunately, the rented room had all kinds of facilities. And there was a kettle in the kitchen.


    Sophia played with Mitch for a while before noticing that Albert was looking at her. She hesitated and said, "Well, Mr. Pearson. How about¡­ I have Mitch play with you for a while?"


    "No, thanks!" Answered Albert.


    Sophia thought Albert liked to put on airs recently. He had been staring at her for such a long time. Obviously, he liked Mitch... Was he embarrassed to play with Mitch?


    How unnecessary that was! She won''t look down at him.


    After a while, Watson came into the living room with a large pot of boiled water. He took out two cups and poured two cups of water on the coffee table.


    Sophia was speechless. She should have reminded him that since he didn''t drink water, he didn''t have to boil so much. What an honest foreigner.. He just boiled as much water as the kettle could be contained.

 Chapter 90 - 90: It’s Better To Say It

    Sophia took out her phone, took some photos of Mitch, and planned to share them with netizens on her blog. She hadn''t seen Mitch these days and missed him a lot. Those netizens who loved Mitch must miss him, too. After all, her¡­ no, Watson''s Mitch was so lovely and so clever. No one was willing to leave him.


    Watson sat down on the sofa and suddenly said, "Sophia Green. You are... a girl, right?"


    Sophia raised her head and looked at him in silence.


    Was there any doubt about that? Wasn''t it¡­ obvious?


    She suddenly found a faint blush on Watson''s face.


    Did he get burned when he was boiling water?


    Watson spoke haltingly, "Actually, I, I have a question to ask you."


    A thought occurred to Sophia. She probably knew what it was. The foreigner was so shy¡­ Then, it must be about love!


    As expected, Watson said, "Do you think girls in your country would¡­ like foreigners like me?"


    Sophia smiled, didn''t answer his words, but asked, "Is she, Miss Garcia?"


    Watson was surprised and said, "How do you know?"


    Sophia didn''t know how to reply.


    She was not retarded! When Watson and Diana were together those days, she could see that Watson liked Diana.


    Diana was very beautiful and gentle. Watson really chose a good girl.


    "So¡­" Watson looked down, embarrassed, "do you think she will like a man like me? I''m¡­ several years older than her. And I am a foreigner."


    Sophia smiled, "I don''t know. I''m not Miss Garcia. How can I know if she likes you or not? Since you like her, you should tell her and let her know your love. Only then will she tell you her thoughts."


    Watson looked up, and his eyes were bright, "Is that so?"


    Sophia was about to speak when Pearson suddenly said, "I don''t think so!"


    Watson was stunned, "What do you mean?"


    Albert said, "If you tell her your love, and she didn''t like you, what should you do? Have you ever thought about that? If so¡­ your relationship will be very awkward after that."


    Watson hesitated, "well..."


    "So," continued Albert, "you should find out what she wants and see if she also likes you first. If she likes you, you can just tell her your love. If she doesn''t like you, you''d better not say anything."


    Sophia didn''t agree with him, "I think it''s better to say it. How can he know her real thought just by sounding her out? If she didn''t know his real thought, how could she possibly say her thought? Anyway, if you like someone, I think you should just say it. That is the best way to solve the problem. Even if you are rejected, at least there is no regret."


    "You''re not right," Pearson retorted, "For example, two people who are close to each other can be good friends, but once one tells the other his or her love, they may not be friends anymore."


    Sophia stared at Albert and said slowly, "Have you been in a lot of relationships?"


    Albert paused. Later, he said, "No¡­ I don''t¡­ What about you?"


    "I don''t, either." Replied Sophia.


    So¡­ what were they fighting about?


    After the debating between the two, Watson became even more confused.


    Finally, Sophia came up with a solution. "How about this? The next time you two meet, I''ll follow you. I''ll try to get acquainted with Miss Garcia and then ask her to think about you. If she likes you, you can tell her your love. Then everything will be perfect, right?"


    Then she looked at Albert.


    Albert said nothing, which meant he wouldn''t object.


    Sophia held Mitch for a while. When it was late, she reluctantly let go of him.


    She took a sip of water and told Watson not to feed Mitch so much food and try to take him out for a walk after dinner.


    Watson agreed before she left with Albert.


    Albert still took the stairs when he went down. Sophia had to follow him down the stairs. She couldn''t help but ask, "Why don''t you take the elevator, Mr. Pearson? Is it for exercise?"


    Albert frowned, "I like to walk the stairs!"


    Sophia had no choice but to follow him downstairs.


    Out of the neighborhood, Sophia pushed her bike to leave, Albert also got into his car.


    Sophia turned back and waved goodbye to him. As she was about to leave, she suddenly heard Albert say, "Don''t visit a stranger''s house casually."


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah."


    She suddenly felt that Albert was like her mum.


    ***


    On Thursday afternoon, Sophia went to Director Bull''s office to get the admission ticket.


    Director Bull handed her the admission ticket and gave her a set of stationery. He told her to be careful and never hand in the paper in advance. Even if she finished it, she should check it again and again. After all, it was a big competition in the field of mathematics.


    Sophia handed in the exam papers in advance on several exams before, which left a psychological shadow on Director Bull. He was afraid that Sophia would lose points due to carelessness.


    Sophia agreed and left with the stationery and admission ticket.


    ***


    The first round of exams was on Friday morning. It was hosted by Glinton University. And the test room was located in Glinton University.


    Sophia was very familiar with it. She had been longing to visit the laboratory these days. But Glinton University had been managing strictly since this semester. And she could not enter without a student ID card.


    Thus, she left early that day and wanted to visit the lab again before the test.


    The school had classes on Friday. Director Bull had already told her in advance that she did not need to go to school in the morning. She just had to concentrate on the exam. If she missed some courses, he could ask her teachers to help her with the lessons.


    Naturally, Sophia didn''t need any help with her lessons.


    Sophia set out early in the morning and took the first bus to Glinton University.

 Chapter 91 - 91: Do You Doubt Me?

    She showed her admission ticket and was allowed in by the guard.


    It had been a long time since her last visit to Glinton University. The campus was still as quiet as usual. It was autumn then. The path was strewn with golden leaves. The breeze blew, and pieces of leaves fell down, branches rustled overhead.


    It was still early. There were several students sitting on the bench reading. There were also students eating breakfast while walking.


    Sophia had no time to enjoy the scenery and went straight to the lab.


    She had not been here for over a month. Everything was the same as before and didn''t seem to be repaired. The dark exterior wall was covered with some new dust.


    Sophia walked into the building. The smell of burning was still in the room but much lighter.


    She walked slowly towards the laboratory on the first floor where she used to work. As soon as she was about to go in, she heard a slight sound of footsteps from inside.


    Just then, a deep voice sounded inside, "Who''s outside?"


    Sophia heard clearly that the man inside spoke English.


    Sophia walked into the lab and saw a man standing there.


    The man was tall, with dark curly hair and fair skin but obviously Asian complexion. He had light blue eyes, and he was wearing a large cloak and a black hat. What a very strange costume.


    Sophia didn''t know how to criticize his outlook, "Are you playing cosplay?"


    The man laughed, "Can you tell who I am?"


    "Sherlock Holmes?" Sophia guessed.


    She had read novels about Sherlock Holmes. The characters'' costumes were just like that.


    "That''s right!" The man clapped his hands, "You have a good eye!"


    "So¡­ you are a student from the school club?" Sophia guessed.


    The man looked in his early twenties, no different from the school students. Sophia could tell that his light blue eyes should be wearing cosmetic contact lenses, but not born blue.


    "I''m not a student here!" The man stopped smiling, and his face became serious, "I''m Sherlock Holmes!"


    "Ha-ha¡­" Sophia laughed.


    What a cold joke!


    "I''m Benjamin Terry." The man introduced himself, "I am a detective!"


    "Detective? The kind of detective who secretly followed the mistress and took pictures¡­ Are you?" Sophia asked.


    In her impression, the so-called "detective" generally did these things.


    Benjamin frowned and shook his head at once. "I''m a real detective. I work on cases. I helped solve a lot of unsolved cases. I''m very famous¡­ What does that look mean? Do you doubt me?"


    "I heard there is an international criminal expert named David Terry," Sophia said.


    Benjamin nodded at once, "Yes. He is my father!"


    Sophia didn''t believe him.


    How absurd was that? They were not even of the same race. David was a white man.


    She didn''t want to debate that with Benjamin. She considered him a lunatic but not a normal person.


    She came here just to see if there were any clues she had overlooked. Although it had been so long, she didn''t think there was much hope to find something, but she still wanted to come to check when she got a chance.


    She went to the door and examined it carefully.


    Benjamin came to her, "Don''t you believe me? I''m telling you, I''m here to investigate an unsolved case. A fire broke out here more than three months ago, and a famous scientist was burned to death. The police have not been able to solve the case. I happen to come here to do something. I feel that I have an obligation to find out the truth and let it come to light!"


    Sophia said nothing.


    There were lots of people who knew the case, and many should have been here to investigate. It was really a cold case. The man named Benjamin must be a detective fan, the crazy one.


    Benjamin followed Sophia, "I told you my name. You should tell me who you are, right? You''re interested in this case, too, aren''t you? Do you want to be a detective? I can teach you!"


    She didn''t want to answer him and continued her checking by the door.


    Benjamin followed up and said, "It''s suspicious here. The door found the body. She might want to rush out. But why didn''t she go out? There was a fire extinguisher near the body but without any sign of spraying nearby. How strange¡­ It seemed like someone planned everything. By the way, I just took a look here. The fire was started from the beneath of the windowsill. It should be a spontaneous combustion mechanism made of chemicals. "


    Sophia didn''t expect to hear the same analysis with her.


    Although the man looked abnormal, he seemed to have some skills.


    She looked back at Benjamin and said, "My name is Sophia Green."


    Benjamin laughed, "The dead scientist here was also named Sophia Green. Are you¡­possessed by her ghost? Ha-ha¡­"


    Sophia was speechless.


    Benjamin scratched his head and said, "This joke is not funny, ha-ha¡­"


    Sophia didn''t want to continue the conversation. She changed the subject, "You said you''re David Alan''s son. But he is a foreigner. And you two look different. How is that?"


    "He is not my blood father. He once came here and solved a case of abduction with the local police and rescued many children. I happened to be one of them. However, communication was poor at the time, and I couldn''t find my parents. He appreciated my cleverness and adopted me. Recently, the police are working on a database of missing children. It recorded files about missing children for decades. People can make a match through face recognition. I come here to see if I can find my birth parents." Said, Benjamin.


    Sophia was surprised about his words, "I happen to have a brother who was abducted. If the database is done, maybe I can find him."


    "Really?" Benjamin''s eyes lit up, "Maybe I''m your brother, haha!"


    Sophia didn''t know how to reply to him.


    She continued to check by the door, and she always felt that she could find something on the door.

 Chapter 92 - 92: Find Out The Truth

    Had it not been for the door locked, she would not have been unable to escape.


    "I think the killer might have tampered with her wheelchair and got it stuck and couldn''t turn." Benjamin said, "If so, she would not be able to escape by herself, would she?"


    "No." Sophia refuted.


    There was nothing wrong with her wheelchair, and it could move freely.


    "Believe it or not, the wheelchair was burned down after that, and the evidence must be hard to find. I have a hunch that the killer was probably someone she knew," Benjamin continued his deduction.


    "Hunch?"


    "My hunch is always right. I used to use it to solve a lot of cases."


    No words from Sophia anymore; in her opinion, Benjamin was at best a smug guy who had learned some detective knowledge from David but had no true learning.


    Relying on intuition to solve the case, he might as well go to the fortune teller under the overpass to perform the divination.


    The laboratory door was an ordinary iron door with the inside and outside lock. There didn''t seem to be anything special. Sophia had checked it the last time she came. Checking it again, she still didn''t find anything special.


    She never read the police investigation report. And Kevin had not received the closing notice yet. The case was pending. It was neither characterized as an accident nor as murder.


    In other words, the police had found nothing to prove it a murder, but it didn''t seem like an accident, so they were unable to finalize the case.


    If the door had been locked from outside when the fireman arrived, it would have been proven that someone had done it on purpose. The case would have been classified as murder, and there would have been no doubt.


    Sophia believed that there must be nothing wrong with the door when the fireman came. They had seen nothing abnormal.


    She studied it for a long time and still got no clue. It was time for the exam. She had to give up and turn around and walk out of the lab.


    Benjamin shouted behind her, "Are you leaving? I''m gonna find out the truth about this case. I will!"


    She didn''t look back and just waved back at him in response.


    When Sophia entered the examination room, many students were already there.


    The No. 12 examination room was a small room for forty people. The students here came from all over the country and were all masters of mathematics. They didn''t know each other. No one talked. They were just preparing the stationery for the exam.


    After a while, invigilators walked into the examination room with the test paper.


    Sophia looked up, and her eyes fell on one of the teachers.


    She knew that man. He was an old professor of Glinton University, named Wilson. He had taught her math when she was studying in Glinton University. She had heard at that time that he often designed questions for the Mathematical Olympiad. And the questions were extremely tricky and difficult.


    Professor Wilson took it as a pleasure. If no one could work out his questions, he would be very happy. Every time he finalized the test questions, he asked to go to the examination room to see those math masters from all over the country being caught up in the questions and meditated.


    At that time, Sophia thought the old professor was really¡­ a pervert.


    But here it was her turn to be the examinee, and she was not relaxed. She worried about coming across strange questions which she could not solve.


    Before long, the bell sounded, invigilators handed out the test paper, and students began to write.


    Sophia glanced through the examination paper, and there were two difficult questions, which must be from Professor Wilson. She picked up the pen to work on them first. It took a lot of time before she finally worked them out.


    Then she turned to do other questions, which were much easier.


    Professor Wilson walked around among the examinees, looking at their papers and checking the progress.


    When he got to Sophia, he stopped.


    He was stunned. He had thought that the two questions were so difficult that even if someone worked them out, it would not be very easy.


    But this examinee worked out these two questions first, and the answers were correct!


    It was just thirty minutes passed. The examiner had gone back to other questions.


    Professor Wilson was old and in poor health. He should retire next year. Before that, he had been looking for a student with a talent for mathematics as his student. It was just that he hadn''t been able to find one to his satisfaction.


    While the girl in front of him seemed quite qualified, he was very excited, his heart began to beat faster, and he began to feel uncomfortable. He hurried up to the podium to sit down and rest for a while.


    But all of a sudden, he felt weak and fell down on the podium.


    The other invigilator was so frightened that he hurriedly came forward to hold him, "Professor Wilson! Are you all right?"


    Sophia heard the noise. She looked up and saw Professor Wilson fell down. Immediately, she guessed what had happened.


    She knew he had a heart attack, and he must have a heart attack.


    She immediately ran to the podium to feel his breath and heartbeat.


    "No heartbeat¡­ Call an ambulance, sir!"


    She laid him flat on the ground and pressed him rhythmically on his chest.


    The invigilator obviously didn''t understand what was going on, but seeing that Sophia did quite well, he didn''t stop her. He picked up his phone and made an emergency call.


    "The doctor said... he needs CPR right now!" The invigilator said worriedly, "Or it would be too late when the doctor arrived, you..."


    Sophia said impatiently, "What do you think I''m doing?"


    The teacher didn''t know what to say.


    How could he know what she was doing if he hadn''t studied first aid?


    "You¡­" Sophia pointed to Professor Wilson''s mouth, "You give him two mouth-to-mouth breaths."


    "Me? Oh¡­ okay!" Said the invigilator.

 Chapter 93 - 93: A Girl Save You

    He followed Sophia''s instructions and bent down to give Professor Wilson artificial respiration.


    After a while, Professor Wilson slowly regained his heartbeat, but he was still unconscious.


    The examinees had been in a mess. After seeing Professor Wilson getting better, the invigilator stood up and said to them, "Quiet! Don''t be disturbed. Go on with your writing!"


    Ten minutes later, the school doctor arrived first. The campus was large, and it took him ten minutes to get there.


    "Fortunately, someone can do CPR!" The school doctor wiped the sweat from his head. "It will be too late before I come. If the cardiac arrest lasts for a few minutes, the consequences will be very serious!"


    Sophia helped the school doctor take care of Professor Wilson. After waiting for a while, the ambulance finally arrived, and they carried him into the car.


    "Who just gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation?" Asked the doctor?


    Sophia stepped up and said, "Me!"


    "Can you come with us? We need to know what happened to the patient at that time to facilitate further treatment!"


    Sophia was about to say yes when the invigilator suddenly said, "She has to take the exam... Must she go?"


    "She''d better come with us. Of course, if it''s not convenient, it''s okay for her not to go. We''ll do our best." Said the doctor.


    Sophia came up and said, "I''ll go!"


    The Olympiad Mathematics could not be compared with a person''s life. Professor Wilson was in such an emergency condition. She would definitely save him first without thinking about other things.


    The school doctor also got on the ambulance and explained Professor Wilson''s condition to other doctors. When they sent him to the operating room, Sophia didn''t leave but waited outside.


    The operation was very successful. Professor Wilson was then transferred to the public ward for observation and treatment.


    Sophia quietly left the hospital after hearing from the doctor that Professor Wilson was better.


    ***


    Before Sophia arrived at school in the afternoon, she saw Director Bull waving at her in front of the school gate. She had to walk to him.


    "How was the exam going?" Director Bull asked with a big smile on his face.


    Sophia sighed, "There were lots of questions¡­ that I didn''t do."


    She told the truth. At that time, she was in a hurry to save Professor Wilson and did not get the time to finish the paper.


    The smile disappeared from Director Bull''s face, "Really?"


    Still, with some hope, he asked, "Can you¡­ enter the second round of the test?"


    "Probably¡­ not," she said resignedly.


    "Just¡­ go to class!" Director Bull said, turned, and left.


    In the hospital


    When Professor Wilson woke up, he heard the situation when he had a heart attack from Professor Thompson. Professor Thompson wasn''t there at the time, and he asked the invigilator.


    "A girl saved you!" Professor Thompson said, "She accompanied you until the operation was over!"


    Professor Wilson got worried, "She accompanied me for so long, will it delay her exam?"


    Professor Thompson sighed. "I have checked her test number. Her name is Sophia Green... the same name as the gifted professor in our school, so I memorized it at once. She had said that she happened to have learned some first aid knowledge. And in order to save you, she only took the test for half an hour before handing her paper in. So, she probably could not enter the second round of the test."


    Professor Wilson sat up, "No! You have to go to apply for her retaking the exam! She delayed the exam to save me. And her grades were affected. I am so sorry for her!"


    Professor Thompson had to promise to him, "I will have a try!"


    Professor Thompson left and gave him a call in the evening.


    "The application had been rejected. The Mathematical Olympiad Committee said there was no such precedent. Besides, the backup test papers were far less difficult than the official ones. And the official test paper had been leaked and it was apparently unusable. If they give her the backup paper, it will be unfair to other examinees."


    Professor Wilson was really frustrated, "Well, I''ll try to make it up to her in other ways. Please check out which school she was in."


    ***


    Sophia didn''t think much about the Mathematical Olympiad Test. She was just sorry for missing the opportunity to earn points for the class. But there would be opportunities like that in the future. If she got a high score in the mid-term examination, she could earn the class some points.


    She had no classes on Friday night and went to Watson to play with Mitch.


    To her surprise, Mitch''s figure had obviously got bigger.


    "Did he?" Watson looked at Mitch, "He didn''t, right? I look at him every day and see no change!"


    "Then¡­let the netizens make a judgment," Sophia said and took a photo with her phone and posted it on her blog.


    When she visited Mitch last time, she posted a photo of him on her blog. But he wasn''t very fat then, and the netizens just considered him cute.


    But this time, the picture clearly stirred up a lot of excitement.


    "What''s wrong with Mitch?"


    "Grandpa is putting on weight! He became a landlord!"


    "Who did that to him? It''s better for him to be fed by KAP! It''s not good for Grandpa''s health!"


    "Please give Grandpa to KAP!"


    "He is like a ball now! Grandpa''s health is in danger!"


    "He should be on a diet."


    "Although he is still cute when he is chubby, for his health, he should lose weight!"


    ***


    Sophia interpreted netizens'' comments to Watson, who was convinced that Mitch had put on weight.


    "What should I do? Shall I¡­ take him for a walk?"


    "Give him less greasy food. And you should also eat less. I think you''ve put on weight, too!" Sophia added.


    Watson was shocked.


    She dared to make a personal attack on him.


    "Oh, by the way," Watson said, "Miss Garcia called me yesterday and asked me to bring Mitch to her.

 Chapter 94 - 94: Come With Me Please

    She wished me to do her a favor. Are you available to go with me? And¡­ you can ask her what she thinks of me."


    After those words, he was a little embarrassed and lowered his head.


    "Yeah!" Sophia agreed without hesitation.


    The next day was Saturday, she had no classes and would be available.


    "Thank you very much!" Watson was very happy, "I don''t know how to repay you!"


    "Then you can leave Mitch at my house for several days."


    "Oh, no. He is my son."


    ***


    The next morning, Watson drove to Sophia''s neighborhood to pick her up.


    Sophia got into the car, saw Mitch sitting in the back seat. She just sat beside him and played with him.


    Soon, the car stopped outside a park.


    It was not convenient to take Mitch to some shops, so Diana wanted to meet Watson in the park.


    Watson walked ahead. Sophia followed him with Mitch. They went to the park. Not long after, they saw Diana sitting on a bench.


    Diana stood up and walked to Watson.


    Mitch was very excited to see his former owner and jumped to her at once. Sophia didn''t stop him. She let go of the rope and let him play with Diana.


    "Mitch is¡­ putting on weight." Diana looked at Mitch and sighed.


    "Sorry. I¡­ I won''t feed him so much." Watson apologized.


    As he spoke, he winked at Sophia, motioning her to talk to Diana. Then she could ask Diana about her thoughts of him when they got along well with each other.


    "What''s wrong with your eyes, Mr. Watson? Did you get something in your eyes?" Asked Diana concernedly.


    "Oh¡­ yeah¡­" answered Watson.


    Sophia couldn''t help laughing and said to Diana, "Miss Garcia, I want to ask you a few questions. I know you major in English, and there are several English questions I don''t know how to do. Can you help me with them?"


    She had already prepared a topic to talk with Diana before she came. Since Diana was an interpreter, talking about English was the best.


    She even brought along a difficult English exercise to discuss with Diana. Of course, she could have solved these exercises by herself.


    Diana was very kind. She agreed immediately after hearing Sophia''s asking. Sitting on the bench, she patiently explained the questions asked by Sophia.


    "Sophia, your English is very good." Diana said, "You may consider majoring in English if you are interested in it."


    "Is English easy to learn? Will it be very hard?" Asked Sophia.


    "Yes, you have to memorize lots of words! Also, you have to learn professional¡­" Diana thought of her college days and sighed, "Well, you''d better change a major. It''s really hard! It''s very hard to pass various kinds of tests... Even if you have passed them, you may still not be able to find a job¡­ Interpretation is too difficult¡­"


    Sophia was confused.


    How come she begins to complain about her major?


    Speaking of which, Diana remembered the reason she came to Watson. She got up and said to Watson, "Mr. Watson, could you do me a favor?"


    Watson smiled and nodded, "Yeah. What''s up?"


    He was glad to help the one he admired.


    Diana smiled and said, "In fact, I''m a little embarrassed. I''m¡­ I fell in love with someone when I was blind. But I didn''t know what he looked like. Now, I can''t find him! Can you help me to find him?"


    "But¡­ why do you ask me for such a favor?" Watson was confused, "If you can''t find him, how can I find him?"


    Diana smiled, "Technically, I want Mitch to help. Since you are the owner of Mitch as well as my friend, I have to ask your permission."


    Sophia was also confused. What did that have to do with Mitch?


    Diana told them the story slowly.


    A few years ago, Diana was accidentally blind. The doctor told her that if she could get a pair of new corneas, she would be able to see things again. The chance to get new corneas was quite rare. Many people could not have such a chance after years of waiting.


    Her company was very good. They did not fire her but transferred her to be an operator, responsible for answering calls from foreign guests. That job can also be done by the blind.


    Diana lived not far from the company. She bought a guide dog, Mitch, to help her walk from home to work every day. Although it was hard, she was willing to work rather than stay at home.


    After a period of time like that, she got used to it. One day, on her way to work, Diana suddenly heard a sweet male voice when she was crossing the street, "Good morning!"


    After her vision was impaired, her hearing became so sharp that she was able to tell who the other person was from the voice. However, she had never heard of that voice.


    She thought the man was talking to someone else. But she listened attentively and heard no response.


    Out of politeness, Diana smiled and said, "Good morning!"


    From that day on, every time she passed there, she would hear the sweet male voice greeting her "Good morning".


    She wondered who that man was. He was going in the opposite direction from her. He was not in the same company as her, was he?


    One day when she met him again, she couldn''t help but ask, "Do you work around here?"


    The man did not seem to have expected the question, hesitated before replying, "I... I''m an employee of a nearby company. You can call me Henry."


    Diana didn''t ask much. Maybe the man had met her before and greeted her every day out of politeness.


    One day, Diana was coming home from work when it started to rain. In a flash, it turned into a rainstorm.


    Mitch panicked. He had never encountered such a situation and did not know where to take his master for a moment. He walked around but didn''t go forward.


    Suddenly, Diana felt that the rain had stopped and that there was no more rain dripping on her. But she could still hear the sound of the heavy rain.


    That sweet voice sounded, "Come with me, please."

 Chapter 95 - 95: How Do You Want Us To Help?

    Diana hesitated for a moment and followed him. She didn''t think the man was a bad guy. Besides, they were on the street, and she should be all right.


    Henry stretched out his hand, supported her, walked for a while, and then said, "Sit down, please!"


    Diana bent down and touched a hard bench behind her, guessing it was a bus stop.


    "Thank you!" Said Diana.


    Henry smiled, "No problem. The rain is too heavy. I''ll send you home when it''s smaller."


    "No, thanks. I have¡­ Mitch." Diana didn''t want to trouble him.


    "He''s not used to weather like this. Please let me walk with you. I can''t drive you home, but I can hold an umbrella for you!" Henry''s voice was very gentle.


    The rain outside gradually decreased. Henry suddenly reached out his hand, held her hand, and said softly, "Let''s go!"


    His hands were so warm that Diana felt a little warm in her heart.


    He asked her address, took her by the hand, and walked step by step in the direction of her house.


    Every day after that, Diana could hear Henry''s voice on her way to work. It was just a simple "good morning," but it kept her heart warm all day.


    Then one day, Henry gave her something when they met.


    "There was something wrong with your voice yesterday. You must catch a cold, did you? This is ginger tea, which has just been made. You¡­ Drink while it''s hot!"


    Before Diana could say no, Henry''s footsteps were gone.


    Holding the slightly hot cup, she lost her mind for a moment and then walked towards her company.


    One day after a few months, Diana was walking down the street when someone gave her a sharp pull, and then there was a shrill sound of brakes.


    Then there was the sound of the door opening and the driver''s apologizing, "I''m sorry! Are you hurt? Oh, sir¡­ I''ll take you to the hospital!"


    "I''m fine." Henry''s voice was still very gentle.


    Diana couldn''t see anything, she guessed that Henry pulled her up when the car was about to hit her, and he was hurt.


    "Someone ran a red light!" The driver explained to her, "Your guide dog probably followed the pedestrian and ran the red light. I couldn''t avoid you at once. It''s good to have this gentleman... Are you really all right, sir?"


    Diana had heard from the one who sold her the guide dog that dogs were color-blind and couldn''t read traffic lights. Thus, they crossed the road with pedestrians. And if pedestrians ran red lights, they would do that, too.


    "I am fine!" Said, Henry.


    Diana had a sensitive sense of smell. She could smell a faint smell of blood. Obviously, Henry was injured.


    "I''m sorry¡­ It''s all my fault¡­" She could neither see nor do anything. She was really worried.


    "I''m OK. It''s just a little bruise. I just need a band-aid!" Henry smiled, "Don''t worry. Go to work now. You''re going to be late!"


    Then, he left.


    Diana felt something in her heart was touched.


    For more than a year, she met Henry every day. Sometimes, he talked with her. Sometimes, he gave her some small gifts. In return, Diana also gave him some small gifts.


    She thought the relationship between them was even closer than friends.


    But he never told her his details. She only knew his name, Henry.


    Later, Diana was notified by the hospital that the corneas she had been waiting for were finally available. She could have the surgery one week later.


    When her parents heard the news, they took special leave from their hometown to come to accompany her for the operation.


    While Diana wanted to share the news with another man, that day, she had asked for leave, but she still went to the road at the usual hour¡­


    ¡­to meet him.


    Henry showed up on time with the same faint but warm greeting, "good morning".


    "Henry!" Diana called him, "I''ll have surgery next week. If all goes well, next time¡­ I will be able to see you."


    She smiled.


    Henry was silent for a moment, then said in his usual warm voice, "Congratulations!"


    One week later, she had the operation. It was very successful. After a month in the hospital, the doctor took the gauze off her eyes.


    The moment she saw the light again, she burst into tears of joy.


    After leaving the hospital, the person Diana wanted to see most was Henry.


    She went to the road to wait for him at her usual time. However, Henry didn''t show up that day.


    She waited there for many days, but never heard the sweet and warm voice again.


    Did he change his job?


    Only then did Diana find out that she was in love with Henry.


    She wanted to find him and tell him she likes him. No matter what he thought of her, she wanted to express her feelings.


    But Henry did not give her such a chance and disappeared from her world.


    Both Sophia and Watson were stunned after listening to the story.


    Sophia could understand Diana. A man who appeared in her life at her most frustrating time, she would undoubtedly cherish him. This Henry was very mysterious, but he was really good for her.


    "I don''t know his face, but¡­" Diana bent down and fondled Mitch''s head, "Mitch knew him. Every time I met Henry, I stopped to greet him. Mitch gradually got used to it and would bark twice to remind me when we came cross, Henry. Then Mitch would pause for two seconds for me to say hello to Henry."


    "How do you want us to help?" Sophia asked.


    "I don''t know if he''s still working there." Diana said, "I want to take Mitch there. If he''s there, Mitch will recognize him."


    She looked at Watson. "Mr. Watson. I was worried that he didn''t want to see me for some reason. Thus, he never took the initiative to talk to me. If I go there with Mitch, he may avoid us. Can you walk through there with Mitch on weekdays? I''ll watch from a distance.. If he were there, Mitch would recognize him."

 Chapter 96 - 96: Play Well In The Next Exam

    Watson was silent for a moment.


    Sophia could understand Watson''s feelings at the time. He loved Diana, and it must be tough for him to help her find another man she loved.


    Immediately, she said, "I can do that, Miss Garcia. I have got along well with Mich."


    Just as she finished her saying, Watson said, "I''ll go."


    He really didn''t need to do that, Sophia thought.


    ***


    In the evening, Sophia received a private letter when she logged on her blog. Chubby invited her to play chess again.


    This man had not shown up for a while. Sophia almost thought he wouldn''t show up again.


    Last time, he raised his offer and paid the money before she refused. She felt quite embarrassed about that.


    She decided not to take his money this time.


    Soon after she entered the game, Chubby got online.


    Sophia clicked "Start," and the game began.


    Three minutes later, the game was over.


    Chubby was still bad at chess and had no improvement. Sophia didn''t understand why he spent so much money looking for someone to play chess with him.


    Sophia opened the dialog box during the break between the two innings.


    "Sir, you don''t need to pay me this time. I have taken you so much money but did nothing for you. I''m quite embarrassed about that."


    Soon, Chubby replied to her.


    "It''s a fair deal. There''s nothing to be embarrassed about."


    "I think it''s too expensive¡ªthree hundred dollars for three minutes. I feel like a fraud¡­ How about this? One hundred dollars for one inning. That''s enough for me." Replied Sophia.


    There was a long silence before Chubby replied, "well, I agree to your request, but I have conditions."


    Sophia was confused.


    She offered to reduce the price, and he had conditions about that. What was that?


    That was too much!


    "I want you to chat with me." Replied Chubby.


    Sophia was surprised. She had wondered what the conditions were.


    The condition is chatting.


    "No one talks to you?" She asked.


    "No. But no one wants to tell me the truth." Said Chubby.


    Sophia thought she could understand that. He was rich, and everyone around him must be flattering him, and no one would offend him by telling the truth.


    "How do you know they''re not telling the truth?" she asked, "What did they say?"


    "They all say I am the most handsome in the world!" Said Chubby.


    "Then¡­ you''d better not believe that." Said Sophia.


    "What kind of person do you think is the most handsome?" Asked Chubby.


    "What a na?ve question." Sophia thought.


    She replied, "A handsome face is only on the surface. Even if he or she is very good-looking, with a dark heart, he or she is not handsome. The handsome person¡­ The old gentleman who donated money to the poor students in our school is very handsome. Without the money, a student in my class would have dropped out of school!"


    "Is there someone among your friends you think very handsome?" Asked Chubby.


    Sophia thought about it. The handsome one among her friends¡­ In terms of looks, it might be Pearson.


    Especially when Albert rescued the driver of the sports car with her on the winding mountain road, she thought he was very handsome.


    Anyway, Chubby didn''t know her, and she just answered directly, "Yes."


    "What kind of person is he?" Asked Chubby.


    "He''s a friend of mine. He''s a little old, but he''s a nice guy. I have saved a man with him." Answered Sophia.


    Pearson was really older than her age.


    After sending the message, she got no response from Chubby for a while. Later, he got offline.


    He just left like that? What a wayward rich man.


    ***


    In the building


    Albert was surprised and angry.


    He was¡­ old?


    He was only twenty-four years old. Okay?


    Since the last time he heard that" Knowing A Person" was Sophia''s blog account, he was very surprised and wanted to tease her in the game.


    But he didn''t expect her to say such hurtful words.


    Ryan came up and handed over a cup of coffee, "Mr. Pearson. Aren''t you going home yet? It''s eight o''clock."


    As an assistant, he couldn''t go home until his boss left. So, he really wished Albert to leave.


    Albert looked up and looked at Ryan, "Do I look old?"


    "No. You don''t." Said Ryan.


    Albert kept looking at him, "Am I handsome?"


    "Yes!" Said Ryan.


    Why¡­ why did he ask him that?


    No matter how handsome Albert was, he was just a man. What did that have to do with him?


    Ryan got nervous, and hurriedly turned his back to avoid more eye contact with Albert.


    Albert closed the computer and stood up and said, "Let''s go!"


    On Monday, Sophia cycled to school and saw Director Bull again as she passed through the school gate.


    "Sophia!" Director Bull stopped her with a cold face.


    Sophia knew that the results of the first round of the Mathematical Olympiad exam should be sent to school today. He must have tried to reprimand her. As the only representative of the school, she neither got the ranking nor entered the second round of the test, which was really a shame.


    She pushed her bike helplessly and walked up to Director Bull.


    "Your score is out," Director Bull still had no expression, "your score is 70 points!"


    Sophia lowered her head. She had looked at the minimum passing score of previous years. They were mainly above eighty points. With her grades, she won''t get into the second round of the exam.


    However, Director Bull slowly said, "You''re in."


    Sophia couldn''t believe what she had heard, "I''m in?"


    He sighed and said, "I didn''t expect this year''s exams to be so bad. You are really the worst one."


    Sophia said nothing.


    "Wait for the notice of the second round of the exam. Your grades are at the bottom of the list. Play well in the next exam!"


    He shook his head and walked away, looking very disappointed.


    Sophia wheeled his bicycle into the campus. It was quite a surprise for her to enter the second round.. There were lots of questions that she had not finished, so she had no hope with the test at all.

 Chapter 97 - 97: It Is Really Difficult

    In the office, Kurt showed the test paper to Mrs. Lee.


    "I finished this paper and got eighty-five points, Mrs. Lee!" Kurt looked at the paper and said, "The last question takes ten points. It''s so difficult that I''m sure a few people can work it out. Sophia only got seventy points! I knew there was something wrong with her. I should be the one to attend the exam!" Said Kurt.


    Mrs. Lee looked at the test paper and frowned, "Sophia should have some strength. Why did she get so bad on the exam this time? Did Director Bull really leak the test paper to her last time?"


    She looked at the last question and said, "It is really difficult. I heard that there was only one student who did it right. I don''t know who it is. The odd thing is that the highest score is only ninety points. Did that student lose points on other questions? Then he or she must have been careless¡­"


    ***


    When Sophia arrived at the class, she heard from Mariah that it was Melissa''s Birthday.


    "Let''s buy her a present at noon!" Whispered Mariah, "Keep it a secret. Surprise her!"


    "All right." Sophia nodded.


    After school, Mariah was in charge of persuading Melissa to go home first. When she was gone, they came out of school and went straight to the gift store.


    In addition to a few members of the Sister Alliance, Delgado, Kevin, and Molly also came. Delgado and Kevin were like Sophia''s little brothers, and they got along well with members of the Sister Alliance. Molly was Mariah''s desk mate. Since it was Mariah''s birthday, she couldn''t miss it.


    The gift store near the school was not small. Various kinds of birthday gifts were available there. Basically, the students at the school bought birthday presents there.


    They scattered, looking for their favorite gifts, and came back and forth in the store.


    Sophia found a crystal hairpin. It was shiny and beautiful. It wasn''t cheap, but she could afford it.


    She asked the guide to take the hairpin out and wrap it.


    Suddenly, Carol''s exaggerated voice came from the corner, "Mr. Cromwell! What are you doing here? "


    Hearing this voice, several companions all gathered over.


    Sophia went there and saw that Cromwell was surrounded by several girls at a counter and was quite embarrassed.


    Molly smiled and said, "Mr. Cromwell must want to buy Ms. Acheson a present! Is her birthday coming up?"


    Cromwell smiled and said, "Yes. It''s her birthday today. I¡­ I want to give her something. After all, we are colleagues."


    Carol laughed, "Are you just co-workers? Aren''t you pursuing Ms. Acheson?"


    "Well¡­" Cromwell''s face was a little flushed but with a smile. Apparently, he meant it.


    Mariah suddenly said, "Mr. Cromwell, do you want to give the pen to Ms. Acheson?"


    They then noticed that Cromwell had a pen in his hand.


    "Isn''t it good?" Crowell was a bit unsettling.


    Mariah said seriously, "Obviously, you don''t know how to chase girls. Ms. Acheson is a big girl and is sending her a pen... Do you want her to correct papers? Are you the principal?"


    Cromwell didn''t know what to say and put the pen back to the counter silently.


    "If someone wants to send me things, I wish it''s a bracelet or a silk scarf or something that I can wear all the time." Said Molly.


    Cromwell could not help sighing that girls now know too much!


    But his eyes could not help but move to the silk scarf hanging from the counter.


    Sophia coughed, "Have you chosen the gift yet? It''s time to go. I have to go back to dinner!"


    In this case, Cromwell was a little awkward. She had better leave with others and let him have his pick.


    It was known that Acheson never accepted gifts from students, so they did not buy gifts for her but decided to wish her verbally in the afternoon.


    When the students were gone, Cromwell was relieved. He picked a light blue striped silk scarf and asked the guide to pack it.


    Although he had married once, he was still unconsciously shy when it came to such a thing. In the face of Acheson, he always got nervous.


    After the first class in the afternoon, Cromwell saw Acheson coming out of the office, followed up, and called her, "Ms. Acheson!"


    Acheson turned back and smiled, "What''s the matter, Mr. Cromwell?"


    Cromwell walked up and gave her the gift box, "Well¡­ it''s your birthday today, and I have a present for you."


    Acheson accepted the gift with a smile, "Thank you. I''ll treat it after the first class in the evening. It''s in the K Restaurant. Come with us, please!"


    "Well¡­ I''m afraid I can''t. My kid will do homework in the evening¡­ I have to accompany him."


    As he spoke, he turned away with his head down.


    Acheson was smiling at the figure of him leaving when suddenly she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Ms. Acheson!"


    She looked back and saw Mrs. Lee coming towards her.


    Acheson walked to Mrs. Lee, "What''s the matter?"


    Mrs. Lee said, "I just got out of Director Bull''s office. He asked you to go to him!"


    "Thanks!" Acheson smiled and turned to Director Bull''s office.


    Mrs. Lee looked at Acheson''s leaving in silence, and her look was quite cold.


    She knew why Director Bull was looking for Acheson. She had just seen the present he had prepared for her.


    She thought it was unfair. Director Bull didn''t prepare her any present on her birthday a while ago.


    Acheson was just a divorced woman, and her teaching was not as good as her. But why did so many people treat her so well?


    As for Mrs. Lee, she had been working hard to maintain her family''s well-being and career-oriented image. Shouldn''t she be more popular?


    No one knew how hard she had worked to maintain her present image. But¡­ what had she earned?


    As she thought, her cell phone rang, displaying the phone number she hated so much.

 Chapter 98 - 98: She Is Really A Mathematical Genius

    "I''m out of money. Give me two hundred bucks!" A man''s voice came from her cell phone, rude and tough.


    "You wish!" Mrs. Lee said coldly.


    A man''s roar came from the phone. She ignored it and hung up.


    ***


    A visitor came to the guard room when the school was almost over.


    "Hi. I''m from Glinton University. I''m Thompson." The man was very polite.


    The doorman hurriedly called the president. Glinton University was the best university in the country. It was no small matter for Colin High School that someone from Glinton University visited. The president himself should receive him.


    The principal answered the phone and said lightly, "Director Bull can receive him!"


    The doorman had already expected that, and reluctantly hung up and called Director Bull.


    "I''m coming." Director Bull said and hung up.


    Director Bull showed up in the guard room in one minute. He reached out to Professor Thompson enthusiastically, "Nice to meet you. You must be Professor Thompson, right? I have heard your lecture! It was great!"


    Professor Thompson smiled, "Thank you. I''m here today for one thing."


    "Let''s go to my office." Director Bull said enthusiastically, "This way, please!"


    Professor Thompson went to the office with Director Bull and sat down. Director Bull made him tea.


    Then, Director Bull asked, "Is there anything I can do for you, Professor Thompson?"


    Professor Thompson smiled, "I come for a student. My friend Professor Wilson had a heart attack while invigilating an exam. A student in your school happened to know some first aid knowledge and saved him. And because of that, she delayed her examination. I had applied for her to retake the exam, but the Mathematical Olympiad Committee rejected it. Unexpectedly, she entered the second round of the exam. Now, I come to thank her."


    Once he said that Director Bull immediately knew who he was talking about. Only one student took the exam, that was Sophia Green.


    "Sophia Green?" Director Bull was surprised, "You mean¡­ without finishing the test, she entered the second exam?"


    Professor Thompson nodded, "There were several questions that haven''t been done! I had thought there was no hope to enter the second exam. And Professor Wilson had always been sad. When he heard the good news, he almost had a heart attack again¡­ I read the test paper. The last question was designed by Professor Wilson. It was so difficult that I had to work hard to solve it. Among the examinees, Sophia was the only one to work it out. She is really a mathematical genius!"


    Director Bull couldn''t help giving out a pride look, "I see. I had wondered why she got such a low score. It seems that she has the chance to win the first prize in the Mathematical Olympiad!"


    "Not only the first prize, but she may also be in the first place!" Professor Thompson laughed.


    There were dozens of Mathematical Olympiad first prize winners, but only one person in the first place or a few people in parallel.


    Director Bull stood up from his chair excitedly and rubbed his hands, "Our school hasn''t got a good place in the Mathematical Olympiad Competition for a long time. This is really good news. Oh..."


    He picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Ms. Acheson, ask Sophia to come to my office!"


    Acheson was confused, "Sophia? Did she make any trouble?"


    Sophia didn''t do well in the exam last time. So, Acheson thought Director Bull must be very angry, but he didn''t feel the anger from his tone.


    Director Bull smiled, "No. Ask her to come, please."


    "Oh¡­ I''ll call her right now."


    Later, Sophia arrived at the office and saw Professor Thompson.


    She had dealt with Professor Thompson when she was working at Glinton University. They got along well. But then, she had to pretend not to know him.


    "Here, Green!" Director Bull walked to her and introduced her to Professor Thompson, "Professor Thompson, this is Sophia Green!"


    Professor Thompson stood up and smiled, "Nice to meet you, Miss Green! I came to thank you for saving Professor Wilson. That old guy has a heart attack and is always trying to be brave... If it hadn''t been for you, he would have died in the examination room."


    Sophia knew that Professor Thompson and Professor Wilson were friends for many years. Thus, Professor Thompson would say those words. "No problem." Sophia said with a smile, "I happen to know something about first aid, and anyone would do that in that case. No matter how important the exam is, it is not as important as human life!"


    "What a modest kid! That''s good. I''m here today to ask if you need anything. As long as you say it, Professor Wilson and I will try our best to do it for you!" Said Professor Thompson.


    Sophia thought for a while. There was one thing she really needed: Professor Thompson''s help.


    "I want a pass from Glinton University¡­ can I?" Sophia asked. "I''d like to audit courses at Glinton University when I''m free."


    Of course, she lied. She wanted to go to Glinton University to make several more visits to the laboratory to investigate the fire case at that time.


    Professor Thompson was rather touched and said, "Is that all you want? That''s easy! No wonder you did so well in the study. A child who loves studying so much will certainly get good grades. I wish you a good result in the second exam. This year, the math department of Glinton University will take a student without taking exams. They may enroll the best one in this Mathematical Olympiad Competition. I hope you will be the lucky one!"


    Director Bull laughed, "It would be great if you could take the first place in the exam."


    He thought about it and said, "You saved someone. That''s a good deed. You deserve a reward¡­ Since Professor Thompson told me about it, I''ll give one point to your class."


    Sophia was delighted but still tried to strive for more. "Can¡­ can we have two more points?" She asked weakly.


    "No!" Director Bull flatly refused, "Rules are rules. Doing a good deed will only earn your class one point."


    "Oh¡­"


    Director Bull was really strict.


    "Keep working. Win glory for Colin High School!"


    "Yeah¡­"

 Chapter 99 - 99: Party

    After the first class in the evening, the day students packed their things and left the classroom.


    It was Melissa''s birthday. She''d like to invite her friends to dinner. As soon as the school was over, they followed her to the hotel.


    The K Restaurant located near the school with good taste and price, and it had always been the most frequently visited restaurant by teachers and students of Colin High School. Melissa had wanted to reserve a better restaurant, but she was afraid that it would be too far from the school and it would be inconvenient for them to get there, so she ended up booking the K Restaurant.


    Kevin gave her a gift but didn''t come to dinner. He was a resident student, and could not leave the school after evening classes unless he asked Ms. Acheson for leave. But was he asking for a leave on the pretext of celebrating a birthday for a classmate? He was embarrassed to do that. Besides, the dorm lights were turned off early, and his home was far from school and it would be inconvenient for him to go back. If he returned to the dormitory late, he would be scolded by the administrator. Considering that, he just sent his blessing and didn''t come to the restaurant.


    A large seven-decker cake was placed on the table, with all kinds of fancy patterns made of cream. It was ordered by Melissa''s parents, who didn''t show up and just had the cake delivered.


    One by one, her friends gave her gifts as well as their best wishes.


    Melissa took the gifts happily. When she saw the last gift, she was a little down, "What a pity my prince didn''t come."


    Sophia gasped. She knew there were many princes in Melissa''s heart, and number one was Albert Pearson, number two was Louie Delgado¡­. Was she talking about Pearson?


    How could Pearson come?


    Mariah laughed and asked, "Which prince?"


    "Kevin. Last time he was injured in order to save me, I think he''s very handsome!" Melissa smiled.


    Oh¡­ Sophia didn''t expect that.


    After blowing out the candles, they began to cut the cake.


    Melissa wanted to play a "cake your face" game but was stopped by Sophia. This game would not only waste food but also need water to do the cleaning. She refused to play it.


    What''s more, it was strongly opposed by Carol. She said if they couldn''t finish the cake, she could take it home and enjoy it slowly. She loved the cake most and didn''t want to see it wasted.


    When Melissa tried to stick to her proposal, Sophia gave her a threatening look.


    The meaning was quite obvious. If she played the game, believe it or not, Sophia would paste the whole cake on her face.


    Yes. Melissa believed it.


    The waiter brought the menu and asked them to order. They ordered some dishes in turn. Melissa wanted more but was stopped by Sophia again.


    "Boss. We don''t eat out often. Let''s order some more dishes!" Melissa complained.


    "If the food is left, can you eat them all alone?" Asked Sophia.


    Melissa didn''t say anything anymore.


    The food was soon served.


    After a while, Sophia went to the bathroom.


    As soon as she entered the bathroom, she saw Schultz coming. She greeted her, "Hello, Ms. Schultz!"


    Schultz smiled and said, "Are you eating here, too?"


    After a few words, Sophia knew that Acheson had a birthday and was treating her colleagues here.


    When Sophia came out of the bathroom, Schultz also came out. They went to their private rooms together.


    Suddenly, Sophia saw a familiar figure.


    It was Linda.


    Linda did not see her and was talking to a man next to her. When Sophia walked past them, Linda didn''t turn to look at her.


    They two walked away and entered a private room.


    Sophia looked back and noticed that Schultz was also looking at them and frowned slightly.


    "Well¡­ I have to go. Have a good time. Don''t be too late." Schultz said and entered a nearby room.


    There were several teachers in the private room who got along quite well with Acheson on the usual days. They sat together to celebrate a birthday for Acheson. The cake had been eaten, and the dishes had begun to serve.


    Schultz walked over to Acheson and sat down, whispering, "Guess who I saw when I went to the bathroom?"


    Acheson smiled, "Who did you see?"


    "I saw Mrs. Lee''s husband. He was with a woman. Could she be¡­"


    Acheson shook her head, "Don''t talk nonsense! He runs a company, doesn''t he? Maybe he is just talking business with a client. Mrs. Lee will be angry if she knows you talk like that."


    Schultz frowned, "Is that so?"


    "Speaking of which, I envy Mrs. Lee. Her husband runs a company and has a good income. I hear he loves her very much. As for Mrs. Lee, she graduated from a prestigious university and has a strong teaching ability. Director Bull often praises her and even asks her to teach the best class. She has both a happy family and a successful career. Many teachers in the school envy her!"


    Thinking about the scene she had seen, Schultz doubted about that.


    Ms. Acheson sighed, "I''m not so lucky. Married a loser, divorced in two years¡­ Our class is the worst in the monthly exam."


    Schultz quickly comforted her, "Don''t say that... Mr. Cromwell is chasing you, isn''t he? I think he is a good guy, honest and reliable..."


    "Well¡­" Acheson was very shy, "It''s not like that¡­"


    ***


    Sophia didn''t expect to see Linda there, and it seemed that she found a new man.


    Sophia didn''t care about her. She remembered the case between Linda and Kevin, which was almost ready for trial. With lawyer Williams there, there would be no doubt that Linda would lose the case.


    After the birthday party, everyone went home. Carol picked up the cake and took it home. She loved the cake and didn''t want to waste any.


    They didn''t order much food, but there was a lot left. Sophia asked the waiter to filter the leftovers out of the soup and pack them together. She remembered that there were a lot of wild cats near her house. She wanted to feed the leftovers to the wild cats so as not to waste them.


    When she arrived home, she opened the food bag and put it in places where wild cats were infested, and then she got upstairs.


    Hardly had she entered the room when her mobile phone rang.


    It was from Watson.


    "I have been trying to find Henry for Miss Garcia these days," Watson said with some grievance, "but I just can''t find him. I walked along that road with Mitch for a long time, and Mitch had no special reaction. Doesn''t he work there anymore?"


    Sophia didn''t know what to do and could only say, "Yeah, maybe. After all this time, he may have changed his job and route."


    Watson sighed, "I was trying to chase Miss Garcia, but... Her story with Henry was so touching that I wanted to help her find him."


    "Well¡­ We have to follow fate, right?" Sophia said helplessly.


    Without knowing the name and appearance, how could they find the man? It had been more than two years, and no one knew if Henry still cared about Diana.


    Perhaps he had forgotten her and started his own life.


    Moreover, although Mitch had a good memory, it had been more than two years, and they didn''t know whether he could recognize Henry.


    "By the way," said Watson, "I have to go out of town for an activity the day after tomorrow. I may be out for about five days. Can you take care of Mitch for me for a few more days?"


    "Yeah." Sophia agreed happily without hesitation.


    She could play with Mitch again!

 Chapter 100 - 100: Don’t You Want To Keep Him?

    Watson drove Mitch to Sophia''s the next night. Sophia went downstairs and picked Mitch up.


    Mitch had not come to Sophia''s for a long time, and as soon as he entered the door, he ran around excitedly and could not calm down at all.


    Sophia took a picture of Mitch and posted it on her blog and announced, "Mitch''s back!"


    Within minutes, there were hundreds of comments.


    "Grandpa''s back as a ball!"


    "Now that he''s here don''t let him go again¡­ Think about it; keep Grandpa here and don''t give him back."


    "I hope you''ll always be the owner of Mitch and post adorable photos of him every day!"


    "Grandpa looks so happy! Don''t you want to keep him?"


    ***


    In the comments, many netizens persuaded Sophia to keep Mitch and not send him back.


    Sophia really wanted to do as they said.


    But after all, Watson was Mitch''s owner. No matter how much she liked Mitch, she won''t take him from Watson.


    What worried her was the figure problem of Mitch.


    She didn''t know whether Watson took her advice or not. Anyway, she didn''t think Mitch had lost any weight.


    She decided to help Mitch lose weight!


    After dinner, Sophia walked Mitch around the neighborhood for several circles until he lay on the ground and refused to walk anymore, then took him home.


    She ignored his pathetic "begging for food" look cruelly, settled him in his doghouse, and then went to bed.


    The next day, Sophia gave Mitch very limited dog food, and he ate them up in a few mouthfuls. Obviously, he was not full. He chased Sophia and asked for food.


    Sophia didn''t care about him. She couldn''t be soft at this time. He was so fat that he was like a ball. It was not bad if he was at a young age. Since he was old, it was very harmful to him to gain weight.


    Mitch acted shamelessly. He bit Sophia''s shoes and wouldn''t let her go.


    Sophia patted his head and said, "Honey, you''ll get sick if you eat too much. Understand?"


    Mitch whimpered a few times, finally, let go of her shoes, ran to the corner squatting, and looked disappointed.


    Sophia was surprised by the dog''s smartness.


    ***


    On Friday afternoon, Director Bull handed over the pass of Glinton University to Sophia. Sophia took it. With it, she could enter Glinton University at any time.


    When she got home from school, she weighed Mitch and found that he had lost two hundred grams.


    That was very good.


    "Sophia, look at this!" Kate came back from work, with a piece of paper in her hand, "Our neighborhood seems to be about to be demolished!"


    Sophia took over the paper, looked at it, and said, "A real estate developer is going to build a high-rise house here¡­ It''s a good deal to tear down a house and make up for three apartments."


    The old community where she lived had been rumored to be demolished. And a number of nearby communities had already been demolished. So, she was not surprised by the news.


    "Several families in the community are talking about whether to delay for some time and require the developer to give more compensation. It is said that some communities got four apartments!" said Kate.


    Sophia shook her head and said, "I don''t think the developer will agree to raise the price. There aren''t many real estate developments recently. Our community isn''t in a very superior location. Three apartments'' compensation is quite reasonable. They will not give us four apartments. If we delay deliberately and make the development difficult, the developer may directly give up developing this community. There are several communities nearby, and they are waiting for the development."


    "It says on the paper that the contract will be valid only if the whole neighborhood has been signed. If one person does not sign it, the contract will be void¡­ They are afraid to come across some nail households who want to take advantage of them. We will have a meeting and discuss it in the evening. Do you think we should sign the contract or not?" Said Kate.


    Sophia thought about it and said, "Our community is quite old as well as many facilities. It is good to demolish it. I think the price is quite reasonable. You can listen to what other people think. After all, we can''t do anything if there is one person who is not willing to move."


    Kate went to the meeting in the evening. When she got back, she told Sophia that they all agreed to remove it.


    The developer would sign a contract with them in recent days and then decide the details.


    "They said we could either have the apartments or the money. If we choose the apartments, we can choose three apartments in the same lot, and there are several properties to choose from. If we choose the money¡­ It''s about eight hundred dollars per square meter... It''s not a good deal. The normal housing price now is at least three thousand dollars, over three times the given price." Kate said.


    Sophia smiled, "Both choices are fine. You can choose the one you prefer."


    Kate thought about it and said, "Let''s choose the apartments. We can have a look at the apartments after signing the contract. I heard they are in charge of the decoration. It should be very nice. We can live in one apartment and rent out the remaining two. Thus, we will have a lot of money every month."


    Sophia had been thinking about how to make money but did not expect that her family became rich overnight.


    In terms of the house pricing, three apartments worth a lot, and their lives were not easy a while ago, so it could be said that they became rich overnight.


    Sophia knew Kate. Even if so, their lives would be as calm as they used to be. With Kate''s character, she would still go to work normally and would not lead a luxury life just because she got rich.


    The wealth was nothing in Sophia''s eyes and was not enough to excite her. She didn''t value money. She had never been short of money in her previous life. If she needed it, she could make it at any time. Sometimes when she saw someone in trouble, she donated the money.


    Even when she tried to make money, she just wanted to give her mother a better life. She had never thought about making a lot of money. Sometimes even she considered herself to lack ambition.


    Compared with the removal, she cared more about Mitch''s health.


    ***


    On Saturday morning, Sophia had breakfast, fed Mitch, and then went to the park with him. She planned to walk a little longer. Mitch had got a lot better in strength these days, but his body was still like a ball. So, they still had a long way to go to lose weight.


    There were a lot of people in the park on Saturday. Sophia walked around slowly with Mitch. Mitch ran happily at first, then he walked, and he walked slower and slower. Sophia sometimes had to pull him a few times before he could barely keep up.


    As they walked, Mitch suddenly stopped and barked twice.


    "Come on!" Sophia was used to Mitch''s laziness and tugged at the rope.


    But Mitch still didn''t catch up, and he barked twice again.


    Sophia turned her head and noticed that Mitch was barking at a man sitting on the bench.


    Did he know this man?

 Chapter 101 - 101: Another Illusion

    Sophia looked at the man sitting on the bench. He was a young man, not more than thirty years old, quite thin, with a delicate, pale face. He was looking somewhere and lost in thought.


    An idea suddenly occurred to her. Mitch knew him. Was he the guy Diana was looking for?


    "Excuse me, sir? Are you Mr. Henry?" Asked Sophia.


    The man looked at her, fixed his eyes on her face for a moment, and then looked to Mitch.


    His face changed slightly, paused, and said, "He''s..."


    He rubbed his eyes and smiled wryly, "I see her dog... Another illusion..."


    Sophia didn''t know what he was talking about and repeated her question, "Excuse me, sir. Are you Mr. Henry?"


    The man raised his head and nodded slightly, "Yeah... Do you know me? I haven''t seen you."


    Sophia had more assurance in her heart. He was Henry. And Mitch knew him¡­ Maybe he was the Henry Diana had been looking for.


    She said, "Here is the thing. My friend Miss Garcia has been looking for you, but she can''t find you. I didn''t expect to meet you here¡­ Would you like to meet her?"


    Hearing "Garcia", Henry''s facial muscles twitched slightly. He closed his eyes, after a while, he sighed, "I can''t meet her. My girlfriend won''t be happy. If she''s unhappy, she''ll leave me!"


    "Girl¡­ Girlfriend?" Sophia was surprised. Sure enough, he already had a girlfriend.


    It turned out that he was a bad man.


    Before parting with him, Diana had specially told him that she would have an operation. It was only a few months before she was discharged from the hospital, but he had already had a new lover.


    Was that why he was not waiting for Diana?


    Suddenly, a very gentle look appeared on Henry''s face. He got up and smiled towards the opposite side, "Here you come!"


    Then he walked forward.


    There were many people in the park. Several girls came towards them. Sophia didn''t know which one was his girlfriend. She was a little curious. What kind of girl made Henry change his mind so soon? She wanted to take a look and at least give Diana an answer.


    The girls walked past Henry, and no one paid attention to him. Henry didn''t look at them either. After a few steps, he stopped and said softly to the air in front of him, "Slow down. Let''s go home."


    Then he reached out and took hold of the nothingness around him as if someone were there, and his movements were very gentle. Then, he moved forward slowly.


    Sophia, who saw that scene, was completely stunned.


    It turned out that Henry was a psychopath! He loved his girlfriend so much that he left Diana, but it turned out that this girl didn''t exist!


    That was a girlfriend he fantasized about!


    She suddenly remembered what Diana said about the first time she met Henry.


    At that time, she heard the "good morning" from Henry, and since no one responded, Diana thought he was talking to her and replied, "good morning."


    If Henry already had an illusory girlfriend by then, was he talking to the illusory girlfriend?


    Naturally, Diana could not see or hear the illusory girlfriend, so she mistook him for talking to her.


    The fate between them began from that misunderstanding.


    In such a situation, Sophia had no idea what to do and could only stay in a daze.


    She didn''t even know how to explain it to Diana.


    Diana might not believe that she was dumped by Henry for someone who didn''t exist.


    Suddenly, someone patted Sophia on the shoulder.


    Sophia looked back and saw Benjamin smiling at her and shouting happily, "Hey, sister! Hello again!"


    He still spoke English.


    Sophia frowned and responded in English, "I''m not your sister!"


    Benjamin was still smiling, "Aren''t you just looking for your brother? I am also looking for my family. When the police have the result, maybe we will really be brother and sister! So, I''ll just call you first!"


    "No." Said Sophia.


    She didn''t want a brother like that... Ideally, the brother she wanted to be a tall, handsome, calm man, not an indescribable type like Benjamin.


    When they were talking, Henry had gone far. She had hesitated to catch up with him. Since she was interrupted by Benjamin, she could not catch up with him at all.


    However, she thought it was fine. Anyway, Diana couldn''t be with a psychopath. She would explain it to her and tell her to forget about it.


    "Why are you here?" Sophia asked.


    "There is a murder nearby. I am very interested and come to check. As soon as I got back from the scene, I met you here." Said, Benjamin.


    Sophia didn''t believe it at all. She lived around here. Why didn''t she hear about the murder? Besides, would the police allow a foreigner like him to check the scene?


    "By the way, can you speak Chinese or not?" asked Sophia. She had never heard him speak Chinese since she first met him, and they had always communicated in English.


    He had said that he was kidnapped from his motherland. He might be able to speak the local language, did he?


    "Yes." Benjamin said in Chinese, "But I''m used to speaking English. I don''t speak Chinese a lot. Sister. If you like to listen to the Chinese, I will speak Chinese. It''s more cordial!"


    Sophia said nothing.


    Benjamin suddenly took a few steps forward, stood a few steps away from Sophia. Then he stretched out his arm and pointed at Sophia.


    Sophia was confused.


    What was he doing?


    Benjamin smiled, "Well, how about this look? Am I looking good?"


    Sophia didn''t pay attention to him before he said that. She took a good look at him and saw that he was wearing a blue suit and a white shirt, and a lot of wax on his hair, which made a few wisps of hair stretch forward. It was quite strange.


    "What''s wrong with your hair?" Sophia asked casually, though she didn''t really care.


    Benjamin forked his waist, "Can''t you see that? I''m dressed up as Shinichi Kudo today!"


    Sophia didn''t want to talk to this cosplay freak.


    She silently pulled up Mitch''s traction rope and turned to the park exit.


    Benjamin followed up, "Don''t go in a hurry. We don''t meet often. Tell me your phone number, sister. How about taking me to our mom?"


    Sophia really wanted to pretend she didn''t know this guy.

 Chapter 102 - 102: How Touching

    Benjamin ran after Sophia like a plaster. He said, "I saw you talking to a man. He seems to have delusions. I saw him talking to the air... I''ve seen people like that when I''ve been working cases before, and they''ve usually suffered some trauma or blow."


    Sophia stopped, "Trauma? Blow? You mean¡­"


    Benjamin laughed, "I told you-you''re my sister. See? You''re just as clever as me. I was wondering maybe the person he had fantasized about had already¡­ gone."


    If that was the case, Sophia thought Henry was really pathetic. His girlfriend might have died for some reason. He missed her and made her live in his world.


    But why did he approach Diana, and suddenly disappeared?


    "Would you like your brother to check the information about this Henry for you?" asked Benjamin.


    Sophia was surprised, "Can you do that?"


    "Of course." Benjamin looked quite confident. "I''m a detective. This is a basic skill for a detective, okay? Regardless of him, even the richest person in the country, I can get his or her information."


    "All right, but you have to keep your nose clean," Sophia said though she didn''t expect much. She always thought Benjamin was unreliable.


    Benjamin came up to her and reached out with a smile, "Give me your number. Otherwise, how can I inform you when I get his information?"


    Sophia thought about it, gave him her number, and repeatedly told him not to call her randomly.


    She didn''t expect that Benjamin called her the next day and asked her to meet at a nearby coffee shop, he said he had found everything out.


    Sophia doubted about his words, but since she had no other source, she wanted to hear what he would say.


    Sophia arrived at the coffee shop and saw Benjamin at once. His outfit was still very exaggerated, but she didn''t bother to guess which detective he was imitating.


    Benjamin took some tissues from the table and wiped his tears sadly.


    Sophia didn''t know what was going on.


    "How touching!" Benjamin said, crying.


    She really wanted to pretend she didn''t know him¡­ Could she not sit with him?


    The waiter came over and saw Benjamin crying. He could not help but turn to Sophia with a smile in his eyes.


    Apparently, he suspected that Sophia bullied Benjamin and he cried.


    Sophia, who had no explanation, had to take over the menu, ordered two cups of coffee at will. Then the waiter left.


    "Well, tell me about it," Sophia said helplessly.


    Benjamin sniffled and said, "I... I found out where he lived and met a little girl visiting his house. I waited outside. When she came out, I asked her about him. The girl was very kind and told me everything."


    "Which girl has such a big mouth and tells strangers what''s going on at home? The girl should have received a good safety education." Said Sophia.


    "That girl''s name is very special. I immediately remembered it. It was Melissa Everly." Benjamin said.


    It seemed that she should have a talk with Melissa when school started.


    "The girl said he is Henry Rodriguez, her uncle. He had a girlfriend, Daisy, a classmate of his from college, and they were very close. However, after graduating from college, Daisy had an accident that led to blindness." Said, Benjamin.


    Sophia remembered that Diana had been blind before, which was similar to Daisy.


    "Henry is very good for Daisy. Although she can''t see things, he has been with her. He said he would be her eyes all the time and would never leave her." Said Benjamin.


    At this point, he drew another tissue and wiped his tears.


    After drying his eyes, Benjamin continued, "Daisy was gradually recovering from the loss of her sight. She spent every day with Henry. Henry''s family was very wealthy. They didn''t approve of his living with a blind girl. But Henry was very insistent. Finally, they approved. And the couple was about to get married."


    "But just a few days before the marriage, Henry was crossing the street with Daisy when the phone rang, he was a little careless and didn''t notice the red light. Just at this time, a car rushed over, and no one knew how Daisy noticed the car, she suddenly pushed away Henry, and then¡­"


    Benjamin started sobbing again, "She... was killed by the car."


    Sophia also found the story sad and touching. But she didn''t cry easily. So, she did not burst into tears like Benjamin.


    "The day after Daisy''s accident, Henry went to that road and suddenly¡­ he saw Daisy. Since then, he could see her at the moment of the accident every day. This, of course, was an illusion of how much he missed her. The psychologist explained that to him, and he knew it was an illusion, but he was addicted to it. Every day, he waited in the street at the moment to see Daisy."


    "His family was very worried about him and tried many methods. They introduced him to beautiful, gentle girls and wanted him to start a new relationship, but he didn''t cooperate at all. He went there every day, and he never looked at other girls. The family couldn''t do anything about him. They watched him for a while and saw that he wouldn''t hurt himself, so they just let him go."


    "About three years ago, one day, his family noticed some changes in him. He no longer waited on the road on Saturdays and Sundays. He sometimes bought some gifts, and then he brought back different gifts. His family secretly followed him and found out that he was waiting for a girl every day. Even though the girl was also blind, the family was very happy that he finally stopped clinging to the dead Daisy."


    "However, it lasted for more than a year; one day after he came back, he stayed alone for a long time. No one knew what happened. After that... His illness became worse.


    He could see Daisy not only in the street but also in his daily life.. He often talked to the air, which worried his family.

 Chapter 103 - 103: I Want Someone To Be There

    They took him to psychologists many times, but there was no solution."


    "The psychiatrist said he had to let go of Daisy before he could stop seeing her. But he won''t set himself free. He won''t fall in love with someone else. He can''t let go of Daisy."


    After telling Henry''s story, Benjamin sobbed again, couldn''t even say a word.


    Sophia had never seen such a crying man.


    When the waiter served the coffee, Benjamin was still crying, and the smile on the waiter''s face got bigger.


    In his opinion, if a girl was bullied to tears by a boy, then the boy must be a playboy. But if it was the boy who was crying... He was really glad to see that.


    Sophia gave a general analysis of the story.


    Daisy died for Henry, so he just couldn''t let go of it. Later, he met Diana, a blind girl like Daisy. They met because of a misunderstanding. But gradually, they fell in love with each other.


    Later, Diana''s sight returned. For some reason, Henry stopped appearing. After that, his illusion of Daisy became clearer and completely occupied all his space, which led to the present situation.


    It was so complicated. Sophia wondered if Diana would just freak out after knowing it.


    But she still decided to tell Diana the truth and let her make a decision. Diana was still waiting for Henry. She had every right to know the truth.


    After parting with Benjamin and returning home from the coffee shop, Sophia first called Melissa to ask about Henry.


    Melissa was a little shocked, "Is my uncle so famous? Even you know about him."


    "You''re the one with the big mouth."


    ***


    Later, Sophia called Diana and told her everything.


    Diana was really shocked and said she had to think about it.


    Sophia also knew that the truth was too bizarre for her to accept.


    The next afternoon, Sophia got a call from Diana.


    "I''m going to see him." Diana Garcia said, "I figured it out. First, I like him. Second, only I can save him! So, whether it''s for him or for me, I''m going to see him."


    Sophia really admired Diana''s decisiveness.


    "Can you stay with me?" Diana asked, "I want someone to be there."


    Sophia agreed without much thought. She was uneasy about letting her go alone.


    "By the way, let''s go with Mitch." Said Diana.


    Sophia also thought of it. Mitch was an important witness of Diana and Henry, and only he saw everything about them, although he couldn''t speak.


    Benjamin gave Henry''s address to Sophia, and she messaged it to Diana. They agreed to meet downstairs at Henry''s house and go upstairs to see him together.


    Henry lived not far from Sophia. Sophia walked there with Mitch.


    Halfway there, Sophia''s phone rang. She took out the phone and saw it was Pearson.


    "Are you available today? How about singing together?" asked Pearson.


    "I''m afraid not." Sophia said, "I have to meet someone with a friend."


    "Who? Man or woman?" Pearson asked, "Do you know him or her?"


    "A man¡­ Don''t know him well." Sophia answered truthfully.


    Albert''s voice rose in an instant, "What did I tell you last time? Don''t go to a stranger''s house! Don''t you remember that?"


    "I went with a friend." Said Sophia.


    "Man or woman?" asked Albert.


    "Woman," answered Sophia.


    "That''s even less safe." Said, Albert.


    ***


    Sophia had heard from Melissa that Henry was a gentle, kind-hearted person. He lived alone, and there was no one else in the house. Sophia believed in Melissa that Henry was not a dangerous person. Although he was mentally ill, he was not dangerous.


    She tried to explain, but Albert didn''t believe that. "Well. Send me the address. I''ll go with you." He said.


    Sophia hung up and sent the address to him.


    For Albert''s concern, she felt quite warm in her heart. It was like¡­ her mother.


    Henry lived in an old neighborhood, similar to Sophia''s. Sophia heard from Melissa that Henry''s family had bought him a mansion, but he insisted on living here instead of there.


    Because¡­ Daisy had been here.


    When Sophia arrived there with Mitch, she saw Albert waiting in front of the gate. Seeing Sophia, he frowned slightly and came over on his long legs.


    "You are too credulous! Do you often go to a stranger''s house? It''s getting dark, and it''s dangerous!" Albert lectured her.


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    She only went to the house of an unfamiliar man twice, and Albert ran into that.


    It wasn''t long before Diana arrived. She came by taxi. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Sophia and trotted over.


    "Thank you, Sophia." Diana said and looked back at Albert and smiled, "He must be your..."


    Sophia thought her missing word was "friend" and nodded, "Yeah. This is Mr. Pearson."


    "Hi, Mr. Pearson." Said Diana.


    If Albert didn''t misunderstand, Diana must mean "boyfriend", did she?


    He didn''t like girls younger than him. He was simply worried that her, a little girl, would be in danger.


    Since Diana didn''t say the word out, he could not explain and had to hold it. "Hi, Miss Garcia." He said hello to Diana.


    The three entered the community together. The security of the old community was quite lax, no one stopped them, and there was no access control of the building, so they could enter directly.


    Henry lived on the third floor. They went upstairs together. Soon they came to the door of the house.


    However, Diana hesitated at this time. She reached on the doorbell but did not ring it.


    Albert was obviously impatient. He gently waved Diana''s arm away and rang the doorbell.


    Soon, there was a nice male voice inside, "Who''s that?"


    Hearing the voice, Diana trembled and subconsciously took a step back.


    Sophia saw her reaction and knew that the one she was missing was definitely Henry.


    Sophia cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me. I''m... a friend of Melissa."


    "Melissa?" Slightly puzzled, Henry reached out and twisted the lock to open the door.


    Then his eyes were immediately drawn to Diana, and he was stunned.


    Diana also looked at him, infatuated, standing outside the door, motionless.

 Chapter 104 - 104: I Don’t Think I’m Good For You

    Albert hadn''t heard about the relationship between Diana and Henry before he came. But just by looking at them, he came to know it.


    He turned his head and glanced at Sophia and made it clear, "what are you doing here".


    "Woof, woof," Mitch barked beside Henry, which brought the two persons back to their senses.


    Henry was embarrassed, "Well¡­ Come in, please."


    The three followed him into the room. Sophia went last and closed the door behind her.


    Henry''s home was very clean, all kinds of items were arranged neatly, and the decoration of plain color was very elegant.


    He sat everyone down and served them tea. Then he set aside, afraid to look at Diana, kept his head down.


    Diana sat on the sofa and slowly drank her tea. Till she finished her tea, neither of the two people spoke.


    It made Sophia and Albert kind of worry. Sophia looked at Albert and saw that he just was looking at her.


    They both meant that" find a way to get this over with, and we can go home."


    Sophia coughed and said, "We have met in the park, Mr. Rodriguez. Maybe you don''t remember me well. Well, you know why we''re here today. I want to ask you a question first: Diana went to see you after her operation. Why didn''t you meet her? You won''t forget what she told you before, will you?"


    This exactly was what Diana wanted to ask. Since Sophia asked, Diana looked up and looked at Henry, waiting for him to answer.


    Henry paused, swallowed, hesitated for a while, and slowly said, "I¡­ I dare not. How dare I go to see her like this? Before¡­ she can''t see anything, and I had some courage. But since her eyes recovered, I have no courage."


    He paused, "Actually, I went there the other day, and I... I saw you. You were so beautiful, so wonderful. I walked past you, but you didn''t give me a look. So, I don''t think I''m good for you."


    Diana suddenly stood up and said angrily, "I can''t recognize you, but you can recognize me. I can''t see things. I don''t know what you look like. How can I recognize you?"


    Henry bowed his head and whispered, "It''s my fault. But I''m really sorry to see you. You must have heard about everything about me. I¡­ I can''t let go of Daisy. I don''t think I''m qualified to love anyone. It is not fair to you. And¡­ I''m also sorry for Daisy."


    Diana looked at him and said, "I''ve heard everything about you. Miss Garcia died for you. There will always be a place for her in your heart. I know that, and I can accept it. But do you think she chose to die for you just to make you suffer for her for the rest of your life? Are you worthy of her saving her life?"


    Henry froze, looked up at Diana, and quickly bowed her head.


    Diana walked up to Henry, suddenly reached out and grabbed his collar, made him stand facing her.


    Sophia and Albert stood beside watching the scene, stunned. They didn''t expect that Diana, a girl who looked so gentle, was such a bad-tempered woman.


    "Just one question!" Diana looked him in the eyes and said, "You... Do you like me?"


    Henry was so confused that he never thought that one day a woman would pull him off the sofa and question him if he liked her.


    He unconsciously said, "Yes. I like you."


    "That''s good!" Diana suddenly raised the voice, "Do you hear that, Miss Wood? I know you love him, and I''m the same as you! I''ll be right to him just like you. If there is an afterlife, I will never argue with you for him. Now, give him to me, will you?"


    Sophia and Albert looked at each other and had to admire that Diana was so bossy.


    Henry turned his head and looked at the nothingness around him as if listening to something carefully.


    Diana didn''t bother him, letting him look ahead at the nothingness and gradually look to the distance.


    "She said¡­" Henry whispered, "She said she was relieved¡­ and¡­ she said goodbye to me¡­"


    Sophia then came to realize that he was watching Daisy leave.


    Daisy was only his fantasy. Daisy''s departure meant that he had figured everything out.


    He would not forget Daisy, but he was willing to accept a new life.


    "Oh, my homework! I haven''t done it yet." Sophia stood up, "Please take care of Mitch for me for a while. I have to go first."


    Albert also got up, "Let''s go."


    At a time like this, being the third wheel wasn''t really a wise choice.


    When they got downstairs, Sophia sighed with emotion, "I had thought they would talk for a long time. I didn''t expect Miss Garcia to solve it in a few words. She is really good."


    Albert also roughly understood the relationship between the two, "So... She cured the gentleman of his delusions in a flash, did she?"


    No one introduced Henry to him when he entered the door, and he didn''t ask his name either.


    Sophia said, "I think so. Mr. Rodriguez said that Miss Wood had said goodbye to him, which probably meant he let go of her. Diana''s confession was so domineering. I''m going to learn from her."


    Albert turned his head and glanced at her, "To learn what? Only a man with a weak character like Mr. Rodriguez likes that kind of confession. If it was someone else, it would have been useless."


    "Really?" Sophia was confused.


    "Yes." Albert nodded.


    Sophia''s house was close to this place, so she just walked back. Albert drove his car here, so he drove back.


    That night, Sophia got a call from Diana.


    "Thank you for today." Diana said, "We already agreed on everything. He''s going to work hard and stop being negative. We will help to take care of Miss Wood''s family. And I''m going to continue my interpreting. About Mitch¡­ Mr. Watson may still need to take care of him. He''s been home lately, hasn''t he?"


    Sophia was originally asked by Watson to get to know Diana and inquire about her impression of him. Then she got along well with Diana. However, all of Watson''s fantasies were empty.


    "Mr. Watson will be back in a few days. If you can''t take care of Mitch, just send him to my house."


    "Okay.. Thanks very much."

 Chapter 105 - 105: Exam

    On Monday, Acheson announced that there would be a midterm exam on Thursday and Friday.


    Once the class was over, Acheson asked Sophia to her office, informed her of the second Mathematical Olympiad try this Friday, and asked her to have a good preparation.


    In that way, she would be unable to take some of the subjects in the midterm, which meant that she would lose another chance to gain points for her class.


    Kevin came to Acheson to ask for leave, indicating that he had to attend a hearing the next day. Earlier, Linda sued Kevin and demanded a redistribution of Sophia''s legacy. The court was convening the next day.


    Sophia was not worried about it. There was no chance of losing the case with lawyer Williams and her will there.


    She just told Kevin not to be nervous, to calm down, and to do what lawyer Williams told him to do.


    On Tuesday, Kevin was absent until the end of the afternoon. He came to Sophia before she asked him about the result, looking a little tangled.


    "What''s wrong?" asked Sophia.


    "Linda lost the case."


    "Well¡­" Sophia had expected that, "Then why aren''t you happy?"


    "I..." Kevin hesitated before saying, "There''s something I want to tell my sister. Lawyer Williams was going to help me sue Linda to get the house back and accuse her of abandonment and put her in jail. The other day, I saw Adam wearing old clothes and worn shoes, and I suddenly felt that... It''s not easy for her to bring up Adam by herself. Adam is never good to me, but he is still my brother, and we have the same father. So... I dropped the charges."


    Sophia wasn''t surprised about that. Kevin was so kind that it was normal for him to do that. Anyway, the house Linda lived in was not worth much, and they could give it up. As long as Linda repented and stopped making trouble, Sophia didn''t bother to deal with her.


    Thinking of the last time she saw Linda, it seemed that she was about to marry another man. That was not a bad thing. If she could find a man who was good to her, at least she would not think about getting Kevin in trouble anymore.


    ***


    On Friday, Sophia came to Glinton University again to take part in the second round of Mathematical Olympiad competition.


    Before she came, Director Bull especially gave her another set of stationery and smiley told her not to be nervous during the exam, to work hard, to win honor for the school.


    "By the way, our school has signed up for an official microblog, and I''m going to have several good students sign up to promote the image of our school," Director Bull said. "Can I sign up a real-name account for you later?"


    Sophia had an account named" Knowing A Person" before, but it wasn''t a real-name account. She didn''t want others to know who she was.


    As for the school''s publicity account... They would just use her name. Anyway, others would know her if she won the Olympic Games.


    "Okay. But¡­ Don''t upload my picture or anything. I''m not used to it." said Sophia.


    "Don''t worry!" said Director Bull with a smile. "Try your best! Come on!"


    Sophia didn''t take the blog seriously. She found her examination room according to the information on her admission ticket and sat in her seat, waiting for the exam to start.


    Soon, the invigilators walked into the examination room. One of them was a teacher at Glinton University that Sophia had met, whose name she didn''t know, and the other she hadn''t.


    After spending so many years in Glinton University, she knew most of the teachers and professors. Although she had never dealt with some of them, she had a good memory and could remember the person as long as she had seen him or her.


    The bell rang, and the invigilators handed out the test paper.


    When Sophia got the exam paper, she used to look it over. It was more difficult than the one of the first exam, and there were basically no easy questions. Judging from the style of the last two questions, they were obviously from Professor Wilson. He must be getting better and had the strength to set the questions.


    She picked up her pen and began to work.


    As there was nothing else to do, Sophia worked slowly. She did not hand in the test paper until the bell rang at the end of the exam.


    When Sophia left the examination room, she suddenly heard someone calling her.


    Looking back, she saw Wilson smiling at her.


    "Professor Wilson, you''re out of the hospital so soon!" Sophia greeted him with a smile and gave him a hand.


    Wilson smiled and said, "The doctor didn''t let me leave the hospital, but I didn''t want to stay in the hospital, I wanted to go back to school. I can recuperate in our school hospital, and the conditions there are not bad. I wanted to invigilate, but the principal didn''t agree, and I couldn''t help it."


    Wilson was a workaholic. She had learned that long before. But obviously, she still underestimated him.


    Afraid that Wilson was tired, she hurriedly helped him to sit in the classroom.


    "Any plans for the future?" Wilson asked. "Are you interested in majoring in math in college? If you get the first place in this Mathematical Olympiad exam, I can guarantee that you will be admitted to Glinton University in advance."


    Sophia smiled. "I don''t like math very much. Relatively speaking, I prefer chemistry."


    Wilson stared at her, "You¡­ don''t you like math? You''re so good at math, and you tell me you don''t like math? You studied liberal arts, didn''t you? Do you love chemistry? Are you kidding me?"


    Sophia couldn''t explain that it wasn''t her choice, the liberal arts. She thought about it and came up with an excuse. "I didn''t think the chemistry was so interesting before, so I chose liberal arts. Only later did I realize that chemistry was fun."


    "You can''t get into the chemistry department for you are a liberal arts student. Our chemistry department only recruits science students," said Wilson.


    Sophia hadn''t thought about this before. She came to realize that as a liberal arts student, she couldn''t get into the chemistry department and continue the research she loved. But if transferring to a science class, she would be reluctant to say goodbye to her present teachers and classmates.


    She slightly frowned. Suddenly, something occurred to her, "Can the chemistry department take students in advance? When does the Chemistry Olympiad start?"


    Professor was surprised.


    Was this girl out of her mind? She was good at math, but as for chemistry... A liberal arts student wanted to attend the Chemistry Olympiad competition. Really?


    Was she trying to piss off all the science students?


    Finally, Wilson unhappily told Sophia that the chemistry department did have an advance enrollment quota. The first round of the Chemistry Olympics competition was about half a month later.


    Sophia was very happy, "Thank you, Professor Wilson."


    Wilson used to have a good opinion of Sophia. But after the conversation, he considered her an arrogant kid. With some talent, she just thought she could do anything? In his life, he had only met one person who had made great achievements in both mathematics and chemistry.


    That girl is also named Sophia. Young as she was, she was the one he admired most, but much more modest. Even the god was jealous of her talent and took her life at such a young age¡­


    Were kids named Sophia all very smart? His daughter happened to marry a Green. Should he advise her to name her daughter Sophia Green if she had one?


    Sophia helped Wilson back to the school hospital and asked him to have a good rest before leaving Glinton University.

 Chapter 106 - 106: I’m Coming

    Once she got back, she went to Director Bull.


    "Director Bull, when does the Chemistry Olympiad audition begin in our school?" Sophia asked.


    Director Bull was bewildered by her question before he had time to ask about her examination.


    "You are just a liberal arts student. Why do you ask that?"


    "I want to attend. I''m afraid you won''t tell we liberal arts classes, and it''ll be troublesome if I miss it."


    Director Bull was shocked.


    She wanted to attend the Chemistry Olympiad. Really?


    Was she kidding him? She thought she was going to hang out?


    Even Kurt, a top science student, didn''t dare say he did well in chemistry. She was just a liberal arts student, and they didn''t even have chemistry classes.


    However, in view of Sophia''s contribution to represent the school in the Mathematical Olympiad Competition, Director Bull answered her question.


    "The tryout will be on next Friday. There''s only one exam. The one with the highest score will be in. If there''s a tie, there''s a tie-break." Director Bull said and took out a piece of paper from the cabinet. "Here''s the printed entry form. If you want to attend the exam, just fill it out and hand in. There''s no rule against liberal arts students, but... There were no liberal arts students ever signed up."


    Sophia took the form. "I''ll hand it in when I fill it out."


    Director Bull looked at her serious expression, and suddenly, he was uncertain.


    Couldn''t she be serious, could she?


    ***


    Sophia received a call from Watson at night. He said he would come back tomorrow and pick up Mitch.


    Diana had sent Mitch back before. Mitch had been living at Sophia''s house for the past few days and had been taken care for by Sophia to lose weight, and his figure had slowly recovered. She could not imagine whether Mitch would swell again when he was handed over to Watson.


    She taught Watson how to raise Mitch and said she would refuse to return Mitch if he became fat again.


    Watson agreed and asked about Diana.


    Sophia didn''t talk much, and she just told him that Diana had found that gentleman, and they were getting along well.


    Watson was a little lost and sighed, "Well, I can only bless them."


    Sophia could feel the pain of the foreigner''s heart through the phone.


    However, she couldn''t help with it. No one could do anything about love. She could only wish him to find his true love as soon as possible.


    Watson was warm and kind, and Sophia believes that he would find someone who truly loved him one day.


    ***


    Sophia had thought she would see Mathematical Olympiad scores on Monday, but Director Bull told her it would take another two days to announce the results.


    She wasn''t worried about it. She was basically aware of her grades.


    Sophia was a little surprised that she didn''t see Kevin in the first class.


    Ms. Acheson also asked, "Why isn''t Kevin here? Did he ask anyone to ask for leave for him?"


    No one answered.


    Sophia had an uneasy feeling. Kevin was a good boy. How could he skip class without asking for leave?


    She couldn''t wait until class was over, quietly took out her cell phone, and dialed Kevin''s number.


    "The number you dialed is off." This sentence came out of the phone.


    His phone was off.


    The more Sophia thought about it, the more uneasy he got. Was there anything wrong with him?


    She stood up, "Ms. Acheson. I know where he lives. I''ll go and look for him. He has no family, and I''m afraid something might happen to him!"


    Acheson also thought things were not normal. If it was a naughty student, she might suspect that he was skipping class to play. But Kevin... The child had never been absent from school without asking for leave.


    She agreed at once and signed a leave note for Sophia. Sophia took the leave note and rode out of school to Kevin''s house.


    The door of the building was closed. Sophia explained the situation to the doorman, asked him to open the door, then went straight to the door of Kevin''s house, and rang the doorbell.


    After a long time, no one opened the door, and there was no movement in the room.


    Without a key, she had to run back to the guard room and ask the doorman to pull out the latest surveillance video to see if Kevin was home.


    There were many monitoring points in the residential area, including the entrance and the elevator rooms. Sophia was so anxious that her hands were shaking with the mouse.


    "Here." The doorman had a sharp eye and saw it at a glance. "He went out around five o''clock yesterday afternoon!"


    Sophia checked the following video but found no sign of Kevin returning.


    That was to say, after leaving at five o''clock yesterday afternoon, he never came back.


    He¡­ Where would he go?


    She panicked and immediately called the police.


    Kevin had not been missing for a long time, but the police had analyzed the situation and decided that it was necessary to investigate this matter. Although the case was not officially filed, they still organized people to help with the investigation.


    They immediately checked the nearby surveillance and found that Kevin had left the surveillance after turning in at a corner, and they could not find out where he was going.


    Sophia had no idea what to do. It was the first time she came across a thing like this. Without information, the police couldn''t find Kevin.


    In normal times, no matter what happened to her, she could deal with it calmly. But at this point, perhaps care was chaotic, she had no idea what to do.


    In her impatience, a man suddenly appeared in her mind.


    Albert.


    She did not know why she thought of him at this moment, but unconsciously she felt that he was a man to be trusted.


    She immediately dialed Albert''s number and explained everything to him. Although some of her words were incoherent due to her anxiety, she still expressed what she wanted to say.


    When Albert heard this, he immediately said, "I''m coming. Wait for me."


    ***


    Albert arrived at the police station in half an hour.


    "Don''t worry," Albert said, sitting next to Sophia, patting her on the back, "I''ve asked my friends to look for him. We will find him."


    Of course, he would not tell Sophia that the whole world was looking for Kevin.


    Sophia was worried all morning. Albert got a few calls, but there was no useful news.


    At noon, Sophia''s phone suddenly rang, and it was a strange number.


    When she answered the phone, all she heard was a shrill mechanical voice on the other side of the phone, "Are you, Sophia?"


    "Yes. And you are¡­" Sophia held her breath nervously.


    "I have Kevin Green. He asked me to find you to do something for him!" Said the voice.


    Then, on the phone, there was Kevin''s voice. "Sister, I''ve been kidnapped. Do what he said.. Go to my room, find out my card and take out all the money in it," he said.

 Chapter 107 - 107: Simple Minded

    Sophia calmed down when she heard Kevin''s voice.


    She knew that if she couldn''t calm down, she couldn''t think of a way to save Kevin. She had previously speculated where Kevin might have gone, and being kidnapped was one of her guesses.


    A good boy like Kevin would not have disappeared for no apparent reason if his freedom had not been restricted.


    The mechanical voice came from the phone again, "Do you hear that? Go to his house, find the bank card, and take out all the money. You can''t call the police. You understand?"


    Sophia immediately said, "Don''t worry. I will never call the police. I swear."


    She was just in the police station, yes, she didn''t call the police.


    She was surrounded by police officers, several of whom had surrounded her since she answered the call. Sophia didn''t play the voice for fear that the kidnapper would hear the abnormal.


    But the technicians had crept over and plugged a data line into her phone, where all the information she received was sent to a nearby computer. Several technicians put on headphones and listened carefully. There were also professionals trying to find the location of the call through the telecommunications service provider.


    "Good. I''ll tell you where to put the money when you get it out."


    Sophia hurriedly said, "Wait, you have to tell me where he put his card. And I don''t know what the password is. I am just one of Kevin''s classmates. How do I know so much about him? Besides, I don''t have a key to Kevin''s house. How do you want me to go in and get it?"


    The kidnapper was silent for a moment. Soon, Kevin''s voice came from the phone, "Sis, the key is on me. The credit card is in the left drawer of the study, and the password is my birthday."


    Before Sophia had time to say anything to him, it was the kidnapper''s voice again, "Did you hear that? The password is his birthday. As for the key¡­ You have to figure it out yourself. There is a lockpicking company, right? Pay them dozens of dollars, and they will unlock the door for you."


    "I don''t think that will work. I''m not the owner of the house. The lockpicking company is crazy to help me unlock casually. If I can''t get the key, it''s impossible for me to go in. If I break the lock, someone would definitely call the police. By then, the police will know it even if I don''t call the police."


    The kidnapper hesitated for a moment and said, "Fine. Later, I will put the key somewhere and give you a call to tell you where it is."


    As he spoke, he hung up.


    Soon, the technician found out the location of the phone call. It was in a shopping mall downtown.


    "Should we search for the mall? They might hide Kevin there." Said a police officer.


    "I think¡­ something is wrong with it." The captain frowned slightly.


    Sophia closed her eyes and thought it over. She had the same thought as the captain. Something was wrong.


    The captain, Freddy, was a middle-aged man of more than forty years old with rich experience in handling cases. He pondered for a moment, and said, "There are so many people in the mall. How can he hide a kid there without being found? If it''s me, I''ll hide him in a safe and secret place. And... doesn''t this guy know that this number can be traced?"


    He said to Sophia, "Dial this number."


    Sophia nodded, picked up her phone, and dialed the number, but she couldn''t get it through.


    "Did he..." Sophia understood at once, "After making the call, he must throw away the phone card and ran away. The reason why he chose the mall was that¡­ there are so many people in the mall that it''s not easy to find him."


    "Something was wrong with that voice," Albert suddenly said, "there was some noise. It wasn''t someone talking directly to the phone. The sound we hear should be transmitted from another phone or intercom or other equipment. Kevin is definitely not at the mall. Even if we go there now, the kidnappers must have run away."


    Freddy nodded, "I think so, too. Now that they have the hostage, we can''t act rashly, lest he found that out and endangered the hostage. Miss. Green, do you have any clues to the identity of the kidnappers?"


    "I suspect a person. But I have no evidence. If he calls again, I''d like to sound him out again."


    She suspected that it might have something to do with Linda. Linda, though rude, was too timid to do such a thing. But Sophia saw her new man last time, and maybe he was the one who encouraged her to do so.


    Of course, he could be a real kidnapper. The man, who was clever enough not to leave any surveillance information or enable others to trace his whereabouts over the phone, did not appear to be simple-minded. He must have done enough preparation, will not easily reveal the flaw.


    "The kidnapper called Miss Green to ask her to withdraw the money and must be afraid to expose his identity. But he will finally show up when we give him the money. At least that''s an opportunity." said Freddy.


    Sophia shook her head. "We can give him money. That won''t be a problem. But we can''t take a risk. I''m afraid he won''t let go of Kevin after taking the money."


    There were three thousand dollars in the card left by her. She didn''t care if all the money was gone. But if Kevin was in danger, she would never accept it.


    After an hour, the kidnapper called. It was a new number. "I have put the key in the third bin down the Blue Sky Alley, you can find it there."


    "How much do you want? How about one hundred thousand dollars? He told me he had about one hundred thousand dollars in his possession."


    The kidnapper sneered, "Stop talking about this nonsense. He told me he had two hundred thousand dollars. Give me two hundred thousand dollars, non-serial bills. You go and withdraw the money right now, and I''ll call you back in three hours and tell you how to do it."


    Then, he hung up.


    "I get it. Linda is the kidnapper." Sophia said at once.


    Freddy was confused, "How do you know that?"


    He heard the talk clearly. The kidnapper only gave a number.


    "Linda used to sue for the legacy. So, she applied to investigate the inheritance of Kevin''s sister, which happened to be two hundred thousand dollars. If the man is a professional kidnapper, he won''t be so clear about the money. He said Kevin told him about it, but from what I know of Kevin, he wouldn''t be stupid enough to tell the kidnapper the exact number. After all, the card is not on him, and there is no way for the kidnapper to check his account." Said Sophia.


    When Albert heard "Kevin''s sister", his eyes darkened. He turned his head away so that Sophia would not notice the change of his expression.


    Sophia continued, "Linda can''t do this alone. She must have an accomplice. I suspect a man¡­ I saw this man once and felt he was a little familiar at the time¡­ It seems that¡­"


    She felt this way when she met the man who was with Linda but didn''t think much about it because it had nothing to do with her.


    But now, this man''s identity was crucial.


    Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember. I have seen this man with Mrs. Lee. He seems to be Mrs. Lee''s husband."


    At that time, she just accidentally glanced and did not have a deep impression.. If she hadn''t had a good memory, she couldn''t have recalled it.

 Chapter 108 - 108: Kevin Was Kidnapped

    The technical department immediately identified Mrs. Lee''s husband.


    His name was Scales, 45 years old, and he was the owner of a surveillance camera equipment company. He was not honest in his business and often tampered with the surveillance camera when he was installing them. He stole surveillance videos and sold them to others. It invaded the privacy of his customers. He just gained profits in this way.


    Later, someone exposed that on the Internet, which raised wide attention. Scales'' company was in a credit crisis. No one bought products from his company anymore, and customers sued for infringement. Thus, he lost a lot of money, and his company became basically an empty shell.


    After knowing that, Freddy said, "It''s probably him. This person works on surveillance cameras. He is familiar with all these. Thus, he avoided them, not being detected. There are surveillance cameras in Kevin''s community and banks. Of course, he will not go to these places but ask Sophia to withdraw money for him."


    Sophia thought about it and said, "About this guy¡­ Mrs. Lee may know something about him. We can ask her."


    However, Freddy opposed, "She is Scale''s wife. She may have been involved in the kidnapping. What if she lets the cat out of the bag?"


    Sophia said, "I don''t think so. Mrs. Lee is an excellent person. People like her should not kidnap someone for two hundred thousand dollars. Linda could be Scales'' mistress. Mrs. Lee looks very proud. How could she kidnap someone with her husband''s mistress?"


    Freddy still thought he should be careful. He checked Mrs. Lee''s file. She graduated from a famous university, and won many awards in teaching. She had no shortage of money. There were thousands of savings in her private account. She should not have anything to do with the kidnapping.


    In the end, he agreed with Sophia, but he still informed the school guard to help monitor Mrs. Lee''s movements lest she get the chance to inform Scales.


    Sophia soon called Acheson to explain the situation.


    Acheson was in class. Then she asked students to study by themselves. She was shocked at the news.


    Kevin was kidnapped!


    As a teacher, it was the first time she had encountered such a thing and had no idea for a while.


    "What do you want me to do?" Acheson asked anxiously.


    "The person who kidnapped Kevin is likely to be Scales, Mrs. Lee''s husband. I want you to ask if she knows where Kevin could be hidden. After all, she is Scales'' wife. I think she knew something. If we can get something useful from her, we may be able to find Kevin."


    "Yeah." Ms. Acheson said, "I''ll go to her right now."


    Freddy organized everyone to discuss countermeasures at once.


    He believed in the judgment of Sophia that the kidnapper was likely to be Linda and Scales.


    But they were very cunning. He was worried that the kidnappers would hurt Kevin if they found out the movement of the police. So, they could only ask several plainclothes officers to move quietly and not get very close to them. Thus, what the police can do was limited.


    Sophia had first to find the key and do as Scales told her, so as not to cause his anxiety and suspicion.


    The most important thing was to find out where Kevin was.


    Sophia got out of the police station and went to the Blue Sky Alley by taxi. She did find out a key in a nearby dustbin.


    She took the key and rushed to Kevin''s house.


    ***


    Acheson hurried to Mrs. Lee, who was having a class, but Acheson forced her out of the class and dragged her to the office.


    "Bad news!" Acheson explained everything to her, "The police suspect that your husband Scales kidnapped Kevin. They hope that you can provide some clues. Like, Scales may have some private accommodation somewhere, right? Kevin is likely to be hidden there."


    Mrs. Lee''s face changed. "What are you talking about? My husband is fine. He must be working at the company right now. How can he kidnap someone? What do you mean by saying that?"


    Acheson was worried, "This is the result of the policy analysis. How can you accuse me? Kevin is in danger. If you know something, you may save his life. It''s a big deal."


    There was some confusion on Mrs. Lee''s face. She looked at Acheson''s sweaty face and bit her lower lip. "Even if the police come to ask me, I''ll say I don''t know anything. My husband is an honest and good man. You can''t take him as the kidnapper just on the basis of your suspicion. Do you have any proof? You have no evidence, and you slander others like this, people will sue you."


    Ms. Acheson had just heard from Sophia that these were only conjectures, and there was no absolute evidence. The kidnappers were so cunning that they left nothing that could be used as evidence; the kidnapper himself didn''t make even the phone calls.


    However, Sophia also said that it was very likely that the kidnapper was Scales. If they could get some clues from Mrs. Lee, they had a good chance to find Kevin.


    "Come on." Ms. Acheson was about to cry. "Even if it''s just suspicion, try to think, please. Kevin is really dangerous right now. It''s a human life."


    Mrs. Lee looked a little struggling, but she still said, "My husband is a good person. He has no other apartment. And he always stays over at home except for business trips. He is a very nice man. Don''t think that all the men in the world are bad people and denigrate my husband''s reputation because of the misfortune of your marriage. No more nonsense, or I will sue you."


    And she stood up. "I have to go back to class."


    Then she left without looking back.


    ***


    Sophia''s phone was equipped with professional equipment, and her every move could be monitored by the police.


    She just left Kevin''s apartment, and Acheson called in.


    "Just like that, Mrs. Lee won''t say anything." Acheson''s voice was like crying, "How''s Kevin? Is he going to be okay?"


    "I''ll talk to you later." Sophia had no time to explain and hung up.


    It seemed impossible to get a clue from Mrs. Lee. Whatever her purpose was, it was difficult to break through from her at this time. Besides, Sophia wasn''t sure if she knew something useful.


    Her heart was burning with anxiety. At the moment, she seemed to have to withdraw the money first.


    Right then, her phone rang. It was from Albert.


    "Here''s something new." Albert said, "Here comes, Adam."


    Sophia was stunned. Adam? Why was he there? Wasn''t he with Linda and Scales?


    A crying voice of Adam came from the phone, "Please. I don''t want my mother to be a murderer."


    Sophia stopped walking.


    Murderer?

 Chapter 109 - 109: Use Adam

    "Things are not good." Albert explained, "He has just changed his mind. He wants to kill the hostage."


    "No! How is that possible?" Sophia cried out, "Doesn''t he want the money? How is he going to get the money if he kills Kevin?"


    Albert was silent for a moment and said, "Don''t you know who Adam is?"


    He elaborated on what had happened to the police station after Sophia left.


    Soon after Sophia left the police station, Adam cowardly came to report that his mother, Linda, had kidnapped and tried to kill Kevin.


    "I thought they just wanted money." Adam cried, "And I helped. I thought with the money, and I could live a better life and buy everything I wanted. Even if Kevin discovered we did it later, he wouldn''t dare to say anything if I threatened him. But I just had a call with my mum, and she said she accidentally leaked that my sister has a few patents, which are worth over one million dollars. That bad guy¡­ He said he''d kill Kevin after he got the money. Then I will be the only brother of my sister, and I can inherit all the property, houses, and patents. He also said that¡­ If he hadn''t been in a hurry to use the money, he would not have waited for the two hundred thousand dollars before he began to kill."


    The more he cried, the sadder he became. "I hate Kevin, but he''s my brother, I don''t want him to die. That bad guy has been haunting my mom. I hate him. I¡­ I don''t want mom to be a murderer. I want my mom. I don''t want the money anymore."


    Sophia could have stayed calm, but after hearing the news, her heart was in complete confusion.


    It seemed that even if she gave Scale the money, he was not going to let go of Kevin.


    In other words, Kevin would die anyway.


    Of course, Scales didn''t know that his identity was already exposed. Sophia could not expose him, which only made him eager to kill and destroy the body.


    Albert''s voice came from the phone. "I have an idea."


    Hearing that, Sophia felt that she saw a sudden light in the dark. Her voice trembled, "What''s that?"


    "Use Adam."


    The answer was short, but Sophia didn''t go on asking.


    She understood him.


    "Fine." She said.


    ***


    Walking on the road, Linda was very nervous. She had to do what scales said. She had gone too far to turn back.


    Killing a person, she had never thought about that. No matter how much she hated Kevin, she never wanted him dead.


    On the other hand, she thought there was a reason for Scales.


    There were several patents in Sophia''s legacy, and she would never have to worry about money if she sold them out.


    Scales did everything. She just made a few calls. She didn''t kill anyone, right?


    Suddenly, her phone rang.


    She had used this phone for a long time, and many people know her number. She took a look at the number. It''s Adam.


    The kid was scared to hide since he heard that Scales would kill. She had been looking for him but could not find him. She called, but he didn''t answer. After all this time, he finally made a call.


    She answered the phone but heard a strange woman''s voice.


    "Hello, this is the Hall Hospital. The owner of this mobile phone had a car accident and our doctors are saving him now. I saw your missed call on his phone. It says, "Mom." You''re his mother, aren''t you? Can you come over now? "


    Linda panicked, "What are you talking about? Adam had a car accident? Is he all right?"


    "Not very well. He needs an operation right now and there is a certain risk. We can save him only when his family member sign the paper."


    Linda was not so knowledgeable that he couldn''t find out any loopholes in this girl''s words. She nodded at once. "I''m on my way."


    She jumped into a taxi and got to the hospital soon.


    A nurse went to her, "Ms. Barber?"


    "Yes." Linda asked at once, "How''s my son?"


    "Follow me, please." Said the nurse, leading her to award.


    Linda entered but saw no one else there. She was a little confused, and turned to ask the nurse, "Where''s my son?"


    The nurse took off her mask and pointed to the folding screen on one side.


    Then several people came out from behind the folding screen.


    "Mom!" Adam cried out and his eyes were red.


    Before Linda Barber could react, the nurse next to her slammed the door.


    "You¡­" Linda was stunned.


    But she seemed to have realized something.


    Adam ran to Linda, hugged her and cried, "I''m sorry, mom, I called the police. I can''t let you be a murderer."


    Freddy came forward at this time. After giving a self-introduction, he went straight to the theme, "You have long been exposed. If you take the initiative to cooperate with the rescue of the hostage, the court may consider a lighter sentence by then. If we failed to rescue Kevin. You are an accomplice to kidnapping and intentional crime, and you will get a sentence of at least twenty or thirty years. Think about it yourself."


    He said things seriously to scare Linda.


    Linda was scared, "It¡­ Is it so serious? My son is still so young¡­ No¡­"


    Then, something occurred to her, "If Kevin died, my son could get over one million dollars."


    "You wish!" Freddy said in a cold voice, "Adam had confessed that he was involved in this case. Now the property belongs to Kevin, in accordance with the law, those who kill heirs for the sake of inheritance are not eligible to inherit the estate. If Kevin dies, the property won''t fall into the hands of either you or your son."


    Linda froze, "Well¡­ what am I doing these for?"


    "The best way to do this now is for you to call Scales and get him to let go of Kevin." Freddy said, "Then you both can get off lightly."


    Linda hesitated, "He... He won''t necessarily listen to me.. He told me that if things were exposed, he would just kill Kevin and destroy the evidence.

 Chapter 110 - 110: I’ll Do My Best

    Without proof, he said, there was nothing anyone could do even if they knew he had killed a person. He is very irritable and moody. It''s always him who calls the shots, and he never listens to me."


    Freddy frowned. "Then, you should know where he kept Kevin, do you?"


    "Yes." Linda kept nodding, "Will I be innocent if I tell you everything?"


    "No." Freddy frankly said, "But it can be used as a meritorious factor to reduce your sentence. The more merit you contribute, the lighter your sentence will be in the future."


    Linda was a little disappointed. She sighed, "Well, I''ll tell you. He is in Room 302, Building Six, Garden Community. It''s an old neighborhood. He rented a house there. We used to... meet there in private. He has not told anyone about it."


    Knowing the location, Freddy asked someone to take Linda back to the police station and then met with his police officers to discuss what to do next.


    On hearing the news, Sophia also came. Freddy didn''t avoid her but allowed her to listen on one side with Albert.


    "I think we can just shout to him to let him let go of the hostage. He shouldn''t dare to hurt the hostage after knowing the police surrounded him." Said one of the police officers.


    "No." One officer contradicted him. "This man is grumpy. He''s perhaps the kind of extreme person. It may provoke him to hurt the hostage."


    "Then what should we do? He will kill the hostage sometime later."


    "It''s best to subdue him when he''s not prepared. That''s the safest."


    "You said it easy. What should we do?"


    Freddy pulled out some pictures of the Garden Community and pointed to the balcony in one picture. "This should be the apartment that Scales rented. It''s old and has no windows on the balcony. I think we can jump over there from the neighbor balcony and get into the room out of the blue. If he tries to hurt somebody, we should have time to shoot him right away."


    Everyone looked at the picture. One officer said, "The distance between these two balconies is quite far away. We can''t jump over."


    Judging from the picture, the distance between the two balconies was over two meters, so it was difficult to jump over.


    Freddy said, "Use a ladder. Keep it quiet. It shouldn''t disturb anyone inside."


    "No." Albert suddenly said.


    Freddy was surprised, "Why?"


    "This guy used to work on surveillance cameras," Albert said. "Can you make sure he doesn''t have a camera outside?"


    As soon as he mentioned this, everyone froze.


    Freddy immediately had Linda brought in and asked her about the camera.


    Linda said cautiously, "Yes. There are several, which scatter in the exterior walls, doorways, and stairwells. They''re infrared. He can see everything outside at any time. He is very cautious. It took him a long time to plan all these before he started."


    Freddy frowned, thought about it, and said, "We can pretend to fix the air conditioner for his neighbor. The house in this neighborhood is quite old-fashioned. There is no room for a person to stand around the air conditioner, so we can naturally build a ladder¡­"


    "No!" Sophia chimed in, "This excuse is a little far-fetched and easy to suspect. When he becomes suspicious, he will keep watching, and it''s easy for him to see someone entering his balcony."


    She pointed to the balcony. "I can jump over from here. I will be quick. It''s just a few seconds."


    As soon as she said this, everyone froze.


    How could she jump such a long-distance?


    Sophia said nothing, walked to the open space and jumped forward hard.


    The distance was far more than two meters.


    Everyone was stunned, but Freddy shook his head and said, "No. Even if you jump over there, you can''t do anything. You''re just a little girl. You can''t subdue Scales."


    Sophia frowned. "You look down on me. I''ve been learning to fight for years. There is no problem to subdue such a man. At least, I can hold him off to give you enough time to rush in."


    Freddy still opposed. He had always believed that it was the job of the police to protect people''s lives and that he couldn''t let a little girl take the risk.


    Freddy discussed with others and made a plan of action.


    Room 302 was opposed to room 301. Freddy called the owner of the house and asked two men of the family to come downstairs to exchange their clothes with two police officers, who pretended to be members of the family and hid at home to spy the opposite by watching from the peep-hole. In this way, as long as someone could fool Scales to open the door, they could rush over to save the hostage at any time.


    Although Scales set up the surveillance camera at the door, he had no contact with the opposite family, so he should not have noticed that the two people living across from his apartment weren''t the same person.


    "It''s just the one who tricks him into opening the door¡­" Freddy said, unconsciously looked at Linda.


    She was the only one who could do it. If it were a stranger, Scales would never open the door. Revealing a flaw would only put Kevin in danger.


    Linda shook her head at once, "No way. He''ll kill me if he finds it out. I''ll never go. He''s very scary when he''s angry. He used to beat me when I was with him¡­"


    Freddy didn''t force her. After all, it was very dangerous. He just stressed, "If you can do it, it will be a great credit. Your crimes will be reduced a lot."


    Adam suddenly rushed in and stood in front of Linda, "I''ll go."


    They didn''t let him in, but when he saw Linda go in, he quietly ran over to eavesdrop. When he heard that the police needed his mother to trick Scales into opening the door, he couldn''t help turning up.


    Linda was stunned.


    Adam shouted, "If I do my job well, will my mother get a lighter sentence? I don''t want my mother to take risks. I''m a man. I will protect my mother."


    Linda''s eyes were suddenly wet, and the tears poured from her eyes and dropped on the body of Adam.


    "I... What have I done?" Linda cried, "I was so stupid that I didn''t get anything for it but put my son at risk for me."


    Adam turned around and hugged Linda. "Mom, don''t cry. I''ll do my best. I won''t let you go to jail."


    Linda gritted her teeth and said word by word, as if she had made up her mind, "I''ll go."


    Her decision surprised everyone, but when they thought about it and felt that it was reasonable.


    Although she was timid and weak, she could become strong for the sake of her son.


    "No. I won''t let Mom go. I''ll go." Shouted Adam.


    He clung to Linda, unwilling to let go of her.

 Chapter 111 - 111: I Won’t Leave Any Evidence

    Finally, the police officer pulled him away and asked him to rest in the room. Afraid of him messing around, the officer specially asked someone to keep an eye on him.


    Sophia suggested that she could stand by on the balcony of Room 303. She could do a little help in case of an accident. Freddy thought for a long time, finally agreed, but asked her to wait for orders and not to act without authorization. She couldn''t do anything unless she had to.


    After the discussion, Freddy especially found a bulletproof vest for Linda to wear so that she would be much safer. It was late autumn, and the bulletproof vest inside was not obvious.


    The technician also gave Linda a tiny bug to ensure her words could be heard.


    A couple of officers and Sophia got the receivers. Everyone got in the car. They went to the Garden Community and split up to act.


    Sophia went upstairs and knocked at the door of room 303. She wanted to go by herself, but Albert insisted on following her. Time was urgent. She had no time to persuade him, so she just let him be.


    The stairs to room 303 and room 302 were different, so one was not within the scope monitored by Scales. Sophia didn''t have to worry about being seen by him. But from the balcony of room 303, one could jump into room 302.


    The owner of the house opened the door, who was a young girl. The police had communicated with her before, and she agreed.


    The girl was frightened by this incident. After all, she had only seen kidnapping on TV. It was appalling that the accident took place next door to her.


    Sophia went to the balcony and prepared to jump to the opposite at any time. She listened attentively to the receiver.


    "I¡­ I know." Linda''s voice was a little dithered. Apparently, she was scared, "If something happens when I get in, I''ll¡­ open the door and run downstairs, right?"


    "That''s right." Freddy''s voice came from one side. "If he has any move, you can block with your body. Your bulletproof vest can block ordinary knives. Be careful not to let him hurt your head. Then you won''t get hurt."


    "Yeah¡­ I see. I¡­ I''ll go."


    Footsteps rang, and after a while, the receiver rang the doorbell.


    Soon, there was a slight sound of the door lock turning.


    Then came Linda''s voice, "Scales..."


    As soon as the door of room 302 opened, Scales pulled Linda into the room. It was so quick that the door was closed before the two plainclothes officers in room 301 had time to open the door.


    They had to keep watching to wait for the next chance.


    Linda was very nervous when she entered the room. She thought her mission was over as soon as the door opened. In the face of Scales, she felt her heart was about to jump out.


    She smelled a strong smell of gasoline. It was wet and slippery under her feet. Apparently, there was gasoline everywhere.


    "What are you doing here?" There was a hint of doubt in Scales'' eyes. "I''ve asked you to wait to get the money, didn''t I?"


    Linda touched her chest and stammered, "I... It''s the first time, and I''m too nervous. Walking on the street¡­ I was afraid when I saw the police..."


    Scales smiled, "You''re really useless. Don''t worry. I won''t leave any evidence. No matter how much they suspect me in the future, they will find no proof. When I get the money, I''ll get rid of the boy''s body. Then, no one can put it on me."


    He got excited. "When Adam inherits the property, I will sell the patents and his house, and then I¡­ we can move to Australia. In this way, even if they solve the case in the future, they can''t catch us. Your son''s studies are bad, right? With the money, he can go to a good university in Australia. That''s what kids of rich people do now."


    Linda was too frightened to look up at him. She was just wondering how to find a chance to open the door and let the plainclothes officers in.


    "What''s the matter?" Scales turned to look at Linda, "You''re a weird little today."


    Linda grudgingly smiled. "I''m just nervous¡­ Why don''t we let that kid go? He is too timid to tell. Let''s just pretend it never happened."


    There was a chill in Scales'' eyes. "I tried so hard to tie him up. Let him go? How can I live without money in the future? Do you think I will continue to be poor? I''ll get the money anyway. Anyone dares stop me, I''ll kill him or her."


    As he said, he pointed to his feet. "You smelt it when you came in, did you? I spilled gasoline on the floor. If it doesn''t work out, I''ll burn everything down here. Let''s die together. Without money, there is no fun to live."


    Linda was horrified. As soon as she heard it, she felt bad. Sure enough, the man was a desperado.


    Her psychological quality was ordinary, and when she panicked, the look on her face changed.


    Scales pointed to several monitors in front of him. "You don''t have to be so scared. I can see what''s going on outside. It won''t go wrong. I don''t know whether the boy''s classmate withdrew the money or not. I had to contact her. Now, you find a place, change another card and call her indirectly. Thus, even if she calls the police, we''ll not be found."


    "Yeah." Said Linda.


    She was trying to find an excuse to open the door so that she could give the plainclothes officers opposite a chance to come in.


    She grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open in one hand, and turned the lock gently in the other.


    As long as she turned the reverse lock, Scales had to turn to lock the door after she left. With that time, there would be enough time for the plainclothes officers in the opposite to rush in.


    Just then, Scales reached out and grabbed her hand.


    "What are you doing?" Scales stared at her hand. "You''ve been a bit weird ever since you came in. Was something wrong?"


    He grabbed Linda, pulled her into his arms, and searched her body. Linda struggled to resist but to no avail.


    "What are you wearing?" Scales tore off her coat and exposed the bulletproof vest inside. "Police bulletproof vest?"


    He roughly ripped off Linda''s bulletproof vest and fumbled for a while, and found a bug from her pocket.


    "Bulletproof vest, and the bug." Scales raged, "I risked my life to get money for you. And you called the police to hurt me. You bitch!"


    He slammed the bug to the ground and crushed it with his foot.

 Chapter 112 - 112: I’ll Kill You First

    Sophia knew something was wrong the moment she heard Scales exposed Linda.


    She moved quickly and jumped over the balcony at once. As soon as she landed, she felt a slight noise around her. She turned around and saw Albert jump along with her.


    The plainclothes knew things were exposed. They rushed to the door and shouted, "Scales, you''re surrounded. Now, no one''s hurt. Come out and turn yourself in, and you can get a lighter punishment."


    Freddy, with the police and a lockpicking technician, rushed upstairs, shouting at the door while the lockpicking technician helped unlock the door.


    "Don''t unlock the door. I heard something on the door, I''ll¡­ I''ll cut this woman first." Scales was angry.


    The technician had to pause the lockpicking and wait for instructions.


    Sophia walked slowly from the balcony, taking care not to disturb Scales.


    Scales dragged Linda''s hair. With a knife in his hand, he swung it around her chin.


    "How do I always meet bitches?" Scales shouted, "My wife looked down on me, and you betrayed me. There are no good women in the world."


    His eyes exposed fierce light, "You called the police. I can''t get the money. I''d rather be dead without money. Right, since you and that kid are here, I''ll kill you first, and then I''ll kill that kid."


    His knife tipped against Linda''s neck and slowly fell down.


    Seeing that Linda was in danger, Sophia didn''t care to hide, she picked up a cup near her and threw it at Scales.


    Scales was surprised, the knife in his hand quivered and slipped past Linda''s neck. Linda felt the pain but could not see the injury. She thought she had been killed and let out a cry.


    Before Scales could react, Sophia had rushed to him, lifted her foot, and kicked the knife out of his hand.


    She then pulled up Linda and pushed her aside, freeing her from Scales.


    All the actions took place in an instant. Linda was totally confused. She didn''t know whether she was dead or alive for a moment, and didn''t even know to open the door at all.


    Scales burst out laughing. "Good. There''s no fun in living anyway. Let''s die together. With another young little girl, I had enough in my life."


    He took the lighter out of his pocket, lit it on fire, and threw it to the ground.


    The gasoline covered the floor and was ignited as soon as the lighter land. The flames spread instantly, and the whole room was in a fire.


    Sophia''s mind went blank at the moment of fire. She felt like she was going to die again, just like she was in the lab.


    She wanted to run away, but she couldn''t move her legs at all, even if there was nothing wrong with them.


    Just then, a firm embrace wrapped around her body.


    The scorching flame around her gradually went far away, and the air became fresh.


    By the time she came to her attention, she was already outside the door. There were many police officers busy around. Albert stood next to her and held her shoulder with one hand. He was staring at her with concern in his eyes.


    "Are you all right?" Albert asked.


    "Kevin..." Sophia thought of Kevin as soon as she woke up, "He''s still inside."


    The fire was still burning in the room and had spread to the door. People standing outside could feel the heat.


    Sophia was afraid of the fire, but she tried to rush inside at once.


    Albert caught her at once, "He''s fine. He''s been sent to the hospital by Freddy."


    He then recounted what had just happened.


    Albert rushed over when Scales set fire. He first pulled Sophia and Linda to the door. Then he opened the door and let in the police officers who were picking the lock outside.


    When the plainclothes officers in room 301 heard Scales say "gasoline", they asked the owner to prepare the wet quilts and called the fire station. After the fire, a plainclothes officer wearing a wet quilt rushed in and rescued Kevin.


    By the way, he got Scales out, too.


    The fire spread quickly, and the room where Kevin was locked up was on fire, but Kevin was not burned. It was just that Scales had knocked him out for fear of him running away.


    Kevin and Linda were then taken to hospital.


    Scales suffered severe burns and was taken to hospital.


    Not long after, the firemen came and quickly put out the fire, which did not bring trouble to the surrounding residents.


    Sophia was relieved to hear that Kevin was fine.


    She never thought that Kevin would almost die because of her patent.


    Fortunately, it was all over.


    ***


    Kevin woke up a few hours after he was admitted to the hospital. He was fine. The doctor especially took a CT scan for him. After confirming that his brain tissue was not injured, they let him out of the hospital.


    Albert got a car out of nowhere. After coming out of Garden Community, he took Sophia to the hospital to pick up Kevin. Since the police had to make a statement, they went straight to the police station.


    After the horrific abduction, Kevin did not seem very scared. He talked about his abduction in the car.


    On the way to the supermarket that night, Kevin was knocked unconscious as he passed through an alley. Then he fainted for a long time until Scales splashed him awake with water and asked him to call Sophia.


    "I was wondering if I could give my sister some hints, but... I don''t even know where I am." Kevin looked at Sophia, "But I knew my sister would find me wherever I was."


    Sophia did not speak. After such a terrible thing, she just felt that peace was the best.


    She called Ms. Acheson from the car to let her know she was safe.


    Acheson was relieved when she heard that Kevin was safely rescued. "Fortunately, he''s fine. This kid is really unlucky. Shall I ask the guard to stop watching Mrs. Lee? She has never called. She should not have told anything to her husband."


    Sophia remembered that she had asked the doorman to keep an eye on Mrs. Lee. It was urgent then, she asked Ms. Acheson to ask Mrs. Lee directly, but got no useful information. In order not to leak the information, she also asked the doorman to keep an eye on Mrs. Lee.


    "Please thank the doorman for me. Let him go and get some rest. Mrs. Lee should have nothing to do with it. She can go back, too. However, the police may come to her for some information." Sophia said.


    Albert sent Kevin home first.. He needed a good rest and won''t go back to class for the time being.

 Chapter 113 - 113: This Is Where I Meet You

    Sophia didn''t go back to school that day. She called her mother at noon, told her that she had something to deal with at school and would not be back for dinner. She didn''t tell Kate about Kevin for fear that she would worry about him.


    It was less than school time, and she didn''t want to go home for fear of being asked by her mother.


    After taking Kevin home, Albert went to the company to deal with something. Sophia cycled to Glinton University. With the pass Professor Thompson gave her, the doorman let her in.


    She stood alone in the burned laboratory, thinking about what had happened this day.


    If it hadn''t been for Albert, she didn''t know what would have happened. Thinking about that, she was still scared.


    She wanted to get over her fear of fire. Even though she knew it was a psychological feeling, she was unable to think the moment she saw the flame.


    There were soft footsteps behind her. Sophia turned her head and saw Albert standing behind her.


    "Didn''t you go back to the company?" Sophia asked.


    "My assistant has taken care of everything." Albert walked up to her. "I remember this is where I first met you."


    Sophia paused, remembering the day she came to the lab and met Albert here.


    It occurred to her that she had met Albert here in her last life. It was just that he would not know it.


    "I was looking into the case of Miss Green," Albert said, stepping forward to a half-burned table. "Unfortunately, there has been no result so far."


    Sophia was silent. It has been a puzzle in her heart.


    "Miss Green had a friend, David Terry. He called me a while ago and said he had heard about the death of his friend and wanted to help investigate it." Albert continued, "I got a pass to Glinton University for him. He said he was not feeling well recently and would send someone to find out about the case."


    When he talked about David Terry, Sophia thought of someone.


    Benjamin.


    He worked on the case for David. No wonder he could walk in and out of campus at will. He had the pass Albert got for him.


    Why did she feel like this case will never be found out?


    "By the way, Kevin just called and asked me to sell some of Miss Green''s patents for him." Albert turned to Sophia, "He wants to donate the money to poor children. But before that, he wants to ask for your opinion."


    As he said, he looked at Sophia with deep eyes, "This kid seems to think of you as his blood sister."


    Sophia shunned his eyes and turned to look at the experiment table in front of him. "If he makes up his mind, he can do what he wants. It may not be a good thing for him to have so much money. As a man, he should rely on himself."


    Albert felt comfortable with her last words.


    Was it a shame that he depended on his family? Would he be despised?


    He coughed, "I want to take you somewhere."


    "Where?"


    "Let''s go to sing." Albert said, "I''m sure you''re not happy about what happened today. I sometimes go to sing when I''m in a bad mood. And I feel a lot better after singing."


    Sophia thought it was a good idea. When she came across some difficulties and was in a bad mood, Albert always advised her to sing. Although she sang badly, she did feel better after singing.


    She suspected that Albert''s beauty-appreciation might be distorted by the previous her that he often invited her to sing. And he seemed quite interested every time he heard her singing.


    He looked like a pervert.


    "Yeah." She nodded.


    Anyway, there was a long time before school was over, and she had nowhere to go.


    Albert picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Mr. Sampson. Please make a reservation for the Claus KTV for me."


    Sophia was confused, "Do we need to make a reservation?"


    Claus KTV was the one Albert took her to in her last life. It was not far from Glinton University. Every time she went there, it was empty there, and the business was bad. She wondered how the KTV survived.


    Albert hung up. "It''s better to make a reservation."


    Albert came by car. The car was parked in a field not far away. Sophia got into the car. He started the car, and they got to the KTV in a moment.


    Like every time Sophia came in her previous life, the KTV was empty and as quiet as a temple in the deep mountain.


    But the waiters were very energetic, standing regularly, and not slackening off because of the lack of customers.


    Sophia felt that these people were dedicated to model workers. If it were her, she wouldn''t be so energetic in a shop with no customers.


    "Welcome!" The head waiter, who was a little fat, greeted them.


    Sophia met her and knew her name was Lily, who had received her and Albert every time they came.


    With a standard smile, Lily led the two to the door of the Goddess Hall, opened the door, and made a "please" gesture.


    Sophia didn''t think much about it. He might be used to coming to this room that he led her, a healthy person, into the room for the disabled. There was no inconvenience for normal people to use the room. It was just that the space was so large that it seemed a little empty.


    She went to the song-order machine, which had the function of memory and could remember songs ordered by the last guest. In the past, every time Sophia came, she could see songs she had ordered last time. There were probably too few disabled guests, and no new guests came after she left.


    But to her surprise, the song list she saw was still the one she had ordered before.


    It had been at least half a year since she came here last time. In half a year, no one had used this room.


    Was it that no disabled person except her come to KTV?

 Chapter 114 - 114: Maybe Things Would Change

    Albert sat on the sofa and said to her, "Order some songs, please."


    Sophia just pressed "start". "No, there are some songs here. I like them."


    She picked up the microphone and began to sing. She knew the songs well; her memory was good, so she didn''t have to read the lyrics on the screen.


    After singing a song, she felt a little relaxed. Then she sang another song.


    Later, she was tired. Albert picked up the microphone and sang one. He sang very well. Listening to him sing was a kind of enjoyment.


    For the next song, Albert handed the microphone back to Sophia.


    Sophia knew from the prelude that it was her favorite song, "By the Butterfly Fountain", a very upbeat song.


    She remembered that she ordered this song because of its pleasant name. She didn''t know how to sing it, so she chose the original song. She wanted to listen first and then learn how to sing it.


    It turned out that there was no original song, only the accompaniment.


    Albert called in Lily, who was an ordinary waitress at the time, and asked, "Why is there no original?"


    Lily helped to check but found nothing.


    An idea occurred to her and said with a smile, "Yes, there is. I am the original singer."


    Then she picked up the microphone, clicked on the accompaniment, and began to sing along with it.


    Lily''s voice was clear and melodious. She sang well and was pleased to hear. Her chubby body moved along the song, looked lovely.


    Sophia had never heard the original song. She thought if Lily''s voice was recorded and said to be the original song, she would never doubt it.


    Sophia remembered the lyrics and melodies after listening to Lily singing it once. Although she couldn''t sing it right herself, she couldn''t do anything about it, and it''s no use listening to it ten more times.


    Sophia sang along. Lily stood beside and looked quite sad.


    She was kind of worried that Sophia would tell others that she taught her this song. She wouldn''t, would she?


    No. She would never admit that.


    Sophia thought that Lily was a smart girl and would definitely have a better future.


    Sure enough, the next time she came, Lily was promoted to the foreman.


    Sophia closed her eyes and sang the familiar song again.


    After singing, she felt a little tired. She put down the microphone and turned to Albert, "It''s your turn."


    Albert did not move, black eyes fixed on her eyes, as if to see through her.


    Sophia was a little baffling, "What''s the matter?"


    Albert did not look away from her face, but said slowly, "It''s really good¡­ to meet you again."


    Sophia laughed, "Yeah. If you didn''t meet me in the lab, you have to sing by yourself now."


    Singing alone¡­ How boring!


    Albert picked up the microphone in front of him and said, "Now. I''ll sing to you."


    He went to the song stage and cut down a few songs.


    The prelude flowed out of the stereo. Sophia remembered this song. Albert used to sing it.


    "Just love you."


    He sang very well. Sophia had an illusion that Albert was very devoted when he sang.


    He was like a singer singing affectionately on stage.


    Was he in love?


    Sophia was a little lost at the thought of this possibility.


    He might not bring her to sing next time, did he? He might come with his girlfriend¡­


    ***


    When they came out of the KTV, it was more than six o''clock in the afternoon. After a while, it was the dismissal time, Sophia could go home.


    "Let''s eat." Said, Albert.


    Sophia was hungry. "Yeah." She nodded.


    Albert took out his cell phone and called Sampson to make an appointment.


    Again, he reserved an empty restaurant.


    Sophia was shocked.


    Dishes served, and the taste was very good. Sophia was very confused. How could Albert always find good restaurants with few customers?


    That wasn''t right. Why didn''t she ever find one?


    She told Albert about her confusion.


    Albert smiled, "This is not what I can do. Sampson is good at it."


    Everything was not on him.


    ***


    It took less than twenty-four hours for the kidnappers to be arrested. Freddy and other police officers, who were involved in the case, did not rest, and immediately began a follow-up investigation into the case.


    Scales woke up that afternoon and was questioned by police officers at the hospital. He did not admit what he had done and had been trying to put the blame on others.


    "Linda asked me to do it." Scales said. "She forced me to do it. Yes, it''s her fault. If Kevin is dead, her son will be the inheritor. What does that have to do with me? You have to arrest her."


    "She asked you to give up in the end. Why didn''t you cooperate? How did she end up saving lives? And you are going to kill her."


    Scales thought about it and changed his oral confession, "It''s Callie. She told me to do it. She asked me to get close to Linda and get her property. Yes¡­ I rented the house with her in the Garden Community. She planned it all. I was forced to do it."


    Callie was his wife, Mrs. Lee.


    The police asked Mrs. Lee to the police station to learn about the situation.


    Mrs. Lee cried for her innocence, "I didn''t conspire with him. I don''t even know about this."


    "Have you ever been to a Garden Community?" The police officer asked.


    "No. Never." Mrs. Lee had a firm tone.


    With Mrs. Lee''s picture, the officer went to the Garden Community to identify her. Several residents recognized her, saying that she had been in the community, more than once.


    In the face of the testimony, Mrs. Lee had to admit, "I''ve been to the neighborhood, but I''m just following him. I suspect he''s hiding a woman there. The kidnapping has nothing to do with me. How can I conspire with him and his mistress? I want to tear her to pieces."


    The officer was very angry. "Why didn''t you say that when we were looking for Scales? Do you realize how important this news is to us?"


    Mrs. Lee bit her lip. "I... I was going to say, but... If people knew my husband had a mistress, I... I would be embarrassed. It''s really a shame."


    That day, Mrs. Lee was detained by the police on charges of concealment. As for the final verdict, they would have to wait for the trial.


    Mrs. Lee was completely stunned. She just didn''t say where Scales was hiding. Was that a crime? She didn''t do anything!


    She hurriedly asked the police about her penalty and how long she might be sentenced.


    "I don''t know much about the law. You can consult a lawyer. With my experience in handling cases, it will be about a year or so. I''ve seen similar cases, and it should be like this."


    Mrs. Lee cried out, "How is that possible? How could it be so serious?"


    The officer glanced at her. "By the way, Linda should be about the same as you, about a year or so."


    Mrs. Lee felt unfair. Linda was a direct participant in the kidnapping. She just did not provide information, but with the same crime with Linda.


    It was so unfair.


    She decided to find a good lawyer.. Maybe things would change.

 Chapter 115 - 115: School Blog

    This incident caused great shock in Colin High School. As the headteacher of the top science class, Mrs. Lee committed a crime and was taken away by the police.


    Director Bull was going crazy. He appointed Mrs. Lee as the headteacher. There was no way for him to shirk responsibility at all.


    However, the matter was known by reporters, and the report raised great attention on the blog that night.


    #A Head Teacher in Colin High School Commits A Crime#


    #A Head Teacher of Top Class Is A Criminal#


    Director Bull gave an urgent response on the school blog.


    "The online reports are exaggerated. It was the husband of a school teacher who committed the crime. She just did not say something, but was not involved in the crime. At present, we have fired the teacher, and this situation will not happen again." Said the Colin High School official blog.


    But comments on the Internet didn''t stop.


    "A teacher in Colin High School is a criminal. The students are in great danger."


    "Never send your kid to Colin High School."


    "Employ a criminal as a teacher. What are the school leaders thinking about? Are they nuts?"


    "I don''t believe Colin High School can cultivate good students. Is it a school for training criminals?"


    "The achievements of Colin High School in recent years have not been very good, which seems to have something to do with this."


    ***


    Director Bull couldn''t fall asleep all night and felt his whole life was dark.


    He called the principal and just heard one sentence from him, "A clean hand wants no washing."


    What''s the difference between that and no words?


    Director Bull felt wronged. How could he predict that Mrs. Lee''s husband would commit a crime, and Mrs. Lee would cover him?


    He wanted to strangle himself, who appointed Mrs. Lee as the headteacher of the top class.


    Fortunately, there was good news the next day.


    The Olympiad Committee called and informed Director Bull that Sophia, a student of Colin High School, got full marks and won first place. Glinton University decided to enroll her in the math department in advance... Of course, only if she agreed.


    Director Bull posted the news on the Internet at once.


    "Our school student, @ Sophia of Colin High School, got full marks in the National Olympic Games, and was admitted to Glinton University in advance." Said the Colin High School Official Blog.


    The account, "Sophia of Colin High School," was registered by him for Sophia. He had told Sophia in advance, and Sophia agreed.


    He had the password but didn''t have time to tell Sophia. He helped apply for certification of the account the other day, and it was passed. After class, he asked Sophia if he could use her account to retweet the news.


    Sophia had no problem with authorizing Director Bull to use this account.


    Director Bull tweet the news on Sophia''s account


    "The result of the Mathematical Olympiad match came out, I came first. What a surprise." Said Sophia of Colin High School.


    After class, the students who were scanning the blog saw the news.


    They all congratulated her and said,


    "Let''s like each other, boss."


    "Sophia, like me. I liked you."


    "Remember to like me. My blog account is named Pink Girl."


    ***


    Sophia calmly said that she didn''t know her account or password.


    Although Director Bull wanted to tell her at the time, she didn''t bother to take care of the account and simply authorized Director Bull to use it. Anyway, Director Bull wouldn''t do anything bad with it.


    Her students were surprised at her words.


    However, the news didn''t surpass the one about her school. After all, not many people pay attention to the Mathematical Olympiad. And the number of people who paid attention to the social news was hundreds of times of the Mathematical Olympiad.


    Director Bull called Sophia to the office after school. He looked a little haggard. When he saw Sophia, he forced a smile. "Sophia, since you have been admitted to Glinton University in advance, you don''t have to ask for leave if you don''t want to come to class. Glinton University asked me to ask your opinion and they called you on a blog. They asked if you would like to go to Glinton University to study math. You can choose the major as you like. You''d love to, right?"


    "No, I don''t." Answered Sophia.


    Director Bull was surprised.


    Another strike.


    Director Bull tried to tell Sophia how rare the opportunity was. Every student dreamed of entering Glinton University, but only she was admitted to this university without a test. How could she refuse it? If so, what was the point of her participation in the Mathematical Olympiad?


    Sophia said seriously, "Because you promised to give our class one hundred points if I win a prize in the Mathematical Olympiad Competition."


    "I said that?" Director Bull was confused.


    How could he give her class one hundred points? A hundred points was not a decimal number. A class with the best performance could not earn even dozens of points a month. If he gave a class one hundred points, the integral system would collapse. How could other classes compete with it? What is the significance of the existence of the integral system?


    Sophia took out her phone and pressed the button "play".


    "If anyone in your class can win the Mathematical Olympiad Award, I will give you the points you want. How about a hundred points?" Director Bull''s voice came from the phone.


    Director couldn''t say anything.


    He really wanted to kill the one who said things randomly, himself.


    Sophia put away his phone and looked at Director Bull seriously. It was lucky that Molly recorded it and sent the recording to her phone.


    Director Bull had to say, "All right. I''ll give you the points. Anyway, our school has won first place in the Mathematical Olympiad once. If anyone else objects¡­ I''ll require them to get first place in the Olympic Games. As long as someone can get first place in the Olympic Games, I''ll give their class one hundred points."


    Sophia''s eyes brightened, "Really?"


    She took a piece of paper out of her bag. "Director Bull, this is my registration form. It''s filled out."


    That was the registration form Director Bull gave her for the Chemical Olympics.


    She couldn''t be serious, could she?


    At this point, Director Bull thought of something they said before, "Seriously, Glinton University''s early admission invitation, are you really going to refuse it?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yes. Refuse them for me, please. I just want to be in the chemistry department."


    After that, she said goodbye to Director Bull and left the Director''s office.


    Director Bull, who was shocked one after another, felt that everything was unreal. He looked at the computer, and a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.


    He figured out how to divert Netizen''s attention from Mrs. Lee.


    Soon, netizens saw the news.


    "It''s a pity that Sophia Green refuses the invitation of Glinton University @Glinton University Official blog." Said the Colin High School Official Blog.


    The news really attracted the attention of netizens.


    "As a high school student, she turned down to Glinton University. Did I read it right? So, what''s the point of her going to high school?"


    "Glinton University would cry, ''It''s the first time someone has turned me down.''"


    "A hype? Glinton is a dream of all high school students. Is there anything wrong with her?"


    "If you don''t want it, you can give it to me."


    ***


    Some spotted Director Bull''s plot at a glance.


    "They tried to distract our attention from the incident of the criminal headteacher. To sacrifice a student''s future for it? It''s too dark in Colin."


    "Yes. Sophia must be forced to do that."


    "Pity girl.. We can''t just let it go."

 Chapter 116 - 116: Internet Celebrity

    Under the drive of some netizens with Holmes''s wisdom, the masses of kind netizens had realized that the news of Sophia rejecting Glinton was a plot of Colin High School.


    They even made up a hard-working girl who studied hard day and night for the Mathematical Olympiad, finally won first place, and got the Glinton early admission quota. At this time, however, the ferocious school leaders stopped her like demons and shouted, "No! You can''t go!"


    The girl was confused, "Why?"


    "Because there''s a crisis at school, and only if you don''t go can you start a conversation and cover it up."


    "But it''s my dream."


    "Your dreams, compared to the interests of the school, is nothing!"


    Netizens commented on it.


    "Justice for Sophia!"


    "Colin is shameless."


    "Defend the right of Sophia to attend Glinton!"


    "Don''t be afraid, Sophia. We are here for you!"


    ***


    Seeing the blog, Director Bull was shocked and more upset.


    They forbade her to go to college!? He persuaded her for so long. It was her who didn''t want to go, did she?


    It was a very simple thing. Why was it so difficult to explain?


    He logged into Sophia''s blog account and tweeted to clarify.


    "It is my personal decision to give up going to Glinton University, which has nothing to do with my school. Thank you for your concern." Said Sophia Green of Colin High School.


    After the comment was sent out, the online discussion showed no sign of weakening at all, on the contrary¡­ more intense.


    "This is definitely not from Sophia. This tone is too official, just like the official blog. They are definitely written by one person!"


    "Is she controlled?"


    "Have no personal freedom?"


    "It''s horrible!"


    "Should we save her?"


    ***


    Director was stumped.


    What should he say?


    When Director Bull called Sophia in the evening, he almost cried. He hoped that Sophia could find a way to explain that he never forced her to refuse Glinton.


    Sophia hadn''t got online this day and didn''t know what was going on. She got a shock when she logged on to the blog.


    What? What was that?


    The imagination of netizens was incredible. She just refused Glinton''s invitation. Why did she become a poor girl persecuted and imprisoned?


    Director Bull had already explained, but it didn''t work. Netizens didn''t believe him.


    Sophia thought about it and said to Director Bull, "Well, tell them the truth. Tell them I turned down the Department of Mathematics because I liked chemistry, not the whole Glinton University."


    Director Bull sucked his nose, "Well, can I post your application form for the Chemical Olympiad? Don''t worry. I''ll cover up your personal information."


    "Yes." Sophia nodded.


    Director Bull took a photo of Sophia''s application form, mosaicked her personal information, and posted it online.


    "Sophia gave up math because he liked chemistry and has signed up for the Chemical Olympiad." Said Colin High School Official Blog.


    However,


    "I have a classmate from Colin High School. I heard that Sophia Green is in the liberal arts class."


    "OMG! Does a liberal arts student take the chemistry Olympics? Do the liberal arts class have this course?"


    "Shameless! It''s too fake, isn''t it?"


    ***


    Director Bull really had no words to say.


    Couldn''t people tell the truth?


    He remembered the principle words, "A clean hand wants no washing."


    Suddenly, he felt that this sentence made good sense.


    The principle was wise, indeed.


    He simply turned off the computer and ignored comments on the internet. Since people didn''t believe his explanation, he simply stopped explaining.


    Although Director Bull gave Sophia the password of the "Sophia Green of Colin High School" account, she never logged in. She still used the "Knowing A Person" account, which was her own account.


    The number of fans on the account had been growing fast, and it was a popular account with 3.38 million fans. Sophia didn''t pay much attention to the number of followers. She just read the news on her blog sometimes, and the web page automatically logs in.


    There were a lot of private messages and @her tweets. Sophia could not read them all, but sometimes she read a few at will.


    She refreshed her blog and saw the latest comment.


    "I don''t know how to solve this question. If you see it, could you explain it to me? I asked my teacher, but she said it had nothing to do with study and was unwilling to tell me." Said A Running Fish.


    Sophia saw that it was a sudoku puzzle. She had played it before. It was a very interesting mathematical game.


    This netizen sent high-level standard sudoku, and there was indeed a certain difficulty. Sophia thought about it for a while, and then sent a series of figures to that netizen.


    She added a line of encouragement, "Sudoku is good for improving logical thinking. It''s good to practice after class. Come on!"


    It was only after sending it out that Sophia realized that she should have sent a private message. The direct reply would be displayed on the blog.


    Sure enough, many comments appeared.


    "You are so good, sis. I thought you could only play chess."


    "Nonsense. She could raise dogs."


    "Ha-ha. My goddess sends a tweet."


    "I admire the lucky kid."


    "What''s that? Am I the only one who can''t read it? I am not even as smart as a child¡­"


    ***


    Now that the tweet had been seen by netizens, Sophia would keep it. Anyway, she just answered a child''s question, and there should be no bad impact.


    In the evening, Sophia''s phone rang. It appeared to be Benjamin.


    She was a little surprised. As soon as she answered the phone, a scream came, which almost scared her to drop her phone.


    "Oh, sis. Are you all right?" Benjamin shouted, "I heard about your kidnapping. Why don''t you tell me? I am a great detective. How about you?"


    Sophia took the phone away from her ear and frowned, "Keep your voice down, please. Aren''t you afraid to disturb others so late? Watch out for complaints! By the way, it was not me, but one of my classmates, who was kidnapped."


    Benjamin''s voice was a little lower, and he began to sniff, "It was such a big deal, why don''t you tell me? If I hadn''t seen the report, I wouldn''t have known about it. I''m¡­ I''m so sad. If you had told me, I would have¡­ I would have solved the case in five minutes."


    It was weird to believe him, Sophia thought.


    To keep Benjamin from complaining, she shifted the subject, "Forget about it. Aren''t you investigating Professor Green''s case? Any progress?"


    Benjamin stopped sobbing. "I''ve got a new direction. I think there''s a suspicious guy. But... I have no proof yet."


    "Who?" Sophia asked at once. She didn''t think Benjamin was reliable, but he was a detective, and he might have found something she didn''t know.


    "It''s Professor Normand from the Chemistry Department of Glinton," Benjamin reported the case, and he appeared energetic. "I think it was a self-igniting device made from flammable and explosive chemicals that started the fire. As a chemistry professor, it''s very easy to do these things."


    "Professor Normand? Why did he kill Professor Green?" Sophia was confused. She knew this man, but she had never had any interaction with him. They just worked in the same building. Had she ever offended him?


    "I just found out that Professor Normand once invented a new gasoline additive, which can double the use efficiency of gasoline and greatly save gasoline. The invention was later evaluated by Professor Green, who gave it a "no", resulting in the invention worth millions of dollars being useless," Benjamin said.


    Sophia remembered the invention but didn''t know who invented it. She just accepted an invitation from the authorities to test whether the invention could be put on the market.


    After a series of experiments, Sophia concluded that the gasoline additive could cause serious pollution after being used, more than 50 times more pollution than normal gasoline use. She wrote the report truthfully, and then the invention was rejected and not allowed to go into production.


    If Professor Normand hated her and wanted to kill her because of this, he did have the ability and motivation.


    ***


    The next day, Sophia went to school as usual. At the school gate, she saw the listless Director Bull.


    "Good morning, sir." She greeted him and entered the campus.


    As soon as she entered the school, she saw a lot of people around the bulletin board and talked about something.


    "Is Director Bull crazy? He gave class seventeen one hundred points in one go. How can we catch up with them?"


    "Yes, it''s so unfair. How can he do that? Adding points like playing games?"


    "Let''s go to Director Bull."


    "Yeah¡­ You go."


    "You go."


    "He seems to be in a bad mood. Going to him now is looking for a scolding. Besides, it says clearly that the score was added because Sophia of their class won the first prize in the Mathematical Olympiad."


    "It''s just a first place in the Mathematical Olympiad. What''s the big deal?"


    "Looks like¡­ it''s really something."


    She felt that she had aroused a great deal of hatred. She had to walk around the bulletin board to avoid being seen by her angry classmates.


    Of course, she needn''t be afraid of being seen by them. Anyway, she scored fair and square.


    As soon as she entered class, she was surrounded by the students.


    "One hundred points, boss. That''s so good."


    "Ha-ha, no one can overtake our class all school year, right?"


    "That''s not necessarily. The top class can earn many points in each exam. They may catch up with us next semester."


    "Yeah. If we can get another one hundred points, we will never be surpassed."


    "You wish!"


    ***


    At the end of the second class, Molly ran over to Sophia with an angry face and handed over her phone.


    "Look at it, Sophia. I''m pissed!"


    There was news on the phone.


    "Internet celebrity Knowing A Person shows off her talent but shows flaws instead.. Netizens are embarrassed. Could she please have a little common sense?"

 Chapter 117 - 117: I Just Love My Goddess KAP

    Molly knew that ''Knowing A Person'' was Sophia''s account. Seeing the news, she got upset at once.


    It was a malicious defamation.


    Sophia had paid attention to some blog topics recently. Many people suffered libel maliciously on the Internet. She had never considered herself a web celebrity, nor did she imagined that someone would slander her someday.


    She read the article and probably understood the whole thing.


    The article was issued by someone named "Amelia of the World Sudoku Competition Contestant," who was ranked nineteenth among the World Sudoku Competition players. She pointed out that the sudoku puzzle in the blog of "Knowing A Person" was a high-level standard sudoku puzzle. It was very difficult. Even at her level, it would take at least four minutes to solve it.


    But from the asking of" A Running Fish" to the reply of "Knowing A Person," there were just four minutes between, which also included the time for her typing and tweeting. In other words, she solved the high-level standard sudoku puzzle in less than four minutes.


    How could that be? It was insane!


    Thus, Amelia believed that "Knowing A Person" and" A Running Fish" were in collusion. KAP knew the answer in advance so that she could give out the answer in less than four minutes.


    She even suspected that "Knowing A Person" knew nothing about Sudoku, and it was a marketing account hyped by the online ghostwriters.


    Some malicious netizens took the opportunity to start questioning that the performance of KAP in the International Chess Competition was also fake. Most people did not understand the game but just listened to the explanation of some people claiming to know it.


    Rumors like "'' M378'' were the World Chess champion Mitch Watson" had never been confirmed. It was KAP who employed the online ghostwriters to make these gimmicks.


    Several experts in education also tweet to accuse KAP of the tendency to lead students away from their studies. After all, it was an examination-oriented education. If students indulged in playing sudoku puzzles, how could they improve their academic performance? It would delay their studies and finally bring a bad impact on students themselves.


    Some even suspected that the story of stray dog Mitch in KAP''s blog was also made up to deceive people. There was no Mitch at all.


    Seeing that, Sophia was stunned.


    People might think she had posted some anti-social and anti-human tweets.


    She just answered a kid''s question, that was all.


    Of course, there was still a lot of support for KAP on the Internet, and they refuted rumors on the Internet.


    "My goddess is amazing. She knows Sudoku. What''s wrong with that? You think you are the only ones who can do Sudoku, do you?"


    "There is no Mitch? Are you blind?"


    "Playing Sudoku can delay studies? That''s ridiculous. Why don''t you say that eating can delay studies?"


    "To attract people''s attention by belittling others. What a shame!"


    "Amelia wants to get popular. I''m sorry, I have no interest in Sudoku, I just love my goddess KAP."


    ***


    "A Running Fish" was aggrieved to say that even he didn''t know he was an Internet ghostwriter. He was just a sixth-grade student.


    Molly was very angry, "You should tell them that you won first place in the Mathematical Olympiad to piss them off. This Amelia is really disgusting. Just because she can''t do something, she thinks you can''t make it. Is she God?"


    Sophia was pretty calm. "I don''t care what these people say on the Internet. They don''t know me anyway. They don''t like me. I can''t do anything about it. I don''t need everyone to like me¡­"


    The onlooker Louie did not know what had happened until Molly explained it to him. He got upset, "Why is there such a person? If Mitch doesn''t exist, did I feed the dog my jerky? No¡­ He is a dog. That''s not the point. You just tweet a few pictures of Mitch on the Internet. Did that offend these people? They want to be famous. Can''t they rely on their own efforts? Why this way? "


    He picked up his phone and said, "No, I have to defend you."


    "Forget about it. Those people can''t affect our real life," Sophia said, "whatever."


    "I just can''t stand it. Leave me alone, boss. I have to scold back. Otherwise, I can''t fall asleep at night," refused Louie.


    "Yeah, me too. It''s a pity that Sophia won''t tell her identity, otherwise... Humph, the first place in the Mathematical Olympiad can slam the face of Amelia," said Molly.


    Sophia couldn''t do anything about it but to let them be.


    Kevin came to school this day. He basically got rid of the impact of the kidnapping and seemed very energetic.


    After school, Kevin went to Sophia. After hesitating for a moment, he seemed to have made a decision and said, "Sister, I¡­ Can I ask you something?"


    "Go ahead."


    "I¡­ Recently, I heard that Adam lives difficult. His mother sold the facial mask online but was cheated and lost almost all the savings. After this kidnapping, his mother will definitely go to jail, and he will have no source of income. I think¡­" Kevin bowed his head and dared not look at Sophia, "I''d like to give him some money, can I?"


    Sophia smiled, "Why not? It''s up to you. You don''t need to ask me."


    She knew Kevin was kind-hearted. No matter what, he was Adam''s brother and couldn''t just watch Adam get into trouble.


    Kevin looked up and smiled, "I knew you were the best. Here is my credit card. Can you withdraw five thousand dollars and give it to Adam for me later? That should be enough to support him until his mother gets out. I''m a resident. It''s troublesome to ask for leave at noon."


    "Yeah." Sophia took over the credit card and nodded.


    Sophia went to the bank, drew five thousand dollars in cash and put it into her school bag. Then she realized something¡­ Why didn''t she ask Kevin the password of his card? Would it arouse his suspicions?


    Kevin''s phone should be prompted after the money was withdrawn. If she asked him now¡­ Was it a little late?


    Then she remembered that Kevin had told her when he was kidnapped that the password was his birthday, which was a reasonable excuse.


    Well, she could tell him that she had looked up his birthday for the ransom.


    She carried her bag on her back and rode home. The bank was in the opposite direction of her house. An alley was in front of the bank.


    It would be faster to get home to go through the alley.


    Though carrying the "vast sums," Sophia was confident about herself. Besides, it was daytime, and she didn''t feel insecure.


    Just as she rode into the alley, she heard some noise coming from the front.


    "What are you doing?" A boy screamed.


    Then came another boy''s smirk, "Boy, lend us some money. You can''t blame us. You, a student from Colin, dare to come to our school territory¡­"


    And then, there was a voice that Sophia was familiar with.


    "Give me money. Or I''ll kick your ass."


    It was from Adam!


    Sophia sped up. When she turned around the alley, she saw several boys surrounding one boy, who was in Colin High School uniform, seemed scared but unwilling to be robbed.


    She had met the boy but did not know his name. He seemed to be one of the examiners in the Mathematical Olympiad trials. Besides, she had seen him at the pet store.


    Sophia stepped forward, stopped her bike, and looked at the boys. "You guys¡­ Why are you bullying him?"


    Adam saw Sophia step back, cowardly.


    One boy was arrogant, "Who are you? Are you from Colin? You little girl dare to mind our business. You want to get yourself in trouble? You look cute, how about¡­"


    The boy who was surrounded was Kurt. He looked at Sophia in disbelief.


    Why did she help him? Shouldn''t she hate him? It was a blessing for him if she didn''t beat him.


    Adam pulled the boy and whispered, "She is actually¡­"


    The boy got rid of Adam impatiently. "I don''t care who she is. You think I''m gonna be scared by a little girl?"


    Several other boys probably recognized Sophia, and one of them patted the boy on the shoulder and said in a trembling voice, "She seems to be¡­"


    The leading boy ignored him and paced to Sophia with an obscene smile, "Let''s hang out, okay?"


    Then he stretched out his hands to Sophia¡­


    Adam retreated with several other boys. One timid boy closed his eyes and could not bear to look at the terrible scene that followed.


    Bang!


    The boy flew out and crashed into a wall.


    Other boys started to beg for mercy, "Boss, forgive us, please. We will never mess with anyone in Collin. We swear!"


    Sophia frowned and said, "You can''t mess with anyone in Collin, and you can never rob others'' money. Do you understand? It''s illegal."


    "Yes. Yes." They gave me a quick answer.


    Then Sophia allowed them to go. However, "Adam, I want to talk with you about something," she stopped Adam.


    Adam shrank his head in fear and dared not leave. The other boys dispersed without saying anything in an instant.


    Kurt grew now pale, now red. Sophia had just won first place in the Mathematical Olympiad, and he knew he would never beat her in math.


    Sophia must have saved him from humiliating him.


    It was a great shame for him to be saved by his rival. He would rather she had not saved him than he had been robbed.


    Without a word, he patted the dirt on him and walked back.


    Even Adam was unhappy about his rudeness, but he dared not say anything.


    "Wait!" Sophia called him.


    He stopped and sneered in his heart.


    She was really going to humiliate him, did she?


    "Here, you dropped your phone," she said.


    Kurt stayed, bent down to pick up his phone, and looked back. "You¡­ Don''t you know me?"


    Sophia smiled, "I met you before, but I don''t know your name. Thank you for the dog food you recommended last time. Mitch loves it."


    Kurt was stunned.


    She didn''t even know him!


    And he had been thinking of her as an enemy, wondering what she would do to him every day. However, she never noticed him, and she didn''t even know who he was.


    He suddenly felt so aggrieved and wanted to cry. What should he do?

 Chapter 118 - 118: Don’t Lose It

    Kurt left with a wooden face, like a statue.


    Sophia had some sympathy for the boy. He must be frightened. After all, accidents like being robbed were really terrible.


    She turned to Adam, who looked a little frightened and had no idea what was going to happen next. Especially when his eyes turned to the boy who was still lying in the corner and could not stand up, he felt the hair all over his body stand up.


    "Here you are." Sophia took out the money from her school bag.


    The thick tart of money was roughly wrapped up by her in a few sheets of paper. Judging by the thickness, it was about five thousand dollars.


    Adam''s hand trembled. He was stunned for a long time before slowly reaching for the money. He still couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Instead of hitting him, Sophia sent him money?


    "Kevin gives it to you." Sophia said slowly, "Anyway, he thinks of you as his brother. Your mother may be in jail for a year. If you don''t squander the money, it will support you until she gets out of prison."


    Adam looked down at the money in his hand.


    After the kidnapping, he thought Kevin would resent him and his mother. But he didn''t expect that Kevin would worry about his life and ask Sophia to send money to him.


    Thinking of what he had done to Kevin, he found the money in his hand so hot that he could almost not bear it.


    Sophia saw Adam''s eyes turn red, knowing that he might be touched. "Keep it. Don''t lose it. I''ve done what I promised Kevin. I have to go," she smiled.


    Adam put the money in his school bag and watched Sophia leave by bike until her figure disappeared at the end of the alley, sighing and turning away.


    ***


    The online debate over whether "Knowing A Person" was hype, fraud went on for days. Fans and discommenders had gone from argument to scolding, causing Sophia''s blog to fall.


    Sophia didn''t care about it. To her, "Knowing A Person" was just an account where she shared Mitch''s life with his fans. Since Mitch wasn''t with her, this blog didn''t matter much to her.


    Fans believed that a test would be enough to know whether KAP could do Sudoku. Amelia could give a sudoku puzzle to see if KAP could work it out. They believed that KAP was by no means the kind of person who coveted a false reputation.


    However, discommenders said that sudoku puzzles could be worked out on the computer in less than one minute, and KAP could use a computer program to work it out, so nothing could be verified. The only way was for KAP to show up in person and test on the spot.


    When it came to the real person, discommenders began to question whether KAP was, as it said on the blog, a girl. Perhaps¡­ it was a stingy man.


    The fans were furious. That was so unreasonable. Why did these discommenders always have excuses? If KAP refused to show up, there was no way to verify whether she could do Sudoku or not.


    In response to the question of the chess tournament, discommenders proposed to verify whether "M378" was Mitch Watson.


    But fans didn''t agree. As fans of KAP, they knew KAP never said "M378" was Mitch Watson. It was just a speculation online. Even if it turned out that "M378" was not Mitch Watson. No one should blame KAP.


    However, for the identity of Mitch, there was clear evidence on the Internet.


    Diana and Henry posted a series of photos about Mitch as well as records of Diana stay in hospital to prove that the story of Mitch was true.


    Diana also wrote a follow-up story about Mitch that people didn''t know, sharing the story between her and Henry.


    A love story led by a guide dog instantly became a hot topic on the Internet. No one thought that Mitch had such a strange experience.


    Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms retweeted the story of Mitch. Netizens said that they believed in love again.


    After that, fans of Mitch had become fans of KAP, which increased millions of followers of KAP in a few days.


    The addition of new fans immediately put the discommenders at a disadvantage.


    Just then, Diana released an eye-popping message.


    Mitch''s current owner was just Mitch Watson, who was in the country.


    After knowing that, Netizens were shocked.


    The guy who fed Mitch into a ball was Watson?


    If so, he must know KAP.


    "M378" might be Watson.


    ***


    Amelia was displeased to see the instant transformation of public opinion on the Internet.


    Her defamation of KAP was a way of trying to get popular. She studied Sudoku so hard and got an international ranking. It was more than a decade of hard work. But few people followed her on the Internet, and she had only thousands of followers.


    But this KAP hired some Internet water army to hype the topic of chess, and then posted a few pictures of a dog, which unexpectedly became popular.


    She felt unfair and got upset when she saw KAP dare to issue the message about Sudoku.


    It was a challenge.


    She had to admire KAP''s marketing means. Within a few days, KAP made up a love story about a guide dog and got more attention and more fans, which made her jealous.


    No, she had to show her existence by giving KAP a good slap in the face.


    She was sure that "M378" could never be Mitch Watson. After all, Watson had never responded positively, either to the identity of "M378" or the fact that he adopted Mitch.


    She asked a reporter friend and knew that Watson was indeed here and was about to set up a chess training school with his friends.


    The next day was the opening day of Watson''s chess training school.


    Amelia called the reporter and asked him to ask Watson these two questions. As long as Watson denied all this, it was the best way to shame KAP.


    ***


    In fact, even if Amelia didn''t turn to her reporter friend, many reporters were planning to ask these questions.


    Watson''s chess training school was named "MT," which represented Mitch Watson and Toby Damon. Toby, one of the co-founders, naturally added his name to the school name.


    The school was actually a big training course. They taught chess skills on weekends.. After all, there were few domestic chess players, so they couldn''t make it a full-time school.

 Chapter 119 - 119: A Lovely Girl

    On the day of the opening, Watson came to the scene early in the morning. Some of his chess player friends also came to celebrate. It was quite lively.


    A crowd of reporters gathered around, competing for asking questions.


    Toby received reporters with a smile, "If you have any questions about our school, just ask. Watson has learned a little Chinese recently, haha. Of course, he could not answer you in Chinese. But I can help translate."


    "No, I can also speak English. I want to ask Mr. Watson a question!" A reporter shouted in English.


    Watson came over and laughed, "What''s your question?"


    The reporter asked, "I want to ask, is the "M378" on the net you?"


    When he asked that, all the reporters were quiet and waited for Watson to answer.


    They were also here to ask this question. Recently, a lot of people were talking about this matter on the Internet. As reporters, they naturally wanted to report this.


    Toby''s face turned pale and hurried over to Watson to hint him not to say anything. After all, it was not a glorious thing for a world champion to lose chess online.


    However, "Yes. It''s me," Watson said.


    Reporters were shocked.


    It was real.


    Before coming, everyone felt that it could not be true. Even if it was true, Watson would not necessarily admit losing.


    But he admitted that without hesitation.


    "You admit the losing. Don''t you worry about damaging your reputation?" asked one reporter.


    Reporters zoomed in on Watson for a close-up.


    Watson smiled. "You either lose or win when you play chess. That''s funny. If no one in the world can beat me, I will give up playing chess."


    Why did they think this foreigner''s image was suddenly big? He lost chess. But when it was said by him... Why was it so high-end?


    Especially when his expression was so natural, it was just... It kind of touched them.


    Amelia''s reporter friend remembered the question that Amelia asked himself to ask, and hurriedly said, "Are you taking care of the dog named ''Mitch''?"


    This question was also what many reporters wanted to ask. Everyone was quietly waiting for the answer from Watson.


    Watson paused, "Mitch? You mean my son? He is at school now¡­ He seems to have put on weight again. I''m sorry about my friend."


    Everyone froze.


    A reporter reacted and rushed into the school to shoot Mitch. Other reporters also followed. Soon the whole venue was empty.


    Toby didn''t understand it.


    Was there anything wrong with these reporters? Did they come to shoot a dog?


    Did he invite them to advertise the school? Did they have any professional dedication?


    ***


    News reports from major media had made the case of KAP fraud a hot topic on the blog again.


    "Watson admitted that ''M378'' was him."


    "Mitch is actually being kept by Watson. And... fatter again?"


    "Haha, does the dissenter''s face hurt?"


    "My goddess is invincible."


    In response to online doubts about the gender of KAP, Watson replied that the owner of this blog account was indeed a lovely girl, but he would not publish her identity without her authorization.


    He just said that KAP was his good friend, and he treasured their relationship.


    Fans didn''t care much about KAP''s image. They liked her no matter what she looked like.


    But¡­ a lovely girl¡­ That was really cute.


    ***


    When Sophia turned on her phone on Friday, she was surprised to find that her fans had risen to more than six million.


    What happened? Didn''t people slander her? Why did her followers rise?


    But she just looked at it at will and didn''t care much about it.


    After school, Sophia biked out of the campus and saw Albert''s car parking along the road at a glance.


    She went to the car. Albert opened the door and got out of the car.


    Just then, a luxury car rushed up and stopped in front of Sophia.


    The back door opened, a man in a suit stepped out of the car and paced to Sophia. He smiled at her and said, "Hello, my savior."


    "You''re¡­ the drunk driver?"


    She recognized that this was the sports car driver she saved with Albert, and then she bumped into him in the hospital.


    When he was in the hospital, he asked about the people who saved him at the time and learned that it was a man and a woman. He found no information about the man. He only found the file about Sophia.


    When he saw the file, he realized that... Isn''t she the girl who ran into his ward and scolded him that day?


    Somehow, after being scolded by Sophia that day, she always appeared in front of him.


    It made him seriously suspect that he was a masochist.


    Being discharged from the hospital this morning, he asked the driver to bring him to Sophia in the afternoon.


    The reason was that he wanted to thank his rescuer, which his parents were very supportive of.


    But, drunk driver? That might not be a good call.


    Hammer coughed, "Well... I''ve changed. According to the regulation, I''m not allowed to take my license for five years, but I... I''ve banned myself from driving for the rest of my life."


    Sophia was satisfied with this result. "Well done. I will consider not calling you ''drunk driver."


    "Actually, I have done another thing. I''m sure you''ll praise me when you hear it."


    Sophia looked at him in disbelief.


    "Here is the thing. There was a kid in my ward, right? His illness costs a lot of money. I donated seventy thousand dollars to him, enough to cure him."


    "Well done!" Sophia nodded.


    Hammer smirked and said, "Today, I am here to thank you... Well, I''ll treat you to dinner, okay?"


    But, Sophia nodded, "Thanks for your kindness. I''m not available. I should go now."


    She nodded to Hammer and pushed her bike to Albert, "What''s the matter?"


    Albert smiled. "Nothing. It''s just that... I''m free today and want to watch movies, but I can''t find anyone to accompany me. Would you like to go with me?"


    Sophia had little interest in movies and wanted to refuse him.


    Before she spoke, she heard Albert say, "It''s ''A Biography of Cummins''. Actually, there aren''t many chances to watch this kind of movie."


    "Yeah. I''ll go with you." Sophia agreed without thinking twice.


    It was a biography movie of her favorite chemists. She had to watch it.


    "Then let''s go." Albert opened the door.


    "My bike¡­" Sophia pointed at her bike, "I have to put it somewhere."


    Ryan came down from the car at this time. "Leave it to me. I''ll take it to your house."


    Sophia didn''t want to trouble others, "Isn''t that too much trouble?"


    "Don''t worry." Ryan picked up Sophia''s bike. "Just go to the movies. I promise it will be home before you. Please message me your address."


    "Won''t you watch the movie?"


    "I just watch romantic movies and¡­ action movies."


    Sophia got into the car. Ryan happily pushed her bike away.


    The boss had a smooth relationship. He was happier than anyone else.


    Hammer resentfully watched Albert get into his humble car and left with Sophia.


    He opened the door, got into his limousine, and complained disgruntled, "Do girls like uncles now? And he was a poor uncle. Chasing girls in a car like that.... Huh¡­"

 Chapter 120 - 120: I’ll Take You Home

    The driver remained silent in the driver''s seat, but Hammer didn''t let him go.


    "Tell me." He closed the door and asked the driver, "Who is more handsome, the poor uncle driving a poor car or me?"


    The driver was an honest middle-aged man. He didn''t want to say anything against his will. He thought for a long time before he said, "You¡­ You''re younger than him¡­ sir."


    The driver is an honest middle-aged man, and he does not want to say against his heart, thinking for a long time, just way: "week less...Younger than he is."


    Hammer grabbed a doll from the back seat and punched it to vent his gloomy. "I decided for her a word that I wouldn''t drive for the rest of my life. Are there any other men as kind as me? Girls now are so shallow. They judge people according to their outlook," he snorted.


    "Didn''t you stop driving because your hands trembled when you saw the steering wheel? You don''t even dare to sit in the co-pilot seat, do you?"


    "¡­ Drive your car!"


    The driver was very good but¡­ too honest!


    Why did he tell the truth?


    ***


    Albert drove his car and stopped at a big mall.


    It was a busy time in the mall, and there were a lot of customers coming and going. Albert parked his car and walked into the mall with Sophia.


    When Sophia entered the door, he saw a prompt. The cinema was on the fifth floor.


    "Let''s take the elevator," Sophia said.


    The elevator was near the door. It would be much more convenient and faster to take the elevator than to walk the ladder to go up to the fifth floor.


    Albert frowned, "It''s better to walk the ladder."


    Just then, the elevator door opened, and several guests waiting outside went in.


    A guest saw Sophia outside and asked, "Are you coming in? I''m closing the door!"


    Sophia tugged at Albert, "Come on, it''s going to close."


    Albert hesitated and followed Sophia into the elevator.


    Soon someone pressed buttons on different floors, including the fifth floor, and Sophia didn''t have to press it.


    When the elevator went up, Sophia suddenly felt something strange.


    She turned back and saw Albert''s hands shaking slightly and sweats, starting to appear on his forehead.


    Sophia was stunned when the elevator door opened on the third floor. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Albert''s hand and took him out of the elevator.


    Albert felt a soft, warm hand grabbing his hand, a little distracted for a moment.


    "You¡­" Sophia said, "Are you sick of the elevator?"


    Albert shook his head, "No¡­"


    Sophia stared at him, "Are you claustrophobic?"


    Albert nodded silently without saying anything.


    Sophia could not believe it. She remembered that, in her last life, he had pushed her wheelchair into the elevator many times. When he stood behind her, she had never noticed his expression.


    For someone with claustrophobia, taking an elevator was really a torture.


    But he had never told her about that.


    "Why didn''t you tell me?" Sophia sighed, "You fool¡­"


    If he had told her earlier, she wouldn''t have taken the elevator with him.


    "It''s all right¡­ Let''s walk the ladder." Albert looked down at her fair hand, which had been holding his and never let go.


    Sophia realized this when she noticed Albert''s gaze and slowly released her hand.


    "Let''s go." Sophia turned and walked to the ladder.


    Albert followed, not side by side with her as before, but quietly behind her.


    Soon they came to the fifth floor.


    Many people came to the movie on Friday, mostly couples. Many eating snacks and waiting for the opening outside.


    Albert went right to the entrance and said something to the staff, who let them in.


    "Don''t we have to buy tickets?" Sophia was slightly surprised.


    "I¡­ I come here a lot. I''m the VIP here. So, they don''t bother to give me tickets." Albert was serious.


    Sophia was never a VIP of somewhere. Did she see too little?


    He went to the door of a screening hall with the words "Hall five". "This is it."


    Sophia followed.


    The screening room was large, lighted, and empty.


    Sophia didn''t like watching movies in her last life because she had disabled legs and was afraid of causing trouble to others. She had never seen a movie at the cinema.


    However, in the memory of this body, she had watched movies. Some movies were not popular, with only one or two customers, it was like they booked a whole theatre. Movies like "A Biography of Cummins" were not popular, which were not very attractive to most people.


    The title of "A Biography of Cummins" appeared on the screen and then followed the opening.


    At this time, the lights in the cinema went out. There was only light projected by the screen in the whole cinema.


    Sophia''s eyes turned to the screen. The film soon began.


    Although it was Sophia''s favorite movie, her mind was not on it.


    She was thinking about Albert''s claustrophobia.


    Generally speaking, many of the people who had claustrophobia had some psychological shadow in their childhood. Albert impressed her as an optimistic, outgoing man. How could he have claustrophobia?


    Or what happened to him in his childhood?


    At the thought of these, Sophia turned to Albert, only to find that Albert was looking at her.


    Was her mind read through?


    Sophia felt that the atmosphere was weird and turned her head away from Albert.


    But she had noticed that Albert seemed to be looking at her all the time.


    Was that her delusion?


    The movie lasted two hours. Sophia was thinking about something else and didn''t pay attention to it. By the end of the film, the lights were on.


    Albert got up, "Come on. I''ll take you home."


    "Yeah¡­"


    Sophia went to school on Monday and was informed about taking part in the Chemical Olympic trials in the first self-study class at night.


    The audition should have been held last week, and the test papers have long been ready. However, a series of things happened at school last week, Mrs.. Lee was taken away by the police, and the school was questioned on the Internet, leaving Director Bull no mind to arrange the exam.

 Chapter 121 - 121: Love Dessert

    After Mrs. Lee left, Class Forty-nine lost its headteacher and math teacher, which was a hassle. A class couldn''t have any headteacher or a math teacher.


    Many math teachers wanted to teach this top Class, and many were willing to be the headteacher. This made it difficult for Director Bull to make a decision. He examined the teachers'' teaching results over the years and finally decided to have Natalie, another math teacher, to take charge of Class Forty-nine. After the decision was made, the school was finally back to normal.


    In the evening, Sophia came to the exam center on time to take the exam.


    There, she saw the boy she met in the alley that day, and smiled and said, "Hello. Nice to meet you again."


    The expression of Kurt was delayed. When he was about to say something, Sophia had turned to her seat, so he had to sit down.


    He wanted to tell Sophia that his name was Kurt Weller, and he was number one in science class.


    Somehow, he wanted her to know his name.


    Kurt often got full marks on chemistry exams, with occasional mistakes. But he had no confidence in this chemistry exam. He had done papers of the Chemistry Olympiad before, and he could basically get a pass. The Chemistry Olympiad and the College Entrance Examination were not at the same level, and the former was too difficult.


    He came to the exam to practice but not compete for a place.


    At this time, not only Kurt but all candidates'' eyes were focused on Sophia.


    It was well known that she won first place in the Mathematical Olympiad, which was the best score of Colin in recent years.


    But... didn''t she major in liberal arts? Liberal arts students studied mathematics but not chemistry. Did she really know chemistry?


    Director Bull invigilated with two chemistry teachers. He looked haggard, his eyes were a little dull, and he looked in a bad spirit.


    The teachers handed out test papers, and everyone began to write.


    Sophia was good at chemistry. It was easy for her to do it. She finished the paper in half an hour.


    She put away her stationery and handed in her examination paper.


    Director Bull''s eyes were still dull and watched her walk past him.


    The examinees who were writing all looked up. They had not finished even half of their questions. Sophia handed in her paper. Really?


    The examinees suspected that she handed in the paper because she could not do it. After all, liberal arts students did not study chemistry. She might come to have a try.


    Only Kurt had a mixed feeling.


    He looked up at the back of Sophia, thinking about the exam before the Mathematical Olympiad. That time¡­ she handed in the paper so soon.


    Was he going to see another familiar scene?


    The questions were harder than Kurt thought. After he had done half of the questions, he couldn''t find any more questions he could do. According to the questions he had done, he could not even score a passing grade.


    After Sophia handed in the test paper, he turned his eyes to the two teachers who were reading her paper.


    On their faces, he saw familiar expressions.


    Shock, surprise¡­


    The outcome of the exam was already obvious.


    Director Bull didn''t know much about chemistry. When he saw two chemistry teachers talking in a low voice, he walked over, "What''s wrong?"


    One of the chemistry teachers said, "I shouldn''t say that, but¡­ I think there is no need for other candidates to continue the exam."


    He handed the paper to Director Bull, "Full marks."


    Director Bull was shocked.


    What a familiar scene.


    At last, his eyes were no longer dull, and there was light in them.


    There was hope to save the reputation of Colin High School.


    ***


    Sophia cycled out of school and saw Hammer''s car parked not far away. She had seen the car, though it was just a glance, the license plate had stuck in her mind.


    When Hammer saw her coming out, he got out of the car and walked to her.


    "Hi, my savior." Hammer laughed.


    Sophia took a look at him and saw that he had dyed his yellow hair back into the black, neatly combed and in place. The suit was also changed into a black, very simple and generous style.


    Catching Sophia''s gazing, Hammer said with pride, "Well? Do I look a little more mature today?"


    Sophia didn''t answer the question but asked, "You''re looking for me?"


    Hammer smiled and said, "I just want to thank you and take you to dinner. You''re not available last time. And I didn''t know where you live. So, I had to wait for you here. Just give me a chance, or I''ll come here every day."


    "Are you threatening me?"


    "No. I never meant that. I''m just grateful¡­" Hammer hurriedly said.


    Sophia could not stand his brother and had to say, "All right. But I don''t want to have dinner. I had some desserts before Class, and I''m not hungry now."


    Hammer came over, "It''s fine. We can play somewhere else, bar, KTV, cinema¡­ anywhere."


    Sophia thought about it. She was neither drunk nor wanted to go to a bar. And she was a little uncomfortable with strangers on KTV. It was better to go to the cinema.


    "Let''s go to the cinema." Said Sophia.


    "Okay." Hammer nodded at once.


    But there was another problem. "I don''t know where to place my bike¡­" Sophia said.


    "Find a chauffeur," Hammer said without thinking.


    Was there a bike rider? Sophia was confused.


    She had to leave her bike at school first. Then she had to go to school by bus the next morning. But she did not tell Hammer that for fear he would make trouble again. She thought he looked a little bit¡­ stupid. She called her mother and said she would be back a little late so that she wouldn''t worry.


    Hammer was happy to open the door for her. When she sat in, he closed the door in a very handsome posture. Then he went to the other side and sat down next to her.


    "Let''s go to the cinema," Hammer told the driver.


    ***


    In the Pearson Office.


    Albert was reading reports when his cell phone rang.


    He answers the phone," Sampson? You''re not here. Where are you?"


    He had not seen Ryan for a night. He thought the guy was going to rebel.


    "Well," Ryan said eagerly, "I am going to send some love desserts to Sophia in your name. So, I''m waiting at the school."


    Albert was helpless, "What love desserts? Come back now."


    "Don''t worry, sir. Listen to me." Ryan said, "Luckily, I''m here today. Do you know what I saw? Do you remember the kid who drove a shitty car the other day waiting for Sophia at the school gate? He came to her again today. I heard him say he was taking her to the movies. Aren''t you mad?"


    Albert wanted to say he was not angry, but¡­ he couldn''t speak it out.


    Hearing no words from Albert, Ryan laughed, "Sure enough, like me, you don''t like this guy stealing behavior."


    Albert said nothing.


    "What should we do, sir?" Ryan asked.


    Albert frowned slightly and said coldly, "Ruin his plan. Do you want me to teach you such a simple thing?"

 Chapter 122 - 122: I Don’t Know Him Well

    Ryan hung up. He was a little embarrassed about the task that Albert had given him.


    It was easy to destroy Hammer''s plan, but it was not easy to avoid being found to be against him, and to avoid erroneous influence on Sophia.


    He thought about it for a long time and finally had an idea, and arranged it at once.


    Ryan was really proud of his IQ.


    When Sophia came to the cinema in Hammer''s car, she saw a lot of people waiting in line at the entrance to the screening hall.


    This was rare. Even on holidays, there was no such spectacle. Usually, before the opening, there were a few people in line, but not so many.


    Stranger still, there was no one at the ticket counter.


    Hammer was also surprised. As he went to the ticket counter, he asked Sophia, "Which movie do you want to see?"


    There were seven movies this day. Posters placed in front of the ticket counter and could be seen at a glance.


    Sophia took a rough look and chose one that she thought was better, "How about the ''Death in Abyss''."


    It looked complicated. She thought it would suit her taste.


    Hammer told the conductor, "Two tickets for ''Death in Abyss''."


    The conductor shook her head with a smile, "I''m sorry, Sir. The tickets are sold out."


    Hammer frowned. It was embarrassing if he could not even do it well.


    "Open one more room, and I''ll make a block booking." Hammer raised his chin with a "rich and willful" look.


    The conductor kept smiling, "I''m sorry, Sir. All the movies are booked today. And the one who makes a block booking is offering to treat people to watch movies for free. See the line over there? They came when they heard movies are free. You can also wait in line. The next show is in 15 minutes. There should be seats for you."


    Watching a free movie made Hammer feel humiliated. He thought about it and said, "Let''s go to another cinema. There''s one nearby¡­"


    The conductor gave him a warm hint, "The same person has booked all cinemas in Lands City. Every cinema was like this. If you want to make a block booking, you can go to another city."


    Hammer was confused.


    Which toff was so generous? Was he out of his mind? To go to another city to see a movie, Sophia would not agree, would she?


    He had no choice but to say to Sophia, "Let''s go in line."


    "All right." Sophia nodded.


    Although there were a lot of people in line, they entered quickly. Sophia and Hammer queued for a while, and it was their turn.


    The ticket inspector looked at them and smiled. "Well," he said, "the one who makes a block booking invites all the people to the movies, but not including¡­ single male in his twenties. You can go in, Miss. But this gentleman¡­ you have to prove you''re not single before you can go in."


    Hammer angered, "What rule is this? Are you discriminating against single men? I want to complain."


    The ticket inspector was still very nice and patiently explained, "It''s his freedom which he wants to invite to see the movie. We just do what he wants. Is this your girlfriend, Sir?"


    An idea occurred to Hammer. "Yes, she is my girlfriend," he nodded.


    Sophia didn''t want to admit it, but if she denied it, Hammer wouldn''t be able to get in. Hammer took her here; she could not just expose him.


    The ticket inspector smiled, "Well¡­ we have to verify that."


    Hammer frowned, "How?"


    "A kiss."


    Hammer''s heart beat fast, and he looked at Sophia.


    Sophia stepped aside and said, "I don''t know him well."


    Hammer said nothing.


    The ticket inspector kept her smile, "The next one."


    Sophia and Hammer stood by for the time being. Behind them was a young couple who happened to be in their twenties. The ticket inspector said the same words to them and asked them to prove that they were a couple, or the young man would not be allowed in.


    The girl was a little shy, "No, I... This is my first kiss..."


    The man laughed, "Well¡­ let''s go somewhere else?"


    "But I want to watch a film."


    "Then you watch. I''ll wait for you outside."


    "But¡­ I want to share it with you."


    The hint was quite obvious. The man wasn''t a fool. He hugged the girl, bowed his head, and kissed her gently on the lips.


    The girl was so ashamed that she buried her head in the man''s arms and gently pounded his chest with her fists, whispering, "You''re so bad."


    The young man laughed happily. The ticket inspector let him in with the girl.


    On one side, Hammer was tortured by these two intimate lovers. And the following two were boys in their twenties.


    He couldn''t help but say, "She said single men in their twenties were not allowed to go in. You can''t go in."


    A guy took a look at Hammer and said contemptuously, "Who''s a single man?"


    Then he hugged the other young man and kissed him.


    The ticket inspector did not change his face and let the two in.


    Hammer was in a mess in an instant.


    That would work?


    In the end, there was only Sophia and Hammer left.


    The ticket inspector looked at Sophia, "Miss, there are seats inside. You can go in. Do you want to go?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah... Thank you for taking me here, Mr. Hammer. I''ll go back to myself after the movie. You can go back now. This will counteract the life-saving grace you said. Don''t go to my school to look for me, okay?"


    If she didn''t go in, Hammer might invite her to go to the KTV or a bar or somewhere. If so, she had better watch the movie. While queuing, she heard people say that the "Death in Abyss" was very good. So, she had some expectations.


    She walked into the cinema and waved goodbye to Hammer.


    Hammer wanted to cry. It was not easy for him to persuade Sophia to watch the movie with him. Which toff was so boring, invited people to see the movie, but specially excluded the 20-year-old man?


    He must have lost his girlfriend to a twenty-year-old handsome guy that he was so crazy.


    He could do nothing but bite his teeth and curse the man who loses his girlfriend all his life.

 Chapter 123 - 123: See You Then

    Sophia was not a big movie fan. Unexpectedly, this movie was very good, nervous, and exciting. She finished watching it before she knew it.


    After the show, she walked out of the cinema and heard someone calling her.


    "Miss Green."


    She turned and saw Ryan waving at her.


    Sophia was surprised and walked to Ryan, "What are you doing here, sir?"


    Ryan smiled and said, "I happen to pass by¡­ May I have the honor of taking you home? It''s not easy to get a taxi at this late hour."


    "Well, thank you, sir." Sophia didn''t refuse his kindness. It was not easy to take a taxi at that time. Besides, she was familiar with Ryan. So, she didn''t feel formal.


    She got in the car, Ryan came over to close the door for her and then back to the driver''s seat.


    As he drove, he talked to Sophia, "Why are you out so late today?"


    "I watched a movie. A rich guy booked cinemas in the whole city today¡­ Are you here to watch a movie?" Sophia said.


    Ryan could hardly hold his smile, "Yes, I''m also here to see a movie. It''s free. Why don''t we accept it? Right?"


    Sophia agreed, "Yes. But I don''t understand why single men in their twenties aren''t allowed in¡­ Of course, that has nothing to do with you."


    Ryan looked like he was in his thirties. Of course, he would not be stopped.


    Ryan was shocked.


    Could he say he was less than thirty? Although he looked a little old, he was a handsome guy, right?


    He coughed and changed the subject, "Well¡­ What do you think of my boss?"


    Sophia thought about it, "He is kind and smart. Working for him, you should have a promising future."


    That was not what Ryan wanted to know. He knew he had a promising future to work for Albert. All he was worried about was that his future would be too "promising."


    "I mean¡­" Ryan smiled, "What do you think of him in life?"


    "In life¡­ he''s like a family," said Sophia.


    "Family?" Ryan''s eyes lit.


    Sophia nodded, "In some ways, he seemed like an elder to me."


    It was kind of like her mother.


    He couldn''t tell his boss that. Ryan thought.


    ***


    Sophia didn''t ride her bike home yesterday. So, the next morning, she went to the bus stop to wait for the bus. Unexpectedly, she met Ryan again.


    She was sure it wasn''t a coincidence.


    "Come on." Ryan got off and opened the door for her.


    Sophia didn''t refuse his kindness and got into the car. "Did Mr. Pearson ask you to come here? Was it yesterday, too?" She asked.


    Ryan smiled but said nothing.


    As a qualified assistant, a small thing like this needs no orders from the boss.


    Sophia felt that she was used to the care from Albert and did not want to refuse.


    When she came to school, she saw Director Bull waving at her at the school gate.


    Director Bull looked in a good mood. He smiled and said, "Good news, Miss Sophia. You will represent our school to attend this Chemical Olympiad. Come on! The event is on this Friday. You have to get ready."


    " Yes." Sophia nodded.


    The school would send her. She had no surprise about that.


    "By the way," Director Bull said, "I''d like to tweet this message with your account, is that okay?"


    Sophia didn''t think much, nodding, "Yes. But¡­ can I tweet it myself?"


    "Of course! It was your account." Director Bull nodded.


    The school was in crisis, and she would be happy if she could help. She had not logged in to that account yet. Director Bull had used it. The tone of the messages made her feel a little embarrassed.


    She had better post messages herself.


    Director Bull had already told her the account and the password. She remembered clearly. Without delay, she sent a message after class.


    "See you in the Chemistry Olympiad." Said Sophia Green of Colin High School.


    She noticed the number of her fans, more than three thousand. This news might not get much attention, she thought.


    But what she didn''t know was that Director Bull forwarded the message on the official blog while she was taking a class.


    Soon, her blog comment area became lively.


    "It can''t be true, right? The Chemistry Olympiad? Can she do that?"


    "I''ve seen people who participated in the math and chemistry Olympiad, but I haven''t seen anyone who won both prizes at the same time. She probably just went to have a try."


    "Rubbish, Collin! They really ask a liberal arts student to attend the match."


    "OMG. A liberal arts student attends the Chemistry Olympiad. Are you kidding me?"


    "I remember one talented professor at Glinton University, also named Sophia, whose chemistry and math was at the top. Are all the people named Sophia smart?"


    "If she really won a prize¡­ where should science students put their faces?"


    "See you then."


    "Oops! Outstanding students who are attending the Olympiad show up."


    ***


    When Sophia was out of school, she noticed that her account had one more thousand followers.


    Because of the previous news, the current netizens were quite concerned about the study, and everyone was quite ambitious, she thought.


    She did not read the comments, quietly switched accounts.


    The comments on the unidentified account "Knowing A Person" were livelier than here.


    Many netizens were calling for the return of Mitch. They all said that: Give Mitch back. This foreigner did not know how to raise Grandpa.


    For that, Sophia was in favor of it.


    And there were many comments made a mockery of Amelia.


    Sophia was confused. Who was Amelia?


    After reading the comments, she remembered that she was the sudoku master who had satirized her on the blog. She paid no attention to it at the time and did not remember the name.


    But there were many dissenters. They insisted that KAP knew nothing about sudoku, and although Watson had proven that the chess contest was true, she could not prove she knew sudoku.


    If she was so good, she could take part in an international sudoku competition like Amelia and get a ranking to win honor for the country.


    Sophia didn''t care about that. She knew a lot of things. But she couldn''t compete with everything with others.


    She should at least leave some living space for others, right?

 Chapter 124 - 124: I Agree With You

    As soon as Sophia left school at noon the next day, she saw Hammer standing in front of his limousine with a big bouquet of flowers in his arms. His suit is stylish and eye-catching. He looked at the school gate with a smile and his eyes searching the crowd.


    The students were talking. They didn''t know which girl was so lucky that a handsome guy in a limousine sent her such a big bouquet of flowers. It was not Valentine''s Day. It was so loving to send a girl flowers at ordinary times.


    Sophia was very troubled. She wanted to pretend she did not exist, detour away, but as soon as she got out of school, Hammer stopped her.


    "Miss Green, I have been waiting for you."


    The students who saw this scene made detours one after another. This man dared to pursue Boss. He was really not afraid to be beaten by her.


    Sophia was not going to accept his flowers. Just as she was about to speak, someone next to him had already spoken.


    "Which school are you from? You''re not our students, are you? Are you from Mary High School? You come to our school to chase girls, is that too much?"


    Sophia turned her head and saw Barry pushing the bike past. He frowned slightly and looked a little hostile.


    "I''m from Glinton University," Hammer said proudly.


    Sophia had never heard of that. Hammer was from Glinton University. This person looked so stupid that she could not associate him with a famous university like Glinton.


    "Glinton? Humph!" Barry was unhappy, "Old man¡­"


    Hammer was furious, "Who are you talking about? Old man? I''m just one year older than you, all right? You want to fight?"


    Barry sneered, "All right. I was transferred from a martial arts school, and I am a sports student¡­"


    "The gentleman uses his tongue but not his fists." Said Hammer.


    Barry said nothing.


    Sophia shook his head, pushed the bike silently, and took the opportunity to leave.


    After going home at noon, Kate announced the good news.


    "We signed the demolition contract, and we can go to see apartments in a few days. Developers offered several buildings for us to choose from. Some are in upscale residential areas and some ordinary residential areas. We can choose one upscale apartment, and one ordinary apartment, or three ordinary apartments, which do you think is better?"


    In this way, the price of an upscale apartment was twice as high as that of an ordinary apartment.


    Sophia smiled, "You can choose whatever you like, mom. I agree with you."


    "The security of upscale residential areas is good, as the environment. There are no men in our family. It should be safer to live in a high-end residential area. We can live in one apartment ourselves and rent the other out. Then we can earn a lot of money every year. There is no financial burden on our family. The rent would be enough to afford your college tuition." Said Kate.


    Sophia agreed, but she didn''t want her mother to pay for her college tuition. The money she earned in the last chess game was enough for her tuition. Making money was not a hard thing for her.


    But she didn''t say it. It was too early to say it.


    The next day, Kate was going to see the house. Sophia asked for a day off to accompany her. After all, buying a house was not a small matter. She wanted to help with the reference. Kate wanted her to come, too. The house was for the two of them to live in. Kate wanted to know her daughter''s opinion.


    Ms. Acheson was very tolerant of Sophia and approved her request for leave at once.


    She also did the paper of the Mathematical Olympiad. There were two questions that she could not even solve. After hearing that Sophia got full marks, Ms. Acheson was ashamed of herself.


    The Mathematical Olympiad Committee did not give out answers to the questions. Ms. Acheson, as a math teacher, was confused at the problems she couldn''t solve. She consulted several teachers in the school, but no one could solve them. Finally, she called Sophia into her office and asked her to explain the two questions to her.


    It was the first time in Acheson''s life that she, a teacher, asked student questions.


    Sophia was not proud of her ability but solved the problem calmly. The steps to solve the problem were clear. Ms. Acheson, as a math teacher, could understand it at once. Ms. Acheson had some admiration for this student.


    ***


    After breakfast, Sophia and Kate went to the bus stop. Later, they got to the sales department to choose apartments according to the address provided by the developer.


    The community named Green Community covered a large area, and the distances between buildings were farther than those in residential areas. There were a series of public facilities like fitness center, entertainment center, basketball court, garden, and so on, which were better than those in the ordinary community. In addition, the location was good, as well as the environment. Thus, the price was naturally high.


    There were not many people in the sales department. After all, the price of the upscale apartment was twice that of the ordinary. Most people would not choose here.


    People who could afford houses here were mainly rich people. With smiles, sales ladies were communicating with guests who came to buy houses.


    Sophia and Kate had made an appointment before. But when they came in, no one came to receive them. The sales ladies were only busy serving some well-dressed customers, and no one noticed them.


    Sophia stepped forward and said to the sales lady who talked with them when they made the appointment, "Hello, we''re here to see the house."


    The sales lady gave her a look and then looked at Kate up and down. "You¡­ Do you really come to buy a house?" She said doubtfully.


    When they made the appointment, they gave a name and the time they came to see the house. The sales lady didn''t know what their status was.. Judging from their clothes, she thought these two people should not be rich.

 Chapter 125 - 125: A Familiar Smile

    "We''re relocation households. We come to see the house," said Sophia.


    The sales lady frowned slightly. She could not get a commission from contracts signed by relocation households. Of course, she was not very enthusiastic.


    "These are house types. Please have a look." She threw them a file.


    Sophia took the file and flipped it over. "This is just part of it, right?"


    The file only had house types in one building. There were eight buildings in the Green Community. Obviously, this file couldn''t cover all house types.


    The sales lady didn''t even give them a look, "Isn''t one apartment enough for you to live in?"


    Sophia was unhappy with her attitude, but she didn''t want to argue with her. "I want to see other house types and think about it." She said patiently.


    Before she finished talking, the sales lady suddenly stood up with a smile on her face. "Sir, are you here to see houses? We have a variety of household types to choose from. Would you like to have a look?"


    When she said, she carried out a large stack of files and put them on the table.


    Sophia was a little angry. The sales lady went to receive other customers before she finished her work here.


    She turned and saw a familiar smile.


    It was from Albert.


    Kate was also very angry. Although they were demolition households, choosing a house was their legitimate right. Why should this sales lady look down on them?


    When she turned back, she froze.


    "You''re¡­" Kate''s eyes lit, "Mr. Pearson?"


    Albert recognized Kate at a glance and went to her. "Mrs. Green. Long time no see."


    Sophia had seen a picture of Albert at home before and knew that Kate had taught him. It had been a long time ago. Kate had a good eye and recognized Albert at a glance.


    Albert had not changed much since middle school. He was just thinner and more mature.


    The two sat down and talked about things in middle school.


    "You were a good boy then. You studied well and never made trouble. It''s just that..." Kate smiled, "A lot of girls come to you after class. It affected our class. Gave me a headache."


    Albert looked up at Sophia and waved his hand at once. "No, no. There must be something wrong. No one ever looked for me."


    The sales lady stood on the side, wondering what to do. The two she had just looked down started a good talk with the well-dressed gentleman. She specialized in all kinds of brands and was very good at identifying people from the brands of their clothes. This gentleman''s suit was custom-made. It should cost twenty thousand dollars.


    But the mother and daughter were dressed in cheap clothes, which cost about twenty dollars each. Besides, they were relocation households. The sales lady, of course, looked down on them.


    But she didn''t expect this woman to be the gentleman''s teacher. This was awkward.


    "Well¡­ Please have a look at these houses." The sales lady immediately changed her face, and gallantly took a pile of files, "And these¡­"


    She turned, poured three glasses of water, and put them on the table. "Please!"


    Kate took the files and looked at them seriously.


    "The eleventh and twelfth floors are good. The lighting is good. And they are quite clean."


    Kate finally picked one and signed the contract.


    After signing the contract, the sales lady asked Albert, "Would you like to buy a house, too, sir?"


    Albert shook his head, "No."


    The sales lady was shocked.


    She was busy for nothing.


    Albert''s car was parked outside. He offered to send Kate and Sophia home in his car. After sending them home, he got in the car.


    Ryan was very proud, "Mr. Pearson, I did a good job this time, did I? I happen to know the developer, so I knew they would come to pick houses. I''m so smart, am I? Should you give me a bonus?"


    "That saleslady¡­ Fire her." Albert interrupted him.


    "But the buildings are not Pearson''s. Would it be too much for you to fire someone else''s staff?" Said Ryan.


    "Then make them Pearson''s."


    "Well¡­ what do you want to do with this property? Sell it to others? That''s kind of troublesome."


    "They will be our staff quarters," Albert said calmly.


    Ryan''s hands shook, and his voice trembled. "Sir, I... I''m also your staff. Old staff!"


    Albert''s lips curled up. "By the way, keep the one across from Green''s." He added.


    ***


    According to the contract, the house would be delivered by the end of the year. The buildings Sophia lived in would be torn down after the New Year.


    For the other apartment in ordinary residential areas, Kate had not chosen yet. She planned to pick one in a few more days.


    Residents in the community were also on the move, looking for their desired housing, and many had signed the contract. One of Sophia''s neighbors moved very quickly. The apartment they chose was an early built building that had been delivered. After signing the contract, they started to move the next day.


    When Sophia came home at noon, she saw Kate helping the neighbor move. The family had lived there for more than a decade. There were lots of trivial things in the house. It was kind of troublesome to pack these things. As their neighbor, Kate went to help.


    Sophia also entered and said, "What can I do for you, Mrs. Martha?"


    Mrs. Martha was packing clothes. When she heard Sophia speak, she poked her head out. "Oh, Sophia¡­ Could you help me pack up what I can sell on the balcony and put them into a sack? They are all unwanted. I will take them to the collection depot and sell them out."


    "Yeah." Sophia stepped out onto the balcony.


    It was a mess on the balcony. Mrs. Martha had packed all the useful things in cartons and took them away. There were only some old things left.


    Mrs. Martha found a pair of labor gloves for Sophia to wear and asked her to pack things that could be sold and leave others behind.


    The collection depot recovered paper, plastic, iron, etc.. Sophia checked the things one by one and put them in different sacks so that they could be easily weighed.

 Chapter 126 - 126: It’s Yours

    She picked up the waste little by little, and then her eyes fell on a flower pot in the corner.


    This flowerpot was a pottery pot filled with soil and looked much rougher than ordinary ones. The flower planted inside was dead, leaving only a small part of the dry branches.


    She seemed to have seen something like that somewhere. It... It was supposed to be an antique, wasn''t it?


    She asked Mrs. Martha, "Where did you get this pot, Mrs. Martha?"


    Mrs. Martha took a look at it and said, "It was a gift when I bought the flowers. The flower is dead, and this jar is so ugly that no one wants it. So, just throw it."


    Sophia picked up the jar, "But this¡­ It looks like an antique. I have seen it in the book."


    Mrs. Martha laughed, "You''re so funny. I bought it from an old lady. The flower and the pot were five dollars in total. You tell me it was an antique¡­ OK, it''s yours."


    If it was an antique, Sophia would not accept it. She didn''t like the pot very much, but she remembered that she had seen something similar in a book. However, she did not know much about the identification of antiques. So, she could not see the origin of this pottery pot.


    She thought of a man, Albert.


    In her previous life, she had never heard Albert say that he knew antiques. Last time in BridgeTown, he could tell the liar''s porcelain was fake at first glance. She thought he should have studied antiques.


    "I have a friend who knows how to identify antiques," Sophia said, "I''ll show it to him. If it''s an antique, it will be worth a lot of money."


    Mrs. Martha waved her hand. "If it''s really an antique, don''t tell me. I''m telling you, I won''t strike it rich. Once I get the money I shouldn''t have, something bad will happen. Once I picked up one buck on the road, my TV set broke down when I got back home. It took me forty dollars to fix it. There was one time I picked up twenty bucks. I sprained my waist that day, which cost more than one hundred bucks."


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    Mrs. Martha put the folded clothes into a box and said, "It can''t be an antique. You think too much, Sophia. It would have cost two dollars when I bought it, but the pot was too ugly, so the flower-selling old lady took me one dollar. She said that her grandson was sick and she had to sell flowers to make money for the treatment. If it is an antique, why didn''t she sell it? It''s been for years. I remember it because the old lady was too poor. She should not be there to sell flowers now."


    "Maybe the old lady didn''t know what this is..." Sophia said, "Anyway, I''ll take it back and show it to my friend."


    She helped clean up for a while and heard Mrs. Martha called her, "Sophia, dinner."


    Kate wanted to go home to cook, but Mrs. Martha insisted on treating her. Having no time to cook, Mrs. Martha ordered takeout, which included Kate''s and Sophia''s.


    While eating, Sophia took a picture of the pottery pot and sent it to Albert. She had exchanged Facebook numbers with Albert before, but she was used to making phone calls and had hardly used it.


    "Do you know if this is an antique? I found it in my neighbor''s house. She said she bought it for one dollar from an old lady."


    After sending the message, she left her phone behind, expecting Albert to answer her at any time.


    But as soon as her phone left her hand, a Facebook beep sounded.


    Sophia picked up her phone and saw that Albert had replied to her.


    The reply speed was surprisingly fast.


    "I don''t know. I''ve never seen it." Replied Albert.


    "Oh, I thought you knew it."


    "No. It was a coincidence last time. But I happen to have someone around me who knows antiques. I''ll let him see it."


    "OK."


    After a while, Albert replied, "He said it looked like an antique. But looking at the picture, he wasn''t sure. He had to see it himself before he could tell. If it is necessary, I''ll let him go to you."


    Sophia didn''t want to bother people so much. She replied, "It''s too much trouble. The antique appraiser must be very busy. I''ll take the time to visit him."


    "No, he''s not busy at all. I''ll have him call you."


    No sooner had Sophia read Albert''s reply than the phone rang.


    She picked up the phone and heard a familiar voice.


    "Miss Green." Ryan''s voice sounded happy, "I didn''t expect my major to help you. I haven''t appraised antiques for a long time."


    "Your major?" Sophia was surprised.


    Ryan had to tell her, "Yes. I used to think I could find something valuable by accident and make a great fortune, so I studied this major. But it wasn''t until after graduation that I realized I couldn''t find anything valuable at all. I could only charge some appraisal fees. Now people in this business are all geniuses. I can''t make any money."


    Ryan was heartbroken. "I went to the countryside to collect old things, thinking I could get some antiques. Ah¡­ I was deceived by an old lady and lost thousands of dollars because of the misjudge. Later, I changed my career."


    An old lady was deceiving him. It was a terrible experience.


    "But it''s all right," Ryan laughed again, "I found the greatest fortune in my life. I work for Mr. Pearson."


    There was a faint voice from Albert, "Don''t compliment me. I won''t give you a bonus."


    "It''s all right. Just give me a set of staff dormitories." Said Ryan.


    Sophia could not help but sigh that Ryan was really a good employee.


    It was the beginning of Albert''s business, and the conditions must not be good.


    They did not even have a staff dormitory.. But he was still so loyal, which was very valuable.

 Chapter 127 - 127: Sophia Was Shocked

    Ryan rambled on for a long time before getting back to the point. "By the way, I have seen the picture you sent. The pottery pot looks like an antique, but I can''t be sure until it''s tested with an instrument. How about this... I will go to school later. You give me that clay pot. I will take it back for testing and bring it back to you in the evening."


    Sophia hurriedly refused, "That is too much trouble for you. I''ll deliver it to you when I am available."


    "No, no. I¡­ I''m just going to Colin to deal with something."


    Sophia thought about it and said, "All right, but you don''t have to send it back. It''s not too late to give it to me when I get the chance to see you next time."


    Sophia found a bag and put the pot in it. For fear of breaking it, she didn''t even dig out the soil on it. After dinner, she helped Mrs. Martha clean for a while and went to school.


    When Sophia got to the school gate, she saw Albert''s car at a glance and went up to it. Ryan came out of the car and greeted her.


    Sophia handed the bag to Ryan, thanked him, and went back to school.


    After school, Sophia saw Ryan with his car in front of the school gate.


    "Thank you very much, Mr. Sampson."


    Sophia had told Sampson not to send the pot back, but he did, which made her feel embarrassed.


    Ryan took the pottery pot out of his bag and said with a smile, "No problem. I haven''t appraised antiques for a long time. I''m a little rusty. You are so lucky, Miss Green. I haven''t found valuable things for so many years. I can''t believe you found one."


    Sophia was a little surprised, "You mean¡­"


    "Yes, it''s an antique, but it''s not very well preserved. It might sell for forty thousand dollars... Do you want my help? I don''t do the job anymore, but I know people in this business." Ryan asked.


    Sophia took the pot and shook his head. "Thanks. Not for the time being. It''s not mine. It''s my neighbor''s. She didn''t want it when she moved. I said to help her identify it. I didn''t expect it to be so valuable. If she wants to sell it, I''ll ask you for help then."


    Ryan stared at her. "She didn''t want it? You are so honest that you want to tell her. You just tell her it''s not an antique, and then¡­"


    Sophia knew what he was trying to say and said, "It''s not mine, I won''t have it. I have to take it to Mrs. Martha."


    Ryan could only say, "Yeah."


    He could not help sighing in his heart that his boss was so predictable.


    Before he came, he had reported the appraisal result to Albert. Albert concluded that Sophia would not secretly keep the pot, but would definitely return it to her neighbor.


    Ryan didn''t believe it. Who was so stupid? It was thousands of dollars.


    But¡­ it seemed that there was someone so stupid.


    When Sophia came home, Mrs. Martha had not finished moving and was still packing. Her door was open, and the family went in and out, carrying things downstairs to the car.


    Sophia went into Mrs. Martha''s house and told her the appraisal result.


    Mrs. Martha was clearing the dishes. When she heard her, she almost dropped the dishes in her hand.


    "You said it is... an antique?" Mrs. Martha took the pot from Sophia in disbelief, "It is an antique?"


    "Yes." Sophia said, "My friend says it''s worth about forty thousand dollars. If you want to sell it, I can ask him for help."


    Mrs. Martha looked at the pot for a while and shook his head and said, "I... I can''t take it. In my experience, if I make such a fortune at once, I will have bad luck."


    Sophia was shocked.


    Did he have to be so metaphysical? It is worth forty thousand dollars.


    Mrs. Martha thought for a moment, "I remember the flower-selling old lady said his grandson was ill. It had been years. I didn''t know how the child was. I''ll go to the market tomorrow and see if I can find her. If I can find her, I''ll ask her to sell it to cure the kid."


    Sophia smiled, "You''re really kind, Mrs. Martha."


    Mrs. Martha also smiled, "Sophia, you too. If you don''t tell me those, I have already thrown it away. I never thought it would worth anything."


    Later, Ryan called and said sadly, "You gave it back to your neighbor? Ah, that''s forty thousand dollars. Are you stupid? Is there another silly girl like you?"


    "Mrs. Martha said she would return the pot to the old flower lady," Sophia said.


    Ryan was confused.


    Were idiots staying together?


    Sophia didn''t care about the pottery pot anymore. The next day when she got out of her home, she saw the door of Mrs. Martha''s house was not closed, there was only some rubbish left in the house. After everything was packed up last night, they moved out. The house was to be demolished soon, and she did not close the door for the convenience of the workers.


    This day was the time for the Chemistry Olympiad exam. Sophia had not got the admission ticket yet. As soon as she arrived at school, she saw Director Bull waiting for her.


    "I''ll send you there." Director Bull looked quite happy.


    "I don''t think it is necessary." Sophia had never heard Director Bull send any student to the examination room. It was too much for her to bear.


    "Let''s go. I drove my car, especially." Director Bull pointed to a car parked at the school, "I haven''t driven a car for a long time. I''m a little rusty."


    Sophia felt that she didn''t want to take his car.


    Director Bull handed Sophia the admission ticket, opened the door and let her in. Then he got in the driver''s seat and started the car.


    Glinton University was not far away.. Ten minutes later, Director drove into the campus.

 Chapter 128 - 128: You’re So Smart

    It was getting late, and Sophia went straight into the exam room.


    Before long, two invigilators entered the room. Sophia knew both of them, who were chemistry teachers. She once worked in the chemistry department, so she almost knew everyone in the chemistry department.


    After the test paper was issued, Sophia went over it first. The questions were not difficult. She picked up the pen and began to answer the questions.


    It took Sophia about forty minutes to finish all the questions. It was still early, and she bowed her head and checked it again.


    At this time, the inspection teacher came in and inspected the examination room. When he came to Sophia, he paused.


    Sophia felt someone around her and looked up at him.


    It was Professor Normand


    It suddenly occurred to Sophia that Benjamin had told her that Professor Normand was the suspect who killed her.


    At least, he had a motive.


    Sophia could not help looking at him a few more at the thought of this.


    Professor Normand was in his fifties. He probably dyed his hair, so his hair was still black. It was only that the wrinkles on his forehead could not be disguised at all, making him look a little older than his actual age. He was dressed in a neat suit this day, without a trace of wrinkles, so fastidious that she could see that the man paid great attention to his image.


    Sophia had never cooperated with Professor Normand before. They were not familiar with each other. If it hadn''t been for Benjamin''s analysis, Sophia wouldn''t have noticed this person at all. Nor would she suspect that the man had a motive.


    Professor Normand met Sophia''s eyes and smiled. "You do it very fast."


    Sophia nodded slightly and did not speak. She withdrew her eyes and continued to look at her test paper.


    Professor Normand walked away and continued to check other candidates.


    Sophia''s attention was not on the paper. She thought of the lab fire and felt a feeling of discomfort as if it was still burning.


    After walking a circle in the examination room, Professor Normand left. At once, Sophia got up and handed in the test paper and then left the examination room. She wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words to Professor Normand to see if she could hear some useful information.


    Director Bull was waiting outside the examination room. When he saw Sophia hand in the papers in advance, he was not surprised. He went up and asked, "How''s it going, Sophia?"


    Professor Normand had not yet gone far. Suddenly, he turned around with some consternation in his eyes. When he saw Sophia, he withdrew his eyes and turned away.


    His expression fell into the eyes of Sophia, and there was nothing missing.


    Was he so surprised at the sound of her name?


    "It''s fine," Sophia said in calm.


    Director Bull was very satisfied with her answer. Since she answered like that, there should be no problem. "Good, let''s go. I''ll take you back to school."


    ***


    On Sunday, Sophia got a call from Mrs. Martha, who said that she couldn''t find the old lady. For several days in a row, she went to the flower market where the old lady set up the stall, but she couldn''t find her. After asking about the nearby merchants, she knew that the old lady had been selling flowers before, but suddenly stopped coming half a month ago.


    Sophia thought about it and said, "I can find her."


    Mrs. Martha didn''t believe her, "How? Do you know where her house is?"


    "Almost." Sophia said, "Wait a moment. I will let you know when I find it out."


    She checked the map on her phone and called back, "She should be in Yorkie Town."


    "How do you know?" Mrs. Martha didn''t understand.


    "You said she sold flowers in a tricycle, small in size and single in variety. Besides, she took what she could get as flower pots. So, the flowers should be planted by herself. She should live in a big house with a courtyard, or she has a field. With the current housing prices, her house can''t be downtown, and it should be in the suburbs. She, an old lady, can''t sell flowers far from home, nor can a tricycle reach very far. So, the place near the flower market and with a low land price is¡­ Yorkie Town." Sophia said.


    Mrs. Martha laughed, "You''re so smart, Sophia. But Yorkie Town is not small, right? Finding an old lady isn''t that easy."


    "No," Sophia said. "She has a sick little grandson, and she has to plant flowers to cure him. What does that mean? Her son and daughter-in-law wouldn''t treat the kid, or... couldn''t treat the kid. Given human nature, the latter is more likely. The child was young, and I speculate that the old lady''s son and daughter-in-law probably passed away in recent years.


    What''s more, with her living condition, she probably lives on coupons. You can go to the police station and tell the police that you found something valuable lost by an old lady and ask them to help you look for her. You tell them her son and daughter-in-law died in recent years, and she lives on coupons. These are all recorded at the police station. If I''m right, you can find her after going to the police station. Of course, if her son and daughter-in-law do not want to raise the kid, forget about what I have said. The scope is too large to find one person."


    "You''re amazing, Sophia. I don''t need to go to work today. I''ll go to Yorkie Town. I hope to find her there." Mrs. Martha said.


    Sophia hung up. She thought it was quite possible to find the old lady on these terms. Of course, things were uncertain, and she was not very sure.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Martha called at night and said, "I found her.. When the police heard that one old lady sold a forty-thousand-dollar thing by mistake, they helped me look for her at once.

 Chapter 129 - 129: Perfect Crime

    According to the conditions you said, they soon found out the identity of the old lady. But the pottery pot is still at the police station. She has to claim the lost item herself. It''s too late today. She won''t be able to go until tomorrow. I just got out of her house. Things exactly are what you said. Her grandson, an eight-year-old congenital heart disease patient, has been on treatment. They spent lots of money. However, someone donated seventy thousand dollars to her a while ago, so she hasn''t been selling flowers lately."


    Sophia felt that the "seventy thousand dollars" sounded familiar. She thought about it and asked, "The donor... is his name, Hammer?"


    Mrs. Martha was surprised. "How do you know that? Can you even reason out the name of the donor?"


    "No. I happen to know this man."


    "Mrs. Walker was a poor lady. Her daughter-in-law died when she gave birth. Her son, who had a congenital heart condition, had died a few years earlier. So, only she and her grandson left. If the pot is sold, it should improve her family''s life," said Mrs. Martha.


    Sophia was stunned, "You said¡­ her name is Walker?"


    "No¡­" Mrs. Martha said, "Her husband is named Walker. People here all called her Mrs. Walker. Her name''s Barrett."


    Sophia stood there and murmured, "Walker... congenital heart disease... forty thousand dollars..."


    "Yes." Mrs. Martha nodded.


    Sophia was silent for a moment and said word for word, "Her son¡­ Did he die three years ago? He died not from a heart attack, but¡­ murder. Her son is named Odom Walker, right?"


    Mrs. Martha was startled. "What do you mean? What murder? I never heard that."


    "You just return the lost property," Sophia said, "the police will not tell you that. The pottery pot¡­ I don''t think Mrs. Walker can get it back." Said Sophia.


    Mrs. Martha wondered, "Why? The police said it was too late to register and not let her take it."


    Sophia sighed, "It was a¡­ booty."


    Odom Walker''s case was a high-profile one three years ago. The case was not serious or complicated, but the killer''s ingenious modus operandi put the whole case into trouble, arousing the interest of many people to pursue the truth.


    Sophia didn''t pay attention to the case until one day, David Terry went to her and asked her to help analyze some strange substances found at the scene of Odom''s death.


    After her analysis, she proved that the substances were not directly related to the death of Odom, which got her interested in the case.


    At the time, David made it clear to her that Odom must not have died of a heart attack but someone''s deliberate stimulation. And he was sure that this man was Jarred Patton, chairman of the Patton Group.


    But David couldn''t find any evidence. He was very upset.


    "Perfect crime!" David said of the case. "Even if we knew it was him, there was nothing we could do with him."


    Sophia had a different opinion, "There was no perfect crime in this world. Anything you do will leave a mark. The so-called perfect crime is just perfect hiding of these marks. But these marks have not disappeared, just missing a pair of eyes looking for it."


    She studied it for more than half a month, and finally found evidence and sent Jarred to prison.


    Jarred confessed at the time that his motive to kill Odom was to prevent him from leaking. Odom was an employee of his rival company. He paid Odom forty thousand dollars, using him to do some illegal things to knock down the rival company.


    After the event, Odom asked for more hush money. Jarred believed the man was insatiable and would never be satisfied. Knowing that Odom had a heart attack, he cleverly took advantage of this to design a game and kill Odom.


    But he didn''t expect that his scheme was discovered. Eventually, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison for intentional homicide. He was still serving a sentence of imprisonment.


    The police later went to recover the forty thousand bribes received by Odom, which was not his legal income and should be returned. They searched all his accounts and his house but never found the money.


    No one would have thought that a small clay pot that Mrs. Walker had picked up to plant flowers was Odom''s forty thousand dollars.


    Sophia did not tell Mrs. Martha the details. She only said that there was a famous case three years ago. She had read the report before and was impressed.


    Sophia didn''t follow Mrs. Martha said in detail that only three years ago, there was a well-known case, and she saw the story before she had an impression.


    In fact, the details of Odom''s case were later leaked and were reported in many media. Sophia only helped to analyze the case, but she became a detective on the Internet, making a lot of fuss and causing her trouble.


    So much so that when it came to unsolved crimes, there were a lot of people calling for detective Sophia on the Internet, and even relatives of the deceased came to her lab to beg for justice.


    The next day was Monday. Once Sophia got to school, she was asked into the office by Director Bull.


    "Full marks again!" Director Bull was much more emotional than Sophia. He walked back and forth in the office, rubbing his hands subconsciously, "Sophia, how did you do that?"


    "It''s just interesting. I like chemistry." Sophia casually said.


    "Then¡­ why don''t you study science?" Asked Director Bull.


    Sophia frowned slightly, "Because¡­ I don''t like physics."


    If she could choose it herself, she would have chosen science. She really didn''t like physics, but her grade was more than enough for the College Entrance Examination.


    "Really? I thought you were going to take part in the Physics Olympiad." Director Bull was a little disappointed.


    Sophia was surprised.


    Why would he think like that? Why would she take part in the Physics Olympiad?


    Director Bull remembered her purpose of calling Sophia and said, "Well, I want you to post a blog about your test result.

 Chapter 130 - 130: Got A Full Score

    Our school needs such positive publicity these days to save the image."


    Sophia was not going to make it public, but the Olympic results weren''t secrets and could be found online. If she could do something for the school, she was willing to do so.


    "All right." She nodded.


    She took out her phone and switched the account to "Sophia of Colin High School." Then, she froze.


    Why, all of a sudden, the fans were increased to fifty thousand?


    She looked at the comments and basically understood the situation.


    "I just checked the results of the Chemical Olympiad. Sophia¡­ got a FULL SCORE."


    "Was she going to have all the Olympic games?"


    "The people who are about to take part in the Physics Olympiad are shaking¡­"


    "I also took the exam. I just checked the results. She is the only one who gets a full score. The results of the second trial were predictable..."


    "I visited the super scholar, wish to pass the exam."


    "Hope to get luck from the super scholar¡­"


    ***


    The news that she took part in the Chemical Olympic Games had aroused heated discussion on the Internet, and everyone was scolding Colin High School for letting a liberal arts student take part in the Chemical Olympic Games. As soon as the results of the first test were announced, some netizens went to check the score sheet at once and wanted to humiliate the school with it.


    She never thought that the results of the investigation would be like this. The netizens blew up at once.


    Once excellent, students were not so influential online. But there was Mrs. Lee''s case, and Director Bull tweeted a series of messages to save the school''s image. That made Sophia''s performance become the focus of attention, much more than the Chemical Olympiad.


    Sophia didn''t know how to tweet. She thought for a moment before tweeting.


    "Thanks for your concern. I''ll try my best on the second trail." Said Sophia Green of Colin High School.


    Another thing that happened on the day also attracted attention online.


    Many people went to the police station and insisted on changing their children''s names to Sophia. In the eyes of netizens, the name Sophia was so domineering that two super scholars were called Sophia. If their children were named Sophia, these kids might also become excellent students.


    For a time, the staff of the household registration management office was upset.


    "I told you, you can''t change your name casually." The staff advised with patience, "Isn''t Bella a good name? It is very good."


    ***


    "You''re not named Green. Why are you doing that?"


    "My kid doesn''t have to use my name. There is no such regulation, right? I''d like to name my daughter Sophia Green. Mind your own business."


    However, all Sophia Greens across the country expressed their disapproval.


    "I''m Sophia, but I''m not good at study."


    "I''m Sophia Green. I got a C in the math exam."


    "A year after graduation, I haven''t found a job yet. I am Sophia Green."


    "My mum is named Sophia Green, who is fifty years old and¡­ illiterate."


    ***


    In the evening, Benjamin called.


    "My father solved a case about Odom," Benjamin said. "Recently, an object related to the case was found. The local police station handed it over to the judiciary. My father was involved in the case before, so the police told him about it."


    Mrs. Martha handled everything. Sophia didn''t think that Benjamin knew about her involvement. She didn''t mention it but asked, "You think this case... has something to do with Professor Green''s accident, do you?"


    Benjamin nodded. "I never thought of this before. It reminded me that after Jarred went to jail, he left his wife and son in charge of the Patton Group. These two... might resent Professor Green. They have a motive to commit a crime."


    Sophia nodded silently. Benjamin did have a point. She thought she had been focused on studying science and would not offend anyone, but she seemed to have offended a lot of people.


    "How''s Mrs. Patton and her son going?" Asked Sophia.


    "I had someone investigate them. After Jarred went to jail, the company was in a big crisis, lost a lot of money, and could hardly hold up. Jarred''s son, Eddie, was a freshman at Glinton University at the time. After the accident, the kid dropped out to help run the company. He was very talented, and the Patton Group now has recovered its strength and is a big powerful group. They were not in Lands before, but they have opened several companies here since this year. If Patton wants revenge for Jarred, it is possible."


    Sophia frowned a little. "Is that possible? Jarred deserved it. His family should understand that, right?"


    Benjamin sighed. "If only they thought like you, but... I''ve run a lot of cases with my dad and saw many cases like that. I wouldn''t be surprised if Pattons are murderers."


    Sophia hung up and was a little stuffy in his heart. There was another suspect. She didn''t know how many suspects would come out if she went on looking into it.


    She always felt that the more she looked into it, the more confused she became. She always felt that the truth was getting farther and farther away from herself.


    ***


    However, there was something that made Sophia happy that day, which temporarily made her forget the depression brought by the case.


    Watson called and said he was going to his homeland to take part in a small competition. So, he asked Sophia to take care of Mitch for a few days.


    That night, Watson sent Mitch over.


    Sophia had not seen Mitch for many days. Mitch was fatter but a lot better than before, at least he was not fat into a ball.


    "I don''t like going out for a walk at night. I took Mitch for a walk a few times but still gave up." Watson said. "I trained Mitch to go for a walk himself recently, and it was very successful."


    Sophia looked at Mitch and sighed. "Mr. Watson, can I give you a little advice?"


    "Yeah."


    "Maybe¡­ you should think about losing weight?"

 Chapter 131 - 131: It’s Quite Troublesome

    If it wasn''t for the fact that they already knew each other, Sophia couldn''t recognize the Watson standing in front of her, who was totally different from online photos.


    Like Mitch, Watson was fat like a ball.


    Mitch Watson:"..."


    He just loved the great Chinese food too much. It was those delicacies that attracted him first, was that his fault?


    ***


    After feeding Mitch in the evening, Sophia took him out for a walk. Although Watson said Mitch could take a walk himself, she still felt that it was safer for Mitch to be with someone.


    Kate asked her to buy some tissues from a nearby store. They just ran out of the tissue.


    Sophia took Mitch out of the neighborhood. Mitch was not allowed to enter the supermarket. She did not go to the supermarket. Instead, she went a little farther and went to a small shop to buy tissues.


    She led Mitch back. Suddenly, Mitch barked a few times and struggled.


    Sophia was afraid of him running around and held the leash hard. Mitch was still barking and struggling to run to the other side.


    Sophia was curious. She followed Mitch to an alley nearby. At the entrance of the alley, Mitch stopped and barked at a cardboard box.


    Sophia bent down, opened the box, and stayed then.


    Inside the carton was a tiny dog, about the size of a hand, probably a newborn. It looked weak, and his little body shivered in the cold wind.


    It seemed that this puppy was discarded here. It was that the mother dog gave birth to many puppies, and the owner didn''t want to raise them all and just throw this little pity away.


    Leaving him here, he would surely die and not make it to the next day. Sophia picked up the box and headed home.


    Holding the box in one hand and the tissue in the other, she could not free herself to hold Mitch and just let go of the rope. Mitch followed her obediently and occasionally barked at the cardboard box as if he were talking to the little guy inside.


    She went upstairs with the box. Kate Green was watching TV in the living room when she saw Sophia coming back with a small box in her arms. She was stunned. "What is that? It looks dirty."


    "I picked up a puppy. He was thrown away as soon as he was born. Poor little thing¡­" Sophia opened the box.


    Sophia wrapped the puppy in a blanket to keep it warm but didn''t know what to do next.


    She had never had such a small dog before. She had no experience at all. According to the book she read, the puppy should be with the mother dog at this time, but there was no mother dog, only Mitch.... a grandpa dog.


    She thought about it, took out her cell phone, took a picture of the puppy, and posted it on her blog to ask for help. There were millions of followers; someone among them should know what to do.


    "Grandpa found a puppy, which seemed just born. I don''t know how to raise it. Beg for your advice." The message sent out by KAP, attached with a picture.


    Shortly after the blog was sent out, there was a response.


    "Grandpa found a grandson. I never raised a puppy. The dog owner is really irresponsible. Even if the owner wants to abandon him, he or she should wait until one month later. Without a mother dog, the puppy can hardly survive."


    "It''s quite troublesome. You should buy dog milk to feed him, basically every hour or two. It''s going to be like this for about half a month. You don''t have so much time, do you? "


    "Better to find a mother dog as soon as possible to help raise him. Although you''re capable, you may not be able to take care of it."


    "You can post your location. Anyone lives nearby and has a mother dog who can contact you and help take care of him."


    There were a variety of suggestions from netizens. Sophia was a bit worried. She thought the last suggestion was quite reliable. She was trying to send her location when she suddenly saw a systematic hint that there was a comment from a person of interest.


    "I have a mother dog. I''m in Lands City. She can take care of him for you." Said Chubby.


    Chubby''s comments were praised by many netizens, who praised him as a loving person and asked him to take good care of the puppy.


    Sophia sent him a private letter. "Thank you. Where do you live?"


    Chubby soon sent an address and said she could send the puppy there the next morning.


    Sophia looked at the address. It was one of the most famous villas in the city. This man could afford a villa in a place like that. He was really not an ordinary rich man.


    She was not surprised. He had paid her to play chess with him for five hundred dollars a game. She thought this man must be very rich.


    The puppy had a place to settle down. But he had to spend the night at Sophia''s.


    It was not too late. Sophia went down to the supermarket to buy puppy milk powder. Fortunately, the supermarket was still open. She bought a special thermos bottle and a small rechargeable hot-water bag.


    When she got home, she charged the hot-water bag, washed the bottle, poured the warm water in, and made a bottle of milk for the puppy.


    She gently put the nipple into the dog''s mouth. The dog slightly moved and began to suck slowly.


    Not long ago, he was full and fell asleep in his nest.


    Sophia picked up the hot-water bag and put it in his nest. The hot-water bag with a velvet sleeve was not very hot and could keep warm for a long time.


    After these, Sophia sat on the sofa and looked at the comments of netizens to see if there''s anything useful.


    Many netizens were offering tips on how to take care of a puppy.. Of course, the dissenters also came out in time, saying all kinds of bad things.

 Chapter 132 - 132: Hybrid Dogs Have A High IQ

    "Hype again? The shame of you!"


    "Where did you get the dog? It looks so strange that it must have been deliberately bought for hype."


    Sophia didn''t bother to answer them. There were a lot of people who attacked her. It annoyed her a little. But if she scolded everyone back, she had no time to do anything else this day.


    Her time was so limited that she would not waste her time on the dissenters because she could not read the comments of the kind and lovely netizens.


    But with the emergence of dissenters, the blog comments had changed in a strange way.


    "Although those fool dissenters'' words were bad, I am curious, what kind of dog is this? It looks so weird."


    "A very happy face. It looks husky, but not very much."


    "It''s clearly a hybrid. It''s supposed to be half-husky, but I can''t tell the other half."


    "Hybrid dogs have a high IQ. Fortunately, he is not a purebred husky, or KAP will cry for his foolishness."


    "The other half is Chinese rural dog, is it? The overbearing gene. It must be it!"


    "There was only one truth. A husky came out for a walk and slept with a hegemonic Chinese rural dog. Then there was the baby dog. I think the dog owner abandoned him because of his impure pedigree. In fact, the hybrid is very good. The purebred husky is very stupid."


    "Yes. I took my husky for a walk last time. As a result of an oversight, he lost and hasn''t come back yet. The local dog next door often runs around and never gets lost."


    ***


    Sophia didn''t expect that for such a while, netizens, like detectives, had analyzed the puppy''s life.


    After washing, she saw that the puppy was still asleep and went to bed.


    After lying in bed for a while, she heard the puppy humming. She got out of bed and went into the living room. There was a small night-light on in the living room, which was not bright, but it was enough for her to see things clearly. She saw that the puppy had woken up and was moving gently in its nest.


    Mitch had run to the puppy''s nest and looked down at the dog.


    Sophia picked up the bottle and carefully placed it in the puppy''s mouth. The bottle was warm, and the milk could be drunk without heating. The puppy sucked the milk very well. Soon, he was full, retracted contentedly into the blanket, and went back to sleep.


    She checked the time. It was less than three hours since her last feeding, and It seemed that the feeding frequency should be about three hours.


    The clock in the living room indicated that it was one o''clock at night. She booked the time on her cell phone and was going to get up to feed the puppy again at four o''clock.


    She went back to bed and slept until the alarm clock woke her up. She then thought of feeding the puppy. Now that the puppy did not bark, he was presumably still asleep. She was wondering whether to feed him later or wake him up.


    She rubbed her eyes, put on her slippers, and went to the living room.


    She was shocked to see a scene in front of her.


    At some point, Mitch stood in front of the nest, carrying the bottle in his mouth and accurately stuffed it into the puppy''s mouth. The puppy sucked the milk quietly, and his little body rhythmically shook as it sucked.


    Sophia was stunned.


    Was Mitch a person?


    With her phone in hand, she shot the scene and posted it on the microblog. When she finished, she realized it was four o''clock in the morning.


    She seemed to have developed a habit of posting messages.


    "A smart grandpa." KAP posted the message, attached with pictures.


    She thought there would be no comment at this time. But after a while, as soon as she renewed the blog, she saw a lot of comments.


    "KAP posted messages at this time. I''m shocked. Haha."


    "Grandpa''s IQ is one hundred and eighty."


    "Among the several owners of Mitch, in addition to that scum, there was a senior interpreter and two chess masters, who were all high achievers. The dog raised by high achievers must have a high IQ."


    "It is well known that goblins were not accepted now. Will KAP''s message be deleted? I''d better take a screenshot."


    After feeding, Mitch saw Sophia. He wagged his tail at her and ran back to his own nest with his butt twisted with pride.


    Sophia picked up the bottle, and there was no milk inside. She made some milk and put it by the puppy''s nest before going back to bed.


    When Sophia got up at seven in the morning, she saw Mitch wobbling out of his kennel and coming to the puppy''s nest. He picked up the bottle with his mouth and stuffed it right into the puppy''s mouth.


    Sophia felt that his movements were more skillful than hers.


    Kate looked at that in shock. "Sophia, how did you teach him to feed the puppy?"


    Sophia had to say, "I didn''t teach him anything."


    After breakfast, she called Acheson to ask for leave. This morning, she was going to send the puppy to Chubby''s for his mother''s dog to take care of the puppy.


    Without asking the reason for her absence, Ms. Acheson happily agreed. She had seen the results of Sophia''s first Chemistry Olympiad test before, and she was basically sure that Sophia would definitely be admitted to the chemistry department of Glinton University in advance as long as she performed steadily in the second exam.


    For students like this, Ms. Acheson would not force her to go to school every day. And... she felt that there was nothing she could teach her with her abilities.


    Sophia put the puppy in the carton, covered it carefully, and went out with him in his arms.


    Suddenly, she felt something pulling over the corner of her trousers.


    She looked down.. It was Mitch.

 Chapter 133 - 133: I Wont Charge You

    He looked up at Sophia and then at the carton in her hand, apparently not wanting Sophia to send the puppy away.


    Sophia was in a bit of a dilemma. It seemed that Mitch loved the puppy. But he would not be taken good care of if he was not sent to the dog mother. Although Mitch could feed the puppy, he couldn''t compare it with the mother dog.


    "Mitch, I''ll take him to a mother," Sophia advised.


    Still, Mitch firmly bit the corner of Sophia''s trousers and refused to let go, and his eyes were extremely firm.


    She sighed and had to bring Mitch with her. If he saw the puppy doing well under the care of his mother, he would rest assured.


    She had planned to ride her bike to the villa and place the dog in the basket of the bike. With Mitch coming along, she couldn''t ride her bike.


    She went out with Mitch and stopped a taxi. She stuffed Mitch in the car and then got into the car with a carton in her arms.


    When the driver asked where she was going, he didn''t drive right away but looked at her with a strange look.


    "What''s wrong?" asked Sophia.


    "You¡­" The driver hesitated for a moment, "I shouldn''t ask passengers about their privacy, but¡­ are you KAP?"


    Sophia wondered for a moment. There were no pictures of her on the Internet. The driver recognized her because... she turned and looked at Mitch.


    He was recognized.


    She had to admit, "Yes, I am."


    The driver got excited, "Then he must be Grandpa, is he? And the one in the carton¡­ is that hybrid? You''re going to Chubby''s, right?"


    Sophia was shocked.


    He knew so well. He was really a big fan of her.


    "Chubby is a kind man. You can not divulge his information, nor mine, of course." She stressed.


    The driver laughed. "Don''t worry. I''m a good driver with professional conduct. I''ll never divulge the privacy of my customers. So, he is really grandpa, is he? He looks so cool. When did he become a goblin? How many years did he practice?"


    Sophia didn''t know how to answer him.


    At this time, Mitch looked up, looked at the driver with disgust, and buried his head in Sophia''s leg.


    The whole trip, the driver was completely offline.


    "Is he really a hybrid of Hasch and a pastoral dog?" The driver kept nagging as he drove, "I''m so smart, but my Hasch is so stupid that he even lost himself. The pastoral dog is the best. He never left the owner."


    Sophia seemed to remember that one netizen commented that he had lost his Hassy. That man probably was him.


    After driving for half an hour, Sophia noticed something, "Sir, is it very far to the villa area?"


    The driver startled for a moment and smiled with a little embarrassment. "Oh, excuse me, I... get lost."


    Sophia said nothing.


    "It''s all right. I have a GPS. I''ll get there soon. Don''t worry. I won''t charge you."


    After a long drive, they finally came to the villa area.


    "Here we are." The driver wiped the sweat from his head and looked very happy. "That''s the villa area. Chubby is a rich man. He asked you here¡­"


    He suddenly gave out a look of "I get it" and sighed, "That''s a good move. Be careful, Miss. These tycoons are very unfaithful, do not trust him easily... Do you want me to go with you? It''s safer this way."


    "No, thanks."


    She wanted to pay, but the driver refused to take it and said he would wait here for her to come out.


    "It''s not safe for a lovely young girl like you to go to a stranger''s house alone. I''ll wait for you here. If you don''t come out, I can call the police for you, right?" Said the driver.


    The driver''s words reminded her of Albert, who had nagged and insisted on accompanying her on two previous visits to the stranger''s house. But she didn''t tell him about this time so that she couldn''t hear him nag.


    He felt inexplicably nostalgic.


    "You needn''t do that, sir. I don''t know when I''m coming out. It will delay your making money." Sophia tried to change his mind.


    The driver was righteous. "No! I am a responsible person. And¡­ I don''t want to drive any other guests at all. They''re not as good-natured as you. If I get lost in my car, they''ll complain. Speaking of which, I worked as a taxi driver for a month but didn''t earn any money, instead, I lost money." He said.


    Sophia wanted to advise him to change his career.


    She did need a car to go home in a minute. The villa area was remote. It was not easy to take a taxi there. So, she promised to let the driver wait in-place.


    After getting out of the car, Sophia led Mitch and found the villa according to the address given by Chubby.


    The villa was built in a European style, covering a large area. There was a large lake behind the villa. The lake built the villa, so the environment was very good.


    Sophia rang the bell. Before long, a young girl came to open the door. She was wearing an apron and looked like a servant in the villa.


    The girl asked her, "You are¡­"


    "Hello, I have an appointment with a gentleman here. I want him to help me take care of the puppy." She gently lifted the lid of the carton to reveal the puppy inside. "This puppy has no mother and needs one to take care of him."


    The girl nodded. "I know. Please come in."


    She led Sophia to the hall of the villa. Sophia was afraid that Mitch would offend the owner. Besides, out of politeness, she tied Mitch in the yard. She changed her slippers outside and went into the hall.


    On the sofa in the hall was a girl in a light pink suit. She had a beautiful face and a slender figure. When she saw Sophia, she stood up.. "Hello, I''m Jasmine Bertie, the owner here."

 Chapter 134 - 134: Feel Familiar

    "Hello, I''m Sophia. Are you¡­ Chubby?" Sophia asked.


    She had read Chubby''s file on the blog before. Chubby''s gender was male. But the information on the microblog could be filled in casually, which was not surprising.


    Jasmine laughed and said, "No, I''m not. The one you said... is probably my cousin. He always asks me to do some strange things for him. This morning he suddenly asked someone to send a dog here and said he wanted to help a netizen feed a puppy. It turned out that he was talking about you."


    Sophia smiled, "Sorry to bother you, Miss. I picked up a puppy. He was so small that he couldn''t live without a mother dog. So, I posted a message on the blog. Fortunately, Mr. Chubby happened to have a mother dog. So, I''m here with the puppy."


    Jasmine listened to her and waved her hands, "What Chubby? He is Pearson. You can call him¡­ Pear. That''s what I call him. Speaking of which, Pear¡­"


    She took a look at Sophia and laughed, "Pear has a good eye."


    Sophia was stunned and understood what she meant. "Miss Bertie, you misunderstood. I have never met Mr. Pearson." She explained at once.


    Jasmine smiled. "All right, all right. I''m too eager. Forget about it¡­ Don''t call me like that. I feel familiar with you the minute I see you. You can call me Jasmine. May I call you Sophia?"


    Even though it was the first time they met, Sophia had a crush on a bright girl like Jasmine, so she nodded, "All right, Jasmine... Just call me, Sophia."


    After a few words, Jasmine remembered what Sophia had come for. She led Sophia to the back garden. Sophia saw a Golden Retriever lying on the grass basking in the sun.


    Hearing the footsteps, Golden Retriever looked back, then turned his head and put his chin on the ground, looking in a bad mood.


    "Chubby told me that the Golden Retriever had some baby dogs a month ago. Yesterday, the puppies were one month old and were sent away. So, she is not in a good mood. She won''t eat when she gets here this morning. I''m really worried," said Jasmine.


    Sophia knew that a dog usually gives birth to four to five babies at a time. Many families couldn''t keep so many dogs and would keep one puppy at most, and the rest would be given away or sold. Of course, some people didn''t bother to find a new owner for the baby dogs, and would simply abandon them if they couldn''t sell for a good price.


    Golden Retriever dogs were more expensive, purebred puppies could sell for some money and were less likely to be abandoned. The hybrid dog picked up by Sophia would not sell for a good price. Some netizens had analyzed that this might be the reason why he was abandoned.


    Sophia suddenly thought of Mitch, "The dog I bring today is also a Golden Retriever, I don''t know if they can communicate."


    She was afraid that if she had taken the puppy to the mother dog, the puppy would be hurt by the upset mother dog. If Mitch could "touch" her a little, it would be better.


    She went back to the front yard and led Mitch into the backyard.


    Mitch saw the mother dog, stayed for a while. Then he quickly ran to her and barked at her, "Woof, woof."


    She turned her head and gave a low cry.


    Sophia opened the box and carried the puppy to the mother dog discreetly and put him in front of her.


    The mother dog bowed her head and sniffed the puppy a few times. Suddenly, she stood up, circled the dog a few times, lay down gently, and delivered her nipples to the puppy.


    The puppy was sucking, and the mother dog licked the puppy''s head with her tongue. It seemed that she had regarded him as her baby.


    Mitch walked around the mother''s dog, rubbed against her head, or woofed in a low voice sometimes.


    Jasmine smiled, "They got along quite well."


    Sophia was relieved. "I was worried that she would not take other puppies, but now I think she will take good care of the puppy."


    After a few more words, Sophia got up to leave.


    "Don''t you want to meet Chubby?" Jasmine said suddenly, "He is very handsome and nice, although a little weird..."


    "No. I think we''ll meet someday," said Sophia.


    She was here to deliver the puppy, not to meet a netizen.


    But when she wanted to take Mitch back, there was an accident.


    Mitch held on to the ground so tight that no matter how Sophia pulled him, he refused to move but looked at her with a firm look as if it was his determination.


    Sophia was speechless.


    Jasmine laughed happily, "Good, a family of three."


    In the end, Sophia failed to take Mitch back. Jasmine happily promised to take care of Mitch for her and invited her to see him whenever she was free.


    Sophia had to agree. She just came to send the puppy but didn''t expect to leave a grandpa dog there.


    She took out her mobile phone, took a picture of the family of three sadly, and posted it on her blog.


    "I met the mother dog and managed to get her to take care of the puppy, but... grandpa won''t come home with me. What should I do?" She tweeted the message attached to the picture.


    She thought she would be comforted by netizens and might get some advice from them. Soon, however, she found out how unkind these netizens were.


    "What a harmonious family of three, haha!"


    "Well, Mitch, this amazing dog, has had a bizarre year. As a man, I don''t have such a rich experience."


    "Grandpa has a happy family. Do you want a pet? The one that can say sweet words and cook¡­"


    "I hope you can give them a chance. Ha, ha, ha. I''m really a bad guy."


    "Here is a conspiracy... This mother dog is Chubby''s, right? KAP''s Mitch is in his house, then KAP should come to his house to see Mitch a lot in the future, should she? Then he will.... He is really deep."

 Chapter 135 - 135: He Comforted Her

    "You''re right. Chubby is shameless. I want to see pictures of my goddess. Wonder what she looks like¡­ Before, Watson said she was a lovely girl. I wonder if the aesthetics of foreigners is different from ours."


    Opponents soon appeared.


    "She''s probably ugly. The aesthetics of foreigners are different from ours. The person they think is cute is probably ugly."


    "Yes. She had never posted pictures of her. She must be ugly."


    Immediately, some netizens came out to refute them.


    "KAP is very beautiful, very lovely. I just drove for her, Mitch, and the puppy to the house of the scheming man, Chubby. She is really beautiful. I am waiting for her now. Happy!"


    The comment quickly became a hit, with many netizens asking for details, but there was no response from KAP.


    ***


    Jasmine walked Sophia to the door and repeatedly told her to come again.


    Sophia agreed and walked out of the villa area alone, depressed.


    The driver was still waiting for her. When he saw her coming, he got out of the car and opened the door for her politely.


    "Don''t worry." He comforted her, "Without Mitch, you have me."


    Sophia was not comforted at all.


    Sophia told Watson about Mitch''s "defection" on the phone. However, Watson did not get angry but laughed wildly at the other end of the phone.


    "That''s funny. My son is really good." Watson laughed.


    Sophia knew his thinking was different from ordinary people, and she shouldn''t have expected him to behave like a normal person.


    Although she knew that Mitch would be taken good care of at Jasmine''s, she still felt a little restless. After a day, she could not help but ride to the villa area to see Mitch while she was out of school at noon. She gave Kate a call before she came, lest she should be worried.


    The maid recognized her, opened the door, and let her in. "Miss Bertie is not at home today, but she has told me that you can come to see the puppy at any time, or you can walk around the house. They''re all in the back yard. Can you go there by yourself?" She said.


    Sophia was surprised. Jasmine trusted her too much, didn''t she? They just met once. It made her a little embarrassed.


    She came once and remembered the way. She didn''t need the maid to lead the way.


    Walking along the side of the yard, she came to the backyard. There, she saw a man crouching on the ground, teasing Mitch. Mitch, on the other hand, looked indifference, very arrogant.


    Although it was just a back, Sophia recognized the man at first glance.


    "Mr. Pearson?" Sophia called.


    Albert looked back and looked at Sophia, looking a little panicked.


    "What are you doing here?" they said, almost simultaneously.


    Sophia asked, "I come to see Mitch. You¡­ Are you the Pearson mentioned by Jasmine?"


    She couldn''t believe it. Was Albert the rich man, Chubby? She had known him for so long but never related him to Chubby.


    Albert stood up and waved his hands. "I... I''m just here to help take care of the dog... Yes, I was hired by the owner here to take care of the dog, like feeding or bathing..."


    Sophia thought the answer was closer to her Albert. She thought about it and felt something was wrong. "You''re in the clothing business, aren''t you? Why do you take care of dogs for people?"


    Albert laughed awkwardly. "Well... Business is easy to do. I do part-time to earn some money..."


    A boss had to make money by feeding dogs for people, then¡­ How difficult his company was!


    He had some sympathy for Ryan.


    Albert was trying to establish a cordial and friendly relationship with Mitch. He reached out to touch Mitch''s head. Mitch shrank back at once, bypassed from one side, lay down by Sophia''s feet, and gently scratched her pants with his head.


    Obviously, Mitch didn''t like him.


    He sighed and tried to tease the puppy, who was drinking milk. Sophia grabbed him.


    "Are you sure you''re here to feed the dog?" Sophia sighed, "You are not here to cheat money, are you? A mother dog should not be disturbed when feeding puppies, otherwise she may attack you for thinking that you are going to hurt his children."


    Albert grudgingly smiled, "Well¡­ I know. I¡­ I just want to have a look. I didn''t want to touch him."


    Just then, the maid came over and said, "Lunch is ready. Would you like to eat now, sir?"


    Sophia was stunned. Was the maid talking to Albert?


    Jasmine was so generous that she even offered meals for Albert, a helper. There were no other hosts like her.


    Albert stood up and nodded. "Yeah. I''m coming¡­ Miss Green, you haven''t eaten yet, have you? How about eating with me?"


    He was like a host here. He didn''t think of himself as a guest, did he?


    She fondled the dog''s head, and then got up, "No, my mother has prepared the meal. I''m going back."


    "Let''s eat together here," Albert advised, "it''s troublesome to go home."


    "No..."


    If she hadn''t known Albert so well, she would have suspected that he was the host here. He came out to serve guests¡­. Only a host would do that, right?


    She took a picture of the dogs and was about to leave when she remembered that Albert didn''t know much about dogs. Afraid that he could not do the job well, she told him some common sense of raising dogs, which were from the files she had recently checked in order to raise better Mitch and the hybrid and some netizens'' comments.


    After that, she left the villa on her bike.


    Later, Sophia posted photos of the dogs on her blog. Before, many netizens were very concerned about them and had been asking about the puppy. She also wanted everyone to know that Mitch and the puppy were doing well.


    She was editing the message when she realized that the puppy had no name yet.. Although he was so small that he had not opened his eyes, he should have a name.

 Chapter 136 - 136: Shameful Name

    She thought for a while but failed to think of a good name for him. She thought the names she came up with were not good. So, she asked the netizens.


    "The puppy has no name yet. I can''t come up with a good one. To thank you for your concern for the puppy all the time, you now can name it... The one with the most likes will be the lucky one." Said KAP.


    She felt that, with the wisdom of millions of netizens, she would certainly be able to give the puppy a nice name.


    But soon, she regretted doing this.


    Because the name with the most likes is¡­ Dick!


    And the netizen who gave that name was¡­ Chubby!


    Sophia felt that she had set a trap for herself. Any name was better than that one.


    She sent a private message to Chubby.


    "Why do you want to name him DICK?"


    "It sounds good." Replied Chubby.


    "Can you give him a better name? He is so young. Do you want him to live a life with such a name?"


    "This is not my decision. It is the voice of the netizens. Accept it."


    Sophia decided to talk about the puppy''s name later and changed the subject. "Thank you for keeping the puppy. I went to see him today. He looks healthy."


    "It''s all right. And¡­ you can say his name, Dick."


    She had to change another subject. "What a coincidence. I happen to know your cousin''s dog worker."


    "Really? I never met him. Is he handsome?"


    Sophia was confused. Why was this person concerned about if he is handsome or not?


    But she replied anyway.


    "Yes. The only drawback is that he looks a little old."


    There was a long silence before Chubby replied, "Well¡­ What do you think of him?"


    "Nice guy, just a little... silly. Don''t hate him. He is a serious worker. Silly as he is, it won''t affect the work."


    ***


    Albert was shocked.


    He was happy to hear her say he was handsome, but¡­ old and silly?


    He was young, handsome, and smart. That was what the people around him said about him¡­ Were they all lying to him?


    He was hurt.


    ***


    The next day after school, Sophia saw Albert''s car park outside the school.


    "I''m just going to feed the dogs. Do you want to see your... dogs?" Albert poked his head out the window. "You can hitch a ride."


    Sophia didn''t plan on seeing Mitch and the puppy this day, but since Albert wanted to give her a lift and she wanted to see the dogs, she thought for a moment and agreed.


    She put her bike in school and got to Jasmine''s by Albert''s car.


    Jasmine was at home. When she saw Sophia and Albert coming together, she smiled vaguely. "Sophia, are you here to see Mitch? They are doing well in my house. Of course, thanks to this¡­ dog worker."


    She said, smiling meaningfully at Albert.


    Albert didn''t look at her but gave a cough. "Let''s go. I¡­ I have other work to do later."


    Jasmine laughed, "Other work? Are you going to feed another dog?"


    "¡­ yes."


    Jasmine led them to the backyard, where the dogs were sunning themselves. When Mitch heard someone coming, he looked back, immediately stood up and ran towards Sophia.


    Sophia hugged him, then walked to the mother dog and the puppy.


    "Chubby has a good eating habit, and he may open his eyes in a few days."


    Sophia nodded. "Well, I''ve seen netizens say that puppies can open their eyes for about ten days. Wait, wait. Chubby? You mean¡­"


    Jasmine pointed at the puppy. "Him, of course. I name him. Is it good?"


    Sophia kept nodding. "Very good!"


    Except for Dick, any name was fine.


    But¡­ Chubby? Why did it sound familiar?


    "Won''t your cousin be angry?" Sophia asked.


    "No. He''ll be happy," Jasmine said with a serious face.


    Albert''s face changed. Taking advantage of Sophia''s failure to notice, he gave Jasmine a hard look and threatened her with a gesture of wiping his neck.


    Jasmine ignored him, got close to Chubby, bent down, and picked him up. "Chubby, you have to grow up quickly. I''m waiting for you to marry."


    Albert regretted sending the dog to Jasmine''s. Was it too late for him to pretend that none of this had happened?


    ***


    This evening, Sophia happily posted a message.


    "The girl who helps raise the puppy named him ''Chubby''. He liked the name very much. So, you can call him Chubby."


    Soon, the message was complained by netizens.


    "You want to forget about the message you posted yesterday, do you?"


    "You don''t like Dick, so you name him Chubby. Right? I see you through."


    "Just do it, girl. I don''t think Dick is a good name. He certainly doesn''t want to live his life under this shameful name."


    "Wait. Is the guy who helped raise the dog named Chubby? This guy really has a big heart."


    "KAP said it was a girl, not a man. Chubby is a girl. Yeah! I always thought it was a creepy guy. I was worried that my goddess would meet a filthy man."


    However, some people spoke for Chubby.


    "Chubby is a handsome guy. Super handsome."


    "Chubby is a good guy. He is kind and warm-hearted. Don''t maliciously speculate on others, okay?"


    "I think Chubby is perfect for KAP. They are doomed to be together. I wish they can be together."


    ***


    Sophia was confused about these comments. How come she goes well with Chubby? They had not even met each other.


    Soon, some netizens pointed out that these comments were from Chubby''s Internet water army. Because the accounts that spoke for Chubby were not real-name authentication accounts, and some were found out to be professional water army accounts who had defended scandalous stars.


    They discovered a terrible thing: Chubby had an online water army. What a horrible person! In their impression, the person who could hire an online water army was mostly stars.


    She thought netizens were so powerful that they could solve cases with their analytical ability. She knew Chubby was rich.. He might hire an online water army to defend him when he saw people say bad things about him.

 Chapter 137 - 137: Chubby Is Rich And Handsome

    Albert looked at comments on the computer screen and was upset.


    "Mr. Sampson, you hired the online water army, do you?" Albert gave a look at Ryan standing behind him.


    Ryan nodded and laughed, "I can''t stand people bad-mouth my boss. It''s a piece of cake. You needn''t praise me, boss."


    "Can you get a more expensive one?" Asked Albert.


    It was not shameful to hire the Internet water army, but it was shameful to be discovered. It was very embarrassing for such a low-cost Internet water army to be recognized.


    Though no one knew he was Chubby, he didn''t want to see such a shameful scene.


    The arrival of Chubby''s Internet water army did not make the image of chubby better but angered a large number of fans.


    "What went well? How could my goddess go with a filthy man?"


    "It is said that Chubby is a girl. Right? Were the Internet water army crazy?"


    "Chubby isn''t necessarily a girl. Although KAP mentioned a girl, it may not be Chubby. He planned to find a girl to get close to KAP, let her off her guard before he did it."


    "Yeah. I didn''t think of that. Chubby is surely the most shameless scheming man. Believe me, girl. Don''t fall for it!"


    "I bet Chubby is very ugly, less than sixty inches, over two hundred pounds."


    Then, a new group of senior Internet water armies came.


    "Chubby is rich and handsome. Is he blind who says he''s ugly?"


    "He is a handsome and sweet CEO."


    "If you knew who he was, you''d cry to call him husband."


    Sophia couldn''t understand rich people. It was wayward to hire an online water army just for being teased by netizens. She was grateful to Chubby; after all, he kept little Chubby.


    And she was sure that Chubby was just a warm-hearted man, and that if he had other intentions, he would have shown up long ago rather than letting Jasmine receive her.


    She felt the necessity to explain that on her blog.


    "Don''t get Chubby wrong. He is a good man. I haven''t seen him yet. I''ve only met her cousin, the girl I mentioned earlier. Chubby just asked his cousin to take care of the dogs, and never asked for anything."


    After the message was tweeted, netizens'' impression of Chubby had slightly improved, but there were still many people who thought that he was holding back his big move. He would show up sooner or later. He just wanted to leave her a good impression before he showed up.


    Sophia couldn''t keep up with the imagination of netizens at all, so she could only let them go.


    Not wanting to make Chubby angry, she sent him a private letter apologizing.


    "Sorry for your being attacked by netizens."


    Chubby soon replied, "It''s all right. I take it as their jealousy."


    "Have you seen a little Chubby? Jasmine gave him the name. She said you liked it."


    "I still prefer Dick."


    "You can keep a dog yourself, then name him Dick."


    "I''ve met a dog worker. I don''t think he''s old, and he''s handsome and smart."


    "As you please."


    ***


    Friday was the day for the second test of the Chemistry Olympiad. Sophia asked for leave in advance and directly went to Glinton by bus instead of going to school.


    Once Sophia arrived at Glinton, she was stunned by what she saw.


    A number of people gathered around the school gate, holding banners that said, "Come on, Sophia!" "Sophia will win!" "Sophia, an excellent student."


    Her fans came here.


    The guards wanted to stop these fans, who either entered the school or cross the cordon but stayed outside the door, so they couldn''t force them to leave.


    Fortunately, although everyone knew the name Sophia Green, no one knew who she was. Most of the students who could recognize her were students in Colin High School, and she was the only one of Colin who came for the Olympic Games.


    Many fans gathered around the entrance cordon, stretching their heads to see the examinees who had passed the guards'' check, wondering which one was Sophia.


    Sophia walked through the crowd with her head down. When the guard checked her, she showed him the pass that Professor Thompson had given her instead of her admission ticket. Fans saw a different card and considered her a school staff, so no one paid attention to her.


    Sophia was relieved after she entered. For her, getting past the gate was much harder than the exam.


    She went into the examination room and sat in her seat, waiting for the exam to begin.


    Then she heard some candidates whispering.


    "People all say on the Internet that Sophia can take first place in the exam. It really pisses me off."


    "Yes. We''re all here for the Olympics. How come it''s like she is the host here? I think there must be some inside stories for her first place in math last time."


    "What? Netizens say she hasn''t entered yet? Some fans have been waiting at the school gate and peeking at the entrance examination cards but haven''t seen hers. Now, the time is almost up."


    "Is she afraid to come? Right. Everyone expects so high from her. It''s embarrassing if she couldn''t do well. Let''s see. After the exam, she will definitely say that she is sick today, suffers from dysmenorrhea or something like that."


    "Coward."


    Sophia frowned. For those who had no strength but maliciously slandered others, she just wanted to say, "They deserved to fail the exam."


    With all that time, they could ask more questions.


    There was only a seat number on the desk and no examinee''s name, so other examinees in the room didn''t know her name.


    Compared with other exams, Glinton University was much more relaxed in invigilation, with only a signal shielded instrument installed. They didn''t care if students hand in their phones or take them with files.


    Anyway, there were no answers to these questions in their files. Like the Olympic Games, they got confidence.. For people who did not have the strength, even if they could use checkbooks, they couldn''t work out even one question.

 Chapter 138 - 138: Who Are You?

    The invigilators just need to prevent them from contacting the outside world or plagiarizing each other.


    Sophia knew these invigilators. One of them, Shawn, was an acquaintance of hers. When Sophia was in Glinton, he often came to her to ask some difficult questions, and he brought her various snacks or hairpins and so on.


    After the test papers were sent out, Sophia looked over the questions and started from the most difficult one.


    After finishing the last two difficult questions, she suddenly felt something strange behind her. Looking back, she saw Shawn standing behind her, with a look of worship.


    Sophia was very familiar with that look. That was the young man''s face every time she helped him with a problem.


    She went on with the questions, the rest of which was simpler. She did it quickly, and it was not long before she finished it all. After a rough examination, she got up and handed in the papers.


    The examinees looked shocked when they saw Sophia hand in her exam in advance.


    This set of questions was so difficult that they haven''t even finished half of them. This girl handed in her papers in advance. Really? Did she give up, or did she finish it?


    Shawn took Sophia''s test paper, very excited, and whispered to the other invigilator, "That''s how to solve this question. When I saw the question yesterday, I was confused. I''m so excited to see the solution now. Professor Normand said he was sure no student could work it out... This is so fun. Ha, ha!"


    Although he tried to keep his voice down, the students in the front row heard him.


    These were their inner voice¡­


    "She worked out a question that even teachers of Glinton couldn''t solve. Then she must have done well in the exam."


    "Why does professor Normand put out a question that all candidates can''t solve? Is he crazy?"


    "Is she Sophia? No¡­ She didn''t come, did she?"


    "I''m doomed. I don''t know anything¡­"


    "Sir, is it right for you to look like a fan?"


    Sophia checked the time when she left the examination room. There were forty minutes left for the exam. She came out a little early.


    "Sophia." A voice sounded behind her.


    Sophia stopped. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn''t figure out whose voice it was.


    She turned her head and saw a student approach. The man was quite tall, about seventy inches, and quite handsome.


    But she didn''t know him.


    The boy walked up to her and smiled at her. "You are here? I saw your name on the Internet and thought it was someone else... I''m sorry, I haven''t been to see you. Actually, I wanted to go, but I have no courage..."


    Sophia paused, "You¡­ Who are you?"


    The boy sighed. "Are you still blaming me? About what happened that day¡­ I didn''t leave on purpose. I was just a little scared. I called the police and the ambulance, but I didn''t have the courage to leave my name."


    Sophia frowned. "Who are you? Do you recognize the wrong person?"


    The boy paused, "You¡­ don''t forget about me, do you? I¡­ I''m Mike."


    Sophia thought for a moment and then remembered someone had told her about him before. The former owner of this body seemed to have chased him. But there was nothing in her memory of this man, his face, his name, and everything that had happened between him and her.


    Sophia had all the memories of the original owner except Mike. She did not know why the original owner had hidden this memory, nor did she know her feelings for Mike, let alone what had happened between them.


    In fact, Sophia had been wondering whether the original owner had unfinished wishes. She wanted to do something for her. After all, it was this body that enabled her to come back to life and to do what she had not done in her previous life.


    Although the original owner had no father, she had a mother who loved her. The family was happy. The only thing she could do was to take good care of her mother, not let her get hurt, and try her best to meet her wishes.


    However, Kate was a very content person. She was happy as long as her daughter was healthy. In addition, her current job was easy and relaxing, and she lived a full life every day. Sophia couldn''t think of anything to do for her.


    Could Mike have been the unfinished wish of the original owner? If she hated him, Sophia would not mind teaching him a lesson. But if she still loved him, Sophia could only help take care of him and make him better off.


    Sophia stared Mike in the eye and tried to empty her mind.


    Slowly, a little anger welled up inside her¡­


    This must be the original owner''s feelings for Mike. If Sophia was right, he must be a philanderer.


    Seeing Sophia''s strange reaction, Mike hesitated and said, "Don''t be angry. That accident¡­ You can''t really have amnesia after the accident, can you? Was your head hurt? No, no¡­"


    "I don''t have amnesia. I''m just disappointed in you. I don''t want to talk to you anymore." Sophia said in a cold voice.


    Mike hurriedly said, "No! I¡­ As you know, my family is not rich. If it were known that¡­ that you were in a car accident for buying me a drink, maybe your mother would make me compensate. And what would my classmates think of me? I''m not a doctor. It wouldn''t have helped if I had accompanied you. I called an ambulance for you, which means I care about you."


    Sophia learned from his words that the reason for the original owner''s car accident was to buy drinks for him and was hit by a car while crossing the road. She had heard from Kate that she was hit by a car when she jaywalked and that the driver was not responsible and just compensated a small amount of money.


    She recalled that the original owner was not a regular jaywalker.. In her memory, she never jaywalked, and when she hung out with other girls, she always pulled jaywalking Melissa back.

 Chapter 139 - 139: I’m His Girlfriend

    She was wondering why the original owner jaywalked.


    It turned out that she went to buy drinks for this brute. He let her jaywalk to buy him a drink.


    After she was hit by a car, Mike did not want anyone to know the truth, and he didn''t dare to go up to check her and just called an ambulance.


    When police investigated the accident, they checked surveillance video so as to judge who was responsible for the accident. As to why the girl jaywalked, they would not seek the answer.


    Mike thought that would clear his conscience.


    But the original owner paid the price of her life for this drink.


    Sophia made up her mind that she would get justice for the original owner and would not let her die in vain.


    Mike went on, "Actually, I''ve always wanted to visit you in the hospital, but I heard you became a vegetable. I''m afraid it would make me sad, so I didn''t go. You always told me you like me. You won''t be mad at me for such a trifle, will you?"


    Sophia frowned. It was not for fear of sadness that he did not go to see her. This kind of person would not be sad. He just didn''t think it''s necessary. To see a vegetable, he couldn''t get any good.


    But now he came to her, and she felt that it must be for some purpose.


    Sophia stayed calm and said, "It has been so long that I don''t remember much about it. After the accident, I learned something. Only by studying hard can I enter a good college and have a bright future."


    Mike kept nodding. "It''s good for you to think like that. That''s what I used to tell you. Studying hard is the best way out. When I graduate from Glinton, I can find a good job and make a lot of money."


    "Really? Well, congratulations. Did you stop me today because you wanted to show off to me?" Sophia said in a cold voice.


    Mike waved his hands, "No¡­ Actually¡­"


    He hesitated, then said, "You know my family. You used to take care of me at school. I get a scholarship every year, but it''s just enough to pay my tuition. I live on grants. Sophia, I know you are a big one, could you lend me some money?"


    Sophia learned what had happened when she heard, "You used to take care of me at school." It turned out that he socialized with the original owner for her money.


    Although her family was not well off, she could get some "protection fees" from her classmates. Although it was not the proper income, the total amount of money was not small. With the living expenses Kate gave her, she was much better off than Mike.


    Mike was probably used to spending her money. After two years, the first thing he did when they met again was to borrow money from her. "Borrow money" meant no paying back.


    This was the first time Sophia had seen such a shameless man.


    She was rich and had the ability to make money, but she would not give him a penny.


    Sophia glanced at him and said in a calm tone, "Since you have living expenses and a scholarship, what do you borrow money for? Buy things for your girlfriend?"


    Mike laughed, "Are you jealous? I don''t have a girlfriend¡­ No, I mean, my girlfriend is you. I need the money because I''m going to the Plain TV Station to sign up for a TV show. It''s a long way, so I need to pay for travel and accommodation."


    "TV show?" It aroused Sophia''s interest. If he wanted to take part in a TV show... she could do a little damage to ease the original owner''s anger.


    Mike nodded at once. "Yes, a famous show, Super Quiz. The champion can get a prize of ten thousand dollars. I watched shows from the last season. I can answer any questions, even more than the champion. So, I think if I go there, I''ll win the championship. Then I can not only get money but also be famous."


    A slight smile appeared on Sophia''s face.


    What she wanted to say was: don''t worry, you''ll never win the championship.


    Of course, she didn''t speak that out.


    "But I don''t have any money," Sophia said. "My family is poor now. All the money was spent on my treatment, and we''re in debt. Creditors came to my house every day¡­ If you win the championship, can you help pay off my debts?"


    "Don''t you often¡­ ask your classmates for money?"


    Sophia sighed, "You know, I haven''t been as fit and strong since the accident, so... I can''t get the money."


    Mike stayed and said, "I saw on the Internet that you are very good at math and chemistry, and you can get a place in the Olympiad¡­"


    Sophia just interrupted him, "They don''t award me money even if I get a place in the Olympiad¡­ I can only get into Glinton without taking the exam. Maybe I''ll make a lot of money when I graduate, and then I''ll be able to lend you money."


    As they spoke, a girl cried out in the distance, "Mike!"


    Sophia looked at the girl. She seemed like a rich girl. She went over to Mike, took his arm, and then looked at Sophia in a hostile way and asked, "Who are you? You know Mike?"


    Sophia said with a smile, "Of course. I''m his girlfriend. He said I''m the only one he''s dating¡­"


    The girl''s face changed. She glared at Mike. "Is that true?"


    Mike hurriedly said, "No. She is one of my high school classmates."


    He winked at Sophia and motioned her to cooperate with him.


    Sophia had always been obedient to him. She never disobeyed what he said. She would do whatever she could for him and give him whatever she had. No matter how aggrieved she might be, she would fulfill him.


    That was why she was with her.


    He believed that Sophia would cooperate with him.


    Sophia looked at the girl and smiled.. "You must be the cash cow he was talking about, aren''t you? Mike said he would soon be rich and famous, and then you will not be needed."

 Chapter 140 - 140: I Regret Knowing You

    With Mike''s character, dating the girl must be for her money. It would be better to expose him and let the girl see who he really was.


    Trembling with anger, the girl pointed at Mike with a trembling finger. "You said I was... a cash cow? Are you really with me for money? That''s what my best friends say, but I never believed it..."


    Mike was so anxious that he was sweating and hurriedly explained, "I never said that. When did I say that? Don''t listen to her provoking discord. She''s my ex-girlfriend. She''s jealous of me being with you. She said that on purpose."


    Sophia said coldly, "What? How would I know you were rich if I hadn''t been told by him? Is the word ''rich'' on your face?"


    The girl had hesitated, and when she heard Sophia, she believed her. Then she gave Mike a slap, turned, and ran away.


    Mike gave Sophia a hateful look. "You... You did it on purpose, didn''t you? I regret knowing you!"


    Then, he ran after the girl.


    Sophia shrugged. The play just began. If Mike dared to appear, he had better ready to be punished.


    Just after the second exam of the Chemical Olympiad, there were many related topics on the Internet. In previous years, the attention of the high school chemistry Olympiad was not very great. Netizens never care about who would win the first place.


    After all, the super difficulty of the Science Olympiad meant it was only for a very small number of people. The Science Olympiad was different from the Sports Olympics. Although some people didn''t know about sports games, they could tell the thrill. However, most people couldn''t understand the Olympic questions, and they were not willing to spend time to know them. So, over the years, the topic of the Science Olympiad never became a hit.


    However, this year''s Olympiad soon became a hit. There were many related topics, which is discussed by netizens, like,


    #Sophia Chemistry Olympiad Result#


    #The Winner of the Chemistry Olympiad#


    #Sophia Out of The Exam#


    ***


    Even Director Bull couldn''t help calling and asking Sophia if she was out of the game.


    Sophia noticed his anxiety and told him about the condition. She knew Director Bull was concerned about her Olympic results, and if she did withdraw, he would piss off.


    "That''s good¡­" Director Bull laughed, "I was wondering why you were afraid to attend the exam. Those people were so boring. Though they missed you at the entrance, they shouldn''t have spread such rumors."


    Soon, Director Bull tweeted a clarification.


    "We''ve confirmed that Sophia did not withdraw from the competition. She entered on time and took the exam with others. As for the test results, will she win the first place... We don''t know anything before the results come out."


    As soon as the message came out, it soon caused a heated discussion.


    "But we stayed at the entrance and checked every test card. Why didn''t we see her?"


    "That''s weird. Could she be invisible?"


    "She is an excellent student. How could you get here so easily?"


    "We''d better relax and wait for the results to come out. The results usually come out in three to five days. Let''s wait to see her score. It''s all too early now."


    One candidate who took part in the exam also posted a message.


    "During the exam, a girl in the same examination room with me handed in her test papers very early, as I remember. I thought she did that for not knowing how to do the questions. But the invigilator was very excited when she saw her test papers. According to his words, she got the last few questions right. You weren''t in the exam and might not know the situation. The last question was super difficult. She could work it out in such a short time and could definitely get a high score. Perhaps she could win first place. Is she Sophia?"


    Many netizens had a heated discussion under the examinee''s message.


    "That sounds amazing. It must be Sophia. She was number one in the first test."


    "Only Sophia could get a high score? You think too much of Sophia. She is just a product of online hype. Every year there are people who win the Olympic prize, but no one is being hyped like that."


    "Just say it, you''re jealous of her. It''s true that people have won awards every year, but have you ever seen anyone who won both math and chemistry awards?"


    "Sophia, a former professor of Glinton, may have such capability, but she hasn''t competed in the Olympiad. So, this Sophia is the first one to do that."


    ***


    Sophia didn''t respond to the second trial. The results would come out in a few days. Then, there would be no need for her to say anything, and everyone would know everything.


    She searched for information about Super Quiz on her phone, trying to sign up.


    Actually, she had no interest in this kind of show. She just wanted Mike to lose the championship. Seeing this kind of scum live well, she would feel very uncomfortable.


    Super Quiz was an ace show on Plain TV station, with a high audience rating. Every time, they would invite several excellent students, and sometimes stars as guests to increase their popularity.


    In the show, contestants had to answer questions in various ways to earn more points. Each show would have a winner who could get a prize of one thousand dollars. There were twelve episodes per season. The final was in the last episode, and the twelve winners would compete. The winner of the final would be the champion of the season. As Mike said, the champion could get a prize of ten thousand dollars.


    It was the tenth season. One biggest hotspot of this season was that this season''s champion would have a showdown with the champions of each previous season, so as to determine a super champion of ten seasons. And the prize would be the biggest since the show began, one hundred thousand dollars.


    The way to sign up was simple. The applicant should fill in a form online and submit it.. After the backstage audit, an invitation would be emailed to the applicant.

 Chapter 141 - 141: I Love Your Superciliousness

    Only passed the audition could the applicant be qualified to participate in the show and enter the recording of the program.


    She filled in her information, and after submitting it, a prompt popped up: want your friends to cheer for you? Share it.


    "It''s good to have friends cheer for me. Sooner or later, they will know." Sophia thought and clicked, "yes."


    After sending it, she remembered that she had never paid attention to her friends'' states, but had heard that she could know that from Instagram.


    She clicked into it and scanned their latest posts.


    Melissa: Share it. Those foods are forbidden in summer!


    It was almost winter now, okay? Sophia thought.


    Ryan: A beauty forgot to turn off her camera, unexpectedly filmed such a scene... Check it. Delete it then.


    Mariah: Shock! The eighty-year-old lady got married, and the husband was¡­


    Sophia felt that she really didn''t understand these things.


    She continued to browse. A message caught her attention.


    Molly: I signed up for the Super Quiz. Support me! Welcome to Super Quiz''s official blog and Instagram for more exclusive news and behind-the-scenes details.


    This message was exactly the same as the automatic sharing message after Sophia had clicked "Yes". That meant Molly also signed up for the competition.


    Just then, the system prompted that she had a new message.


    Sophia exited and saw the message was from Molly.


    "I just saw the message. You will come to the Super Quiz? Great. Then we can go to the Plain together."


    "I just saw the message you posted and was about to ask you to go there together. That''s it. Let''s go audition together." Sophia replied to her.


    "Ha-ha. If you go, I''ll cheer for you. Actually, I just go to Plain to play, and then to join the show, by the way. I heard Eric will be invited as a guest in this season. It would be great to meet him. If you make it to the final, please give me a ticket."


    Sophia got it. It turned out that Molly went to see her idol.


    "I have confidence in your strength, but I have to remind you that there are many good contestants in the show. My friend works there and said a Glinton high achiever signed up a few days ago. I asked my friend to check his information, who seems to graduate from our school." Molly continued.


    "Okay."


    She felt that the one Molly mentioned was Charles. But it was just a guess. After all, several students entered Glinton every year, and Charles was not the only one.


    "I know you''re good, but don''t take it easy. I heard he was a chemistry major. If you can get into the Chemistry Department, you may meet him. So, don''t offend him. After all, he''s a senior," said Molly.


    "That''s not necessarily true," replied Sophia.


    "Ha ha ha¡­ I love your superciliousness. Don''t worry. It''s all right to retort him."


    If that person was really Charles, she would do that.


    ***


    The next day, Sophia received a notice from the production team to take part in the audition next Saturday. They explained that a written test, the simplest way, would be applied because of the large number of participants. The questions they got were random, and they all started together. Only the top ninety-six with the highest score could enter the program and participate in the formal competition.


    There were eight contestants in each show. The selected contestants would be assigned to twelve shows in random order.


    Sophia was a little disappointed. That was to say, and she had little chance of meeting Charles from the beginning of the show.


    Sophia''s biggest worry was that Charles wouldn''t win and won''t make it to the final, then she won''t have a chance to meet him.


    The scum man deserved to be eliminated, but she would feel so "bored" if she couldn''t torture him herself.


    Sophia was unhappy until Sunday afternoon when she came to Jasmine''s house and saw Chubby.


    After the careful care of the dog mother these days, Chubby had opened his eyes and was able to move freely.


    Mitch lay down not far away, staring at the mother and son. Noticing that Sophia was coming, he got up and ran over her at once.


    Jasmine came over, bent down, and picked up Chubby. Chubby knew her very well. In her arms, he felt no uncomfortable and buried his head in her arms in obedience.


    "Chubby will be weaned in half a month. What are you going to do with him?" Jasmine asked.


    Chubby was just in foster care here. If he no longer needed the care of the mother dog, Jasmine saw no reason to keep him.


    Sophia had thought about this before.


    Chubby and Mitch were similar in life, both abandoned by their owners. The only difference was that Chubby was young, just a puppy.


    Like the one who found Chubby, Sophia thought it would be better for her to keep Chubby.


    Jasmine was a kind person who had specially hired a dog worker to take care of these dogs. Sophia couldn''t bother her all the time, so she would take Chubby back when he was one month old.


    Sophia and her mother were the only ones in the family. Their new house was more than one hundred square meters, spacious enough to keep a puppy. And it was due in two months. The neighborhood of the new house was large and clean. It is convenient to take a walk in the evening.


    The two were talking., Albert came over.


    "I''ll bathe the puppy," said Albert.


    Jasmine laughed, "Yeah. It''s your job."


    Albert went to the bathroom with Chubby in his arms. Soon, they came out. Chubby was small, and it was easy to bathe him.


    The mother dog was relatively troublesome, she was much larger than Chubby, and it would take a longer time to bathe her.


    After a while, Albert came out of the bathroom with the mother dog and took him to the kennel.


    "Everything''s done!" Albert looked proud as if he had completed an extremely important mission.


    But¡­


    "What about Mitch?" Sophia asked, "He hasn''t bathed yet, has he?"

 Chapter 142 - 142: Ill Drop You Off

    Jasmine explained, "Mitch hasn''t accepted Pearson yet. He was bathed by a maid here. He doesn''t want Albert to bathe him."


    After all this time, Mitch still hated Albert so much. Sophia wondered why.


    When she left, she tentatively pulled Mitch, tried to take him back.


    She used to do that every time she was leaving but failed. When she came, Mitch always ran over her very enthusiastically. But when she was leaving, he always lay on the ground pretending to die but refused to go back with her.


    Sophia was used to that, but every time she was leaving, she still tried to "persuade" him to go back with her. After all, he couldn''t stay at Jasmine''s all the time. Although Jasmine was beautiful and kind, Sophia still felt embarrassed.


    To her surprise, Mitch did not pretend to be dead this time and left with her.


    Sophia was stunned and took a moment to realize what was going on. She jumped over and hugged Mitch by the neck, "Good boy! Let''s go back for our meat jerky."


    "I''m going back, too," Albert said. "I''m driving. I''ll drop you off!"


    Sophia nodded, "Thanks."


    She got in Albert''s car with Mitch. Albert sat in the cab and said, "It''s getting dark now. How about eating together? Anyway, you have to eat."


    Sophia looked at the sky and nodded. "OK, but I''ll treat you this time. You can''t treat me all the time, and I''ll be embarrassed."


    Albert smiled and said, "OK. You make the decision. What would you like to eat?"


    "You can order what you like. I''m not picky." Sophia said.


    Albert looked up from the rearview mirror at Sophia, who was gently stroking Mitch. He was a little jealous of Mitch. He wanted to change the treatment with him.


    Since it was Sophia''s treat, Albert would not go to a fancy restaurant. He thought about it and said, "Let''s have a barbecue, in the open air."


    Actually, he knew these things from TV and never tried that. He knew it was cheap.


    This was the only cheap thing he could think of.


    Sophia knew that he didn''t want to cost her too much. She wasn''t rich, but her money was more than enough for her eating. Since Albert said that, she just agreed.


    "All right, barbecue. It''s almost time for the night market. Let''s go."


    When they got to the place, it was already dark, and the vendors began to open for business. The air was full of the aroma of various foods, and people couldn''t help but stop.


    Albert parked his car. Sophia got off with Mitch. Not far ahead was a barbecue shop. The boss was baking meat on the fire. The shelf next to him was filled with food.


    There were several tables, and some uniformed workers who had just left the shift were sitting around the tables, eating, drinking, and chatting.


    Mitch looked at these workers and began to drool. But as a cultured dog, he held back.


    Sophia and Albert sat down at a table. A girl came up with the menu, smiled at them, and said in a crisp voice, "Good evening. May I take your order?"


    Sophia looked over at the girl. She looked like a sweet teenager and had a sweet smile.


    Instead of ordering, she asked the girl, "Are you working here, Miss?"


    The girl smiled, "I''m done with my homework. I''m here to help my dad."


    Sophia handed the menu to Albert and asked him to order first.


    Albert took the menu and ordered some food, and then he handed it to Sophia.


    Sophia ordered some and gave the menu back to the girl.


    The girl said with a smile, "Do you drive? Want some beer?"


    "Yeah. We have to drive. So¡­" Sophia said, "I want a glass of lemonade. What about you, Mr. Pearson?"


    "The same."


    Soon, easily cooked vegetables were served first. The girl put the plate on the table and said with a sweet smile, "Enjoy it, please. Our barbecue is clean and delicious. I''m sure you''ll come again."


    Sophia picked up a string of baked Eggplant and took a bite. The boss was really good at cooking. The Eggplant was very delicious.


    Albert slowly picked up a string of Eggplant and took a very careful bite.


    It was the first time he had eaten in such a place. His family had taught him from an early age that open-air food was not clean and could not be eaten. There were people, especially in charge of his diet. No matter what he wanted to eat, they would cook it elaborately with the best ingredients.


    If he ate outside, Ryan would make a block booking in advance and supervise the cooking. He would never eat anything unclean.


    Had it not been for saving Sophia''s money, he would never have come here to eat in his life.


    "Yummy!" After Albert took a bite, he couldn''t stop eating.


    He thought it was delicious. How could it be so delicious? It was a pity that he had lived twenty-four years but never thought about tasting it.


    The girl brought over a plate of lamb kebabs with a smile, "Try this, it''s better!"


    Albert''s hands were not idle. He took several lamb kebabs in his hands. He didn''t mind the hot and started eating without caring about his image.


    Sophia couldn''t help laughing. When she ate with Albert, they used to go to fancy restaurants, where the food was much better than these simple barbecues, but she never saw him eat like this.


    She picked up a string of lamb kebabs and was about to eat when she felt something rubbing against her knees.


    With her head down, she saw Mitch drooling at her. His eyes fixed on the lamb kebabs in her hands as if he was about to pounce on her.


    Sophia picked up a string of lamb kebabs and handed it to Mitch. Grandpa finally agreed to go home with her, and she had to treat him well.


    Mitch opened his mouth and bit it. Sophia pulled out the stick and left the lamb in his mouth.


    It was Mitch''s first barbecue. Like Albert, he couldn''t stop eating after the first bite. No sooner had Sophia eaten half a string of lamb kebabs than Mitch swallowed a string.. Then he rubbed against Sophia''s legs for more lamb kebabs.

 Chapter 143 - 143: Lazy Dog

    Sophia had to give him another string. After eating seven or eight strings, he still would not stop.


    Albert glared at Mitch, "He eats too much. There is almost no food here. Let him go back to eat his dog food."


    He had only eaten five strings, and he could not eat as fast as a dog, which made him embarrassed.


    Mitch seemed to understand what Albert meant. He suddenly turned to him, gave a fierce look, and barked at him a few times.


    His barking attracted the attention of the people around him.


    "That dog seems to be the one on the Internet¡­" A young couple passing by pointed to Mitch and said.


    Sophia touched Mitch and told him not to bark so as not to attract too much attention.


    He was a star dog, after all. He should know that, should he?


    But it was too late, and the couple had come over. The girl looked excited. "Oh, my God, he''s really Grandpa."


    Sophia was worried and made a silent gesture. There were so many people here that she didn''t want to expose herself.


    The girl was very cooperative. She put her finger on her mouth, "Shh¡­". Her eyes were fixed on Mitch, full of joy.


    "Can I take a picture?" The girl asked. "Don''t worry. I only shoot Grandpa¡­ I just love him. Can I take a picture with him?"


    Sophia laughed. "I can''t decide for him. You have to ask him."


    The girl also laughed. "All right. I''ll ask him."


    She squatted down, raised her cell phone, and said with a smile, "Can I touch you, Grandpa? May I take a picture with you? I love you!"


    Mitch looked up, squinted at the girl, and squatted down.


    The girl was surprised, "He can understand me, can he? That''s amazing!"


    Then she handed the phone to the boy next to her, "Take a picture of us."


    The boy took two steps back in an obedient manner and took a picture of the girl and Mitch with the phone.


    Then the girl stood up, took over the phone, but frowned, "It''s so¡­ ugly¡­"


    The boy was embarrassed. He looked at Mitch and said, "I want to take a picture with Grandpa, too. You take a picture of us."


    The girl was still murmuring, "My face is big, and the light is not clear. Why don''t you turn on the flash?"


    "I''m sorry, but I think it''s fine."


    When the girl finally stopped nagging, the boy went to Mitch. Like the girl, he squatted down and tried to talk with Mitch, "Can you take a picture with me, Grandpa? I am also your fan, and I like you so much. Every time KAP posts messages about you, I would like it and share it for the first time. I''m really a huge fan of you."


    Mitch raised his head, looked at him, then turned his back on him.


    The boy was confused.


    Why was he treated differently?


    Sophia finally understood why Mitch didn''t like Albert.


    He only liked girls.


    Technically, Mitch only met two men. One was his former scum owner, and Mitch was his guide dog then. The other was Watson, Mitch followed him for the perfume he was wearing as Diana. Watson was good to Mitch, and Mitch just considered him his owner.


    Mitch was full and lay at Sophia''s feet to rest.


    Albert was unhappy, "Mitch eats almost all the mutton. He''s so edible and has a bad temper¡­ Oh, my God!"


    Sophia looked down and saw Mitch run-up to Albert and bite him in the ankle. But he was not serious. He didn''t bite Albert hard, and it would not hurt.


    "Stop that, Mitch." Sophia looked down to stop Mitch. Mitch raised his head and walked back proudly.


    "Is he a goblin?" Albert whispered, "Can he understand us?"


    The girl served the roasted beef and chicken, smiled, and said, "Don''t worry, sir. There are plenty of mutton kebabs, enough for you to eat."


    Albert gave Mitch a grumpy look. "Twenty more strings."


    The girl was worried, "I''m afraid you can''t finish that. How about¡­ ten?"


    "Twenty." Albert insisted.


    The girl smiled, cleared away the used baking tray, and left.


    Albert took a bite of the beef and immediately forgot about the lamb kebabs. It was also delicious.


    Mitch smelled the aroma of roasted beef and looked longingly at Sophia.


    Sophia picked up a string of beef to feed Mitch, and she ate one herself.


    Sophia didn''t eat much, but Albert and Mitch ate a lot. Albert was so full that he couldn''t eat more.


    Mitch was more exaggerated. After eating, he lay on the ground and would not walk.


    When Sophia went to check out, she saw the girl sitting under the light reading. There was no customer calling her at the moment, so she took the time to read.


    When she got back, Albert said unfinished, "How about treating me to barbecue next time?"


    Sophia smiled, "Yeah. But you can''t eat too much. It''s not good for your health."


    Albert thought about it and said, "Yeah. I have to take good care of my body."


    Sophia was about to take Mitch home, while Albert suggested taking a walk in the nearby park because it was unhealthy if they didn''t exercise after eating too much.


    Sophia didn''t eat much, but Mitch did eat a lot. She planned to take him for a walk when they got back.


    There was a park nearby, and it was quite convenient. Sophia just agreed.


    Albert drove Sophia and Mitch to the entrance of the park. He parked the car and entered the park with them.


    It was getting cold, and not many people came for a walk. The street lamps in the park were already on, the lights were dim, and the breeze was cool.


    Mitch walked slowly. He probably ate too much and didn''t want to move.


    Albert walked ahead with his long legs and looked back to satirize him, "Lazy dog!"


    Mitch got upset, but he didn''t have the strength to catch up, so he had to yell at Albert.


    Sophia was helpless. She hadn''t noticed before that Albert was such a naive guy to be arguing with a dog.


    Where was his intellect?

 Chapter 144 - 144: That Was Too Much

    There was a big lake in the center of the park. It would be cool on summer nights. But it was late autumn, and a wind came from the lake, Sophia was so cold that she couldn''t help sneezing.


    Albert heard her sneeze. He paused and turned back. "Is it cold?" he asked.


    Sophia shook her head, "No. It''s alright."


    Albert had already taken off his coat, walked behind her and covered her with the coat, "Put it on."


    Sophia wanted to say no, but Albert had stridden forward, leaving a tall figure in a shirt. She could see the good muscle lines on his back.


    Sophia couldn''t catch up with Albert while taking the reluctant Mitch but had to accept his kindness. Afraid that the coat would fall from her, she let go of the leash and reached for the coat with her hands.


    Suddenly, there was a crisp sound near her feet, and it seemed to be something that fell out of the pocket.


    Sophia looked down and saw a golden pocket watch on the ground, which should have just fallen out of Albert''s coat pocket.


    There were few people with pocket watches. Most people didn''t even wear watches. Sophia picked up the watch and opened it casually to check the time.


    When she saw the dial plate, she was paused.


    The image on the plate was a picture of her with Albert.


    She didn''t like to take photos. She remembered Albert pestered her many times before she agreed to take the picture with him.


    At that time, Albert was very aggrieved when she refused him. "I told my friends that I had become Professor Green''s assistant, but they didn''t believe it. They said I didn''t even have a picture that I must be lying!"


    Sophia laughed, "There''s nothing to be proud of as my assistant. Just let them be."


    "No. It matters about my integrity. I''m an honest person. No one should question that." Albert insisted.


    Sophia had been pestered by him many times. In order to silence him, she had to agree.


    "Let''s shoot with your phone," said Sophia.


    Albert shook his head. "No. It''s so informal¡­ I''ll shoot when I''m prepared tomorrow."


    It was just a picture. What preparation did he need? Sophia wondered inside.


    When Albert arrived the next day, Sophia could barely recognize him.


    He permed his hair and wore a suit. Apparently, he had been carefully styled and seemed... older.


    He also hired a stylist to serve Sophia, which was turned down.


    Albert didn''t mind. He asked the stylist to leave, took a chair and sat next to Sophia, and asked the photographer to shoot.


    Sophia thought he took it too seriously. He could just take a selfie with his phone. The "preparation" he had was like they were about to¡­ shoot marriage photos.


    Was there any necessity to be so formal?


    When they finished shooting, the photographer showed Albert the photos on the camera. Albert complained that he seemed older and asked the photographer to edit them later.


    Sophia was busy with her work and ignored him.


    ***


    Sophia didn''t expect Albert to print the photo on the dial plate.


    With the filter, the photo had a hazy sense of beauty. And there were words on the corner.


    Sophia couldn''t clearly see the words in the dim light of the streetlamp, she could only make out two words: my life.


    Did Albert make the watch to prove to his friends that he was her assistant?


    That was too much.


    Sophia closed the dial and put the watch back in the pocket. Albert walked not far in front of her. He walked faster but would stop for a moment and wait for her to catch up. He never looked back but always within three meters ahead of her as if he had eyes on his back.


    As they walked to the lake, Albert stopped.


    Sophia thought he was waiting for her to catch up and hurried up. When she walked to his side, he was still standing there, looking at the lake.


    Sophia followed his gaze and saw a man standing by the lake. The man faced them sideways, thin, in a black windbreaker. The half face facing them was barely visible under the streetlamp.


    "You know him?" Sophia asked, "Is he your friend? Do you want to say hello to him?"


    Albert just stared at that man and flatly said, "No¡­ And I don''t want to know him."


    He was about to leave, but the man turned to them and strode over.


    When he got nearer, Sophia saw his look.


    The man was thin, and his eyes were slightly sunken, which made them look deep. His nose was straight, and he looked like a westerner.


    "Good evening, Mr. Pearson." The man stretched out his hand and showed a polite smile. But the smile seemed to have no warmth.


    Albert paused and then reached out and shook hands with the man. "Good evening, Mr. Patton," he said.


    Mr. Patton looked to Sophia and smiled, "This girl is your¡­"


    Sophia saw that smile and remembered who he was.


    Benjamin had told her that he suspected the murder of the lab fire case might be a Patton, and he had emailed her their files for her analyzing the case.


    This person was a young man of Patton''s, Eddie Patton.


    Now that he was right in front of her, she had a chance to get in touch with him and speculate whether he might be the real culprit.


    Sophia smiled, "Good evening, Mr. Patton. I''m a friend of Mr. Pearson, are you too?"


    "Not really." Eddie smiled and said, "It''s our first meeting. But I heard that¡­ Mr. Pearson is very interested in me, right?"


    Albert said in a flat voice, "In the business competition, having no interests in my competitors means no respect to them."


    "Then, it''s my honor." Eddie laughed. "I''m also interested in you and¡­ Mr. Terry."


    Hearing that, Sophia knew that he should have found that Benjamin was investigating him.. She had no contact with Benjamin these days and didn''t know how many clues he had got.

 Chapter 145 - 145: With Her Autograph

    She had heard from Benjamin that he was invited by Albert to investigate the case. So, he should have told Albert about his investigation. To get the truth of the laboratory fire, Albert must have investigated Eddie.


    Obviously, Eddie had noticed these investigations.


    Albert was as calm as if Benjamin had nothing to do with him. "I''m honored to get interested in you, Mr. Patton." The voice was quite calm.


    "Well, don''t say that, Mr. Pearson."


    Sophia had never been to a business event, nor had she ever seen two people talk nonsense with fake smiles like them, and she was impatient.


    "Well, it''s late. Let''s go home," said Sophia. While she wanted more contact with Eddie, the timing was clearly not a good one.


    Before Albert could speak, Eddie chimed in, "Home? Do you live together?"


    Then he turned to Sophia and said in a serious voice, "Girl, rich men like us are not good people. Be smart; don''t be cheated by him. Seriously, I mean it. We are all playboys and will never fall in love with girls."


    What kind of rich man was Albert? What''s more¡­ Was it really okay for Eddie to bad-mouth himself like that? Sophia thought.


    Besides... She didn''t make it clear. She did not live with Albert.


    "Pardon me, please. See you next time, Mr. Playboy," said Albert.


    He suddenly reached out and grabbed Sophia''s hand.


    There was a warm feeling in Sophia''s palm, which touched her heart. She did not let go of her hand and just let him hold it.


    Albert just wanted to leave this dangerous man with Sophia. He didn''t want her to interfere in this matter.


    Unconsciously, he grabbed Sophia''s hand. It took him a moment to realize what he was doing. He felt his face burn.


    But Sophia didn''t get away from him.


    Her hand was a little cold. Her soft hand gently grabbed his, as if it had suddenly caught him in his heart.


    ***


    Albert walked very slowly. He wanted to take the longest time to get to his car. Because he knew that once they got in the car, she would let go of her hand.


    Mitch had walked to the front. He turned back and looked at Albert with disdain as if to laugh at his slowness.


    Albert didn''t want to argue with him. No matter how smart he is, he would not understand why he walked so slowly, did he?


    Sophia slowed her steps as well.


    Holding Albert''s hand, she felt at ease. And the warmth of his hand made her feel warm.


    She always felt that there was something about Albert that she had never known before.


    The park was not big. No matter how slowly they walked, they arrived at the car soon.


    Albert had to let go of his hand. He took out the key, unlocked the car, and opened the door for Sophia.


    ***


    Sophia had called Kate to say she would eat out and be back later. Thus, when she came back home, Kate didn''t want her any food.


    However, Kate had been sitting on the sofa, waiting for her to come back.


    "Did you hang out with your friend?" Kate asked, sounding relaxed and casual.


    Sophia knew she cared about her.


    "No. I had a barbecue with Mr. Pearson." Sophia said, honestly. She felt that she had nothing to hide from her mother.


    "Albert Pearson?" Kate smiled. "He came to you? Well, he''s a good boy, but¡­ he''s years older than you."


    "Five years older," said Sophia.


    Then she realized what Kate was talking about.


    Couldn''t she think...


    Sophia didn''t want her to misunderstand them and explained, "No. We''re just friends."


    Kate smiled, "You''re nineteen. If it hadn''t been for the car accident, you''d have gone to college by now. Whatever you do, I will support you, understand you and give you advice, so¡­ you mustn''t hide anything from me, okay?"


    She couldn''t explain it clearly, could she?


    On Tuesday, the Olympic Games Committee announced the results of the Chemical Olympic Games online.


    As soon as Sophia entered the school, she saw many people without uniforms peep or stop students from asking about something. Their voices were not low, and Sophia could hear her name from them.


    Sophia got a call from Director Bull before she came. He didn''t say anything but asked her to check the blog.


    The Committee released the results at midnight. The person who released the results might have obsessive-compulsive disorder and specially chose this time.


    Sophia slept early at night. She knew the releasing time but wasn''t so curious about her score. She could basically estimate it.


    She logged on to "Sophia Green of Colin High School" and was stunned by the numbers of the comments.


    A message she posted recently got seventy thousand comments, and the number of her followers had risen to more than a million overnight.


    What? Some so many people didn''t sleep and had been waiting to see her score.


    She checked the comments and got the information she wanted to know.


    "I just checked the results. Sophia got a full score AGAIN! That''s unbelievable. I doubt my eyes."


    "If this isn''t an Olympiad, I''d suspect there are some inside stories."


    "Touch your good luck, hope to pass the final exam."


    "Anyway. I have to visit her tomorrow. She''s at Colin, right? I''ll go get her autograph. Anyone want to go with me?"


    "Me. Last time, I went to Glinton but missed her. I can''t miss her this time."


    "Me. I''ll go even if I have to ask off tomorrow. With her autograph, I may pass all exams."


    ***


    Sophia saw the crowds waiting at the school gate were young people and knew they were probably the netizens who came to ask for autographs.


    She was annoyed. The school students knew her. If one student told them about her, it would be trouble. She was not a star and didn''t want to sign any autographs. Besides, her autographs couldn''t guarantee that they could pass exams. If they believed autographs blindly but did not study hard, they would definitely fail exams.


    She bowed her head and pushed her bike to school.. If it were not for the school rules not to ride a bike on campus, she really wanted to rush in on a bike.

 Chapter 146 - 146: I’m A Bad Guy

    When she passed through the gate, a Colin boy who had just been asked by them saw her and could not help turning back and looking at her a few times.


    The fans around followed the boy''s gaze to Sophia.


    While the students around were worried about the boy, who betrayed Boss Green and might be beaten up by her, Sophia pushed the bike with one hand, walked over to the boy and grabbed his collar with the other hand. "I''ve asked you to bring me money last time. When will you give me?"


    The boy was confused, "What?"


    Sophia grabbed him and went into school without looking back. As she walked, she said, "Bravo! You dare to be against me¡­"


    The fans were disappointed. They thought the cute girl was Sophia and was quite excited. Unexpectedly, she was a school bully and bullied students at the school gate. It seemed that the boy looked at her for being blackmailed by her.


    That middle-aged man standing opposite was supposed to be the director, right? Many directors checked students at the school gate. Didn''t he intervene in the matter?


    Colin was terrible, they thought.


    ***


    The fans waited all morning, but didn''t get Sophia and went back disappointed.


    They complained about the Internet.


    "I didn''t see her. I''ve asked Colin students but got nothing. She probably didn''t go to school."


    "Yeah. She got the first place in the Chemistry Olympiad and will definitely be admitted in advance by Glinton. There is no necessity for her to go to school. If it were me, I would take a rest at home and wait to go to college."


    "Admire her. I''m also a senior. Bitter!"


    "It''s so hard to get her autographs."


    "Not necessarily. You missed her in Glinton last time, right? She''s smart. It''s a piece of cake for her to leave. If you''re smart enough to get her, you wouldn''t have gone to ask for her autographs for the final exam, would you?"


    "Well said. I''m speechless."


    And some people talked about Colin''s school spirit.


    "I saw a bully, a cool girl, bullied a student. She blackmailed him. The director was standing there but gave no care. Colin''s school spirit was so bad. They just allowed this bullying."


    "Well, no wonder the teacher committed a crime."


    "Maybe she is his girlfriend."


    "No. The boy was bullied. I can''t mistake that. Besides, love was a forbidden word in the school. Flirting in front of a director? Are they crazy?"


    Many people talked about that. Finally, someone could not stand them.


    "Are you fools? She''s the one you wanted. You''re so stupid. I was at the gate and saw her dragging a boy in. I almost laughed. What a smart girl! I heard that she used to be a bully, but I''ve never heard of her bullying students. Rather, I heard that she protected a good student from being bullied by bad students of Mary High School. For today''s matter, she might do that deliberately so as not to be found by you."


    "Ha, ha, ha¡­ I saw that, too. But I would not tell you, not tell you, not tell you! Come to bite me!"


    ***


    Netizens all said that there were no honest students. Not even one, but they said they would come back.


    Sophia didn''t know these things. When she entered the campus, she let go of the boy who was forced to make a show with her and apologized with a smile, "I''m sorry, I was afraid of being found out, so that''s why..."


    The boy understood that and smiled. "It''s all right. I saw the news about your exam on the Internet. It''s a good thing to be dragged by you. Maybe I can get good grades in the final exam!"


    Sophia didn''t go back to Class. After parking her bike in the shed, she went straight to the director''s office.


    Before long, Director Bull came back with a smile. "Sophia, you are the number one again, full score. Glinton just called and said they are going to have you in the Chemistry Department. You don''t have to come to school today. Everyone''s here for college. Since the best university has accepted you, there''s no meaning for you to be here."


    "In case you forget something, I have to remind you here, sir."


    Director Bull smiled and asked, "What?"


    "You''ve said that one Olympiad award, one hundred points for the Class. I got the award this time, and you should give our Class another one hundred points. Right?"


    Another one hundred points? Was there any hope for other classes to catch up? The last one hundred points had put a lot of pressure on them. Even the Class with the second-highest score could not exceed her Class before the year and had to try hard the next year.


    If he gave Class Seventeen another one hundred points, any class could not exceed it.


    But Director Bull had written this rule into the school regulations. Sophia''s request was reasonable.


    He had no choice but to pick up the chalk and add a hundred points to Class Seventeen on the table.


    After the grade table was published, the students of Class Seventeen were ecstatic, and the students of other classes got crazy.


    No. 1, Class Seventeen, Grade Three: Two hundred and thirty-nine points


    No. 2, Class Forty-nine, Grade Three: Eighty-two points


    No. 3, Class Two: Seventy-six points


    ***


    Anyone who saw the score wondered: what''s wrong with the No. 1.


    The classes below it could never catch up with it.


    Several aggrieved students took photos of the scoresheet with their phones and posted them online, accusing the school system of being unreasonable.


    "Sophia did get first place in the Olympiad twice, but there''s no need to give her Class so many points. How can we catch up with them?"


    "Unfair. That''s so unfair. I feel discriminated against by the school."


    "The director is a fool. What the fuck regulations?"


    ***


    But netizens'' replies did not comfort them at all.


    "Sophia''s amazing. Ha, ha. Cool!"


    "I hope to get some of her good luck to pass the exam. The final exam is next month. Ah¡­ I''m so afraid."


    "Sophia is so good. She seemed to top the scoresheet forever."


    "Am I the only one happy to see that? Ha, ha.. Yes, I''m a bad guy."

 Chapter 147 - 147: I’m Happier Than That

    "Getting first place in the Olympiad twice? Do you have any idea what that means? If it were me, I would never complain about that. I just want to¡­ get her autograph."


    "Yeah. You''re so lucky to be in the same school as her. What are you complaining about? Do you know the feelings of those of us who can''t even see her? I asked for leave twice to see her but was fooled by her both times."


    ***


    As soon as Sophia entered the class, she was surrounded by her classmates. Before, they were afraid of her, but when they noticed her performance in those months, they thought she was easy and were willing to get close to her. Of course, students of other classes were still afraid of her.


    Kevin had contributed to that. He kept telling them what a kind and lovely person his sister was. Louie, who was known as a charming prince, agreed with him. This made students gradually willing to try to change their views on Sophia.


    After all, most of them were new students who hadn''t lived through the dark years when Sophia ruled the school.


    One student asked, "Sophia, are you not coming to class anymore? Now that you''re accepted to the university, you don''t need to come. Right?"


    Sophia thought about it and said, "I don''t know how Glinton arranges. Everything is uncertain. If they have no arrangements for me, I may continue to attend school. Although I needn''t attend the college entrance examination, there''s the graduation examination, and I can''t get the certificate if I fail it."


    The graduation examination was easy. Everyone could pass it except for a few poor students. It was a piece of cake for her. Was there any need for her to study at school?


    Besides, did a high school diploma matter for a person admitted to Glinton? Was the Glinton University diploma not good enough for her?


    Kevin didn''t move and just smiled in his seat.


    Melissa glanced at him. "Look at you. I thought it was you who got into Glinton."


    "I''m happier than that."


    Melissa also laughed, "Listen to you. People will think you''re her brother-in-law. Honestly, I''m not so happy about Boss entering Glinton. I''ll feel bored if she doesn''t come to school."


    ***


    As Sophia''s deskmate, Louie didn''t want her to go. He had been used to her care. Also, he enjoyed making her snacks and was glad to see her enjoying them.


    If Sophia didn''t come, who did he made the snacks for?


    Sophia was speechless at everyone''s reaction. She hadn''t said anything, but the class reckoned that she was going and prepared themselves for her departure.


    That afternoon, her classmates bought alumni books for her to fill out and said that they had intended to do these before the graduation next year, but since she was about to leave early, she should fill them out first.


    How did it feel like after the college entrance examination? A final goodbye? That was unbelievable.


    What she didn''t expect was that more dramatic things were still to come.


    A classmate went to Ms. Acheson and advised her to take graduation photos in advance, and she just agreed. She asked the students to meet in front of the teaching building on Wednesday afternoon. She contacted a photographer who would take photos for them then.


    Sophia was shocked. Since they did that, she had to leave.


    The photographer came on Wednesday afternoon, as promised. Ms. Acheson had a math class that afternoon. She then asked everyone to the front of the teaching building and lined them up, and invited all the teachers to take photos.


    The geography teacher taught two classes and happened to have a class then. He changed the class with another teacher and arrived there on time.


    The photographer wondered, "I usually take graduation photos in May or June, not before April at the earliest. Why do you take photos so early?"


    Acheson explained to him that a student was admitted to the college in advance and might leave school early, so they just advanced the shooting.


    The photographer thought about it and said, "The popular Sophia on the blog? Many people are talking on the Internet that Glinton admits Colin''s Sophia in advance. They say she''s just a legend¡­ Is she in your class?"


    As soon as he said that, Carol stared at him with a ferocious face. "You can''t tell anyone, nor can you show others the photos, understand?"


    The photographer looked at the girl''s serious face and wondered whether he should cooperate with her to pretend to be scared.


    "Don''t worry." He said, "I am a professional photographer, and I will never give away my clients'' privacy. When photos are printed out, I will delete them and never show them to any unrelated people."


    After taking group photos, many students took photos with Sophia separately. The shooting lasted two classes. The Class after Mathematics was English, Acheson was not intended to take it, so she didn''t talk about that with Schultz in advance.


    While taking group photos, Schultz was there. She sat in the middle of the students and seemed quite happy, with a smile.


    But when she heard that she couldn''t attend this class, she was unhappy and required Acheson to repay her one class.


    "Well, I''ll take your class tomorrow morning," Schultz said with a firm tone.


    Acheson shook her head, "No, I''ve told the class that I''ll analyze the test paper tomorrow morning. I can''t give the class to you."


    "Then which class can you give me?"


    "Why don''t you ask another teacher for one? I think the politics teacher is very talkative."


    The politics teacher who came for the shooting wondered, what was it with him? Why would they take his class?


    He really felt like he had no place.


    Cromwell smiled and said nothing on the side.


    His PE classes had been taken after the first monthly examination, and he didn''t say anything at all. Speaking of "place," no one had less of that than him.


    What was more exaggerated was that one student suggested having a farewell dinner together.


    Acheson actually thought about the proposal for a while and rejected it in the end.


    Sophia had to tell them that even if she went to Glinton, she was not far from Colin and could visit the school often, and they had her phone number and could contact her anytime.

 Chapter 148 - 148: Sophia Was Confused

    It was not that they could not meet again. They had better go to class.


    Maybe because of the effect of the graduation shooting, Sophia received a call from Glinton the next day.


    "Hello, Miss Sophia. I''m a teacher at Glinton University. Here is the thing. Your admission formalities have not been formally processed, but you know, it''s a long time before school starts. So, we decided to have your audit here and go through your admission formalities when you enter next year."


    Sophia felt confused. There were no such rules before, were there?


    The man explained, "Professor Normand requested that. He said you''re a talent, it''s a waste of time for you to stay in high school for half a year, and it''s better for you to enter Glinton to learn more knowledge. Professor Normand has always cherished talent. He is thinking about your future¡­ Of course, you have the right to refuse the arrangement."


    When Sophia heard "Professor Normand", she agreed at once, "Yeah. I''ll do that. When should I go there?"


    Professor Normand was one of Benjamin''s suspects in the lab fire. Even if it was just to get in touch with this guy, she was willing to go to Glinton.


    The man laughed, "How about tomorrow? You can just go to Professor Normand."


    Sophia thought about it and said, "I''m not available. How about next week?"


    "Okay. No problem."


    ***


    Sophia had an appointment with Molly to go to Plain this Friday to audition for Super Quiz. It was Thursday, and the next day was Friday. She didn''t want to give up the opportunity. If she won, she would get not only one hundred thousand dollars but also revenge for the original owner of the body.


    Early this morning, Molly had come to tell her that her driver would take her there, and they would come to pick up Sophia. Molly had an aunt in Plain, and Molly planned to ask Sophia to live in her aunt''s house with her.


    At first, Sophia disagreed. She could take the ride, but she could not disturb the life of Molly''s aunt.


    But Molly pestered her to agree.


    "I''ve told my aunt that I would take Sophia, the legend, to her house. She was so happy that she had been preparing since the day before yesterday. What do you expect me to tell her if you don''t go? Anyway, you have to live there. Otherwise, I''ll ask my aunt to reserve all Plain hotels, and you''ll have nowhere to live."


    Were the rich so self-indulgent?


    Sophia had to agree at last.


    When Sophia came back home that evening, she told Kate both news.


    Kate said nothing for Sophia going to Glinton to audit. She had been excited all day when she early learned that Sophia was admitted to Glinton University, but the excitement had now passed.


    But Kate was kind of worried about the Super Quiz.


    "May it be a trap?" Kate asked, "I have received a message saying I won a prize in what TV station. May that super quiz be a scam? Did they ask for a registration fee from you?"


    Sophia laughed, "No. This show is on TV every week. I registered on the website presented on the show. There will be no problem."


    Kate then relieved and asked, "You are going with your classmate, just you two girls? Is that safe?"


    "Her driver will go with us. It''s safe."


    "Is the driver a man or a woman? Is the person reliable?"


    "A man. He has been a driver for her family for decades. Very reliable."


    There was nothing wrong with being careful, but Kate was too careful.


    But Kate still warned her, "Don''t trust strangers when you get there. Be careful. How about I ask for leave and go with you?"


    "Everything will be alright, mom. I''m tough. No one dares to do anything to me. Take it easy. I will only leave for two days. I''ll keep in touch with you as soon as I get to the place. Don''t worry. And, I''ll live in the house of my classmate''s relative, which is safer than a hotel."


    That was Kate. She always thought about the worst. When Sophia traveled to Bridge Town with classmates last time, Kate had been worrying about her eating and living, and she was afraid that bad people would cheat Sophia¡­ Sophia just stayed in the Bridge Town for two days, but Kate called a dozen times.


    But Sophia understood that Kate worried about her because she loved her, so she felt warm deep in the heart.


    ***


    The next morning, Sophia had just finished breakfast when she got a call from Molly saying her car was waiting outside.


    Sophia had packed up her things and put them into the luggage yesterday. She only went for two days, so she just took with some daily necessaries and clothes, which could not stuff a suitcase.


    Kate had gone to work. Sophia locked the door and went downstairs with her suitcase. When she got to the gate of the neighborhood, she saw Molly waving at her by the roadside.


    Molly was surrounded by a middle-aged man who looked very kind. He walked to Sophia and reached out to pick up her luggage, and smiled, "You must be Sophia, are you? Hand your luggage to me, get in the car, please."


    The driver opened the trunk. Sophia glanced over and saw a pile of books inside.


    "These are¡­" Sophia was confused, "Why do you take so many books?"


    Molly seemed pride. "My father asked a friend at the TV station about the books for the questions. It was really hard to buy them all. My father''s friend said that all the questions were from these books. Read these carefully. You will definitely win the championship after reading them all."


    Sophia was speechless.


    There were at least thirty books in the trunk, some very thick. The exam will be tomorrow. Even if she was brilliant, she couldn''t read them all in one tonight.


    She glanced casually at the books, most of which were the basics of subjects without difficulty. The books she usually read were more profound than these.


    ***


    Molly pulled Sophia into the back seat. The driver closed the trunk, got into the cab, and started the car.


    It was a long way to Plain, and it would take more than four hours, even on the highway. It was not easy to drive for so long.


    Molly took out an iPad and turned it on, "I''ve downloaded all episodes of Super Quiz. There are some I haven''t watched. Which one have you not watched yet? Let''s watch it together."


    "I haven''t watched any¡­ but I have searched the questions of the show and know a little."


    The point she was trying to make was that she had done something.


    Did she really want to be on the show? Molly couldn''t help asking inside.

 Chapter 149 - 149: It Was Really Good

    It was a long trip. They set off at six in the morning and got off the highway at about eleven o ''clock.


    Then they drove half an hour before arriving at the house of Molly''s aunt.


    Aunt Mcdowell lived in a duplex building in a high-grade neighborhood. The security there was very good. When they drove there, they were stopped outside.


    Molly got off and called Aunt Mcdowell from the guard room. Then the guard let them in.


    When they got off, Molly led Sophia to the elevator. The driver took the luggage and entered the elevator with them.


    Aunt Mcdowell lived on the tenth floor. When Sophia got out of the elevator, she saw a fat middle-aged woman waiting there, and a boy about seven or eight years old stood next to her.


    "Are you Sophia?" As soon as the elevator door opened, Aunt Mcdowell went to them. She held Sophia''s hand with enthusiasm. "You''re so lovely. I heard a lot of you from Molly. She told me you''re a good learner, and she doesn''t admire people often."


    Sophia smiled and had not adapted to Aunt Mcdowell''s excessive enthusiasm for a moment.


    Molly complained, "Aunt, you haven''t even given me a look. Are you my blood aunt or not?"


    Before Aunt Mcdowell spoke, the boy next to her, clapped his hands and laughed, "You''re jealous, sis. Ha, ha!"


    "No one thinks you''re dumb if you don''t talk, Lucas," said Molly.


    Aunt Mcdowell led them to the house, and they put on the slippers she had prepared.


    "Come to eat fruit. They''re freshly cut." Aunt Mcdowell gave them a warm reception.


    The driver was very tired after driving all morning, so Aunt Mcdowell asked him to rest in the guest room. Sophia and Molly had taken a rest in the car and were in good spirits.


    "I just picked up Mitch, and you''re here. I have asked Mrs. Miller to go shopping, and we''ll make dinner when she comes back." As Aunt Mcdowell spoke, she put a lot of snacks on the table and asked Sophia to eat.


    The neglected Molly soon accepted the unfair treatment. Then she went to fight for the remote with Lucas.


    Lucas wanted to watch cartoons but couldn''t get the remote from Molly, so he had to watch the latest Super Quiz replay with his mouth puckered up.


    Molly said proudly, "I''m a high achiever who is going to participate in the Super Quiz. After a while, I will be on TV like these contestants, then you will see me on TV."


    Lucas curled his lip and said, "Don''t be too proud of yourself. Maybe you won''t even pass the audition. Then you''ll go back in shame. Ha, ha!"


    Molly pressed Lucas on the sofa and tried to tear his mouth. "You little brat. Your mouth itches, is it?"


    Later, Mrs. Miller was back from the grocery store. She was a maid hired by Aunt Mcdowell, now in her sixties. She put on the apron and went into the kitchen. Soon, dinner was ready.


    Aunt Mcdowell had informed Mrs. Miller in advance, so Mrs. Miller made a very big lunch that the dishes were too many for the table.


    As soon as the food was served, Lucas rushed up and grabbed a fried chicken leg, and ate it. Aunt Mcdowell reprimanded him for being rude, but Lucas was probably used to that and ignored her.


    Sophia washed her hands and sat with everyone else for dinner. Although Mrs. Miller was a maid, Aunt Mcdowell respected her and asked her to sit down and eat with them.


    Aunt Mcdowell wanted to ask the driver to eat, but he was still sleeping, so she didn''t wake him up, just asked Mrs. Miller to leave some for him to eat when he woke up.


    "You''re so good at cooking, Mrs. Miller." Sophia flattered her honestly, and the food was very delicious.


    "Of course. My favorite thing is cooking. Actually, my children went abroad, and I don''t want to cook or eat alone when I retired, so I come here to work." Mrs. Miller said with pride.


    After lunch, Sophia and Molly went to take a snap. The audition was two o''clock in the afternoon. A little after one o ''clock, Aunt Mcdowell drove Lucas to school and took two girls to the audition to give the driver more rest.


    The Plain TV Station chose to audition in a local college. Since there were no tables or chairs in the television station and there were classes in elementary and middle schools, they just rented the college classrooms for exams.


    When Aunt Mcdowell arrived there with Sophia and Molly, there were many contestants on the campus, and there seemed to be thousands.


    People were talking about the way of the exam because there was no specific way of the examination on the official website. The host just sent messages to all contestants to inform them about the time and exam place.


    But there were a number of contestants who had attended the show. They were talking about the way of the last test with new contestants.


    "It was just a simple written test," said a college-looking man. "But there were over one hundred sets of papers, which were given out casually. No one knew which paper they would get. The testing content involved various subjects. It was really hard."


    When Sophia was waiting in the square with Molly, her eyes searched among the crowd, and soon, she locked the target.


    Not far away, Charles was talking with his girlfriend. Also, he found Sophia, frowned, and didn''t go to greet her. He uncomfortably turned his head away to not to look at her.


    Molly noticed the brief eye contact between Sophia and Charles. She approached her and said with a smile, "Your acquaintance?"


    "No." Sophia denied calmly.


    Molly smiled, "Let me guess. His expression seems uncomfortable. Is he that, Charles?"


    Sophia said nothing.


    The love affair between the previous owner of this body and Charles was known to the whole school at the time. Later, these things were told to freshmen by repeat students. As a result, everyone in the school knew that Boss Green had an ex-boyfriend named Charles.


    But they also knew that the hero didn''t show up again after he went to college, and no one had seen him with Sophia again, so they thought the couple broke up long before.


    For the guy dared to break up with Boss Green, everyone was curious about him. Was he¡­ all right? Did he get killed?

 Chapter 150 - 150: National Husband

    "You can deny it, but I knew¡­ But he seems to have a new girlfriend, who looks a lot worse than you. Well, I don''t think he''s good enough for you. It''s good for you to break up," said Molly.


    "I know," Sophia answered.


    A scum like Charles deserved no one.


    The more Molly spoke, the more excited she got, "You''re so good at study. Let me think about what kind of person is good enough for you¡­ It seems quite difficult. Uh¡­ I know."


    Sophia ignored her. She didn''t want to talk about her gossip.


    Molly didn''t mind and kept saying, "All I can think of is the national husband. I think you match him well."


    Sophia was confused, "National husband? Who''s that? He''s so¡­"


    She wanted to say "obscene"... It was too much to be everyone''s husband, was it? Did that mean to marry a lot of wives?


    Molly explained, "Netizens call him like that. Actually, no one knows who he is. People heard Mr. Pearson would inherit the industry of Pearson Group in the future. So, everyone wants to marry him. Male and female all call him husband on the internet."


    It turned out to be such a national husband¡­ He matched with her. Why didn''t she think so? Sophia thought.


    It was time to enter. Everyone took out their own admission ticket, which was downloaded from the internet and printed in advance, found their own examination room, and sat according to it.


    Sophia and Molly were not in the same examination room, so they separated outside.


    Sophia found the examination room, sat on her seat, and took out the pen. The contestants entered the examination room one after another. Sophia noticed that Charles'' girlfriend was with her and was sitting right in front of her.


    She ignored her. After all, they didn''t know each other.


    However, Charles''s girlfriend turned around and stared at Sophia. "You said you''re Charles'' ex?"


    Sophia didn''t look up. "I don''t have to answer you."


    The girl got upset and said, "Are you still thinking about getting back together with him? I''m telling you, I''m not gonna give you a chance."


    Sophia didn''t expect the girl to care so much about the scum man. She had told her that she was Charles'' girlfriend, just to help the girl see the nature of the scum man. Since the girl couldn''t understand that, she didn''t want to say anymore.


    Right then, the invigilators came, the girl had to turn around.


    One invigilator said, "Please hand in your cell phones and other electronic products. Once we find these things on you later, your exam will be regarded as invalid."


    When he finished talking, many contestants got up, took out their phones, and put them on the teaching desk. Invigilators had prepared special cell phone bags and number plates. When the examinee put the phone into the phone bag, the invigilator would give the examinee a number plate, so as not to go wrong when they came to get their own phone.


    Sophia took her phone with her. She silenced it, went to the podium, and handed it in.


    Then she walked back to her seat. When she passed Charles'' girlfriend, she saw her carefully taking out her phone, hesitated, and put it back in her pocket. She was wearing a thick coat, and her phone was not visible in her pocket.


    Sophia ignored that and didn''t intend to report her. She just walked back and waited for the invigilators to hand out the papers.


    The invigilators collected the phones and said, "The full score for this test is one hundred points. You have one hour to do your paper. There are fifty choice questions, one point each, fifteen fill-in-the-blanks, two points each, and four essay questions, five points each. We have prepared over one hundred sets of test papers, randomly arranged; that is, the test papers you get are basically impossible to be the same. So, don''t think about copying someone else''s, it''s useless."


    That was like what the participants had talked about outside. It could prevent cheating to some extent. Even if a candidate submitted in advance, the answer couldn''t be delivered to the designated person because the test paper was not certain, and the answer was certainly different.


    The scope of examination questions was very wide, and the time was short. Even if the examinee had a mobile phone and used it to search for answers in the examination room, there was no way to deceive the invigilators'' eyes and finish all questions in such a short time.


    Sophia glanced at the test paper over as usual. These were basically entry-level knowledge of various subjects, which were not difficult for her.


    Most were choice questions, which barely needed calculations. If the examinee knew the knowledge, he or she just needed to read the question and write down the answer, and the paper would soon be finished. An hour was more than enough time.


    Sophia finished her test paper in half an hour. Without checking, she stood up, picked up the test paper, and went to the podium and handed it over to the invigilator together with her number plate.


    The invigilator followed the number and found the phone bag. He took out the phone from it and gave it back to her.


    She grabbed her phone, walked back to her seat to pack her things. As she passed Charles'' girlfriend, she saw her looking down at her phone and raising her eyes from time to time to see if the invigilators found her.


    Sophia ignored that. She packed her things and left the examination room. Aunt Mcdowell was waiting for her and Molly in the car. When she saw Sophia coming over, she opened the door and invited her in.


    "How''s it going?" Aunt Mcdowell asked, "Are the questions difficult?"


    "It''s fine," Sophia said.


    Aunt Mcdowell smiled and said, "I almost forgot you''re great, Sophia. There must be no problem. Molly has not come out yet, and I don''t know how she is."


    Sophia knew something about Molly and said, "She''ll be fine. Don''t worry."


    Soon, Molly came back, looked depressed, "I don''t know a lot of them. Alas, Lucas will laugh at me when he knew the result."


    But instead of trying to console her, Aunt Mcdowell laughed, "Sure enough, Molly, you are stupid."


    "She''s definitely my blood aunt," Molly said inside.

 Chapter 151 - 151: Where Was Their Dignity?

    "Look, boss!" Ryan ran into Albert''s office and put a laptop in front of him, like offering him a treasure.


    Albert frowned, "What''s making such a fuss?"


    "You know we''ve sponsored a show, Super Quiz, right? I just checked the list of contestants. Guess whose name I just saw?" He asked with the expectation on his face.


    "Just tell me." Albert looked down at the file. He wasn''t in the mood to play this boring charade with Ryan.


    Ryan was disappointed to see Albert not cooperate, "Forget about it. I don''t think you''ll be interested in something like Sophia attending the Super Quiz¡­"


    "What did you say?" Albert stood up and grabbed the laptop from Ryan. "She signed up?"


    On the computer screen was a list of contestants for the show, but it was just part of it, not the final list. It was too short a time for them to mark all the test papers.


    Pearson Group was one of the sponsors, and the program group sent them a list in advance. Usually, the sponsor would let contestants wear clothing or jewelry of their brand so as to promote the brand, so they had to discuss these things with contestants first.


    Aphrodite, a female fashion brand of Pearson Group, sponsored the program this time, and some contestants would wear clothes of this brand. As for who would wear their clothes and the clothes style, it was up to the company to decide.


    Ryan was not in charge of the business of subsidiary companies. However, recently, the sales performance of Aphrodite was much worse than before, which caused the attention of the group.


    Another female fashion brand, Bertha, also sponsored the Super Quiz. Bertha, a strong competitor of Aphrodite, was a subsidiary company of Patton Group.


    Generally, a show would not have two sponsors of the same type. However, before the two companies negotiated sponsorship, they did not know that the other party was sponsoring the show, and they found different program leaders to talk about sponsorship.


    Later, after exchanging files, the two leaders found that the two brands were of the same type. The program group didn''t want to offend either side. They hoped that one of them could withdraw, and they were willing to compensate for some losses.


    Aphrodite and Bertha, however, were not willing to give in. The two parties argued, but the program team did not dare to force one side to withdraw. In the end, they allowed the two companies to sponsor at the same time.


    Thus, women contestants had become targets for both companies. They both paid great attention to female contestants, especially good-looking ones.


    Ryan always felt that his taste was very good. So, he told the general manager of Aphrodite to forward the materials of the program to him as soon as they were sent. He would select female contestants with the best appearance in the shortest possible time and sign the contract first.


    Then he saw Sophia''s picture at a glance.


    He ran over to Albert the news at once.


    Albert stared at Sophia''s picture on the screen for a while and said, "Is the exam today?"


    Ryan nodded, "Yeah, this afternoon. The examination results have just come out¡­ Well, not all of them. They picked out those with full marks first. We have a source in the program group, and he gives us the information in priority."


    Albert kept his eyes on the computer. "Which brand-sponsored them to show?"


    "It''s Aphrodite. Oh, you don''t even know that." Ryan said with surprise.


    There were too many brands, so his Boss didn''t bother to care about them, did he?


    Albert put down the computer and said, "You go talk to her about brand cooperation tomorrow morning. And, ask the fashion designers in. I''m going to design clothes with them."


    What? Ryan was shocked.


    Since when did his Boss start designing clothes? With his taste¡­ OMG!


    He could hardly imagine what Sophia would be wearing when the show aired.


    He hoped the scene would not be too bad.


    Albert went through several web pages and said, "How can the prize money for the ten-season championship be one hundred thousand dollars? Isn''t that too less? Are talents so worthless now? It''s unfair."


    "So, you mean¡­"


    "Raise the prize." Albert said, "Go talk to the program and raise the prize to five hundred thousand dollars."


    "Yes, sir."


    ***


    Sophia had lunch at Aunt Mcdowell''s. Aunt Mcdowell packed her a guest room. There were few people in this family, and Uncle Mcdowell was out on business this day, so there were many rooms.


    Molly was full, sitting on the couch, looking at her phone. All of a sudden, she called out, "Boss, come here!"


    Sophia had just washed up and came over on hearing Molly''s words.


    She saw the message posted by the official blog of the Super Quiz.


    "Thanks for the sponsorship of @Aphrodite, the top prize of the ten-season championship has increased to five hundred thousand dollars! Love you, Aphrodite!"


    The official blog posted messages in a tone like this? Where was their dignity? Sophia wondered.


    Molly suddenly stretched out and held Sophia, "You can''t forget me when you get rich, boss."


    When she saw the prize money, she really wanted to win the championship. Anyway, she had attended the show. She would do her best. She didn''t have absolute confidence, but what if she did win?


    It was early. Sophia went to Lucas''s room to help him with his homework. It was Friday, and he had weekend homework. There were questions Lucas didn''t know, Sophia offered to help him. Aunt Mcdowell was so kind to her that she wanted to do something for her.


    When Sophia saw Lucas'' homework, she was surprised. Did pupils have so much homework?


    He had homework for three courses, each a lot. At a rough estimate, it would take more than ten hours to finish all these.


    In that case, Lucas would have to write all day.


    She sighed, "It''s not easy to be a pupil."


    Lucas curled his lips, "You only saw my homework. I have a calculation class tomorrow and a piano class the day after tomorrow. You think pupils now are so easy?"


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    Lucas did well in the study. There were only a few questions that he didn''t know. Sophia gave him a hint, and he understood. What a smart kid!


    Suddenly, Molly shouted from the living room, "Boss! Come here."

 Chapter 152 - 152: Are You In A Hurry To See Me?

    Before Sophia had time to get up, Molly had pushed Lucas''s door and rushed into the room. She held up her phone and shouted, "Boss, you''ll be rich!"


    What was wrong?


    Molly handed the phone to Sophia, went around her back and hugged her hard, "Let''s be good friends, rich girl!"


    Sophia ignored her, picked up the phone, and saw a message on it.


    "OMG! I can''t believe it. Our beloved sponsor, @Bertha, decided to give us more support. The prize for the ten-season championship has increased to one million dollars. Hug you, Bertha!"


    Sophia had to admit that she got excited when she saw the news.


    If five hundred thousand dollars attracted her to play hard, the one million dollars would make her make up her mind to win the championship.


    She was on the show to torture Charles, but at this time¡­ She could hardly remember who he was.


    It was getting late, and Sophia went to sleep in the guest room.


    The next day, Sophia was awakened by a scream.


    "Ahhhh..." With the scream, Molly kicked open the door of Sophia''s room. "I can''t stand it. Can you keep me, rich girl?"


    Sophia had a hunch. It couldn''t be¡­


    She grabbed Molly''s phone and saw a message, which was posted early this morning. At that time, she and Molly were sleeping. So, Molly saw it just now.


    "Tonight is bound to be a sleepless night for me. Our Wayward sponsor, @Aphrodite, gives us great benefits again. The prize of the ten-season championship had increased to TWO MILLION dollars. Oh, my little heart. I really want to know the feeling of becoming a millionaire overnight from the champion."


    When Sophia saw the message, she felt a determination to overcome all obstacles.


    ***


    The wayward sponsoring competition between Aphrodite and Bertha had attracted a lot of attention on the Internet so that this season of Super Quiz had become a hot spot before it started.


    Everyone was calling for Bertha''s next move, speculating whether it would raise the price.


    Of course, the biggest beneficiary would be the champion that had not yet been decided, and people speculated about who would be the lucky dog.


    "I am completely subservient to the evil forces of money. I regret not reading more books."


    "Where''s Bertha''s next move? Did it throw in the towel? Don''t do that so soon."


    "I''m betting on Aphrodite. Haven''t you noticed that Pearson Group is the big Boss behind it? That''s a RICH one! And, love you, husband!"


    "I feel Pearson Group is bullying someone, is it? Ha, ha. That''s interesting. Come on, Pearson!"


    "I''ve made up my mind. I''ll wear the winner''s clothes. I''m also wayward."


    Sophia had the habit of turning off her phone when she slept at night because she was afraid of being disturbed, and the radiation was not good for her health. She set the phone to turn off and on automatically, her phone turned off at eleven o''clock every night and turned on at seven o''clock in the morning.


    In the morning, as soon as her phone was turned on, she heard a series of text messages, which rang for a while before stopping.


    Three of the messages were sent from the same unfamiliar number.


    "Hello, Miss Green. I''m from Bertha. I want to talk about cooperation with you. Your phone was off when I called you. Could you please call me back?"


    "Miss Green, please contact us when you see the message."


    "Miss Green, please don''t contact someone claiming to be Aphrodite, which is a scam."


    A dozen other text messages were sent by Ryan, whose number was in Sophia''s phone. The messages showed his name.


    "Miss Green, I''m Ryan. I have something for you. Why''s your phone off?"


    "Contact me as soon as you turn the phone on."


    "By the way, if someone claiming to be Bertha comes to you, just ignore it. It''s a swindler. Seriously, believe me. I''ll never lie to you. Love you!"


    "Please call me soon. I can hardly wait for it."


    "It''s half-past midnight, and I have been waiting for you for over an hour."


    "It''s two o''clock now. I''m still waiting for you."


    "Three o''clock. Still waiting¡­"


    "I won''t sleep tonight, just waiting for you."


    ***


    Sophia was confused. She just slept for a night. What did she miss? The two companies had a sponsorship competition yesterday, sparking heated debate online. Why did they come to her at the same time? Was it anything to do with the Super Quiz?


    Considering that she was familiar with Ryan and they had a good relationship, she called him after she saw the text messages.


    It took awhile for Ryan to get on the phone. His voice sounded excited, "You''re finally on the phone, Miss Green. I just fell asleep ¡­ Where are you? I''ll go to you now."


    "I''m in the airplane now. I haven''t gone back. Are you in a hurry to see me?"


    "Yeah. I messaged you for something. Our company ¡­ the company''s partner is a sponsor of Super Quiz, called Aphrodite. Have you heard of it?"


    "Of course."


    "Here is the thing. Our company has important cooperation with Aphrodite. Yesterday, I saw the list of participants sent by the program group, and your name was on it. So, Aphrodite is going to let you wear their clothes on the show¡­ Of course, you''ll be paid. I''ll deal with this matter. If there''s no problem, let''s sign a simple contract."


    Sophia had understood from his words that the two companies were both sponsors of the Super Quiz and women''s wear brands, so there must be a competition between them. It was normal for women''s wear brands to find female contestants to promote their brands. She was a contestant. The two companies must be looking for her for the same purpose.


    For fear that the other party would take the lead, both companies contacted her for the first time. They just didn''t expect her to turn off the phone and go to bed early. They couldn''t get in touch with her for a moment and had to text her.


    Wearing the clothes of the brand on the show was not a big deal for Sophia. Among the two companies, the head of Aphrodite, Ryan, was her friend, and she would naturally choose Aphrodite.


    Just to be on the safe side, Sophia asked something specific, "what kind of clothes are you going to let me wear?"

 Chapter 153 - 153: Poor Taste Fool

    "It''s probably the new outfit that''s coming out this year." Ryan said, "You can go online to see our brand of clothing and reply to me. Aphrodite clothes are very good. With them on, you''ll be very beautiful, high-end and classy."


    Sophia told him that she couldn''t decide until she had seen the clothes. She knew nothing about Aphrodite. If they asked her to dress sexy clothes, she would not agree.


    After hanging up the phone, she searched the official website of Aphrodite. The latest clothes were on it. It was winter, but the program was usually recorded indoors. With the air conditioner on, there was no need to wear very thick clothes. So, the sponsor might let her wear autumn clothes or even summer clothes.


    She found the summer and autumn clothes, skimmed through them, and found that most were simple and elegant daily styles, which were acceptable.


    Then, she was relieved.


    She gave Ryan a call, "I agree. I''ll contact you when I get back to Lands."


    Ryan laughed, "Great! You''re just my lucky star, Miss Green. Ha, ha, ha¡­ Patton would be pissed off."


    Sophia was surprised, "Patton?"


    "Don''t you know? Bertha is a subsidiary company of Patton Group. Eddie, the head of Patton Group, manages it now. It is the most important company of Patton Group," Ryan said.


    Something occurred to Sophia when she heard the name "Eddie".


    She hadn''t seen him since the last time she met him in the park. Benjamin had said that he was one of the suspects in the lab fire. Sophia didn''t expect him to sponsor the Super Quiz.


    On this show, she might get a chance to meet this guy.


    Soon after she hung up, she received a call from Bertha''s staff, hoping she could wear Bertha on the show.


    Sophia truthfully answered that she had promised Aphrodite and was sorry to refuse them.


    The staff sounded like a young girl. Hearing Sophia''s words, she was worried, "How can you trust Aphrodite? Their clothes are terrible. They are easily worn out. The materials are very bad. They are allergic. And the clothes are ugly, making people look old."


    She was slandering the rival so bluntly. She was really a straightforward girl. Sophia thought


    But she didn''t change her mind. Ryan was a friend to her, and she was sure to help her friend. Ryan worked for Albert. Maybe this cooperation with Aphrodite was important to Albert.


    She had to apologize again and hang up.


    "Brother, Jess said she only got twelve female contestants." Dora walked to Eddie and put a file in front of him, "She also said that it was a pity that she couldn''t win the girl in the best image. She had tried. She called the girl as soon as she saw the list, but the girl''s phone was off. Somehow, the girl contacted Aphrodite first when she turned her phone on. So, we lost her. Jess didn''t dare to meet you, so I''m here."


    Jess was Eddie''s secretary. After smashing the task assigned by her boss, she didn''t dare to meet him and asked Dora, her boss''s sister, to help.


    Eddie threw the file aside with a poker face. "I knew it. I knew she would say yes to Aphrodite because she seems to be Albert''s girlfriend now. Poor taste fool!"


    Dora''s eyes lit up, "Husband''s girlfriend?"


    After saying this, she suddenly realized that she had accidentally uttered her inner thoughts and hurriedly covered her mouth.


    But Eddie heard it. He glanced at her and said, "He''s rich. What''s the big deal? I''m rich, too. He doesn''t look as good as me. What national husband? If his picture is exposed, his wife''s fans will definitely be disappointed."


    Dora couldn''t help saying, "He''s very handsome."


    Eddie stared at her, "You have no taste, either."


    Then, Dora said, "By the way, Jess has just found that she is an excellent student, Sophia of Colin High School, on the Internet. I think she has a great chance to win the championship. If she''s a husband... Mr. Pearson''s girlfriend, then¡­"


    She got excited as she said, "No wonder Mr. Pearson sponsored so much. If Sophia wins the championship, the money will belong to his wife, which made no difference to belong to him. Then, brother, your money¡­"


    She looked at Eddie with some sympathy.


    Eddie smiled. "That''s not necessarily. Maybe the money ¡­will end up in my pocket."


    Dora paused. "You mean... Brother, I don''t want to discourage you, but you don''t have an advantage in fighting for a girl with Mr. Pearson."


    "Who do you support?"


    Dora smiled, "I''m just telling the truth."


    She kept saying, "By the way, mom asked me to tell you something before I came."


    "What?"


    Dora took a step back and pointed at Eddie with an angry face. "You black sheep! How dare you compete with Pearson in money? Why don''t you offer to teach fish to swim? Sooner or later, you''ll ruin our family."


    "Do you need to imitate mom like that?"


    ***


    Sophia and Molly said goodbye to Aunt Mcdowell after breakfast. The driver helped to carry their luggage downstairs. When they got in the car, the driver started the car and drove in the direction of Lands.


    Sophia was sleepy on the boring road. When she was about to fall asleep, she was awakened by a scream from Molly.


    Molly excitedly stuffed the phone into Sophia''s hand and pointed to the screen. "I''ve been chosen! Oh my god, I can''t believe it. I thought I failed the audition."


    Sophia took the phone and saw that the official website had released photos and names of the ninety-six contestants who had been selected for the season. Since it was a TV show, the contestants had agreed that the photos they uploaded when they filled out the registration form were available to the program group.


    Molly was in the back, and Sophia was in the front.


    She looked it up and saw that Charles and his girlfriend were also on the list. She didn''t know the name of Charles'' girlfriend. She recognized her from the photo. Under the photo was her name: Nina Perez.


    At this time, Sophia''s blog blew up.


    Because someone soon recognized Sophia, the contestant in the Super Quiz, as the popular Sophia Green of Colin High School on the blog. After all, there were a lot of people who knew Sophia.. All Colin students knew her, and someone would tell people things about her.

 Chapter 154 - 154: Did You Find Anything?

    Sophia was not surprised. Since she was on a TV show, she was not afraid of being recognized.


    Many people commented on her blog.


    "You''ll definitely win the ten-season championship, Miss Green."


    "Sophia is so beautiful, much more than I thought."


    "Waiting for the two million dollars¡­"


    "If Sophia doesn''t win, there must be something wrong with the show. I can''t wait to watch the Super Quiz. You know, I didn''t bother to watch the previous seasons."


    "I''m looking forward to seeing Sophia take on the stage and defeat other contestants."


    ***


    Of course, there were opposing voices.


    "What makes you think she can win the championship? She''s just good at math and chemistry. The Super Quiz involves various subjects, not just math and chemistry."


    "She just got first place in the high school Olympic Games. She was not so divine. Let''s be rational. There is no age limit to participate in the Super Quiz. Many contestants are college students, graduate students and even doctors. She has not even gone to college. She has no advantage."


    "You flatter her like this. Will it be a shame if she is eliminated in the first game?"


    ***


    Other contestants were obviously ignored by people. Searching "Super Quiz" on the blog, the relevant words would be given, like


    "Super Quiz Sophia"


    "Super Quiz Champion Sophia"


    "Super Quiz ten-season champion is Sophia."


    ***


    Sophia felt that she would fail to live up to the expectations of netizens if she couldn''t win the championship.


    But she didn''t have the confidence. She didn''t know what the winners were after the last nine seasons. She was not invincible. The expectations of netizens put a lot of pressure on her.


    She posted a short message.


    "Thanks for your concern. I''ll try hard."


    After the message was posted, various reviews appeared.


    "You really needn''t work hard, girl. Just have a try. Ha, ha."


    "Try hard? Do you want to survive or not?"


    "Don''t you see that Sophia was just polite? Does a smart girl like her know what ''try-hard'' is?"


    "Please feel free to kill other contestants¡­ Am I too evil?"


    "I sympathize with the contestants who will start against Sophia on the show."


    ***


    On Sunday, Sophia got a call from the program group to officially announce to her that she would be scheduled in the first episode.


    Molly also got a call. She exchanged messages with Sophia and was disappointed to find that she would be in the third episode, not the same as Sophia. So, they couldn''t go together.


    But she was only disappointed for a while and was happy again. "It''s a good thing not to meet you. I don''t want to be defeated by you."


    But Sophia didn''t know who her peers were. The program group just informed her when and where to record the show, without mentioning who her opponents were.


    She was not curious about her opponents but hoped to meet the scumbag Charles and abuse him.


    That night, Sophia got a call from Molly.


    "My relative just found out the news." Molly''s voice sounded worried, "I heard that there''s an inside story in the program. An online celebrity wanted to hype through this show and bribed a staff of the program group, who would leak the questions to her. The person who divulged the news only knew so much and was not clear about the specific operation. If the news is true, it''s so unfair."


    Sophia frowned, "Indeed. If it is a leak, she already knew the answer, which is very unfair to other contestants."


    It made her unhappy. The game would make sense only with the fair in it. Even if the cheater knew the answers, Sophia didn''t think she was sure to win.


    Sophia told Molly that she hoped Molly''s relative could continue to help inquire about the online celebrity. Knowing her move, they would be on guard. She didn''t worry about herself. But if Molly met this person on the show, she would be at a disadvantage.


    With Molly''s strength, she could win one episode if she played well. But if she was up against a cheater, there was no hope for her to win. As a friend of Molly, Sophia hoped to see her in the final of this season.


    After breakfast on Monday morning, Sophia was going to head off to Glinton. She had an appointment with the university that she would start auditing there from this day.


    She was about to leave when she got a call from Molly.


    "Did you find anything?" Sophia asked. She didn''t expect Molly to act so quickly.


    "I don''t need to. You can find everything on the Internet." Molly''s tone was full of grievances. "She came out to boast herself. Do you have to look her up?"


    Sophia took out her phone, got on the blog, and found out everything.


    Three words appeared in the popular search: Super Quiz Ada.


    She didn''t see any topics about this Ada when she searched for information about the Super Quiz yesterday, but this day the name of this girl suddenly appeared on the hot search, which was quite weird.


    Obviously, someone bought a hot search.


    She clicked on the popular search terms and scanned the relevant tweets, and soon found out the identity of this Ada.


    Ada was an online celebrity, relying on the large-scale live webcast to attract the attention of some fans. But she had not been popular, had about seventy or eighty hundred fans, and many of them were fake fans.


    She was at the top of this season''s Super Quiz list, ahead of Sophia.


    The order of the names was based on the audition results. Since her name was ahead of Sophia, Sophia guessed that she also got full marks. And her initials preceded Sophia''s, so her name was in front.


    However, it didn''t benefit her. Once the list came out, everyone focused on Sophia. She took all the hot searches. No one noticed the contestant named Ada at all.


    Since eleven-thirty last night, all of a sudden, a lot of blog marketing accounts started to post messages about Ada.


    "The first beauty in the tenth season of the Super Quiz, Ada, owns both beauty and wisdom."


    "Entering the tenth season of the Super Quiz with full marks, Ada, the beautiful anchor, is about to meet you in the new season of Super Quiz. It seems that beautiful girls are not necessarily shallow."


    "There are a lot of beauties, but beautiful high achievers are not common.. Looking forward to seeing Ada''s performance in the Super Quiz."

 Chapter 155 - 155: Ill Always Back You Up

    The messages were accompanied by pictures of Ada, each of which was sexy. Ada was pretty, but Sophia thought her face was popular.


    She checked the comments.


    Some spoke highly of her, like


    "Ada beauty is so good. I have also attended the audition. So HARD! It''s not easy to win first place."


    "Ha, ha. Male contestants might faint for Ada."


    "Gorgeous!"


    But most were like this,


    "Who''s she? I never heard of her. Why is she on the hot search? Plastic surgery face."


    "I can''t remember this face. Don''t hype here, plastic surgery face. Don''t you feel embarrassed?"


    "Isn''t its Athena who owned both beauty and wisdom?"


    "Showing off here? You force me to publish your pre-plastic surgery photos, do you? Okay¡­" A photo was attached to the message.


    "The first beauty is my beloved Sophia. Don''t buy hot search, artificial face. The tone of the marketing numbers was so awkward."


    "You''re so high-profile? Aren''t you afraid of being humiliated? Calling for @Sophia Green of Colin High School."


    ***


    Sophia didn''t get it.


    What did it matter to her? Why was she always mentioned?


    "It pissed me off. Where did this Sophia come from?" Ada grabbed a cup from the table and smashed it on the ground, pieces of glass burst everywhere.


    The agent was startled and said, "This is out of my expectation. I don''t know what company is helping her hype. The means are more ruthless than us. If it weren''t for her, the Super Quiz in this season would definitely make you famous."


    Ada grabbed an ashtray. "Bang." She threw it on the floor. But the ashtray was of good quality and did not break.


    She was even angrier, "Shameless attention-seeker! She is so good at the hype that she must have bribed the staff in the program group and got the questions, right? How do I compete? I can''t remember the answers to so many questions. What if she remembers better than me?"


    The agent comforted her at once, "No. Mr. Fox, who was in charge of setting questions, said that he would only sell the questions to us and not to others. The questions were charged by him alone. No one else could get them."


    Ada calmed down a little bit, "Really? If that Sophia had offered a higher price, wouldn''t he have sold it to her?"


    "I don''t think so." The agent said, "I knew this man. He''s afraid we''ll tell. He didn''t dare do that."


    Ada sat back on the sofa. "I''m just not happy. You said that after getting some popularity from this show, I could begin to develop in the entertainment industry. But now I''m covered by her. How can I accumulate popularity? This Sophia¡­ Does she want to enter the entertainment industry, too? Well, does she have the ability?"


    The agent smiled and said," Not everyone can develop in the entertainment industry. Girls should have a beautiful appearance and¡­ social skills like Miss Ada. Sophia is just a schoolgirl. She can''t make it. Don''t worry, leave it to me. In a few days, you''ll be completely in the limelight."


    ***


    Sophia didn''t have time to concern the comments on the Internet. And, she didn''t care about them. At first, she attended the show to fight against the scum Charles. But then, she was tempted by the prize of two million dollars.


    She didn''t care what people think of her.


    She took a bus to Glinton. She was familiar with the campus and found Professor Normand''s office herself.


    She knocked on the door. "Come in, please." She heard the voice of Professor Normand.


    Then she opened the door and went into the office.


    "Nice to meet you, Professor Normand. I''m Sophia."


    Professor Normand looked up, looked her over, and said, "I heard you are number one in the Chemistry Olympiad. Are you really a liberal arts student?"


    Sophia nodded. "Yes. I don''t like physics, so I can only choose liberal arts."


    Professor Normand was silent for a moment and said, "You haven''t officially enrolled yet. I have a curriculum for all the majors in the Institute of Chemistry. You can choose some interesting classes to have."


    As he spoke, he took a folder from his drawer, "All classes are here. Check it yourself."


    Sophia took over the folder and saw pieces of curricula. There were more than a dozen majors in the Department of Chemistry, and there were four grades in each major. These curricula were a thick tart.


    Among these, there were graduate and doctor curriculums, as if the undergraduate courses were not enough for Sophia.


    She took the folder and thanked Professor Normand.


    "If there''s something you don''t know, just come to me. If I''m not here, just go to the lab building," said Professor Normand.


    Sophia didn''t say much and left the office. She flipped through the curriculum and happened to see the course she liked. She found the classroom according to the curriculum, sat quietly in the last row, and listened to the teacher.


    After class, Sophia got up and was about to leave. As soon as she got out of the classroom, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    She turned around and saw Nina coming to her in a rage. "You are really haunted. You come here to chase Charles. You''re shameless."


    Then, Sophia noticed that Nina and Charles were also in the classroom. She had been absorbed in the lesson and didn''t notice them at all.


    Charles looked at them from a distance, unspoken and haughty, as if he enjoyed seeing women fighting for him.


    Sophia frowned and was amazed at the couple.


    She said coldly, "I''m not a fly."


    Then, she turned to go.


    "What?" Nina didn''t understand.


    ***


    Sophia doubted how Nina entered Glinton with such intelligence.


    But soon, her doubt was gone, because she saw another person.


    "Miss Green!" Hammer ran towards her from a distance. "Great. You''ve made it to Glinton."


    Sophia hadn''t seen Hammer for a while. It was only then that she remembered that he was also in Glinton.


    Soon, Hammer got to Sophia. He looked quite happy. "I saw you on the Internet. You are amazing, girl. I gave you a thumbs up. Did you see that?"


    "No."


    Her message could have tens of thousands of likes. How could she see Hammer? And she didn''t know Hammer''s account.


    Hammer was not sad at all. "It''s okay. I''ll always back you up. By the way, you should follow me."


    "All right."

 Chapter 156 - 156: Am I So Famous?

    Recently, classmates around her all asked her to follow them. She was used to that.


    She took out the phone and followed Hammer.


    Hammer got excited, "You really follow me? Then I must be an important person to you. Ha-ha."


    He took a look at Sophia''s phone and got a little grumpy. "You followed¡­ more than two hundred people?"


    "Yeah."


    Hammer thought about it and asked, "Is the man who picked you up the other day among these people?"


    "No."


    Hammer cheered up at once. "Really? That''s good. I''m at least more important than him."


    "By the way, why are you here?" Hammer asked, "You shouldn''t officially enter school until the next summer, right?"


    Sophia briefly explained that she was here to audit. Hammer then said, "I see... Would you like to audit our physics classes? Then we can have a class together. It''s boring to take the class alone."


    "I prefer not."


    She didn''t want to study physics. She had no interest in it at all.


    It was lunchtime. Hammer said, "Now you are in Glinton. As the host, I should treat you to lunch, right? What do you want to eat? I know all the restaurants around here. How about hot pot? It''s warm to eat hot pot in such cold weather."


    Sophia shook her head, "No, thanks. I''ll eat in the canteen."


    Her home was a little far from Glinton University. And there was a course in the after that she was interested. The Winter lunch break was relatively short. She came with money and intended to apply for a card in the school cafeteria. Thus, she could eat here when she wasn''t going home.


    Hammer just wanted her to come out to lunch with him, by the way, to show his generosity and impress her. But after a long time of persuasion, Sophia still refused, he had to accompany her to the cafeteria.


    Glinton cafeteria used a card called One-Card that could be used everywhere in the school.


    The student card was usually needed to apply for One-Card. Technically, Sophia was not a student of Glinton, so she just showed her pass. According to the system of the canteen, the pass was also available. Much temporary staff used such a pass.


    Hammer didn''t have One-Card. He never ate in the cafeteria. Except for classes, he was basically not at school. He didn''t take his student ID card, nor did he remember his student ID number, so he couldn''t apply for One-Card.


    Sophia was generous and said to him, "Don''t worry. I will treat you."


    Hammer felt embarrassed. He was going to treat Sophia in a fancy restaurant. Why did it become Sophia would treat him in the cafeteria?


    Sophia topped up her card by two hundred dollars. With the card, she took the tray and lined up at the buffet window. School time was just over, and there were many students, everyone had to queue up.


    Hammer had to take the tray and line up behind her. The line was long. He waited for a while and was impatient. But in front of Sophia, he didn''t want to appear unqualified, so he had to wait patiently.


    After a while, it was Sophia''s turn. She ordered two dishes and a portion of rice. Considering that Hammer didn''t have a card, she stood by waiting for Hammer to finish ordering and paid for him with the card.


    Hammer randomly ordered two dishes, took the tray to seats in a gloomy mood.


    The canteen was almost full, so it was difficult to find vacant seats. There were three canteens in Glinton University. This one was closest to the teaching building, so the students here were the most.


    While looking for seats, Sophia heard a few girls whispering.


    "Is that Hammer? How come he eats here?"


    "There''s a girl beside him¡­ He changed his girlfriend again?"


    "That girl looks familiar¡­ Pretty, but not the type dated with Hammer before. He loves sexy girls, does he?"


    Hammer also heard the talk and looked awkward. He hurriedly explained, "Don''t listen to them. I just¡­ have several female friends. People don''t know me and gossip that they are my girlfriends. I don''t have girlfriends, not even one."


    Sophia smiled, "You seem to be quite famous at school. Is it because you have many girlfriends?"


    Hammer was anxious, "No! I have no girlfriend. I''m famous because... my dad is the principal."


    It surprised Sophia. Indeed, the President of Glinton University shared the same surname with Hammer, Lewis. She knew Principal Lewis well in her last life. He was a modest and kind man with a gentle temper, and he was kind to her.


    But his son? He was a spoiled kid who showed off and drove drunk. She could hardly believe that Principal Lewis was Hammer''s father.


    She couldn''t help saying, "Why aren''t you like your father?"


    Hammer smiled, "You''ve seen my father?"


    "¡­ on television", Sophia said. She had just come to Glinton and had no chance to meet Principal Lewis.


    "I didn''t grow up with my dad. My parents divorced a long time ago. I lived with my mom."


    "I see."


    Perhaps it was because he had no father around, and his mother doted on him so much that he developed such a wayward and exaggerated character.


    Hammer sighed, "Actually, being the president''s son is really stressful. Everyone in school knows me. Many girls come to me to get more marks or something¡­ But it isn''t that easy. My father is a stubborn person. Last time, for the accident¡­ I got a demerit and was criticized on campus. It''s really a shame!"


    Sophia had to say, Principal Lewis was selfless, especially to his son.


    Just then, a girl''s voice came from a distance, "Hammer, come and sit here. Here''s a seat."


    Sophia looked over and saw a girl waving at Hammer with a smile. Seeing Sophia looking at her, the girl also gave a smile to Sophia.


    Hammer''s face changed. He grabbed Sophia, "Let''s go."


    However, Sophia walked straight to the girl and said, "There is a seat. Why don''t we take it? Thanks, Miss."


    The girl smiled and said, "You''re welcome. Are you Hammer''s girlfriend?"


    "No!" Sophia denied it at once. "I don''t know him."


    The face of Hammer, who was followed by, suddenly darkened.


    She didn''t know him?!


    "Nice to meet you. I''m Elma." The girl said, "You''re Sophia, are you?"


    Sophia smiled, "Am I so famous?"


    She thought Elma might see her on the blog.. But she didn''t expect that news on the blog could spread so fast.

 Chapter 157 - 157: He Helped Me

    The Super Quiz had not started yet, and people recognized her.


    Elma said with a smile, "My dad''s always talking about you. He sighed with emotion if only I were as good as you. I read news about you on the Internet the other day. Then I thought it''s a good thing that you''re not in our physics department. Otherwise, how do you expect us to survive?"


    "Your dad?" Sophia paused and then thought of something, "You mean Professor Thompson?"


    The only person who knew her in physics was Professor Thompson, who had been a good friend of Professor Wilson. Last time, he went to Colin to thank her for Professor Wilson. And he helped with her pass.


    Elma showed an exaggerated expression. "You''re so good. I haven''t even said anything, and you knew who my dad was."


    "I happened to have met Professor Thompson before. He is a nice person, and he helped me. I have been trying to thank him." Sophia said.


    Hammer felt embarrassed there. His childhood sweetheart and the girl he was pursuing talked in a jovial mood since they met, completely regarded him as the air.


    Nobody was gonna talk to him. It was not scientific.


    Hammer tried to show his existence, "Well, Sophia, you treat me this time. I have to treat you next time."


    Sophia casually said, "I don''t think you have the one-card."


    "I mean¡­ How about eating outside after school this afternoon?"


    "That''s fine. Come with us, Elma. Okay?"


    "Okay."


    Hammer didn''t want to treat Elma. How could he chase a girl with her around? Did she know it''s immoral to be a third wheel?


    Elma picked up a piece of beef for Sophia. "You know, the most delicious food in this cafeteria is the braised beef. Try it. It''s in window number ten. Remember to have some next time."


    "Yeah. Thanks. Hum¡­ Yummy! I''ll order this next time."


    After a while, Elma finished eating first. Hammer was delighted to see her tray empty and thought the troublesome Elma was finally leaving.


    Elma suddenly said, "Do you want to go to the supermarket, Sophia?"


    Sophia had something to buy and said, "Then let''s go together."


    Hammer just found the food was harder and harder to swallow.


    Sophia finished her meal a little later and got up to take her tray to the recycling counter. Elma also got up.


    Hammer did not want to eat. Seeing that they were leaving, he also stood up.


    Elma frowned, "Why are you left with so much food? What a waste! I''m going to tell Principal Lewis later."


    Hammer was upset and was about to refute when Sophia said, "It''s not good to waste food, and you should not be picky about food... It''s good for you to eat more vegetables."


    Hammer looked at the vegetables, the food he hated most, in the tray, and had to sit down and continue to eat.


    Elma smiled and said, "I told you. You won''t grow tall if you don''t have balanced nutrition. If you eat more vegetables, you must be taller than you are now."


    Hammer''s face looked worse. Actually, he was not short and even taller than most boys. Thinking of the tall and strong "rival," he was unhappy.


    Tall... Was that so important?


    Sophia and Elma went over to the recycling center with the trays and heard a voice sneer, "You''re good enough to hook up with the principal''s son so fast."


    Sophia knew who the person was without turning around.


    She was upset. Was this Nina a fool? Why did she always go against her?


    Elma frowned, "Who are you? You''re so rude."


    Nina put the two trays in the recycling area and looked at Sophia, "Now that you''re with Hammer, you should not come to Charles. I''ll talk to him. Although Hammer is not as good as Charles, he is matched with you. As long as you don''t come to Charles, I will ignore you."


    Sophia was speechless about her complacency. Did she think of Charles as a prince that every girl would fight for him?


    That man was a piece of garbage, and only Nina thought he was attracted to every girl. Sophia was angry but felt sorry for this girl and couldn''t hate her.


    She was about to leave when Elma looked angry, said, "Who do you think you are? Why do you look down on Hammer? What''s wrong with him?"


    Nina was confused, "Who are you? I talk about Hammer, what''s that with you?"


    Elma and Nina quarreled. Sophia looked at them in surprise.


    Sophia had to tell Nina honestly, "Miss Perez, I have nothing to do with Charles. I know I have told you that I was his girlfriend, but don''t take it seriously. And I''m not your rival. I''m so poor that Charles will not be interested in me."


    Nina was paused, then she nodded and said, "That''s true. You''re so poor¡­ he won''t love you. He likes rich girls."


    Both Sophia and Elma were shocked by her words.


    What was wrong with the girl? She knew Charles loved her money, but she still loved him. Was that so?


    The first time Sophia met Nina, she thought the poor girl was deceived by the scumbag so that she said she was Charles'' ex-girlfriend to let her see Charles as he really was. However, she didn''t expect that Nina was such a weirdo.


    Then she thought Nina was really matched with Charles.


    Nina left satisfied. Sophia noticed Charles waiting not far away. Apparently, he had seen everything, but he didn''t come forward to say a word.


    When Nina walked far, Elma said, "This girl is unbelievable. I have seen her on our school website. She seemed to get on the Super Quiz with Charles."


    Sophia didn''t continue this topic but suddenly asked her, "Do you like Hammer?"


    Elma stayed a little, blushed, and shook her head at once. "No. I¡­ I have known him for a long time. You know, I grew up with him. Don''t get me wrong. I... I''m definitely not going to fight for him with you."


    "You don''t get me wrong. I don''t know, Hammer."


    Elma exulted, "Really? You''re not his girlfriend?"


    Sophia shook her head. "Of course not. I haven''t met him many times."


    Elma smiled and said, "That makes sense. You''re so good. How could you fall in love with Hammer? He''s ugly and bad-tempered."


    She didn''t allow people to say bad things about Hammer, but she talked about him.

 Chapter 158 - 158: I Cant Afford To Hire You

    After shopping in the supermarket, Elma required that they should follow each other''s blogs and exchange their phone numbers and Instagram accounts. She was completely regarded as Sophia as a good friend.


    Sophia had followed many people recently, as many as three hundred. When she checked her blog, she noticed that the number of her followers had increased to more than four million.


    Elma was looking at her phone when she said, "Look, Sophia! Someone is slandering you."


    Sophia picked up her phone, input her name, and searched. Sure enough, several tweets were attacking her. They slandered that she hyped, directed her fans to attack others, and bribed examiners to falsify her scores. Besides, a marketing account said that she had plastic surgery and sold sex for getting popular, which seemed quite reasonable as if these things were true.


    These marking numbers tweeted malicious slanders at the same time. Obviously, someone arranged these.


    Elma said angrily, "What are these? Did you offend anyone, Sophia? I have to defend you."


    She picked up her phone and started posting comments.


    Sophia noticed that these messages were posted just a few minutes ago, and there weren''t many comments. A lot of her fans defended her, but still, others who didn''t know the truth were skeptical.


    "Sophia didn''t do that. It''s slander. Don''t believe that."


    "Really? She had plastic surgery. I thought she was beautiful, but I didn''t expect her face was fake."


    "She is in high school, and she sells sex so early? That''s crazy. She''s so cute. She didn''t look like that."


    "slander. Sue them, Sophia! I have taken all the screenshots for you. Rubbish marketing accounts! You''ll go to jail."


    "Is there any basis? The evidence in the article is all hearsay. Who did you hear from? Dare to stand out?"


    ***


    Sophia was annoyed. Obviously, those were slanders. She thought she should do something. It was not the first time she had been vilified. If she didn''t do anything, it was like she was a punchbag.


    She opened one with the most comments and wanted to refute.


    But then a prompt appeared on the screen: The message was deleted.


    Deleted!?


    Sophia clicked "Back" and searched her name again but was shocked to find that the articles were gone.


    And the marketing numbers posted the same message.


    "Here we apologize for the untrue remarks about @ Sophia Green of Colin High School. We are deeply sorry."


    "I apologize to Sophia. I''m sorry. I take back the words I said before. I''m sorry I misbelieved some people with ulterior motives. I will permanently top this message as an apology."


    ***


    Elma was stunned, "Why are they all deleted? And a collective apology? What happened? It''s only been a couple of minutes, and they''ve got it all figured out? Sure enough, a good conscience is a soft pillow..."


    Sophia thought about it and said, "Maybe it was done by the program group. These are rumors. They have the right to require publishers to remove these articles. These comments will damage the image of the show."


    It was just that¡­ they acted so quickly. Sophia thought the program team was really good that they could make all marketing numbers delete articles and apologize in a few minutes.


    Just now, Ada saw the articles and was happily scolded by Sophia in the comment section. After posting a few comments, she found that all articles were deleted.


    She got angry and called the agent, "What happened? These marketing numbers took our money, right? They just delete the articles and apologize in minutes? Is this a joke?"


    The agent was sweating, "Just stop. We offended the wrong people. The marketing numbers are killing me."


    Ada was confused, "What''s wrong? What''s behind her?"


    "How could I know? I just know that these marketing numbers are closed, and some even give up hundreds of billions of followers."


    Ada was stunned, "How did this happen? Her background¡­ So, I can''t win the championship this time, can I?"


    The agent sighed, "What championship? You should be grateful that they didn''t come to you. Just stop messing about."


    Ada frowned, "Anyway, Mr. Fox will help us. No matter what, I have to get the championship. I have to go to Mr. Well. He must have another way."


    Sophia had one class in the afternoon and went back by bus. After all, she was not interested in all the courses. She was familiar with most of them, and would only go to some new courses.


    And she changed the bus to Jasmine''s house. Chubby was one month old. She decided to take him home. She couldn''t bother Jasmine all the time.


    She had already made an appointment with Jasmine to come to pick up Chubby this day. When she arrived, Jasmine was waiting for her, and Albert was also there.


    Albert was playing with Chubby. When he saw Sophia, he sighed, "If you take Chubby back, I''ll lose my job. How about hiring me? I''m good at bathing dogs."


    Sophia laughed, "I can''t afford to hire you. Don''t you have a company to run?"


    Albert said, "Speaking of company¡­ You know, my company is cooperating with Aphrodite. Ryan asked me to bring the contract to you."


    He went to his car and got a document. "Here is the contract from Aphrodite. Please have a look."


    Sophia had never signed a similar contract. But since it was from Albert, she felt there must be no problem and signed her name.


    "Don''t you take a closer look?" Albert asked, "What if there''s a trap?"


    Sophia bent down and picked up Chubby, "No. I trust you."


    Albert felt that he was like flying. He smiled and said, "Yeah. Don''t worry. I¡­ I will have Aphrodite dress you the most beautiful clothes."


    Sophia stroked Chubby''s head. "Speaking of Aphrodite... Marketing numbers are attacking me this noon. Did they help delete them? Is it because I would wear their clothes on the show, and they are afraid of affecting the image of the company?"


    Albert sighed, "I thought so, but then I asked the person in charge of Aphrodite, and they said they were going to do it, but someone did it first."


    Sophia stayed and asked in surprise, "Who? The program group?"


    Albert shook his head. "No. I don''t know who it is. The person doesn''t want to be identified."


    He told the truth.. Ever since Sophia took part in the show, Ryan had asked staff to keep an eye on the Internet for fear that someone would attack her.

 Chapter 159 - 159: Welcome To Aphrodite

    This noon, the staff came to report that someone was slandering Sophia online.


    Ryan had no time to report. He immediately called the blog company and asked them to make those marketing accounts delete the articles and then to close these accounts.


    The company replied that someone had informed them, and they were handling it. Ryan felt strange and asked who the person was, but they would not tell him.


    "That is somebody, not someone we can offend. He doesn''t want us to reveal his identity," the director had to tell him. "Don''t force me. What he did wasn''t a bad thing, was it?"


    Ryan had to give up.


    Although what the unknown man did was good for Sophia, Albert was always a little upset.


    How could anyone be faster than him? And most importantly... That guy was probably into Sophia.


    It was enough to make him extremely uncomfortable.


    "Thank you for taking care of Chubby these days, Jasmine," Sophia said. "Chubby is one month old and doesn''t need the mother dog to take care of him anymore. I''ll take him back today."


    Jasmine smiled, "Yeah. But even Chubby won''t be here; you can visit me often. I''m bored at home alone."


    "Yeah. I''ll visit you when I''m available."


    After saying goodbye to Jasmine, Sophia was going home with Chubby in his arms. Albert came by car, so he offered to send her.


    When Sophia got into the car, her phone rang. She took out her phone and answered the phone when she saw it was Molly.


    "Bad news, Sophia!" Molly''s voice was filled with anxiety. "I saw Ada tweeting that she was going to show up in the third episode... I''m in the third episode, too. What should I do?"


    "Don''t worry. Let''s figure out a way to get the evidence of Ada bribing before the show starts. Maybe she''ll be disqualified."


    "It''s not easy to find evidence. It was done in private, and the staff my father knew overheard it by accident. He had to work at the TV station. Certainly, he didn''t dare to testify," said Molly.


    Sophia frowned slightly, and then she had an idea. "You can ask the program if two contestants can have an exchange. I will exchange with you."


    Molly got excited, "Really? It may work. After all, the program hasn''t started yet. I''ll ask my dad to consult with the chief director. But¡­ Can you get the better of her? She has the answers."


    "I''ll be fine. Don''t worry. You just go to the program group."


    Molly thanked her again and then hung up.


    Albert overheard Sophia, and when she finished, he said, "Is it about that online celebrity? Did she buy the answers? I''ll go to Aphrodite and see if they can find everything out."


    "No, thanks. I''ll be fine."


    Albert smiled, "Okay. I don''t think that an online celebrity can compete with you even if she had answers."


    He had never watched the Super Quiz before. When he heard that Sophia was about to be on the show, he specially watched one season. To increase the interest of the show, the way to answer the question was diverse. Contestants themselves chose many topics, and sometimes the questions were randomly selected. Thus, hundreds of questions should be prepared for one episode.


    Among these questions, there were choices, questions, and answers, and some digit arithmetic. Even if that online celebrity got the answers, she had to spend a lot of time memorizing them all.


    Albert had planned to remove her at any time if she upset Sophia. To deal with a small Internet celebrity who was not popular, he didn''t have to do it himself.


    But since Sophia wanted to have fun, he didn''t want to ruin her interest.


    He would just let her have enough fun.


    When they were near the pedestrian street, Albert suddenly remembered something. He smiled and said, "By the way, I heard from Ryan that Aphrodite is on sale. Do you want to buy clothes?"


    Sophia shook her head and said, "No. Aphrodite is too expensive. I can''t afford one even if it''s fifty percent off."


    One Aphrodite summer dress was more than one hundred dollars. It was winter, and one winter coat was about hundreds of dollars. She could afford that but didn''t want to spend so much money on such expensive clothes.


    She did not have much demand for the brand, nor did she pursue a famous brand. As long as the clothes were simple and of good quality, she never cared what brand they were.


    "I heard they had a store celebration today. All clothes are¡­ ten percent off."


    Sophia was shocked, "Ten percent off?"


    That was cheaper than some small, unknown brands. It must be a good deal.


    "Okay. Let''s go," said Sophia.


    It was almost noon, and it was not a workday, so there were not many people on the pedestrian street. Albert asked Sophia to get off first, and then he drove to the parking lot.


    In the car, he called Ryan, "Ask Aphrodite stores to give a ten percent discount. I''m going to take Sophia to buy clothes."


    Ryan was surprised, "Ten percent discount? We''ll have a big loss. People will rush into the store to buy clothes. It''s a small thing to lose money, but with so many people there, you won''t buy any clothes, right?"


    "You figure it out."


    "Yeah."


    Albert got off, walked to Sophia, and said, "Let''s go."


    There were not many people in the Aphrodite store. As soon as the shopping guide saw Sophia and Albert, she immediately came out and said, "Welcome to Aphrodite!"


    The shopping guide enthusiastically led Sophia to choose clothes. Albert followed and looked around. Although it was his shop, he had never been here yet.


    Aphrodite was trendy and stylish. The company spent a lot of money on design every year. But to Albert, these clothes were¡­ not beautiful, super ugly.


    He didn''t understand why the clothes of Aphrodite were so popular. He regretted bringing Sophia here.


    The shopping guide had been informed that this was definitely somebody. Although she didn''t know who he was, she had to offer him good service.


    She warmly recommended a dress to Sophia, "Please try this on, Miss. It''s very beautiful, light, and warm, perfect for you."


    Albert pointed at one in the corner. "I think that one looks good. Sophia, try it on."


    The shopping guide looked in the direction he pointed and felt speechless.


    It was a long grey coat from last year. It was on sale but had not been sold out. Even the shopping guide dislikes it.


    But Albert said it looked good?

 Chapter 160 - 160: Who Told You I Had A Girlfriend?

    Sophia had known Albert''s taste for clothes. He always wore strange clothes. So, she didn''t expect him to improve his taste at once.


    She euphemized, "I''d prefer white color."


    Albert asked the shopping guide, "Do you have that in white?"


    The shopping guide took a look at Sophia. As an experienced shopping guide, she could tell the rejection of Sophia''s eyes.


    "I''m afraid not, sir." She said at once.


    Sophia relieved and smiled at her as thank.


    The shopping guide smiled and nodded. She wanted to thumb up for her wit. They did have a white one, but it was uglier. She didn''t want it to demean the store, so she didn''t hang it.


    Anyway, no one would buy it.


    Who knew the designer was thinking about while designing it? Revenge on society?


    If it hadn''t been for the store manager''s requirement, she would have wanted to put the gray one away. Apart from taking up space, it lowered the overall aesthetic of Aphrodite.


    Sophia took over the long white coat recommended by the shopping guide, took off her long coat, and put it on with the help of the guide. This long coat was a slim-fitting style, which showed a good figure curve. It was a coat, but very light and did not appear bloated.


    The guide praised, "You look great in this dress. It''s so beautiful."


    Albert shrugged. His eyes still fixed on that gray coat. He didn''t think the one on Sophia looked good... She looked great in it, though. But that was only because she was good-looking and it had nothing to do with the coat.


    That seemed to be the reason for the decline in the sales of Aphrodite.


    The shopping guide recommended another short pink coat for Sophia. Sophia tried it on, and it was beautiful. She had to say, and the shopping guide had a good eye.


    After trying on the clothes, Sophia put on her own clothes and went to check out with the two coats.


    The cashier lady said with a smile, "We are having a store celebration. You need to get a discount coupon on Aphrodite''s official blog... Do you have any discount coupons, Miss?"


    Sophia stayed for a moment and realized that she needed a discount coupon to get a discount. She had wondered how a big brand like Aphrodite could have a ten percent off. Even for old clothes, the best discount was fifty percent.


    Albert came up and said, "I do."


    He handed over his phone, which displayed a two-dimensional code on the screen. The cashier took the phone, scanned it, and gave it back to Albert.


    "It is a ten percent discount coupon for two pieces of clothes. The original price of the two pieces of clothes is two thousand dollars, two hundred dollars has been deducted and after the discount, it is now one thousand eight hundred dollars," said the cashier.


    Sophia took out the card and checked out. When she tried on the clothes, she found that the clothes of Aphrodite were of very good quality and comfortable to wear. The two coats would cost two hundred dollars in a regular store. It was a real bargain.


    "How can you have a discount coupon?" Sophia asked.


    Albert said, "Aphrodite had a lucky draw on the blog for the store celebration. Everyone can have a try. My company is cooperating with Aphrodite, so they sent me one coupon. Neither Ryan nor I have a girlfriend. We don''t need it. So, I thought you might need it."


    Sophia wondered, "You don''t have a girlfriend?"


    She always thought Albert had a girlfriend.


    "No. Of course not. Who told you I had a girlfriend?"


    "I guessed it¡­ from your appearance."


    Albert didn''t understand it.


    Was it his fault to be handsome? Did she have any misunderstandings about handsome people? Couldn''t handsome people be single?


    They walked out of the store, and the shopping guide came out to send them and then returned to the store.


    The store manager had been watching out for them till they left for fear something might go wrong. Seeing the two left, she was finally relieved. She looked at Sophia''s back and exclaimed, "What a lucky girl! For her, the unidentified handsome guy made Aphrodite give a ten percent discount and gave out hundreds of ten percent discount coupons on the blog."


    The shopping guide said, "But the girl didn''t seem to know that. I''m really worried about the handsome guy. If someone did this to me, I''d marry him right now."


    The Manager laughed, "We''re not so lucky. Do you know who that girl is? I know her, the online celebrity, Sophia. People all say that she is the best student. She''s amazing."


    The shopping guide''s eye suddenly lit up, "Manager, do you think that handsome guy is our big boss? I think he''s the only one who can be so self-indulgent."


    The Manager clapped her hands and said, "That''s possible. We only heard about him, but no one knew what he looked like. Maybe that''s him. But¡­ how could he be so handsome? I always thought he''s not good-looking."


    The guide''s eyes moved to the strange gray long coat in the corner and said, "Manager, I have always wanted to ask you, why this coat must be hung out? It''s ugly. No one will buy it. It just takes up space here."


    The store manager looked at the coat with disgust in her eyes. She sighed and said, "I can''t do anything about it. This coat was designed by a lady of Pearsons. Managers of Aphrodite didn''t dare to offend her. So, her clothes will never be withdrawn until they are sold out."


    The shopping guide felt that that day would never come.


    ***


    When Sophia got back to the car, Chubby was sleeping in the cardboard box. She sat quietly without disturbing him.


    Albert drove her downstairs before returning. He wanted to invite Sophia to dinner before sending her back, but it was early, wasn''t time for dinner, he could not think of an excuse and had to give up.


    "By the way," Albert said before leaving, "I bought a new house, and it''s due in a few days. I''ll move there then. How about visiting my new house?"


    "Yeah. We are about to move. You can also visit our new house then."


    Sophia got upstairs with Chubby in her arms.. Chubby woke up and stayed quietly in the carton.

 Chapter 161 - 161: His Intelligence Stunned Her

    When she got home, Mitch probably smelled something and rushed out at once. Sophia put Chubby down, and he just climbed out of the box and ran to play with Mitch.


    Watson had been very busy. It seemed to be a new season, and he often went abroad to compete. Then Mitch had been fostered at Sophia''s.


    Sophia remembered that she had not posted any pictures of Mitch and Chubby in a long time. Their fans must be eager to see them.


    She switched her blog account to "Knowing A Person." Sure enough, she saw a lot of wailing and begging for updates.


    "How''s Grandpa going? I miss you so much."


    "We miss Grandpa, KAP. Give us something about him. Otherwise, we''ll be concerned about his safety."


    "Chubby must be one month old. Show us a picture of him, okay?"


    Sophia took out her phone and took a photo of Mitch and Chubby, and then she took several separate photos of them. There were nine photos in total. She posted them on her blog.


    "Chubby is one month old. Mitch happens to be here. They get along well, definitely safe. Don''t worry."


    Actually, she had not logged on the account for days. She thought her fan base would shrink, but it grew. It was more than seven million followers. With over three million followers in the account of Sophia Green of Colin High School, her followers were more than a billion.


    Soon after it was posted, there were a lot of comments. Sophia took a look and found that the review had gone awry.


    "Chubby looks strange."


    "What a funny face. I don''t know what to say."


    "I want to laugh when I see Chubby''s face. Ha, haha¡­"


    "The husky-local combination is so genetically powerful that it''s hard to tell what it looks like."


    ***


    Sophia didn''t feel anything at first, but after reading the reviews, she carefully looked at Chubby and found that he did have a funny face.


    Husky usually looked stupid. While the local pastoral dog was widely used to guard the house, so the dog always tried to show the "I''m a killer" look. As the combination of the two, Chubby gave people the feeling that "I am a super fierce fool."


    On closer inspection, she felt that Chubby didn''t even walk right. His small body swayed from side to side, which seemed silliness.


    She could not help worry about Chubby''s intelligence.


    ***


    Later, Kate came back with good news.


    Their new house in Green Community was delivered in advance. The suite was promised to be decorated when they signed the contract. Before, it was said that the house would be delivered one month later. But the decoration worker was highly efficient and completed in advance.


    "The materials they applied are all-natural," Kate said. "I went to see it this afternoon. It''s very beautiful and has no odor. I have opened windows to air the house for a few days. Let''s move this Saturday."


    She went to work on a workday and rested on Saturdays and Sundays. They were not in a hurry to move, so she would not ask for leave to move.


    Sophia was looking forward to the new house. The Green Community had a good environment, and all kinds of facilities were well appointed. If they moved there, it would be more convenient to walk Chubby and Mitch.


    Since Chubby''s photos were released, Mitch had been left out on the Internet. Comments were about demanding for Chubby''s photos, and few mentioned Grandpa.


    Sophia had to take more photos of Chubby and post them on her blog to meet the expectation of netizens.


    Mitch had no idea that his status had been replaced. His position at home had not declined. Chubby respected Grandpa very much and was very docile that he always let Grandpa eat first, and he ate the rest.


    Sophia was worried that with Chubby''s intelligence, he couldn''t learn some basic skills, like not urinating or defecating in the room. But soon, she found her fears superfluous.


    She never taught Chubby, but he knew going outside to relieve himself and never done that in the room once. Sophia guessed that it was Mitch who taught him.


    Compared with Mitch, Chubby was much easier. He was never picky about food and was willing to eat any food. Sophia put a piece of bread on the dog plate, Mitch sniffed it and walked away, but Chubby went over and ate it in one bite.


    Sophia tried to teach Chubby a few simple commands, such as sitting down, lying down, shaking hands, and so on.


    She thought she had to teach many times, but to her surprise, Chubby remembered all only after one lesson, and he well executed the instructions.


    His intelligence stunned her.


    So did the netizens.


    "Just one lesson? He learned fast."


    "That can''t be possible. Can a dog be so smart? And he is the offspring of the husky."


    "This dog is a celestial being, just like Grandpa."


    "I can only say that dogs are like their owners. Smart owner, smart dogs."


    "Speaking of intelligence, I''m wondering who is cleverer, KAP, or the popular smart-ass Sophia?"


    "I''m also curious about that. If they have a competition, Sophia will definitely be the winner. KAP''s IQ is like a bottomless pit. No one knows how deep it is."


    ***


    Sophia was speechless. She just posted a picture of Chubby lying down on her command. How did the comments come to this, comparing KAP''s intelligence with that of Sophia?


    She was not going to explain anything. The account, Knowing A Person, was not identified, and she could say whatever she wanted on it. While "Sophia Green of Colin High School" was identified, she had to think over every word she was posting. She didn''t want people to know KAP was Sophia. Otherwise, she would be so uncomfortable.


    Later, there was a dispute in the comments.


    The reason was that followers of "Sophia Green of Colin High School" saw followers of "Knowing A Person," propagating that KAP was the number one super scholar and got upset at once.


    "KAP''s IQ is comparable with Sophia''s? Are you kidding me? If she''s so good, why didn''t she attend the Olympics and get two first places?"


    "She beat Watson in chess.. That makes her the number one super scholar? Then the international champions of chess and gobang are all number one super scholars.

 Chapter 162 - 162: What Does This Matter To You?

    When was the value of the best super scholar so low? Everyone is a super scholar? Ha, ha¡­"


    "The blog authority should certify Sophia as the number one super scholar."


    In response, the fans of "Knowing A Person" responded without mercy.


    "Come on. I think Sophia''s IQ is not as good as Grandpa and Chubby."


    "Sophia? Who''s she? Ha, ha¡­"


    "Horrible, stupid fans! We never commented on Sophia''s blog. We just talk on our own turf. Do you have to be so serious? I just think KAP is the number one super scholar. What does this matter to you?"


    ***


    Sudoku ace Amelia, who had always had a grudge with KAP, also spoke up, "KAP is the best at hype. I think that Sophia is also a hype, but obviously, KAP is better than her."


    When she said this, the two groups of fans stopped arguing and went to scold Amelia on her blog.


    "Shameless! What is it to you? Don''t come to show your existence."


    "Either is smarter than you, understand?"


    "You hype. You just know sudoku. Who you think you are?"


    Fans on both sides were very powerful; Amelia did not have many true fans to defend her. Within a few hours, Amelia''s blog was fallen.


    Amelia was very angry and posted a message, "The online water army is too much. Can you make your water army not embroil others?"


    After posting, she set the blog so that people could not comment.


    Followers couldn''t comment and had to go back to "Sophia Green of Colin High School" and "Knowing A Person" to continue to scold Amelia.


    "It''s the first time I know I''m the water army."


    "Do you believe it? I, the ''water army,'' can scold Amelia for ten years."


    "KAP, the number one water army is here to report."


    "Don''t worry, Sophia. Our online water army will support you."


    ***


    Molly, who knew the truth, was so ecstatic that she called Sophia and said, "Sophia, the followers of your two accounts are in a catfight. Don''t you explain? I don''t know how they would feel if they knew the two accounts were of the same owner."


    Sophia shook her head, "I''d better not. Anyway, they will forget about it in a couple of days."


    Netizens usually did not remember well. When an event passed the expiration period, it would soon be replaced by new events. Basically, no one mentioned it.


    "By the way, I''ll be on the show next Monday. Can you go with me? I''ll be nervous on the stage alone¡­ I''ll feel better if you are there."


    Sophia had no arrangement next Monday, so she agreed. Molly said she would pick up Sophia then. Sophia thought she was moving and told her the address of the new house.


    Later, Kevin called, "Sis, Louie is going to take the art exam in Plain next Monday. He wants me to go with him. I''m here to tell you."


    Sophia was surprised, "You go to Plain, too? Is the art exam so early?"


    "Every school is different. This is the earliest one. Louie says he wants to have a try if there''s no time conflict," said Kevin. "Do you go to the Plain, too? To attend the Super Quiz?"


    "I just accompany Molly. My show is in two weeks," said Sophia.


    This time, Molly would still be sent there by her family driver. Sophia thought it would be easier for them to go together by car. Molly''s car could accommodate five people. With the driver, there happen to be five people.


    She called Molly to ask for her advice. Molly agreed without thinking. She thought the trip would be livelier if they went together. Also, she invited Louie and Kevin to stay at her aunt''s house. Anyway, Aunt McDowell''s house was huge, and the family was small.


    Sophia planned to talk about the lodging when they got there. She felt embarrassed to trouble Aunt Mcdowell so much.


    ***


    Kate and Sophia started packing on Friday night. Kate bought cartons for moving in advance. They stuffed all the things in the cartons, packed them, and put them in the living room.


    On Saturday morning, people from the moving company came. Several workers went upstairs and got the furniture into the truck first. Kate got on the truck with them and sent the furniture to the new house.


    While Sophia was still packing at home, Kevin, Louie, Molly, and girls of the Sister Alliance came to help. Sophia wasn''t going to ask them for help, and she never mentioned the move with them. She only told Molly, but she didn''t expect that Molly told them.


    "Everyone has missed you since you left. Many schoolmates wanted to help," Molly said. "I didn''t let them come. It''ll be a mess."


    Melissa gave her a contemptuous look, "So, we Sister Alliance should thank you?"


    Molly nodded seriously, "Of course. If I hadn''t told you, you wouldn''t have known Boss was moving today."


    "Boss!" Melissa was quite unhappy. "Why did you just tell Molly and not us? Aren''t we, your sisters?"


    Sophia was packing. She said without looking up, "I was not going to tell anyone. It''s not a big deal. I didn''t want to bother you. I will go to the Plain with Molly tomorrow. I told her for fear that she can''t find my new house."


    Melissa knew Molly was going on the show because Molly had told the class. But she didn''t know Sophia would go with Molly. She couldn''t help but say, "You''re going, too? Then I have to go with you."


    Sophia shook her head and said, "You can''t go. You have classes.


    "It''s just one day. It doesn''t matter." Melissa waved her hand, "I''m going on Monday; that''s it."


    After she said that, Mariah and Carol said that they wanted to go to watch the programming.


    Sophia winked at Molly and signaled to her to stop them. A few members of the Sister Alliance were not doing well in the study. The time was tense. They should not delay their lessons for the program.


    Molly understood, coughed, and said, "Here is the thing. I only got three tickets and I had given them to Sophia, my aunt and my cousin. So, none left. Even if you go, you can''t get in."


    Melissa laughed, "Don''t worry. My dad sponsored the Super Quiz. I can get as many tickets as I want."


    Both Sophia and Molly were speechless.


    They forgot that Melissa was rich.

 Chapter 163 - 163: What Are You Doing Here?

    Sophia was helpless. It seemed that she could not stop the Sister Alliance from going to Plain to watch the show. She could only let it be.


    Many people came to help, so things were soon packed. Shortly after, Kate and the movers came back. Kate directed the movers to carry the cartons to the truck.


    They had to give up lots of things, so some old items were left in the old house. In a few months, the building would be torn down. When they left, Kate left the door unlocked to facilitate the construction.


    The new house had not been cleaned. Sophia asked them to go back and said that she would invite them to eat at home when they finished packing. Then she came to the new house on the truck.


    It was the first time Sophia came to the new house, which was about one hundred and thirty square meters. There were three rooms and two living rooms, very spacious. The decoration was simple, but it looked good. By contrast, the old furniture she brought in seemed a little out of harmony.


    Kate planned to move the old furniture into another house after it was delivered. Then it would be easier for tenants to use. Otherwise, an empty house would not be easy to rent out.


    It was just that the house would be delivered in a year. The old building had to be demolished. They could only place the furniture here and use it.


    The moving company had helped them place the furniture neatly, but they had to arrange some items in the carton by themselves.


    Sophia and Kate were tired after packing for a long time. They sat on the sofa to have a rest and planned to clean up the room later. Sophia opened a carton, took out two bottles of soda from it, and handed Kate one.


    It was probably a bit rough on the road, and as soon as the soda was opened, it gushed and spilled on the ground.


    Sophia got up and tried to mop the floor. Then she remembered that the mop had been thrown away because it was too old.


    Sophia said, "It''s troublesome to go to the supermarket. I''ll borrow a mop from our neighbor. We can buy what we want later. "


    She came to the door of the neighbor and rang the bell.


    Usually, people did not open the door casually, and they had to acknowledge the identity of the stranger first. After all, it was not a peaceful world, and there were many bad people.


    However, when Sophia rang the door, it was opened in ten seconds.


    The face showed from the back of the door surprised Sophia.


    It was from Albert.


    Did he live here?


    "Surprise!" Albert smiled. "We are neighbors now."


    Sophia was too stunned to speak. After a while, she remembered that Albert was there when she and her mother were selecting the apartment. He knew which one they had chosen.


    "You said you bought a new house¡­ I didn''t expect you to buy it here." Sophia said, "It seems that you are doing well in business."


    Albert nodded, "Yeah. I''m¡­ cooperating with the big brand Aphrodite. Their boss is handsome and generous. I made a lot recently."


    Sophia wondered the necessity to stress the "handsome" of their boss.


    After a while, Albert remembered to invite Sophia in.


    Sophia didn''t refuse. She changed her slippers at the door and went in. The decoration here was the same as her house. She thought the developer decorated all houses the same. It was just that his furniture was new and it went well with the decoration, and the whole room gave people a very warm feeling.


    "It''s beautiful," Sophia said. "By the way, why did you buy the apartment here?"


    "I saw you buy an apartment here. I felt it would be more convenient to live near the one you knew, so I chose here."


    Sophia also thought it was good to have someone you knew lived nearby; they could take care of each other.


    She continued to ask, "Why do you suddenly want to buy a house?"


    Albert smiled, "This is my wedding house. You know, I''m old enough to think about getting married."


    Sophia felt so. He was twenty-four years old. "That''s right. But¡­ you don''t have a girlfriend, do you?"


    "With a house, a girlfriend is on the way," Albert said.


    Sophia took it as it was easier to have a girlfriend when he had a house. After all, girls are looking for a boyfriend with a house and car. It was a helpless fact. After all, without a house, the marriage life would be very hard.


    Albert had a car, it was not fancy, but it was a car. Now there was a house, which was in line with the modern standard for girls to find a boyfriend.


    But she figured that with the appearance of Albert, there would be plenty of girls wailing to marry him even if he had no house or car. He hadn''t had a girlfriend yet, was it because of¡­ his taste?


    With her knowledge of Albert''s strange taste, she felt the girlfriend he was looking for... was probably a strange person.


    "Oh, I come to borrow a mop." Sophia remembered her purpose here, "I''ve just moved in, I haven''t packed up, and I haven''t bought some things yet."


    Albert got up and got a mop from the bathroom. It was new and unused.


    Sophia reached for the mop, but Albert didn''t hand it to her. "I''ll go with you. I want to visit Mrs. Green. I haven''t seen her for a long time. I miss her."


    Since Kate was Albert''s teacher and lived next door, Albert should visit her. Sophia agreed.


    Albert left the door unlocked and came to Sophia''s house with the mop. The house had not been cleaned up, and slippers were not ready, so they went in with their shoes on.


    Kate looked exactly like Sophia when she saw Albert. "What are you doing here?"


    Albert repeated to Kate what he had just explained to Sophia, "Please let me know if you need anything, Mrs. Green. I live next door and can help at any time."


    He picked up the mop and briskly cleaned the floor where it was soiled by soda.. He used to do the work as an assistant in the laboratory and was very skilled.

 Chapter 164 - 164: Free Of Charge

    Kate smiled, "You''re so diligent, Pearson. There are not many boys who can work as well as you nowadays."


    Albert smiled, "I''m flattered... I have nothing to do right now anyway. I''ll help you clean up."


    Sophia didn''t want to bother him and wanted to say no, but Kate had spoken, "Well, thanks. I''ll go shopping when I pack up and treat you to dinner tonight."


    Albert kept nodding, "That''s great. I''m worried about dinner now. Then I can have a taste of your cooking."


    Kate smiled, "My cooking is so-so. I hope you like it."


    Sophia was packing in silence, and there was no room for her to interrupt when the two were talking.


    Kate asked, "What do you do, Mr. Pearson?"


    Albert helped unpack the cartons and said, "I do business, all kinds of business."


    Kate asked again, "Did you earn your house?"


    Albert nodded, "Yeah."


    Kate praised him, "Most young people depend on their parents to buy a house. You''re quite capable, Mr. Pearson."


    Albert smiled, "I will be proud if you continue to praise me. Well, you haven''t changed a bit these years, Mrs. Green. When I saw you, I thought I was in middle school."


    Kate was very happy. "You are so sweet. I''m old now. Look at the wrinkles¡­"


    ***


    By the time they finished packing, it was dark. Albert offered to drive them to the supermarket, Kate agreed.


    Sophia thought that after spending the afternoon together, Kate had taken Albert as her blood son... With Albert there, she was left entirely out.


    There were many things they needed to buy. Kate had made lists in advance. Each of the three pushed a shopping cart and took a page of the list, which would be more efficient.


    Sophia shuttled back and forth between the shelves according to the items on the list. It wasn''t long before everything on the list was in her shopping cart.


    Then, Sophia went to Kate with the shopping cart. On the way, she met Albert, who was talking to a salesgirl and looked embarrassed.


    Sophia went over and heard the sales girl''s voice, "Does your girlfriend use it?"


    Albert said, "Yes."


    The salesgirl said, "Didn''t you ask her what type she liked? Some people are allergic to mesh sanitary napkins. How about I get you a cotton sanitary napkin?"


    "Yeah."


    "For daily use or night use?"


    "I don''t know."


    Sophia was a little embarrassed. It seemed that Kate mistakenly gave Albert the list of women''s items, so he came to the section. Each page of Kate''s shopping lists contains various types of stuff. She might give the page to Albert by accident.


    She left the shopping cart, walked to Albert, and said, "I''ll choose."


    The sales girl''s eyes lit up, "Your girlfriend comes. Great! I told you she should choose things like this herself. Miss, what kind would you like, mesh or cotton, thick or thin, daily use or night use?"


    Sophia ignored the word "girlfriend" and said, "Daily use, cotton, thin."


    She spoke quickly. With Albert beside her, she felt a little awkward.


    The salesgirl gave her a bag of sanitary napkins and introduced it to her, "This is a new one. It''s very comfortable, and the price is very affordable¡­"


    Sophia grabbed it and shoved it into the cart. She didn''t want the salesgirl to sell her feminine products in front of Albert.


    Seeing Sophia buy it at once, the salesgirl thought it was her chance to sell and immediately picked up another one. "You can try this one. It''s a good deal. You can hoard it..."


    Sophia shook his head and pushed the cart. Buying these in front of Albert was embarrassing enough, hoarding it...


    The salesgirl didn''t give up and pulled Albert, "Sir, would you like to buy some for your girlfriend? It is very good."


    Sophia turned back, grabbed Albert, and sped away from the women''s section.


    Kate had her shopping done and got together with Sophia and Albert. Then they checked if anything was missing. When they made sure everything was there, they came to the cashier.


    As they left the cash register, Albert pointed to the front and said, "There seems to be a lucky draw!"


    "Forget it," Sophia said, without looking. "The odds of winning a prize are very low. If you''re lucky, you get a packet of tissues."


    But Kate said, "It says customers consuming twenty dollars here can take part in the lottery. We spend three hundred dollars here. What if we win? It''s better to have a packet of tissues than nothing."


    She looked at Albert. "Pearson, take the receipt, try it out. Let''s see your luck."


    Albert took the shopping receipt and lined up at the lottery. The way to draw was very simple. The customer drew a card from the box and could see the prize by scratching off the coating.


    There were lots of people, but after a while, it was Albert''s turn. Albert drew a card, came back, and gave it to Kate.


    Kate scratched off the coating. She didn''t think she would win any prize. If it weren''t for free, she wouldn''t have let Albert draw.


    But as soon as the coating was scraped off, she was stunned.


    "It''s¡­ the second prize," said Kate. "What''s the second prize? Laundry detergent? Toilet paper?"


    She glanced up at the lottery note and was excited.


    According to the lottery note, there was one first prize, and it was a washing machine, worth about three hundred dollars; there were five second-prize, it was ¡­ free of charge.


    In other words, everything she bought was free of charge.


    She bought a lot of things, which cost more than three hundred dollars, worth more than the washing machine. There was a washing machine at home, so Kate didn''t need one. For her, the second prize was much better than the first prize.


    At this time, another customer also got the second prize. "Why did I buy so little? What a waste! I would have bought more if I had known."


    Kate was excited, "You''re so lucky, Pearson. You save me more than three hundred dollars. Wait for me, and I''m going to cash the prize.. I''ll make you something delicious when we get back."

 Chapter 165 - 165: You’re Like My Mother

    With the shopping receipt and the lottery ticket, she went to the reception desk to cash the prize.


    Sophia always felt that there was something weird about Albert. Every time she was with him, there seemed to be something out of the ordinary with him.


    Last time, she bought clothes at Aphrodite with him and saved a lot of money because of him. When she got back, she searched Aphrodite''s official blog. Aphrodite did have a discount. But it was a platform draw. Only those who won the prize could get a discount. However, the activity started after she bought clothes, which meant that he got the discount coupon in advance.


    Albert explained that he cooperated with Aphrodite, so he could get one.


    Sophia didn''t doubt anything at the time, but¡­ When something like this happened again, she felt it was too coincidental.


    If these were not coincidences but arranged by Albert, then his abilities were terrible.


    She looked at Albert, who was happily pushing the shopping cart and seemed silly.


    This man¡­ didn''t look like a capable person at all. She had known him for two years. He didn''t look like a great character at all. Besides, if he was so capable, how could he work as an assistant for her?


    She thought that she must have thought too much and that Albert was just a very lucky person.


    Soon, Kate came back from the front desk. The supermarket returned all the money she had just spent on her bank account. It saved her over three hundred dollars at once, so she was in a very good mood.


    The trio left the supermarket, but what they had bought in Albert''s car and drove home.


    Albert helped carry things upstairs. Kate simply packed up what they had just bought. Then she put on the apron and went into the kitchen to cook. Sophia didn''t follow in. Still, she was afraid to see flames.


    Albert tried to help, but Kate refused. He had done a lot for them. Kate couldn''t ask him to help with the cooking.


    Sophia, sitting on the sofa looking at her cell phone, noticed that many netizens posted Chubby''s emojis on her account "Knowing A Person."


    Chubby had a funny face. Netizens edited his pictures. With some words, these pictures became emojis, like


    "I''m fierce" "I stare at you. You!" "I feel so aggrieved," and so on.


    These words seemed inexplicably coordinated with Chubby''s pictures. Sophia admired the imagination of netizens.


    She turned and saw Chubby sleeping in the corner of the living room. She had not prepared a kennel for him, so he had to lie on the ground first. She didn''t know where Mitch was, and he did not stay with Chubby.


    Sophia took a photo of Chubby and posted it on her blog.


    Then she saw a private letter from someone she had followed. She only followed the official blog of the International Chess Contest and Chubby. The official blog of the International Chess Contest basically would not email her. Without thinking, she knew it was from Chubby.


    She checked the email. It was from him.


    "I saw the picture. Chubby looks very energetic."


    Sophia replied to him at once.


    "Yeah. He''s fine. Thank you and Jasmine."


    "And?"


    "What?"


    Sophia couldn''t remember who else to thank for a moment.


    "You should also thank the handsome dog worker."


    Sophia turned her head and looked at Albert, who was playing with his phone. Albert seemed to sense her gaze. He glanced up at her and then looked down at his phone.


    "Mr. Pearson asked me to thank you. Do you know what I mean? You are both Mr. Pearson."


    "I''m more handsome than him," said Albert.


    "The same Pearson?"


    Albert glanced at her and sighed. "Forget it. But since we are so familiar with each other, is it too strange for you to call me Mr. Pearson all the time?"


    Sophia felt he had a point. She thought about it and said, "Then what should I call you? Pear? No. Pearson? Is that rude? You''re older than me¡­"


    "You don''t need to stress that all the time. I like being called Pearson."


    Sophia used to call him Pearson, so she said, "Fine. Pearson."


    When Albert heard the word "Pearson" from Sophia, he trembled in his heart. After a moment, he said, "I won''t call you Miss Green. I call you¡­ Sophia. I heard Mrs. Green call you that."


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah."


    It was just a name. She didn''t care about it.


    She looked down at her phone. There was no reply from Chubby.


    Then, Kate prepared the meal and greeted Sophia and Albert for dinner. She made three dishes and one soup. They were refreshing and straightforward.


    Albert hurried to serve the meal and said, "Mrs. Green, please let me help with the cook next time. I can''t cook yet. I want to learn."


    Kate smiled and said, "Yeah. You''re a good boy. Sophia doesn''t like cooking. She won''t even go into the kitchen."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll cook when I learn cooking," said Albert.


    Sophia wondered if he was going to stay at her house to eat every day.


    After dinner, Albert took out a key and gave it to Kate before leaving. "Mrs. Green, I''m forgetful. Please keep the key for me in case I can''t enter when I forget the key," he said.


    Kate took over the key. "All right. Come here if you forget to take the key."


    "You just moved in," Albert said. "If you need anything, just go to my house to get it. If I''m not at home, you can get in with the key without telling me."


    Kate laughed, "I can''t do that."


    Albert said, "Don''t be polite. I have always adored you. In my heart, you''re like my mother."


    Kate laughed, "You''re so adorable. Okay, I''ll move your stuff to my house someday."


    Albert laughed, "I''ll help you."


    Sophia was confused.


    He took Kate as his mother. Really? If things went on like this, would she have a brother?


    Did Kate think of Albert as a son because her son was missing?


    But¡­ Sophia''s missing brother was not as old as Albert.

 Chapter 166 - 166: Super Quiz

    Early on Monday morning, Molly''s car stopped in front of Sophia''s house. Molly had to be on the show this afternoon, and she needed to arrive in Plain before two o''clock.


    The security of the Green Community was higher than that of the neighborhood Sophia used to live. Although the community was new, the guard could recognize almost all the vehicles in the neighborhood. Seeing that the license plate number of Molly''s car was unfamiliar, the guard stopped it.


    Only when Sophia called him, he allowed Molly in.


    Molly had picked up Kevin and Louie on the way. They got upstairs together to visit Sophia''s new house.


    Sophia had wanted to invite her friends to dinner at home, but she had been cleaning up for the past two days and had not finished yet.


    Shortly after, Melissa arrived with Carol and Mariah. Melissa''s driver would drive them to Plain.


    The house was full of laughter early in the morning. Kate had known they were coming and prepared breakfast in advance. It was just that there were not enough chairs for so many people.


    Melissa took a piece of bread and ate on the couch in the living room. While eating, she commented on the renovation, "The floor is the same as mine. Is it bought abroad?"


    Kate knew Melissa was rich. "It was sent by the developer when we bought the apartment," She laughed. "It can''t be the same as yours. These floors just look the same. Since it was a giveaway, it can''t be good stuff."


    "Oh." Melissa looked down carefully at the floor and whispered, "They look the same¡­"


    Time was tight. After a brief breakfast, they got on the bus and set off. The two cars left the community together and drove to Plain.


    Sophia hadn''t been with Kevin like this for a long time. She used to see him every day at Colin. But when she left Colin, she had fewer opportunities to meet Kevin.


    "Sis, I''ll go to Glinton," Kevin said. "Then I can be in the same school as you. You study chemistry, I''ll also study chemistry."


    Sophia smiled, "You can choose whichever subject you like. You don''t need to think about me. It''s hard to concentrate on studying if you don''t like it."


    Louie and Molly didn''t talk during the trip. One of them had to take the art exam, and the other had to be on the show. Both of them were nervous at the moment. So, they could not chat as easily as Sophia and Kevin.


    When they arrived at aunt Mcdowell''s house, it was about the same time as the last time. Sophia didn''t want to bother her anymore, but Molly had called her and told her about it. When aunt Mcdowell learned about it, she called Sophia and told her to take them to her house.


    Sophia tried to say no, but aunt Mcdowell insisted so much that she had to agree.


    Aunt Mcdowell had good preparation this time. She had had Mrs. Miller cook enough food. Her house was a duplex building with two floors, so there was a large space. In the dining room, there was a large round table for more than a dozen people, which could seat all these people.


    After lunch, Molly had the driver to take Louie and Kevin to Lake University for the art exam. The other people went to Lake TV Station in aunt Mcdowell''s and Melissa''s car.


    Lucas asked for leave to cheer for her sister. In addition to Sophia, five people would cheer for Molly.


    Instead, it put a little more stress on Molly. Her face was pale. She sipped her lips. Obviously, she was nervous.


    Aunt Mcdowell saw Molly''s nervousness and comforted her, "Just try your best, Molly. You don''t have to be stressed. Anyway, even if you win today, you''ll lose to Sophia. Right?"


    Molly had long felt that this was not her aunt.


    The car stopped in the parking lot of the TV station. They got out of the car and entered the studio with the tickets they had got in advance.


    Molly went into the contestant''s dressing room alone, styled by a makeup artist in the program group, and then changed into the sponsored clothes.


    Her appearance was one of the best among the Super Quiz female contestants. After the list of contestants was released, Bertha and Aphrodite also competed with her. Later, she heard Sophia signed the contract with Aphrodite, so she chose Aphrodite.


    There were Aphrodite''s latest clothes in the dressing room. The dresser helped Molly choose a suitable set of clothes for her. Molly was satisfied with the taste of the dresser and had no objection.


    ***


    When they entered, they found their seats according to their ticket number and sat down. Since the tickets of Sophia, aunt Mcdowell, and Lucas were getting from the program group by Molly, so their seats were together. While the three members of the Sister Alliance were far away from them, it was difficult for them to change seats, so they could only stay there.


    Super Quiz has been very popular online recently. Also, celebrities were invited to every show. It was difficult to get a ticket. The stadium was always full. By the time Sophia arrived, most seats were occupied. It was an hour before the official recording of the show.


    While waiting, Sophia noticed someone she knew.


    It was Nina.


    She sat in the front row, not far from Sophia. Sophia didn''t notice her until she stood up and spoke loudly to her companion, saying, "Charles."


    Charles was not by her side. A girl, probably her classmate, accompanied her. That meant Charles should be backstage, getting ready for the game.


    Sophia thought it was a pity. She was supposed to take part in the show. Sharing the stage with Charles, she could abuse him to vent her anger. But since she had changed with Molly, she could only watch as an audience.


    She hoped Molly could perform well and beat Charles.


    After waiting a while, the show finally began to be recorded.


    The lights flashed on the stage. A powerful male voice sounded, "Welcome to Super Quiz. Our host, Clarence, everyone."


    Then the lights on the stage concentrated on a gate in the middle, which opened slowly, and a handsome young man walked out. He held the microphone and said with a smile, "Hello, everyone. Welcome to Super Quiz. I am your host, Clarence. Welcome.. Thank you."

 Chapter 167 - 167: Do You Feel Better?

    Clarence started hosting the Super Quiz from last season. Because of his handsome appearance and humor, he had won the support of many fans. Sophia had seen this person on a segment of video before.


    When Clarence finished speaking, he bowed down to thank the audience, who then applauded him. After that, Clarence picked up the microphone and said, "This is the first episode of the tenth season of Super Quiz. It''s not easy to get here. Here I want to thank you all for your support."


    After a lot of opening remarks, he said, "Actually, when the director asked me to host the show this time, I tried to refuse. Why? Because on this stage, I always felt that I am stupid. Fortunately, I''m not alone. Now let''s have our honored guest, the diva, Nicole."


    The door behind him opened again, and a pretty girl slowly came out. There was a round of applause, and a lot of people started screaming.


    Sophia didn''t follow stars, so she didn''t know Nicole. However, besides her, aunt Mcdowell and Lucas couldn''t help standing up and screaming.


    Lucas was very excited. He held Sophia''s hands and shouted, "You know, she played Mary. I have to ask Molly to get her signature."


    "Mary?" Sophia asked.


    Hearing her asking, Lucas was surprised, "You don''t know that? Allure, the TV series, airs every night. The king loves Mary. Mary loves the count. While the queen was the first love of the count, and she loves the general¡­ Now the count is kind of into Mary because she is good at dance. Mary will end up with the count, I bet. Because the count is the most handsome one."


    Sophia sighed.


    The pupils did know a lot.


    Clarence and Nicole had some interactions. They made some witty remarks to enliven the atmosphere. Then Nicole sat on the guest.


    After that, Clarence showed a look of helplessness. "Well, who is going to crush my IQ today? Let''s have the eight contestants today. Give them a round of applause."


    The audience thundered, the music sounded, and the lights were focused on the gate. As the door opened, eight contestants walked out in turn and waved to the audience.


    Molly was the second one to come out. She looked kind of nervous. Lucas shouted, "Come on, sister!"


    The one after her was Charles.


    His appearance was quite good among the male contestants. Otherwise, the previous Sophia would not be so infatuated with him. When he came out, many female audiences applauded.


    Nina was very excited. She shouted to the one next to her, "My boyfriend! He''s my boyfriend."


    When the contestants sat on their seats, Clarence came over and asked them to introduce themselves one by one.


    Contestant number one was a young man. He cleared his throat and said, "Hello, everyone. I''m Gary, a graduate student at Lucien University, and this is my second year."


    He didn''t talk much. After a brief introduction to himself, he stopped talking.


    Clarence walked up to him, smiled, and said, "What a coincidence! I graduated from Lucien University, too. Nice to meet you, brother."


    Gary laughed, "So, guide me, please."


    Clarence also laughed, "Sorry, I don''t know the way."


    The audience burst into laughter at once.


    Contestant number two was Molly. She had already come down. She stood up and said, "Hi, I''m Molly. I''m studying at Colin High School. This is my third year."


    Clarence asked her, "Molly is the youngest contestant at this stage. Are you nervous?"


    "Yeah," Molly answered.


    Clarence smiled, "Don''t worry. Just relax. Colin is a good school. They have many excellent graduates every year. I wonder if there are any of your seniors here."


    As soon as he finished, Charles raised his hand. "I also graduated from Colin."


    Clarence said, "What a coincidence! Look, your upperclassman is here with you. Do you feel better?"


    Molly glanced at Charles, "Not at all."


    There was another burst of laughter from the audience.


    Clarence laughed, "Molly is kidding. It seems like she''s not nervous anymore. Okay, let''s come to contestant number three."


    Charles said, "Hello, everybody. I''m Charles. I''m from Glinton."


    Clarence did some more interaction and then asked the following contestants to introduce themselves in turn. After interacting with each contestant, the game officially began.


    There were four rounds, and two contestants would be out each round. The winner would be in the fourth round.


    The first round was about the required questions. The right answer meant one point, while the wrong answer meant no score. In the end, the two with the least points would be eliminated.


    The questions were simple; for example, the first one was "What are Shakespeare''s four tragedies?" It was easy to answer.


    Of course, the questions were not only about literature but about all subjects. The second question was about physics. A picture showed on the screen. The contestant had to tell the law of physics according to the picture. While the third question was about the common sense of life, like, what can be done to reduce mosquito bites?


    After twenty questions, Molly scored fifteen points, ranking second.


    Charles got the first place with seventeen points.


    The two lowest-scoring players scored ten and eleven points, respectively, and were eliminated in this round.


    From the second round, every player got the right to ask for help. Each had three chances. There were three ways. One was to ask for help from a live audience, and one was to call a friend for help, the last one was to choose "trust the majority" and let the audience vote for the answer. Of course, the last one only applied to multiple-choice questions.


    In the second round, players answered questions in turn. Still, the right answer meant one point, and the wrong answer meant no score. But if the player gave a wrong answer, he or she could not continue to answer the next question.


    The questions became more difficult, and some players began to ask for help. There were three ways, but for most players, there was no help.


    The first way was to ask for help from the audience. But the contestant could not designate someone. Instead, the contestant should throw a small ball into the audience; whoever got it would answer the question. It was random. It was difficult to hit the designated person.. In the game, one contestant threw the ball to a pupil, who was more confused than he was.

 Chapter 168 - 168: I Choose The First Way

    The second way was to call a friend. But the contestants only got fifteen seconds. As soon as the contestant finished talking the question, the time was up, and there was no time to listen to the answer.


    The third way was more like a joke. "Trust the majority" meant that the contestant had to follow the audience''s choice no matter whichever they chose. One contestant applied this way, but the audience chose the wrong answer. It was no better than choosing by himself.


    After the second round, Molly was still second. The gap with Charles was not big. But she couldn''t catch up with him.


    Two contestants were eliminated in this round. Then the game entered the third round: a quick response.


    In this round, the right answer meant getting one point, while the wrong answer meant losing one point. It was challenging. After two contestants were out, only Molly and Charles left.


    As the decisive fourth round was about to begin, it was getting tense.


    To ease the atmosphere, Clarence interacted with Nicole.


    "Nicole, if you''re a contestant, in which round do you think you will be out?" Asked Clarence.


    Nicole laughed, "The first round. Because I only know the answers to five questions, I had learned these things, but I forgot."


    "I''m better than you. I can answer seven questions."


    "Well, so what? You''ll be out anyway."


    There was another burst of laughter from the audience, which eased a little.


    The game had to go on.


    The fourth round was "Rob Your Score."


    The regulation was that the player chose a question with a score. If the player gave the right answer, the score would be deducted from the opponent and added to the player. Rather, if the player gave the wrong answer, the player would lose the score, which would be added to his or her opponent. Each player had three questions. When they finished answering them all, the one with a higher score would be the winner.


    It was the most exciting part of the Super Quiz.


    Molly had thirty-seven points, and Charles had thirty-nine points. The difference was so small that Molly could catch up with Charles with one question.


    According to the rules, Molly, who scored low, could choose questions first.


    The questions with points from one to five. Correspondingly, the higher the score, the more difficult the question.


    Molly hesitated and chose a question with four points. She was at a disadvantage, and if she chose a question with a low score, she would not be able to catch up.


    Clarence exclaimed, "A question with four points! You are so brave, Molly. Now lets'' see the first question is¡­"


    The question tested the player''s visual acuity. Two identical videos played on the screen. The player had to find out the differences between them.


    It was like finding the differences between two pictures. Since they were dynamic videos and only played once, it was far more difficult than pictures.


    Molly watched the video once and found no difference. The question said that there were three differences, but she found not even one. It played too quickly.


    This question had four points. If she could not answer it, she would lose four points. That meant her score would be ten points less than Charles''. Then Charles could just choose easy questions to win.


    "I choose to ask for help," said Molly.


    Clarence walked up and said, "It was too hard. It''s a test of eyesight and memory. Since a four-point question is so hard, I don''t know what a five-point question would be like? Molly, how do you ask for help? Just relax. You got three chances. You can use them all on this question."


    If she could answer it, her score would be six points higher than Charles, and she would have an advantage. In that way, Charles could not choose low score questions if he didn''t want to lose. Once he took the risk of choosing a high score question, he was likely to get it wrong.


    "I choose the first way," said Molly.


    For this question, she could only use the first way. The second way only gave her fifteen seconds, which was not enough to finish telling the answers. And the third way was only available in multiple-choice questions.


    Clarence asked his assistant to bring a small ball and give it to Molly. "Molly, you have to throw this ball to the audience. Good luck!"


    Molly looked at Sophia. She knew Sophia was her only chance. If Sophia could catch the ball, she might help answer the question. But if she couldn''t catch it¡­


    Instead of thinking about it, she picked up the ball and threw it hard at Sophia.


    Sophia knew how important the ball was to Molly, and she knew that if she could not catch the ball, Charles would be the winner.


    Her eyes followed the ball. Molly threw it a little high. When it flew over her head, she jumped up and caught it.


    Molly was relieved and felt like in the air.


    Clarence had walked to the audience. The camera was on Sophia.


    "You''re¡­" Clarence recognized her. "Sophia! The talent! You are so good, Molly. Well, please answer this question for Molly, Sophia."


    Sophia took over the microphone and said, "There are three differences. The first one is the vase on the cupboard near the door. In the first video, there are two flowers in it. While in the second video, there are three flowers. The second one is the headdress flower on the girl''s head, which is jasmine in one video but rose in the other. The third one is the color of the boy''s socks. They were blue in one video but blue with black stripes in the other."


    The room fell silent. These differences were so subtle that no one noticed them.


    Clarence got on the stage, "Well, please show us the answer. Let''s see if Sophia answers right."


    Screenshots from the two videos showed on the screen. The differences were the same as Sophia''s answer.


    "Correct!" Clarence got excited, "All of them are right."


    The audience also got excited. The applause rang like thunder. Several people sitting around Sophia could not help but come over to ask her how she did that.


    On the stage, Charles was upset. He lost four points, so he had thirty-five points. While Molly got the four points, she had forty-one points.


    He gritted his teeth and chose a question with five points.


    When the question showed on the screen, Charles could not help laughing.

 Chapter 169 - 169: Sophia Was Confused

    It was an advanced chemical question. He majored in chemistry. So, he answered without asking for help.


    Then, Charles was in the lead with forty points. While Molly lost five points, her score was thirty-six points.


    Molly was nervous again. She couldn''t choose a low score question conservatively. She had to take a chance.


    She chose a question with five points.


    When she saw the question, she was stunned.


    Q: How many novels did Anton Pavlovich Chekhov write in his life?


    Molly had read Chekhov''s novel. But she never memorized how many novels he had written. How could she know that?


    She looked at Sophia and saw her nod slightly.


    Molly was surprised that she knew that and wondered if there was something she didn''t know.


    Clarence warned her, "You have two chances to ask for help, Molly. Do you want to use one?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, which way do you prefer?"


    "The second one."


    Clarence asked his assistant to bring the phone over and said, "You can call now. Remember, you only have fifteen seconds."


    Molly nodded, picked up the phone and dialed.


    Sophia''s phone rang.


    Both Clarence and the audience were surprised.


    They could do that?!


    Sophia took out the phone and answered it.


    "Sophia, I have a question. How many novels did Anton Pavlovich Chekhov write in his life?" Molly asked.


    "More than seven hundred."


    "Thanks."


    "No problem."


    Everyone was shocked that they pretended to be on the phone. What great acting!


    But no one could raise objections because there was no regulation that the player could not call one audience to ask for help. Their practices were not in violation of the rules.


    Clarence stayed for a while before he remembered that he was the host. Then he said, "Let''s see the answer and see if Sophia is right."


    The audience didn''t know the answer, but they had a feeling¡­


    "Right," Clarence announced the result.


    The audience wondered whether they should get applause.


    This question changed the scores of Molly and Charles. Molly had forty-one points, and Charles had thirty-five points. The gap was not very big. A question could change the situation.


    If Charles wanted to catch up, he could not choose a low score question. It was a key question for him. If he got it wrong, he would lose.


    "Five-point question." Charles pressed the button with a trembling hand.


    Clarence was not surprised by the result but shouted exaggerated, "Another five-point question. Wow, it is getting tense. Let''s take a look at the five-point question that the computer has chosen for us¡­ It''s another visual question."


    The last four-point visual question was difficult, while this five-point visual question would be super difficult.


    Soon, the computer gave the requirement of the question.


    Clarence explained, "We''ll play a five-minute video. When the video is over, we will ask a question about one detail in the video. You have to watch every detail carefully, Charles. Understand?"


    Charles bit his lips nervously and nodded. "Got it."


    The video began to play, and everyone''s eyes were on the big screen.


    It was a piece of a TV show. At a ball, many people came in all kinds of clothing. It lasted five minutes, but there were a lot of people, very dazzling.


    When the video finished, the computer showed the question.


    Clarence said, "The question is¡­ There''s a girl in a green dress. What''s in her hand?"


    People started whispering about the answer when they saw the question, but no one knew it.


    The five-point visual question was very difficult. In the video, hundreds of characters appeared; some of them remained less than two seconds. There was no way to remember all the details of each person.


    The last four-point question was about details. But it just lasted more than a dozen seconds, very short. And people knew the question in advance, so they could look for the differences directly.


    But this video lasted five minutes. Before the video was finished, no one knew what the question was. It was much more difficult than the four-point question.


    Charles watched the video very carefully and tried to remember every detail, but he could not remember what the girl in a green dress had in her hand. He had no impression of the girl in a green dress and had no idea who she was.


    Clarence warned him, "You have three chances to ask for help. Do you want to use them? It''s the most important moment. Think about it."


    After he said that, everyone looked at Sophia.


    She had just got the four-point visual question right, and if anyone in the room could answer the question, she was the only one they could think of.


    Sophia was confused.


    Why did they look at her? She didn''t know the answer either.


    This question had so much information that it was very troublesome. She could answer the last question because she had known Molly would have asked her for help, so she oversaw the video and found the three differences.


    But when this video was played, she had no intention of answering it, so she didn''t try to memorize every detail. She had a good memory, but she could remember things only when she tried to memorize them. With a few general glances of the video, she could not remember all the details.


    What did the girl in a green dress have in her hand? How could she know?


    Charles also looked at Sophia. He thought the same as the audience. If anyone here could answer the question, it must be Sophia.


    It was a crucial question to decide the game. If he failed to answer it, Molly could choose a low score question and would win no matter whether she could answer it or not.


    "I ask for help," said Charles.


    Clarence asked his assistant to take the ball and hand it to Charles.


    Charles walked to the edge of the stage. His eyes fixed on Sophia. He was wondering if Sophia would help him at this moment.


    He had seen Sophia and Molly together before. They were probably friends, so Sophia should be here to help Molly.


    But he believed that Sophia still loved him. After all, he had been Sophia''s boyfriend. Sophia had always obeyed him and regarded him as the most important person. She would do whatever he asked her to do.


    He had no choice but to pick up the ball and throw it in the direction of Sophia.

 Chapter 170 - 170: The Final

    Sophia instinctively ducked when she saw the ball coming her way. She had to admit that Charles threw much better than Molly. The ball hit the back of Sophia''s chair and fell to the ground. If she hadn''t ducked, the ball would have gone straight into her arms.


    Then everyone looked at Sophia and wondered if she would pick up the ball.


    Sophia was here to help Molly, but Charles was a handsome guy, maybe she would change her mind for him.


    Sophia felt uncomfortable. She was just an audience. Why did they always focus on her? Charles threw the ball to her. What was he thinking about?


    Did he think she would betray her friend at such a time for him, a philanderer?


    Was he crazy?


    At this time, Lucas bent down and picked up the ball.


    Clarence had thought there might be a big reversal and was thinking about how to deal with it. As a host, improvisation was a test of his hosting skills. He couldn''t figure out what he should say for a moment if Sophia chose to answer the question for Charles.


    He was relieved to see a little boy picking up the ball. The situation was easier for him to control.


    Charles was angry. It was obvious that Sophia didn''t take his ball on purpose. She wouldn''t help him.


    Since the ball was picked up by a kid, he would lose the game.


    Clarence went to Lucas, bent down to match his height, and smiled, "Sweetie, you got the ball, so you are going to answer the question."


    Lucas looked confused. "I picked it up for fun... I didn''t know I had to answer the question. But I''m only in the first grade. I don''t know the answer. Or I''ll give it back to you..."


    Hearing that, Charles didn''t give up and said, "You can ask the sister beside you."


    But Clarence refuted him, "No. Only the person who gets the ball can answer the question, and he can''t ask anyone else."


    Lucas looked sad, "I don''t know your question."


    Clarence repeated the question to him, "The question is, what is in the hand of a girl in a green dress in the video?"


    Lucas frowned and thought. "A girl in a green dress¡­ Is she a lady? I know."


    Clarence was surprised, "You know?"


    Lucas gave a solemn nod. "She is holding a rocket gun¡­ It shoots with great accuracy."


    Clarence didn''t know what to say.


    The audience roared. This kid must be into playing games.


    Charles looked sad. It was obvious that he lost the game.


    According to the rules, the question could only be answered by the audience who picked up the ball. Charles had no chance to fix it. If he didn''t ask for help, he could at least make a guess. After all, the girl was in a ball; the things she might hold were not many. He might get it right.


    Not surprisingly, the system judged the answer wrong and showed the correct answer.


    On the screen, there was a girl in the green dress. She held a piece of cake and was eating slowly. In the video, she only appeared for a second, then the picture changed.


    So, the right answer was cake.


    The winner was decided. Charles lost five points for giving the wrong answer and had thirty points left. Molly got five points, so she had forty-six points. The gap between them was sixteen points. Even if Charles answered another five-point question right, his score was still far behind Molly.


    As long as Molly was not crazy, she would not choose a question with over three points and answered it wrong.


    Clarence smiled and said, "Molly, how about giving Charles a chance and choosing a three-point question?"


    If Molly couldn''t answer the three-point question and Charles answered a five-point question, their scores would be even.


    But Molly didn''t want to take any more risks, she replied, "No. I choose a one-point question."


    Clarence said, "Well, let''s see the one-point question."


    The one-point question was easy. Molly got a multiple-choice question. Q: Which knight found the Grail?


    The four choices were Galahad, Percivale, Lancelot, and Arthur.


    However, Molly stayed when she saw the question. It was not difficult. But she didn''t know it.


    She didn''t think it was Percivale or Arthur. But¡­ was it Lancelot or Galahad?


    She was relaxed. She would win even if she got it wrong. After thinking about it, she said, "I''ll ask for help and let the audience vote."


    Clarence said, "Ok, everybody. There are many buttons on your armrests. The red button stands for A, Galahad, green for B, Percivale, yellow for C, Lancelot, and blue for D, Arthur. Vote now."


    This studio was not just for the Super Quiz, and the voting buttons on the armrests were not specially set for answering questions. There were a lot of buttons, but with no letters below them, so Clarence had to explain to them.


    Lucas wanted to help Molly choose the right answer, so he asked in a loud voice, "Which one, sister?"


    "Red."


    Lucas turned to aunt Mcdowell and shouted, "Mum, she said it''s red."


    Many people who were unsure of the answer looked unconsciously in Sophia''s direction. When they heard Lucas, they all pressed the red button.


    Soon, the vote was over. On the screen, red is the dominant color. Then it showed the right answer, Galahad.


    "The answer is right," said Clarence.


    After this question, only Charles had one question to answer. But it didn''t help. He couldn''t catch up. He chose a three-point question at will. It was not difficult, and he answered easily.


    When the quiz was over, Clarence announced the final result: Molly won!


    Of course, there was no suspense. The audience had expected it. It is not exciting at all.


    Nicole awarded Molly the trophy and certificate, hugged her gently, and said with a smile, "Good job, Molly! I''m waiting to see you in the final."


    Molly sighed, "The final¡­"


    Sophia would be in the final. So, Molly never expected to win the final. Thanks to Sophia''s help, Molly could win the game. With her strength, it was the limit she could reach.


    Next, she had better prepare for the College Entrance Examination.


    When the show ended, Sophia was surrounded by a few of her twitter followers before she could leave.

 Chapter 171 - 171: I Adore You

    She didn''t have a lot of fans. There were a lot of people when she came in, but no one recognized her. During the show, her fans noticed her when she was recognized. So they came to her when the show was over.


    Although there were not many people, it was not easy to deal with.


    "Would you mind giving me your autograph, Sophia?"


    "Can you tell me something about teaching methods? I adore you."


    "Can I hug you? I want to have some of your good luck. Ha, ha."


    ***


    Sophia had never experienced that. She was pestered by fans for a while before she got out. She left the studio, got into the car, and went back to aunt Mcdowell''s house.


    Aunt Mcdowell was very happy. She called Mrs. Miller as soon as the show was over, and asked her to prepare more delicious food to celebrate for Molly.


    Kevin called and said he would be a little late because Louie was surrounded by reporters when he got out of the exam room.


    There were a lot of people concerned about the art examination every year. The reason was simple¡ªthe art examinees usually looked good. Everyone loved beauties and handsome men, especially those new looks. These art students might be the stars of tomorrow. Naturally, they attracted a lot of attention.


    The art department of the Lake University was not the best, but it was the first to test. Many students applied to this school. Most of them wanted to have a try. Anyway, there was no time conflict with other universities. It would be a choice for them if they were admitted to it.


    From the beginning of the exam, many reporters waited outside the school. When they saw good-looking students, they rushed up to take photos. Within minutes, the photos were on major entertainment websites and microblogs.


    Before Louie entered the exam room, one reporter noticed him. But he walked fast, and the reporters were not allowed to enter the school, so the reporter couldn''t take a photo of his face. With a good eye, even if it was a glance, the reporter could tell that this examinee was very handsome. This candidate might be the most handsome one this year, the reporter thought.


    When he got out, reporters waiting outside gathered around him and took pictures of him. Some reporters interviewed him, asked him if he wanted to be a model or an actor.


    Sophia hung up the phone, checked her blog, and saw Louie''s photos on it, which became a popular search.


    Louie was described by many beautiful words, like "the most handsome art examinee," "the most handsome guy in the art exam," "a perfect face in the art exam," and so on. It instantly attracted the attention of a lot of people.


    "Louie is getting popular." Melissa was also reading the blog article. "Indeed, he is handsome. Many girls like him at school. He''s bound to be popular."


    Sophia didn''t understand why people think Louie was handsome. If Louie was a girl, she thought, she would be a pretty girl.


    Melissa continued, "By the way, does your Pearson want to enter the showbiz? He is much more handsome than Louie. It will be a pity if he doesn''t enter the showbiz."


    Sophia frowned, "Your Pearson? What are you talking about?"


    Carol came up and interrupted, "Where are you now? I''m worried about you."


    "Don''t talk nonsense," said Sophia.


    She and Albert? Was that a joke?


    Kevin and Louie weren''t back until it was dark. Both of them looked tired. Louie was so tired that he just lay on the couch.


    "You never know how hard it is to get rid of those reporters." Louie complained, "You can never get away once they get on you. They have to know every detail about you. It took me a lot of time to get rid of them, and them, and them¡­"


    Melissa interrupted him, "You took the art exam to be an actor, right? Actors need popularity. You haven''t been admitted to the university yet, and some reporters promote you. That''s good. It''s good for your future."


    Sophia agreed with her words, "That''s right. You want to be an actor, and you have to learn to get along with reporters. Don''t think they''re annoying."


    Louie sighed and said, "Several people asked me if I would like to sign a contract with a film company. I know nothing about that, and I just denied it. What do you say, boss?"


    Sophia didn''t know things about that either. She thought about it and said, "I''ll ask a lawyer about it later. Don''t rush to sign a contract with the film company. You have to consult the lawyer before signing the contract. If there is a trap in the contract, you''ll be in trouble."


    Melissa chimed in, "Yes, I have read news about that. An actor signed a terrible contract with a film company. Then he filed a lawsuit with the company and tried to get rid of the poor treatment. But he didn''t win the case because he signed the contract voluntarily. You''re popular, Louie. You don''t need to hurry. Let''s take our time and choose a good company."


    Louie stopped worrying about it and asked Molly about the show. When he learned that she had won the championship, he was happy for her.


    Mrs. Miller made a great dinner, and everyone enjoyed it.


    Before going to bed, Sophia checked her blog and saw a weird topic.


    What''s the big deal of knowing, Sophia?


    She didn''t get it. What did that mean?


    Many fans were talking about it, which made other fans feel confused and didn''t understand what they were talking about.


    A fan said, "Don''t worry. If you watch the first episode of the Super Quiz, you will understand what it means. I was stunned then. That''s why I follow Sophia. Personally, I think there will be a lot of players who want to quit after the first episode. Trust me."


    Sophia understood. They were talking about her helping Molly win the championship.. In fact, she didn''t feel like she had done anything but helped answer a few questions.

 Chapter 172 - 172: Is Everything Okay?

    The next morning, they wanted to say goodbye to aunt Mcdowell and got back. However, she didn''t want them to leave and wanted them to spend half a day in Plain.


    Lucas held Sophia''s hand tightly and would not let go. He knew that if he could not keep the guests, he would have to go to school. His mother would not let him continue to ask for leave.


    In order to have more fun, he could not let them go. Seeing that everyone listened to Sophia, Lucas tactfully chose to keep her first.


    Sophia had to agree and asked everyone to stay in Plain for half a day and leave in the afternoon. Thus, they could return to Lands City before dark. Then, it would not delay classes the next day.


    Aunt Mcdowell suggested a visit to Nasa Lake.


    Nasa Lake was the most famous scenic spot in Plain. There were many old buildings. It was the most popular spot in Plain.


    They drove to Nasa Lake but did not stay long in the lake. It was cold there in the winter. So they went to visit the old buildings.


    Some of the old buildings were from one hundred years ago, but most of them were built later. They covered a lot of space, and there were many entertainment items.


    Lucas had been there many times but never felt bored. As soon as he entered, he was attracted by a camel and wanted to ride it. So Aunt Mcdowell took him to play with it.


    Others were not interested in the camel and went to other places. Everyone had a cell phone and could contact each other at any time.


    Sophia chatted with Kevin while walking. Louie followed them and took a lot of photos.


    "That person is weird." Suddenly, Louie said, "It was cloudy, and she''s wearing sunglasses."


    Sophia looked at the person he was talking about. Indeed, a person in sunglasses and a mask looking around not far away. Judging from the hair, it should be a woman.


    It was normal to wear a mask in winter, but it was strange to wear sunglasses on cloudy days.


    Kevin said, "Maybe she''s a star, afraid of being recognized. You can also do that when you become a star, Louie."


    Louie was glum. "Well, I don''t want to go out with a mask and sunglasses. It''s suffocating."


    While they were talking, the woman seemed to spot the target and walked away.


    Sophia didn''t care about that person. Whether she was a star or not, she had nothing to do with her. She didn''t have the hobby of collecting star signatures.


    But Louie said again, "Another weirdo? What''s that outlook? Cosplay?"


    Sophia was curious and looked in the direction the man had gone. Suddenly, she was shocked.


    She saw that Benjamin was wearing a set of strange clothes and a red mydriatic. He was talking to the woman in the sunglasses, looking rather pompous.


    Sophia didn''t want to say hi to him and tried to walk away. But just then, Benjamin found her and waved to her enthusiastically, "Sister, I''m here."


    Kevin asked, "He is your brother? Your lost brother?"


    "No," said Sophia.


    She didn''t have such a weird brother.


    Benjamin walked towards Sophia with the woman in the sunglasses. He looked very excited. "Sister, why are you here? Are you here to see me?"


    Sophia said, "I''m just here to travel. If you have anything to do, please go on. Leave me alone."


    "I have nothing important, sister. How about having a cup of coffee together? It''s my treat."


    The woman in the sunglasses coughed and said, "Hey, I''m here, sir."


    As soon as she spoke, Sophia knew the voice. "You are¡­ Nicole?"


    She had heard Nicole''s voice on the show and remembered it well.


    Nicole stayed for a moment and sighed, "You are great, girl. I''m like this, and you can recognize me."


    She was the guest of the first episode of the Super Quiz. Like all the audience, she was deeply impressed by Sophia on the show. In particular, she didn''t do well in study and had never been to school since she graduated from primary school. So she had great admiration for excellent students.


    "I just remember your voice. Now that you have something to discuss, I''d better leave first. Excuse me." said Sophia.


    Nicole was busy, or she would like to talk more with Sophia. She nodded and said, "Yeah."


    Benjamin said hurriedly, "I have something to tell you, sis. Miss Nicole, how about you wait for me at the coffee shop nearby? I''ll see you later. We''ll talk about it in detail."


    Nicole could just sigh, "All right."


    She left helplessly.


    Sophia really sympathized with Nicole for having such an unreliable detective. Benjamin just left his client anytime, anywhere. He really had no professional ethics.


    Kevin suddenly came over and stopped in front of Sophia. He said, "Sister, don''t be afraid. I''ll protect you. I won''t let this strange man hurt you."


    The man called Sophia Sister, but Sophia denied it. With his strange look, Kevin felt like he was definitely not a good person.


    Benjamin looked Kevin up and down, frowned, and said, "Sister, aren''t you the only child in the family? Why do you have a brother? I don''t want a brother."


    Kevin frowned, "Who are you? My sister has nothing to do with you. Your sister is not here. And, who wants to be your brother?"


    Sophia didn''t want to see Kevin quarreling with Benjamin. She had to pull Kevin away and said, "Kev, you go ahead with Louie first. I have something to talk to him."


    Louie was worried, "Is everything okay? Why do I think this man is out of his mind?"


    "Yeah. Don''t worry."


    Then Kevin and Louie went to visit the old building in front of them. After they left, Sophia said, "Is there anything new about the lab fire?"


    She had entrusted Benjamin to investigate the laboratory fire. Just now, Kevin was by her side, and she didn''t want to talk about it in front of him, so she let him go first.


    Benjamin laughed, "No. Nothing new. I''m happy to see you. I don''t want to work, and I just want to talk to you."


    Sophia turned to go. He was really silly. She really sympathized with Nicole.. How unlucky Nicole was to entrust a detective like Benjamin.

 Chapter 173 - 173: Don’t Believe Him

    Benjamin hurriedly pulled her, and said with an aggrieved face, "You are my sister. Can''t you just talk to me for a while? Well, I heard you come here for the show. You have to be careful. The Pattons are very powerful here. Their main enterprises are here. Patton is not a good guy. If you meet him, you must be careful."


    Before he had finished, a gloomy voice came from his side, "Oh, really?"


    Startled by the sudden voice, Sophia turned to see Eddie Patton staring at Benjamin, with a ferocious look as if he were about to pounce on and strangle him at any time.


    "Hello, Mr. Patton." Sophia greeted him. The last time she met him was when she took a walk with Albert in Lands City. She didn''t expect to meet him here.


    Eddie turned to Sophia, and a smile broke out on his face. The expression changed so fast that Sophia wondered if he had learned Chinese face changing.


    "Nice to meet you again, Miss Green," said Eddie.


    When he smiled, his eyes curved nicely, looking kind.


    Sophia had never told him her name. She guessed that he might know her information from the Super Quiz. After all, his company sponsored the show and was accessible to the show files.


    She forced a smile and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Patton. Are you here to travel?"


    Eddie shook his head and said, "I am a local. I have been here many times. I come here because¡­"


    He turned to Benjamin, and the expression on his face suddenly became grim and terrible. "Because an arrogant person who claimed to be a detective messed me. I wondered if it would be a shame for me if I let him go back in a piece."


    Benjamin was not scared at all. He smiled and said, "Are you threatening me? I have a recorder with me at all times, and I''ll sue you. I''ll really sue you."


    Eddie suddenly laughed, "Then, should I kill you to avoid the trouble?"


    Benjamin also laughed, "With your such attitude, should I take it as guilty?"


    He turned to Sophia and said with a smile, "You heard that, sis? If I disappear someday, you should know what''s going on."


    Sophia didn''t know what to say. Neither of them seemed normal. Eddie''s words sounded like a threat to Benjamin to stop his investigation to him, but he said that with a smile, it made her feel panic.


    It was obvious that Benjamin was not afraid of him. His adoptive father was an internationally renowned detective. He could not have done the job if he was afraid of being threatened.


    "Sister?" Eddie stared at Benjamin. "She''s your sister? What are you talking about? How can you, a foreigner, have a sister here?"


    Then he turned to Sophia and said, "Don''t believe him. He''s not a good person. Besides, the rich guy I met last time was not a good person, either. You didn''t believe him, did you?"


    Sophia knew he was talking about Albert. She shook her head and said, "He is not rich."


    Eddie nodded, "No. He''s very rich. He is not a good guy. A simple and kind girl like you should be away from him. Understand? That guy¡­ I will teach him a lesson sooner or later."


    Sophia didn''t know what he was talking about. Was it indeed Albert that he is talking about?


    And, simple and kind girl? Was he talking about her? Then he indeed looked down on her.


    After that, he turned and left, inexplicably, as he had come.


    "So¡­ he came here to threaten you, did he?"


    "It seems like that. He had sent someone to threaten me several times. I don''t care about him."


    Sophia frowned, "Is there anything he''s afraid of being found out? Is the murder really him?"


    Benjamin shook his head, "He didn''t know I was looking into the lab fire. He thought I was looking into his finances. There are some financial problems with his company. But I am not interested in that. Although I found something, I didn''t bother to care."


    Sophia had heard Benjamin say that Patton Group had been greatly affected by the Jarred incident. It had risen rapidly in recent years, probably with secrets unknown to outsiders.


    Albert entrusted Benjamin to investigate Eddie because he was a suspect in the lab fire. But if that made him hold a grudge against Albert, Sophia thought, it might not be good for Albert.


    Suddenly, Sophia remembered that Eddie said Albert was very rich.


    She didn''t think Eddie made it up. And Eddie seemed afraid of Albert. Was Albert tough?


    Sophia realized that she didn''t know much about Albert. She didn''t know anything about his identity, family or background. When she was with him before, she always thought something was wrong, but she never thought about it.


    She never cared for anything but the character in her relations with others. It didn''t matter to her whether he had money or status.


    Just then, she wondered about Albert''s identity.


    "Mr. Terry," Sophia said, "can I ask you something?"


    Benjamin smiled, "Of course you can. But I charge a lot of money. But you are different, and you''re my sister. I won''t charge you. So what do you want to know?"


    Sophia ignored the first half part of his words and asked, "Do you know Albert?"


    Benjamin laughed, "Yeah. He''s my client."


    "That''s not what I''m asking. I mean, is there anything I don''t know about him?"


    "It is not quite in line with my professional ethics to disclose information about my client casually. But¡­ call me, brother, I''ll tell you."


    "Then forget about it."


    Then she turned to leave.


    Benjamin hurriedly pulled her and sighed, "Your temper is too grumpy. Who dares to marry you in the future? All right, I''ll tell you. There is no big deal about his identity. He''s a rich kid from a rich family. The one who doesn''t need to work but has endless money and his family does business. The famous Pearson Group, you know, his father manages it."


    Sophia was shocked.


    The Pearson Group? Albert owned it?!


    She had thought Albert was rich, but she didn''t expect him to be so rich.


    Then, everything could be explained, such as the discount activity, winning the lottery, the block booking, and so on, Albert might do all these.


    The only thing that confused her was why Albert had been her assistant for two years. Just because he had nothing to do?


    Were rich men so bored?

 Chapter 174 - 174: You Can Think What You Want

    Benjamin saw that Sophia seemed unhappy and asked, "Are you all right? Shouldn''t you be happy to know that? His family is so rich that you can live on him."


    Sophia frowned, "I feel upset. He had pretended to be poor. I don''t know why he did that."


    She felt like he fooled her. It pissed her off.


    Benjamin laughed, "Don''t you get it? Didn''t you read the news? A rich man pretended to be poor to test whether the girl loved him or his money. When he was sure she loved him, he declared himself rich. They always do that. I know everything."


    "I''m not his¡­ Even if he wants to test someone, he should find one he likes."


    "How do you know he doesn''t like you?"


    "How is that possible? He''s so much older than me."


    "Perhaps he is a shameless person who likes young and beautiful girls."


    "Come on. We are just friends. Stop doubting, please. And he didn''t just pretend in front of me but everyone."


    She suddenly remembered the news she had read before. "I know. Because he is too rich, he pretended to be poor for fear of being kidnapped."


    "You can think what you want."


    Sophia didn''t understand why people around her like to associate her with Albert. She had known Albert for so long and always taken him as her reliable friend.


    She never thought he would be her boyfriend. She was five years younger than Albert, and she knew that he was not interested in girls younger than him.


    She remembered that she had talked about love with Albert once.


    "Pearson, haven''t you got a girlfriend yet?" Sophia asked him.


    He shook his head and said, "No. I stay in the lab all day. No girl wants to be my girlfriend."


    Sophia laughed, "Don''t belittle yourself, Pearson. With your appearance and talent, there should be a lot of girls into you. What kind of girl do you like? Shawn teaches grade four this year and many students were about your age. How about I ask him to introduce some girls to you?"


    "No, thanks. I prefer girls who are older than me, preferably four or five years older."


    "So many? Well, you should go to a Ph.D. college."


    "No, no, no¡­"


    ***


    With Albert''s peculiar aesthetic, Sophia thought he wanted no more than the friendship from her.


    As for her feeling about him, she was confused herself. With him by her side, she felt safe and calm. When she was with him, even if they were sitting like this, said Nothing, there would be no embarrassment.


    It was a feeling for a good assistant, was it?


    It must be so.


    Benjamin sighed and said, "Forget about it. I should not talk about these things with someone who hasn''t been in love. How is our mother, sister?"


    "Our mother? She''s my mother, not yours."


    He was not her blood brother, and wanted to share a mother with her? Could he be more cheeky?


    She thought Benjamin would go home with her if they kept talking about it, so she changed a topic, "Aren''t you going to see your client? Nicole must be in trouble. You''d better help her out earlier."


    "I hate trouble. What kind of trouble can a star have? About the contract? That''s not in a hurry. Let''s keep talking."


    "You''re a foreigner, and there are not many people here who know you, so I don''t think anyone will go to you. In all likelihood, she finds you through your father, right? Mr. Terry is an internationally famous detective. Since Nicole went to him, it won''t be easy to solve. I think you''d better go to her now."


    Benjamin sighed and reluctantly left.


    ***


    Coming back from Nasa Lake, they had lunch together and then got on the car and returned to Lands City.


    In the evening, Sophia''s phone rang. It was an unknown number. When she answered it, she heard a woman''s voice. She recognized it at once. It was from Nicole.


    She was surprised, "What''s wrong, Miss Nicole?"


    Nicole was very enthusiastic. "Sophia, I was on the show with you before. And then... I met you in Nasa Lake. Do you remember me?"


    Sophia remembered that. But, on the show with her? She was just an audience then.


    "Yeah. What''s the matter?"


    Nicole laughed. "Nothing... I appreciate you very much. I want to follow your blog and interact with you once in a while. Is that ok? I''m going to Glinton University to audit. And I heard that you are also an auditor. What a coincidence!"


    "Audit?" Sophia paused. She was a big star. Why would she audit in Glinton? And she wanted to interact with her on the blog. What did she want?


    Sophia didn''t think Nicole had no purpose.


    But she agreed. She followed many people''s blogs. Whenever someone she knew greeted her, she followed him or her. Anyway, one blog could follow thousands of people. It was not easy to reach the limit, and she could think about it when it got there.


    As for the blog interaction, she could not think of anything she could interact with Nicole. Nicole was an actor. But she didn''t like TV series. So she didn''t think they had anything to talk about.


    After hanging up, Sophia told Louie about it. He would soon enter the showbiz and should know more about such things.


    Soon, Louie thought of something. "I''ve heard of Nicole. She is very popular. But she''s from a poor neighborhood, and her family did not allow her to go to school after primary school. So she only had primary school education. Many people looked down on her because of her poor education. She gets close to you and audits in Glinton, probably trying to make people think she was learned."


    Sophia didn''t think much about it. She didn''t know Nicole, but she didn''t mind doing such a small favor to her.


    The next day, she came to Glinton for class early in the morning. As soon as she got to the school gate, she saw a large number of reporters there.


    Sophia didn''t know what was going on. She took out her phone and googled Glinton, and then she found out what they were doing here.


    Nicole posted a message. "It''s my honor to audit in Glinton and become a classmate of Sophia Green.. I''ll study hard."

 Chapter 175 - 175: I Will Be Careful

    Sophia was speechless. Why did everyone talk about her?


    She frowned slightly. She didn''t approve of Nicole''s behavior. If she indeed wanted to study in Glinton, she could quietly go to classes instead of telling the whole world.


    She was just making a show.


    What Nicole called "auditor of Glinton University" was Nothing at all. Anyone could attend classes at Glinton. The guards did that when they were not on shift. With a pass of Glinton, anyone could be an auditor.


    Sophia put on the hat on her coat and walked into the schoolyard with her head down. Nicole mentioned her on the blog, and she didn''t want to be surrounded by reporters.


    Fortunately, no reporter noticed her. She went into the classroom, sat down on a seat, and waited for the class to begin.


    When it was nearly time for class, there was a noise outside the door. Sophia frowned. Without checking outside, she knew Nicole was coming.


    Reporters were stopped outside. Nicole only brought an assistant. As soon as she entered the school, she was surrounded by students.


    "Wow, it''s Nicole. She''s so beautiful."


    "I love you. Sign in for me, please."


    "I love your TV series. I love you most."


    Suddenly, a stern voice sounded, "It''s time for class. If you have a class, go to your classroom. If not, please don''t talk here. You''ll affect other students."


    Sophia recognized that it was principal Lewis''s voice. It seemed that principal Lewis heard about it and came forward.


    She looked out and saw principal Lewis grabbing Hammer by the ear and pulling him aside. Hammer turned to go, and principal Lewis gave him a nasty kick in the ass that nearly knocked him to the ground.


    Hammer turned back and looked quite sad. But he dare not say anything, but patted his ass and left.


    When other students saw principal Lewis teach his son a lesson, they all ran away.


    Sophia couldn''t help laughing. Principal Lewis was such a funny guy. He started from his own son. As his son, Hammer had a hard time.


    Principal Lewis said, "Miss, our school is a place to study; it''s not for you to hold a meeting. You can have a meeting somewhere else. Please don''t disturb our normal teaching."


    Nicole hurriedly said, "I''m sorry, I''m just here for the class. It was my fault to be recognized. I will be careful."


    Seeing her good attitude, Principal Lewis was not so angry. "You can audit here. But don''t disturb others, please. Understand?"


    "Yeah. I won''t disturb other people." Nicole promised.


    Then principal Lewis left. Nicole and her assistant went to the teaching building and entered the classroom, which Sophia was in.


    Sophia lowered her head, hoping Nicole wouldn''t notice her.


    However, "Sophia!" Nicole exclaimed in delight. "What a coincidence! You came to this class, too?"


    Sophia had to look up and nod in response.


    It was no coincidence, she thought.


    Nicole sat down next to her, took a textbook out of her bag, and opened it on the desk.


    The assistant stepped aside, picked up the camera, and began to take pictures.


    Sophia didn''t like that, nor did she want to cooperate with her hype.


    Many students were fans of Nicole and were excited to see her. They came up and asked to take photos with her. That was what she wanted, so she asked the assistant to take photos of them.


    Just then, the bell rang, and Shawn walked into the classroom.


    The assistant retreated to the back row and continued taking pictures.


    Shawn was confused. "What''s going on? Is this an open class? Why is someone taking photos?"


    One student explained the situation to Shawn. Shawn frowned, "My class is not for show. Miss, if you are not here for class, please leave. And, I don''t want my photos to appear on any websites unrelated to our school. Thanks for your cooperation."


    Nicole was a little embarrassed, but soon she smiled again. "Professor Normand asked me to come. He said I could audit here."


    "Then you should go to his class. My class is only for people who like it." Shawn said, cooly.


    Nicole bit her lips and didn''t know what to say for a moment.


    There was a moment of awkwardness in the classroom. No one dared to say anything. They were all staring at Nicole.


    After a while, Nicole said, "Sir, I like chemistry. Please let me stay here. I won''t take pictures, okay?".


    Shawn picked up the textbook. "Really? So you tell me, what are the compounds that can react with Toren reagent to produce the silver mirror?".


    Nicole stayed.


    Toren? Silver mirror? Was it a mirror made of silver?


    She didn''t understand it at all.


    She poked Sophia with her hand in the hope that Sophia would help her answer the question.


    Sophia ignored her. For this matter, she was on Shawn''s side. Shawn was a low-key person with integrity. What was more, it was Nicole''s fault.


    Nicole''s smile was a little stiff, but she smiled reluctantly. She stood up and said, "Well, I won''t bother you. Have a good class, everyone. Excuse me."


    With these words, she left the classroom with her assistant. As she left, she bowed to Shawn.


    Sophia was knowledgeable, but she didn''t think she was something. Nor did she think she should despise anyone for that. Everyone had their own advantages. Nicole desired to leave a good impression on others. She wanted to become a goddess of perfection. This was not realistic at all.


    She thought Nicole would stop after she was frustrated with Shawn. But soon, she realized that she underestimated this star.


    At lunch, Sophia saw that Nicole had posted the pictures on the blog.


    "I have class in Glinton and get along well with my classmates. Also, I met Sophia. What a coincidence! The teacher is relatively low-key, so I won''t post his pictures here. Thanks for your dedication."


    Sophia didn''t know what to say about that.


    Now that the photos had been posted, Sophia didn''t want to retort or explain anything. There was no need to offend Nicole with such a trivial matter. Nicole was not learned, but her EQ was very high. Shawn made her embarrassed in class, but she copped it with a smile. A person like her was not easy to deal with.


    Netizens believed Nicole. Many fans of Sophia commented on Nicole''s blog.


    "Nicole is so great. Come on, girl."


    "I saw Sophia. Oh, her friends are all good learners."


    "I want to go to Glinton. Admire Nicole."


    "You are so good that you can study with Sophia.. No one will ever say that you''re low-educated."

 Chapter 176 - 176: Who Was Her Good Friend?

    Sophia thought this was the end of the story, but soon she saw another tweet from Nicole.


    "I decided to cheer for my good friend Sophia. I''ll be the guest on the third episode of the Super Quiz. Come on, Sophia. I know you can do it."


    Sophia was shocked. Good friend?


    Who was her good friend? Who wanted her to cheer?


    However, netizens were very supportive of Nicole.


    "It''s so good to see you again. Ha-ha."


    "Thank you for taking care of Sophia. Actually, she has a high IQ, but she is weak in some aspects."


    "Nicole was in the first episode. But it had not aired yet. Can''t wait to see it."


    "Hope my two idols show up together."


    Sophia was so upset that she called Louie and told him about it.


    Louie said, "You''re an online celebrity, boss. Things like this will happen again. Hypes like this were common. Some celebrities do that without asking for other people''s permission. People don''t usually retort to embarrass them, that''s what they think."


    Sophia was speechless. She suddenly found that she somehow became an Internet celebrity.


    She had never thought about being an Internet celebrity.


    Sophia was a little worried that there would be reporters at the gate of Glinton every day. But soon, she heard that Nicole''s pass had been invalidated and that the school would not let her in again.


    The reason was that Shawn went to professor Normand after class and accused him of giving Nicole a pass. The two men argued and eventually ended up in principal Lewis'' office.


    Principal Lewis had expected Nicole to take classes as other students, but he didn''t expect such a fuss. At once, he decided to invalidate Nicole and his assistant''s pass. What was more, he asked the guard not to let her in.


    Thus, the school was finally back in peace.


    A week later, the first episode of the Super Quiz was broadcast as scheduled on Sunday evening.


    Because of the hot topics about the show before and the popularity accumulated from the nine seasons, the show drew big ratings.


    Then netizens who weren''t at the recording scene came to realize the meaning of "It''s amazing to know Sophia."


    "Yeah. It''s amazing to know Sophia. God, please give me a super scholar as my friend."


    "It was Sophia who kept answering questions in the end. Oh, the poor guy. He kept being abused. But¡­ why am I so happy? Ha, ha, ha! I''m just mean."


    "Sophia, please be my friend."


    "I want to know you, miss."


    "She is just an audience, and she is so good. I don''t know what it will be like when she''s on the stage. I''m looking forward to that."


    "Am I the only one who thinks Rocket Gun boy is very cute?"


    ***


    Sophia''s followers rose after the show. In a few days, it rose to five million.


    Throughout the show, people had a little discussion about the contestants on the stage but kept talking about one audience, Sophia.


    Also, some talked about Nicole and praised her for her beauty and temperament.


    On the day the show was broadcasted, "Sophia of the Super Quiz" became a hot topic. Soon, a lot of hot tweets about the Super Quiz and Sophia appeared.


    Netizens gave her a lot of nicknames, like "the most knowledgeable audience," "plug-in Sophia of the Super Quiz," and so on.


    The blog of the Super Quiz gave a naughty response at the right time.


    "The program group is meeting to discuss whether to cancel the system of asking for help. You know, there is one kind of plug-in called Sophia. Once she appeared, the whole program was contracted by her, which is quite unfair to some contestants."


    Netizens agreed.


    "There should be a sign on the door of the TV station saying ''no Sophia as the audience''."


    "Plug-in Sophia is not a joke. Plug-in is not forbidden on reality shows. Don''t let Sophia be an audience next time. Let her be a guest. Oh, don''t let her take a cell phone. No one is allowed to call her."


    "Don''t worry. There are no other plug-ins. We don''t need to change the rules. We just need to be careful of Sophia and don''t let her run around."


    What made Sophia laugh and cry was that many followers specially commented on Sophia''s blog.


    "Sophia is the best. Remember that!"


    "Give in! Kneel before the genius!"


    "Certificate Plug-in Sophia now."


    For that, followers of KAP were upset.


    "KAP is low-key, but she is no worse than Sophia."


    "KAP is a genius delayed by dogs."


    "Amelia did nothing this time. That''s not normal."


    ***


    Sophia had switched with Molly, so she would be on the show in the third episode. The program group gave a notice that the recording time had been changed to the morning. She didn''t know why.


    But soon, Sophia learned from Molly about the reason.


    Molly knew from the staff that the reason why the show was moved up because Nicole''s schedule could not be adjusted. She had to fly abroad in the afternoon to shoot a movie. So to fit her schedule, the show had to be recorded in advance.


    Molly was furious. "She insisted on being a guest. Then she asked the program group to change the time of the show. The program group is so accommodating to these stars that they are spoiled."


    The change of time did not cause much trouble for Sophia, but she had to go to Plain a day in advance. However, she could come back on the day of recording. So it won''t delay much.


    Sophia wanted to go by train alone. But Molly was unhappy about that. She said since Sophia was there when she was on the show, she had to go with her. As usual, she wanted her family driver to take them there.


    Sophia didn''t want to bother her, but Molly insisted on going with her and said she could get a ticket. Sophia tried but could not stop her.


    Kevin and the girls of the Sister Alliance insisted on going together. These people were usually very obedient to her, but at this time, she could not persuade anyone.


    Sophia had to ask for eight tickets from the program and make sure they could sit together.


    Sophia brought a lot of topics to the show after the first episode. The program had a good attitude towards Sophia.. When they heard her asking, they agreed at once and promised that all seats were in the front row.

 Chapter 177 - 177: No Idea How To Face Him

    The night before she left, Sophia was packing up when she heard Kate calling her in the bathroom.


    "What''s going on, mum?" Sophia walked into the bathroom.


    Kate had a bottle of shampoo in her hand. "There''s no shampoo. I didn''t know that before. Now my hair is wet¡­"


    "I''ll buy one now."


    Kate shook her head. "The supermarket is not close. I can''t wait for you like this. I''ll get cold. You can borrow some from Pearson''s."


    Sophia nodded. It was convenient to have a familiar neighbor.


    She went out to the door of Albert''s house and rang the doorbell, but no one responded after a while.


    Albert didn''t seem to be home.


    Sophia had to get back, "He''s not home, mum. I''d better buy one. Wrap your head in a towel, and I''ll be back in a minute."


    "There is the key to his house in the drawer at the door. Open the door with the key. He said we could get anything we need."


    Sophia hesitated and said, "I don''t think that''s appropriate."


    "You needn''t be so polite to him. Sooner or later, he will be¡­ Anyway, get it now. It''s all right. I''m waiting here now."


    Sophia had no choice but to find the key left by Albert from the drawer. Then, she came to the door of Albert''s house and opened it with the key.


    The layout of Albert''s house was the same as Sophia''s. Sophia had been to the house several times before. So she knew where the bathroom was and just pushed the door in.


    Sophia stayed the moment she opened the door.


    She saw Albert taking a bath there. He was scratching his hair, and the water was not on. Besides, the soundproof door was good. When she was outside, she heard nothing.


    Sophia was stunned for a moment, unable to think. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. She hurriedly turned around and ran out of the bathroom.


    Not long after, Albert came out of the bathroom in a bathrobe. He had just washed the foam out of his hair. The hair was still wet, and drops of water occasionally dropped from the hair tip and disappeared into his loose bathrobe.


    "Well¡­"


    "Well¡­"


    "You first," said Sophia.


    Albert was a little embarrassed, "Well, I have been busy lately and haven''t been to the gym, so I''m a little out of shape. I used to have eight abs, but now I only have six."


    Sophia''s brain had not back to normal yet. "It''s five." She said without thinking.


    After saying that, she had an impulse to tear her mouth apart.


    "You did see everything."


    "I didn''t mean to."


    She didn''t mean to have such a good memory. She didn''t mean to remember that. But what she had seen would be as clearly printed in her head as if she had taken a picture, and she could not forget it.


    Was that her fault?


    She quickly changed the subject, "Why don''t you lock the door?"


    "This is my house."


    "Why didn''t you answer the door when I rang the doorbell?"


    "I was taking a shower."


    "Then why don''t you answer me back?"


    "I did. The room is soundproof. You didn''t hear it."


    Embarrassment filled the whole room.


    Sophia coughed, "Well, I came to borrow shampoo. I thought you weren''t at home, so I came in."


    Albert nodded, turned into the bathroom, and took out a bottle of unopened shampoo. "Here you go."


    Sophia took over the shampoo in silence. Mechanically turned his stiff body and moved slowly to the door.


    Albert silently watched her move to the door, then she suddenly stepped out of the door, reached over the doorknob without looking back, and slammed the door shut.


    When she got home, she handed Kate the shampoo. Kate took over it and complained, "My hair is drying. What took you so¡­ Why did you get a new bottle? This is not right."


    Sophia, with her head down, went to her room and replied, "It''s from Pearson."


    Kate was surprised, "Didn''t you say he wasn''t home?"


    "Yeah. He''s at home."


    "Then why didn''t he answer you when you rang the doorbell at first?"


    "He was¡­ He''s just gone deaf."


    Kate didn''t understand.


    ***


    The next day, Sophia and several students agreed to leave at one o''clock in the afternoon so that they could arrive just before dark.


    Considering that they had not invited everyone to dinner after the move, Sophia and Kate discussed it and then called to invite them to lunch at home. Then they could go together after lunch.


    Albert had helped when they moved in. Kate wanted to invite him and asked Sophia to do that.


    Sophia thought of last night and felt that her ears were burning. She had no idea how to face Albert.


    Especially¡­ the picture was still fresh in her mind. She tried to forget it but could not do it.


    "Go!" Kate urged her as she cooked. "He helped us a lot."


    Sophia could not tell her what had happened yesterday, nor could she find another excuse. She dawdled out of the door, came to Albert''s door, and rang the doorbell.


    There was no response for a while. Sophia breathed a sigh of relief and walked to her house. Even before entering the door, she could not wait to shout, "He is not at home."


    Suddenly, a playful voice sounded behind her. "I''m not at home? Does it make you so happy?"


    She looked back and saw Albert coming out of the elevator with a bag in her hand.


    He went straight to Sophia''s house and changed into the slippers. "My mother pickled eggs and said they were better than those in the supermarket. Could you help to cook them, Mrs. Green? I want to share them with you."


    Sophia heard of Albert''s identity from Benjamin, but she did not want to expose him. She felt that since he did not want to say it, there must be a reason. Then she would just cooperate with him.


    Albert''s mother? The owner of the Pearson Group? She pickled eggs herself. It was not like what a lady would do.


    Kate came out of the kitchen and took Albert''s bag with a smile.. "Oh, you''re so sweet, Pearson.

 Chapter 178 - 178: It Was Their Fate

    We want to treat Sophia''s classmates today. And we were just talking about inviting you here."


    Albert said, "Let me help you, Mrs. Green. I want to learn how to cook. Please teach me."


    Kate was very happy. "That''s good. You''re a good boy, Pearson. You know, girls nowadays like boys who can cook."


    Albert looked back at Sophia, smiled, and said, "Then I have to study hard. I have to marry the one I love."


    Sophia didn''t get it. What was that got to do with her? Why did he look at her?


    At this time, her classmates came.


    Both Kevin and Louie were good at cooking. As soon as they entered the door, they ran to the kitchen to help cook, leaving the girls watching TV in the living room.


    Melissa wanted to help Kevin in the kitchen. But in five minutes, she broke two plates.


    Kevin had to tell her that the kitchen was too small to accommodate so many people and ask her to leave.


    Melissa sitting on the sofa against Carol, and said with an infatuated look, "Mr. Pearson is so cute when he cooks. What a good man!"


    "Don''t you like Kevin? Why don''t you praise him?" Asked Carol.


    "I''m afraid you suspect me of showing off," answered Melissa.


    Sophia was surprised, "You like Kevin?"


    Did Melissa want to be her sister-in-law?


    Melissa blushed, "Don''t say that so loud. Kevin can hear you. I just have a crush on him. He doesn''t know that. Everyone is busy studying now. I do not want to distract him. I want to confess my love to him after the college entrance examination."


    Sophia realized that a lot had happened since she left school.


    Melissa and Kevin didn''t look like a couple at all. Melissa was straightforward and not scheming while Kevin was calm and introverted.


    However, Sophia didn''t intend to interfere with their relationship. If they fell in love with each other, it was their fate.


    Soon, the food was ready.


    There was no large table to accommodate all the people. So they had to eat separately, half in the dining room and half at the coffee table in the living room.


    Although it was inconvenient, everyone enjoyed the meal. Sophia had to admit that Albert''s mother was very good at making pickled eggs.


    When the egg was cut, the golden oil flowed out, and the yolk was like a yellow glass bead with a translucent texture. The salt was just fine and tasted delicious.


    "The egg is great." Kate exclaimed, "Do I have the honor to have your mother teach me how to make it? I want to make some."


    Albert nodded, "Yeah. I''m sure she''d love to."


    As he spoke, he glanced at Sophia again.


    Why did he keep looking at her? Did he still mind yesterday? Sophia wondered.


    As she remembered yesterday, the picture came to her mind, making her completely unable to look directly at Albert.


    What good memory? She hated it.


    Suddenly, Albert''s voice sounded, "Does it look good?"


    "Yeah," Sophia answered before she realized what she was talking about.


    Then she was all messed up again... What was she talking about?


    Kate said, "Pearson is showing me the photos he took. You didn''t see them. How do you know it looks good?"


    Sophia looked at Albert and saw him holding his cell phone to Kate.


    Albert looked over at Sophia and asked with a smile, "You said¡­ What''s good?"


    "The TV series."


    "Oh, what TV series?"


    "It''s¡­ Grimm."


    "Oh, I also think it''s good, especially season two, episode eight."


    It took Sophia a while to realize what he was talking about. In episode eight, Shawn went to Nick''s house and peeked at Juliette, taking a shower.


    Albert referred to her as Shawn, and he himself as¡­ Juliette?


    ***


    After lunch, they got in the car and went to Plain together.


    Like last time, Mcdowell and Everly each sent a car and a driver to take them to Plain.


    It was dark when they arrived there. They went to Mcdowell''s house as before.


    Aunt Mcdowell was very happy. She prepared a lot of food and waited for them to arrive. Lucas was happier than her. He would have another excuse not to go to school the next day.


    After the show was released, netizens were attracted by Lucas'' funny look that they took screenshots of his pictures and posted them on the Internet. He was like a popular little celebrity, and everyone envied him, which made him very happy.


    "Sophia, can I answer questions this time?" Lucas asked as soon as he saw Sophia.


    "Possibly."


    It might be possible for a contestant to throw the ball at him when the contestant asked for help.


    Of course, she had no intention of asking for help.


    Kevin and Louie went to the kitchen to help Mrs. Miller cooked while the others chatted in the living room.


    While they were chatting, Sophia got a call. It was an unknown number, but at a glance, she recognized that it was the number that Nicole called last time.


    She frowned. She didn''t like Nicole at all. Nicole called at this time, and there was probably nothing good.


    She didn''t answer it but put the phone on silent.


    After a while, when she looked at her phone again, she saw more than a dozen missed calls and several text messages.


    She checked the messages.


    "I''m Nicole, Sophia. I have to tell you something right now. Answer me."


    "It''s urgent. I heard that a director of the program sold the questions. I''m worried about you. Why don''t you come out and meet me? I''ll tell you everything."


    "I know you''re not worried. But it''s too unfair, at least to other contestants. I can''t stand it."


    "I''ll wait for you in Room 1202, Grand Hotel. Come quick. I won''t leave until you come, even if I wait till tomorrow."


    Sophia was speechless. Nicole just would not give up, would she?


    But Nicole was telling the truth. Sophia had heard from Molly that Ada had paid off the staff to get the questions. Although Nicole''s motive was not pure, she should know something.


    Sophia didn''t care about Ada. But Nicole was right. It was unfair to other contestants. Since it was a game, it shouldn''t be like this.


    So, she replied, "Okay. Wait for me."


    Nicole replied to her at once, "Yeah."

 Chapter 179 - 179: It Cost Me A Lot Of Money

    Grand Hotel was not far from aunt Mcdowell''s house, and only a few minutes'' walked away. Sophia explained the situation to aunt Mcdowell, who agreed that she should go and meet Nicole to find out everything.


    When Sophia arrived at the Grand Hotel, Nicole''s assistant, whom she had met last time, greeted her and led her upstairs.


    It was a private room. When the assistant opened the door, Sophia saw Nicole sitting there with a few books in her hands.


    "Dear Sophia." Nicole got up and went to Sophia as she saw her. She took Sophia by the hand and made her sit beside her.


    Sophia was not used to it. She gently broke free from her hand and came straight to the point, "You said you knew Ada bribed the director."


    Nicole stood up and poured a cup of tea to Sophia, "Easy. Here, try this."


    Sophia took the cup, put it aside, and asked, "Just say it. My friend is waiting for me."


    Nicole picked up one book and pointed to one of the questions. "Sophia, could you please help me with this problem?"


    Sophia looked at the question. It was an advanced mathematics problem. As she was about to say something, she felt a white light flashed. She looked up and saw that the assistant was taking pictures. The light was not good enough, and she especially turned on the flash.


    Sure enough, Nicole called her here to get her to cooperate with the hype.


    After the assistant had taken the pictures, she retreated.


    Sophia pushed the book aside. "You''ve got what you want. Now can you tell me what you know?"


    Nicole laughed, "You have such a short fuse... Well, I''ll tell you. It took me a long time to find out. The man, the Fox, is an external associate director of the program. He is responsible for the topic selection of the third episode."


    "Do you have proof?" asked Sophia.


    Nicole nodded and took a USB flash drive out of her bag. "Here is a recording of Ada. She couldn''t help showing off while eating with her friends, while her words were recorded by one of them. I happen to know the girl. After listening to her, I bought it. Just listen to it."


    Sophia took over the USB flash drive and put it in her bag. "Anything else?" She asked.


    Nicole laughed, "No. It cost me a lot of money. Her sister was trying to blackmail her."


    Sure enough, like attracts like. None of the friends around Ada were good people.


    Sophia stood up. "Thank you. If there is nothing else¡­ excuse me."


    Instead of stopping her, Nicole got up. "I''m leaving, too. Let''s go. But I have to remind you, Ada is backed up by Mr. Well, the boss of Hurricane Entertainment. If you want to deal with her, don''t turn me in. I can''t afford to mess with this guy."


    Sophia and Nicole left the hotel together, and the assistant duly showed up to take another photo of them.


    Sophia accepted the proof and had to cooperate with Nicole.


    Nicole put on her mask, stopped a taxi, and got on and left. Her assistant had to collect the books and didn''t leave with her.


    When Sophia was back at aunt Mcdowell''s house, dinner was ready.


    While eating, Sophia checked the microblog and saw that the pictures taken by the assistant had been posted online.


    "Advanced mathematics is indeed difficult. But I asked Sophia during dinner. I got it. Thanks."


    The comments below were about praising her hard-working or envying her for having an excellent friend or so on.


    After dinner, Sophia opened the USB flash drive on Aunt Mcdowell''s computer. There was a piece of audio.


    She clicked on the audio, and the voices of several girls came from the stereo.


    "Ada, don''t you worry about that excellent student? I don''t think you should go to disgrace yourself. We all know what you can do¡­ You graduated from high school, did you? You don''t even go to college," said a girl.


    "Excellent student? So what? I''m telling you, the champion of this season has been decided, it''s me!" The voice should be Ada.


    "How is that possible? It''s a quiz show, not a talent show. Are you crazy? Ha, ha¡­"


    "Yeah. If it''s a singing competition, people can say that they have a different appreciation. Anyway, everyone sings similar, and the audiences don''t know much about it. But since it''s a quiz competition, the host can''t take your wrong answer as the right one, can he?"


    "Ha-ha¡­ You won''t know it. Forget about it. Just wait and see. Cheers!" Ada said.


    "Oh, you bad girl. Just tell us!"


    "No. I can''t."


    Then, girls took turns to persuade Ada to drink. These girls were very bold in speaking about some private matters.


    These girls teased Ada, asking her about Well''s skills, while Ada kept laughing.


    Later, a girl brought up the topic of the Super Quiz again when Ada drank a lot, "Ada, we are good sisters, right? Just tell us, how will you beat that school girl? Come on. I won''t fall asleep if I can''t hear the answer. Maybe I''ll go to Mr. Well''s room tonight. Ha-ha!"


    "Humph!" Ada snorted, "Well, won''t like you. Your boobs are too small. He only likes big ones."


    "Yes, you have big boobs. Come on, and you''re not bragging, are you?" The girl sounded a little unhappy.


    "I''m not bragging. Fine! I''ll tell you. Well paid Director Fox to reveal the questions to me. But, if I know all the questions, no matter how good the schoolgirl is, she can''t win. Ha, ha."


    "Really? Was Director Fox so easy to handle?"


    "His wife is sick and needs money. Well, give him thirty thousand dollars. Of course, he agreed. But¡­ Thirty thousand dollars are too much. It''s enough to buy several bags."


    ***


    After that, there was something that didn''t matter.


    Sophia unplugged the USB flash drive and thought about how to deal with it.


    Although the recording was true, there was no way to prove it. Because recordings could be synthesized by technical means, even if it was exposed, Ada could deny it by saying that it was forged.


    It was best to expose her on the spot. But¡­ how?


    Sophia had no idea for a moment. She would have to see if she could find an opportunity while she was recording the show.


    Anyway, she would not give the champion to someone like Ada.

 Chapter 180 - 180: Sophia Was Speechless

    The next morning, they set out to the Lake TV Station.


    The program group had kept eight front row tickets for Sophia. After she came, the staff gave them to her.


    Since the first episode of the Super Quiz became popular, the tickets were hard to get. Especially after the lineup of contestants in the third episode was announced, many people tried to get tickets to watch the show.


    The tickets were generally not sold in public, mostly gift tickets. After the first episode, many people asked the staff for tickets. Many staff members sold their tickets at a high price and made a lot.


    Of course, no one dared to take the tickets that Sophia wanted. After all, the people who bought the tickets were all after her. If she was unhappy, the consequences would be serious.


    After Sophia entered the TV station, she was taken to the background for make-up by the staff.


    She had never worn make-up and just did daily skincare. Her skin was very good, and many cosmetics were not needed.


    The make-up artist eyed her up and down and said, "It''s so easy to put make-up on you. Neither foundation or concealer is needed. Your eyes are big, and even eyeliner is not needed. You can just put on some lipstick."


    Sophia thought she was joking, but unexpectedly, the make-up artist really just put lipstick on her and left.


    Why did she feel that this make-up artist was just lazy?


    Then the stylist came, gave her a lovely fishbone braid, and then took her to the dresser.


    She followed the dresser into the dressing room. She looked around. There were rows of hangers, each of which was covered with clothes.


    Instead of choosing among the clothes, the dresser took her into a small room inside.


    "These are¡­ your clothes." The dresser pointed to a few clothes hanging on shelves in the room. They were covered with dust covers and hung neatly on a shelf, perfectly protected.


    Sophia remembered that she had signed a contract with Aphrodite to wear its clothes on the show. These clothes, of course, were from Aphrodite.


    As the dresser opened the dustproof cover, she said, "I heard the top executives of their company designed these. I haven''t seen them yet. They must be very beautiful. Sophia, you''re so cute when you put on¡­"


    Before she could finish, she froze.


    Sophia was stunned to see the clothes that had been uncovered.


    These clothes¡­


    So ugly!


    Sophia had always felt that Aphrodite''s clothes, though expensive, were worthy of its price. With the beautiful style, high-grade fabric, and exquisite workmanship, they were loved by women of all ages.


    But these clothes¡­ What the hell were those?


    The fabric is great, but the design¡­ OMG!


    A variety of different styles of cutting and decoration were mixed, and the discord would make OCD patients want to kill themselves.


    Some clothes were spliced together by suits and dresses, and some were denim covered with all kinds of fancy ornaments. The only one without splicing and ornament was a fluffy fur-like dress, but it was a gray, round look, quite strange.


    What was the designer thinking? How could he or she have designed such strange clothes? Anyone of the five pieces was a direct blow to Aphrodite.


    It reminded Sophia of the unsaleable gray coat she saw in the Aphrodite store.


    Could it be¡­ The designer of that coat was back?


    Sophia looked at the dresser with a sad face and said, "Can I refuse to wear these clothes?"


    The dresser smiled, "Of course you can."


    Sophia cheered up, "Really?"


    "Of course. If you don''t sign a contract with them."


    "¡­"


    Had she known it, she would never have signed the contract that Albert offered her.


    Speaking of Albert, since he was the owner of Pearson Group, it was up to him to decide the business of Aphrodite.


    Thinking of that, Sophia looked down at the coat she was wearing. She bought it from the Aphrodite store with Albert last time. She might talk to Albert about wearing it to the show. According to the contract, she should wear the designated clothes. Then wearing this one was not a breach of contract, was it?


    Even if she couldn''t, she didn''t mind getting one from the Aphrodite store.


    As long as she didn''t wear those!


    She was not a picky person and usually dressed casually. But these clothes¡­ she would feel embarrassed to face others in these clothes.


    She took out her cell phone and found Albert''s number. She was about to dial when a voice sounded behind her, "Sophia, hello again!"


    Sophia looked back and saw Ryan enter the room, followed by Albert.


    Sophia was very happy, "You''re just in time. Could you please do me a favor?"


    Ryan laughed, "Yeah. Of course. Whatever you want, I''ll do my best for you."


    Sophia was speechless.


    That was Ryan.


    She had to point at the clothes and said, "These clothes¡­"


    Ryan looked at the clothes, which were delivered directly by Aphrodite. He hadn''t seen them yet.


    Then, he felt like he was struck by lightning.


    These clothes would be too much, even for a costume party.


    But he could not say it because the designer was right behind him.


    His boss, who he couldn''t piss off, when Albert proposed that he should design clothes, Ryan agreed with him at once, "The clothes you designed must be the best, only a beauty like Sophia is good for them. Are you going to design the hit Aphrodite this year?"


    Albert sniffed, "You think I''ll design clothes for a small company like Aphrodite? These clothes are custom-made, only one piece for each style."


    Ryan showed a look of worship. "Yeah, yeah. Only Sophia deserves to wear clothes designed by you."


    However, Ryan felt unable to say a compliment in the face of these clothes.


    Before, Jasmine went to the design department of Aphrodite and designed a coat on the spur of the moment. He thought the coat was ugly enough, but he didn''t expect to see anything uglier.


    If Jasmine''s design could be described as "I want to cry," then these clothes would be "I want to die."


    Ryan took a deep breath and showed his usual sincere smile. "Beautiful! These clothes fit your temperament very well, and you must look good in them, Miss Green."


    No one said anything.

 Chapter 181 - 181: Sophia Wondered

    Wouldn''t he feel guilty about saying that?


    What kind of strange temperament did she have to fit in with these strange clothes?


    Albert smiled, "I also think they are very beautiful. These are my¡­ our partner company, Aphrodite, specially tailor-made for you. Try them on!"


    Specially tailor-made?


    Sophia thought for a moment, trying to put it more subtly. "Well... could you please tell me, are these the main models of Aphrodite this year?"


    "Of course not. I told you they were tailor-made for you. There won''t be a second one."


    Sophia forced a smile. Should she say thank you?


    She paused and smiled. "Well, I think the Super Quiz is very popular. If I wear hot clothes for this season, it may have a good advertising effect and bring about some sales."


    Ryan knew what Sophia meant, but he could not tell her the truth. He could only pretend that he didn''t understand her. "You''re so kind to care about the sales of Aphrodite, Sophia. It''s just that new clothes for this season have not yet been designed, so¡­"


    He hardened his heart and pointed at the clothes. "Try them on. Maybe¡­ no, I mean, they must be great on you."


    It was already winter, and the clothes had not been designed yet? The last time she went to Aphrodite, the new clothes were just hanging there.


    She looked at Albert, who was looking at the clothes with an expectant look on his face. But he said, "You... Don''t you like them? It''s all right. If you don''t like them, don''t wear them."


    Sophia suddenly had a strange idea. Couldn''t the designer of these clothes be¡­ him?


    As far as she knew about Albert, he might indeed design these weird clothes. And she thought it was quite possible. Aphrodite''s designers couldn''t design these clothes as long as they were not out of their minds. Even if they designed these clothes, the company could not approve of them.


    Albert was the owner of the Pearson Group. If he designed the clothes, no matter how ugly they were, managers of Aphrodite dared not to say it.


    These clothes were ugly, but¡­ they were Albert''s mind. She could tell that he tried. Would he be sad if she refused to wear them?


    "No. I think they are very beautiful." She struggled to pick out the "prettiest" one of the five clothes. "How about¡­ this one?"


    Albert looked at the dress and was very satisfied. "I think it looks good, too. The design of this dress comes from nature. Although it seems to be fur, it isn''t. For animal protection''s sake, there is no real fur. It is faux fur, but it''s high-tech. It feels much more comfortable than fur."


    Was this a design speech? Sophia wondered.


    The dresser took her to the dressing room to change clothes.


    Sophia shuffled out of the room, feeling ashamed of herself.


    At first, the dresser thought Sophia would look like a bear in the coat, but then, considering her petite figure, she thought she might look like a gray mouse.


    But when Sophia came out, the dresser couldn''t help tittering with her mouth covered.


    Sophia was cute, and she looked like a hamster in the grey fur.


    The dresser looked at the two men in the room, trying to read their thoughts of the coat from their expressions.


    Ryan was facing Sophia, but his eyes were on a table. Obviously, he couldn''t bear to look at her.


    As for Albert, from his eyes and expressions, the dresser saw the burning glances which often appeared on the hero the moment he saw the heroine walking out of the dressing room in beautiful new clothes on TV series.


    As for what she saw then¡­ What the hell was that?


    The dresser felt that she couldn''t bear to see it anymore. Her job was done, and she could just leave.


    ***


    The chief director of the Super Quiz was named Newman. It was his first time to be the chief director of the show. At the moment, he was making an anxious phone call in the office.


    "Laura¡­ not here? Okay. Well, forget about it."


    "Well¡­ May I ask if any entertainers in your company are available at the moment? All on work? ¡­ Newer? Well, forget it. Thank you."


    After several phone calls, he failed to find a suitable star to be a guest.


    The guest was supposed to be Nicole. For her schedule, they advanced the recording of the program. However, half an hour ago, she sent him a text message saying she was not feeling well and couldn''t come. Newman called her, but she didn''t answer.


    With less than an hour to go before the show began, it was not easy to find someone who could replace Nicole.


    The guest must not be an unknown newcomer. At least, it should be a second-line star. This had always been the case in the first nine seasons, and he didn''t want to invite a new person who had no fame yet.


    But the stars were busy. Without an appointment in advance, it was difficult to find someone who happened to be available and could arrive here in such a short time.


    He looked up at the monitor, there were few vacant seats in the audience, and people were there, waiting. If they delay the recording, the audience would certainly not agree, and there might be a riot.


    Suddenly, his eyes rested on the face of someone in the audience.


    That boy¡­ Wasn''t he the popular Louie on the Internet lately?


    He was sitting in the audience. Girls around him couldn''t help talking to him. He stayed calm and did not respond.


    Newman rejoiced at once. Although Louie was not a big star, he was very popular lately. With the good-looking, he was welcomed by netizens. And he had never been on any show. Everyone was curious about him.


    If he was the guest¡­ That would work.


    Instead of asking his assistant to talk about it with Louie, he ran to the audience himself. He went to Louie and reached out to him, "Hello, Mr. Delgado. I''m Newman, the chief director of the Super Quiz."


    Louie was puzzled, but still, he politely got up and shook hands with him. "Sir, what can I do for you? Is Boss... I mean, Sophia, is she..."


    Newman laughed, "You know Sophia? It''s nothing about her.. It''s my business. Could you please come to my office now?"

 Chapter 182 - 182: What A Coincidence

    Louie looked at aunt Mcdowell, the only elder here, and he wanted to ask her for advice.


    Aunt Mcdowell got up, "I''ll go with you."


    "I''ll go, too." Molly also got up. "Keep an eye on Lucas, Mariah. Don''t let him run away."


    Louie then nodded and followed Newman to leave, and Mcdowell and Molly accompanied him.


    ***


    After Sophia changed the clothes, she went to the lounge to wait, which led directly to the stage and was convenient for admission.


    Albert said he had nothing to do at the moment and went to the lounge with Sophia. Ryan didn''t follow up, saying he had work to do and left.


    Sophia entered the lounge and saw Ada sitting there. She had never met Ada before, but there were pictures of Ada on the Internet, so she could recognize her.


    Ada also knew Sophia, who was the biggest obstacle on her way to the champion of this season, so she did some research on her. She wanted to show her disdain by rolling her eyes, but she couldn''t help laughing at the look of Sophia.


    Other contestants also saw Sophia and wanted to laugh, but they felt it was impolite and tried to restrain themselves.


    Albert whispered to Sophia, "She smiled at you. Do you know her? Are you going to say hello?"


    "No."


    As she spoke, other people entered the lounge. Sophia was surprised to see them.


    "Why are you here?" Sophia got up at once.


    "Your coat is so funny, boss!" Molly couldn''t help laughing, "Are you cosplaying a hamster?"


    Albert was unhappy, "Do I look like a hamster?"


    "Don''t you?"


    Sensing the awkwardness, Louie changed the topic in time, "Boss, the program group invited me to be the guest. I discussed it with aunt Mcdowell. We all felt it was appropriate, and I agreed to it."


    Sophia was surprised, "Isn''t the guest, Nicole?"


    "She''s not feeling well," Louie said.


    Sophia thought about it and said, "That''s good. You''re going to be on the show sooner or later, and there will be a lot of variety shows. Don''t be nervous when you''re onstage. The guest needn''t have to talk a lot. It doesn''t matter if you don''t want to talk."


    Louie nodded, "Yeah. Since you''re here, I won''t be nervous."


    The show was about to begin, and Molly and aunt Mcdowell went back to the audience. Also, they took Albert with them. When Louie became a guest, his seat was empty, and Albert could sit there.


    Albert had reserved seats before, but he was happy to accept aunt Mcdowell''s invitation. They were all here to support Sophia, and he would love to be one of them.


    Molly had had dinner with Albert before and knew that he was Sophia''s neighbor. Also, she heard from Carol that Albert liked Sophia.


    She had been feeling sorry for Sophia about the switchover. After all, it should be her to be on the show this time. Besides, she couldn''t win the championship without Sophia''s help.


    She sat next to Albert. But Albert ignored her because he hated her for saying that his clothes looked like a hamster.


    Molly said, "Mr. Pearson, if Sophia can''t win the show, will you be mad at me?"


    Albert was puzzled, "Mad at you? Why should I do that? How could she not win?"


    "Don''t you know?" Molly was surprised. "Didn''t she tell you?"


    "Tell me what?" Albert didn''t understand her.


    Molly told Albert everything about Ada''s bribery. Then, she scolded herself, "Boss got the recording, but she said that she could do nothing to Ada. I''m really sorry for her."


    Albert frowned, "Oh, I see¡­"


    He got up. "Excuse me. I''ll be back in a moment."


    ***


    At nine o''clock in the morning, the show started recording.


    The lights lit up, and Clarence stepped onto the stage, looking fresh in his red suit.


    "Hello, everyone, I''m Clarence." Clarence''s voice was clear and powerful, "Welcome to the third episode of the Super Quiz. Thank you, everyone. Thank you!"


    He bowed to thank the audience and then smiled, "Even though I''m the most handsome host ever¡­"


    The audience booed at once, and it was clear that people did not think so. Of course, everyone knew he said that to be funny.


    Clarence didn''t mind at all and went on, "However, recently, there is a gentleman, I have to admit that he was a little more handsome than me. Now let''s have our guest today, the one who is a little more handsome than me¡­ Louie Delgado."


    Many people didn''t know Louie and whispered about him.


    "Who''s that? Shouldn''t the guest be Nicole?"


    "Never heard of him. Is he a star?"


    "What movies did he act in? What songs did he sing?"


    Frequent microblog users were popularizing him to people around them, "He''s a new guy, no films, no songs¡­ But¡­ he''s super handsome! I bet he''ll be popular soon."


    Those who did not know Louie immediately said they did not believe it.


    But as Louie came out, there was a burst of warm applause in the audience. The applause came more from the female audience because the guest was so handsome! He was more handsome than most male stars.


    Louie was not used to that. He went to the stage, stood next to Clarence, and said with a smile, "Hello, everyone. I''m Louie."


    His voice was a little hoarse, but it was just right, and it sounded very magnetic.


    Many girls there became his fans at once.


    Yeah, that was how superficial they were.


    "This is your first time on the show," Clarence said. "You''re still in high school, right?"


    Louie said, "Yes, I''m in my third year. I''ll take the college entrance examination next year."


    "What a young guest! Can you tell us which high school you are studying? Ha-ha¡­" Clarence asked. "If you say it, I wonder if there will be a lot of people going to your school."


    Louie smiled, "Colin High School."


    Clarence laughed and said, "Colin High School has a lot to do with our Super Quiz. Molly, the winner of the first show, comes from Colin High School... And Sophia¡­ She will be on stage later... Don''t tell me you know each other, do you?"


    Louie nodded, "Yeah. We''re classmates. Sophia used to be my deskmate."


    Clarence laughed. "What a coincidence! What class are you in? So many talented people! The advanced class?"


    "No."

 Chapter 183 - 183: Required Question-1

    "Well, you won''t tell Sophia the answers to the questions, will you?"


    Louie looked helpless, "I wish. But¡­ do you think I can do that?"


    The audience laughed again. Everyone knew Sophia, the top student among Internet celebrities (although fans of KAP did not admit it). How could she need Louie''s help?


    Clarence had been worried that Louie would not perform well for the first time on a variety show. He was thinking of how to help him, but he didn''t expect that Louie was doing much better than he thought, so he was relieved.


    "Well, please have a seat, handsome boy! Now, let''s have today''s contestants." Clarence said, reaching out in the direction of the door. "Please!"


    The music sounded, and the lights were focused on the door. The door opened slowly, and the contestants came out one by one.


    First came Ada, who waved at the audience with what she thought was the most beautiful smile.


    Unfortunately, people just applauded politely.


    The rest of the contestants walked out in turn and waved to the audience. The audience had received instructions from the director group, so they clapped their hands with cooperation.


    Sophia was the seventh to come out. The moment she showed up, there was great excitement. Some of the audience couldn''t help standing up. It was full of thunderous applause. Some people were shouting, "Sophia! Sophia! Sophia!"


    Ada couldn''t help but glance at Sophia. It was just a quiz show. Why was it like a fan meeting?


    It made her upset.


    Sophia was startled and almost withdrew. She paused before walking out the door and waving to the audience.


    There was no light inside, and when she walked out of the door, the audience noticed the strange coat on her and burst into laughter.


    "That''s¡­ a hamster?"


    "Ha-ah¡­ Sophia''s coat is so funny. Aren''t all clothes sponsored?"


    "What brand is it? Which brand can make clothes like this?"


    ***


    Sophia had expected such a result, and she was desperate. But what could she do?


    At this point, Clarence asked everyone to take their seats and introduce themselves.


    Ada was number one, and she was the first to say, "Hello, everyone. I''m Ada. I''m an anchor. I like all kinds of knowledge and I am very interested in learning. I usually read when I''m free."


    She spoke for a while until Clarence had to interrupt her, "Well, our number one, Ada!"


    The applause from the audience was sparse, and everyone was getting impatient.


    Molly whispered, "Why is she so verbose?"


    Carol smiled and said, "I remember a girl talked a lot like her when she ran for the monitor with me."


    "So, you won!"


    When it was Sophia''s turn, she said, "Hello, I''m Sophia. I''m from..."


    Before she could finish, the audience burst into another burst of applause that almost brought the whole studio down.


    Sophia must hire these people. They might perform so excited that they cried later. Ada thought.


    Backstage, Albert came out of Director Newman''s office and saw Eddie walking toward him.


    "That coat¡­ you designed it, right? If the designer had designed the rubbish, he would have lost his job," Eddie jeered at him. "Only Sophia could stand such ugly clothes. Your taste is really weird."


    Albert frowned. He has always been confident about his taste. He designed clothes himself this time to give Sophia the most beautiful clothes.


    He just wanted to give her the best.


    But he had just found that the audience thought the coat was ugly, and it turned out that he was not good at designing clothes.


    He tried, but he seemed to have done something wrong.


    If Sophia had refused, saying she didn''t want to wear it, he wouldn''t have insisted on it. But she didn''t say no.


    Was she afraid of hurting him? She was always considerate of others. But, she didn''t know he designed those clothes, did she?


    Although he had some remorse in his heart and wanted to make it right, it did not mean that an outsider like Eddie could come over and accuse him.


    "It''s none of your business," said Albert coldly, walking to the audience.


    Eddie caught up and said behind him, "We''re alone here. I want to talk to you."


    "I have nothing to talk about with you." Albert frowned.


    "You''re a playboy," Eddie said in a cold tone. "You get close to Sophia. What do you want? With your intelligence, I don''t think you can play with her affections."


    Albert stopped, "You investigate me?"


    With a smile, Eddie said, "Yeah. Since you get that fucking detective to investigate me, why can''t I do that to you? You pursued professor Sophia as an assistant in Glinton University before, and then she died¡­ Now you pursue this Sophia. Do you..."


    He stared into Albert''s eyes. "¡­see her as a substitute? If she knew this, do you think she would talk to you again?"


    Albert said unhappily, "It''s my own business, I don''t need to talk to you. You¡­"


    He paused and said slowly, "If you have any dissatisfaction with me, come at me. Don''t hurt her. Don''t even think about it. Or I will destroy the Patton Group!"


    "Oh? Really?" Eddie laughed brazenly. "I''m waiting for you."


    Albert ignored him and went straight to the audience.


    ***


    The game had just begun when Albert was back in his seat.


    Molly looked at him and asked, "What took you so long to go to the bathroom? The show''s on."


    When Clarence announced the start of the test, the words "Required Questions" appeared on the screen.


    He explained, "The first round is ''Required Questions.'' At the end of this round, two contestants will be eliminated. Twenty questions will be displayed on the screen. The right answer means gaining one point, while the wrong answer means no point. Please write your answers on the answer board within the given time. Start now."


    The first question appeared on the screen: who were the four misers?


    The prescribed time was two minutes. As soon as the question came out, all the contestants started writing.


    For Sophia, it was a piece of cake. She wrote the answer on the answer board: Shylock, Harpagon, Eugenie Grandet, and Pushkin.


    Time was up, and everyone stopped writing and showed their answer boards.


    Of the eight contestants, the only one did not complete the answer. According to the rules, even a small mistake meant no score.


    Then the second question became more difficult: Who invented the Arabic numerals?

 Chapter 184 - 184: Required Question-2

    The question was so confusing that it made people think that since it was called Arabic numerals, it must have been invented by Arabs. The audience also talked about it, trying to say Arabs invented it, but they also thought that if it was the answer, it would be too simple to be a question.


    Sophia wrote on the answer board: ancient Indians.


    Time is up. Contestants stopped writing.


    Clarence smiled and said, "If I were one of you, I''d say Arabs. What do you think, Louie?"


    "Well, since the question was like that, it can''t be Arabs, although I don''t know the answer," said Louie.


    "Well, please show your answer board."


    All the contestants put out the boards in their hands at the same time.


    Sure enough, two contestants wrote "Arabs," and others wrote different answers. Only one of the eight contestants, besides Sophia and Ada, wrote "ancient Indians."


    "Let''s take a look at the answer. It''s¡­" Clarence said. "Ancient Indians! Congratulations, number one, number five and number seven! Louie''s right. It''s not Arabs. As for why it''s called that, let''s have a contestant to explain it."


    His eyes swept over the contestants and fixed on Ada. "Ada, can you explain to us why the ancient Indians invented Arabic numerals but with such a name?"


    Ada was stupefied, and it took awhile for her to react. She smiled, "I''m sorry, I just read it by chance. As for why... I don''t remember. But it doesn''t ask why does it?"


    Clarence nodded. "Yeah¡­ Then let''s have Sophia to make an explanation."


    Sophia thought he would call number five in order, but she didn''t expect him to call her. She said, "Because there were many Arab businessmen at that time, Arabic numerals were improved by Arabs and introduced to Europe. Europeans thought Arabs had invented the numbers, so they called them Arabic numerals."


    When hearing this, the audience understood. Several fans took the lead in applauding, and others applauded.


    Although both of them gave the right answer, Ada only knew the answer but didn''t know why. Everyone could tell who was more capable.


    After a few more questions, everyone except Sophia and Ada made mistakes. At this point, the audience noticed Ada, the only contestant who could compete with Sophia.


    By question eighteenth, Sophia and Ada still took the lead with full marks, and the one behind them was five points less than them.


    The audience had thought it was a game without suspense, and suddenly there was a strong contestant like Ada, and everyone became nervous.


    Speaking of which, Ada was really lucky. She could answer every question, but when asked how to explain it, she said that she did not study it so deeply.


    In other words, she happened to know the answers to the questions.


    A lot of viewers wondered about her good luck.


    "Question nineteenth is a physics problem. Here is the question: when water drops on two iron plates, one is a warm iron plate, the other is hot, which evaporates faster? Why?" said Clarence.


    When the audience heard the question, they began a quiet discussion. Everyone felt that it must be the hot iron plate because its temperature was higher. Naturally, the water would evaporate faster.


    However, according to the routine of the program group, the answer was often wrong, so everyone couldn''t make up their minds.


    Molly whispered, "Boss is not good at physics. This question was about her weakness. Even if she guessed correctly, she might not know why does she?"


    Albert smiled, "Her weakness might be better than that of others."


    "It''s like you know her so well," said Molly.


    Soon, contestants showed their answers.


    Sophia''s answer was the warm plate. Because water on a hot plate would quickly vaporize, and the steam would affect the transfer of heat between the water and the plate, slowing down the rate of evaporation.


    As for Ada''s answer, she only wrote "the warm plate" and didn''t give out the specific reason.


    Besides Sophia, two other contestants also got it right. They each got one point.


    The audience began to get excited. The situation finally had a chance. Sophia took the lead. And her fans, in particular, were very excited.


    Molly was puzzled. "That''s weird. She got the answers. Why couldn''t she give out the answer?"


    Albert smiled, "She probably didn''t remember it."


    She got the answers, but she couldn''t memorize them? Oh, god, she was stupid! Molly thought.


    Ada was very upset. It was not that she did not remember the answer, but that the question she had received did not ask why, while this one asked the reason.


    How could she know why? With so many questions, it was not easy for her to recite the answers.


    One point behind made Ada a little nervous. She felt that Sophia was like a monster. There was nothing she didn''t know. She made no mistake.


    It was only one point short, but how could she get it back?


    "Question twentieth is a maths problem. I think it is also a history problem. Here it is, who is the author of the Logarithmic Simplification?" Clarence said.


    Many contestants were confused. This problem was not common. People who didn''t study the major knew nothing about it.


    Sophia was good at math, so it was not difficult for her.


    She wrote two words: Dai Xu.


    When contestants showed the answer boards, Clarence claimed, "Only number seven gives the right answer. One point for number seven."


    Ada immediately protested, "My answer is also right."


    "Check your answer carefully," warned Clarence.


    When the audience first saw Ada''s board, they thought she was right, but they were surprised to hear Clarence''s announcement that Sophia was the only one to get it right. As Clarence reminded Ada, their eyes focused on her board.


    The screen enlarged Ada''s answer for everyone to see.


    The audience then saw it clearly. It was Dai Xi.


    Xu looked like Xi, but they were different. So, Ada''s answer was wrong.


    This mistake was too low. She just wrote the wrong word in such a game.


    Ada blushed. It was not easy to memorize those things. She had never learned knowledge about this and misread the word. Unluckily, the computer happened to choose this question.. So, she was just out of luck.

 Chapter 185 - 185: Second Round

    At the end of the first round, contestant number two and number eight were out because of the low score. Sophia got a full score of twenty. Ada got two questions wrong and ranked second with eighteen points. The third place was contestant number five. He also performed very well, scoring fifteen points.


    Live recording took much longer than on TV. After all, it needed to be edited. Twenty questions took forty minutes, plus some interactions in the show, an hour had passed.


    The host announced that they could take a ten-minute break and prepare for the second round.


    Some spectators got up from their seats and went to the bathroom, while several contestants went to the lounge for a drink.


    As soon as Sophia got to the lounge, she saw Ryan waiting there.


    "Miss Green," Ryan hurried forward the moment he saw her, "Come with me. Let''s go change. Hurry up!"


    Sophia was confused, "Change?"


    She didn''t expect to change. Of the five sets provided by Aphrodite, the one on her was the best, and the remaining four were unbelievable.


    But now that she signed the contract, she had to follow Ryan to the dressing room.


    The dresser was already there. When she saw Sophia, she pulled her into the dressing room and helped to take off the fur coat on her. Then she picked up another dress that had already been put in the dressing room and changed it for her.


    Sophia looked at the dress on her. Why didn''t it seem to be one of the previous ones?


    It was a long sky-blue dress with a slim design and some tulle in the sleeves. Just a glance, Sophia felt that it was super beautiful.


    She walked out of the dressing room and stood in front of the mirror. Sure enough, this dress was really beautiful, making her look sweeter and cuter.


    Clothes made the man. It did make sense.


    "Are you happy about it?" Ryan asked with a smile.


    Sophia kept nodding, "Yeah, I''m so happy. Why do you let me wear this one? I thought you''d make me wear¡­"


    If it was one of those she had seen before, she would have cried.


    Ryan said, "Our¡­ partner, Aphrodite, is a big brand. There are many clothes. You can change to another one when you take a break later. It''s much more beautiful than this one."


    Sophia smiled, "Thanks. But I don''t think it''s necessary. I love this one."


    She thanked Ryan and left.


    Ryan breathed a long sigh of relief as he watched her leave.


    The last hour was killing him. Albert called him out of the blue and asked him to prepare a "popular aesthetic" dress, and it had to be unique.


    Ryan was going crazy. How could he do that in such a short time?


    Not familiar with the fashion industry, he called the general manager of Aphrodite''s design department and asked him to do it.


    The general manager was also upset when he received the call from Ryan. He immediately contacted all the designers he knew and finally delivered the dress at the last minute. The dress was designed by the head designer of another company to be entered into the fashion competition, and its size was close to Sophia. Finally, he bought it at a high price.


    When Sophia returned to the lounge, the director had someone to inform them that it was time for going back to the stage to continue the recording.


    The audience was back, looking forward to the start of the second round of the competition.


    As soon as Sophia came out, everyone noticed that she had changed her clothes.


    "The dress is so beautiful! Is it a new piece of Aphrodite? I''m going to buy it."


    "But I think the hamster coat was cute. While this one¡­ was also beautiful."


    "Sophia is so beautiful. I think she can be a star. Compared with her, Ada is like a clown, and Ada can be a star¡­ If Sophia wants to be a star, I''m afraid Ada will lose her job."


    "I want to see Miss. Hamster. By the way, where can I get the hamster coat?"


    Clarence cleared his throat and said, "All right, let''s move on to the second round. In this round, contestants will take turns answering questions. Let''s make the rules clear. When the game starts, the computer will randomly choose a contestant to start answering questions. The right answer will earn the contestant one point. The wrong answer means no score, but it will disqualify the contestant from continuing to answer questions. For each question, you have ten seconds. In total, this round will last three minutes. Still, at the end of the round, two contestants will be eliminated."


    "From this round, you can ask for help. Each of you has three chances. You can choose the telephone help, the help-on-site, and the audience''s vote. Of course, we checked," Clarence said, looking at Sophia, "there is no Plug-in Sophia here, so the game should be fair."


    When he said this, the audience burst into laughter.


    "Plug-in Sophia is on the stage, how can you say it''s fair?"


    "Ha-ha, will Sophia be a taboo for all contests? What if she wants to come to the game?"


    "Then, she can only be a guest."


    Ada looked upset, while the other contestants looked desperate.


    Even the number five contestant in third place began to doubt... What was he here for? Why was he here? Can he go back home?


    The game began. Numbers scrolled on the computer. Finally, contestant number three was selected.


    Then, one question appeared on the big screen.


    Clarence read it, "Name the mathematicians in turn. No repetition!"


    Hearing that, Molly was happier than Sophia. Math, Sophia''s strength, how could there be a mathematician she didn''t know?


    "Tsu Chung-Chi," contestant number three said at once.


    "Thales," said contestant number four.


    "Descartes," said contestant number five.


    "Mo-Tse," said contestant number six.


    Sophia thought for a moment and said the most famous one, "Gauss."


    Everyone knew these famous mathematicians. She could say it first. When these were said, she could say someone unusual to get a higher score.


    Contestant number eight couldn''t give a name. Then it was Ada.


    "Euclid," said Ada.


    Contestant number two couldn''t give a name, either. Number three continued, "Chen Ching-Jun."


    "Hua Hengfang," said number four.

 Chapter 186 - 186: The Show Is Not Yet To Come

    Number five couldn''t think of a name for a while. Then time was up. He was disqualified from continuing to answer questions.


    After some time, there were only two people on the stage, Sophia and Ada.


    "Pythagoras," said Sophia.


    "Monk Yixing," said Ada.


    "Dai Xu," said Sophia.


    They just met one question about this Mathematician, and Ada gave the wrong answer.


    Ada was annoyed to hear the name, but she immediately thought of what she was doing. "Chen Gua," she said.


    "Goldbach," said Sophia.


    ***


    They did not stop until the time was up.


    Ada had paused a second after contestant number three. Sophia gave twenty-one names, and Ada gave twenty. And the scores of other contestants, however, were much lower than theirs.


    At the end of the round, contestant number three and number four were eliminated, leaving only four contestants on the stage.


    The score gap between Sophia and Ada was still small, with only three points.


    The second round was short, without a break, the third round started.


    Clarence said, "This round is Quick Response. When I started reading the question, you can press the button on your desk to answer it at any time. But I have to remind you¡­ if you answer wrong, you''ll lose one point. You have to think about it before you answer it. Okay, here we go."


    Then he began to read the question, "The first question is, in snooker, what color ball has the lowest score?"


    As soon as he finished reading, Sophia quickly pressed the button.


    "Red," said Sophia.


    "Right answer. One point for Sophia. The next question is a multiple-choice question. Which of the following pots is the most beneficial to the human body? A. stainless steel pot. B. iron pot¡­"


    Sophia hit the button as soon as he read the correct answer, "iron pot", and said, "B, iron pot."


    Ada was worried. She knew the answers to these questions, but she couldn''t be quicker than Sophia. What if Sophia answered all the questions like this?


    She made up her mind that as long as the host read a word of the correct answer next time, she would press the button.


    Clarence continued to read the question, "A multiple-choice question. Which of the following elements caused Minamata disease?"


    As soon as he finished reading the question, Sophia pressed the answer button.


    Clarence smiled, "I haven''t read the choices yet. Do you know the answer?"


    "Mercury," said Sophia.


    "Right answer," said Clarence.


    Ada was stunned.


    That worked? Sophia didn''t even hear the choices. How could she score? Ada thought.


    Contestants number five and number six were close to each other. They pulled their chairs closer to each other and began to¡­ talk!


    For them, the result of the game didn''t matter anymore. With their scores, even if they won this round, they would still be eliminated.


    Clarence began to read the question, "Doufu¡­"


    As soon as he said a word, Ada couldn''t wait to press the button.


    Clarence was shocked, "Do you know what I want to ask?"


    Ada said proudly, "I guess you must want to ask who invented tofu legend? It is Liu An, the king of Huainan State."


    Clarence nodded. "Number one is really smart. You''re really¡­ one point for you."


    Under the stage, Molly could not help swearing, "Shameless bitch! She knows the questions. But Boss doesn''t know. She can''t score without hearing the question."


    She could not help stand up, "I have to expose her."


    Albert grabbed her by the coat and pulled her back to her seat. "Don''t worry. The show is yet to come."


    Ada was a bit anxious. The audience was no fool. The host only said "tofu," and she immediately guessed that he wanted to ask the inventor of the tofu legend?


    Maybe he wanted to ask how to make tofu.


    The audience around Molly believed her when she said that Ada knew the questions. People began to talk about whether Ada had known the questions in advance.


    But it was also possible that she had guessed it. She rushed to answer the question, so she made a bet, and she might happen to win the bet. Anyway, when it came to the question of tofu, the possibility of asking its inventor was pretty good.


    However, if she could always guess the question, then there would be something wrong. They had to look at the situation before they could be sure.


    Melissa was so mad that she would have stormed the stage if Kevin hadn''t pulled her.


    What a shameless person!


    On the stage, Clarence continued to read the question, "The next question, in the following historical battles, what has nothing to do with Germany is¡­"


    As soon as he had finished, Ada couldn''t wait to press the answer button.


    Clarence stayed still, "I haven''t read the options yet."


    The answer came to Ada when she heard "Germany" in the question. But she didn''t realize until she pressed the button that she had to look for the right answer from the given options. Even though she knew what the answer was, she couldn''t guess if Clarence did not read the options.


    Ada hurriedly said, "I pressed it by mistake. Excuse me."


    "But rules are rules," Clarence said. "You get it, you answer it. It is a multiple-choice question with four options. You have to say one, or you''ll lose one point."


    Ada was five points lower than Sophia. If she lost one more point, it would be six points lower. The gap of six points was not so easy to catch up with. If she could answer it right, she would earn one point, and the four-point gap would be much easier to catch up with.


    Quick Response was her last chance. She had watched the first episode and knew the strength of Sophia. If it came to the last round, Sophia had the strength to answer all the five-score questions. She could also do that, but she would not be able to get Sophia''s points.


    She thought about it and said, "Then I have to make a guess. Although I don''t know the options¡­ I choose C. Let''s see if I''m lucky."


    Clarence said, "All right. Let''s see¡­ C is the attack on Pearl Harbor.. C is the right one."

 Chapter 187 - 187: I Just Watched It

    There was no applause. Everyone was stunned. That could work?


    Four choices. Although there was a one in four chance that she guessed the right answer, it was suspicious that she got it right every time.


    Clarence laughed, "What a lucky girl! Ada, you must be familiar with the battle. Can you tell us about it?"


    Ada paused, forced a smile, "I... I don''t know much about it. I just guessed. I didn''t expect to get it right. I''m just lucky."


    The audience started talking about it.


    "Even the pupils know the battle, right?"


    "She doesn''t even know that? Speaking of which, she seemed to know only the answers to all the questions but could not give a single explanation. That''s strange."


    "I feel like there is something wrong with her. Otherwise, how could she get so many questions right at her level?"


    Even Lucas could not help saying, "I know. A Japanese air strike on Pearl Harbor, the naval base of the US Pacific Fleet. Right? My teacher told us about it in class. I love the Japanese aircraft, and they''re awesome. It''s just that they''re easy to hit."


    Aunt Mcdowell couldn''t help but grab Lucas'' ear, "Unload the game software on your phone."


    Clarence said, "Let''s move on. The next one is a vision question. Although it''s one point, don''t underestimate it."


    A five-minute video began playing on the big screen. It was a clip from the hit TV show, the Allure. On the show, the heroine Mary, who was played by Nicole, was dancing to the emperor. Her dance was graceful and moving, and the emperor was so attracted by her that he couldn''t move his eyes from her.


    When the video was finished, Clarence asked, "Here is the question¡­"


    When he said the words, Ada was on the impulse to press the button, but she had to hold back. There could be thousands of different kinds of questions about this video. It would be suspicious if she could guess the question.


    Clarence said, "The question is, what color is the dress of the third girl in the opening?"


    Hardly had he finished when the buzzer was pressed.


    It was Sophia who got the one.


    At once, there was another round of warm applause.


    Ada took two questions from Sophia and got them right by "luck", which made the audience unhappy and aggrieved for Sophia.


    When Sophia finally got one, the audience was looking forward to it.


    It was not an easy question. When they watched the video, they only noticed the heroine Mary, as for the third dancer, no one noticed her, let alone the color of her dress.


    Ada blushed with anger. She knew she couldn''t get the question after the host finished reading it.


    Sophia was just quick to react.


    "Pink," Sophia answered.


    "The answer is¡­ correct!" Clarence shouted.


    After playing back the video on the big screen, everyone found that the problem was far more difficult than they thought.


    The picture of the dancers lining up appeared for only a second, and then the shot was given to Mary. When the camera turned back, the dancers had already begun to dance, and their order had changed, and no one knew which was the third dancer.


    The audience watched the video again, but the picture passed before they had time to see the color of the dancer''s dress.


    After the video was played, the audience spontaneously applauded. The question was so difficult that only an intelligent person could answer it right.


    In this way, Ada''s hard-won point was offset by Sophia. The gap between them was still five points.


    They had answered five questions, and there were ten more. Ada calculated that if she wanted to win, she had to get at least eight questions and answer them correctly.


    In other words, as long as Sophia got three more questions, she won''t have a chance to win.


    However, among these questions, there might also be questions like "Germany." For this kind of question, the answer was among the options. In this way, there were not many opportunities left for her.


    She must take her chances. If she failed to win the championship, she would not make it to the finals. In this way, she won''t receive any attention.


    She wanted to become famous on this show, and she would not allow an unexpected person like Sophia to sabotage her plans.


    Clarence said, "All right. Let''s move on¡­ In China, the earliest mythological¡­"


    Before he could finish, Sophia pressed the buzzer.


    Clarence laughed, "Sophia got this one. All right, tell us your answer, please. I haven''t finished saying it yet, so don''t be mad at me if you guess it wrong."


    Sophia said, "You want to ask about the earliest mythological novel in China, right? Or¡­ the author. So the novel is Stories of Immortals and the author is Gan Bao, a historian in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is a collection of novels with four hundred and fifty-four stories in twenty volumes."


    Although Clarence had not yet announced the answer, Ada looked quite angry.


    She tried to hit the buzzer button after Clarence said the word "novel." Still, it was too late. Sophia was one step ahead.


    She knew the question and the answer. Obviously, Sophia answered it right.


    This girl, she just would not make any mistake.


    Sure enough, Clarence announced, "Right answer, congratulations! One point for contestant number seven, Sophia. This question only asked about the name of the novel. I didn''t expect Sophia to know the novel so well."


    Sophia said, "I just watched it."


    Naturally, she would not tell him that, with her good memory, she could memorize everything once she watched it.


    Ada''s nerves tightened when Sophia answered the question correctly. If Sophia got two more questions, she had no chance of winning.


    She couldn''t let Sophia get one more question.


    Clarence said, "The next one was about music. Please listen¡­"


    Ada gave a smile. She had seen some comments about Sophia from her classmates, saying that she knew nothing about music.


    So, she could not answer the question.


    She didn''t know music, either. But she knew the answer.


    A burst of music sounded. After a few melodies, Ada couldn''t wait to press the button.


    Clarence said, "Ada pressed the button¡­ But I haven''t said the question yet. You know what I''m gonna ask?"

 Chapter 188 - 188: He Had To Decide At Once

    Ada smiled, "I guess you may ask about the name of the song, right? I love music. I may work on music in the future. I know this song; it''s the Blue Danube."


    She was very proud of herself when she got the question. She could catch up with one point if she answered it correctly.


    The audience understood the importance of the question. If Ada was wrong, she would lose one point. Then Sophia would be seven points ahead of her. With seven questions left, even if she got all the answers right, it would be a tie with Sophia.


    Everyone waited quietly for the host to announce the answer.


    Clarence announced, "It''s a wrong answer,"


    As soon as his voice fell, the audience was boiling. This meant that Ada would no longer have a chance to overtake Sophia.


    Ada froze and immediately retorted, "How could it be? I am very familiar with this song. It''s the Blue Danube. It can''t be wrong."


    Clarence smiled, "I told you. You should listen to the question. The question is¡­Who wrote this song in which year? It''s not about the name of the song."


    Ada got worried, "No way! The question I got was to ask about the name¡­"


    With these words, she clapped her hand to her mouth.


    She was in such a hurry that she said what she shouldn''t have said.


    Immediately, the audience was in an uproar.


    The question she got?


    So, she admitted she knew the question before?


    The question was different from what she knew. She was angry about it, right?


    The impatient audience couldn''t help cursing, "What fucking show? I can''t believe someone knows the question. Then there was no point in the game."


    "It''s not unfair to Sophia. She''s here to compete. But compete against someone who knew the question? Are you kidding me?"


    "Shameless bitch! The program must give us an explanation. Sophia has five million fans."


    "I spent so much money to come here to support Sophia. But what''s that? I have to twitter it."


    The scene was chaotic. If it hadn''t been for the security guard, a few people would have rushed onto the stage to catch Ada.


    Clarence shouted, "Don''t worry, everyone. We''ll make it clear and give you an explanation. We''ll never let this show turn into an unfair one."


    Sophia did not know who had changed the question, but she knew that someone must be helping her.


    However, she didn''t expect Ada to be so impatient and tell everything. With Ada''s intelligence, how could she want to become popular in the name of a high achiever?


    But Sophia didn''t want to see the chaos, and there might be people injured. She picked up the microphone and said, "Be quiet, everyone."


    Hearing Sophia, the audience was getting quiet.


    Sophia said, "Listen to me, please. I believe the program will give you an explanation. Super Quiz has already had nine seasons, and it has always been a fair and just show. This program has a team of over one hundred people. Today''s event may be the fault of one person. Please don''t implicate all the people who work hard for this program."


    When hearing these words, the audience said they had to know the truth before they could decide whether to forgive the show.


    The recording was interrupted, but many viewers refused to leave and sat there waiting for a result.


    Sophia couldn''t help it.


    ***


    Director Newman was going crazy.


    The accident was beyond his expectations. The Super Quiz lasted nine seasons, and he finally got the position of the general director. However, would all his effort be ruined because of the stupid Ada?


    Before the staff of Pearson Group came to him and told him about the leak, which arose his attention, and he promised to change the questions at once to ensure the fairness of the game.


    However, time was short. They only got to change part of the questions in the third round. He already knew that the cheating contestant was number one, Ada. As long as she could not win the championship, the Pearson Group would not complain, and the audience would not know it, Newman thought. After all, only the champion could make it to the final, and few people would pay attention to the runner-up.


    Anyway, Sophia was there, and she would win as long as he changed some questions, Newman was very confident about that.


    But¡­ how could he have thought Ada was a moron?


    The program group held an urgent meeting to discuss how to deal with the matter.


    The man from Pearson Group had told Director Newman that it was the vice director, Fox, who leaked the questions. In fact, even if no one said that the first person to be blamed was the vice director because he was in charge of choosing the questions.


    Director Fox denied, "No, I didn''t do that. It must be¡­ Carry! Yes, she was in charge of inputting the questions and making them into pictures. It''s her! It''s her!"


    Carry was soon called in, and when she learned that director Fox had put all the blame on her, she was so scared that she cried, "How could I do that? It''s not me. I¡­ I didn''t tell anyone after I inputted the questions into the computer. I didn''t do anything!"


    Director Newman frowned. In addition to him, only these two people knew the questions. No one admitted that they had leaked the questions, and he could not think of a way for a moment.


    "Where''s Ada?" Director Newman asked.


    "She left. We have no right to keep her here. Even if she cheated, we can''t do anything to her. Although what she did was very immoral, it is not illegal. We can''t call the police, right?" One staff member said.


    Director Newman could only say, "Well, forget about it."


    Even if Ada had been found, she would not have told him who leaked the questions. Even if she was willing to say, he might not believe her.


    Viewers were still outside waiting for a response from the program group, and if they could not explain, it would have a very bad impact on the whole show.


    He had to decide at once.

 Chapter 189 - 189: There Is No Change At All

    Director Newman made a cruel announcement on the spot, "All the people related to the questions are dismissed from the TV station now. I''ll tell the boss. You can go now."


    Ignoring Fox and Carry''s pleas, he sent Clarence to the studio to announce the solution. Although he did not have the power to fire the station''s staff directly, he knew that it would be like this if he reported it to the station president.


    As a public media, the reputation of the TV station was very important, and it couldn''t be damaged because of two staff.


    It was a heavy punishment because they were expelled from not only the program, but also the TV station. Both of them were regular employees of the station and enjoyed a good treatment. Being fired meant losing the job.


    Not only that, but everyone knew that if it became known, Fox and Carry would never find a job at any television station. They were all majoring in this field. If they couldn''t work in the station, what else could they do?


    Carry almost couldn''t support himself and faint. She took so many exams and finally got the job. In her original life plan, she was going to work on the Lake TV Station for the rest of her life.


    She was the only kid. She had to support her parents. Losing the job was like a disaster for her.


    Mr. Fox was also very worried. Carry was just a newcomer. But he had been in this business for twenty years. If this tarnished his reputation, the relationships he had accumulated over the years would be useless. To him, the loss was even greater.


    Director Newman knew that Fox might do it because Carry didn''t dare to do that. But there was no proof that Carry was innocent, so Newman had to fire her together with Fox. He felt guilty about the girl and wondered if he could help her find another job.


    ***


    Sophia had been standing on the stage, helping Clarence cope with angry spectators. Until the group announced the solution: firing the responsible person, invalidating Ada''s score, and permanently banning her from participating in any show of the Lake TV Station, in this episode, the winner was still Sophia.


    The decision showed the attitude of the station, and viewers accepted it. Clarence apologized again on behalf of the station, saying things like this would never happen again. Then viewers left the station in droves.


    Sophia had been trying to pacify the audience and was very tired. When the last audience left, she got up to the background. Clarence came up to thank her, "Thank you so much, Sophia. If it weren''t for you, it could be a disaster. Unlucky me! As long as something goes wrong, it''s always me who comes forward. Just now, a few guys were trying to beat me. Oh, my god!"


    When Sophia got to the backstage, she noticed a girl crouched in a corner crying. A few people were comforting her, but she just cried and ignored them.


    Clarence got worried and walked up to the girl at once, "What''s wrong, Carry? Who bullied you? Tell me, I''ll take it out for you!"


    Carry just cried and didn''t answer him. One of the girls said, "She''s been fired. You announce it. Don''t you know?"


    Clarence shook his head. "They just said the staff members concerned were fired. But, what does it have to do with Carry? She didn''t choose the questions... She just does the typing."


    The girl sighed, "Yeah. We all know Carry. How could she do that? In my opinion, it must be Fox who did it. But he refused to admit. Newman had to dismiss Carry with Fox for the sake of the station''s image."


    Hearing that, Sophia knew what happened.


    Carry was innocent and implicated. It was Ada who bought the questions and Fox who sold. It had nothing to do with Carry, but she carried the blame inexplicably and lost her job.


    Sophia knew the truth. She thought about it and pulled up Clarence, "Come with me, sir. I need to talk to you."


    Clarence was stunned. He wanted to stay with Carry, but he could tell that there might be something wrong with Sophia''s serious look, so he followed her.


    Sophia stopped at the corner of the stairs. Looking around, no one noticed her, she picked up her handbag and rummaged through it a few times¡­


    "This¡­" she took out a USB flash drive from her bag. "In fact, I wasn''t going to take it out¡­ I hope it can help that girl."


    It was the USB flash drive Nicole had given her before. Sophia had been talking with it. She had thought it would be useless when the matter had been settled. But it seemed that it would be unfair to Carry if she didn''t take it out.


    After all, it had something to do with her. She didn''t want anyone to be implicated.


    Clarence didn''t understand, "What''s this?"


    Sophia said, "It''s a recording. You''ll know. Show it to the president. It may prove Carry''s innocence. If it doesn''t work, call me, I''ll see if I can figure out another way."


    Her phone number was kept at the TV station. Clarence could find it easily. Sophia didn''t need to tell him, especially.


    Clarence kept thanking her. Then he ran to the president''s office with it.


    Right then, Sophia''s friends called her to leave. They had been waiting for her. After the short call, Sophia left with them.


    In the car, Sophia saw that the cheating had already been a hit. Several viewers made the matter public online and attached a live video.


    When they recorded the video, they had no idea that such a thing would happen. They just wanted to make a memento. But then, these videos were absolute evidence.


    "The Lake TV Station said that they would refuse Ada to participate in any of their TV programs. I''m sure they''ll cut all her footage when it''s on the air.. As you can see, this is a live recording of the show, and there is no change at all."

 Chapter 190 - 190: Someone Deleted It

    As soon as the video was released, it immediately attracted much attention.


    "The leak?! The game is about the knowledge of the contestants. What''s the point of the game when someone knows the questions?"


    "Shameless bitch! But¡­ the point is, Sophia, wins when she doesn''t know the answer. You''re the best, Sophia!"


    "I don''t like this game anymore. Stupid Ada! How ridiculous! A person like this wants to become popular with her talent?"


    "Oh, poor Sophia! Why did this happen to her? I feel worthless for the other contestants."


    ***


    On Sophia''s blog, many fans were comforting her.


    "Don''t be afraid, Sophia. We''ll always be there for you. We back you up!"


    "Sophia is great! Ada knew the questions in advance and couldn''t win. I don''t know who can beat you. Ha-ha."


    "Looking forward to your performance in the final. Come on, girl!"


    "I noticed you because of the game. Now I don''t like the show, but I fell in love with you. You''re great, Sophia!"


    ***


    The comments on Ada''s blog blew. When she tweeted before, the number of retweets was less than one thousand, and the online water army did most of them she hired.


    Because of the accident, her latest message had tens of thousands of comments in a few hours.


    "I heard that you bought the questions but failed to win the game? And you said the leak yourself?"


    "Thank you. If it hadn''t been for a stupid teammate like you, it wouldn''t have been revealed. You''re good, huh?"


    "I can''t eat when I see your face. Will your chin poke a hole in your neck when you look down?"


    "You dare bully Sophia? Who do you think you are? Don''t let me see you again, or I won''t make sure I can control myself."


    ***


    Soon, some netizens began to reveal what Ada had done. According to a source, Ada not only had plastic surgery but also had a long history of misdeeds. She often hired the online water army to attack other female anchors who were competing with her maliciously. And she paid off some marketing accounts to spread rumors to discredit others.


    One former female anchor revealed that she once broadcasted live at the same time with Ada, and Ada paid some ruffians to go to her home to harass her and threaten to rob her. For the sake of her safety, she moved and stopped broadcasting live since then.


    Ada had exclaimed that she graduated from Lake University. She was not famous before, so Lake University didn''t refute the rumor. After the accident, the university made it clear that there was no such person in the student roster.


    Soon, someone revealed that she had just been to high school and never been admitted to college at all.


    It was not shameful to have a low degree of education, but it was humiliating to be exposed to a false education background.


    A few hours later, Ada changed her blog user name and turned off the comment function, leaving netizens unable to continue commenting.


    But it didn''t work. There were more and more discussions of her on the Internet, which made her become the hot search for the first time in her life.


    She had dreamed of becoming the hot search, but she didn''t want to make it in this way.


    Sophia had been checking her blog. When she got to Aunt Mcdowell''s house, she suddenly found that all the words about "Ada" and "Super Quiz" in the hot search had all disappeared.


    She searched again and found that the video she had seen before was also gone.


    Obviously, someone deleted it.


    It seemed that Ada''s background was far from simple.


    ***


    Aunt Mcdowell had asked Mrs. Miller to prepare a big dinner for them before she left. But it was late when they got home, and the dishes were already cold. Mrs. Miller heated the dishes. Though they tasted a little less delicious than before, everyone ate them up so as not to waste the food.


    After lunch, everyone rested for a while and then left for Lands City. Molly and others had come on leave. They had classes the next day. So they couldn''t stay here for too long.


    Aunt Mcdowell sent them downstairs and told them to be safe, and Lucas waved goodbye to them.


    Sophia got in the car when her phone rang. The caller ID marked the landline of the Plain Police Department.


    She paused, wondering why the police had called her. She hesitated and pressed the answer button.


    A man''s voice came from the phone, "Hello, is that Miss Green? I''m from the Plain Police Department. Can you come to the police station to cooperate with the investigation?"


    Sophia paused, "Yeah¡­ But, may I know what it is?"


    "Well, Nicole was found dead in her house this morning. I found that the last person she met before she died was you. We would like to know more about the situation," said the man.


    Sophia was stunned.


    Nicole dead?!


    She was fine when Sophia saw her last night. How could she¡­?


    She answered at once, "Yeah, I''ll be right there."


    Everyone was shocked when they heard about the murder. After all, except Sophia, they didn''t even know Nicole. They just knew she was very popular.


    Sophia thought it would be too late to get home if they didn''t leave now and waited for her to go together. They all had classes the next day. So she just told them to go first, and she would go back later. If it was too late, she would stay overnight at Aunt Mcdowell''s house and go back the next day. Anyway, she didn''t need to go to school, so it didn''t matter if she went back later.


    Aunt Mcdowell was worried about Sophia and wanted to drive her to the police station. But Sophia refused. She didn''t know how long she would be at the police station. Besides, Aunt Mcdowell had to send Lucas to school. They didn''t go one way.


    So, she took a taxi to the police station.


    The one who received Sophia was a police officer named Christopher.

 Chapter 191 - 191: How Did She Die?

    He was young but looked mature. He sat Sophia down and then asked her a few questions.


    "What time did you meet her? Why? What did you say?" Christopher asked.


    Sophia said truthfully. There was Nothing to hide. Although she had promised Nicole not to tell anyone about the recording, things changed. Nicole was dead. The truth could help the police find the murderer as soon as possible.


    "So, she went to see you give you the recording?" Christopher glanced at his note, "Then, where is the recording?"


    "I gave it to Clarence. His friend was wronged. I hope it can help to prove her innocence," said Sophia.


    Christopher then asked a police officer to call Clarence and ask him to come to the police station with the recording.


    Sophia finished what she knew and asked, "How did she die? Any idea who did it?"


    Christopher said, "I can''t tell you much about this right now. When the investigation is over, we will tell the public."


    It was a completely official tone.


    The victim was a star. If the news got out, journalists and fans might step in to disrupt the investigation. Before Sophia came out, Christopher asked her not to tell the case.


    Sophia had helped the police before and knew something about this. She had told her classmates who came to Plain with her not to publicize it.


    As she stepped out of the door, Sophia heard someone in the next room shouting, "It wasn''t me. How could I be the killer? I''m a detective! What does detective mean, you know? How could the detective be the murderer?"


    When Sophia heard the voice, she knew it was Benjamin. She stopped and asked Christopher, "I know this guy. Do you suspect he''s the murderer? I don''t think it''s him."


    Christopher said, "Since you know him, come in."


    He opened the door and led Sophia into the room.


    Sophia''s appearance was like a life-saving straw to Benjamin. He shouted, "Tell them, sister, Nicole was just my client! You saw she come to me that day, right? She was just my client. I followed her because she said someone had been stalking her, and I was trying to find out that person. I''m not the murderer. Why should I kill her?"


    Sophia then understood everything. Nicole had probably been stalked before. To find out the stalker, she entrusted Benjamin with it. Then, Nicole was killed, and the police might have found that Benjamin had been stalking her from some surveillance. So, he became a suspect.


    The officer questioning Benjamin asked Sophia, "Are you his sister?"


    "No."


    Benjamin shouted again, "I am really a detective. Great detective! My name is Benjamin Terry, the famous detective, Benjamin Terry!"


    "Never heard of it¡­ I''ve heard of David Terry. He''s very popular. He solved several major cases."


    Benjamin looked happy. "Yes, that''s my father."


    It was not difficult to prove David''s identity. He provided his passport, which could help prove that he was David''s adopted son. He also found some photos of David talking to reporters. In these pictures, the one behind David was him.


    That didn''t entirely clear him, but it did give the police a little more trust in him. After all, David was famous and trustworthy.


    Christopher said, "So¡­ you accepted the entrustment of Nicole to investigate the stalker. Then tell me what you know."


    Benjamin proved his identity and was relieved. It was not good to be considered a suspect.


    "She came to me the other day and said someone had sent her threatening letters and stalked her. She was scared and asked me to help investigate it. She was looking for my father, but my father did not want to come for this and let me act for it." Benjamin said, taking out his cell phone. "She didn''t give me a threatening letter, so I took a photo."


    Christopher took over the phone, printed out the pictures, and gave it back to Benjamin.


    "So, what did you find out? "asked Christopher.


    "Nothing. I followed her for days, trying to catch the stalker, but I never saw anyone stalking her. Weird! I thought it was just her psychological effect, so I didn''t do that these days. Well, I didn''t expect such a thing to happen. If I had known this, I would have followed her all the time."


    Sophia was speechless. Benjamin had no professional ethics at all. Nicole probably heard the name of David and thought Benjamin was as good a detective as his father. But she didn''t think Benjamin couldn''t match his father at all.


    Benjamin did not do his duty as a detective, but that did not make him responsible.


    Christopher frowned, "She found someone stalking her¡­ Shouldn''t she call the police? Why did she go to a detective?"


    Benjamin said, "She said she was a star, if she called the police, it would certainly be known, and it would affect her image."


    Christopher said, "Nonsense. We have professional qualities; we will never tell."


    Sophia also felt that if Nicole had chosen to call the police instead of looking for an unreliable detective like Benjamin, she might not have died.


    Her knowledge of the case was too limited to analyze anything. She wanted to help, but in her capacity, the police would not tell her too much about it.


    The police asked Benjamin some more details and let him go. In fact, they didn''t have any evidence that Benjamin was the killer, and they just wanted to ask him some questions.


    Sophia waited for Benjamin to go together. Then, something came to her mind.


    "By the way, Christopher," Sophia said, "when I saw Nicole that night, she was with her assistant. Later, when she left, she wore a mask and left with the taxi herself."


    Christopher said, "I know. You said that, didn''t you?"


    Sophia continued, "I mean¡­ Will a person who is stalked and intimidated go out to see someone alone at night? If I were Nicole, I''d have several bodyguards with me. As a star, she had enough money to do that. I don''t know her well, but I know she''s a very thoughtful person.. It''s not like something she would do."

 Chapter 192 - 192: Who Spread The Rumors?

    Christopher paused. "You mean¡­"


    Sophia said," The stalking, threats¡­ I don''t think it''s that easy. Maybe there''s something else."


    She didn''t say much. After all, she couldn''t handle such things.


    When Sophia and Benjamin went out, they met Nicole''s assistant. She had just made a statement and came out. Her eyes were red, and she had obviously cried.


    Sophia talked to her before she knew she called the police.


    "Nicole had a show today, so I went to pick her this morning, but she neither opened the door nor answered my call. She had a bad temper and she often did that. I was angry but couldn''t do anything about it. Later, the TV station called to tell me that Nicole texted them that she was not feeling well and would not attend the show. I called her again, but she didn''t answer¡­" The assistant said, weeping again. "I thought she might have gone to the hospital alone."


    After a pause, she continued, "At more than ten o''clock, I called her again, but she still didn''t answer. I feel something was wrong. If she fainted from illness at home, and no one was there taking care of her, it would delay the treatment. I went to the guard. Nicole didn''t often live in this house and sometimes forgot her key, so she put a spare key in the doorman''s room. I know the guard well. He took me to her house... Then I found that..."


    She cried again, "I should have entered earlier... Maybe I can save her..."


    Sophia comforted her and asked, "Well, do you know how she died?"


    The assistant said, "I didn''t dare to take a close look at her, but there seemed to be fingerprints on her neck, so she might have been strangled to death."


    Benjamin chimed in, "No wonder the police asked me to take a fingerprint when I came in. Then the murderer should be found soon, right?"


    The assistant said, "I think so¡­ I hope they catch the murderer soon."


    She said no more, but got into her car and drove away.


    Sophia slightly frowned as she watched the car went away.


    According to the assistant, she must have guessed who the killer was. It was just that she was not familiar with Sophia, so she would not tell her too much.


    With the fingerprints left by the murderer, the case was expected to be solved in a few days. She didn''t need to worry about it.


    When they got out of the police station, a luxury car suddenly stopped in front of Sophia.


    The window rolled down, and Eddie stuck his head out of the car. "Miss Green, may I have the honor to drive you home?"


    Sophia didn''t know him well, but he was one of the suspects in the lab fire, and she wanted to talk to him to see if she could get something from him. He might not be honest with her, but there might be some flaws.


    Benjamin came over and said, "Then take with¡­"


    Eddie said, "Forget about it. Walk back on your own."


    Benjamin didn''t know what to say.


    Sophia left Benjamin there and left in Eddie''s car. After getting in the car, she asked, "Mr. Patton, how do you know I''m here?"


    Eddie proudly said, "I am the king here. My industry covers the whole city. Everyone knows me. It''s a piece of cake to find you."


    Sophia was surprised, "Why do you find me?"


    Eddie said, "I appreciate you, the number one high achiever online. I can''t let you be played with by some rich kid."


    Sophia understood.


    It turned out that he came to her because he wanted to fight Albert.


    In this way, Eddie might know everything that happened in Plain.


    She asked, "Then do you know Nicole¡­"


    "The star? What''s wrong with her?"


    "Nothing."


    It sounded like Eddie didn''t know Nicole had been killed. He should not have much to do with Nicole and would not inquire about such things.


    "May I have the honor to buy you a cup of coffee?" Eddie said. "Since you''re here, I should do the honors."


    Sophia thought about it and nodded to agree. She wanted to stay longer with Eddie, so she could ask more about what she wanted to know.


    Eddie pulled up to a fancy coffee shop, and the staff came to help him park. He went to the coffee shop with Sophia, ordered two cups of coffee and plates of cookies.


    While drinking coffee, Eddie kept telling Sophia what an abominable person Albert was, hoping she would stay away from him.


    Eddie said, "I asked someone to investigate Albert. He fell in love with a famous professor two years ago. Same as you, the girl was named Sophia. He worked as her assistant for two years! Oh, god, he did love her. Later, that girl died in an accident, and he came to you¡­ I think he must take you as that girl. He definitely doesn''t like you."


    Sophia was confused.


    She didn''t think Albert ever loved her. Was he working as her assistant to pursue her? Who spread the rumor? She was with Albert for two years and never thought he liked her.


    Instead of continuing with the topic, she asked, "I''ve heard of Professor Sophia, and I''m interested in her because of the same name. I have read one news that... your father was sent to prison by her, right? Do you hate her? "


    She knew she should not say that. But since they talked about it, she didn''t want to miss the opportunity.


    Eddie was silent for a moment and nodded. "Of course... If she hadn''t found out the truth, I would have... Forget about it. She was dead anyway."


    Hearing that, Sophia stopped talking about it and chatted casually with him about something else. After drinking coffee, Eddie took Sophia to aunt Mcdowell''s house.


    "Remember, don''t fall for that rich guy. He has no sincerity. And the detective, who is not a good man. Just ignore him," Eddie told her again and again before he left.


    "Yeah."


    These were all the people he hated.


    It was more than four o''clock. If Sophia went home at this time, she would arrive at midnight. It was quite inconvenient. So, she decided to stay at aunt Mcdowell''s house for one night and return early the next morning.


    Aunt Mcdowell was very happy and received her well.


    To show her gratitude, Sophia went to Lucas after dinner to help him with his homework.

 Chapter 193 - 193: Want Money?

    Suddenly, her phone rang. She took a look at the caller. It was Clarence.


    "What about carrying?" Sophia walked out of Lucas'' room and answered the phone.


    "Not very well," Clarence said. "Mr. Fox insisted that it was Carry and Ada''s dirty tricks. He said that Ada had deliberately recorded it to help Carry, get rid of the crime. This afternoon, the police called me to the police station and kept the recording. Did you call the police? Is it useful to call the police?"


    From what he said, the police should not have told him about Nicole''s murder.


    Sophia thought about it. Fox would not admit it. If they wanted to help Carry, they could only find a way to make Fox couldn''t deny it.


    She thought for a moment and said, "In the recording, Ada mentioned that she gave Fox thirty thousand dollars, right? This is serious bribery. You can call the police and file a case for investigation. With an extra thirty thousand dollars in his account, there must be traces."


    Clarence said, "I''m going to talk to Carry. She can''t lose the job, or her family will be in trouble."


    When she finished the call, Lucas had already finished his homework. She checked it out, and there was no mistake.


    Aunt Mcdowell was very happy, "Good job, Lucas! What reward do you want?"


    Lucas tilted his head and thought, "I want... Transformers! The one I saw in the supermarket last time. It''s amazing. Mum, you said, if I get my homework right ten times, you''ll buy it for me."


    Aunt Mcdowell took out a form and counted the checks she had put on it, exactly ten.


    She could only say, "Okay. But how about tomorrow? Your father asked me to help with a document tonight. If I finish it earlier, he can leave work early and come home."


    Lucas was unhappy, "No, I want it. Now! If you don''t keep your word, I will not do my homework again, huh!"


    Sophia said, "Lucas, did you do your homework for Transformers? That''s not right. Even without Transformers, you have to do your homework well... But since your mum promised you, she can''t break the promise. How about this? I''m free right now, and I''ll take Lucas to buy it."


    Aunt Mcdowell hesitated. "Oh, is that too much trouble?"


    Sophia smiled, "No, no. I have been bothering you but haven''t done anything for you. And it''s nothing, and I can do it. Just do your work. I''ll take Lucas for a walk."


    Aunt Mcdowell agreed. Afraid of Sophia paying for it, she called Lucas aside and gave him the money, telling him that he must pay by himself and never use Sophia''s money.


    Lucas agreed and followed Sophia downstairs.


    "Sister, we can just go through that alley. It would be a long way if we walk the road," Lucas pointed at the front.


    Sophia said, "Don''t walk in the alley at night. It''s not safe, you know?"


    Lucas took her hand and shook it back and forth. "Sophia, I heard from Molly that you''re good at fighting. You know, I never walked through the alley myself. Now you''re with me, and I dare to have a try. Just once, all right? It''s half-past seven now, and the supermarket closes at eight o''clock. Come on!"


    Sophia took a look at her watch. If they didn''t go this way, the supermarket might be closed when they got there and could not get anything.


    She had to agree but repeatedly told him, "Just once. You mustn''t walk from here alone at night. If some bad guy kidnaps you, you may never see your mother again. There are a lot of bad people out there."


    Lucas nodded, "I know. My teachers always say that I remember it! Don''t worry, and I don''t like going out at night."


    Sophia walked to the alley with Lucas. At this time, they saw someone running towards them. As he ran, he shouted, "Help! They want to kill me, ah!"


    She stopped and held Lucas in her arms. Then she saw that it was Benjamin who was running to them.


    Behind Benjamin, four or five men chased him, running and shouting, "Stop! Stop!"


    Benjamin shouted, "You wish! I''d be stupid to stop."


    When he saw Sophia, he waved, "Run. The bad guys are coming!"


    Soon, Benjamin ran to Sophia, and the people chasing him also caught up and saw Sophia. A man with yellow hair raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh, there''s a pretty girl here. What a lucky day!"


    Lucas, who had seen this before, was so frightened that he cried. Trembling, he reached into his pocket and whispered, "I''ll give you the money for the toys... Will you let us go?"


    The yellow-haired man frowned. "Why is there a kid here? Who wants your toy money? Go away. I don''t hit kids."


    Benjamin was going to run, but when he saw Sophia staying there, he hurried to pull her. "Run, sister! They are all bad people. They can do anything! I cover, you run first!"


    Sophia pushed Lucas into Benjamin''s arms. "Take care of him."


    Then, she stepped forward and stood in front of Benjamin, facing the men blankly.


    The yellow-haired man snickered, "You fall in love with me, girl? If you don''t run, come with me... But now, I have to teach him a lesson. Then we can have some fun somewhere else."


    Sophia said coldly, "Why did you hit him? Want money?"


    The man shook his head, "He has money? Are you kidding me? He messed someone, so we''re entrusted with beating him. Don''t worry, and I''ll be careful not to kill him."


    He said, taking a step to one side, trying to bypass Sophia and catch Benjamin.


    Sophia also walked one step in the same direction, and said, "Just like you, I''ll be careful not to kill anyone."


    Before the man could react, Sophia swung her fist out and knocked him to the ground.


    Seeing that, his accomplices rushed to catch Sophia.

 Chapter 194 - 194: You’re Amazing

    Sophia was flexible, shuttling back and forth between these people like a fish. No one could hit her. Instead, they were punched by her. After a while, they all lay on the ground.


    Both Benjamin and Lucas were stunned. Things changed so quickly that they had not been able to react.


    Benjamin cautiously walked to the yellow-haired man. Suddenly, he kicked the man twice in the stomach, looking triumphant. The man hummed, trying to reach out and fight back, but he didn''t even have the strength to raise his hand.


    "You''re a superwoman, sister!" Lucas was so excited that he clapped his hands around Sophia. "You''re amazing. What kind of kung fu was that? Can you teach me? I want to be superman, too."


    Sophia squatted down, asked the yellow-haired man, "Who asked you to do this?"


    The man gritted his teeth. "I won''t tell you. I promised not to tell, or I would die..."


    Benjamin kicked two more feet in his stomach. The man couldn''t resist the pain and shouted, "Oh, gosh! You''re killing me¡­ You bad guy will suffer. Oooh¡­ I won''t tell anyone it was Mr. Patton from the Patton Group who sent me. I''ll never tell..."


    Sophia then got up and said, "Well, for the sake of your injuries today, I won''t call the police to catch you."


    The man felt depressed.


    It was he who wanted to call the police. What kind of monster was this girl? She''s horrible.


    Of course, he didn''t say it out. He didn''t want to get beat up again.


    Sophia sent Benjamin out, saying, "Eddie has someone beat you up. It must have something to do with your investigation of him, right? So, stop the investigation now. He is very complex. You''d better go back to Lands."


    Benjamin bent out his lips and said, "I won''t give up so easily. I''ll look him up, find out everything about him, huh!"


    Sophia said nothing.


    With her knowledge of the ability of Benjamin, he might not have been able to find much.


    Benjamin said, "Don''t worry. My dad will be here next week. Then all the truth will come out. There''s nothing my father can''t find out! He is the best detective in the world."


    Sophia cheered up, "You mean¡­ your father, Mr. Terry, will come?"


    She knew David in her last life and knew that he was good at handling cases. In recent years, he solved several major cases, making international criminals afraid.


    Benjamin looked triumphant. "Yes! I told him about the results of the investigation into the lab fire. He was interested in it and said he was going to investigate it himself. I guess it''s probably Eddie, or why is he so afraid of me? And he had people beat me..."


    Sophia said, "Anyway, be careful. You''d better leave as soon as possible.


    The Patton family has great power in Plain. You can''t afford to offend them."


    Benjamin raised his head and said, "There are laws in the world. If Eddie is the killer, he will be punished. I''m not afraid of him."


    Sophia could not convince him. Then she separated from him at the end of the alley and took Lucas to the supermarket.


    Lucas was excited all the way. He was not interested in the new transformers anymore and had been asking Sophia to teach him kung fu.


    On the way home, Sophia said, "Lucas, don''t tell anyone about what just happened, okay?"


    Lucas didn''t understand it. "Why? You were so cool. If I have your skills, I wish the whole world knows it."


    Sophia had thought it all out. Eddie was not simple. She didn''t want the matter to involve Aunt Mcdowell.


    With Eddie''s power in Plain, if he heard about it, he might not let Aunt Mcdowell go with it. Aunt Mcdowell had been living in Plain, and it was better for her not to offend Eddie.


    Of course, she would not explain that to Lucas. She smiled and said, "Let''s make it our secret, all right?"


    Lucas smiled, "Yeah, secret. I won''t tell you. Deal!"


    Sophia stretched out her hand and said, "Yeah, deal. Whoever tells is the dog."


    Lucas didn''t tell Aunt Mcdowell about it after he got back. He just smiled for a long time. Aunt Mcdowell asked him what he was laughing at, and he kept smiling and not talking.


    Aunt Mcdowell stopped asking him. She finished work and went to bed with Lucas.


    ***


    Then the next morning, Sophia said goodbye to Aunt Mcdowell and Lucas after breakfast. She had bought a train ticket. The train would set out at half-past eight. So she should leave for the train station early in the morning.


    Aunt Mcdowell wanted to send her to the station, but Sophia refused. Lucas had to go to school this day, Aunt Mcdowell had to send him to school and the time was too tight.


    Aunt Mcdowell had to ask Sophia to wait for the taxi at the door. As time was running out, she drove Lucas to school.


    Sophia waited for a while when a luxury car suddenly stopped in front of her.


    She was confused. The car was not the one Eddie had driven. But in Plain, she did not know anyone else driving such cars other than him.


    The door opened. Eddie came out with a smile, "Nice to meet you again, Miss Green."


    He did have a lot of luxury cars. But there was nothing strange about it. After all, he was the boss of the Patton Group.


    Sophia thought he had heard what had happened last night, but the people he had sent to beat Benjamin did not know her and might not be able to name her.


    Pretending that it had nothing to do with her, she smiled and said, "Are you going to the company, Mr. Patton?"


    Eddie shook his head and said, "No. I''m here to pick you up. I''m going to Lands City. Since you''re also going there, we can leave together. It''s nice to have someone talking with."


    As he spoke, he opened the back door for Sophia to get in.

 Chapter 195 - 195: I Learn It For You

    Right then, a black car stopped behind Eddie. The door opened, and Albert stepped out of the car. "Just in time," he said with a smile, "I''m going back to Lands City. Sophia, you''d better take my car."


    Eddie stared at him and said, "What makes you say that? I''m here first."


    "We''re neighbors," Albert said.


    "You''re so shameless. I''m going to buy a house next to Sophia''s."


    "You wish!"


    There was a look of triumph on his face. He had bought the entire community where Sophia lived. No matter how much Eddie offered, he could get nothing.


    "I don''t believe it."


    Looking at the two arguments, Sophia was speechless and felt annoyed. She actually preferred to travel by train, which was more stable and comfortable than a car. If she had not come with her classmates, she would have wanted to take the train.


    At this time, a taxi came. Sophia waved, and the taxi stopped in front of her. She opened the door and turned to say, "Well, you keep talking. Excuse me."


    Then she got into the taxi and left.


    The two men who were arguing froze.


    ***


    Sophia had booked her ticket online. When she arrived at the station, they just started to check the tickets. She took out her ticket and then entered the entrance. She had come with very little luggage, only a small suitcase, which was convenient to carry.


    There was no high-speed train from Plain to Lands City, so the ticket Sophia bought was for the regular expression. There were not many people on the train. Sophia got on and found her seat. She lifted her suitcase and tried to put it on the baggage holder. A young man sitting next to her saw it and gave her a hand.


    Sophia thanked her politely.


    Soon, the train started. The young man looked at Sophia and said, "Are you a student, Miss?"


    Sophia didn''t really talk to strangers. She nodded and said, "Yes."


    The young man kept saying, "Which school are you from? I''m from Mary Medical University. You look young, are you a high school student?"


    Sophia smiled but didn''t answer him. She didn''t want to give away her privacy to strangers, so she did not want to answer it.


    The young man was not discouraged. With a beauty seated next to him, he wanted to make some acquaintance of her. Beautiful girls were usually hard to get; he knew it. Since the trip was long, he had plenty of time.


    He was about to say something when he felt something strange. As soon as he turned his head, he saw a man standing next to him, looking down at him.


    "Pearson? What are you doing here?" Sophia noticed him.


    Albert smiled, "I was carsick, so I took the train."


    Could he make a worse excuse? Sophia thought.


    The seats were not all covered. There was a vacant seat opposite Sophia, Albert sat down.


    The young man had to admit that the man was handsome. No wonder the girl ignored him. Any girl who had such a handsome boyfriend would not pay attention to other men.


    Albert said to Sophia, "I can cook when we get home, Sophia. Mrs. Green must be tired after a day''s work. I''ve just learned a new dish from a chef. You can have a try."


    Sophia was curious, "What new dish?"


    "Sugar Candy Lotus."


    "I haven''t eaten it. But it sounds delicious."


    "Of course. I learned it for you¡­ and Mrs. Green."


    The young man felt more and more uncomfortable. He couldn''t help standing up and said, "You can sit here, sir."


    Albert smiled, "Oh, that''s so kind of you."


    That was his purpose, the young man thought. He showed his love in front of him to make him feel embarrassed and gave his seat to him. What a shameless person!


    ***


    It was more than three o''clock when they arrived at Lands City. Sophia and Albert got off the train together. Albert had no luggage, so he carried Sophia''s suitcase.


    As soon as they got out of the station, someone came to pick them up. Sophia was surprised to see that it was Ryan.


    She had seen him in Plain. He was driving for Albert then. But she didn''t expect him to arrive early and come to pick them up.


    "You must be tired, Miss Green." Ryan took the suitcase over and put it back in the car. "Come on, get in the car."


    He had prepared some snacks and drinks in the car. The weather was cold, but the drinks were still hot.


    Sophia praised him, "Pearson, you''re so lucky to have such a thoughtful assistant like Sampson."


    Ryan stayed, "Pearson?"


    "Yeah, Albert Pearson."


    "Why do you call him Pearson?"


    "He said he loved me to call him like this"


    Ryan stayed and said, "Oh, I see¡­ Pearson."


    Ryan drove them home and carried Sophia''s suitcase upstairs. Sophia wanted to carry it herself, but Ryan took it first and went downstairs with it.


    Albert got upstairs with Sophia. Then he waved to Ryan, "Come to my house. I want to talk to you about something."


    Ryan was frightened. Was he going to his house to talk about something?


    ***


    The police did not disclose Nicole''s death, but there were many people involved in the investigation, so the news would soon be spread, Sophia thought.


    Sure enough, two days later, "Nicole''s died!" covered the blog.


    Nicole was a popular star. Her TV play was in the air, very welcomed. Her sudden death caused an uproar in the entertainment industry.


    Sophia knew that long before and wasn''t surprised.


    For days, the Internet was abuzz with speculation about Nicole''s death. The police had not published the results of their investigation, so various speculations were on the Internet. Some said she committed suicide, and some said it was love killing, and there were other claims. The causes of her death provided by netizens were so many that they could make several suspense novels.


    Sophia thought this had nothing to do with her, but soon she saw a lot of critical comments on her microblog.


    "Nicole''s last tweet was to eat with you.. She''s dead. Why don''t you say a word?"

 Chapter 196 - 196: The Murderer

    "You''re her good friends, aren''t you? Your friend is dead! Why don''t you tweet to mourn for her? Why aren''t you sad at all?"


    "Nicole regards you as a good friend. Oh, god! She''s so unlucky."


    "Her last meal was with you. You didn''t poison the food, did you?"


    ***


    Sophia felt confused. She didn''t use this account very often. The last time she tweeted was because of the requirement from the Super Quiz officials because they wanted to promote the show. She didn''t usually tweet unless for some special reasons.


    What did it matter if she tweets or not? She was sorry for Nicole''s death, but she and Nicole were not really friends. Did she have to pretend that she was heartbroken on the Internet?


    She looked through the microblogs and soon noticed that several marketing accounts with tens of millions of followers were guiding public opinion. They posted articles on the Internet. In the article, they listed the proof of the "friendship" between Sophia and Nicole, accusing Sophia of not tweeting to mourn.


    Sophia was upset, but she knew that it was useless to refute them. She didn''t know who planned it and maliciously discredited her.


    She was annoyed when Albert came with the phone. "Sophia, I saw someone trashing you online. I have a friend who works in the microblogging company. Shall I ask him to delete them?"


    He was trying to have someone delete them, but there were a lot of comments on the Internet. Obviously, many people have read them. If they deleted these articles, things would get worse.


    Sophia shook her head, "It''s too late. If we delete the articles now, people will think I''m trying to hide something. They will make more rumors about me."


    Albert had thought of these. That was why he came. He continued, "One of my friends is running the microblog marketing accounts. How about I ask him to write some articles to clear things? I think it will be better this way."


    Sophia knew Albert was powerful. He could make all the comments disappear, and there would be no bad word about her online. But she didn''t want to do that. Suppressing public opinion by force would only make people misunderstand her intention.


    "No, thanks," Sophia said, "I''ll explain it myself."


    Albert didn''t understand it, "What do you want to say?"


    Sophia picked up her phone, several input words, and showed it to Albert.


    "The best way to pay tribute to the dead was to find out the murderer and give her justice. I''m not used to tweeting, but it doesn''t mean I don''t care. The dead are gone. All I can do for her is to find out the truth. I did meet her before she died, so I will actively assist the police in their investigation @Plain Police Station."


    After she posted the message, many people retweeted it.


    "She wanted to help with the investigation?!"


    "She was a smart girl. With her help, the murderer may soon be found."


    "Looking forward to it! Please find out the truth for Nicole. She shouldn''t die unclearly."


    "We want the truth!"


    ***


    Albert gave the phone back to Sophia and said, "Do what you should do. Tell me if there''s any difficulty."


    Sophia smiled, "Yeah."


    Just when Albert returned home, his phone rang.


    He answered it, "Who did it?"


    Ryan''s voice came from the phone, "Yes, it''s Well, the president of Hurricane Entertainment. Ada is his mistress. He made rumors about Sophia because of her. He has done things like this once, and I deleted his account, but I didn''t expect him to do that again. He really doesn''t know how to learn a lesson."


    Albert was silent for a moment, "The Hurricane Entertainment... Make it disappear."


    Ryan said, "I''m doing it, Pearson."


    After being punched by Albert, Ryan finally came to understand that Albert loved being called Pearson was only for Sophia.


    The Hurricane Entertainment dared to rumor about the girl his boss loved. He could just close it without a second thought. His boss would never blame him.


    Sophia''s message attracted wide attention, and the Plain Police Station contacted her the next day.


    The one who contacted her was Christopher. He said on the phone, "We''ve met, Sophia. I didn''t know you''re a celebrity."


    He didn''t usually read the blog and didn''t know Sophia. In fact, Sophia was quite popular on the Internet and had more than six million fans. However, not many people knew her in real life. Occasionally, several fans could recognize her. After all, six million were still very little compared with the population of the whole country.


    Sophia had been the audience of the Super Quiz, which made her get popular online. Although the audience rating of this program was very high, it was only five percent. She was just a viewer, people forgot her easily, and few remembered her.


    In reality, most people were familiar with stars because of the TV shows, but web celebrities were not so well known.


    Sophia smiled, "Not really¡­ I don''t know why I have so many fans."


    Christopher was a serious man. He didn''t like to make polite remarks. After a brief opening, he got to the point.


    "Here is the thing. You claimed on the Internet that you want to help with the investigation. We can understand you. But the case is not complicated, and we''ve known the killer," Christopher said, "It''s just that the killer is on the run. We haven''t caught him yet. When the case is solved, we''ll make public the result of the investigation."


    Sophia was not surprised about that. When she heard from Nicole''s assistant that Nicole was strangled, she knew there would be a clue, and the murderer would be found out through the fingerprints.


    "Who''s the killer? Can you tell me?" She asked.


    She wasn''t curious about the case. It was just that there were so many suspects in this case that she hadn''t figured them out yet.


    Christopher hesitated, "Well, you''re one of the people who related to this case, I can tell you, but¡­ you can''t tell anyone before we release the results, can you?".


    "Yeah."


    Christopher then said, "The murderer named Joseph, Nicole''s ex-boyfriend.. On the night of the incident, he went to Nicole''s house.

 Chapter 197 - 197: Time Would Tell

    They quarreled, and he strangled her on impulse.


    Then he took Nicole''s phone and ran away. We found out his location through the text message he sent to the TV station under the guise of Nicole, but he had dropped the phone and escaped. We don''t know where he is now."


    Sophia frowned, "That means the one who stalked and threatened Nicole was Joseph, right?"


    Christopher said, "I''m not sure. There is no evidence of it."


    Sophia thought for a moment and asked, "There are guards in Nicole''s neighborhood, right? Why did they allow Joseph in? Even if Joseph slipped into Nicole''s neighborhood, why would Nicole let him in her house? That''s strange."


    "We find out that it was Nicole who told the guard to let Joseph in. And she asked the guard not to tell anyone about it. If it had not been for the accident, the guard would not have told anyone. After all, it was about the privacy of a star. He came with a mask and hat, and we could not see his face at all. He just did what Nicole told him to do and let Joseph in without thinking much," said Christopher.


    He paused and continued, "There is no evidence that Nicole was still in touch with Joseph, but we think she did. That was why she had an appointment with him. She was a public figure. Afraid of being photographed, she asked Joseph to dress up. It was only after an argument between the two that Joseph accidentally killed her. From the scene, it was an impulse killing, not a deliberate one."


    With Christopher''s explanation, things seemed clear. The whole incident was the emotional entanglement between Nicole and his ex-boyfriend. They had an argument, and the man killed the girl on impulse, and there was the tragedy.


    Sophia asked again, "There is one point I don''t understand. Why did Nicole go to a detective? If she knew it was her ex-boyfriend, she would not go to Mr. Terry in Africa, would she? Mr. Terry is an internationally renowned detective, and he didn''t usually take small cases. Even if he takes it, the charge will be very high."


    Christopher said, "You''re so thoughtful. We''ve thought about that. We speculate that Joseph did stalk and threaten her. That''s why she went to the detective. But later she might have discovered that the stalker was Joseph and was relieved. When Joseph was found, he contacted Nicole and stopped stalking her. That''s why Benjamin didn''t find the stalker when he followed Nicole. But Nicole didn''t tell Benjamin about it. So, Benjamin knew nothing and kept investigating the stalker."


    Sophia nodded. Christopher''s explanation made sense, which explained why Nicole was not afraid when she took a taxi home that night.


    After all, Joseph was her ex-boyfriend. They loved each other. They broke up, but Nicole was not afraid of him. It was because she relaxed her vigilance that she died tragically.


    However, why didn''t she tell Benjamin to stop the investigation when she found out the whole thing? It was not much like the kind-hearted person she had always shown.


    From what Sophia knew about her, her character was not as good as she had shown in public. But that was understandable, and everyone had his own character and shortcomings. For stars, they could not expose their real characters to the public, or they would lose fans.


    Nicole had been playing a person who was not herself at all in public, which was really not easy for her.


    The police were working on the case. Sophia didn''t think she should be involved in it. She just needed to wait patiently. When they solved the case, the public would know the truth.


    She didn''t tweet anymore. Time would tell.


    Half a month later, the police officially released the results of their investigation. However, they didn''t catch Joseph. No one knew where he was hiding. The police posted a picture of him and issued a reward, warning people to be careful of this dangerous man, keep a distance with him, and quietly call the police when they saw him.


    It was time for a winter vacation in more than a week. The college courses were basically over, and the students were busy preparing for the final exam. The campus was quiet that the students mainly studied in the library and the study room.


    Sophia was not a formal student of Glinton. Of course, she didn''t need to take the final exam. There were few classes these days, so she basically didn''t come to school.


    When she came that day, she found many workers in blue uniforms at school. These people looked like construction workers. Since they showed up at school, there might be some constructions.


    Glinton was one of the best universities in the country with a large scale and many buildings. Every few years, there would be new buildings. It was not surprising.


    But Sophia noticed that they were going in the direction of the¡­ lab building? She followed and saw several workers enter the lab building and measure something.


    Sophia walked to them and asked, "Are you going to rebuild this building?"


    One worker nodded, "Yeah. The building had been damaged by fire before and had to be demolished and rebuilt. We''ll take some measurements, and then we''ll pull the building down! Are you a student here? Don''t come here. It''s not safe here."


    There was a sense of loss in Sophia. She had worked in the building for several years and finally died here. She felt a little uncomfortable when she knew it was about to disappear.


    But she could do nothing about it. The damaged house must have been demolished, or there might be an accident when someone was inside.


    She walked out of the lab building with her head down. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of her.


    She looked up and saw Albert standing there, looking at her quietly with comfort in his eyes.


    "What are you doing here?" Sophia asked.


    "I want to talk to you about something, but you''re not home, so I think you must be at school," said Albert.


    "What''s the matter?"

 Chapter 198 - 198: It Was Kind Of Fulfill Her Wish

    He came to school for her, not for a small matter.


    "Here is the thing. Professor Green had a project called the New Energy Project, which was well underway, then it was put on hold because of her sudden death. I¡­ I heard that the Pearson Group wants to restart the project and finish it. It kind of fulfills her wish," said Albert.


    Sophia stayed. It took her a moment to realize that Albert planned to do it.


    In her last life, she had a deal with the Pearson Group that they would cover all the scientific research expenses. The achievement of scientific research belonged to her, and the Pearson Group enjoyed the priority to cooperate in production.


    She thought the project had stopped after she died, but she never expected that Albert was so thoughtful and wanted to restart it and finish what she hadn''t finished.


    Inside of her, she would like to see the project succeed. It had always been her wish that new energy could be used all over the world and benefited all mankind.


    Sophia asked, "Well, who was responsible for the project?"


    In her current identity, she was not qualified to lead such a high-tech project.


    Albert said, "Andrew, the academician of the Academy of Sciences. Ms. Green knew him. He is Principal Lewis'' brother and has been doing research on science. He is very interested in the project and is willing to take it over. Of course, if the project makes a profit, he''ll give half of it to Kevin, Ms. Green''s brother."


    Sophia wanted to say that it wasn''t necessary. She didn''t want Kevin to have too much of the unexpected fortune, which was not necessarily good for him.


    But in her current position, she was not qualified to make that decision for Kevin.


    Sophia said, "Andrew. I have read reports about him. He is great. The project will be well finished in his hands."


    There was a sense of loss in her heart. After all, she had been working on the project for two years. It was like her baby. When she gave him to someone else, she would never be able to see him grow up. Naturally, she would feel sad.


    Albert looked at her and said with a smile, "Andrew said that he wants to recruit one student from the chemistry department. Would you like to take the chance?"


    Sophia stayed and then shook her head, "I''m just a student who hasn''t enrolled yet. Even if he wants to recruit a person, there are many professors and associate professors willing to do it. He won''t take me."


    When she was working on the project, she had a team. Most of the members were not from the school, and they were experts from various research centers. As she remembered, the junior professors in the team were at the associate professor level.


    However, "Not really. He values ability. And he said that the applicant should submit a related paper to him. If he is satisfied with it, he will hire the person, no matter who he or she is," said Albert.


    Sophia cheered up. It meant that she still got a chance, didn''t it?


    Sophia had been studying the new energy project for several years. From proposing the idea of developing the project, she had handled all the details herself. Her research was leading all over the world.


    For the paper, she had a lot to write. And she was sure that her paper would win Andrew''s approval.


    She started writing as soon as she got home. She didn''t even have to look up the information, and all was right at her fingertips. In the paper, she avoided some unique opinions known only to herself, so as not to be suspected.


    The next day, there was an open class in Glinton. In the class, Sophia saw Elma and Hammer come together. They were close now and sat together.


    "You know Professor Green, the one who passed away a few months ago? Her project is about to be restarted," Elma whispered while the teacher was writing on the blackboard. "My dad said it is a great project. If it succeeds, it will bring good fortune. Each of the participants can get at least several hundred thousand dollars. Professor Normand asked for leave and didn''t come to school these days. You know why? He is preparing his papers at home."


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah, I heard that."


    Elma sighed, "But it''s a chemistry project. If it''s a physics project, my dad can work on it. He is good at physics, but there is no good project. So he''s quite free in recent months. And he seemed weird these days. I think he really needs to do some work."


    Sophia laughed, "Why? Isn''t it good to be idle?"


    Elma said, "He has been busy all the time, but now he has been idle... I don''t think he''s used to it. Actually, I think he''d better retire early. I can make money. When I graduate, I will support him."


    Sophia could see that Elma was a very beautiful girl, though she complained about her father.


    However, she was surprised that Professor Normand wanted to work on the project. He was the head of the chemistry department. Although he did not have much research results, he was well known in the field of chemistry in the country.


    Did he want to take part in the program just for the money?


    ***


    It took Sophia three days to finish the paper. Then she sent the paper to Albert for him to hand it over to Andrew. After that, she could just wait at home for the reply. It would take some time for Andrew to receive and review papers. It might be at least half a month.


    These days, middle school has begun to have a winter vacation. As the teacher, Kate had a holiday.


    Soon, Glinton University announced the winter vacation. Sophia had no classes and stopped going to school.


    Kate said to Sophia on the next day of the holiday, "Honey, I may have to¡­ leave for a few days, can you be alone at home?"


    Sophia was surprised, "Well, what''s the matter?"

 Chapter 199 - 199: He Was Unique

    Kate blushed and said, "I¡­, I want to travel with a friend on this holiday."


    Sophia was confused. Kate usually took her on a trip. Sophia looked at her expression and seemed to know something.


    It must be inconvenient to take with her, was it?


    Recently, Sophia often saw a middle-aged man driving Kate home. Every time, he stopped downstairs and never came up. Sophia didn''t know the man. But she knew that there must be a story when a man drove a woman home every day.


    Sophia didn''t ask Kate about it. Kate had been widowed for many years. If she wanted to be with someone, as long as the man was honest and reliable, Sophia would support her. Of course, she wouldn''t be the third wheel. Everyone would be uncomfortable if she was there.


    She said, "Don''t worry, mum. I''ll be all right. Just enjoy yourselves!"


    Kate brightened, "I knew it. You can do any housework except cooking. If you want to eat, you can go to Pearson. He''s good at cooking. If he''s not at home, you order takeout. I''ll be back in a few days."


    Sophia felt that Kate had been sitting her up with Albert. Let Albert cook for her? She should ask if he would like to do that or not, right? Her mum was indeed not polite to him.


    But Sophia had to admit that Albert was good at cooking. As the young owner of the Pearson Group, he was indeed different from other rich people.


    She had been reading the news on microblog these days and saw that many rich people were into showing off fancy cars, luxury goods, big houses, beautiful women, and all kinds of clubs as if they were worried that people didn''t know they were rich.


    Pearson''s family was the richest, and Albert was the richest man in the country. However, he was not interested in fancy cars or big houses, nor did he love beautiful girls. And he even worked as her assistant at Glinton. He was unique.


    That night, Kate invited Albert over for dinner. Sophia didn''t know when Kate knew Albert''s taste, and all the food was Albert''s favorite.


    Albert was quite happy and flattered Kate when he ate, and Kate was also very happy.


    "So, please take care of Sophia these days," Kate smiled, "She''s not picky. Just make her something to eat."


    "Well, I''m about to talk to you, Ms. Green. Well, our company is organizing a trip to an island these days. Why don''t you ask Sophia to come with me?" said Albert.


    Kate was surprised and hesitated for a moment. "Is everyone going? Where do you live?"


    "The company has packaged a hotel. There are single rooms, very safe and convenient. The island is in the south and it is summer there. We can sunbathe on the beach."


    Sophia was impressed. She had only seen pictures about the seaside on videos and pictures and had never been there. She wanted to go. It had been cold in Lands City. She shivered when she went out, and she would like to go somewhere warm.


    Of course, she knew that the "company tour" might be his decision.


    She thought about it and nodded, "All right. But your company doesn''t need to pay for my tour, and I''ll pay it myself."


    "Fine. All right."


    He knew that if he didn''t let Sophia pay, she wouldn''t want to go.


    Kate then said, "All right. But Sophia never traveled far. Be careful. Keep your phone on. Keep in touch with me at any time, okay?"


    Sophia nodded, "Don''t worry."


    She had confidence in ensuring her safety.


    Albert said, "Don''t worry, Ms. Green. I''ll take care of Sophia. I''ll never let her get hurt! She''ll be totally fine."


    ***


    After dinner, Albert insisted on helping clear the table. Later, Kate watched him leave with a smile.


    She turned around and told Sophia, "Although you''re going out with Pearson, you''re a girl, you have to protect yourself, you know?"


    Sophia nodded, "I''ll protect myself."


    According to Kate, it seemed that Albert was a dangerous wolf and would eat Sophia.


    ***


    The next morning, Kate set out first. She packed a big suitcase and took it downstairs. Sophia sent her downstairs and saw the man who used to drive Kate home, waiting downstairs.


    The man was about Kate''s age and looked very energetic. Though middle-aged, he was a handsome man. He wore a neat suit and gave people a very comfortable feeling.


    When he saw Sophia, he smiled and said, "Is she your daughter? She looks like you."


    Kate smiled, "Yeah. I also think so. She''s Sophia. Sophia, this is Andy."


    "Hi, Andy," said Sophia.


    Andy smiled, "Nice to meet you, Sophia. I have a son about your age, but he is not as sensible as you. Oh, gosh! Speaking of which, I have to ask Ms. Green on how to teach children."


    After a few greetings, Kate said goodbye to Sophia and got into Andy''s car and left.


    Sophia came home and saw Albert waiting in front of her house.


    "We''re leaving later," Albert said, "I bought the plane ticket at ten a.m., and my friend will take us to the airport."


    Sophia knew that Ryan usually drove for Albert. But Ryan was a staff and might travel with them. So he might not come to pick them up.


    She had packed her things last night, not much, just a small suitcase she usually took with. There was some laundry and groceries in it, nothing else.


    Not long after, Albert came to inform her that his friend had arrived and was waiting downstairs. Sophia walked out with the suitcase. Then she noticed that Albert had come out empty-handed.


    She was not surprised. After all, Albert could get what he wanted at any time without having to take anything with him.


    Albert reached for Sophia''s suitcase and helped her carry it downstairs.. His friend was already waiting downstairs, who greeted Albert with a somewhat sheepish expression, took over the suitcase and put it in the trunk, and then sat in the cab.

 Chapter 200 - 200: It’s Perfect For You

    Seeing that, Sophia thought he should be the driver of the Pearson family. But she didn''t say it, just pretending that everything was reasonable and Albert''s friend was so cautious.


    ***


    When they arrived, Ryan was already waiting there, and there were many people Sophia didn''t know. It seemed that the company tour was real.


    Ryan took over the suitcase from Albert and handed it to someone beside him. They went into the airport together and got on the plane.


    Albert''s ticket was in economy class. He was worried that Sophia would not choose a VIP ticket when she paid herself. It was his first time in economy class, but he didn''t feel uncomfortable. It was just that the seats were more crowded, and there was no massage chair. But in this way, he was close to Sophia.


    He thought he loved to fly economy class very much.


    It was Sophia''s first time to fly. She had never been on the plane because of her legs. Fortunately, she didn''t feel sick.


    The plane arrived on time, and it was about one o''clock in the afternoon. They had had a meal on the plane, and there would be a bus came to pick them up later.


    Sophia had changed her clothes on the plane. It was hot on the island. She was wearing a cotton coat before she got on the plane, and she was wearing summer clothes when she got off the plane.


    It was summer all year round on the island, and the temperature difference was very small. When they came out, a bus came to pick them up.


    Instead of getting on the bus right away, everyone stood talking there and kept looking at Albert.


    Albert got on the bus first, and Sophia followed. Then, others started to get on. They might be employees of the Pearson Group that they were reserved in front of Albert, Sophia thought.


    It was a long trip, and everyone was tired. They went to the hotel directly and planned to rest for one hour before going out.


    The tourism industry here was very developed. There were all kinds of hotels everywhere. The one Sophia lived was not very upscale, but clean and tidy, making people feel comfortable.


    She was assigned to a single room. It was not large, but it had all the facilities, and it was very convenient.


    Sophia opened the suitcase and put some of her daily necessities on the table. As soon as she tried to lie down for a rest, she heard a knock at the door.


    She opened the door and saw Albert.


    "Here you are." Albert handed her a bottle, "It''s hot here, so there may be flies. I know it''s tidy here and there won''t be many flies, so you''d better put on some cream."


    It was a bottle of cream, and it was her favorite jasmine fragrance. Sophia took it over.


    "Thanks," Sophia said.


    Albert smiled, "Well, take a good rest. We''ll meet downstairs in an hour and a half, and I''ll call you then."


    Sophia closed the door and opened the cream. A faint scent of jasmine wafted from the bottle, filling the whole room with the scent.


    She loved this brand of cream. It had a light fragrance, and the mosquito repellent effect was very good. A little on the body could repel files.


    She remembered that on the night of the lab fire, Kevin came to deliver her the cream for her to repel mosquitoes. But before she could open it, the fire broke out. Later, in the ruins of the lab, she saw a small remnant of a spring.


    But, how did Albert know she loved this kind of cream? Was it just a coincidence?


    ***


    After a short break, Sophia went downstairs to meet others. A local guide came to take charge of the reception. He was a handsome young man. He said hello to people with a smile and seemed easy going.


    When everyone was there, the guide said, "I''m your guide, Mike. The first place we''ll go to this afternoon is the beach. I believe the beautiful sea is one of the main reasons you''re here. So, I''ll take you to the swimsuit store later. You can buy one if you need it. If you don''t, please wait on the bus. We''ll stay for about fifteen minutes there."


    Sophia felt that when Mike was speaking, Albert looked her way.


    She looked at him and caught him peeking at her.


    Albert also noticed that and coughed awkwardly, "Well, do you want a swimsuit?"


    Sophia shook her head, "I can''t swim."


    She could not learn to swim in her last life, and the previous owner of the body couldn''t swim, either. So, she couldn''t swim.


    Albert said, "If you can''t swim, you can play in the shallow water. You''d better wear a swimsuit. Your clothes may get wet, and you''ll feel uncomfortable."


    Sophia thought about it and said, "All right. I''ll buy one."


    Later, the bus stopped near a swimsuit store. Many people got off and entered the store. Some had taken their swimsuits and didn''t go to the store. They just had fifteen minutes and didn''t dare to go far.


    Sophia got off and entered the store with Albert. The store was very large, and there were various kinds of swimsuits. Swimsuits of various styles and colors were hung all over the store, dazzling people.


    There were so many people that the shop assistants had no time to serve each and could only stand not far away. They made an introduction only when the customers asked.


    Ryan suddenly leaned over, glanced at Sophia, and then pointed at one swimsuit hanging on the wall and laughed, "Sophia, that one is beautiful. It''s perfect for you."


    Sophia looked in the direction he was pointing. It was a pink swimsuit with a tank top and a skirt, looking beautiful.


    She was about to say something when Albert said, "Oh, no. It''s ugly. Little cloth, high price, it''s not a good deal. Look at that one. More cloth, the same price, that''s a bargain!"


    Was he buying meat, the more, the better?

 Chapter 201 - 201: It Must Be His Illusion

    She glanced at the swimsuit Albert was pointing to. She didn''t bother to judge if it was beautiful or ugly. But as Albert said, there was a lot of cloth.


    "I''ll take this one." Sophia picked up the one Ryan had recommended and handed it to the clerk, who wrote her a ticket and told her to go to the checkout.


    Albert turned his head and glanced at Ryan.


    Ryan shivered. He read something in his boss''s eyes, and that was not something good.


    It must be his illusion, right? He picked out a nice swimsuit for the girl his boss liked. His boss wanted to see Sophia in a beautiful swimsuit, did he?


    Yeah. It must be his illusion.


    Sophia went to the cash register with the ticket, and the staff of the Pearson Group was in line to pay their bills. She stood behind.


    Suddenly, a middle-aged woman in front of her said, "This one doesn''t look good. I''d better change it."


    As she spoke, she walked out of the line and went to change.


    After she said that, the people in front of Sophia suddenly felt that their clothes were not good and left to change. Even a young man who was checking out grabbed the clothes from the cashier and ran off, explaining, "Oh¡­ wrong size! Yeah, I should buy a bigger one!"


    "Well, I think it''s your size," said the cashier.


    They made it too obvious, did they? They just wanted her to pay first. After all, she came with their boss Albert. And everyone was nice to her to please their boss.


    Sophia felt a little uncomfortable, but she didn''t think it would be a good idea to ask everyone to come back and pay, which would only be more embarrassing.


    She had to check out and leave with the swimsuit quickly.


    Sure enough, after she left, those who had just said that the swimsuits they had chosen were not good-looking went back to pay their bills. They still had the original clothes in their hands and did not re-choose. Sophia had a good memory. She didn''t memorize those deliberately, but after a glance, she knew they didn''t change them.


    With the swimsuit, Sophia went back to the bus with others. Along the way, there seemed to be nothing different about Albert, but she just felt that he was not in a good mood. She thought he was depressed for his aesthetic being negated.


    She did think Albert''s aesthetic needed to be improved. It would be better for him to suffer a little, lest he always felt that what he liked was in line with public aesthetics.


    Not long after, the bus arrived at the seaside. Everyone got off, took their swimsuits, and went to the dressing room to change.


    Sophia also went to change. It was her first time in a swimsuit, and she was not used to it.


    When she got dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror. The swimsuit had an opening on the back, exposing her beautiful back skin. The skirt had a lining, so there would not be an accidental exposure. It was short, but it did show off her legs.


    When she got out of the dressing room, she saw Ryan. He had changed into a swimming suit. With a wired smile, he said, "You''re in good shape, Sophia."


    Just then, a hand shot out from behind him and pushed him aside. Then, Albert stepped out from behind him and pointed to his right. "Go there!"


    Ryan stayed and nodded at once, "Yeah."


    He didn''t understand why Albert asked him to go there, but his boss''s words were the order, so he quickly ran away to the right.


    When Sophia saw Albert in swimming trunks, the first thing she thought was that he had extra abs.


    Then she realized that her attention seemed not right. But it couldn''t blame her. Albert was in such a good figure that she appreciated him.


    Albert also looked at Sophia. He was¡­ not very happy. Sophia was pretty. In the pink swimsuit, she looked cuter. And her legs were long and beautiful. How many men would be attracted by her if she walked on the beach like this?


    Although she was in a swimsuit,¡­ he was just upset.


    ***


    Ryan walked to the right for a long time. Still, he had not figured out what he was doing. Right then, he saw an acquaintance, manager Lydia. He casually flattered her, "Sexy swimsuit, Lydia! Nice! Men will fall in love with you."


    Lydia laughed, "Thank you. If you are fascinated by me, can you make Mr. Pearson add the bonus to our branch this year?"


    "Come on. I don''t even have money."


    Lydia sighed, "It seems that my charm is not enough. But¡­ maybe it''s useless to ask you for help. You just offended the boss. I may say goodbye to you now."


    Ryan was stunned, "I offended boss? No, I didn''t! I helped Sophia choose the swimsuit. You don''t know how beautiful that swimsuit is and it suits her. The boss should praise me."


    Lydia looked him in the eye and sighed deeply. "You have never been in love, have you? You know, a man won''t be happy when his girl shows her figure in front of other men!"


    Ryan then came to know it and got worried, "What should I do? I don''t want to lose my job. I tried so hard to get here. I have parents to support, and I have to count on this job to marry a wife. If I lose the job, no girl will marry me."


    Lydia said, "You shouldn''t say that. See? You offended him. I''m just a manager. I can''t even get a chance to talk to the boss. What can I do?"


    Albert had been serious in front of his employees. Lydia didn''t dare to talk to him. She worked for ten years in the Pearson Group before she could get the present position. Of course, she didn''t do things on impulse.


    Ryan said, "Don''t worry about the year-end bonus. I can help you as long as you do me a favor. Lydia, I know you are kind. Please save me."


    Hearing the "bonus," Lydia smiled, "All right.. In this case, I''ll try¡­ But I can''t guarantee that I can do it."

 Chapter 202 - 202: Don’t Be Afraid

    After they put on their swimsuits, they rushed to the seaside. The air was cool. Caressed by the breeze, everyone was refreshed.


    Some could swim and ran to the shallow sea area to swim. People who could not swim like Sophia had to play on the beach.


    North was cold, so many people came here for vacation. There were many people in swimsuits on the seaside, men, women, old and young. Among them, couples were the most, and then there were the kids who were enjoying their winter holiday and were the idlest ones.


    Sophia walked barefoot on the beach, feeling the fine soft sand under her feet. She had just walked a few steps when she saw Lydia coming towards her, with several of her colleagues behind her.


    Lydia had spoken to Sophia during the trip, so they knew each other. Lydia was in her thirties, quite outgoing, and had a good eloquence. Thanks to her good eloquence, she became the manager of the branch at such a young age.


    "Sophia, come here," Lydia greeted her with a smile, "I''d like to introduce my colleagues to you. We don''t come to the sea often. We''d better play in the water."


    "No. Thanks. I can''t swim. I''d better play on the beach," said Sophia.


    "It''s easy to learn. I''ll teach you. With so many of us here, you won''t drown. Come on," said Lydia.


    Sophia wanted to learn, but she didn''t want to trouble others. Also, she was afraid of affecting others to play. Hearing what Lydia said, she nodded, "All right, thank you, Lydia."


    Lydia held Sophia''s hand affectionately, and the girls gathered around her. Together, they walked to the shallow sea.


    Far away, Ryan saw that and was relieved. Surrounded by these girls, Sophia would not be unhappy, and other men would not see her body. It was indeed a good idea.


    He began to consider how to make Albert agree to give more bonuses to the branch Lydia was in.


    The further Sophia went, the deeper the water was. Gradually, the water reached her waist. It was the first time she was in the sea. She was somewhat nervous and did not dare to go any further.


    Lydia handed Sophia a pair of goggles, nose clips, and earplugs and kindly helped her put them on, "Don''t be afraid. I was like you when I started learning swimming. Now, take a deep breath and try to put your head in the water."


    Sophia did as she was told. She took a deep breath and crouched down, letting the water cover her head.


    The water is clear and cool. She saw a crab trying to crawl towards the deep sea, which made her feel very interesting.


    Not long after, unable to hold her breath anymore, she straightened up and took a long breath.


    "Good. You learn fast," Lydia said. Then she told Sophia some breaststroke skills and demonstrated them several times, then asked Sophia to practice on her own while she supervised her.


    Sophia tried several times and mastered the skills. In less than an hour, she was able to swim on her own.


    "Well done, Sophia!" Lydia exclaimed, "You''re indeed a smart girl. You learn so fast. I can''t believe it! It took me one week to learn it."


    Sophia smiled, "Thanks for your teaching, Lydia."


    She did not expect her body to be so adaptable. In fact, swimming was about the coordination of the body and did not have much to do with memory.


    After swimming with Lydia for a while, she could swim on her own.


    Surrounded by girls, Sophia was not worried about the danger and swam freely. She was strong and didn''t feel tired after a long time of swimming while other girls started to feel tired and went ashore to rest.


    Then, Sophia had mastered the breaststroke and swam happily in the sea, so she did not follow them ashore.


    After a while, she felt tired and surfaced her head before she noticed that she had been some distance offshore. Then she started to swim towards the shore. While then, she felt a sudden strain in her arm. She had no strength.


    She took a deep breath and dived into the water, allowing her arms to relax a little. She held her breath so well that she could take a deep breath for five minutes.


    Suddenly, a shrimp swam past her. It aroused her interest, and she reached for him. The shrimp saw someone trying to catch him and tried to swim up. Sophia reached out of the sea and tried to catch him again. But the shrimp was flexible, and he escaped the minute Sophia''s fingers touched him.


    A naive idea occurred to Sophia. She had to catch him to show him that she could catch him and then let him go. In this way, he would admire her.


    She had been holding her breath for a while. Seeing the shrimp wiggling his little claws and trying to run away, she stretched her head out of the water, took a quick breath, and dived back into the water to chase the shrimp.


    When she could hardly hold her breath, she finally succeeded in holding the shrimp in her hand and won the game.


    Suddenly, a powerful arm hugged her from the behind, and then the other arm circled her, holding her firmly. Her exposed back skin was against the chest of the man, and she could feel the warmth even in the cold water.


    She was startled and subconsciously began to resist. Her right elbow gave a sharp backward blow, and her foot kicked back, breaking free and going upstream.


    She did not expect to be attacked in the sea. She had just learned to swim, and if she had not escaped, she might drown in the sea. How terrible!


    Frightened, she was in no mood to swim. She quickly swam to the shore and stepped on the beach before she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she felt something jumping in her hand and noticed that she was still holding the shrimp. The shrimp was almost out of breath when she held him so hard.


    Sophia opened her palm and put the shrimp into the sea. She was no longer in the mood to play with it.


    When the shrimp got into the water, he swam away and disappeared at once.

 Chapter 203 - 203: It Was Sweet And Spicy

    Lydia ran over, "Are you all right, Sophia? I''m so worried about you. By the way, where''s Mr. Pearson?"


    Sophia stayed, "I''m fine. Pearson? He''s not with me."


    "You had been in the water and did not come up for a long time. Then you reached out and struggled. So he thought you were drowning and jumped into the sea to save you. But why didn''t he come up?" Said Lydia.


    Sophia seemed to know something.


    Was that man¡­ Albert?!


    She looked out to the area where she had been. Albert had not come up. Had she knocked him unconscious?


    Before she could explain, she ran to the sea and swam with all her might. She was even faster than she was when she ran away. Soon, she got to the place. She took a deep breath and dived into the water.


    Sure enough, Albert was lying where she had just been "attacked," motionless. There were some little fish swimming around his feet as if they were trying to¡­ bite him?


    Maybe he would be fish food if she came later.


    Sophia had read some first-aid knowledge before. What drowning people needed most was oxygen. If the brain was anoxic for a long time, even if the man was rescued, he or she might have sequelae and become a fool.


    It had been a while, and it was urgent. Without thinking much, she bent over, covered her mouth to Albert''s, and passed the breath into his mouth.


    Then she took Albert in her arms, kicked off her feet, and rose to the surface.


    The lifeguard came. There were a lot of people this day, a kid drowned, and he went to save that kid and didn''t know what happened here. He took Albert in his arms and pulled him ashore. Sophia was exhausted. She took a break and swam to the shore.


    The lifeguard pressed Albert on his stomach, and the water came out from his mouth. After a while, Albert woke up. The doctor came, checked him out, and left before making sure he was all right.


    "Well, I¡­" Albert was ashamed. He was trying to save people, but he didn''t expect to be saved.


    The thing was, he seemed to feel the soft lips pressed on his when he was in a daze. It made him feel like he was getting drunk.


    Was that person¡­


    He looked at Sophia and whispered, "Did you save me?"


    Sophia was shamed into drowning him, so she didn''t want to claim the credit. "No. It''s the lifeguard," she said at once.


    It was not a lie. After all, the lifeguard helped a lot. She had tried her best and was exhausted then. With her strength, she could not pull Albert ashore alone.


    Albert was shocked.


    Were the soft lips belonging to the strong man in front of him?


    He must have been so drowned out that he thought his lips were soft.


    OMG! He wanted to die.


    ***


    The doctor had told Albert to take a good rest. Sophia thought it was all her fault and felt ashamed, so she offered to take care of him.


    Albert felt a blessing in disguise, though the thought of the burly lifeguard still made him uncomfortable.


    Sophia took a shower and changed into her clothes. The driver took her to the hotel with Albert.


    Sophia accompanied Albert to his room. Noticing his pale and bloodless face, she asked with concern, "Are you feeling better?"


    Albert nodded, "It''s okay. I''m all right."


    Sophia was relieved. "Well, I should go."


    It was early, and she could walk around for some time.


    Hearing that, Albert hurried up, "Let me send you. Ouch, my head!"


    He looked quite weak. Fearing that he might fall, Sophia reached out to support him and helped him back to the bed.


    Albert looked at her and said in a weak voice, "Can you¡­ get me a glass of water?"


    Sophia got up and took a glass from the table. Then she went to the drinking machine, took some hot water and some cold water to make it just right. Then she went up to him and handed him the glass.


    Albert took over the glass, and Sophia touched his fingertips, which were quite cold.


    "You''d better drink some hot water. It will help you recover. Ginger tea is the best. It will make you sweat, so that you won''t fall ill." Sophia said and picked up the phone. "I''ll ask if the hotel can make some."


    When she finished the call, she said, "The ginger and brown sugar tea is available. They will send it in a minute."


    Albert sat there and enjoyed being taken care of by Sophia, but¡­ ginger and brown sugar tea? What was that? Wasn''t that for girls? He had seen his cousin drinking it and heard that it was for the girl''s belly.


    He felt that Sophia had misunderstood him as if he were her sister.


    He thought Sophia needed to know that he was a man of honor. Not a girl, okay?


    Not long after, the waiter brought the tea to Sophia. Sophia came up to Albert with it, "Come on. Drink it!"


    Albert was thinking about how to show his masculinity at this time when Sophia said, "Be good! It''s not bitter, and it''s sweet."


    Did she think of him as a kid who refused to take bitter medicine? Why did he feel that he was getting down in the hierarchy?


    To prove that he was not an indocile kid, he had to take it over and drink it.


    It was sweet and spicy. Terrible! It was the first time he drank it, and he felt that it was not as good as medicine. Thinking that his cousin often drank it, he suddenly felt that it was not easy to be a girl.


    Sophia saw him drink it, frowning, and asked, "What''s the matter? Is it bitter?"


    Albert shook his head, "No. It''s spicy."


    "There are ginger slices in it, which will naturally be a little spicy."


    She picked up the quilt and covered Albert with it. "Lie down. You''ll sweat and get better."


    As she got up to leave, Albert suddenly grabbed her hand.


    Sophia stopped and was confused.. She turned back and looked at him in confusion.

 Chapter 204 - 204: It Was Wonderful To Think About It

    Albert was also shocked. He didn''t want her to leave, but he had not intended to grab her. It must be his hand, not about him.


    He smiled a little awkwardly. "Well, I..."


    Sophia looked him in the eye and said nothing. She pulled the chair beside her and sat down. "Anyway, I don''t know where to go. Can you talk to me for a while?" She said with a smile.


    Albert cheered up and nodded, "Yeah. I''m bored."


    Then he realized that it was the first time he and Sophia had quietly sat down to talk.


    Albert thought about it and said, "Actually, I want to tell you something. I''d better start with my family. We do business, run companies, the Pearson Group. I am the sole heir of the Pearson Group. But I have not made a public appearance, so few people know me."


    He didn''t mean to hide it from Sophia. He just didn''t want to make her uncomfortable because of his identity. On this trip, people who came with him were top executives. With Sophia''s intelligence, she was sure to be able to deduce his identity.


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah."


    She didn''t really care about Albert''s identity and wealth.


    Did she know that? Albert thought.


    Well, that was awkward.


    He coughed and changed the subject, "Well, do you want to go somewhere? I''ll take you there tomorrow. In fact, we do not have to follow the group. We can travel by ourselves. I''ve been here before, and I''m familiar with it."


    Sophia thought about it and thought the proposal was feasible. She did not feel antipathy to group travel, but with her there, the employees of the Pearson Group seemed to have to care about her all the time and could not enjoy themselves.


    Traveling was fun, and she didn''t want them to be constrained by her.


    Albert was about to say something when the door was pushed open, and Ryan came in and shouted, "Boss, how are you? I came here as soon as I heard it. Are you all right?"


    Albert didn''t want to see Ryan at this time.


    Then, Ryan noticed Sophia, and he suddenly realized that he shouldn''t come. He had come to show his concern for his boss, but now he seemed like a third wheel.


    "Well, I''m just here to check you. I''m leaving now. Ha-ha. By the way, what do you want to eat for dinner, Sophia? I can order for you," he said at once.


    With that, he hurried out of the room.


    Sophia didn''t understand what Ryan was doing. He asked what she wanted to eat but ran away before she answered.


    She was going to say that she wanted some seafood. After all, such fresh seafood was not everywhere in Lands City.


    For Albert''s earlier question, Sophia said, "How about going to the seaside tomorrow? I just learned to swim today and wanted to have a try again. But¡­ Do you want to go? If you don''t want to, we won''t go there."


    She suffered from a fire. After that, she felt upset when she saw fires. Thus, she wondered if the drowning would leave a psychological shadow on Albert.


    Albert did feel sick when he thought of the seaside. But he felt that it was time to show his manhood, a real man should not have a psychological shadow or somewhat.


    He waved his hand and said, "Then let''s go to the seaside. I''ll catch shrimps for you."


    Sophia smiled, "Good! I''ll do that with you."


    A picture of catching shrimps with Sophia in the sea appeared in Albert''s mind. It was wonderful to think about it.


    He suddenly felt that he was not afraid of water.


    ***


    The next morning, Sophia and Albert took an appointed taxi to the beach, while the other employees went to another scenic spot. Before getting in the taxi, Ryan came to Sophia and handed her a swimsuit. He said with a smile, "It''s for you, Sophia. Thank you for taking care of my boss yesterday."


    "No, thanks. He''s my friend. It''s right to take care of him," said Sophia.


    And he was drowning because of her, and she was very sorry.


    Ryan said, "I''ve bought it. I heard from my boss that you''re not going with us and are going to the beach. Just wear it. It''s your size. And I can''t return it. If you don''t take it, I''ll have to wear it myself."


    Hearing that, Sophia was curious about what he looked like in the swimsuit.


    But she couldn''t say that. "All right." She took the swimsuit.


    She intended to reciprocate the gift at a later opportunity.


    When she got to the beach, she went to the dressing room and put on the new swimsuit. This swimsuit was also very good. Ryan had a good eye. Compared with yesterday''s swimsuit, this one had no bareback, and the skirt was longer, which was completely different in style.


    When Sophia got changed and came out, she saw Albert waiting for her there. The men''s wear was easier to change, so he got dressed quicker.


    They came to the beach and played in the shallow water for a while.


    Not long after, a girl ran over. She looked at Albert and said with a smile, "Excuse me, sir. May I use your phone?"


    Albert had no expression on his face. "I don''t have it."


    The girl borrowed Albert''s phone to get his phone number. But he seemed cold and was not easy to talk with. She had to smile, thinking about other ways to accost him.


    Sophia thought the girl was here to borrow a phone and thought she could lend her hers, though her phone was in the locker of the dressing room, and it was troublesome to go back and pick it up.


    But the girl''s glance at her was not very friendly, as if hostile.


    Sophia was puzzled. When she looked at the girl, she noticed that she kept looking at Albert, admiring.


    Somewhat, Sophia felt unhappy. She didn''t know what she was unhappy about. She just didn''t like people staring at Albert.


    Albert was handsome, and she knew girls love handsome boys, but she was just unhappy.

 Chapter 205 - 205: The Jellyfish

    She stepped forward, stood in front of Albert, and said with a smile, "I have a phone. Come with me. I''ll go to the dressing room and get it for you."


    The girl frowned and said stiffly, "Don''t bother. I''ll see if anyone has it on the shore..."


    Then she turned away and walked to her companion, who was waiting for her. And they left together.


    While walking, the girl said with a smile, "I told you, that girl is his girlfriend. You just didn''t listen to me."


    The girl was upset, "She''s young. Maybe she''s his sister."


    Her companion said, "How could that be? Who hangs out with his sister? Are you stupid?"


    Sophia was about to go into the sea when a voice sounded, "Oh, sister, you''re here, too."


    She had a headache when she heard the voice.


    Sure enough, it was Benjamin. He walked towards her in a swimsuit. He had a lifebuoy in his arms, with a smile on his face.


    "What are you doing here?" Sophia asked.


    "I called Mr. Pearson. He said he''s here. So, here I am. I want to tell him about the latest survey results. And I want to travel here," said Benjamin.


    Sophia asked, "What''s new?"


    Benjamin, however, kept a secret. "I''ll tell you later. I haven''t been to the seaside for a long time. It''s so good."


    Sophia was in no hurry anyway and let him play. After what happened to Nicole, she had serious doubts about Benjamin''s ability to solve cases.


    As soon as she was about to go deeper, a wave came, and she stopped. The water gently touched her knees and soon receded.


    The waves receded, and a child''s voice sounded in her ear. "Mom, what is that transparent thing? Look! It moves!"


    Sophia looked in the child''s direction. Suddenly, her face changed. She ran forward and picked the child up.


    Not far from her, a transparent thing was waving its tentacles on the beach. She recognized at a glance that it was a poisonous jellyfish called lamp jellyfish.


    It was just that this kind of jellyfish should not be here, was it?


    Sophia had read some introduction about lamp jellyfish. It was extremely poisonous. If someone was poisoned by it, the possibility of survival was extremely low. It was a very dangerous creature in the ocean.


    It was mainly located in Australia and had never been found here.


    However, it appeared here magically after a wave.


    "What are you doing? Are you taking my kid?" A young woman rushed up, grabbed the kid Sophia was holding, and shouted, "I''m calling the police! Help! Police! Someone''s stealing my child!"


    The two security guards, not far away, came and asked, "What''s going on?"


    "The jellyfish¡­" Sophia said, "Make the visitors here leave. Now! If anyone gets caught by its tentacles, the person will die before being sent to the hospital."


    She looked around and fixed her eyes on a man in the distance. She turned suddenly and ran to the man.


    When the man felt that someone was chasing him, he panicked and ran away. But he was nowhere near as fast as Sophia, who soon caught up with him.


    Sophia stopped and grabbed him. "Go to the police station!" she said coldly.


    The man struggled hard but failed to break free. "What?" he said angrily. "I did nothing. What are you doing to me? I''m the one to call the police!"


    At this time, the security guards came. They had evacuated the nearby tourists and contacted one worker to deal with the lamp jellyfish. Albert and Benjamin also came. Albert stood near the man and watched his every move to keep him from hurting Sophia.


    "What''s going on?" A guard asked.


    "She''s crazy. She just comes up and grabs me. You should take her," the man preempted.


    "How many people are you trying to kill by putting a highly venomous lamp jellyfish in a crowd? You can be charged with endangering public safety or¡­ attempted murder, can you?" Sophia said.


    The man panicked but still denied, "What lamp jellyfish? I don''t know what you''re talking about. There are so many people here. How do you do it? What is wrong with you?"


    When the guard contacted the worker, they had heard about the great danger of the lamp jellyfish. When they heard Sophia say that the man had done it, they became vigilant. Two security guards quietly changed their positions to prevent the man from assaulting or fleeing.


    Sophia said, "There are so many people here. But you''re the only one wearing long-sleeved clothes, a mask, and gloves. Don''t you think it''s too conspicuous to dress like this on the beach? Yes, the tentacles of the lamp jellyfish are very poisonous. But people will be poisoned when it comes into contact with human skin. You dress like this because you don''t want to get hurt when you release it, do you?"


    The man would not admit, "No. I''m just afraid of the sun. It''s the skin allergy. You can''t frame me like that without proof!"


    The guards looked at Sophia. If she could not provide the evidence, they had no way to force the man away.


    Sophia said, "The proof is in your backpack. The lamp jellyfish are very toxic. You can''t just take it. You must have a specific container for it. The place where the lamp jellyfish was found was a distance from the sea, so it would be a waste of time to throw the container into the sea. When I ran after you, I found nothing all the way. So, the container should still be on you. There must be some skin tissue from the lamp jellyfish in the container. We''ll know when you check it out."


    The man''s face changed, and he was about to speak when a guard stopped him. "Excuse me, sir? Can we check your backpack?"


    The shook his head at once, "No. You have no right to check my bag."


    "Yeah. I have no right to do that, but we have called the police, and they will be here in a minute. We''ll leave it to the police," said the guard.


    The man trembled and said no rebuttal. He was just gagging at Sophia, biting his lips, and no longer talking.. The guards took him to a nearby security room for temporary supervision, waiting for the arrival of the police.

 Chapter 206 - 206: Do You Think Its A Coincidence?

    The beach was evacuated, but the mother did not leave. She went to Sophia and kept apologizing, "I''m sorry, Miss. I''ve heard of it. The jellyfish was poisonous. It would be bad if my son touched it¡­ I''m sorry to mistake you as a bad man. I was just worried about my son."


    Sophia smiled, "Never mind. I understand you. You''re the mother, and you''ll be anxious to see your child being held by a stranger."


    The mother also smiled, "I was wondering how can a bad person be so beautiful. Anyway, thank you very much. Well, this is my card. If you go to Lands City one day, call me if there is anything I can do for you. I''ll try my best to help."


    Sophia had nothing to ask of her. Anyway, she would not ask her to do anything just because she saved her son. She politely took over the card and saw the name on it was "Bridget Thompson" and said, "Thanks, Mrs. Thompson."


    Bridget was about to leave with her son when Sophia stopped her.


    "Don''t you want to know the result?" Sophia asked.


    Bridget paused. "The jellyfish? Since it is poisonous, it should be killed or used for research. I don''t care."


    Sophia shook her head, "No, not the jellyfish. It''s the man who released the jellyfish. If I hadn''t stop it, the first one to be hurt by the jellyfish would be your son. Do you think it''s a coincidence?"


    Bridget was stunned when she heard that.


    Was that about her son? He was so young. How could it be?


    Sophia continued, "Of course, it may not be about your son. After all, it''s not easy to control something like this. It may be for someone nearby. The police will investigate the details."


    Albert, Benjamin, and her were also nearby, and the target could be one of them, which was uncertain.


    Not long after, the police arrived, and both Sophia and Bridget were called in to inquire about the situation.


    The man named Beck and was recorded that he had been in prison for years for robbery, and he was just out of prison and did such a thing.


    There was indeed an iron box in his bag. It was empty, but there was some liquid inside, which was probably left by the lamp jellyfish.


    In addition, there was a piece of hard evidence, which was the site''s monitoring video. The camera nearby clearly recorded the whole process of him releasing the lamp jellyfish. He released it when the tide was out, so as not to be suspected.


    Afraid of being identified by surveillance cameras, he dressed up like this. If Sophia hadn''t caught him, there would have been no way to know who he was.


    Beck realized that he couldn''t deny it, and simply admitted, "Yes, I did it. I¡­ I want to get revenge the society. Now that I''ve been found out, I''m going back to jail. I''m used to it anyway."


    The police repeatedly questioned him, but he refused to admit that he was instructed. He insisted that he was simply trying to retaliate against society.


    Sophia frowned when she heard the result. "This kind of jellyfish is not available in the country. It is not something he can easily buy in the market. If he''s just trying to get back to the society, it''s too much trouble."


    She felt it was not simple. But Beck would not tell. The police had no choice but to take him away and try to find a clue from the lamp jellyfish source.


    Bridget came back from the police station, shaking. She took Sophia''s hand and asked in a quavering voice, "Who tried to harm my son? My son... He can''t offend anybody, can he? What if this person finds someone else to kill him?"


    Seeing that she was frightened, Sophia comforted her, "I told you. It''s not necessarily about your son. Anyway, take good care of him. Don''t let him out of your sight. It''ll be safer."


    Albert had been in silence before Sophia said that. "Are you and your son alone here? Do you want to come with us? It''s safer," said Albert.


    A woman and a kid were weak. It was easy to hurt them.


    Bridget nodded, "All right. I don''t have anything at the hotel. I''m not checking out. If there''s room at your hotel, I''ll join you."


    She was worried that if she went straight home now, the bad guy would dress up as a passenger and hurt her son on her way home. She had seen Sophia catching Beck and knew that she was great and wanted to make friends with her.


    ***


    Sophia looked at Bridget''s expression and felt that she should have guessed something, but didn''t say it.


    Sophia thought it must have something to do with the adults. Bridget might have offended someone. Since she didn''t say it, Sophia wouldn''t ask.


    Benjamin praised Sophia, "You have the potential to be a detective, sister. When my dad comes, he may take you as an apprentice."


    Sophia then thought of Benjamin''s purpose here and asked, "Didn''t you say you found something new? "


    Benjamin nodded. "I found out that professor Normand''s son seemed to owe a lot of money for gambling abroad last year, and he hasn''t paid it off yet. I don''t know if it has anything to do with the lab fire. But¡­ I always think this guy will do anything for money."


    It occurred to Sophia that Professor Normand intended to participate in the new energy project. Since he was short of money, he should participate in it for money. If someone had paid him to do the lab fire a few months ago, he might have done it.


    Professor Normand''s laboratory was in the same building as hers, so it was easy for him to get in and out. Moreover, as the head of the chemistry department, he didn''t need to be there to set fire.. He could make a spontaneous combustion device with chemicals, and he could even pinpoint the burning time to seconds.

 Chapter 207 - 207: Strange Girl

    Bridget was there waiting for Sophia to go back. Though Benjamin lowered his voice, she still heard words like "Professor Normand" and "gambling." "Are you talking about Professor Normand in Glinton University?" she said, "I know him. His son is nothing but a loser!"


    Sophia was surprised, "You know him?"


    Bridget nodded, "Yeah. My dad is a professor of Glinton."


    Sophia green used to work at Glinton. She wasn''t familiar with every professor but had heard of them. Upon hearing Bridget''s words, she asked, "Your father is¡­"


    "Thompson, the dean of the physics department," said Bridget.


    Sophia then said, "Well, Elma is your¡­"


    Bridget was surprised, "You know Elma? She is my sister."


    When Bridget heard that Sophia was a friend of Elma, she started talking about Elma. Since they both knew a person, there was a lot to talk about.


    As Bridget talked about her younger sister, she couldn''t help sighing, "Elma is stubborn. She loved Hammer as a child, but she refused to admit it. Hammer is a playboy. He always hangs out with various kinds of strange girls. I heard he is chasing a high school girl now."


    Sophia was shocked. Was she a¡­ strange girl?


    She smiled, "No. That''s not true. I know them both. They quite match."


    Bridget shook her head, "I don''t think so. Elma should be with a more mature man. Hammer is too childish. Actually, it all started with a joke from Hammer''s father, who joked that he wanted Elma to be his daughter-in-law. Since then, Elma firmly believed that Hammer was the one."


    Sophia was confused, "Principal Lewis said that?"


    Principal Lewis, as she knew him, was not the kind of person who would make such a joke on a child.


    Bridget said, "Mr. Lewis was grateful that Elma had saved Hammer''s life and said it would have been nice to have Elma as his daughter-in-law. Many years ago, Hammer went swimming in a river and was so reckless that he drowned. At that time, Elma was with him and saved him."


    Sophia knew Hammer was a reckless person, and his drunk driving just proved it. But¡­ why did it sound familiar?


    She could not help looking back at Albert.


    Albert thought of the drowning he suffered, embarrassed as if his manhood had been blown away by her glance. He coughed and changed the subject, "Well, let''s go to the hotel for a break. You must be tired."


    Just as he finished, Benjamin poked his head from one side, "I''m going with you. I need to live somewhere."


    "You''re done with what you wanted to say, aren''t you? Don''t you go home?" Sophia said.


    "I can travel here. It''s so beautiful. If I go back now, it''s a waste of such expensive tickets, isn''t it?"


    As they made their way back to the hotel, Sophia noticed that Bridget was looking around, looking nervously, as if on the edge of something.


    When they got to the hotel, Bridget checked in. When Sophia and Albert went out in the afternoon, she didn''t go with them, saying it was safer in the room. It was clear that the jellyfish incident had frightened her.


    "Take me. I''ll go with you," said Benjamin.


    Albert coughed hard, turned his back on Sophia, and winked at Benjamin. It was a rare chance to be alone with Sophia. Although Benjamin had come to report the results of the investigation, he didn''t want him, the third wheel, to be with them.


    Benjamin said, "Oh, it''s a long trip. I''m so tired that I have to take a break. You go first. I will go later."


    Albert then smiled and looked back to Sophia, "Well, let''s go. I''ve been to the tropical botanical garden once, and there''s a lot of amazing plants. Shall we go there?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah."


    She also wanted to see these tropical plants with her own eyes. She had seen them in books before, but never in real things.


    They took a taxi there. Most taxi drivers knew some knowledge of tourism. Along the way, the taxi driver kept introducing the travel sites of the tropical botanical garden to them. What a pity he wasn''t a guide!


    Soon, they arrived at the botanical garden. Albert bought two tickets and went into the garden with Sophia.


    The design of the garden was unique. All buildings were of the classical garden style. As soon as they entered the garden, they saw some palm trees. In the garden, there were plants Sophia had never seen before.


    Many tourists were taking photos with their phones. Sophia was not in the habit of taking tourist photos. Her eyes were like cameras. She could remember everything she saw. So, there was no need to take photos.


    Albert, however, kept taking photos. He took photos of whatever he saw and couldn''t even stop it.


    Later, Sophia''s phone rang. It was from Elma, who might hear of the accident and called to inquire about it since Sophia was there at the time.


    Elma said, "Please protect Victor, Sophia. I believe you can do that because you''re my idol."


    Victor was the child who was almost attacked by the jellyfish.


    "Don''t say that. I''ll take care of him. Don''t worry," said Sophia.


    Hearing Elma''s tone, she asked suspiciously, "Has this child ever been through something before?"


    Elma hesitated for a moment and said, "Yeah. Here is the thing. One year ago, Victor was attacked by a mad dog in front of our house. He would have been killed if my sister hadn''t found out in time. He stayed in the hospital for a long time before he recovered. We checked nearby monitoring and found that the dog was deliberately put there by a man. But he was wearing a mask and sunglasses, and we can''t see what he looked like. My sister was on tenterhooks for a long time after that. Recently, everything was fine, and she thought nothing would happen again. I didn''t expect that¡­ Anyway, someone wants to kill him."


    Sophia said, "Is there anyone you suspect? Victor is just a kid. He can''t offend anyone. If he¡­ dies, will someone benefit?"


    Elma said angrily, "Yeah. I suspect a man. He''s the brother of my sister''s husband. If my sister''s child is gone, he will inherit half the family property."


    Sophia didn''t understand.. Elma explained to her.

 Chapter 208 - 208: You’ll Get Her

    Bridget married Grey, one of the heirs of the Cooper Group. There were two successors in the Cooper family. The other one was Grey''s elder brother, George. Victor was the only grandchild of the Cooper family and was loved by his grandfather. It was said that the grandfather intended to leave all the property to Victor.


    That was not what George wanted. But he lost the ability to have a child to compete with his younger brother because of his early excesses. If he did nothing, he might lose his share of the property.


    How could this man, who had been used to a life of dissipation, bear life without money?


    That was why Elma believed that George was the most likely person to hurt Victor. But he could not do it himself. If he were found out, it would be impossible for him to inherit the inheritance. Therefore, he would certainly hire someone to do it.


    And Beck must be the one hired by him.


    Sophia believed that Elma''s analysis was reasonable and that George was suspicious. But since Beck would not admit it, and there was no evidence, there was no way to convict him.


    Elma continued, "My father had asked someone to investigate George and protect Victor, and nothing happened for half a year. But¡­ I didn''t expect this to happen again. Sophia, please! I think only you can protect him."


    Sophia said, "Don''t worry. I will protect him."


    The one who tried to hurt Victor was trying to create accidents to shirk responsibility and would not attack him blatantly. So all she had to do was watch out for any "accidents" that might happen to Bridget. Only then the killer would not succeed.


    When Sophia hung up, Albert said, "You said Bridget was¡­ Grey''s wife?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah. What''s wrong?"


    Albert said, "He''s my friend. But I haven''t seen his wife or son. I didn''t expect the kid you saved was his son. Thank you!"


    He didn''t have many friends, and Grey was one of them. Grey was a bit silly, sometimes, but quite honestly. That was why Albert wanted to be friends with him. As the son of the richest man, it was not easy for Albert to have a true friend. Almost everyone came for his money.


    The two had been out for some time. Sophia was worried about Bridget. Although it was safe for her to stay in the hotel, the killer was hiding in the dark, and no one knew what he would do next.


    When they got back to the hotel, Sophia went to Bridget at once. Seeing that both Bridget and Victor were fine, she was relieved. She checked the room to see that there was no chance of an accident and then left.


    It was dark, and Sophia called Bridget for dinner. Benjamin showed up then and insisted on joining them. He claimed that he forgot to take with his wallet, and Albert, his employer, should be responsible for his food.


    Albert didn''t mind it. Anyway, with Bridget and Victor there, he wouldn''t be alone with Sophia even if he got rid of Benjamin. Benjamin did well during the day. So he didn''t mind treating him.


    They had dinner in a restaurant nearby and then went back. Albert was worried that there would be an accident in the long run and planned to go back with Bridget and her son the next day. For that, he asked Sophia''s advice.


    Sophia agreed though she wanted to stay here for more days. She was also worried about the safety of Bridget and her son. In this unfamiliar place, there were strangers everywhere, and there might be an "accident." Accidents like jellyfish were really impossible.


    Albert knew that Sophia would agree. When he got back to his room, his phone rang.


    It was from Grey.


    "I heard your wife saved my wife and son." Grey was very excited. "Thank you for finding such a good wife!"


    "She was not my wife yet," said Albert.


    Grey said, "Sooner or later. You only chase her. You''ll get her. No¡­ She''s the second one. You chased a girl named Sophia when you worked as an assistant in Glinton. Do you love the name Sophia? I know Sophia. How about I introduce her to you?"


    Albert frowned, "Seriously, what''s the matter?"


    Grey realized that it had gone far, and hurriedly said, "I am abroad now. I just booked the ticket and can return to Lands City tomorrow morning. Before that, you have to take care of my wife!"


    Take care? Why did that sound so strange?


    ***


    The next morning, Albert received a call from Grey, who sounded quite sad, "Albert, my dad fell ill last night. He''s critically ill. Please send my wife home as soon as possible so that my father can see Victor before he¡­? Victor is the one he misses most. Please tell her to hurry. The doctor says he may leave at any time..."


    Then his voice choked.


    Albert had booked tickets for Bridget and Victor last night and planned to leave early this morning, but he didn''t expect such a thing to happen.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll set out right now and probably get to Lands City by noon. I''ll take them to the hospital as soon as we arrive." Albert hung up and walked out of the room to see Bridget.


    Bridget got up early. In fact, she couldn''t fall asleep because of the incident. She was so afraid that someone would hurt Victor again that she watched him all night and made sure he would not be out of her sight.


    In addition, she received a call from Grey late at night and heard that her father-in-law was dying. She was so worried and afraid that she couldn''t fall asleep.


    "Pack up, huh? We''ll set out later. Let''s have some breakfast now. Then we can go to the airport." Albert said, "I''ll get Sophia."


    Sophia knocked on the door at this time and said, "No, bother. I''m ready. We can leave at any time."


    While then, Benjamin came and laughed, "Don''t forget me. I''m going with you."


    "Won''t you stay here any longer?" Sophia asked.


    She and Albert needed to protect Bridget and had to leave in advance. But Benjamin didn''t need to leave so early.. He could stay here for a few more days.

 Chapter 209 - 209: Danger On The Way

    Benjamin said, "I have asked Albert to buy me a ticket yesterday. You know, I have no money. If I don''t go with Albert, I will have to go back on foot."


    Sophia was surprised.


    She didn''t find that Benjamin was so cheap. He knew that Albert was rich and didn''t care about a penny. But, isn''t his father an internationally renowned detective? How could he be so poor?


    Albert walked into Bridget''s room with Sophia and said, "You must have heard about Mr. Cooper, haven''t you? I have contacted someone to pick us up at the airport. As soon as we arrive at the airport, we will be sent to the hospital."


    Bridget''s eyes were wet, "My dad¡­ He was fine before we came. Victor made an appointment with him that he would show him the pictures we took here. He was quite excited then. It''s only been a few days, but he¡­"


    Victor was confused, "Mom, why are you crying? All the photos are on the camera. I can print them out and show them to grandpa when we get home. Is grandpa angry that we didn''t bring him?"


    Bridget didn''t tell Victor about Mr. Cooper''s illness. Even if she did, Victor was too young to understand it.


    She wiped her tears and forced a smile, "You''re right, baby. Grandpa will be pleased to see your beautiful photos, and he will feel like he was here himself."


    When Sophia got out with Albert, she suddenly dragged Albert into her room and closed the door.


    Albert was surprised, "What''s wrong?"


    Sophia frowned and said, "I think there might be a danger on the way. If Mr. Cooper is dying, what is he calling Victor back for? It must be about the will. So, what do you think George will do?"


    Albert blurted out, "You mean, he will..."


    Sophia nodded, "Yes. He had always wanted to hurt Victor. As you can see from Beck''s thing, he''s meticulous. We got Beck, but we couldn''t get him to talk. Yes, Beck was paid and he was willing to go to jail for George when he was caught. Now, if Victor returns to Lands City, George''s legacy dream will be shattered. So¡­"


    Albert got nervous. "He might try to do it on the way back. It''s his last chance. On the plane¡­ If he dares to ask someone to do it on the plane, he won''t get away with it."


    "Oh, I''m talking about the worst case. Will he be that crazy? I''m not sure. But we have to protect Victor and keep him in sight all the way. Knives are not allowed on the plane, but Victor is a kid. The killer doesn''t need any weapons to deal with him," said Sophia.


    Albert frowned and said, "Well, can Grey tell his father to announce the will in advance? In this way, it will be useless for George to kill Victor. Grey will inherit the inheritance anyway. If so, he may not try to hurt Victor."


    Sophia shook her head, "The old man is so sick now. If you tell him about it, he will be so pissed that he might not make it to see Victor back. Besides, we have no proof that George did any of these things. Maybe George won''t be able to find someone willing to work for him. Let''s be vigilant. It should be safe."


    She was more than enough to protect a child from a gangster. After all, the killer could not carry weapons on the plane. She was confident about her power. What''s more, there were air police and staff on the plane. A few gangsters would not be a problem.


    Ryan would also leave with Albert. He wanted to stay here for a few more days, but to show his loyalty, he decided to go with his boss.


    Benjamin had received the flight information before, and had packed early and was waiting to go to the airport.


    Ryan helped Sophia and Bridget to carry the luggage to the taxi. Albert had arranged everything. Sophia, Bridget, and Victor sat in the back seat, and Albert sat in the passenger seat while Ryan and Benjamin were in another taxi.


    Benjamin was unhappy, "I don''t want to sit with a man, Albert. How about you sit with my sister and I sit with this beauty? I love kids. How old are you, little man?"


    Victor timidly hid behind Bridget and whispered, "Mom, he is weird..."


    Benjamin was speechless.


    Weird? He was kind, all right?


    Ryan frowned, "Do you think I love to sit with a man? I also want to sit with beauty¡­ Come on. Get in the car. You take the passenger seat, and I''ll sit in the back. I won''t be next to you."


    Sophia just ignored the two and told the driver to go to the airport after everyone sat well. Benjamin had no choice but to get in another taxi.


    The two taxis set out at the same time and arrived at the airport soon.


    As soon as Sophia got out of the car, she took Victor''s hand and smiled, "Darling, do you want to be with me? I love you so much."


    Victor gave a sweet smile, "Yeah. I love you, Sophia. You''re the prettiest girl."


    Sophia loved Victor. Bridget taught him well. Victor was a well-bred child.


    When they got on the plane, Sophia sat opposite Victor and Victor was next to Bridget, who seemed quite nervous. When a stranger passed by, she would look up and look at the person warily as if he or she would hurt Victor.


    Sophia could totally understand her. After a few incidents, Bridget was like a startled bird. But days like this would not be that long. After the will was announced, George had no reason to harm victor and would stop the hurting.


    Albert bought tickets for the first class. When they came, he bought economy class to save money for Sophia. However, there were too many people in the first class, so it was not easy to guard. One advantage of the first-class was that it was big and with fewer passengers.. If someone got approached, they would notice it right away.

 Chapter 210 - 210: I’m Not A Kid Anymore

    Right then, Victor''s safety was the most important, so he didn''t consider Sophia''s feelings about the ticket price. He didn''t want Sophia to pay for the flight, but if she insisted, he would agree.


    He just couldn''t do anything about Sophia.


    Albert, Ryan, and Benjamin sat on the other side. Ryan didn''t know anything and just put the seat flat and fell asleep. Albert, however, looked at Sophia from time to time and was always aware of the passing.


    Benjamin yawned a lot and looked drowsy. Albert had heard about Nicole from Sophia and had doubts about Benjamin''s ability. So he would not ask such an irresponsible detective to protect Victor. And he just didn''t tell him anything.


    In fact, Albert wouldn''t have gone to Benjamin if it weren''t for David. It had been half a year since the lab fire, but the killer still hadn''t been found. He didn''t have much confidence in Benjamin.


    When he made a phone call with David, David was sorry, "My son¡­ Actually, he has some strength, but he is not serious about anything. Well, I''ll go there myself and see if I can find out something. I heard about the case here. It''s famous. Many detectives are trying to get the information and try to reason the truth."


    Albert asked at once, "So, is there any result? So many people investigate it, there must be some clues, right?"


    David sighed, "No. Everybody thinks the case is suspicious, but no man''s trace can be found. If it''s not an accident but a murder, then it''s a perfect crime. There''s no way to find the killer."


    ***


    One hour later, Victor got up and wanted to go to the bathroom.


    Bridget would take him there. Sophia worried about them and followed up. Bridget was an adult, but she was just a weak woman. If someone wanted to hurt her, it would be quite easy.


    Victor felt strange, "I''m not a kid anymore. You''re a girl. You can''t go to the bathroom with me. My mother said no girls should see me go to the bathroom!"


    Bridget said, "It''s just going to the bathroom. It''s gonna be okay. We''ll be back in a few minutes."


    But Sophia still worried about them and went with them there. She went into the bathroom first and made a check. It was a single room, very narrow, with only a toilet and a sink there. It was less than ten squares. Making sure it was completely closed, she went out and let Bridget take Victor in.


    As soon as the door closed, she had a strange feeling that¡­ something was wrong!


    Sophia called outside, "Are you inside, Bridget?"


    But there was no response. She felt that something was wrong inside. She didn''t have time to ask the steward for the key and just kicked on the door. She kicked it hard, and the door was not quite strong, so she kicked it open.


    When the door opened, Bridget Thompson was on the ground, motionless, and a small, gray man was holding Victor by the neck. Victor struggled, but he was too weak to break free.


    Sophia kicked the gray man in the head. The man rolled on the ground and avoided his kick. Sophia bowed up and picked up Victor. Luckily, she got in on time, Victor was fine. It was just that there were some marks on his neck that looked quite serious.


    Obviously, the man was going to strangle him but was interrupted by Sophia when he just started.


    The man got up and reached for Victor. Sophia got Victor up and pushed him outside, "Run! Go to Albert!"


    It was urgent, and the only one she believed in was Albert.


    She stopped in front of the man, kicked him into his stomach, and tried to control him. The man was flexible. He turned aside to avoid the kick and then ducked out of her side.


    Obviously, he didn''t want to fight Sophia, and he just wanted to finish his job right away.


    Sophia hurried out. Victor had run out but couldn''t be far in such a short time. If the man caught him, he could kill him in seconds.


    Apparently, the man was desperate to kill Victor.


    Sophia was worried. Saving Victor was the most important. There was no time for her to check Bridget, and she just ran out.


    The bathroom was between first class and business class. Through the corridor in front of the bathroom, there was the first class. Sophia had asked Victor to "go to Albert." Victor knew Albert was in first-class that he would certainly run towards it.


    She ran to first-class and saw Victor standing behind Benjamin, who looked confused, "Who are you? Human traffickers? Steal children?"


    The man said angrily, "Get out of the way! I''ll kill you!"


    He reached out his fist to hit Benjamin. Benjamin shouted loudly, turned back, and ran with Victor in his arms. He ran very fast, although holding Victor, even faster than the man in grey.


    In a flash, Benjamin ran to Albert. Albert had heard the noise and stood up in front of Benjamin.


    "Bugger off! Give the boy to me!" The man shouted and punched Albert.


    Albert stood still. Suddenly, he reached out and caught the man''s hand. After a pull, the man fell on the ground. Everything happened in two seconds. The man hadn''t realized what was going on when he fell on the ground.


    Ryan took the chance to flatter Albert, "Well done, boss! You''re amazing!"


    Right then, Sophia arrived and saw Albert secure the man and relieved him. "Keep an eye on him. Don''t let him get away," she said.


    Then, she turned to check Bridget in the bathroom.


    The guards on the plane also arrived and brought the man to a special room. Then the captain announced that the plane would make an emergency landing at a nearby airport because of an accident and would take off after the rectification.


    Bridget was knocked unconscious, slightly injured, and woke up shortly afterward.


    When she woke up, she cried to see Victor and was relieved when she saw that Victor was safe and sound.


    She told them what had happened in the bathroom that she was knocked out as soon as she entered the bathroom and didn''t know anything.

 Chapter 211 - 211: Unimaginable Consequence

    When Sophia checked the bathroom, she saw a pillar in a corner. She didn''t think much about it at the time. When she got out of the bathroom, she remembered that the room on the plane was different from that on the ground. A pillar-like this would not be necessary.


    Now, the "pillar" was on the ground. It was just a piece of cardboard. The man must be hiding inside then. He put the cardboard in his bag, carried it into the bathroom, and stood it in a corner. The pattern of the paper was the same as the bathroom and looked like a real pillar.


    Apparently, he was fully prepared and determined to make it. He had prepared tools and was sure that Victor would go to this bathroom, the nearest one to the first class. The bathroom was accessible to both men and women, so he''s entering would not be suspected.


    It was impossible to escape after an attack on the plane. The gray man was prepared to be caught after the murder.


    Bridget had been crying with Victor in her arms. She just went to the bathroom, but her son was almost killed. If Sophia hadn''t realized it and kicked the door in time to save Victor, she would have never seen victor again.


    She had thought she had been cautious enough, but she didn''t expect this to happen. If it wasn''t for Sophia, it would be an unimaginable consequence.


    "Thank you so much!" Bridget took Sophia''s hand and thanked her. "You saved Victor twice. I... I don''t know what to say. As long as there is anything I can do for you..."


    Sophia interrupted her, "I just wish Victor is fine. He is a good boy. I hope the police can find out the man behind it. But I don''t think it''s quite easy."


    Since the man dared to do it, he must have planned everything well. Just like Beck, he would take all on himself, Sophia thought.


    No one knew what kind of deals there were.


    Bridget went to Benjamin to thank him, "Thank you, Mr. Benjamin. Thank you for protecting Victor. I''ll repay you when I get back."


    "Well, Terry¡­ Mr. Terry. As for the reward. Ha-ha¡­ It''s very kind of you. You can give me some money if you wish," said Benjamin.


    Sophia was speechless about Benjamin''s shamelessness.


    Then Bridget went to Albert. "You don''t need to thank me. Grey is my friend, I should help," Albert said.


    Ten minutes later, the plane landed at a nearby airport. The police took the man off the plane and checked out the dangers that might be present.


    There weren''t many people in the bathroom, but the sound of kicking the door was loud, and many people had heard it.


    Many passengers in the first class were frightened by the sudden break-in killer. They didn''t want to continue the trip on this plane and asked for a refund. Considering that it was their responsibility, the airline agreed to refund their tickets in full.


    Bridget also wanted to change a flight, but Sophia dissuaded her, "I don''t think so. This flight will certainly be more alert and safer. It''s not safe to change flights."


    After waiting for more than an hour, the plane was confirmed safe and took off again.


    All the way, Bridget was anxious. When Victor asked to go to the bathroom, she said no and told him to hold it and pee until they got home.


    Victor looked aggrieved, and his face flushed. When he got off the plane, he was thirsty and drank some water. Now, he wanted to pee.


    Albert got up and took Victor in his hand, "I''ll go with you."


    Victor cheered up, "Thank you, uncle Pearson."


    Albert was not happy.


    He called Sophia''s sister, but called him¡­ uncle?!


    What an unlovely child!


    He took Victor to the bathroom and then walked him back. Police officers were everywhere on the plane. There were two at the door of the bathroom, a man and a woman. They checked inside once in a while. Also, they inspected everyone who went to the bathroom, strictly.


    Under such strict protection, the rest of the journey was safe, and there were no other accidents.


    The plane arrived at the airport late at noon.


    Sophia was afraid of another accident and held Victor tightly when they got off the plane. Pearson''s car was waiting outside. Sophia got in, and Albert sat on the passenger seat.


    The car got out of the airport, made a turn, and stopped at a newsstand.


    "Get off!" Albert said, get off and opened the door for Sophia.


    Sophia was confused but immediately understood when she saw another car parked aside.


    The location of the newsstand was special. It was in a hollow in front of a building. A car parking here would be fully shielded, and people could see nothing happening here.


    Albert did this for fear that someone might be following them after they left the airport. He was afraid that the man would attack them on the road, so he just changed cars and led the pursuer away. It would be much safer in this way.


    After changing the car, they went straight to the hospital. Sophia and Albert accompanied Bridget and Victor into the ward, which was already crowded with people, mostly real family members, waiting for the don to announce his will.


    Grey breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his wife and son return safely. He whispered a few words and took Victor to the old man''s bed.


    The old man didn''t announce his will because he had been waiting for Victor. He looked quite pale. When he saw Victor, he smiled.


    "Come here." He beckoned to Victor, "Come to grandpa."


    Seeing that, Sophia was touched. Everyone would die, and she had experienced death herself, but she was still sad to see a dying old man.


    Victor had already arrived safely. Sophia left the ward with Albert.


    Elma also came but didn''t go into the ward. She was not quite close to the Cooper family. To avoid suspicion, she waited outside the door.


    "Thanks for taking care of my sister," Elma said, "I heard from my sister. It was a dangerous trip. Thanks for being there. I don''t know what to say."


    Sophia waved her hands, "It''s all right.. I would help even if they are strangers."

 Chapter 212 - 212: Everyone Is A Suspect

    Suddenly, Elma got angry, "What kind of person did my dad hire? Internationally renowned detective? Are you kidding me? Where''s he when my sister was in danger? Fuck! I''ll complain about him. I''ll expose this fraud on the Internet."


    Sophia stayed, "Internationally renowned detective?"


    Elma nodded, "My dad said he was willing to take the case because he knew him well. He did charge a lot. Everything was fine at first. Nothing happened for more than half a year. Finally, my sister was relieved and went to travel. But Victor almost died, twice! Well, where''s that detective? It pisses me off. It is said that the detective is quite famous. His name''s¡­ Terry?"


    A name occurred to Sophia. "David Terry?" she said.


    Sophia remembered that Benjamin had been with them. And she came to realize that his mission this time was not just to report to Albert, and more importantly, to protect Victor.


    Speaking of which, he helped. If he didn''t come to help in time after Victor ran away, Victor might be caught by the man, which was very dangerous.


    Sophia explained, "The detective had been there and helped a lot."


    Elma widened her eyes, "Helped a lot? That''s his job. He should be in full charge."


    That sounded¡­ reasonable. Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    She also felt that Benjamin, as a detective, was kind of useless. Victor was attacked twice, and if she hadn''t been there at the time, she couldn''t imagine whether Benjamin could protect Victor.


    Since there was nothing more to do here, Sophia left with Albert. Whatever the contents of the will were, Sophia didn''t care. She just wanted Victor to be safe.


    She had always felt that having great wealth was not necessarily a good thing. If the owner didn''t have the ability to protect the wealth, it could put the owner in danger. For example, Kevin was kidnapped because of money.


    That was why she didn''t want to give Kevin more money. She wished him to live an ordinary life, as long as he was safe.


    At the door, Sophia got a call from Benjamin. She picked it up, and Benjamin sounded very excited, "Sister, my dad''s here! Do you want to meet him? He''s interested in you. He said you''re smart and brave, well-suited to be a detective."


    Sophia had always admired David and wanted to ask him about the lab fire. "Yeah. It''s my pleasure," she said.


    Benjamin made an appointment with her at the house he rented in Lands City and told her to come anytime in the afternoon. Albert heard about it and wanted to meet David to know his analysis of the lab fire. Even if there were no useful clues, it would be a great gain to talk to such a great person.


    In the afternoon, Sophia and Albert went to Benjamin''s house with some fruit. After ringing the doorbell, Benjamin came out and opened the door. "Oh, sister. Come in, please. My dad just talked about you and said you were a genius." He seemed quite happy.


    Sophia smiled, "Oh, thank you."


    She walked into the living room, and David went to her.


    He was an old man in his fifties but looked older than he really was. There was a scar on the right side of his face, an old wound still visible. His face was pale, a look of illness.


    David was well-known and had always been an international favorite. In recent years, he had solved world-class cases and became the leading criminal investigation expert in the world. Many countries invited him when there was a suspicious case. It had been reported on television that he was received and awarded a medal by the Queen last year.


    Sophia had met David in her last life. She helped him analyze Odom''s case. But now, of course, she would pretend to meet him for the first time, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Terry."


    David smiled and said in standard English, "Nice to meet you, Miss Green. Take a seat, please."


    Sophia sat down, and Benjamin came to serve them some coffee.


    David said, "Benjamin has talked a lot about you, saying that he found a clever sister. Don''t mind it. He has always wanted to find his sister. When he was a child, he was abducted by human traffickers. Then I helped the police solve the case. But I couldn''t find his family. I had no children then, so I adopted him. He remembered that he had a sister. That''s why he loved to take girls as his sisters."


    Sophia looked at Benjamin and smiled, "It''s all right. I happen to have a lost brother. He''s about Benjamin''s age. I also wish to find him."


    David said, "Wow, what a coincidence! I asked Benjamin to come this time because several people asked me to help solve cases, and I have not been in good health and couldn''t come in person. Well, I''m really interested in the fire case entrusted by Mr. Pearson. I come for it this time."


    Sophia asked, "Where are you going to start? You must have got the relevant information."


    David nodded, "Yeah. But I''d like to ask some of the people who were there at the time of the incident to find out what''s going on. I heard that Andrew convened a group of people to continue the research on new energy. Among them, many were of the original team. I''d like to inquire about them."


    Sophia stayed, "Do you suspect the murder is among them?"


    David said, "Everyone is a suspect."


    David directed Benjamin''s investigation into the lab fire. Benjamin was not specialized in a criminal investigation. He studied mathematics. In college, he didn''t study hard but was obsessed with cosplay. As a result, he couldn''t get enough credits and couldn''t graduate.


    Benjamin had been with his dad and was familiar with detective knowledge. He had helped David with many cases before. David didn''t have much confidence in him but had to ask him to take his place to come because he was ill.


    When it came to cases, Benjamin was very proud. "I helped the police with three cases, and I helped find the killers.. When they heard I''m David''s son, they believed in me."

 Chapter 213 - 213: These Are All Your Excuses

    David gave him a look, "Really? Cooper asked me to protect his grandson Victor. I secretly investigated and protected him for half a year and everything was fine. But I just entrusted you with it, he suffered attacks twice. What''s wrong with you?"


    Then, he turned to Sophia, "Thanks to Sophia, Victor was all right. Otherwise, I''d be embarrassed."


    Benjamin argued, "Things changed. Before, George used simple and straight methods to hurt Victor. It was so simple that I can easily see it. But then¡­ the methods he applied were more and more cunning. You might not tell it even if you were there. Maybe there''s someone who taught him."


    "These are all your excuses. You shouldn''t be a detective if you can''t see anything through. What''s more, I haven''t talked to you about Nicole. Yes, I didn''t want to take her case at first, but I agreed when she asked one of my friends to pester me. Since you took the case, how could you be so irresponsible and see her die. I''m really sorry for her," David said.


    Benjamin bowed his head, "I don''t want that. She wouldn''t tell me the truth that misled my investigation. I''m very guilty. I don''t want her to die."


    He thought for a moment and said, "Well, I did find out something. Nicole met Eddie a few days before she died. Although the police said that the killer was her ex-boyfriend, I think it has something to do with Eddie. Dad, you can go to the police and help with the investigation. She''s our client, and we can''t let her die so wrongfully."


    Sophia had not heard Benjamin talk about this before. She remembered that Eddie had threatened Benjamin several times in Lands City. Was that something to do with this?


    What did Eddie have to do with Nicole''s death?


    ***


    When they left Benjamin''s, Sophia got a call from Elma, who simply explained Coopers'' condition.


    The old man announced the will in the morning. Forty percent of the property was given to Victor, twenty percent to the Grey couple, twenty percent to the George couple, and the left twenty percent to other relatives.


    In other words, the Grey family got sixty percent of the property.


    "However, the old man secretly told my brother-in-law something." Elma said, "He said that his elder son was the black sheep of the family. He hoped my brother-in-law could give his brother some money, about two hundred dollars, every month when he wasted all his property so that he would not starve to death."


    Sophia frowned, "Did Grey agree? George has been trying to kill his son. And he almost made it."


    Elma sighed, "He agreed. The old man was on his last breath. The doctor said these are his last days. My brother-in-law didn''t want him to die with regret. After all, both of them are his sons. He didn''t want to see George suffer."


    Sophia felt that the reason why the old man gave most of his property to Grey was not just because he had a son. More importantly, George would ruin the family. No matter how much money he got, he would spend every penny. Instead of that, the old man would rather leave the property to Grey.


    The Coopers were rich. Twenty percent was a lot of money. But a person like George wasn''t satisfied with that and took risks to get more money. He acted so meticulously that they couldn''t catch him. But if he did more bad things, he would be punished sooner or later.


    ***


    A few days later, they got news from the police that the killer had confessed to the crime. He insisted that he was a psychopath who liked to kill, and he happened to see Bridget and her son and felt that they were easy to deal with and chose to kill them.


    The police didn''t believe that. The tools were prepared in advance. Obviously, he had come prepared but not on the spur of the moment.


    Sophia knew that George had something to do with it. Since there was no way to find the evidence, he would not be charged.


    ***


    One day Sophia got a call from Louie.


    Christmas was only half a month away, and the traffic was very heavy. But Louie was auditioning for an advertising agency in another town, and he wanted Sophia to go with him.


    "I''m nervous. After all, this is my first audition," Louie said. "I''ll feel better if you''re there. Please!"


    Sophia would like to say that it would be more convenient for Kevin to go with him. After all, they were boys and could share a room in the hotel, and it would save half of the money. However, she then remembered that Kevin must be studying at home at this moment. With his score, he needed to study harder if he wanted to get into Glinton. He shouldn''t spend his time on other things at this time. But she was not busy and had nothing to do then.


    So she nodded, "All right. I''ll go with you."


    Louie would audit in Haven, and he had booked tickets for Sophia in advance. Haven was not far from Lands City, and it was about two hours away by plane.


    If they left in the morning, they would arrive there before ten o''clock. The audition would start at ten and the interviewers would audit one by one. It would be finished in the afternoon; they could take a flight home and didn''t need to stay there. For Sophia, it would not take long.


    Early in the morning, Louie took a bus to Sophia''s house. Kate had just prepared breakfast, and he just ate with them.


    "Did you have breakfast?" Kate asked, "Eat with us."


    Louie was quite familiar with Kate and just sat down, "No. My parents aren''t at home. I''m alone at home. I don''t want to cook because if I cook too much food, I can''t finish it. And I think it''s too much trouble to cook for myself. So, I always order takeout."


    Sophia had heard from him that his parents were away on business. He had a sister who died unexpectedly many years ago.. So most of the time, he was alone at home.

 Chapter 214 - 214: Was He Free

    Louie''s grades had improved a lot. As an art student, he could enter the college with a score much lower than other students. He got good academic grades in a few tests recently.


    He applied for the acting department and was photographed during an interview at Lake University. His photos on the Internet had attracted a lot of attention. Then he was invited by the advertising company for the audition.


    "What a cute boy!" Kate served him a bowl of rice and said, "Louie, you''re born to be an actor. You''ll become popular."


    Louie smiled sheepishly, "Thanks. Well, I think Sophia is very beautiful. She can be an actor and she will become popular. But she doesn''t want to, or she''d be more popular than any other actress."


    Kate said with a smile, "Oh, you''re so sweet."


    Just then, Albert knocked at the door and came in with a bag of salted duck eggs. "Mrs. Green, my mother gave me some eggs when I went home yesterday. I don''t cook often. You can cook some when you''re available."


    Kate took the eggs and said, "I have always wanted to consult your mother how your mother made it, but I haven''t had a chance yet."


    Albert was surprised to see Louie there, "You must be Louie, right?"


    Louie nodded, "Yeah. Nice to meet you, Mr. Pearson. The Tuncel Advertising Agency in Haven offers me an advertising audition. I come to Sophia and hope to go with her."


    Albert stared at him and seemed to see him through, "Go audition with Sophia?"


    Louie was not used to being stared at by him. He shunned his eyes and said, "Yes, Sophia is nice to me. I won''t be so nervous if she''s here."


    Albert said coldly, "I see."


    ***


    After breakfast, Sophia went downstairs with Louie with a small bag. She would not stay there and didn''t need to bring any luggage. As soon as they went out, they saw Albert coming out.


    "I''m also going to the airport. Let''s go together," said Albert.


    Sophia stayed, "Are you going on a business trip?"


    Albert nodded, "Yeah. I have to deal with something In Haven."


    Sophia knew he had lots of companies, and there must be a branch in Haven. It was not surprising that Albert went to Haven to do things, but¡­ What a coincidence!


    She had planned to take a taxi with Louie Delgado to the airport, but since she and Albert go together, she could just take Albert''s car.


    Ryan drove them to the airport but did not go with them. They soon arrived at the airport, got on the plane, and sat down on their seats.


    Louie bought the economy class. The tickets of him and Sophia were bought together, so they sat together. Albert bought it late. His seat was not far from Sophia''s. It was just a corridor between them.


    After a while, Louie took out a box of cake from his bag to Sophia. "I made it for you, sister. Chocolate hazelnut cake. Have a try."


    He had made Sophia cakes and knew her preferences.


    "Oh, you''re so sweet. Thanks." Sophia took over the cake.


    She took Louie as a brother and just accepted his kindness. Then she picked up the fork in the box and started enjoying the cake. Louie was talented in cooking. Sophia had always thought that he would do well with a pastry shop.


    Being an actor was really a waste of his talent, Sophia thought.


    Sophia was eating when she felt someone looking at her. Looking back, she saw Albert looking at her.


    She picked up the cake and asked, "Would you like some?"


    "No."


    He had been staring at her; he must want to eat, Sophia thought. Since it was a small piece for one person and there was only one fork, which was used by Sophia and was not good for Albert to use.


    Louie smiled, "I''m sorry, Mr. Pearson. I didn''t expect you to come with us, and I just brought one piece."


    Albert gave him a look and said, "It''s all right. I don''t like dessert."


    It wasn''t a long trip. Two hours later, the plane landed at the airport.


    Out of the airport, Sophia said, "We''re going to the Tuncel Advertising Agency. Where are you going? If you go the same way with us, we can take a taxi together."


    Albert said, "Yeah. I''m going to the Tuncel Advertising Agency, too."


    Louie stayed, "Really? For the audition?"


    Albert was quite handsome. If he went for the audition, he could make it.


    "No. I happen to go there for something," said Albert.


    Sophia had searched online before and found that the Tuncel Advertising Agency was a company of the Pearson Group. Albert''s visit to Tuncel Advertising Agency at this time was too much of a coincidence.


    Did he make an excuse to come?


    But¡­ why? Was he free?


    Soon, they got to the place. Louie inquired about the receptionist about the audition location. "It''s in the general manager''s office, the tenth floor. The general manager will interview us himself. Let''s go, sister¡­ Do you want to come, Mr. Pearson?" He told them when he came back.


    "Yeah." Albert gave him a look.


    Louie was surprised. He is just polite. He thought Albert would be on business and would not go up with them.


    Would he not do his business?


    Suddenly, "You two go up first. I need to¡­ buy something. I''ll be back later," Sophia said.


    Then she walked out of the building.


    Her departure left Louie and Albert alone. Louie didn''t know how Albert felt, but he felt pretty... awkward! He had nothing to talk about with Albert.


    Louie had heard from Carol that Albert seemed to be going after Sophia but too timid to tell her. Judging from what he did this day, Carol should be telling the truth.


    Albert didn''t take him as a rival in love, did he? Louie wondered. Because he always felt that Albert''s look at him was with hostility. Was he jealous?


    "Well, let''s go." Louie coughed and said, "Here comes the lift."


    Albert entered with him in silence, and then they got to the tenth floor.


    There were already a lot of people waiting in line in the hallway. They were all here to audition for the advertisement. Many of these people were students majoring in acting.. They were very experienced and had good appearances.

 Chapter 215 - 215: I Bought It For You

    Louie and Albert walked by and attracted much attention.


    Actors who were confident in their appearance felt the challenge when they saw them. The actresses, on the other hand, widened their eyes and wished to work with any of them even if giving up the pay.


    The staff had put a lot of chairs in the hallway for the interviewers to sit. Louie found a seat against the wall and sat down. Albert walked over and sat down in a seat away from him.


    As soon as they sat down, a girl in a pink dress came up and asked Albert with a smile, "Can I sit here?"


    Albert said without looking up, "Sorry. It''s not available."


    Being rejected, the girl left with frustration. When she got back to her seat, a girl in a blue skirt who came with her laughed, "Handsome boys are not easy to catch up. And it''s not easy to sit between two handsome boys."


    Miss Pink frowned, "If you can do it, just go to have a try."


    Miss Blue raised one of her eyebrows. "Yeah. I''ll go. You know, guys love girls with big boobs, slim figures and cute little faces like me. I''ll try the young one. I know him. He''s quite famous online. I''m really into this kind of delicate young boy. I''m sure he won''t refuse me."


    She made her hair and walked to Louie with great grace. Then she smiled at him and said, "Mr. Delgado, may I sit here?"


    She pointed to the seat between Louie and Albert and then smiled charmingly, even her eyes were filled with smiles.


    Louie stayed and shook his head. "Sorry. This seat is taken."


    Not far away, Miss Pink burst into laughter. Miss Blue was more beautiful than her, but¡­ so what? She was still rejected.


    Oh, what a shame!


    Miss Blue could not keep the smile. She bit her lips and asked, "Who? Is he or she here for the audition? It''s almost started. What an unprofessional person!"


    Louie didn''t want to explain. "She''ll come soon," he said.


    Then he felt Albert gave him a look.


    Oh, what the hell was he thinking about? Louie wondered inside.


    Miss Blue walked to her seat, but her eyes still fixed on the seat between Louie and Albert.


    She wanted to see what kind of person would sit there. If it was a guy, it might be Louie''s friend. While if it was a girl, she would like to know what kind of fairy would be.


    "You seem to be less interested in other girls," Albert suddenly said.


    Louie took it as Albert''s jealous that he might want to ask, "You only into Sophia, do you?"


    He didn''t want to have such a misunderstanding, and explained, "She¡­ isn''t my type."


    "Yeah," said Albert.


    Louie felt more and more awkward with Albert.


    Why didn''t Sophia come back?


    Fortunately, Sophia finally came back. There was a small box in her hand. She handed the box to Albert, "It''s for you."


    Albert was surprised and took over the box, which was warm. He opened it, and there was a piece of Chocolate Hazelnut Cake inside.


    Sophia smiled, "Have a try! I bought it for you. I just baked it. I knew you like it."


    He had been staring at her cake on the plane, and she knew he wanted to eat.


    Albert didn''t know what to say.


    He didn''t like desserts.


    But¡­ Sophia specially bought it for him. He picked up the fork and started eating it.


    Louie was shocked by the scene.


    Why did he feel that Sophia treats Albert like a kid? If things went like this, would Albert get her?


    Not far away, Miss Blue saw the person between Louie and Albert and couldn''t help frowning, "Isn''t that, Sophia? She''s auditioning, too?"


    Miss Pink looked at Sophia, "The popular high achiever on the Internet? She looks better than on TV. She''s here. Do we still have a chance? Didn''t you say that only one man and one woman would be chosen?"


    "She''s not a professional actor. I''m much better than her in acting. I''m determined to get the role," said Miss Blue.


    "Really? I wonder about that," said Miss Pink.


    She was not happy about Miss Blue''s arrogance. She didn''t think she could win the part, and she just hoped to get more experience from it. But in her heart, it was not her companion; she wished to win the role, but Sophia.


    ***


    It was not long before the audition began. The secretary came out and said with a smile, "Thanks for waiting here, everyone. The audition is about to start. Is there anyone without a number?"


    Louie put up his hand, "Here!"


    When he arrived, the staff had already gone in and weren''t handing out numbers, so he didn''t get one. And people who came after him had no numbers, either.


    Several actors raised their hands. With several cards in hand, the secretary went to them and gave out the numbers.


    When he walked to Louie, he took three-card cards, gave one to Louie, and the other two to Sophia and Albert.


    Sophia waved her hands, "No, no. I''m not here for the audition. I''m here for him."


    "Oh, I see," the secretary said and looked to Albert.


    Albert didn''t even look up but kept eating the cake with his head down as if it were a rare delicacy in the world.


    Although he didn''t look up, the secretary was sure that he was a handsome man, "Sir, your number."


    Albert looked up and said calmly, "No, thanks."


    Then, he went on with the cake.


    The secretary just felt that the man looked familiar.


    When the manager was ill, he had attended a meeting for him at the headquarter and met the younger successor of the Pearson Group. Although it was only a glance, he was good at remembering faces and remembered his face.


    But this person¡­ Why did he look like that young successor?


    He quickly handed out the remaining numbers, strode back to the manager''s office, and voiced his suspicions.


    The manager was surprised, "Is the prince coming to inspect? Well, we can''t make him sit outside. Invite him in and treat him well."


    "But¡­" the secretary voiced his concern, "If he doesn''t want to tell anyone who he is, wouldn''t we offend him by doing so?"


    The manager was very nervous. The audition was relatively unimportant for him now. The most important thing was whether he could serve the successor well.

 Chapter 216 - 216: I Believe What You Said

    But first, he had to confirm the identity of the man. If he kissed up to the wrong person, he would be embarrassed.


    He walked out of the office, came to the hallway, smiled, and said to the waiting actors, "Hello, everyone. I''m Mathew, the manager of the Tuncel Advertising Agency. I''ll be in charge of the audition. Thanks for your precious time. Now I''ll explain to you the process of the audition¡­"


    These were supposed to be announced by the staff, but to make sure whether the successor was here or not, he did it himself.


    As he explained the process, he searched in the crowd. Soon, he spotted Albert eating a cake.


    Next to him, there was a girl who was handing him a towel. The girl was very cute and smiled so sweet that her smile made people''s hearts soft.


    When Mathew confirmed that that man was Albert, he got nervous. He hurried to his office and talked about it with the secretary.


    "What should I do? He did come. If I make anything wrong, I may lose my job."


    In all his years as a secretary, he had never seen such a spectacle. The Pearson Group had too many companies, and senior managers usually would not notice an advertising company like this. So, why did the successor come? What was his purpose? Work inspection? Definitely not. Even if their company went bankrupt, he would not bother to check.


    Something occurred to him, "Is it for the girl next to him?"


    Mathew slapped his thigh and shouted, "I knew it. I knew he wouldn''t come here for no reason. Is he trying to make the girl famous? We have to do what he wants. Actually, the girl is quite cute. Even if she had no relationship with him, I want to choose her."


    The secretary frowned, "But she didn''t take the number card. She said she came for Louie. I know this girl. She''s Sophia, an online celebrity. She has lots of fans. It''s a bit of a hassle!"


    Louie''s number was at the back. When the audition started, Sophia calculated the time Louie would audit according to the time each interviewee used, and it would be hours until his turn.


    There was a break at noon. Since Louie couldn''t audit in the morning, Sophia suggested to take a break somewhere, have lunch, and come back in the afternoon.


    Louie agreed and left with the other two. It was eleven o''clock, almost time for lunch.


    It was quite cold in Haven. Louie suggested eating hot pot, and it would be warmer.


    Sophia agreed. Albert didn''t object. There was a restaurant near the Tuncel Advertising Agency. It was Triple Sheep, one of the popular chain restaurants.


    "It''s warmer to eat mutton hot pot in winter. How about one mutton hot pot?" Louie asked, "If you don''t like mutton, they have clear soup."


    Sophia knew he was good at eating and cooking. Since he said that, she agreed. Albert was not picky, and he was used to submitting to Sophia''s demands.


    There were many customers in the restaurant. Louie wanted a private room so that Sophia could eat comfortably without being disturbed. However, the waiter said that the private room was full, and only the hall was available.


    Sophia didn''t mind it. Albert didn''t say anything. So they just sat down at an empty table.


    Soon, the mutton hot pot was served. The smell of mutton was very appetizing. And there were many large pieces of mutton in the soup.


    Louie picked up the colander and filled Sophia''s bowl with a spoonful of lamb. "Try some lamb first, sister. After the mutton, we can put the vegetables in, or there''s no room for them."


    Sophia nodded, picked up a piece of meat, and began to eat. Albert reached for the colander and added another scoop of lamb to Sophia''s bowl.


    The bowl was not large, and there were so many foods that the lamb almost fell out.


    "Help with yourself," Sophia picked up a meal and put it in Albert''s bowl, "My bowl is full."


    "Yeah." Albert smiled.


    Louie was speechless. Were they showing off how much they love each other? He lowered his head and started to eat.


    After one bite, Louie shouted, "This is not mutton!"


    Sophia stayed, "Not mutton?"


    Louie nodded, "It tastes like mutton, but it''s pork! The quality of mutton and pork is different. There is a difference in careful taste."


    Sophia''s taste was not so sensitive that she took it as mutton when she smelled the smell of mutton in the meat. But she believed Louie''s judgment. With his study on food, it would not be wrong.


    She called the manager and asked, "It''s not mutton. How could you pass off pork as mutton?"


    The hall was crowded with guests, most of whom were eating mutton hot pot. Hearing this, they looked in her direction. A few guests left their seats and came to watch.


    The manager would not admit it. "It''s indeed mutton. Smell it. It''s mutton! Our mutton is supplied by a specific mutton dealer. They have been serving us for many years. How could it be pork?"


    Louie said, "I''ve heard that pork soaked in mutton or sheep''s oil ¡­ urine can smell like mutton. It''s pork. You can test it. I won''t be wrong!"


    The onlookers could not help feeling nauseous when they heard the word "sheep''s urine." If the meat they just ate was soaked in sheep''s urine, it would be disgusting.


    The manager shouted, "Stop your nonsense! Are you here to ruin my business? Listen, we have a lawyer. You are legally responsible for telling rumors like this."


    While they were arguing, Sophia stood up. She picked up a piece of bone and looked at it carefully. "He''s not wronging you. This is indeed a pig''s bone. It''s not the same as a sheep''s."


    As soon as she spoke, one of the guests recognized her. "You''re¡­ Sophia, the high achiever online? I love you! I believe what you said. Tell me, why is this bone not a sheep bone?"


    Sophia didn''t expect to meet one fan here and smiled at him. "Not everything I say is right.. But some differences between pig bones and sheep bones are quite obvious.

 Chapter 217 - 217: Eat With Us

    This bone should be the scapula. There is an acromion on sheep''s scapula but not on pigs''. It''s easy to tell. Sheep belong to bovine, while pigs belong to Suidae animals. There are great differences in animals of different families."


    The manager was dumbfounded by her analysis but still argued, "Nonsense. Our restaurant is a national chain belonging to a well-known financial group. It is not something you can slander casually!"


    Albert frowned, "Which financial group is so stupid that it would do such a stupid thing to ruin its fame? The bigger the consortium, the more honest it will be. Your financial group must be an empty shell, is it?"


    The manager patted his chest proudly, "No. We''re chain restaurants of the Pearson Group."


    Albert was speechless.


    Sophia gave Albert a sympathetic look in silence.


    Albert stood up and said, "Excuse me."


    Sophia knew what he would do and just let him go.


    After a while, Albert returned. He didn''t say anything and just sat down somewhere.


    The manager was still trying to prove that what he was selling was mutton, not pork. He noticed that someone was secretly photographing him in his back and was even more anxious. If this went online, he would be in trouble.


    Just then, someone came in from the outside. The man looked quite angry and scolded the manager on seeing him, "How dare you! You dare to pass off pork as mutton?"


    When the manager saw the man, he hurriedly said, "Sawyer, what are you doing here?"


    The man who was called Sawyer said angrily, "What do you think I''m doing here? You''re ruining the business. How can I not come? You''re fired. Pack your things now and get out of here!"


    The manager had not expected that it would startle the regional headquarter in less than half an hour, and Sawyer arrived so soon. He gave an aggrieved look and said, "It''s not my fault. These people come to make trouble. And they say they are somewhat high achievers. I think they must be hired by the restaurant opposite and are trying to ruin our reputation. Sawyer, we should call the police and sue them for stigmatization."


    Sawyer suddenly raised his hand, slapped him in the face, and said to the onlookers, "I''m very sorry, everyone. We will find out what''s going on. This is our responsibility. The store will be temporarily closed until everything is clear. Other chains will be closed for a day to confirm that nothing similar has happened before they reopen. I''m very sorry. All of you will be free of charge today, and you can get a voucher of one hundred dollars as compensation. Of course, if you don''t want it, you can get fifty dollars in cash. I''m really sorry!"


    His words were sincere, and he made it clear that the store would pay compensation. The guests said they could understand it. For the Triple Sheep, they thought it should be trustworthy. After all, it was an old brand. So many people chose the vouchers, which could be used as cash here.


    However, some people chose fifty dollars. The accident made them suspicious of the Triple Sheep and didn''t want to try other chains.


    As the guests dispersed, Sawyer walked up to Albert and said with respect, "What else can I do for you, Sir?"


    Albert said, "We haven''t had lunch today. We just had¡­ I feel a little nauseous. Where do you think we should go for lunch?"


    Sawyer said, "We have a chain in the other street. It''s our flagship store. There''s definitely no problem with the food there. How about¡­?"


    Albert frowned, "No. I don''t want to eat mutton anymore."


    When he heard mutton, he thought of sheep''s urine said by Louie and had no appetite at all.


    Louie didn''t know Albert''s identity and thought Sawyer was trying to make amends by being polite. He didn''t think the fake mutton was necessarily the problem of every Triple Sheep restaurant. After all, they had restaurants all over the country. He ate in Lands City, and there was no problem.


    He didn''t want to embarrass Sawyer, and said, "Thanks. We can go out to eat."


    Sawyer hurriedly said, "No, no. How about this? I''ll cook a few dishes for you myself. There are a lot of other dishes here besides mutton, and my skill is as good as any cook''s."


    He said, without waiting for Louie to refuse, he went straight to the kitchen.


    Louie was a little embarrassed. "Well...The general manager cooked for us himself is it a bit..."


    "Yeah," said Sophia.


    She knew that Sawyer was not trying to make amends to his guests but to Albert. He didn''t do it, but he had the fault of lax supervision. If he were to be held accountable, he would lose the position of general manager.


    Albert sat in the chair and looked at his phone, taking everything for granted. Sawyer was just the general manager of a chain in the area, and he was just a low-level employee of the Pearson Group. In addition, he should be responsible for the accident, and cooking for them was just a small punishment for him.


    If he would not let him cook, he must mean firing him.


    Sawyer cooked quickly. Not long after, four dishes and one soup were prepared. There were meat and vegetarian, color, and fragrance. Indeed, as he said, he was very good at cooking.


    After serving the dishes, he said, "Please enjoy!"


    Then he turned to leave.


    "Eat with us," Sophia said.


    Sawyer stayed, "Me?"


    Sophia smiled, "Of course. You cooked so many delicious dishes, how can you not eat with us? Come on."


    Sawyer took a careful look at Albert and saw that nothing had changed on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he sat down.


    He was hungry. Before, just as he was about to eat, he got a call from Albert and then hurried here. Then he started handling things here. After everything was done, he was so starved.


    For Sawyer, to eat with the successor of the Pearson Group was probably once in his life. This young man rarely showed in public.. Occasionally, he showed on the high-level meetings or showed to deal with problems in the important companies.

 Chapter 218 - 218: They Deserve It

    The magic was, no matter what kind of difficulty the company encountered, as long as the prince appeared, the problem could be solved in a few words.


    Sawyer once took a distant look at Albert as he followed his boss to a meeting at the headquarter. He was not qualified to go to the inner field and could just wait outside. There were so many people at the meeting, and they were all top executives of the major enterprises. Then, he was just an errand-runner.


    At the time, he was wondering how the young man had come to be in charge of the group, and he owned it for Albert''s powerful family. However, after hearing the details of his boss''s meeting, he completely changed his opinion of Albert. This young man was able to create another Pearson Group without his family.


    He had heard from his boss that Albert didn''t want others to know his identity. So when he saw others there, he didn''t expose his identity.


    Albert ate quietly and didn''t talk to Sawyer. As he ate, he picked up the spoon and took a scrambled egg for Sophia.


    There was a plate of celery. Sophia was allergic to celery and never ate it. But Sawyer didn''t know it and made the dish.


    Albert suddenly picked up the plate of celery and put it in front of Sawyer and said, "Eat more."


    Sawyer was stunned, "Oh, thanks!"


    He was so touched that Albert cared about him so much.


    After lunch, Albert left the restaurant with Sophia and Louie without saying more.


    When they arrived at the Tuncel Advertising Agency, the audition just started. It was almost Louie''s turn. He auditioned for the first time and was quite nervous.


    Sophia encouraged him, but still, Louie flushed, and there was sweat on his forehead, he was quite nervous.


    "Take out your phone, play some games," Sophia advised. "It''s a distraction. You may feel better."


    Louie thought it was a good idea. He took out his phone, turned on his microblog, and tried to read the news.


    "Look, boss!" Louie took his phone to Sophia, "You become the Google topic again."


    Sophia was surprised. She took over the phone and saw her name on Google.


    She read the news to know that someone broadcasted it live when she was explaining the difference between pig bone and sheep bone in the restaurant. Her every move was seen by netizens all over the country.


    "Live broadcast?" Sophia froze, "That means many people are watching it now."


    She had never paid attention to live broadcast and just knew that it was a form of entertainment on the Internet. She thought about it and found it amazing that her every move in the restaurant could be watched by netizens.


    Again, her microblog blew up. Although her latest news was tweeted two weeks ago, many netizens poured in and commented on it one after another.


    "COOL! I suddenly found that mastering knowledge is such a cool thing."


    "Well, I can tell the difference between pig bone and sheep bone. Because¡­ I sell mutton. Ha, ha. You do know a lot, girl. But¡­ the sheep belong to bovine animals? I heard that for the first time. How are they classified? At a price?"


    "I have to study hard. I want to be a knowledgeable person. Sophia is my idol."


    "After watching the video, I dare not eat mutton."


    "I''ve heard that a lot of mutton rolls are fake. They are made of synthetic shredded meat."


    ***


    Some comments were about Louie and Albert. They were with her at the time and was photographed. And there was a hot debate about them.


    "Sophia is eating with two handsome boys. Cute! Either of them eating with me, my attention will be drawn away from the food."


    "The young boy is Louie, the most handsome boy in the art exam. Well, who''s the other handsome boy?"


    "Is this the welfare of being an excellent student? I want to be an excellent student, too."


    "Want more information about Mr. Handsome Stranger. Hey, man, I want to have your babies, a lot!"


    ***


    Sophia took a look at Albert, "Someone wants to have your babies¡­ a lot!"


    "I don''t want to," said Albert.


    The official microblog of the Triple Sheep also tweeted as soon as possible to state their positions.


    "We''re really sorry about what happened. It''s our responsibility. We won''t shirk it. We have closed the restaurant and started the investigation, and we will soon give you an explanation. As for the resource of the mutton, all of the sheep are transported directly from the grassland and slaughtered uniformly, and then the mutton is transported to restaurants, all of which are well documented. As for why there is fake mutton in this restaurant and where the real mutton went, we will find everything out and make an announcement for the first time.


    We sincerely apologize to all customers. We guarantee that we will strengthen the monitoring in the future. Incidents like this will never happen again."


    Even so, Triple Sheep suffered a serious credibility crisis because of this incident. Many people commented that they would never eat in Triple Sheep so as not to eat such disgusting food as "urine pork."


    Sophia felt that she should be blamed for this. Had it not been for her, such trifles would not have attracted so much attention and caused Triple Sheep the big crisis.


    It might bring a big loss to Triple Sheep. She didn''t think she did it wrong, but she felt guilty.


    "Wow, Triple Sheep is so unlucky. Maybe the manager stealthily sold the mutton, and then masquerade with the fake one," Sophia said, "Now it''s in a mess. Well, should I help explain?"


    Albert was reading the news and knew what she was talking about. "No need. They deserve it," he said calmly.


    It sounded as if it was not his business.


    Sophia found that her fans were over ten million, and her microblog account was indeed an influential one.


    She didn''t do anything, did she? But why were her fans growing so fast? Was it because people were so ambitious that they followed this "high achiever"?

 Chapter 219 - 219: You’re Famous

    Right then, the secretary came and followed by a staff member to call Louie for the audition. Louie got up and was about to go with him when the secretary walked up to Sophia and said with a smile, "You''re so beautiful, Sophia. You''re right for the role. Would you like to have a try? You may get it."


    Sophia stayed. "Me?" She pointed at herself and asked.


    It was not surprising that the secretary knew her. After all, she had ten million fans. However, there were many professional actresses, and each was quite beautiful. So, she was surprised that the secretary would say that to her. She did not even wear makeup and was much worse than those professionals.


    The secretary smiled, "Of course. I think you have a good temperament. And, you''re famous, even more than many B-list actors."


    Sophia was convinced that he meant what he said. But she refused at once. "No, thank you. I''m just here for Louie. I don''t want to do any commercials."


    The secretary was disappointed and looked at the staff beside him, hoping that he could find a way to change her mind.


    The staff got it. He thought about it and said, "Well, Louie is handsome, and Sophia is beautiful. We happen to need one boy and one girl for this ad. And you two are a good match. If you can shoot together¡­"


    The secretary suddenly reached out before he finished speaking, covered his mouth, and dragged him away.


    The secretary just wanted to kill this stupid staff. What match? Albert loved Sophia. But he dared to say that. Did he want to be fired?


    When he entered the office, he peeked through the door at Albert, who didn''t look good. Without saying anything, Albert glanced at Louie, got up, and left.


    Louie stood there, puzzled by what had just happened. And it took him a while to remember that it was his turn to audition.


    "Come on!" Sophia smiled, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder, "You can do it."


    Louie had forgotten the nervousness after the incident. He said with a smile, "I will get it, sister. Then I''ll treat you to dinner!"


    Then, he walked to the audition room.


    Sophia went back to her seat and waited for him. She didn''t worry about Louie. She didn''t know from what time Louie started to call her sister Kevin, and she got used to it. He was like a little brother in her heart.


    It was nice to have two nice little brothers who could cook.


    Just now, Albert said he was going to the bathroom. So, she was there alone. She took out her phone and checked the microblog.


    There were more comments, and many netizens called for her to make a live interaction.


    "Sophia, I have a question to consult you. I want to talk to you. Please go live. Please!"


    "Yachts are here. Go live, girl! Just a few minutes. I want to see you."


    "A few minutes? That''s not enough. I''m a math major. I left you messages a lot! But you may miss it. I have a lot of questions to ask. I want to watch you live."


    ***


    Sophia was confused.


    Why did they ask her to go live? She didn''t even know how to do it. She had browsed the web but had never visited a live broadcast.


    And Yachts? What was that?


    She got on her microblog and watched a couple of live broadcasts. The anchors were mainly singing or playing games. She didn''t play games. As for singing, she didn''t want to frighten people.


    Albert had not come back after a while. Sophia wondered if he was lost in the bathroom.


    Half an hour later, Louie finished the audition and came out of the office. Sophia stood up and went to him, "How''s it going?"


    Louie said, "I don''t know. They told me to wait for the call. I think I''m doing okay. I should have a chance. Let''s go. Well¡­ Where''s Mr. Pearson?"


    "He went to the bathroom."


    "Oh, how long?"


    "Half an hour."


    Sophia was worried that Albert was lost. She took out her phone and called him. "Where are you, Pearson? Have you found the bathroom?"


    I''m on the first floor. I''ll be right back.


    Sophia was surprised. Why did he go to the bathroom on the first floor? Was there no bathroom on this floor?


    She asked no more, saying, "You don''t need to come up. Louie has finished his audition. We''re about to go downstairs. You can wait for us at the door. We''ll be there in a minute."


    She went downstairs with Louie, walked to the door, and saw Albert waiting for her.


    Unlike before, Albert''s hairstyle had changed, so as his clothes. What was more, he had a bouquet of flowers in his arms.


    What happened in half an hour?


    It was a bouquet of beautiful red roses in full bloom and beautifully wrapped.


    "It''s¡­ for you." Albert handed the flowers to Sophia.


    Sophia took over the flowers in surprise, "For me? Why?"


    Red roses seemed to be for lovers. Did he give it to her? Was it appropriate?


    Louie looked at the scene and was surprised at Albert''s boldness. He always thought Albert was a pussy and doomed to die alone, but he didn''t expect him to do that.


    He was instantly impressed.


    Albert looked Sophia into her eyes, which were as bright and clear as a deep spring as if to plunge him into it. All of a sudden, he couldn''t say what he was going to say. After a while, he said, "Well, the florist has a discount on red roses¡­"


    Bought things on discount? Did he know he was wealthy?


    She was wondering if there was a discount on the red roses. It was strange that Albert sent her flowers. But the roses were really beautiful.


    Louie rolled his eyes in silence. Sure enough, Albert was doomed to die alone.


    Sophia took over the flowers. The fragrance made her feel better. She smiled and said, "Thank you."


    Albert looked at her and felt that her smile was even brighter than the roses in her arms.


    Sophia asked, "Why are you dressed like this? You changed so fast."


    Albert stood still, "Do I look better this way?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah.. Much better."

 Chapter 220 - 220: How Could I Afford To Invite A Star

    With the hair and clothes, Albert looked completely different. He was always dressed in an old-fashioned way before. He was only in his twenties but looked as if he was more than thirty years old.


    The look made him look at least ten years younger. Sophia thought he looked old, but now it seemed that it was just a matter of dressing.


    While they were talking, a teenage girl pointed at Sophia and said to a young man beside her, "Brother, she seems to be¡­ well, a star. I forget her name. She''s so beautiful. I have to get an autograph of her."


    Then she rushed to Sophia and said, "Excuse me. Could you sign it for me?"


    Sophia smiled, "If you want someone to sign for you, you should at least know her name, right?"


    She had heard about every word of her words.


    The girl frowned and tried to think. Suddenly, she patted on her head, "Oh, I know. You''re the high achiever. Yeah, I was wondering why I can''t remember what you did. I watched the Super Quiz. You were amazing. I''ve been here a couple of times, and I''ve met several stars here."


    The Tuncel Advertising Agency often invited stars to shoot advertisements, and it was common for stars to be here.


    The girl took out her paper and pen from her bag and handed them to Sophia. "Please sign it for me. Maybe I can be a high achiever like you," she said with expectation.


    Sophia handed the flowers to Albert. She took over the pen and signed her name on the paper and then gave them back to the girl. "You can be an excellent student if you study hard. It''s no use relying on my signature, sister."


    The girl thanked Sophia cheerfully. "We should go, Aimee," that young man came over and said to her.


    That young man didn''t look good, and he sounded stiff. Seeing that, Aimee asked with concern, "They don''t want to do it, do they?"


    The young man sighed, "Yes. They agreed. But the discount price is five thousand dollars, and it''s just for simple making. But the chief director just gave me a budget of five thousand dollars. I knew he wanted to embarrass me to force me to leave. The money is barely enough for the production, how could I afford to invite a star?"


    Aimee said, "But it''s a public service ad. There should be kind stars willing to do it."


    The man shook his head. "If I have been doing this for a long time, I may accumulate some resources. But I''m new in this industry; I don''t know anyone, I can''t find anyone. Oh, I shouldn''t have offended the chief director. See? I can''t even keep my job now."


    Suddenly, an idea occurred to Aimee. She ran to Sophia and grabbed her hand. "Sister, could you shoot an ad for my brother? There is nothing he can do about it. Well, we''ll pay you. Please!"


    Sophia was shocked. She could understand them, but she was not going to shoot an ad, even if it was a public service ad.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t shoot," said Sophia.


    Everyone had their difficulties, and she couldn''t help everyone. Since the chief director wanted to embarrass the young man, she could help him once, but she couldn''t help him all his life. He had to learn to face his difficulties and solve them himself.


    She could not bear to look at Aimee''s disappointed eyes and turned to go.


    Behind her, Aimee sighed, "How about changing the subject of the advertisement? No one would be interested in caring for the disabled. Well, how about the¡­ telecom fraud prevention? People may be more interested in watching it. Maybe there are stars willing to take it. Then you can complete the task."


    Sophia stopped.


    Disabled¡­


    "No. I don''t want to change it. It''s what I have always wanted to do. You know, mom is disabled. I would like to appeal to more people to care for the disabled and give them some convenience. And, it won''t make a difference even if I change the subject. Without the payment, no celebrity would shoot."


    When Albert noticed that Sophia stopped, he stooped. He did not speak but waited quietly.


    Louie asked curiously, "What''s the matter? Sister?"


    Sophia didn''t answer him but turned around and said to Aimee''s brother, "If possible, I want to take this public service advertisement, but I''m not sure if I''m the one you wanted."


    She was a disabled person in her last life. She was concerned by many people, but also looked down upon by many people. She was more aware of the needs of the disabled.


    If she could influence more people willing to help the disabled, she would love to see it.


    Aimee was stunned for a moment and said, "But¡­ I have no money to pay you. Before, one colleague used the same money to make a public service advertisement, and he invited a celebrity to do it. That''s why the chief director gave me the budget¡­ But this colleague has been doing it for years, and I..."


    He worked in the television industry and knew the market well. He knew all the celebrities on the Internet. Also, he knew Sophia, a network celebrity with millions of fans. She was in full compliance with the "celebrity" condition said by the chief director.


    With Sophia''s fame, she could charge thousands of dollars by forwarding a tweet. The cost of the public service advertisement was only five thousand dollars, not even enough for her to forward a tweet.


    Sophia said, "You don''t need to pay me. If there is nothing wrong, please contact me."


    She picked up the book in Aimee''s hand and wrote down her phone number on a page.


    Then, in the startled gaze of Aimee and her brother, she turned away.


    Louie followed up and asked in confusion, "Sister, why did you take the ad without payment? The Tuncel Advertising Agency just offered to pay you to shoot, and you refused."


    Sophia said, "Because it''s a public service ad."


    Louie said, "Well¡­ Even public service ads should pay the appearance fee. You know, there are lots of public service advertisements. Everyone charges for shooting. There''s no free shooting."


    Suddenly, Albert stuffed the flowers into Louie''s hands, "Take it. Count how many flowers there are."


    Louie stopped talking.

 Chapter 221 - 221: I’m A Man Of Principle

    He had thought Albert would persuade Sophia to give it up. After all, it was unfair to Sophia to shoot for free out of compassion. If she took this one, there might be more people who wanted to take advantage of her and invited her to shoot for free under the banner of public welfare.


    However, Albert said nothing and asked him to¡­ count flowers?!


    What was the meaning of doing that?


    Albert stopped a taxi. They got in the car and went to the airport.


    In the evening, they arrived at Lands City, and Louie carried the bouquet all the way. He suddenly felt that Sophia and Albert, though far from each other, were in some ways strangely connected.


    ***


    As soon as Sophia got home, she received a call from Aimee''s brother. He sounded full of gratitude, "Thank you, Sophia! You don''t know how important your help is to me. By the way, I''m Felix. I work at Haven TV. If you''re available recently, could you come to Haven? I''ll book tickets for you. It won''t take long; two hours will be fine."


    Sophia said, "Yeah. I''m available these days. As for the specific time, I''ll tell you when I''m ready."


    It took a few hours to go back and forth on a flight. So one day was enough for the shooting.


    Felix said, "Good! I''ll have a good preparation."


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah."


    The next day, Louie called and said the Tuncel Advertising Agency had informed him about shooting the ad. It was three days later. Sophia thought it would be good to have him as a companion, and the trip would not be boring. So she called Felix and said she would be there the day after tomorrow.


    She refused Felix''s kindness of booking tickets for her. Life was not easy for a young man who just graduated. Besides, she would go with Louie, so they would book tickets together.


    But soon, she called Felix and postponed the shoot.


    A few hours later, she got a call from an unknown number. An old voice sounded, "Hello, is this Sophia Green? I''m Andrew from the Academy of Sciences."


    Sophia knew him. Andrew was the one in charge of the new energy project. He had a very high status in the chemical industry, a leading figure in the industry.


    "Yes." Sophia said, "I have sent you an article."


    "Yeah. I read it. It''s very good, very thoughtful. I want to invite you to work on the new energy project. Would you like to do it with me?"


    "Yeah, of course," Sophia answered at once.


    "Then, in three days, all the staff of the project will have a meeting at the National Academy of Sciences, please don''t miss it."


    Sophia thought about it and called Felix to ask if he could change the time of the shooting. The meeting time of the new energy institute could not be changed. If there was a time conflict, she could only ask for leave.


    Felix said yes without thinking about it. "Of course. I haven''t arranged it yet. I''m very grateful for your help. You can come any day. As for the time¡­ just tell me when you''re available. By the way, if it''s convenient for you, can you help publicize it on your microblog first?"


    Sophia was guilty of the time change and agreed at once. "All right. I''ll tweet right now."


    Then she called Louie and told him that she couldn''t go with him.


    The new energy project was restarted, and Sophia was excited. She started the project years ago and spent a lot of time on it. She thought she would never see the project succeed, but she didn''t expect to be able to continue her work.


    She took out her phone and was about to tweet when she saw a top message on her microblog. It was new, but there were already thousands of comments.


    "I have to say, Sabrina is ugly." Sophia Green of Colin High School posted it.


    Sophia saw Sabrina, a popular singer on the Internet. And she heard her songs very beautifully. But Sabrina''s look was unique, not pretty.


    But what was wrong with this message? She didn''t post it. And it was a complete provocation.


    The comments blew up. Sabrina''s fans came to scold her. They talked a lot, and most were bestial words.


    For this, Sophia could understand. A message like this posted in her name would certainly irritate Sabrina''s fans.


    Her first thought was that her microblog was hacked. She only logged into the account on her phone. So, it seemed that there might be a malicious Trojan virus on the phone.


    She was good at computing and knew a lot about various programs. Immediately, she connected her phone to the computer and started detecting. After a while, there was no trace of any virus.


    With her ability, no virus couldn''t be detected. Even if she couldn''t clear it, she could at least find it out.


    Another possibility occurred to her: the account was registered by Director Bull, who also had the password. Maybe... the problem was on his side.


    She called Director Bull. When Director Bull answered the phone, he said happily, "Oh, Sophia! You haven''t come to Colin for a long time. How are you doing at Glinton? Can you adapt to college life?"


    "Yeah, very good¡­ No, I mean, have you logged into my microblog account recently? It''s hacked, and there is an inexplicably provocative tweet."


    Director Bull was stunned for a moment. "I seem to have opened the blog page yesterday. The account is automatically logged in. I didn''t post any messages. I would have told you if I had posted messages on your microblog. I am a man of principle."


    "I see. I''d better change the password," said Sophia.


    It seemed that someone hacked into Director Bull''s computer and got the password of her microblog. Trojans were everywhere on the Internet, unable to prevent. Director Bull didn''t know much about these things. It was not surprising that the password was compromised.


    She changed her password, logged in again, deleted the provocative message, and posted a new message to apologize and explain the whole thing. In the message, she told the advertising issue.


    "I''m sorry for the mess. I didn''t expect my account to be hacked. I have great respect for Sabrina and would never say that about her. For the mess, I''m here to apologize to Sabrina. By the way, I am working with Haven TV to make a public service advertisement with the theme of caring for the disabled. I look forward to seeing it soon. Also, I hope that you can care about the disabled around you.. Your work is very important to them. Thank you!"

 Chapter 222 - 222: Use My Phone

    After the message was posted, netizens came to understand everything. They had been wondering why Sophia suddenly provoked Sabrina, which was not like what she would do.


    Sabrina''s fans were unhappy, but most of them expressed their understanding and began to condemn the hacker.


    Sophia didn''t explain much. With her computer skills, anti-hacking was not easy. She didn''t want to study the technology for such a small matter. Her mind was about the new energy project, and she had no mind for anything else.


    Three days later, Sophia got up early in the morning. The appointed time was nine o''clock. It was her first day, and she didn''t want to be late, so she went downstairs early to wait for the bus.


    Just when she got to the bus station, a car stopped in front of her. She knew the car. It was Director Bull. He once gave her a ride, and she remembered the car and the license plate number.


    "Sophia?" Director rolled down the window, "What a coincidence! Do you live here?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah. Where are you going, Director Bull?"


    She didn''t mean to know where he was going, she was just being polite.


    Director said, "I''m going to the National Academy of Sciences to get a copy of the chemistry review materials. Andrew helps to make it. What a warmhearted man! We''ll rely on it for the college entrance examination next year. By the way, where are you going? I can take you if we go the same way."


    "I''m going to the National Academy of Sciences, too."


    Since Director Bull was going there, she would love to hitch a ride. After all, it was cold, and the bus might take a while to come.


    When she got in the car, Director Bull asked, "What are you doing at the academy? It''s almost Christmas. Is there anything?"


    Sophia just told him about the new energy project.


    As soon as she had finished, the car suddenly had a sharp brake and almost threw her out.


    "What?" Director Bull looked exaggerated, "You mean¡­ you''re going to work on a project at the National Academy of Sciences with ¡­ Andrew?"


    "Yeah."


    Director Bull was very excited, "You''re amazing. I''ve heard of the project. Many professors wanted to participate in the program but couldn''t get the chance. I can''t believe you can join it. Sophia, you''re the future of Colin."


    Was it that big? It was just a science project. Sophia didn''t think how great it was when she did it.


    Director Bull restarted the car and drove it very fast as if it was going to fly. Sophia had to warn him that it was dangerous to drive like this. Director Bull laughed. "Yeah, I can''t let the future of Colin be in danger."


    Then he slowed down and drove smoothly to the National Academy of Sciences.


    Sophia got out of the car and entered the National Academy of Sciences. She had been here a few times before and was familiar with several chemical ancestors. After such a long time, her mood was completely different from before.


    It was almost Christmas, and most of the staff went home. The academy was quiet, and Sophia saw no one all the way.


    Director Bull was about to meet Andrew, and he just went to Andrew''s office with Sophia.


    It was eight o''clock, an hour before the meeting. Sophia was worried that Andrew wasn''t here yet, but when she got to his office, she found the door was open. She knocked on the door and heard an old voice, "Come in, please."


    She opened the door and entered with Director Bull.


    She had met Andrew in her last life and recognized him at once. He was sitting behind the desk.


    Andrew was in his sixties, his hair was white, and his face was lined. He had actually retired but didn''t leave because of his love for chemistry.


    "Nice to meet you, sir." Sophia said, "I''m Sophia."


    Andrew got up to meet them. He smiled and looked very kind. "Nice to meet you. I''m Andrew, the head of the project. I love your paper. There''s some time before the meeting. We can talk."


    He looked to Director Bull, "Bull, the materials are printed. Please let me know if there''s any problem."


    He picked up a thick printout from the shelf and handed it to Director Bull.


    Director Bull was very respectful to him, "Thank you, uncle Andrew. My dad asked me to say hello to you."


    Sophia didn''t know the relationship between Director Bull and Andrew. According to Director Bull''s words, his father seemed to be friends with Andrew. That was why Andrew helped him so much.


    Director Bull was about to leave when he remembered something. He pulled Sophia and asked, "Sophia, could you do me a favor?"


    "What is it?" Sophia asked.


    She had studied at Colin. If there was anything she could do, she loved to help.


    Director Bull whispered, "Well, you''re still a student of Colin. Your every move has a great influence on the school. So, why don''t you tweet a message saying that you''re doing research with Andrew? It''s propaganda for our school. It''ll be a piece of exciting news, will it?"


    "Do I have to do that?"


    She wasn''t trying to promote anything. It was just a research job. For her, it was as common as sleeping and eating.


    Director Bull had an expectant look on his face. "Come on! Our school is on you."


    Sophia didn''t bother to tweet a message like this. But since Director Bull said that, she didn''t want to make him disappointed. She looked back and saw that Andrew had taken out her paper and was waiting for her to discuss it. "How about you post it for me?" She said.


    Director Bull smiled, "Yeah. Thank you. But you changed the password, did you? I don''t know it."


    Sophia didn''t want to tell him the password. If some hackers hacked her microblog and posted malicious messages on it again, it would be troublesome.


    She took out her phone, "Use my phone."


    There was an app on her phone, and it logged in automatically when the user opened it.


    Director Bull took over the phone and clicked the camera on the phone, "Another thing¡­ I want to post a picture of you two, can I?"


    Sophia just agreed.. She nodded and said, "Yeah."

 Chapter 223 - 223: That Was Weird

    Director Bull turned to Andrew, "Uncle Andrew, I want to post a picture of you and Sophia, can I?"


    Andrew agreed. Director Bull was pleased. He took a picture of Sophia and Andrew and then went to edit the message.


    Sophia ignored him. She sat down in a chair next to Andrew and discussed the paper with him.


    The two were talking when they heard Director Bull shout, "Sophia, what''s wrong with your microblog account?"


    Sophia stayed for a moment and suddenly realized what was going on. Yesterday, she logged in the account of "Knowing A Person" and posted a picture of Chubby. So, it was still the KAP account.


    She hurried to Director Bull, "You haven''t posted it, have you? This is another account of mine."


    Director Bull looked sad. "I did. There are so many comments."


    She picked up the phone and saw the message.


    "Working with Andrew. A little nervous." Then there was the picture.


    Nervous?! Yeah. She indeed got nervous.


    Sophia took over the phone and saw that there were hundreds of comments. She refreshed the page, and the comments were over one thousand.


    Was it too late for her to delete the message?


    Compared with "Sophia Green of Colin High School," Sophia posted messages more on "Knowing A Person." She didn''t authenticate her identity on the KAP account, so she felt free to talk. And her fans on it were not less than that one.


    Netizens blew up after reading the message.


    "Why do you post the picture of Sophia?"


    "Why does she have Sophia''s picture? Aren''t they enemies?"


    "They don''t seem to have said anything bad about each other. It''s their fans quarreling, and they tried to stop them. So, what does she mean?"


    "Maybe¡­ KAP is Sophia, is she? I can''t believe it!"


    "Mistake tweeting? Does the same person really own the two accounts?"


    ***


    More and more netizens commented. It was too late to delete the message.


    She sighed and withdrew the phone. It seemed that she would not be able to maintain her mysterious KAP identity.


    She just ignored it and continued to talk about her paper with Andrew.


    Knowing that he had caused trouble, Director Bull immediately fled the scene with chemical materials.


    When it was almost nine o ''clock, Sophia went to the conference room for the meeting with Andrew. It was the first meeting of all members of the new energy project, which was very important for the whole project.


    People had been waiting in the conference room, many of them were well-known in domestic chemistry, and they knew each other. Some were original members of the project. They came back to continue their research after hearing that the project would be restarted.


    Sophia knew most of them and had been quite close to some of them in her last life. But with her present identification, she could not say hello to them.


    But she had to say hello to one of them.


    "Hello, Professor Normand," Sophia went up and said.


    Professor Normand was surprised, "Sophia? What are you doing here? Are you here for the project?"


    Sophia nodded," Yeah."


    Professor Normand was stunned for a while and said, "Well, you young people are awesome!"


    He knew Sophia''s ability. Her presence here surprised him, but he felt it made sense after thinking about it.


    Many people noticed Sophia, who looked like a high school student, at best the age of college. While as for the people here, in addition to some who had worked with Professor Green, others were at least of associate professor level. So everyone wondered why Andrew would take such a little girl.


    Sophia knew their doubts but didn''t explain anything. She just sat down on a seat.


    Andrew walked up to the stage, cleared his throat, and said, "Thanks for being here, everyone. I''m very glad to have you on the new energy project. It''s almost Christmas, so I''m very grateful for your precious time. This project was studied by the late Professor Green, whose talent I admire very much. It''s a pity that she has not been able to complete it. To be able to continue the research for her, I''m very honored."


    He was sincere, modest. In chemistry, he was ahead of Sophia, no matter in status or fame. Sophia felt it was her honor to have him take over the project.


    With Andrew''s status, he would not take over someone else''s work if he had not been very interested in it.


    Andrew introduced some of the details of the project and then started to introduce the members.


    There were twenty-seven members of the team. In addition to the nine former members, the others were selected by Andrew after he sent invitations to some famous universities.


    Andrew introduced Professor Normand first, "Professor Normand is from Glinton University, so as Sophia Green, who has the same name as Professor Green. And she was the youngest in our team. Before, in the invitation letter, it said that only one person would be elected from one university so as to give more chances to scholars in other universities.


    But, these two people''s papers were so good that I don''t want to give up either of them. So, here they are."


    As soon as he said this, there was a lot of talk off the stage.


    Professor Normand was an old professor, and many people knew him. He was hired, and no one disagreed. But as for Sophia¡­ She was chosen on her own. That was weird.


    She was so young but of the same value as Professor Normand that Andrew was willing to break his principles.


    Someone recognized Sophia and whispered, "I''ve seen her on the Internet. She seems to be a cyber celebrity."


    Hearing that, someone frowned, "Did Andrew choose her because of her fame on the Internet? Did she bribe him? Scientific research is not hype. What''s the use of fame? I join the project because it can benefit the world. If you compare me to an online celebrity who lives on looks, I''d rather give the project up."


    Sitting next to Sophia was a woman professor in her fifties. Sophia had worked with her in her last life and knew her name was Whitney.. Whitney was a professor at Lake University, and she specially came for the meeting from Plain.

 Chapter 224 - 224: I Don’t Know Anything

    Whitney frowned when she saw Sophia. Obviously, she thought Sophia would join the project for the reputation. If the project succeeded, it would make a stir in the world. This young online celebrity must try to be famous for this, Whitney thought.


    It was just that she didn''t like to argue with people, so she just ignored Sophia.


    Most of the professors here felt that web celebrities lived on their beautiful appearances and had little ability. Sophia was quite beautiful, and they just regarded her as this kind of crowd. Scientific research required dedication, and a pretty face was useless.


    Andrew heard the talk, and he knew that Sophia''s age and seniority made her hard to trust. Before he read the papers, he had someone cover up all the names of the authors to not let the author''s fame affect his judgment.


    When he read Sophia''s thesis, he thought a professor wrote it. Later, when he checked her file, he was shocked. On the file, she was just a high school student. Although she had been admitted to Glinton in advance, she had not registered yet, so she was still a high school student.


    He didn''t want a student, but this paper was so good that he didn''t want to give it up. After thinking twice, he decided to take Sophia.


    So, he could understand people''s doubts.


    Andrew continued to introduce people here. Finally, he said, "You are all leading figures in the chemistry world. And most of you are familiar with each other. But you may not know our youngest member, Sophia. Well, I''ll read a few paragraphs of her paper, then you may know more about her."


    He picked up Sophia''s paper, chose a few paragraphs that had struck him most, and began to read them.


    He read for ten minutes. After that, no one raised any objection to Sophia''s accession.


    Whitney suddenly turned to Sophia and said, "Did you write the paper?"


    Sophia nodded," Yeah."


    Whitney stayed and sighed, "Wow, you young people are amazing. This paper, even I can''t¡­"


    Sophia smiled, "Thank you, Whitney. I''m flattered."


    Andrew had introduced everyone, Sophia just said her name.


    Whitney continued, "Oh, your family is really a blessing. I have a grandson who is about your age. He is still in senior three and his grades are not good. He may fail the college entrance examination next year. If he had a tenth of you, I would be so satisfied!"


    Andrew said a few more things about the project, and the meeting was over. Christmas was coming, so they would not start the project. The official working time was after Christmas.


    Before Sophia left, a few professors came to talk to her and discuss some problems mentioned in her paper. Obviously, there was the suspicion that she had not written the paper herself and wanted to test her.


    Sophia answered them one by one, explaining the content to them in detail. She went into so much detail that even things that were not covered in the paper were extended.


    It was only then that they believed that Sophia was indeed the author of this paper and regarded her as one of them.


    For Sophia, it was easy to convince these professors. Although most of these people were proud, they would love to accept her if she could show her ability.


    What gave her a headache was the message posted by mistake.


    She didn''t delete it. When she got home after the meeting, she browsed her microblog and saw that her name was one of the hot searching words.


    The comments on her blog had reached an unprecedented number. In a few hours, there were tens of thousands of comments.


    She refreshed the comments and found that netizens had basically figured out the whole thing.


    One netizen posted a long message.


    "The truth is clear. Sophia is KAP. At first, KAP appeared for the chess competition. Then it became a pet microblog because of Mitch and Chubby. She never told her identity, but one netizen had met Mitch and recognized her, a cute girl. So, I think she uses this account because she didn''t want to reveal her identity.


    While ''Sophia Green of Colin High School'' was identified when it registered, the first message on it was forwarded by the official microblog of Colin High School. So, this account might be registered by her school. Then she attended all kinds of matches and became popular overnight.


    I guess, KAP was her daily life account and she never wanted to expose herself. But she was like a diamond that a few words only exposed her. When you were arguing the number one online celebrity between KAP and Sophia of Colin, did you think about her mood?"


    Many people forwarded the message, and netizens all felt that it told the truth.


    However¡­


    "I had scolded Sophia Green of Colin High School for KAP. Now I think about it¡­ how stupid I was then!"


    "I should know it. They were both excellent students, clever and cute. What a coincidence!"


    "I followed both of them. Oh, me. I am yours, Sophia!"


    "Oh, my! I once led Sophia''s fans to occupy KAP''s microblog. Well, it''s good. There is no dispute as to who is the number one in the web celebrity lap, and they are the same person anyway."


    Faced with this situation, Sophia felt that instead of making excuses, she should admit it.


    So, she posted a message on Sophia Green of Colin High School.


    "KAP is my account. How did I find that? Amazing!"


    In less than ten minutes, there were over thousands of comments.


    "I am amazing, right? Ha-ha!"


    "Well, Sophia did that on purpose. Everyone could find out what she was doing."


    "I want to say, I don''t know anything. I thought KAP was up to something, trying to provoke something."


    "Sophia, do you have other accounts? Just tell us. Let''s see, are there any other secret accounts that are more like Sophia''s?"


    ***


    Sophia didn''t know what to say. She had no other secret accounts. It was the only one. It seemed that she shouldn''t keep a secret account.


    Within a day, both accounts were rapidly gaining followers. Many fans who only follow one account followed the other after they knew that the same person owned the two accounts.


    By night, KAP had 12 million followers, and Sophia Green of Colin High School had, even more, 15 million.


    As Christmas approached, everyone had a holiday and was idle.


    Kate was shopping these days. There were only two people in the family, and they won''t need many things.. So Kate didn''t buy many things.

 Chapter 225 - 225: Don’t Worry About Me

    Albert was like a deliveryman and sent various kinds of foods to them every day, saying they were from relatives and couldn''t finish them.


    Kate was grateful for his kindness and was thinking about how to return the favor. Then he thought of something.


    She called Albert over. "Pearson, I have some wool at home. How about I knit you a sweater with it? It may not look good, but it must be warmer than those in the supermarket."


    Albert said, "Knitting is very troublesome. You don''t need to do that."


    Kate smiled, "Not at all. Let me take your measurements. The sweater can be finished after Christmas."


    Albert tried refusing but agreed when he saw Kate insist it.


    So a few days before Christmas, Sophia saw Kate knitting. According to the color, it should be a man''s sweater.


    Sophia smiled, "Mum, are you knitting for¡­ Andy?"


    Kate looked up at her and shook her head. "No. It is for Pearson. "


    Sophia was surprised.


    Her mum didn''t even knit for her. Why did she feel that Albert was more like Kate''s kid?


    Kate didn''t knit very fast. According to her progress, it would take more than a month to finish it.


    Andy came a few times but didn''t come up. He just called Kate to meet downstairs and delivered some presents.


    Sophia felt that Andy didn''t come because of her, so she said, "Mum, you can invite Andy home. Don''t worry about me."


    It was not easy for Kate to support the family alone. Sophia hoped she could find a good man.


    Kate was embarrassed, "He didn''t say he was coming up. How could I take the initiative?"


    Sophia wanted to persuade Kate, "Just be together. Don''t wait. Even I got worried."


    But she couldn''t say that. They could just take their time. She could only express her willingness to accept her mother''s remarriage.


    The day before Christmas, Kate put on makeup early in the morning and went out in her new down jacket. Before she left, she told Sophia, "I''m not coming home for lunch today. Get yourself something to eat or go to Pearson."


    During Christmas, takeout workers had holidays, so Sophia couldn''t buy takeout. Thus, she could either go to a restaurant or cook at home. It was not that Sophia didn''t want to learn to cook; she panicked when she saw the fire, so she didn''t want to go near the kitchen. There was no induction cooker at home. Buying one would make Kate suspicious, so she just gave it up.


    She knew Kate was having a date with Andy and would not ruin it. "Don''t worry. I''m fine," she said sensibly.


    Kate was relieved to go out.


    Sophia didn''t go to Albert. She went out to a restaurant for lunch and packed a meal back, which could be her dinner after being heated up in the microwave. It was cold in winter, and food didn''t go bad even if it was not in the fridge.


    It was more than eight o''clock in the evening, and Kate had not come back yet. Sophia was worried and called to ask when she would be back.


    Kate said, "I''m eating now. We''ll watch a movie later. So I may go back later, at about eleven o''clock."


    Hearing that, Sophia stopped asking. She heated the meal but then found that it didn''t taste good, far less delicious than it just made. She ate a little and stopped eating.


    She went into the bathroom and was going to take a shower and then check her phone before going to bed. Recently, she was quite popular on the Internet, and her followers were increasing wildly every day. Her followers were very enthusiastic, and sometimes she interacted with them.


    The water was hot. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. Although it was winter, it was warm in the house. So it was not cold to take a shower at home.


    She had just started taking a shower when she heard the doorbell rang. She guessed it might be Albert, but now that she was the only one in the house, she could not open the door at the moment and had to ignore it.


    After the bath, she walked out of the bathroom with a bath towel.


    As she walked through the living room, she saw Albert sitting on the sofa. She was so frightened that she almost screamed.


    Albert stayed. Seeing that Sophia was wearing only a bath towel with her white shoulders and long legs exposing, he could not help but have a fever on his face.


    "How did you get in?" Sophia remembered that the door was closed. Did Kate give him the key?


    Albert said, "I rang the doorbell, the door opened, and I came in. I wondered why nobody''s here."


    "How was that possible?"


    Her security door opened as soon as the doorbell rang? What kind of security door was that?


    As she spoke, she realized that she was only wearing a bath towel. She hurried back to her room, closed the door and changed into a housecoat, and then came out.


    She still doubted about the door issue and could not help but ask, "My mum gave you the key, did she? It''s all right. You put your key in my house. Right?"


    Albert shook his head, "No. I don''t have the key. I pressed the doorbell and the door opened. I don''t know why."


    Sophia couldn''t figure it out. How could the door open itself?


    She thought about it and said, "How about it¡­ you go out and press the doorbell again?"


    If the door opened when the doorbell rang, it would be unsafe. She should fix it as soon as possible.


    Albert was also puzzled. Thinking it was a good idea, he got up, walked out and closed the door. Later, he rang the doorbell outside.


    Sophia stood there, holding her phone in the video mode to see what would happen. But the door didn''t open. Sure enough, it didn''t open when the doorbell rang.


    She was about to open the door when Chubby ran out of the bedroom and jumped on the stool by the door to change shoes. He jumped up and clawed to the doorknob. His two back paws pressed against the wall, giving strength to his front paws to pull the doorknob. With a clatter, the door opened.


    Sophia was stunned.

 Chapter 226 - 226: He Is An Honest Person

    Chubby was so smart that he could even open the security door.


    One thing mentioned by Kate occurred to her. One day Kate noticed that Mitch and Chubby were not at home and later found them in front of the door when she was going out, but she couldn''t remember when she opened the door and let them out.


    Chubby opened the door himself and went out. According to Kate, he knew he should close the door, did he?


    Albert came in and saw Sophia not standing in the doorway, but standing some distance from it.


    "I told you, the door opened itself." Albert said, "So strange!"


    Sophia asked, "Did you see Chubby when you came in?"


    "Yeah. He''s right at the door¡­ Oh, he''s here now."


    "Well, you may not believe it, but¡­ my dog may not be an ordinary dog."


    She showed the video to Albert, who was stunned after watching it.


    "Chubby is so smart. When did he learn to do that? Could he become a man?"


    Albert came to send some local products. He said they were from a foreign relative. Sophia doubted his words but did not say it.


    "I''m going home for Christmas tomorrow." Albert said, "I won''t be back for a few days. You ¡­ you can call me if there''s anything."


    Sophia smiled, "Yeah, it''s Christmas. Your family must have a lot of relatives, and you will visit them. We have no relatives here, so we''ll be idle."


    Albert looked at her and smiled, "Do you mind visiting relatives during Christmas?"


    "Well, I''ve never done it. So, I don''t know."


    Albert got up and said, "All right. I should go."


    After Albert left, Sophia posted the video on Knowing A Person. Although she was exposed, she was still willing to post messages about Mitch and Chubby on this microblog account.


    "Smart Chubby!" Then there was the video.


    Many of the netizens who watched the video watched Chubby grow up day by day. He was an abandoned puppy, discovered by Mitch on the verge of death, and then taken home by Sophia. Now they found that he became wiser and wiser.


    Their mood was indescribable.


    "I witnessed the growing up of a goblin, did I?"


    "I know Chubby is smart, but a thing like this¡­ AMAZING! I have never seen such a smart dog."


    "He is worthy of being the descendant of the pastoral dog. Although he has the blood of Husky, it won''t affect his clever genes.


    Some people thought that Chubby''s intelligence came from his master''s teachings. His master was a smart person. As her dog, he couldn''t have low intelligence.


    For this, Sophia didn''t know what to say. She didn''t teach Chubby anything. But he had been very smart and sensible. So she thought it was what Mitch taught him. However, grandpa Mitch was not as flexible as Chubby, and he couldn''t do things like opening doors.


    It was amazing that Chubby could open doors, but it was not good to open doors casually. If the visitor was a bad person, he would let the bad guy in.


    While she was thinking, the doorbell rang. Sophia thought it was Kate and wanted to open the door. She turned to look at Chubby, who was lying motionless on the ground and didn''t seem to go to open the door.


    Something occurred to her, she checked from the peephole. Under the light of the corridor, it was not Kate but Andy.


    She opened the door in surprise, "You are¡­ my mom''s colleague. Why didn''t she come up?"


    Andy was flushed and smelled of alcohol. Obviously, he had had a drink. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, Mrs. Green was drunk. She''s in the taxi now. I want to take her up, but¡­ Can you go down there and help her up with me?"


    Sophia paused and understood something. Andy must be afraid to ruin Kate''s reputation if he was going home with Kate so that he came to Sophia.


    She smiled, "You can just call me instead of coming up."


    "I don''t have your phone number."


    "It''s in my mum''s phone."


    "She''s drunk. I can''t check her phone without her admission."


    What an upright person! Sophia thought.


    She followed Andy downstairs and saw a taxi parked in front of the building. Andy opened the door, and Kate was sitting in the car, her cheeks flushed and unconscious.


    "Well¡­" Andy hurried to explain, "I didn''t mean to. She didn''t drink much, just one glass and¡­ she''s like this. I wasn''t trying to get her drunk. I didn''t expect this."


    Sophia recalled that she didn''t remember seeing Kate drinking. It turned out that she couldn''t drink and she got drunk with a drink.


    She got into the car and helped Kate out. "It was the waitress who helped her into the car," Andy explained.


    Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    She helped Kate to get up. While Andy was struggling to help, Sophia had entered the elevator with Kate. She turned back and said, "Goodbye!"


    Andy got into the taxi and left.


    Kate was thin, and Sophia would not even struggle to carry her. She easily helped her upstairs and put her to bed. Seeing that Kate would not wake up for a minute, Sophia helped change her pajamas and let her sleep.


    In the living room, Mitch was playing with Chubby. Watching them, she wondered if Chubby didn''t open the door because she was there or because he knew it was a stranger outside. If it was the latter, did it mean that he could tell who it was by the sound of footsteps?


    The dog was really good.


    ***


    The next day, Kate was not quite sober when she woke up. It took her awhile to remember what had happened the night before. She blamed herself, "I shouldn''t have a white spirit. Why did I do that? Oh, my¡­ Andy must have laughed at me."


    Sophia asked, "Who''s that, Andy? He''s really honest. He was even embarrassed to touch you."


    She talked about Andy''s performance last night. Hearing that, Kate couldn''t help but laugh, "He is an honest person. We''ve known each other for so long.. He''s always been like this."

 Chapter 227 - 227: Why Did She Feel Familiar With It?

    Kate talked about Andy, who was a P.E. teacher in the same school as her. He was thirty-nine years old. His wife died at an early age, leaving him to live with his son. His son was admitted to a foreign university last year and was now studying abroad.


    She was embarrassed to say that she liked Andy and felt that he liked her, too.


    Sophia said, "Then you should just tell him. In this situation, he won''t dare to confess his love to you in two years."


    Kate flushed, "No. I''m a woman. How can a woman confess her love to a man first?"


    Sophia smiled, "Why not? If I love someone and he''s embarrassed to confess his love to me, I''ll take the initiative to do it. Nowadays, many women confess their love to men. Louie, you know, he gets love letters from girls every day, he just doesn''t respond."


    Kate looked at Sophia in surprise and asked, "Really?"


    "Yeah."


    She wanted to help and said, "How about this? You give me Andy''s number. I invite him home to come to have lunch if he''s available."


    Kate flushed, "Is that all right? He''ll be spending Christmas at his own house."


    Sophia smiled, "I''ll ask him for you. He''ll refuse if he''s busy."


    Kate didn''t say anything but put her phone on the table.


    Sophia picked up the phone, looked through the call history, and the first name she saw was Andy. She knew what was going on. She clicked on the number and dialed.


    Andy''s voice sounded, "Hello, Mrs. Green."


    "Andy, this is Sophia," Sophia said, "Are you available today? Do you want to come to lunch today?"


    "Yeah," Andy said without hesitation.


    Sophia heard the joy in his tone.


    Within an hour, Andy arrived with some vegetables and meat from the supermarket.


    Kate smiled, "Sophia was a naughty kid. It''s just cooking. I''m sorry to bother you."


    Sophia said nothing. That was her mum, what could she say?


    Andy said, "No. Sophia is a good kid. She''s much better than my son."


    Kate said, "You can take your son here when he comes back."


    Andy nodded, "All right."


    Then he washed his hands and went to the kitchen with Kate.


    Sophia didn''t want to be the third wheel at this time. She went back to her room to check her phone. As soon as she picked up her phone, it rang. It was from Jasmine.


    Jasmine helped take care of Chubby. It took Sophia some time to realize that the "Chubby" on the Internet must be Albert, and Jasmine should be his sister.


    Jasmine visited her house several times. Once, she admitted it and said that Albert was responsible for all the bad ideas.


    "Happy Christmas, Jasmine," Sophia picked up the phone and said.


    Jasmine smiled, "Happy Christmas, Sophia. Are you available now? How about coming to my house? I''m alone at home and feel bored. Even the servants went home on holiday."


    "Why don''t you go home?"


    "I don''t want to. There are so many people at home. It''s too noisy. And as soon as I get home, my parents always urge me to get married. Oh, I can''t stand it. You know, I just enjoy dating but don''t want to get married. Come to me, baby, or¡­ I''ll go to you. Mrs. Green is really kind, I love her."


    Sophia wouldn''t let her come and be the third wheel at this time. Jasmine was straightforward and could say anything.


    She said, "I''ll go to you. I''m available now."


    She was the third wheel at home at this time, so she might as well go out.


    Jasmine lived not far from her house. She rode for a while and arrived. At a distance, she saw Jasmine standing outside the door, waiting for her.


    Sophia followed her into the living room and saw Albert sitting on the sofa, smiling at her.


    "Didn''t you go home?" Sophia asked in surprise.


    Albert said, "I went home, but¡­ my mom kept asking me when I was going to get married. I got bored and came to my sister. She happened to be urged to get married just like me. Speaking of which, Mrs. Green never urges you."


    Sophia was surprised by his words.


    She was only nineteen, not even at the legal age of marriage. Kate was crazy to urge her to get married. And it seemed that she was urging Kate to get married.


    Jasmine smiled, "Since you''re here, I have some ingredients in the kitchen, how about we prepare lunch?"


    Sophia agreed with this proposal. She wanted to give Kate and Andy more privacy. If possible, she would not go back at noon. Good news might come if they spent more time together.


    Of the three, Albert was the only one who could cook. Sophia and Jasmine knew nothing about cooking and could only do some help.


    "How about inviting Mrs. Green here?" Albert said, "I''ll go to pick her up. You''re out. It''s not good to leave her alone at home."


    Sophia shook her head with a smile, "No. She''s fine."


    Albert was stunned and soon figured it out. "Was that the Andy I met downstairs?"


    As Sophia''s neighbor, he had seen Kate and Andy in a car.


    "Yeah." Sophia nodded.


    Albert hesitated and said, "Well, do you know what kind of person he is? He''s¡­"


    Sophia was stunned for a moment and asked, "What?"


    Albert thought for a while and said, "I don''t know if I should tell you this, but¡­ I know this guy. He''s the eldest son of the Sterling family. Our company is working with their company, the Sterling Group. They were kind of a wealthy family."


    Sophia paused. She didn''t expect that.


    Andy was a teacher, wasn''t he? Why was there a Sterling Group?


    She shouldn''t judge him because of his rich family. But she had to tell Kate about this.


    She prepared the meat and turned to ask Jasmine, "Jasmine, your potatoes¡­"


    Only after looking back did she find that Jasmine had left at some point.


    This scene¡­ Why did she feel familiar with it?


    It was not the first time that Sophia had been alone with Albert, but she suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.


    She looked around but didn''t see Jasmine. "Pearson, where''s Jasmine?" She asked.


    Albert shook her head, "I don''t know. She''s always gone.. Maybe she''s on a date."

 Chapter 228 - 228: She Won’t Come Back

    Sophia knew Jasmine was a romantic person. She changed boyfriends at a ridiculous rate. She had always said that she just enjoyed being in love and didn''t value marriage much.


    Sophia had seen her with her boyfriend a few times before. But each time, she was with a different guy. Sophia had seen a few of them on the Internet. They seemed to be from the entertainment industry. So, this one was probably new.


    Albert went to the place where Jasmine had just cut up the potatoes and picked up the mess she had left behind. He was good at cutting and soon cut the potatoes well.


    The onions were already cut, and he mixed them with the potatoes. Then he added some spices. Well, the stuffing was prepared.


    Sophia said, "My mum loves to make a turkey like this. It''s delicious."


    As Albert stuffing, he said with a smile, "Mrs. Green taught me this. She taught most of my cooking. She was indeed a qualified teacher."


    Sophia agreed with him, "Yeah, that''s right."


    She not only gave lessons to her students but also taught cooking. No one was more responsible than Kate.


    Albert kept moving, and Sophia stared at his hands. What beautiful hands! Not only did he have a good face, but he also had beautiful hands, she thought.


    Albert looked up and saw Sophia staring at his hand. He couldn''t help smiling. "Do you want to learn?" he asked.


    Sophia hurriedly withdrew her eyes and blushed, "I''ll¡­ make cookies."


    She had helped Kate make cookies and knew how to do it. The batter was ready. She chose a pastry tip for the pastry bag, put some batter into the pastry bag, and then squeezed the batter into a form on the baking sheet. Actually, it was indeed not a cute cookie.


    She looked back and saw Albert looking at the cookie, and she couldn''t help but ask, "Isn''t it good?"


    Albert shook his head with a smile, "No. It''s very good."


    Sophia withdrew her eyes and kept doing it. Then, there were more ugly cookies. She felt embarrassed.


    Suddenly, Albert came up to her and said, "Don''t move!"


    Sophia looked back in astonishment and wondered what he was going to do. He approached her slowly, his face almost touched hers, and she could even feel his breath.


    She felt her heart beating very fast, as if it were about to jump out of her body at any time.


    Albert raised his hand. His cool fingertips gently caressed at the tip of her nose. Suddenly, he smiled, "There is some flour on your nose tip."


    Sophia felt that she couldn''t even breathe and hurriedly turned back, "Excuse me."


    She turned and strode out of the kitchen, went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, reached for a handful of cold water, and sprinkled it on her face.


    When the cold water touched her skin, her mind became clear.


    She had known Albert for a long time. Why did she suddenly find him attractive? Was she attracted by his good-looking?


    She shook her head at once. No, she had to calm down. If Albert knew what she was thinking, he would be upset.


    He was so nice to her. How could she covet him?


    She thought it was evil to have such a thought.


    When she got back to the kitchen, Albert had made lots of cookies.


    Albert turned back and saw Sophia. "You don''t have to do it. These are enough for us. Bake them for a while, and we can eat them."


    "Oh, yeah."


    She turned stiffly and walked slowly to the restaurant.


    Oh, god! Why did she think he was so cute? He had been looking like this. What was she thinking about?


    Not long after, the cookies were ready. Albert served them on a plate. "Have a try."


    Not daring to look up at him, Sophia asked, "Well... Won''t Jasmine come back for lunch? Shall I call her?"


    "All right."


    He didn''t know when Jasmine went out. She invited him here, but she went out. He guessed that she meant to create a private space for him and Sophia.


    He thought Jasmine was the best sister. It was worthy of their good relationship.


    Sophia called Jasmine. Jasmine answered the phone, "Well, I''m sorry, Sophia. I got a call from Tony. He said he had a car accident. I went to him in a hurry and forgot to tell you."


    Tony? It sounded like a hairdresser''s name.


    "How is he? Is he all right? Can I help?" Sophia asked.


    Jasmine smiled, "Don''t worry. He got hit by a bike-riding boy. He didn''t even scratch the skin. And he knocked down the kid''s bike. He must have missed me and found an excuse to see me. You can eat with Albert. Don''t wait for me. I''ll make Tony cook for me."


    Sophia hung up and said, "She won''t come back."


    "Oh, I see."


    Of course, she would not come back. She was a good sister. She knew what she should do.


    He smiled, "Then we don''t need to wait for her. Come on, it''s not good when it''s cold."


    Sophia shunned, looking at him and picked up a cookie to eat. She was eating the cookie but couldn''t taste it. What she was thinking was that the cookies were made one by one by his beautiful hands.


    The thought made her want to strangle herself. Since when was she so lustful? No! She shouldn''t think about these things.


    Was it because she''s been single for so long? Speaking of which, her mental age was twenty-nine, and women were sexually active at this age.


    After lunch, Albert picked up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Jasmine''s home was modern. There were all kinds of electrical appliances and they were very convenient.


    Sophia thought she should go home and get away from Albert, so she would not think about it. But Kate and Andy were at home. As a sensible and filial daughter, she didn''t want to disturb them.


    To stop her from thinking, she went to the living room to watch TV. As soon as she turned on the TV, she saw the hero and heroine kissing, very hot. It was the latest idol drama.


    Why did she feel that the hero was not as good as Albert?


    Oh, again!

 Chapter 229 - 229: She Couldnt Be A Monster

    She was about to change the channel when she saw Albert come out in a short sleeve. The white cotton shirt was very close to his body, showing the lines of his abdominal muscles.


    "Why did you change the short sleeves?" Sophia asked.


    Albert walked to her and sat down on the sofa next to her. "It''s so warm here. I felt hotter after lunch, and I was sweating. So, I took a shower and changed my clothes."


    Sitting next to him, Sophia smelt the smell of Jasmine on him. She had been into Jasmine, and her bath lotion was with this scent.


    She had an impulse to get close to him.


    She pinched her thigh hard to stop the thinking. She and Albert had been friends for so many years, and she couldn''t hurt him with her "lust"!


    She couldn''t be a monster.


    "Well, I need to take a nap." Sophia got up. "I''ll go to the guest room."


    Albert looked up at her and smiled, "Yeah. Take a good rest."


    Sophia didn''t look at him. She picked up the phone on the table, turned and fled to the guest room, and closed the door.


    Why didn''t she find that Albert was toxic?


    There were guest rooms in Jasmine''s house, and the domestic worker often cleaned them. Sophia visited this house several times and was familiar with it. She didn''t have to tell her that she wanted to use the guest room with Jasmine''s relationship. Besides, Jasmine might not want to hear such trifles at this point.


    Lying on the bed, she picked up the phone and wanted to read something to distract her attention. Holding the phone, she felt something strange. Why was there a photo of her on the desktop?


    She didn''t remember having this picture on her phone. When was it taken?


    Was her phone hacked? She wondered.


    She also noticed that the icons also changed, unlike the ones she used before. She clicked on the photo album; then, she was stunned.


    The view in the picture looked familiar. It was the tropical botanical garden they visited on the island.


    But there was her in each of these photos, even if it was just a view of her back.


    It suddenly occurred to her that Albert had been shooting with his cell phone the last time they were in the botanical garden.


    Was it his phone?


    She had never paid attention to Albert''s phone. She thought about it. Her phone was from Albert. And his phone seemed to be the same brand.


    She must have picked up the wrong phone out of sheer desperation.


    But why did he take pictures of her and use one as the desktop?


    Was it because she had a place in his heart?


    Sophia remembered that people used to joke on her and Albert. Did Albert really get into her?


    She put away the phone. After all, it was not good to check someone else''s phone. She would not turn it on unless she mistook it as her phone.


    She walked back to the living room to return the phone but didn''t see Albert. She put the phone back where it was and then saw her phone lying in the corner of the table. She took it up and went back to the room.


    Her heart thumped as if she had found something terrible.


    She forced herself to calm down and told herself that she might have overthought, and she and Albert didn''t match.


    If Albert didn''t love her, it would only be her wishful thinking. That would be embarrassing.


    She picked up the phone and read the news on it to distract her attention and calm her mood.


    It was Christmas. The messages on the Internet were about Christmas. Several hot searches were about this, but one message attracted her attention.


    "Merry Christmas, everyone! Twelve episodes are over, and the final will be after Christmas. Fourteen contestants will be in the final. Also, two more players will be voted on by the audience and enter the final. You know, there are a lot of powerful players in this season. Some just had bad luck and met a stronger opponent so that they could not win and enter the final. Who do you feel sorry for? Just vote for him or her. The two with the most votes can enter the final," said the Super Quiz.


    If it hadn''t been for the news, Sophia would have forgotten she was on the show.


    She checked the voting and saw tens of thousands of votes. The one that got the most votes was a name she knew well.


    It was from Charles Smith.


    Many people supported him.


    "I felt pity for Charles. He was better than Molly, the winner. But Sophia was in the audience. She helped Molly with three questions. Otherwise, the winner must be Charles."


    "I voted for Charles. I felt sorry for him. Oh, poor boy. He shouldn''t compete with Sophia''s friend. Well, the most important thing is that¡­ he''s cute. Yeah, you''re right. I''m just such a shallow person."


    "It has to be Charles. I watched that episode and¡­ laughed. Sophia''s invincible! It''s a real blessing to have such a friend."


    There was, of course, a different view.


    "Are you sure to resurrect Charles? He will face Sophia in the final. Sophia kicked his ass as an audience then. Then on the stage¡­ If I were Charles, I wouldn''t want to be resurrected."


    "Yeah. Why bother?"


    "I''m a fan of Sophia. To put it unkindly, Charles is better not come."


    Sophia met Charles at school once before the break but didn''t talk to him. After that, she just forgot about him.


    She thought the comment was right. Why would he bother to resurrect? Did he think it was not enough to be abused?


    Sophia hated Charles because he did terrible things to that Sophia. Now that she would get a chance to abuse him again, she didn''t mind catching it.


    ***


    She rested in the guest room for a while. She was not sleepy but didn''t want to go out. If she met Albert, she would think.


    After a long time on the microblog, she got up and went to the bathroom. She poked her head out. Good, Albert was not there.. Then she slipped into the bathroom like a thief.

 Chapter 230 - 230: I Miss Her

    Just when she was about to come out, a strange woman''s voice sounded.


    "You naughty boy. I knew you''re here. You think you can fool me?" The woman complained, "You silly boy, I just want you to get married, and you just ran out. Can you blame me? You''re twenty-four now, but you don''t even have a girlfriend. What? Do you keep your first love for some girl? Look at Wesley, a year younger than you, had been divorced three times."


    "Is that anything good to show off?"


    "That is better than you being alone. I wonder if you don''t like women. Speaking of which, Jasmine is amazing. She changes her boyfriend every day. Didn''t she guide you?"


    "Go home with me. Your uncle''s daughter happens to come back from abroad for Christmas today. You can go and meet her. I have to go to the bathroom. You stay here and wait for me."


    As she said, she went to the bathroom. She pushed the door, but it didn''t open.


    "Are you inside, Jasmine? All right, I''ll wait for you."


    Albert knew it must be Sophia inside and said at once, "There''s one on the second floor, mum."


    "Don''t bother. I''m not in a hurry. It''s troublesome to go upstairs."


    Sophia didn''t want to come out to meet Albert''s mother, but she didn''t seem to have any other choice. She had to open the door and said, "Hi!"


    The mother was good-looking, and her eyes were like Albert''s. She must have a good life. She was in the forties but looked as if she were in her thirties. She dressed plainly. When she entered the room, she took off her coat, and then there was a white high-collar shirt and black trousers.


    She stayed for a moment, looked back at Albert, and then turned to Sophia. Then a smile came over her slightly angry face. "You''re¡­"


    "I''m Sophia, a friend of Albert."


    "Wow, what a beautiful girl! Well, I¡­ I''m here for Jasmine. Is she here?"


    "No. She''s out."


    The mother turned back and gave Albert a meaningful look, "Well, I should go. What a naughty girl! She doesn''t even stay at home for Christmas. I miss her."


    Then she smiled at Sophia, "I''m leaving. Visit me anytime with Albert. I can make amazing salted eggs."


    Sophia smiled, "Albert had sent us some. Yummy. They''re the best eggs I''ve ever eaten."


    The mother cheered up, "Of course. My family sold salted eggs before I got married. It''s a secret recipe. I''m glad you like them. I''ll make more so that Albert can bring them to you."


    After that, she left and soon disappeared outside the gate.


    "Don''t she go to the bathroom?"


    Albert said nothing.


    They two were alone in the house. Sophia''s heart was pounding again. Being so close to Albert, she could smell the Jasmine on him.


    She knew she had better go away, but she couldn''t move.


    Then she thought of the pictures in Albert''s phone, and she felt even more confused.


    "It''s getting late. How about I send you home? You should have dinner with your family, and I should also go home," Albert interrupted her thinking.


    Families should get together for Christmas. It was a tradition. Most people came home from far away for the reunion.


    "Yeah." Sophia nodded and got out with him.


    When she got into the car, she sat in the back seat but not in the front with Albert. Words like "twenty-four but don''t even have a girlfriend" sounded in her mind.


    She felt confused.


    Albert stopped downstairs. He just drove away without going up. Sophia calmed down a bit when she was alone. She stepped into the elevator and went home.


    She took out the key and opened the door. Nobody was at home. Kate must go out with Andy after lunch. On the table were some foods which should be for the evening.


    When it was getting dark, Kate came back. When she saw Sophia, she smiled and said, "You must be hungry. I''ll cook for you right now."


    "No. I''ll help."


    She went into the kitchen to help Kate with the dishes. "Mom," she said, "I heard from Albert that Andy is from the Sterling, a wealthy family.


    Kate stunned, "No. He''s just an ordinary teacher. He doesn''t look like a rich man. Besides, how did Albert know about this?"


    "Didn''t Albert tell you that his family runs the Pearson Group? He''s rich."


    Kate paused for a while and then said, "The richest Pearson Group?"


    "Yeah."


    Kate said nothing for a while. Sophia asked tentatively, "Mum, will you change your mind about Andy after knowing this?"


    Kate nodded, "Yeah. He''s so rich. Is he reliable? I need to think about it. And¡­ you should also think about it. Albert may not be reliable."


    Sure enough, Kate didn''t trust rich people.


    No¡­ Why did she say Albert was not reliable? Who did she take Albert as?


    For the environment, fireworks were banned a few years ago. This Christmas Eve was as peaceful as usual. It was just that everyone knew that it was special.


    After dinner, Sophia was sleepy and wanted to go to bed. She didn''t stay up late, but Kate insisted on waiting for the new year''s coming and she had to accompany her.


    Finally, it was twelve o ''clock. She gave a big yawn and could finally go to bed. She was very sleepy.


    Suddenly, there was a message tone. Sophia saw the name on it: Albert. Her heart was pounding.


    It was a short blessing message: happy Christmas!


    It was at zero o''clock. Right at the time.


    Reading the message, Sophia smiled.


    The Greens didn''t have many relatives, and they were not quite close. Before Sophia''s accident, there were contacts between Kate and these relatives. But after the accident, not one ever visited Kate and Sophia because they were afraid that Kate might ask them for help.


    Kate had never asked anyone for help, so she lost contact with these relatives. Her parents had passed away. The only one who visited Kate was her brother, Sophia''s uncle. However, he wasn''t in Lands City but another city.. So, it was not convenient for them to visit each other.

 Chapter 231 - 231: Don’t Be Mad

    Kate called her brother to wish him a merry Christmas and then stopped calling anyone else.


    This Christmas, however, many relatives of the Green family took the initiative to call Kate to pay greetings. It surprised Kate.


    After answering the phone, Kate understood everything. They heard that Sophia became famous and was the top contender for a TV show''s two million dollars. On the phone, they praised Sophia and said she was the pride of the Green family.


    Kate replied politely but didn''t talk much with them. They came when Sophia became famous. But where were they when she and Sophia in despair? They called at this time might be for the prize Sophia might get.


    There was no such good thing!


    Sophia didn''t want to pay any attention to these relatives. They were so indifferent to them that she had long ceased to regard them as her relatives. They were only related to her father. Now that her father had passed away, she didn''t have to care about them.


    Sophia and Kate spent Christmas at home. Towards noon, Andy came with a lot of food.


    Kate treated him with a great deal of indifference and didn''t talk much with him. Andy was anxious and wondered if he had done something wrong and upset her.


    "I''ll help you with lunch." Andy said, "I just bought some vegetables."


    Kate took a look at the vegetables he brought, "Oh? Where''s the price tag?"


    "I bought them in the supermarket."


    Kate looked at him and asked, "Oh¡­ Is the supermarket open today? These vegetables are very fresh, aren''t they?"


    Andy''s expression froze, "I¡­ Well, one of my friends planted them."


    "Oh?"


    "I¡­ All right. Actually, I hired people to grow these vegetables."


    Sophia silently walked back to her room. With her in, Andy would be more embarrassed.


    But she didn''t close the door but left a crack so that she could hear the conversation.


    "Don''t be mad. I didn''t mean to hide it from you." Andy explained in a panic, "I didn''t tell you because I was worried that you might think I was unreliable and insincere because of my rich family. If you had known it, you wouldn''t have dated me."


    Kate said coldly, "You''re not reliable. If I had known who you were, I would have ignored you."


    Andy was more anxious, "No, no. I''m reliable. Trust me. I thought I was going to be single for the rest of my life after my wife died until¡­ I met you at school."


    Sophia closed the door and sat in front of the desk.


    She thought Andy was honest but didn''t know if he could explain it clearly.


    A relationship mixed with money didn''t seem to be pure. Kate was almost forty, but she was still very pretty, and there were a lot of men after her. So, it was easy for her to find a good man. But she wanted a pure love rather than just finding a man to live on.


    Sophia took out her phone and saw that the Super Quiz had published the candidates for resurrection. Charles was one of them, and he responded immediately.


    "Thank you for giving me a chance. Thanks for your voting. I''ll try my best in the final."


    The comments under the message were very weird.


    "You resurrected? If I were you, I would say no. Compete with Sophia, are you serious?"


    "Honestly, the resurrection is meaningless. Anyway, we all know who the champion will be."


    "Waiting to see Sophia crush you all!"


    ***


    Sophia checked several accounts and saw that the users were her followers. She had to say, and her fans were arrogant. She was worried that it would cause some bad effects.


    She went on rummaging through the comments. Sure enough, comments were accusing her followers.


    "Sophia''s great. But her fans are stupid and annoying. They just take part in the show. What''s the cynicism? You think he doesn''t have fans?"


    "I can''t stand it. Sophia''s followers go too far!"


    "Stupid fans!"


    ***


    Sophia didn''t know what to do about it. Charles was abominable, but her followers went too far.


    She didn''t know how to deal with the situation. She couldn''t control her followers. Thus, she did not respond for fear that someone would seize on the flaw in her words.


    She read the news for a while and then heard Kate calling her for dinner.


    When she walked out of the room, she saw Kate and Andy busy bringing the food out of the kitchen. The two seemed to have reconciled.


    Sophia went to the kitchen to help serve the food. Then they sat down to eat in the dining room.


    During the meal, Andy looked a little cramped. He kept peeking at Kate, while Kate rolled her eyes as a response. When he noticed that Sophia was looking at him, he smiled awkwardly.


    Sophia kept eating and stopped looking at him. This man might be her stepfather soon, and she should be nice to him, Sophia thought.


    After dinner, Sophia returned to her room without helping to clean up. It was not that she was lazy, but that she wanted to leave the opportunity to Andy.


    After all, cleaning up the house together could also enhance the relationship.


    In the evening, Sophia noticed that her name became a hot search, so as Charles''. She was confused. Yes, her followers sneered at Charles on the microblog, but it would not become a hot search, would it?


    She checked the hot search, and then she got pissed off.


    It all started with a message tweeted by Charles two hours ago.


    "I didn''t want to say it, but¡­ Sophia is my ex. We had been quite good and never broke up. But for some reason, we separated. As a responsible man, I never wanted it. I hope to get a chance to explain everything." And there were pictures attached.


    Those were pictures of him and Sophia. They stood together and seemed very close. In the photo, Sophia was smiling happily and looking at Charles with love in her eyes. Anyone could tell that this was a sweet couple.


    People didn''t need to go to work on Christmas and were idle. Many got online and read the news on the microblog. So this message attracted much attention, and the comments exploded.


    "What a story! Oh, god! It can be an idol drama."

 Chapter 232 - 232: Saw Them Together

    "Is that true? I''ve always wondered what kind of man is worthy of Sophia. Oh, it''s him."


    "As a fan of Sophia. I''m disappointed. I thought Sophia should be with Mr. Pearson."


    "They don''t match."


    "I studied at Colin and saw them together. I said that on my blog, but no one believed me. Now, see? This is the truth."


    ***


    Sophia was mad.


    Before, she felt guilty about her fans attacking Charles, but she even had an impulse to kick his ass after reading the message.


    She pondered how to refute it. Obviously, Charles tried to use her to get popular but succeeded in some way.


    Charles was her ex, which couldn''t be denied. It was the fact, and many people had seen them together.


    She wanted to expose what Charles had done but knew Charles would not admit it and might even stigmatize her. Without proof, there was no point in saying anything.


    After thinking about it for a long time, she finally remained silent.


    There were more and more comments on the Internet. Seeing her name on the hot search, she was very irritable.


    After two hours of this, a reversal occurred.


    This time, the microblog exploded.


    It was because of a message.


    "You don''t deserve it," said Chubby.


    He forwarded Charles'' message and commented on it. It seemed like a fan of Sophia spoke up. However, when netizens checked Chubby''s authentication, they found something big.


    Because his authentication was CEO of the Pearson Group, the young leader of the Pearson Group was the most mysterious man in many people''s minds. So, no one expected that he made an authentication of his micro-blog, and his first tweet was against Charles.


    The authentication of the famous young man should have been found by people soon. But no one noticed that the last day. So¡­ was the authentication made just now?


    What was that?


    Sophia didn''t know what was going on, either.


    Albert appeared to accuse Charles. He must want to defend her. She was at a loss of how to respond when he appeared, and the situation changed.


    Things got¡­ weird. She didn''t know what was going to happen next.


    The message became hot in one hour.


    The comments blew up.


    "Honey, you finally showed up. But what do you mean? Are you going to fight with Charles for Sophia?"


    "Great, Honey! I would like to have kids for you."


    "I just wanted to say you and Sophia are matched and¡­ you''re here. The best scholar and the richest man¡­ What a perfect couple! Oh, I''m gonna cry."


    "What a show! Love you, Pearson! Yeah. The money captives me!"


    "The Chubby¡­ Isn''t he the one who helped to take care of the dogs in KAP''s blog? Is the dog''s name named after him? Oh, god! What did I find?"


    Sophia didn''t expect that she would take a spot on the hot search on Christmas.


    Netizens soon made up a story that Pearson approached Sophia in the name of Chubby to chase her. In their minds, Pearson was indeed a sophisticated man.


    Sophia was moved by Albert, standing out to speak for her. Thinking of the pictures on his phone, she couldn''t calm down.


    He must have cared about her that he found a way to help her in such a short time.


    She thought everything was over until she saw another message posted by Charles.


    "I thought we were not that close because of the distance after Glinton admitted me. But now, it seems that I was wrong. Yes, I''m not as rich as Pearson. But I have a sincere heart for you. Knowing you for so long, I didn''t expect you to become a material girl."


    Seeing that, Sophia wanted to break into Charles'' house and stab him to death.


    What a shameless man! He, a scum man, dared to slander her material girl? Didn''t he know why they broke up?


    Netizens were misled by the message and started to think that Sophia dumped the lovestruck man and threw herself at Pearson because of his great fortune. Then, Charles became a poor man betrayed by his girlfriend, a complete hero of a bitter drama.


    Anyway, no one ever saw Albert. He might be ugly.


    She was upset and wanted to refute it at once. She knew better than anyone what this man was.


    But soon, she found that Albert had tweeted first.


    "A picture can prove she is your girlfriend? How ridiculous! Well, girls, be careful! Never take a picture with a man with evil intentions. Otherwise, you will become his girlfriend. You have to remember it!"


    Sophia couldn''t help laughing after reading the message.


    She was thinking about how to expose Charles, but Albert just denied it. Indeed, a picture couldn''t be hard evidence.


    Netizens made thousands of comments in minutes.


    "Pearson''s right. It''s normal to take pictures with a boy or girl. They might just be close. It''s too much to say they are lovers."


    "You''re right. I''ve taken pictures with several boys in my class. Does that mean I have several boyfriends? Ha-ha... I don''t think I have such a charm."


    "I took a photo with the prettiest girl in my class. Am I her boyfriend? Oh, I''m so happy!"


    "Charles doesn''t have hard evidence. He used a picture to prove that Sophia is his girlfriend. Well, you should be careful, girl! Don''t ever take photos with male fans. Otherwise, you will have lots of boyfriends."


    "I have a picture of my idol. We looked more intimate than them. But he didn''t care about me at all. I''m a stranger to him."


    ***


    Charles got anxious and tweeted to refute.


    "Many of our classmates knew about our relationship. We hung out and ate together. Everyone in Colin knew us. Are any of you my alumni?"


    Some netizens were indeed his alumni. They came out and confirmed it. Everyone knew that Charles and Sophia were in love at the time. Director Bull had talked to her to stop the love but failed.


    "I have studied in Colin, one year earlier than Sophia. Honestly, Charles told the truth. I saw them together."


    "I saw them together. When they studied in Colin, they hung out a lot. I think they were in love. Sophia was very nice to him.. They weren''t in the same class then, and she always went to him after class."

 Chapter 233 - 233: This Woman Was Perfect

    Sophia was surprised that people were standing out.


    But after a few minutes, these comments were gone, and new comments took place.


    "Nonsense! I studied in Colin but never knew that. Sophia was a warm-hearted girl and was kind to everyone."


    "Bullshit! You chased Sophia and she ignored you, and you said she was your girlfriend. Are you kidding me?"


    "I studied at Colin. There was no such thing. Sophia is too good for him. Boys who chased her could form an army. Who does he think he is?"


    ***


    Sophia didn''t get it. What was wrong with these people? These were lies.


    But soon, she realized that it must be the Internet water army hired by Albert. Was he hiring the Internet water army on Christmas? He did move fast.


    Anyway, Albert would not give Charles a chance to refute. Charles wanted his alumni to prove it, while Albert hired the Internet water army to refute them. Even though there were Charles'' alumni, they were at most thousands of people, and less than a tenth of them would speak for him while the Internet water army might be thousands of people. They were professional and could comment all the time. Could the alumni do that?


    Charles could prove it unless he could provide new evidence like some naked photos. But he didn''t have that. The young Sophia was into Charles but didn''t do anything. Besides, Charles just wanted her money and didn''t want an intimate relationship with her. So, they just ate and hung out together and had no further development.


    Charles regretted not taking advantage of Sophia''s obsession with him to take photos of them kissing or something else. She would have agreed then. But at that time, he just took her as a useless little girl and did not like her. So, he never had a desire to kiss her. There were several times she tried to hold his hand, but he shook her off.


    Sophia took the photos on his phone. Charles felt they were useless and deleted them. A few days ago, he happened to see them on the online storage system. They might be useful, he thought. Then he downloaded them.


    He was fretting when his cell phone rang. He took a look at the number. It was from Nina.


    He pressed denial, but soon, the phone rang again. Then he just blocked the number.


    Since the show, he had gained a lot of fans for his talent and looks. The women who came to him were much richer than Nina. The love birds'' drama was no longer necessary for him. Actually, he didn''t like the woman at all. She was not as good looking or as good-tempered as Sophia. Had it not been for her money, he would have ignored her.


    The phone rang again. He looked at it. It was an unknown number. He doubted that Nina changed a number to call him, but he still answered it for fear of missing something important.


    It was a man''s voice, "Is that Charles?"


    Charles stayed, "Who''s that?"


    "You don''t need to know who I am. What you should know is, you''re against the Pearson Group. With your background, do you think you can beat the Pearson Group? You''d better stop and apologize."


    Charles thought of it after Chubby posting messages. But he also considered it a chance to expand his popularity.


    Even though he might offend the Pearson Group, he wanted to seize the opportunity. He was famous enough that everyone would know him in a few days.


    "What I do is reasonable! I''m telling the truth!" Charles said, "There are laws in this world, you know. I know you''re rich, but you can''t break the law. Try, kill me!"


    "Reasonable? You''re a creep! You won''t come to a good end! What a shame!"


    Then, he hung up.


    ***


    "That''s it." Ryan reported to Albert in injured tones on the phone, "I threatened him. But this shameless man didn''t take it, and he talked about laws or something."


    Albert said peacefully, "I see. That''s it. He has no evidence to prove what he said anyway. His words would only be regarded as a joke."


    Ryan said, "I''m so pissed off. He can''t bully Sophia like this. I''m so angry that I want to kick his ass till he can''t stand up."


    Albert couldn''t help but laugh. His assistant seemed to be even angrier than he was.


    "Forget it. Violence doesn''t solve any problem. And he might get something to talk about. Tell all the partners not to hire this person," said Albert.


    Ryan was shocked and realized that his boss was the most poisonous.


    Almost every major company had worked with the Pearson Group. Even if some had not, they didn''t dare to hire Charles. Hiring him was against the Pearson Group. Everyone knew it. In this way, Charles might not find a job in the country after graduation. Was this forcing him to go abroad and not come back?


    Speaking of which, there were many companies abroad working with the Pearson Group.


    Ryan asked, "Shall I ask the Super Quiz to eliminate him? We''re the sponsor. It''s a piece of cake for them to find an excuse to kick out a contestant."


    Albert smiled, "No. In that case, Sophia won''t have fun."


    ***


    Sophia thought, once again, that the show was finally coming to an end. What she did not expect, however, was that the next day an even more startling reversal would occur.


    What a big play! It could be a movie.


    A marketing account posted bed photos of Charles, the scale was amazing. The key part of his body was covered with mosaics, so as the girl''s face, so that only Charles''s face could be seen.


    The message explained everything. "The picture was from the video, which was taken a week ago. You can see a pimple on Charles'' left face. It appeared on his recent twitter selfies. The pimple usually breaks within a few days. So it means that the two pictures were taken close in time. As you can see, the girl in the picture is heavier and shorter than Sophia. To keep her privacy, we won''t tell her name. Anyway, she''s not Sophia. The man said Sophia cheated on him. But on the other hand, he slept with another woman. What a good actor! It''s a pity that he doesn''t major in acting. But at present, is the sex play not examined in the acting major exam?"


    Even though there were mosaics, the scale of the photo still made her shy. And she didn''t want to see the scumbag''s body.


    Although the girl''s face was blocked, Sophia could tell from the figure that it was Nina.


    This woman was perfect.

 Chapter 234 - 234: Who’s The Girl?

    The authorities would soon delete indecent photos involving personal privacy. Since it was Christmas, most staff were on holiday, and only a few on duty were responsible for all the company affairs, so they didn''t act quickly.


    It was not until the evening that the staff deleted the photos and closed the microblog account. However, the picture had had a big impact. It became a hot search on the microblog. A lot of people forwarded the photo. It was impossible to delete each of them.


    At once, Charles tweeted that the photo was processed, and the man in the photo wasn''t him. But netizens weren''t fools. A few netizens who were good at image processing analyzed the picture from various ways and confirmed that it wasn''t processed.


    What a reverse! Netizens were completely shocked.


    "I didn''t expect such a drama. What a play! It''s even more exciting than movies."


    "Who''s the girl? Her figure is fine. But she seems slut."


    "Who posted the picture? The girl? Oh, what a woman!"


    "Ha, ha. Bad guys won''t end well. Charles, you said Sophia was a material girl and betrayed you because of the rich Pearson. Well, why didn''t you say you had slept with other women? You want her to still love you after you did that? Shameless scumbag!"


    "You got the nerve to explain? Oh, god! You''re better than an actor. Good acting! Porn might be more suitable for you. I''m looking forward to seeing you then."


    ***


    Charles became a target and was scolded by netizens. He explained a lot, but there was no turning back. The next day, he couldn''t stand it and deleted all his posts.


    Looking at the name of Nina, who had been blacklisted on his phone, Charles was upset. He had planned to take advantage of Sophia and Pearson to become popular overnight and then hook up with a top-notch rich woman with his looks and eloquence, and then he would not have to work for the rest of his life.


    But everything was ruined by the picture. God knows when she took it. He didn''t notice it when he was in bed.


    If it wasn''t for the money, he didn''t want to sleep with a woman like Nina at all. He didn''t know she had this hobby.


    He trembled with anger and pressed Nina''s phone number.


    Nina answered it as soon as the phone rang. Her voice was full of arrogance, "Well? You figured everything out?"


    Charles swore, "You bitch! You dare to tweet your bed photo on the Internet. Are you crazy? You don''t care about your name, but I do!"


    Nina wasn''t angry at all. She said slowly, "My face is covered. No one knows it''s me. They can only see your face. So, who do you think will be humiliated?"


    "You¡­" Charles pissed off, "Why did you do that? What good is it for you to ruin me?"


    Nina was silent for a while before slowly saying, "Of course, it''s good for me. If you become famous, you will certainly hook up with a richer woman and abandon me. Now you''re a scumbag scolded by people. You can only come back to me. I''m Nina, not a dog you can abandon casually."


    Her tone slowed down and became very gentle. "Come to me, baby. I won''t hate you. I''ll be as nice to you as I used to be. In this world, I am the only one who really loves you."


    Charles felt goosebumps all over his body as he realized how sick the girl he had been living with for over a year was.


    But soon, he thought of another problem, "No. It''s not like an idea you can come up with. With your personality, you might just scold me on the Internet. Besides, no account would take the risk of being blocked for you. So¡­ who guided you?"


    Everyone knew that the account would be closed after spreading indecent photos. As an influential microblog account, its owner could make millions of dollars just by advertising. To spread the photo, the owner would sacrifice the account. Even if Nina''s family was rich, she couldn''t make such an influential account do that.


    Nina''s voice was gentle, "I''d love to tell you, but I don''t know who he is. I just provided the picture. These are not important. You think about it. I''ll wait for your news. Love you!"


    Then, she hung up.


    Charles slammed the phone to the ground in anger.


    ***


    What Charles could think of, Sophia thought of it, too.


    First, an influential microblog account spread the indecent photo of Charles. Then, the Internet water army commented to hype it. All these were premeditated, and Nina didn''t seem to be the one behind them.


    She seemed to be the only one who could benefit from it. But who would do that for her?


    The first person she thought of was Albert.


    But as far as she knew about Albert, it was not like his style of doing things. After all, it was not a glorious thing to spread indecent photos.


    Could it be Ryan? He might do that to please Albert.


    Sophia called Ryan. She didn''t ask him but mentioned it, "Who do you think might have done it?"


    Ryan said, "How could I know? But it seems that someone did help you. When Ada attacked you on the Internet last time, someone took an action before I could do anything. Do you have any other secret admirers?"


    What?


    Ryan laughed, "But what this guy did was amazing. I was upset. As soon as I saw it, I was so happy that I ate two bowls of dumplings. Speaking of which, Charles'' figure was terrible. He must never work out."


    Sophia didn''t know that it was Albert who helped her when Ada slandered her online. She wondered why these messages were somehow deleted, and the bloggers came out to apologize.


    It turned out it was him protecting her. But he never told her about it.


    She thought about it and realized that Albert had been helping her and did a lot for her. But he did everything in silence and never tell.


    What a fool!


    ***


    A few days later, the Super Quiz announced that the final of the tenth season would be recorded on Jan. 10th, and the grand final would be on Jan. 11th. After later editing and processing, the program would be broadcast around Jan. 15th.


    Because of the dispute among Albert, Charles, and the mysterious photo girl, the Super Quiz had attracted a lot of attention.. This recording, of course, also attracted wide attention.

 Chapter 235 - 235: You Are Here So Early

    To netizens'' surprise, Charles was on the list of finalists. He didn''t quit the game after the scandal.


    What a cheeky fellow!


    Charles tweeted again but closed the comment.


    "It''s illegal to spread other people''s privacy. I''ve called the police. I am the victim! I''m not wrong."


    He made no mention of his pretense of being affectionate and accusing Sophia of being mercenary and cheating.


    Netizens couldn''t comment, but they forwarded the message and complained.


    "Shameless scumbag! If you don''t maliciously attack Sophia, we would only scold the one who posted the indecent photo. But you were sleeping with another woman while you are attacking Sophia. That was unforgivable."


    "It''s not right to expose other people''s privacy, but you''re really disgusting."


    "You dare to show up. If I were you, I would never come out again."


    ***


    Sophia wondered why the Super Quiz didn''t kick Charles out. He had been eliminated but revived with the support of netizens. But in this case, there might be no one to support him.


    She thought netizens would protest the program''s decision, but everyone supported it from the comments on the Internet.


    "Good decision! I was afraid you wouldn''t let Charles come that Sophia would lose the chance to abuse him. I really look forward to attending the show. By the way, how can I get a ticket for the recording? I''d rather pay more."


    "Looking forward to seeing Sophia abuse the loser. Just think about it. Oh¡­"


    "He dares to come? Don''t give him any chance, Sophia! Piss him off!"


    "I''d love to go to the scene. How can I get a ticket?"


    ***


    After reading the comment, Sophia had the impulse to abuse Charles.


    She checked her blog, and there were no new messages. After the Charles incident, she had wanted to say something, but Albert had said what she could and couldn''t think of, and she had no idea what to say.


    Then she noticed that the number of her followers had risen so fast.


    It was almost twenty million, almost the number of A-lister''s followers.


    She then checked Albert''s microblog. His followers grew even faster. Within a few days, the number had grown from less than one hundred to more than five million. And it kept rising.


    He just posted a few messages. Was it so easy to gain followers?


    There was another thing. She got Felix''s call. The ad she promised was postponed because of a meeting. When she was available later, the advertising agency''s agenda was full and couldn''t arrange it. Because it was almost Christmas and everyone was about to take a holiday.


    His boss didn''t embarrass him with it. He was also in a hurry to go home for Christmas.


    Felix said, "They will start to work on Jan. 16th. I have made an appointment with them. How about I contact some extras, and we shoot on the 16th?"


    "Extras? What kind of people? Are they disabled?" asked Sophia.


    "Of course not. It''s not easy to find disabled people. They are normal people, pretending to be disabled."


    Sophia, however, thought it was not a good idea. "We often meet disabled people in our lives. Since we promote helping the disabled, we''d better choose disabled people to shoot. Well, I''ll tweet to ask if any disabled people were willing to shoot."


    Felix was surprised, "Really? That will be great! It will work better."


    After hanging up, Sophia tweeted.


    "I''ll shoot a public-service ad in Haven on Jan. 16th. It''s about caring for the disabled. In life, many people neglect the feelings of the disabled. Sometimes, a small gesture from you can go a long way. If you''re disabled or you know disabled people in Haven, could you or him or her help with the promotion? Thank you very much!"


    One hour later, many disabled netizens expressed their wills to shoot the ad.


    "It''s so kind of Sophia to care for the disabled people. As a disabled person, I''m always afraid of the disorderly parking because my wheelchair can hardly get around. When there are steps¡­ Oh, god! That''s the hard part. I''m in Haven, so you can email me, Sophia."


    "My brother is blind. I hope you can call for taking care of the blind in the advertisement. Don''t occupy the blind lane is the basics. I asked my brother and he was willing to shoot the ad. Please email me if there is any necessary."


    "For those of us with physical defects, it was the sight of others that we couldn''t bear the most."


    Sophia counted. There were more than a dozen disabled people who agreed to shoot. And many were willing to do it for free. They just wished that the ad could let more people know how to help and respect people with disabilities.


    She then posted a message.


    "Thank you for your participation. Please email me your details. I will contact you to confirm the final list."


    All-day long, she read the private letters from the netizens and sent some of them to Felix, asking him to choose the right person.


    Felix was excited. "There are so many people. I don''t even know who to choose. Will the people who are not chosen be very sad? Oh, it''s hard. "


    He acted quickly, confirmed the list in a day, and then sent it to Sophia. Sophia called the netizens on the list one by one for final confirmation.


    ***


    Early on Jan. 5th morning, Albert got back to the apartment next to Sophia''s. He also brought a large bag of salted eggs for Kate.


    "My mum heard that Sophia liked them, so she asked me to bring some." Albert went into the kitchen and put the salted eggs in the refrigerator. "My mum said that you couldn''t eat too much. One for a day is fine. Overeating is not good for our health."


    Kate laughed, "Thanks for your mother''s kindness. By the way, can you have lunch with Sophia today? I have to go out."


    Albert smiled. He knew what was going on with Kate but didn''t say it. "Of course. I don''t want to eat alone, either. Don''t worry, Mrs. Green, it''s on me."


    Kate put a little makeup, cleaned up, and left, leaving Albert and Sophia at home. But Albert didn''t seem to go back to his home.


    When Sophia was alone with Albert in the past, even if Albert didn''t say anything, Sophia wouldn''t feel embarrassed. But at this moment, she felt that the atmosphere was a little delicate.


    Sophia tried to find a topic, "Why don''t you stay at home for a few more days? You are here so early. Won''t your mother be unhappy?"

 Chapter 236 - 236: What A Lovely Person

    She had met his mother and thought she was concerned about her son. But Albert had lived here since he bought the house and hardly went home.


    Albert said, "Because my mother always urged me to get married. I was scared. I hope I don''t have to worry about it next year."


    Sophia thought of something, looked back at him and saw that he was looking at her. Albert hastily turned his head to one side and didn''t dare to look at her.


    Albert was like a shy girl, Sophia thought. If he indeed loved her, why didn''t he tell her since they had known each other for so long?


    She couldn''t tell anything and doubted it.


    "Well¡­ I need to clean up my kitchen. I haven''t been home for days. The kitchen needs cleaning."


    What a lovely person! Sophia thought.


    Towards noon, Sophia went to Albert''s house to help. She couldn''t cook, but she could do some help.


    Albert was good at cooking. He handed the vegetables to Sophia for washing, and he was about to make porridge.


    Sophia handed him the vegetables. He picked up the pot and put it on the induction cooker.


    "Why do you use the induction cooker?" Sophia didn''t understand. There was gas in his house. The food cooked with natural gas would be more delicious. And it was more convenient. Generally speaking, people didn''t use the induction cooker for cooking when there was natural gas at home.


    Albert said, "Well, cooking with gas is hotter. It''s quite warm here. I''m afraid of the heat. Besides, the induction cooker is intelligent. It''s more convenient to adjust the heat. When I cook with natural gas, I''m not good at handling the heat."


    "Yeah," Sophia said. Since Albert cooked with the induction cooker, she could stay there and watch him cook. If he used the gas, she would have to leave the kitchen to avoid seeing the fire.


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Sophia put down the vegetables, wiped her hands, and went to the door. Through the cat''s eye, she saw Albert''s mother.


    Sophia was not surprised by her arrival. It was just that she happened to be here. So she felt a little embarrassed.


    She opened the door and said, "Hi!"


    Albert''s mother was excited to see Sophia. "Oh, Sophia. Come in. Come on. I''m so happy to see you."


    Albert stopped and walked out of the kitchen. "Mum!" He shouted when he saw his mother. Then he went back to work.


    Sophia wanted to help, but the mother grabbed her and sat on the sofa with her. "Don''t go. He can do it himself. You know girls'' hands need careful nurturing. Your hands are tender and you have to protect them well. Things like cooking should be done by rough men. In our family, it''s always men who do the cooking. Albert''s father is really good at cooking."


    Rough man? Albert?


    Sophia never associated the two words with Albert. He was a cute man.


    But the family rule was indeed good, she thought.


    Now that the mother said that, she just smiled and gave up going to the kitchen.


    The mother was interested in Sophia and kept asking her questions like the family member in her family, her constellation, or something. She asked more carefully than the census taker.


    It wasn''t long before Albert prepared the meal and served it. He turned to the two women and said, "Meal is ready. Mom, you haven''t eaten, have you? Come on."


    The mother smiled and said, "It''s the first time you cook for me. I have told you, only a man who is good at cooking can please a girl. You don''t have a girlfriend for so many years because you can''t cook. You should learn to cook early."


    Sophia took a sneak peek at Albert. She felt that if she liked Albert, it must not be for his cooking but his good-looking.


    She had a slight contempt for her superficial.


    However, Sophia suddenly realized that Albert was almost a perfect man. He was good-looking, well-cooked, gentle, and was good to her. As for his defects¡­ maybe he was too rich and a little silly. He was probably the so-called stupid rich guy.


    But she was in a very difficult position. According to the age of the body, it would be too early to consider marriage. But according to the psychological age, she was already an older female youth.


    It was hard to find a balance between these two ages.


    Albert''s mother kept talking with Sophia and flattering her while eating. The fancy compliments made Sophia feel that she was the perfect girl in the universe.


    "I watched the show and saw you. You are so smart. I''m your big fan."


    "Your mother must be a beauty since you''re so beautiful, Sophia."


    ***


    After dinner, Sophia rose to help clean up the dishes. There was a dishwasher in the kitchen, so she didn''t have to do the dishes.


    She had seen the dishwasher at Jasmine''s house before and found it convenient. With this machine, there would be no need to do the dishes by hand. So, she considered buying one for her family.


    After tidying up, Sophia talked with Albert''s mother for a while and then left.


    She searched the dishwasher on the Internet. The price was about five to eight hundred dollars, quite high. The delivery stopped during Christmas. So she wondered if it would be on sale some days later. She had nothing to do at home alone and just checked the microblog.


    She saw that the Super Quiz had posted a new message.


    "There will be two rounds in the final. The first round will be a dual meet. The fourteen players will be divided into two groups, seven people a group. The winning group will enter the second round and the losing one will be eliminated. Thanks for the support of the Aphrodite, the finalists can receive an extra gift package, including a stir-fryer, induction cooker, dishwasher, and rice cooker."


    Sophia was confused. Aphrodite sold clothes, did it? But judging by the gifts it offered, people would take it as a kitchen appliance company.


    But those were what she needed, especially the dishwasher. She was about to buy one. Induction cookers and rice cookers were useful for people like her who were afraid of fires. The stir-fry was a lifesaver for those who couldn''t cook.


    These things seemed to be made for her.


    She suddenly remembered that Aphrodite was a company of the Pearson Group. Did Albert do this for her?


    She shook her head.. How could that be possible? How did Albert know she wanted a dishwasher? She just looked at the dishwasher twice in the kitchen.

 Chapter 237 - 237: He Was So Thoughtful

    If Albert planned this and set the kitchenware as prizes, then he had to prepare seven sets.


    It was too much. She didn''t think it was possible.


    Then she thought of the sponsorship money. Did Albert increase the sponsorship for her?


    She quickly denied the idea. It couldn''t be possible. Albert was silly, but he wasn''t a fool.


    Because of the prize, she needn''t pay attention to the dishwasher discount. The race time was close, but she had not prepared for it.


    Then she received a call from Molly. "Boss, did you read the news? It''s a dual meet. I have to be in your group, then I will win. I want the dishwasher, cooker and things like that. But I have been reviewing my lessons. The exam is close. I don''t have time to prepare for the race."


    Sophia said, "But I don''t know how they''re going to group us. I''m not sure I can team up with you."


    Molly was disappointed. "That''s right. Everyone wants to be on your team. Then you''ll lead them to win. So, for the sake of fairness, there may be a special way of grouping instead of free association. I wish I could make it to the grand final, even if I''m the last."


    Sophia couldn''t promise her anything at the time. She would love to be on a team with Molly, but it was not for her to decide.


    A few days later, Kate came back with Andy and announced a big decision: they were going to get married.


    Andy''s son was about to come back, and the marriage preparation would start when he came back.


    Sophia was surprised by the news. She didn''t expect their good news to come so soon. What a surprise!


    Kate explained, "We''re old. We can''t take everything slowly like you, young people. Now that we decided to get married, the sooner the better. You know, we''re getting older and older."


    Sophia didn''t mean to make her explain. She supported her mother''s remarriage anyway. After her father died, her mother raised her alone. Then there was a car accident. Life became so difficult for such a weak woman.


    If Andy had shown up earlier, maybe Kate''s life would have been better.


    Sophia smiled. "Congratulations! Then I should call you dad, right, Andy?"


    Hearing that, Andy cheered up. "Good, good! Good girl! Dad is not a free word. I have prepared a gift for you."


    He took a key out of his pocket. "This is a gift from dad."


    The key¡­ Sophia recognized it as a car key for some brands. It was not a luxury car, but it was not cheap.


    She hesitated. Although it was a gift from her stepfather, she couldn''t accept such a valuable gift.


    Sophia didn''t take it over but said, "I can''t drive. Well, you can drive it."


    Andy said, "I have a car. It''s a gift for you. I can''t drive a car for girls. I know you haven''t got a license, so it''s in your mother''s name for the time being. It would be much easier to go out in a car. Just take it."


    Kate also said, "Yeah. Take it."


    For Andy, sending someone, a car wasn''t a big deal. Before, Kate didn''t agree with Andy about buying a car for Sophia, but Andy insisted it, saying that the first gift for daughter must make her happy, and then their relationship would be more harmonious, Kate finally agreed.


    Andy had wanted to buy a luxury car, but Kate thought it was too much and talked him into buying an ordinary car.


    Sophia had to take over the key. "Thanks, Dad," she said.


    One word for such an expensive gift, Sophia felt that she couldn''t get used to the rich world.


    It looked like she should get a driving license.


    While she was thinking, Andy said, "Sophia, I''ve already signed you up for driving school. It''s not far from home, and it''s easy to get there. You might get a license in forty days."


    "Thank you, dad."


    He was so thoughtful.


    That afternoon, Sophia went to driving school. It started very early. Although it was just after Christmas, there were already some people practicing driving there.


    After she got there, a coach received her and gave her a book, "Keep this book. Read it. Call me when you''re ready for the test."


    Sophia opened the book. It was not thick. There was an examination process and some exercises. She asked, "Are all the exam questions included here?"


    The coach nodded. "Yeah. It''s easy. They''ll test you these things. You can pass it with ninety points. The test is easy."


    Sophia didn''t expect the exam to be so easy. She heard that it was difficult.


    The coach saw her doubts and said, "Testone is easy, but test two is not. When you pass the first test, there will be a coach teaching to drive."


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah. When can I take an exam? Sign me up, please."


    "Three days later. Read the book when you get back. And you can also take a test on the Internet. I''ll call you later, and you have to be here on time."


    Sophia thought about it. She was free three days later.


    She went back with the book and read it. In less than an hour, she remembered it all.


    The next morning, Andy brought a boy to Sophia''s house and introduced him to Sophia, "Sophia, this is Daniel. Daniel, your sister Sophia."


    Daniel was not tall, he looked seventeen or eighteen, and his hair was dyed blonde. He said hello with a smile, "Hello! What a beautiful sister!"


    Sophia also said with a smile, "I''m so glad to see you."


    After the introduction, Sophia chatted with Daniel for a while. After all, he would be her brother, and they should communicate.


    "Are you going back?" Asked Sophia.


    Daniel shook his head. "No. It''s not fun abroad. I had a hard life abroad alone. I don''t understand why my father sends me abroad to suffer. I plan to enter a domestic university."


    Andy heard that and couldn''t help but take a look at him, "Because your grades can''t allow you to enter a domestic university. With your grades, you can never enter a domestic university."


    Daniel wasn''t convinced. "With a high achiever sister, I can enter a university."


    But¡­ Sophia was not a teacher.


    Daniel had lived abroad for many years and was quite outgoing. Sophia thought this boy was easy to get along with.


    "I''ve known you since I was abroad." Daniel said, "You''re very popular. My classmates envy me when they hear that you are my sister."


    Sophia was surprised, "Foreigners know me?"


    Daniel said, "Yeah. You took part in the Olympic Games. Many of my classmates tried to work out the questions you did but failed.. So they admire you very much."

 Chapter 238 - 238: I’ll Be Available

    Since the family got together, they began to talk about the wedding. Sophia and Daniel had no problem with it. Kate and Andy could decide everything.


    Finally, they set a date for the wedding in a month. Andy wanted to have a big wedding, but Kate disagreed, so the wedding would be simple.


    Sophia took a selfie of the four of them and posted it on her Facebook to share the good news.


    Melissa was the first one to comment, "Isn''t the man the boss of the Sterling Group. Oh, you''ll be rich, girl! Your stepfather is super rich!"


    "Even if you are rich, don''t forget us. Oh, what a gentleman!"


    "Just let me know if you need anything. My cousin is a wedding planner. Shall I introduce him to you?"


    ***


    Benjamin sent her a voice message. "Is your mother getting married? I''m going to a wedding. Prepare an invitation for me, sister."


    "Yeah," Sophia replied.


    Daniel was sitting next to Sophia and heard the voice message. "Do we have a brother, sister?" He asked.


    Sophia shook her head. "No. He''s not my brother. He¡­ he just calls me like that. I can''t help with it."


    Daniel suddenly clapped his hands. "Is he after you? You have nothing to do with him, and he calls your sister, he must have other plans. Who''s he? Is he handsome?"


    "Don''t get him wrong. He isn''t after me."


    Was Benjamin after her? What a joke! He called her sister, probably because he couldn''t find his sister and tried to find emotional sustenance. Anyway, she never called him brother.


    She explained something about Benjamin and the contacts between them to Daniel.


    Daniel thought about it. "I heard that Mr. Terry has an adopted son, who was very good and helped with a case early in his high school. One of my classmates worshipped him and said she was going to be a detective."


    Sophia was surprised, "Really?"


    Was he talking about the Benjamin she knew? Benjamin didn''t look very good. Judging from what he did, he was quite unreliable.


    Daniel said, "Well¡­ can I invite my classmate here? She had always wanted to meet junior Terry but had never had the chance."


    "I have to ask him if he wants to meet a fan," Sophia said.


    She sent a message to ask Benjamin.


    "I never meet any fans. It''s too much trouble." Benjamin replied.


    What a direct refusal.


    Sophia had to tell Daniel that.


    "Well," Daniel said, "All right."


    He walked away and dialed a number. "Listen, Benita, and junior Terry will attend my father''s wedding. I know he won''t meet fans, but I''ll try to let you see him."


    Benita''s voice was full of joy. "Really? You''re so good, Daniel! I love you. When? I''ll book a ticket now."


    The next day was the time for the final to be recorded. Andy said to go with Sophia, but she refused to consider that he had to prepare for the wedding.


    "I''ll go with you." Albert came in at some point. "I''ll be available tomorrow."


    Andy gave Albert a meaningful look and smiled. "All right. Then I''ll take Kate to try on the wedding dress. Be safe on the road."


    Sophia looked at Albert. He seemed to be free at any time.


    Sophia had no luggage. She had called Aunt Mcdowell, who was not at home but was away to visit relatives. The show would last for two days. Sophia planned to reserve a hotel and stay for one night.


    Sophia had booked her train ticket online in advance. The train was much faster than the bus. Molly also visited her relatives and was not in Lands City. Sophia''s friends were busy studying, so Sophia didn''t let them come.


    "Can you book a ticket for me?" Molly called Sophia. "I don''t know how to do that. Please help me."


    Sophia stayed for a moment, "You come back tonight?"


    "Yeah. School will start tomorrow and I have to go to school. If I''m lucky, I can enter the second round of the final, but I can''t win the championship." Molly said, "I''m sorry. I can''t be there for you in the grand final."


    It sounded like Sophia was the champion, although she was confident of winning.


    She packed her luggage, went downstairs with Albert, and got into the car driven by Ryan.


    ***


    After Sophia left, Andy asked Kate, "Is he Sophia''s boyfriend? I know him. He''s the son of the Pearson family."


    Kate sighed, "Yeah. That''s what I''m worried about. The Pearson family is wealthy. I''m afraid that they will look down on Sophia if she married Albert. Besides, Pearson is so rich that there must be a lot of women who want to seduce him. I know he''s into Sophia now, but what if years later? I don''t want Sophia to be with him."


    Andy laughed, "Not every rich man is philandering, for example, me! After Daniel''s mother passed away, I haven''t been in love for years. If I hadn''t met you, I might have been single all my life. You should believe that there is fate. Well, I heard that Albert had never been in love. Many girls chased him, but he ignored him. It''s rumored that he doesn''t like women."


    Kate was confused, "Why? With his background, he could have any girl, but he never had a girlfriend. Why is he in love with Sophia?"


    She thought about it and nodded, "Right. Sophia is smart and beautiful. She''s the best girl."


    Andy laughed, "Yeah. She''s your daughter. No girl is better than her."


    Kate was a little worried, "Will, his family, look down upon us? Will his mother bully Sophia?"


    Andy patted on his chest, "How can it be? Sophia is my daughter. Who dares to despise her? Well, you know Sophia. She''s kind enough not to bully others. Is she bullied? Are you kidding me?"


    Kate couldn''t help laughing. She couldn''t imagine Sophia being bullied.


    ***


    Trains were much faster than buses. Sophia and Albert didn''t leave until eight o''clock and were expected to arrive in Plain by ten o''clock.


    Sophia had been able to face Albert normally after a few days'' adjustments. Only occasionally, she couldn''t help but peek at him and sighed at his handsome face.


    What a poisonous flower!

 Chapter 239 - 239: He Was Not Her Boyfriend

    Albert noticed that. He was quite happy but said nothing. Recently, Ryan asked a stylist to make a design for him. The clothes were simple but were tailor-made for him. The stylist said these clothes could enhance his temperament, although he didn''t feel it when he wore them.


    But according to Sophia''s reaction, he knew he did the right thing. Anyway, he would wear this as long as she liked it.


    Well, the stylist should be rewarded, he thought.


    Several people went to Sophia for autographs along the way. As her fame grew, so did her chances of meeting fans outside. She was not used to signing autographs. But when her fans went to her, she would politely sign for them.


    "Is this¡­" A girl saw Albert sitting next to Sophia and widened her eyes, "Sophia''s boyfriend? Mr. Pearson?"


    "No."


    He was not her boyfriend. He never said he loved her.


    When they arrived, Sophia found herself on the hot search again, along with Albert.


    A fan named "Sophia''s Chubby" posted a message. "I''m on the train now. I meet Sophia and a super handsome boy. Is he Mr. Pearson? Oh, god! Is Pearson so handsome? I love him. Here is a picture of him. Don''t blame me, Mr. Pearson. I can''t help but share my excitement at the moment!" Attached the message with a picture.


    Soon, the message was on top of the hot search. It was just an account with hundreds of fans but received over ten thousand comments.


    "Pearson is super handsome. No one in the entertainment industry is more handsome than him. How could he be so handsome?"


    "Ha-ha! Those who suspected that Sophia had dumped the cheating man and been with Pearson for money should be embarrassed. Sophia loved his handsome face."


    "He''s so handsome! He can live on his appearance rather than his family."


    ***


    Sophia had to apologize to Albert, "I''m sorry. Please forgive me for involving you."


    Albert wouldn''t have been photographed if he hadn''t been with her.


    Albert didn''t mind it. "It''s all right. The picture is nice. It''s processed. This person is indeed your fan."


    Was the photo the point?


    Getting off the train, Sophia and Albert walked out of the station and were immediately stunned by the scene in front of them.


    Many fans spontaneously gathered around the railway station gate, and as soon as they saw Sophia and Albert come out, they swarmed up and surrounded them.


    Sophia was not an entertainer. She had never seen anything like this before and didn''t know what to do.


    "Sophia, your boyfriend is so handsome!"


    "Honey! You''re awesome!"


    "Sophia, sign me up!"


    ***


    Albert stepped forward and stopped in front of Sophia. "Thank you for your concern for Sophia," he said. "She just got off the train. And she has a race in the afternoon and needs to take a rest. Thank you."


    The fans were very understanding. They didn''t want Sophia and Albert to leave but still gave way to them.


    Only after they left, the fans began to whisper.


    "Handsome! He''s cuter than he looks in the picture."


    "I''m so jealous of Sophia. I used to envy her intelligence, but now I envy her having a good boyfriend. She''s so lucky!"


    "And he''s a sweet man."


    ***


    To Sophia''s surprise, as soon as she was free from the crowd, she saw a banner in the square "Welcome Sophia to Plain." Under the banner were a dozen men in uniform, standing upright in three orderly rows.


    Was that another group of fans? Why were they so weird? Did they make a banner in such a short time? And they dress in uniform?


    She had a headache and tried to get around but was recognized. The head man, a fat, middle-aged man, came up to her and said with a smile, "You must be Sophia, are you? Welcome to Plain! I didn''t know you were here last time. I''m sorry. We have reserved a hotel for you. Come with me."


    He then looked at Albert and shouted respectfully, "Mr. Pearson!"


    Albert felt troublesome. "You¡­ Is this too much?"


    He explained to Sophia, "This is the director of the Pearson Group in Plain¡­ you are?"


    The fat man seemed flattered, "Oh, you remember me, Mr. Pearson. I''m so moved. Call me, Conrad. When I heard the other day that Sophia was coming here for the show, I asked about the time and wanted to entertain her¡­ But I didn''t expect Mr. Pearson to come. I''m so honored."


    Sophia got it. Conrad did this to please Albert. Albert had tweeted to defend her that netizens speculated that Albert was her boyfriend. As a subordinate of the Pearson Group, Conrad didn''t want to give up the opportunity to please his boss.


    Albert frowned, "Put it all away. Keep low!"


    Conrad waved and asked people to put away the banner. "I''m sorry. I was afraid that Sophia couldn''t see me and miss me. Well, the car is ready, and the hotel has been cleaned up. Please come with me."


    Albert had planned to take Sophia in a taxi to a hotel. Now that Conrad had prepared everything, they could save the trouble. He and Sophia came to the car prepared by Conrad.


    Sophia looked at the car. It was so¡­ luxurious.


    It was a luxury RV with everything in it, including a living room, an upscale sofa, and a thoughtful selection of fruit, tea, and snacks.


    Albert had seen a lot and was used to it. Sophia got into the car and sat casually on the sofa. At once, a waiter came in and poured him tea, then retreated to a corner and waited for orders.


    It was the first time Sophia was in such a car, and there were people to serve, so she felt uncomfortable. It took her awhile to get used to it. She sat down to drink some tea and picked up her phone.


    Not surprisingly, the scene from the train station was posted online again. There were photos and a piece of video.


    In a short time, the photos and video were widely forwarded.


    "He has not only a handsome face but also a good voice. Sophia is so lucky!"


    "I''m a fan of Sophia, but I''m obsessed with Pearson now. How could he be so handsome?"


    "What a pity! I''m not in the plains. Otherwise, I would go to the station. I really want to see Sophia and Pearson."


    "Sophia will record the show, won''t she? I''ll go to the TV station and wait. Maybe I''ll see them. Too bad! I didn''t get a ticket."


    "What a good idea! But you have to restrain yourself from disturbing her and causing her trouble, you know? We love them. We are not crazy.. Sophia''s fans must behave well. Come on!"

 Chapter 240 - 240: Don’t Bother

    It was not far from the train station to the hotel, so they arrived at the hotel soon. Sophia thought Conrad was too exaggerated. A luxury RV wasn''t at this distance, was it?


    After getting out of the car, Conrad helped Sophia with her luggage and took her and Albert to the hotel.


    In front of the hotel, waiters in uniforms stood in two rows, with a red carpet on the floor. As soon as Sophia and Albert came, the waiters and waitresses shouted, "Welcome, Miss Green and Mr. Pearson!"


    Sophia was startled. She turned to look at Albert, who, obviously, was quite used to it. Was there such a fuss every time he stayed in a hotel?


    For her, the arrangement was not good, but it was a little scary. She was not used to it.


    They entered the hotel. Conrad led the way in the front and introduced, "Mr. Pearson, the hotel has been cleaned. Which floor would you prefer? All rooms are available."


    Sophia was stunned. Were all rooms available? Did it mean there were no guests at the hotel this day?


    She then noticed that in the lobby of the hotel, in addition to the waiters, only Albert, Conrad, and she were there.


    The scene was familiar. When she went out with Albert, no matter where she went, the place would be empty as long as Albert was treated. She was confused at the time. Thinking about it now, it should be Albert making a block booking.


    Did he have to be so exaggerated? Was that the way the rich did things?


    Albert said, "The second floor."


    He looked at Sophia with anticipation.


    "Top floor. I want a view."


    The hotel, Oriyen, was a five-star luxury hotel with eighteen floors under the Pearson Group. Everything the guests wanted being served here: catering, accommodation, and entertainment services.


    When Sophia entered the room, a young waitress came and stopped in front of the door.


    She could not help but say, "You don''t have to stand here. Go back to rest!"


    The waitress smiled, "Thanks, Miss. I''m not tired. I''m here. You can call me at any time."


    Sophia shook her head, "Don''t bother. I''ll call the front desk."


    As she finished, the waitress gave a sad look, "Did I do anything wrong? Don''t let me go. I tried so hard to get this position. Please! Just tell me if I did something wrong, I will do better."


    Sophia had no choice but to let the waitress stay there, or she would probably cry.


    She walked into the room. It was a suite with a living room and a bedroom, luxurious and large. It was probably a presidential suite. She had never lived in such a superior room. She had seen it online that it might take thousands of dollars a night.


    With so many rooms in the hotel, closing for one day might lose a lot of money. Sophia didn''t want it. She just came for the show, but the hotel suffered such a big loss because of her.


    She called Albert, "Actually, the hotel can receive other customers. I won''t mind it."


    Albert smiled, "It''s all right. Their business is not good anyway. Even if it were open, there would be no guests."


    It was his hotel. Was it good to talk like that?


    Sophia took a rest for a while. Later, the waitress came to inform her that the meal was ready and asked if she would like to have it in her room or the private dining room.


    The waitress said, "Mr. Pearson cooked himself."


    Sophia realized that Albert went to the kitchen to make lunch while she was resting.


    She smiled, "I''ll eat in the dining room."


    The waitress led Sophia to a private dining room. The room was very large. There was a large table for dozens of people. But there were only three dishes and a bowl of soup on the table.


    Albert sat at the table with two waiters standing upright behind him. He saw Sophia come in and stood up, smiling. "Come on, Sophia. It''s not good when it''s cold."


    Sophia was not used to this kind of "rich people''s life." It was weird to be served everywhere.


    She didn''t dare to drive the waiters away for fearing that they would be scolded or even fired.


    She sat down and ate with Albert.


    The meal was simple, one meat dish, two vegetarian dishes, one bowl of soup, and one bowl of rice, very homely.


    Sophia was pleased with the meal and thought it was even better than the chef''s cooking.


    After lunch, Sophia went to the bathroom. When she was about to come out, she heard two people talking outside.


    "Knowledge changes fate. See? That''s a living example." One girl''s voice sounded, "That girl may soon become Mrs. Pearson, does she? The Pearsons are the richest, and the young man is the only heir. Oh, I envy her so much. Well, what can I do? I''m not a popular smart girl like her."


    Another girl echoed, "Yeah. I''m so jealous of her. She is pretty, but there are girls with better looks and background. The thing is, they are not as smart as her. So, Mr. Pearson loves smart girls, right?"


    "I think she''s quite ordinary, not so smart. Do you think those things about her are hypes?"


    "You know, smart people never tell others how clever they are. So, she must get Mr. Pearson with the deep scheming. Think about it, some so many girls tried so hard to approach Mr. Pearson but couldn''t even see him, but she did it, so she must be deeper than those women."


    Was she scheming?


    However, it reminded her of something. Since she first met Albert after her rebirth, she couldn''t figure out why he was so good to her.


    According to the waitress, many girls tried everything for him but failed. But she was just a schoolgirl then. And she wasn''t the prettiest. Compared with others, she was just better at studying.


    So, what in her attracted him and made him be so good to her?


    The show would start at two o''clock in the afternoon. At about one o''clock, Sophia got a call from the show group. It was Newman. "My people in your fan base heard that they are about to gather at the gate of the TV station to meet you. Could you disguise yourself and come in through the back door to avoid the trouble?"


    Sophia was surprised. What fan base? Why didn''t she know it?


    The program team was indeed awesome.


    She nodded, "All right. I''ll be careful."


    She had seen her fans before and felt that they were very qualified and would take care of her feelings.


    She took a rest and then went to the TV station.


    When Conrad heard about the fan thing, he found a common car to avoid attention.. The driver was a native and was familiar with the way around, and soon drove to the back door of the station.

 Chapter 241 - 241: I’d Rather Quit

    Sophia, wearing a mask and hat, felt that no one would recognize her. It was winter. Her look was normal. There were Albert''s photos online. So, Albert wore a mask and hat for fear of being recognized.


    There was also a crowd at the back door, all looking around. Sophia guessed they were waiting for her. She looked down and hurried to the back door with Albert.


    Suddenly, "Sophia''s there," a girl''s voice sounded.


    Fans rushed in the direction of Sophia and surrounded her and Albert.


    Sophia was stunned. Was she recognized? But her face was covered except her eyes, and she had been lowering her head.


    Oh, her fans were horrible!


    The good thing was that they didn''t ask too much, just taking photos and signing autographs. When it was almost time for the recording, they made way for her to enter the station.


    Sophia felt that her fans were lovely.


    When Sophia and Albert went in, a staff-led Sophia to the dressing room to make up and change, still, her clothes were sponsored by Aphrodite. They were specially designed, very fashionable, and beautiful.


    Sophia was not surprised at anything done by Albert. She was used to the way rich people do things.


    She put on her makeup and went to the lounge to wait, where she saw Molly.


    Molly looked nervous. "Boss, what if I''m not in a group with you? I want to team up with you."


    Several contestants saw Sophia and all rounded up, saying they wanted to team up with her.


    "Sophia, I''m your fan. If we''re free to team up, you have to choose me."


    "Take with me, girl! I don''t want the championship. I can''t get it anyway. To enter the second round will be the peak of my life."


    "I want a dishwasher for my mom."


    ***


    While they were talking, Molly was worried, "I came first. I''m going to team up with Boss. Don''t take it from me."


    All of a sudden, everyone fell silent, looking at the entrance¡ªa man walking in.


    It was Charles.


    Molly had a bad temper. She was angry to see him and said, "You scumbag dare to come? I wouldn''t come if I were you."


    Charles frowned, "I did nothing wrong. Sophia set me up. I have a clear conscience!"


    Sophia ignored him. He was too thick-skinned to be ashamed of anything.


    The assembled contestants retreated and whispered in private.


    "I knew the Christmas drama. He''s indeed a playboy. I wouldn''t be so unlucky to be with him, would I? Oh, gross!"


    "No. I''ll never team up with him. I''d rather quit."


    "Could he team up with Sophia? Oh, god!"


    "Oh, it can''t be! Sophia will never choose him. But¡­ if we can''t team up freely, it''ll be uncertain."


    At this point, the staff came and told the contestants to enter.


    Everyone stood up and walked to the studio.


    Still, Clarence was the host. He said with a smile, "Welcome our contestants. They are the strongest of the season. Today, we''re going to witness their showdown."


    As soon as he said that, the audience shouted, "Sophia! Sophia! Sophia!"


    Sophia stepped out of the backstage and looked into the audience, many of whom were holding up signs with her name on them and were obviously her fans. As soon as she appeared, the audience stood up, and the studio burst into applause.


    Did her fans contract the tickets?


    The contestants didn''t sit but stand in a row, waiting for the grouping. The seats for the contestants were specially designed in red and blue, apparently in preparation for the grouping.


    Clarence said, "The method of grouping is simple. We made fourteen balls, seven red and seven blue. Everybody draws a ball from the box in turn, and the red one belongs to the red team, the blue one belongs to the blue team."


    A girl got on the stage with a box and walked straight to Sophia on the far left, smiling at her to draw one.


    Sophia reached into the box and pulled out a ball. Before she could see it, she heard the contestants saying, "Red."


    Sophia looked down. It was a red ball. It seemed that others were more concerned about the ball color than her.


    Then it was Molly''s turn. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Red. It has to be red. No blue, no blue¡­"


    She took out a ball but was too nervous about opening her eyes.


    However, the contestant next to her had called out, "Red." Then there are five red balls left."


    Twelve contestants hadn''t drawn, and there were only five red balls, which meant they had a low probability of drawing red.


    The third contestant drew a blue ball and gave a face of frustration at once. He sighed and looked back at Molly''s red ball with a jealous look.


    One by one, the contestants continued to draw. People with red balls were all happy, while the blue balls were all sad.


    When it came to the penultimate contestant, all eyes were on him.


    There were only two balls left, one red and one blue, and the last contestant was Charles.


    If the penultimate contestant drew the blue, Charles would be in the red team with Sophia, if he got a red, Charles wouldn''t.


    If Charles and Sophia were in a team, it would be such a mess. At least the red team contestants didn''t want him to be with them. What a mood breaker! On the other hand, the blue team contestants were quite calm and didn''t care who would join them.


    The contestant sweated slightly over his head. He took a deep breath, reached into the box, and pulled his hand out after a while.


    It was quiet. All eyes were on his hands.


    The contestant suddenly shouted, "Red!"


    He was as happy as if he had won the lottery.


    Naturally, the ball left for Charles was blue.


    After the grouping, the two teams were seated, but their expressions were completely different.


    The Red laughed happily, chatted relaxingly, and looked quite confident as if they had won. While the blue seemed depressed, and no one talked. They just sat in silence.


    Suddenly, one blue team contestant raised her hand, "Well, can I abstain?"


    Clarence was surprised.. He walked to the contestant and asked, "Are you sure? You tried so hard to get into the final."

 Chapter 242 - 242: It’s Not Difficult

    She was the one who said that she would rather abstain if she was in a group with Charles. She glanced at Sophia, and then at Charles not far away. With a slight frown, she said, "I¡­ I have a pain in my stomach. I can''t do this anymore. I need to have a rest."


    "Wait a minute; I have to ask the director about it," said Clarence.


    He went backstage, and the recording paused. Soon, he came out and said, "We have no right to restrict your freedom. Well, you can take a break backstage."


    The girl was relieved, walked out of the stage, and went straight backstage.


    The audience whispered.


    "She must have chickened out when she saw Sophia."


    "Nonsense. Who wouldn''t chicken out in the face of Sophia? Do you dare to challenge her? It''s a waste of Time to play against her. You can''t win anyway, so you might as well have a rest. If I''m one of them, I''ll just cheer her on. I don''t care if I''m with her or not."


    "Yeah, right. The contestants in the red team are so lucky that they are doomed to win with Sophia with them."


    ***


    At this point, Charles raised his hand and said, "This is not fair! There are seven of them, but only six of us. Six to seven... How unfair!"


    Clarence thought about it and said, "Yeah¡­ Do the other contestants have any ideas?"


    He walked to a blue contestant and asked him. The contestant said with a wooden face, "It has nothing to do with the number of people. I don''t mind."


    Another contestant whispered, "He spoke as if we could win with ten more people. Oh, what a trouble maker! I envy the girl who abstained first. I should have abstained first."


    Had it not been for the suspicion of the following suit, he would have gone.


    Molly suddenly raised her hand, "If he thinks it''s unfair, I won''t talk or answer any questions. You can think there are six of us. But, if we win, I have to get the prize."


    Clarence smiled, "Well¡­ I can''t make the decision. Give me a moment. I have to talk to the crew."


    Clarence was also upset by the number of accidents. He went backstage again and came out to announce, "We''ve made the decision. Molly is allowed to withdraw from the competition, but she''s still part of the red team. If the red team wins, she can enjoy the same treatment as her teammates, get the prize and advance to the second round."


    Molly left the stage with a smile. When she passed the contestant next to her, she heard his voice, "Smart girl! You leave because you know we will win. Well, we have to stay on the stage. But there''s no difference between onstage and offstage."


    Molly raised her chin, "Right. With the Boss here, everyone knew the result of the game. Okay. I''ll go to the auditorium and cheer you on."


    The seven-on-seven game became six-on-six, but it didn''t affect the enthusiasm of the audience.


    "Molly is funny¡­ I think the other five contestants can also quit. Sophia can do it alone."


    "Ha, ha¡­ They can give the championship to Sophia."


    "Sophia is the bug of the game. Maybe no show will invite her. With her there, the whole show couldn''t go on. Suspense is the key part of the quiz show. Advertisements often preceded the announcement of the answer to increasing the suspense¡­ But there is no suspense in the show."


    "Sophia is a bug with strength. Why wouldn''t they let her on?"


    "Not only would they not let her on the show, but they also would not even let her be a spectator. It''s not fair to her, but it''s fair to other contestants."


    "Sophia doesn''t even care about it. She''s not short of the prize. Besides, she has Mr. Pearson. Speaking of which, was it Mr. Pearson, who raised the prize money? Oh, god! What the hell did I find out?"


    Sophia''s fans were horrible, Albert thought.


    Then, Clarence announced that the game was officially on.


    There were three rounds of the dual meet: required questions, answering in turns, and quick responses. The team with a higher score won.


    When the game officially began, Clarence announced the rules for the required questions, "In this part, each team is randomly assigned a question. Any contestant on the team can answer it. The right answer will earn the team one point. The wrong answer won''t make the team lose any point, but it will lose the right to answer it, and the other team will get it. Still, the point rule is the same. If neither team can give the correct answer, the question will be invalid."


    As soon as the host finished speaking, a contestant next to Sophia got close to Sophia and whispered, "With you, how could there be invalid questions? Come on, Sophia! We''re counting on you."


    Wasn''t it six to six?


    After the rule was announced, they began to answer questions.


    "Red team, listen. This is a literature question. Through which three characters did Les Miserables vividly reproduce a hell on earth?"


    As he spoke, all the reds looked to Sophia.


    Everyone expected the scene.


    Sophia said, "Jean Valjean, Fantine, and Cosette."


    She learned it and remembered it well.


    Clarence announced, "Correct answer! One point for the red team! Let''s move on. The question for the blue team is still a literature question. In which three places does the story of Red and Black mainly take place?"


    The contestants in the blue team seemed confused, as if they didn''t hear what he said.


    Clarence frowned. He wanted to answer the question but didn''t know the answer. He could not help asking, "This one is more difficult than theirs, right? I know the answer to the last question, but who knows this one?"


    As he finished, all eyes were on Sophia.


    Was she the only one that everyone cared about? She was just one of them.


    "Time''s up. The blue team couldn''t give an answer. So it''s your turn, Red. Is there anyone who can answer this question?" said Clarence.


    Sophia was not surprised to find that everyone was staring at her.


    She had to say, "Villiers, Bezanne Seminary, and Marquis de L''amour."


    "Correct answer! One point for red," said Clarence.


    The red team was two points ahead of the blue at the start, but nobody was surprised.


    "It''s just a literary idiom. Charles blamed the difficulty of the question for his inability to answer it. But why didn''t the other players answer it? Someone should know the answer. It''s not difficult."


    "Can''t you see? They''ve given up trying. They can''t win anyway. Only the scumbag is still trying to win. But with his strength, that''s impossible."


    "The blue is clever. They know they can''t beat Sophia and just give up."


    Most of the audience were Sophia''s fans, who always called Charles "scumbag."

 Chapter 243 - 243: Incredible Sophia

    A few minutes into the game, the scene on the stage became strange. Sophia and Charles were the only two people answering questions, while others were watching. The seven-on-seven game became six-on-six, and then it was one-on-one.


    The contestants on the stage seemed to take themselves as spectators, and they just sat closer to Sophia and Charles.


    Sophia felt guilty that she scared the blue team out of answering questions. It was her fault. She shouldn''t be such a bully.


    But why couldn''t she tell any dissatisfaction from the eyes the blue team members looked at her? Especially after she answered three questions in a row, the members of the blue team were full of worship. What?


    "Red. The next team is¡­ why do hard-boiled eggs peel easily?" Clarence said.


    Charles looked excited. He found out that Sophia was bad at physics. Maybe¡­


    However¡­


    Sophia said, "Both the shell and the egg white contract when they get cold, but they don''t contract to the same degree, so they separate easily."


    Charles was surprised.


    Who said that she was bad at physics?


    After twelve required questions, the red team got eight points and the blue four. Then there was a ten-minute break. Sophia returned to the lounge and was immediately surrounded by the Reds and the Blues.


    A girl of the blue team laughed, "You''re amazing, Sophia. But you can''t bully us like this."


    "So?" Asked Sophia.


    "Take a picture with me and follow me on the microblog. You must not refuse this request."


    "All right."


    Upon hearing this, other members of the blue team also required to take photos with Sophia. It was a great honor to have such a famous fan. Anyway, they felt that losing to the high achiever was normal, and there was no shame in talking about it.


    Sophia took out her cell phone. They followed each other''s microblogs and took photos. Then the red team members also required to take photos with Sophia.


    One girl from the blue team said, "You have Sophia, you can win anyway. You take photos with Sophia and following microblogs with each other were unfair to us."


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah. I won''t do that with the red team players."


    The red team players said they wanted to join the blue team. They could only get a few prizes on the red team, which couldn''t be compared with the blue team''s benefits.


    Apart from the photos, the attention of a big blogger like Sophia was worth more than the value of the prizes. Many people were willing to spend money to get major blogger''s attention to improve their fame.


    Charles sat silent and gave Sophia a hateful look. He couldn''t understand why the people from the blue team were so close to Sophia.


    They must have wanted her fame. A bunch of sycophants!


    Ten minutes later, the game continued. Clarence explained the rules, "Each team can get a question. There are many pictures. The team can score a point when one player tells the content of the picture. Members of each team take turns to answer. Those who can''t answer will be disqualified until all the players are disqualified or the time is up."


    The blue team answered the question first. The question appeared on the screen: please name the people in the following pictures in turn!


    Contestant number one was looking down on her phone, enjoying the photo she had just taken with Sophia. Hearing Clarence''s words, she looked up and said, "I don''t know," and was disqualified.


    Contestant number two moved closer to contestant number one. "I think mine looks better than yours!"


    "What? Mine is better than yours."


    He just ignored the question and compared his photo with Contestant number one''s.


    Contestant number three said, "I don''t know. Who''s this man?"


    Contestant number four was Charles. He looked at the picture carefully. Though he tried hard to identify the person in the picture, he could not recognize it. It looked familiar and was probably a picture of an emperor in a high school history book. But it was drawn with lines. The emperors looked the same. Besides, he was a science student and stopped learning history from sophomore, so he couldn''t remember anything.


    He could only have a try, "Napoleon."


    "Wrong! Next one," said Clarence.


    "I don''t know," said contestant number five.


    Contestant number six was tweeting to show off his big follower and didn''t care about the game anymore.


    Finally, the blue team lost the qualification to answer questions. Except for Charles, everyone else was smiling and wasn''t sad about losing their qualifications.


    Clarence was upset. Wasn''t the show supposed to be intense? That was what quiz shows were about, right? How come this show wasn''t like that?


    Couldn''t the contestants be serious? Why did he feel like it was a solo show for Sophia?


    As a dedicated host, he insisted on finishing the show, even though there was no suspense of the show, and he didn''t even bother to watch it.


    "Red team, please listen. Please name the bridges on the screen in turn."


    As soon as the question came out, the audience couldn''t help complaining. It was so difficult, who knew so many Bridges except those who majored in architecture?


    Contestant number one in the red team was Sophia. She looked at the picture and answered, "It''s the West Boston bridge."


    "Right answer!" Clarence said.


    The fans got excited. They didn''t expect her to know it. Was there anything else their idol didn''t know?


    Another picture appeared on the screen. Contestant, number two smiled, "I don''t know."


    "Is it the Golden Gate Bridge? That''s what I can think of. Forget about it if I''m wrong," said contestant number three.


    "No. Next one."


    "Bridge, bridge¡­" mumbled contestant number four.


    Contestant number five said nothing.


    "London Bridge," said contestant number six.


    "Wrong!" Clarence said.


    In less than a minute, the other five contestants were disqualified. It was not that they didn''t want to answer; it was that they didn''t know the bridges.


    So, Sophia was the only one on the red team.


    She watched the screen and said, "It''s Verrazano Narrows Bridge."


    "Correct. Next one."


    Since the other contestants were disqualified, all the questions could only be answered by Sophia alone.


    She answered quickly.


    "Erasmus Bridge."


    "Correct. Next one."


    "Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link."


    "Correct. Next one."


    "Oresund Bridge."


    ***


    In five minutes, twenty questions flash by, and Sophia answers them without a pause.


    Her fans got crazy.


    "Why do I think these bridges look alike? Is there a difference?"


    "Incredible, Sophia!"


    "Ha, ha. I''m afraid the show won''t air. What''s the suspense of the show? And, in this case, is the second round necessary?"


    "I''m sure no intelligence show will invite Sophia anymore. It''s terrible.. The editors might get crazy."

 Chapter 244 - 244: The Rules Was Simple

    After the round, the red team''s score had taken an absolute advantage. The quick response was not necessary.


    Charles sat in his seat with his head down. He knew the result but couldn''t reconcile himself. Sophia used to be a silly girl he played around with, but then...


    Could his betrayal have changed her? If he had known this, he would not have betrayed her but stayed with her. Then he would have been famous and rich.


    But at present, his reputation had been ruined, and he had been called scum by netizens. He didn''t even dare to let people comment on his messages. As for the prize, it was just a delusion to him. He couldn''t also enter the second round. What was the point of his appearance on the show?


    Especially there was a lunatic Nina he couldn''t get rid of. Now he was afraid to see her¡­


    He felt that his future was bleak.


    The quick responses started. The rule was simple. The one who pressed the buzzer first would get the qualification to answer the question. The right answer meant scoring one point, and the wrong answer meant losing one point.


    Clarence said, "The first question. Two father and son went to buy hats, but why did they buy three?"


    Sophia thought about it. It seemed to be a brain teaser. Before she could press the buzzer, the blue team had pressed it, and Charles got the question.


    "Because they are three generations, grandfather, father and son, just two father and son," Charles was proud.


    "Correct. One point!" Clarence said.


    He continued to read the question. "What''s the surname of Napoleon''s mother?"


    Sophia stayed. She knew a lot but didn''t know such partial knowledge. Who knew the name of Napoleon''s mother?


    The buzzer sounded, and again Charles got the question.


    He was quite proud, "Ho."


    Clarence said, "The answer is¡­ wrong! The right answer is Zhang. It''s a not well-known historical question, very difficult. So, it''s okay if you get it wrong. Well, the blue team will lose one point."


    He wanted to swear. Wasn''t it a brain teaser? How was it a historical question? Was he tricked? If he had known it was a serious question, he would not have answered it. How could he know it?


    Charles didn''t dare to answer the next two questions. While he was thinking, Sophia rang the buzzer and answered the question, giving him no chance at all.


    "Correct! Now, it''s the last question of the whole game. Please listen," Clarence said.


    The score gap between the two teams was so big that Charles couldn''t catch up even if he got the last question right. Charles was holding out for now, not trying to get the score back, just trying to save some face.


    Clarence said, "There was a door that wasn''t broken, but why couldn''t it be pulled open anyway?"


    Seeing the question, Charles was stunned. Was it a brain teaser or a physics question? If he got it wrong, he would be embarrassed again.


    Sophia paused, not pressing the buzzer. The scene of the fire half a year ago appeared in her mind. The door she knew so well couldn''t be pulled open at all.


    Why¡­ why couldn''t it be pulled open? She still couldn''t figure it out.


    Suddenly, the buzzer rang. It was one of Sophia''s teammates who got the question. She looked surprised, "This question is so simple, why didn''t anyone answer it? It can''t be pulled open¡­ because you need to push it. Isn''t it easy?"


    "Correct! One point for the red team!" Clarence said, "So, that''s all for the first round. Congratulations, red team! All members of the red team go straight to the second round of the finale!"


    "Excuse me, I¡­" The girl who just answered the question said, "I quit."


    As soon as she finished, the other four contestants on the stage also said, "I quit."


    Molly, who was watching under the stage, stepped on stage and said to Clarence, "I also quit. That''s right. I have to admit that I don''t dare to challenge Sophia. But I don''t think it''s a shame, right?"


    Clarence didn''t know what to say. Could the game go on? He wanted to cry.


    Clarence didn''t know if he should be glad that the game was over like this, without a worse second round.


    As for the broadcast of the show, he didn''t care and could only leave it to the editor. Anyway, he tried his best. As a member of the program, he wouldn''t suffer alone.


    Sophia, who had been sitting on the stage in a daze, received a trophy with a mechanical "thank you."


    She had been thinking about the door of the lab.


    In the fire, the door trapped her like a cage. She had been wondering why she couldn''t pull it off, but the firemen who came to the fire later said that it could be opened, and there was no hindrance.


    It was a common two-way door lock. If it wasn''t locked from the inside, the door could be opened from both the inside and outside. If it was locked, the door could only be opened from the inside.


    If she was right, there must be some mechanism in the lock. Someone must have tampered with the lock. To achieve the effect, the mechanism must be specially made.


    Once the mechanism was started, the door would be locked. It could only be pushed open from the outside but not be opened from the inside. To leave no evidence, after the mechanism started once some parts of the mechanism would be changed and the lock would be back to normal, no trace would be found.


    Although the mechanism was complicated, it could be made. But to make such a mechanism, it must cost a lot of time and energy. Obviously, the murderer was well-planned to kill her.


    She remembered very well that the lock was broken a few days before the accident. She wasn''t good at the mechanical stuff, so she asked Professor Thompson for help. Later, Professor Thompson said the lock had been used for too long and changed a new one.


    He was the only one who could do something on the lock because he was an authority on physics and had a deep study of the mechanics. It was not easy for him to make such a complex thing, but it was possible.


    But Sophia couldn''t believe it. Professor Thompson was the dean of the physics department, a good-tempered, good-natured man.. She had nothing against him. Why did he bother to hurt her?

 Chapter 245 - 245: It’s Not Logical

    Was he under orders? Then who could it be?


    But it was just Sophia''s conjecture. What the facts were, and whether the lock existed, she needed to prove them with facts.


    However, it involved her least favorite subject, physics. A man who could make such a thing had to be very familiar with the construction of machinery. To make such a lock, she had to learn mechanics from scratch.


    Out of the studio, Sophia went straight to the director''s office, ignoring Charles''s resentful look at her.


    When she said her intentions, Newman couldn''t believe what he heard. "You mean¡­ you want to quit the finals?"


    Sophia nodded, "Yeah."


    Behind her, Albert and Molly were surprised.


    Molly got worried, "Are you crazy? The bonus is two million dollars! Everyone knew you have strength! You can get it easily. Why don''t you take it?"


    Albert didn''t say anything. He sponsored most of the bonuses. He had wanted to use the chance to give Sophia some money to make her life easier, but he wouldn''t force her.


    The bonus meant nothing to him, nothing to Sophia''s smile.


    He would pay ten times as much for her smile if she could be happy.


    "I''m not available," Sophia said.


    "Are you that busy?" Molly asked.


    What could be more important than a large sum of money?


    Sophia had planned to take part in the finals the next day, but she wanted to make the special lock as soon as possible. Besides, the show was completely dominated by her as if she became a bully.


    She felt great to bully Charles, but other contestants weren''t bad people.


    To bully the other nine champions? They were champions anyway, the builders of the motherland. She didn''t want to leave them a psychological shadow. What if they were too frustrated to pull themselves together?


    So¡­ forget about it. And even if she got the money, she wouldn''t keep it but donate it like she used to do in her previous life.


    After Sophia got back to the hotel, she wanted to book a ticket to go back to Lands City with Molly. But Molly had booked her ticket in advance, so Sophia couldn''t buy the seat next to her.


    Molly looked at Sophia booking tickets and complained, "You must do it on purpose, do you? You want to get rid of me, huh! You must have planned everything. You bad person!"


    It seemed that everyone thought she and Albert were a couple. She had no objection to it, but Pearson had never said anything about liking her. She couldn''t assume that she was his girlfriend.


    Sophia was not his girlfriend, so she couldn''t do anything to him, like kiss or hug. Faced with Albert''s handsome face, Sophia was worried that she couldn''t control herself from doing something to him.


    But he was always with her. Didn''t he sense the danger?


    While she was thinking, Molly said, "Check your blog. Nicole''s case was solved."


    Sophia had just booked the ticket. She took over Molly''s phone and saw a message from the police. It said that the murderer, Nicole''s ex-boyfriend Joseph, was caught. He had been hiding in the countryside and confessed to killing Nicole after he was caught.


    According to Joseph, Nicole had been avoiding him since he broke up with her, never mentioning him, and saying in public that she had never been in love. When he finally found her, he wanted to get back together with her. But Nicole said something full of contempt, and it angered him. Accidentally, he killed her. Then he panicked and fled. He took her phone with him and sent text messages to delay the discovery of her body. During the time, he had been hiding in the remote countryside.


    After reading the message, Sophia frowned and shook her head. "No. It''s not that easy to get into Nicole''s community. It was Nicole who told the security guard to let Joseph in. If they didn''t get along well, why did Nicole allow him in? It''s not logical."


    Molly said, "Maybe Nicole felt lonely then. She thought of him and called him. Later, when they met, she felt that he was not worthy of her. After all, she was a big star. So, she said some hurtful words. On impulse, both of them were ruined..."


    She thought about it and said, "By the way, I''ve seen a picture that Nicole secretly dated a rich man. Was Joseph upset after knowing this?"


    Sophia was stunned, "When was it?"


    Molly said, "It seems to be a few days before her death¡­ There are pictures online. The man''s face is not quite clear. Only his acquaintance could recognize him."


    She took out her phone and searched for a long time before she found a picture. "Most of the pictures have been deleted. Luckily, someone kept some. Look!"


    Sophia took over the phone. The picture was taken secretly, not very clear. In the picture, Nicole just came out from a fancy club, and a man was beside her.


    Although the picture wasn''t clear, Sophia could recognize that the man was Eddie.


    Nicole knew Eddie?


    But after thinking about it, Sophia felt it made sense. It was not unusual for female stars to date rich men. Eddie looked like a playboy. It was no surprise he was involved with a beautiful actress like Nicole.


    Did it have anything to do with her death?


    Sophia felt that the police had not disclosed all the facts, and there must be something that couldn''t be known by the public.


    She immediately called Christopher, who was in charge of the case and told him her question.


    Christopher was silent for a moment and said," I guess you''ll come and ask me, you''re the witness of the case, I can tell you some details, and you can just help me think about it, and I have something I don''t understand. I''ve heard about your abilities, maybe... You can help me figure it out.


    Christopher was silent for a moment and then said, "I knew you would come to me. You are a witness in this case. I can tell you some details, and you can help me think about something I''m confused about. I''ve heard about your abilities. Maybe... You can help me figure it out."


    "Say it," said Sophia.


    "Well, when we interrogated Joseph, he said that the reason he was able to get into Nicole''s house so easily was because he had been told that the security guard would let him in if he was wearing a certain set of clothes. He did not know the person who told him. The message had been delivered by a child. Of course... there was no doubt that he was the murderer.. All the evidence supports that. But the unknown man should be an accomplice, right?"

 Chapter 246 - 246: One Hundred Points

    Sophia nodded, "I knew there was more to it than that. I don''t have any other leads now. I can only say that someone with a deep mind calculated her. It''s just that¡­ Nicole was acting strangely. Why did she ask the security guard to let a masked man in? Who was the person she really wanted to see?"


    She thought of the picture, "Was it¡­"


    "Who do you think of?"


    "I''m not sure yet. There is no evidence. It''s just my suspicion. If I have any other leads, I''ll call you."


    Then she hung up.


    She didn''t say that the person she suspected was Eddie.


    Perhaps she was afraid of being caught up in the scandal before she told Eddie not to show up for a private meeting. Thus, even if he was caught on camera, nobody knew who he was,


    But she didn''t expect that it was Joseph who came.


    Who informed Joseph? Why didn''t Eddie come? Did Eddie do that? Why?


    She had no evidence of this and could not speculate casually. In addition, the fact that Nicole hired the detective and lied to him also puzzled her.


    The man behind the case made her feel terrible.


    Soon, the Super Quiz announced the news that Sophia would withdraw from the game and honestly explained the reason that she was not available.


    Netizens complained.


    "There are millions of dollars for you. You say you have no time?"


    "To have a rich friend like Albert, Sophia doesn''t even care about such a large sum of money. Well, I want to say I''m available."


    "Sophia''s time is precious. Millions of dollars for one morning of her? Ha, ha. It''s not enough."


    Sophia, Albert, and Molly returned to Lands City that evening. As soon as she got home, she went online to gather information on how locks were constructed and how they worked. She had to master the most basic knowledge before she could find a way to make the special lock.


    The next day on her way to the driving examination, she searched things about locks on her phone. It involved a wide range of aspects, and she was not proficient in physics, which made it difficult for her to learn.


    The driving school sent a bus to pick them up. Everyone on the bus was studying for the test. A middle-aged woman next to Sophia saw Sophia looking at pictures of some locks on her phone. "The exam is coming soon. Why are you looking at this?" She said in surprise.


    "I''m studying," said Sophia.


    The woman was speechless, "Have you prepared for the exam?"


    "Yeah. I read the book."


    The woman shrugged her shoulders and thought the girl was silly. The girl read something irrelevant at this time, didn''t she want to pass the exam? Even if she read through the book, she couldn''t remember everything. The pass mark wasn''t sixty but ninety.


    When they arrived, they lined up to enter. Sophia had been checking her phone until the instructor took it away.


    The questions were simple. She did them one by one and finished them in less than ten minutes. It was still early, and she stayed for a while before handing in the paper.


    The computer had given the score: one hundred points.


    When she went to print the report card, the middle-aged woman was there and saw her report card. The woman sighed, "You young people indeed have a good memory. I have been preparing for the exam for so long. Still, I failed it. I''ll have to try again next time."


    A staff beside them laughed, "It''s not about the memory. She''s the smart ass. I''m your big fan, Sophia!"


    "Thanks!" Sophia laughed.


    The coach told her that she could come to practice driving the next day. But Sophia wasn''t available recently. She had been working on locks and tried to solve the mystery.


    However, there was one thing he had to do. Sophia had promised to shoot the ad on the fifteenth. Of course, she would not break the contract.


    She booked her flight, left in the morning, and arrived at Haven around 10 o''clock. Felix had got everything ready, and the extras were in place.


    Most of the disabled extras were Sophia''s fans and were glad to see her. They surrounded her and kept talking.


    Felix said, "There are some changes in the ad. The actors told me about the troubles of being disabled, and I felt the need to publicize them, so I made some changes."


    The content of the ad was simple. It demonstrated some difficulties encountered by the disabled in their daily life and how to help them in simple ways.


    The first scene was of a young man in a wheelchair, which was electric and was convenient. He wheeled his wheelchair to the front store.


    But then he found several cars parked in front of him blocking his way. Healthy people could pass through the gap between the cars, but the wheelchair couldn''t do that. Finally, he had to turn around helplessly.


    Sophia walked out and said, "Please don''t park your car casually; it''ll cause inconvenience to pedestrians, especially people in wheelchairs, they will be very helpless."


    Then she dialed the number left by the owner in the car and asked the owner to park the car somewhere else. The young man gave a big smile and wheeled into the store.


    In the second scene, a blind girl was walking on the street with a guide dog. Suddenly, a boy ran over to tease the dog. The dog was frightened and ran wild on the road.


    Then the red light was on, and a car gave a sudden break in front of the girl.


    Sophia showed to explain, "If you see a guide dog, please don''t feed or tease him or her. You know, the dog is working, you''ll disturb him or her. Besides, if a guide dog is waiting to cross the street with his or her owner, you mustn''t run the red light, because the dog judges whether he or she should go based on pedestrians'' actions. So, if you run a red light, you can mislead it into doing so.. Of course, you shouldn''t do that even if there was no guide dog. Everyone should obey the traffic rules!"

 Chapter 247 - 247: It’s On Me

    Felix worked hard and took several promotional videos of other disabled people. The actors were not professional and couldn''t do well at once, so the shooting took longer than expected and didn''t finish until 3 pm.


    Sophia was tired. Extras just need to shoot some. But she had to do it each time, and it was a lot of work.


    After the shooting, Felix treated them to dinner. Sophia went with them. After all, she invited them.


    During the meal, she took a group photo and posted it on her microblog to promote the shooting.


    The fans commented on the message as soon as it was posted.


    "You have no time to get the big bonus but take an active part in shooting the ad."


    "Sophia must consider herself a bug of the game and be embarrassed to go. I heard the champion donated most of the money to poor college students because he was a poor college student himself."


    "I will think more for the disabled when I meet them in the future."


    "The Pearson Group also donated, didn''t they? After the donation of the champion, the Pearson Group donated five million dollars to the poor college students. How loving!"


    ***


    Sophia had been studying locks these days and had not checked her microblog. If she had taken part in the game, she would donate all the prize money. She didn''t care about money as long as it could satisfy her needs. This champion was a bit like her.


    She didn''t expect Albert to donate money. It seemed that he was quite kind and generous.


    Oh, there was another advantage of him.


    The new energy project started soon after Sophia returned to the Lands City. Sophia had to work at the academy of sciences during the day and study locks at night. Kate was preparing for the wedding. Sophia didn''t have time to help. It was Daniel who had been helping.


    Albert also asked if there was anything he could do.


    "Take care of Sophia for me. I may not have time to cook for her these days," said Kate.


    "It''s on me!" Albert agreed at once.


    Daniel was standing around. "He seemed quite¡­ happy? Did he¡­" he mumbled.


    He took a careful look at Albert and frowned.


    Was this man good for his sister? His sister was the most beautiful and smart girl. He couldn''t let this man marry her easily.


    Kevin had been busy studying. Still, he came with Louie and offered to help. Kate knew he was about to have the exam and refused his kindness.


    "Thank you for your kindness. Just focus on your studies. You can attend my wedding."


    Kevin nodded. "All right. Well, Sophia has been studying in the academy of sciences. She must be hard-working. I haven''t seen her for a long time."


    "She''s my sister!" Daniel said, frowning.


    Kevin then noticed Daniel. "She''s my sister!" he raised his eyebrows.


    "Mine!" Daniel made no concession.


    "You two are so childish. She''s my sister!" Louie said.


    ***


    Before Kevin left, "Take care of my sister," he said to Daniel.


    "I know."


    Half a month later, the public service advertisement about the disabled was broadcast, which caused a lot of discussions.


    Although it was just an ad, it caused wide attention because of Sophia''s participation. The content of the advertisement was simple and useful, and it taught people how to respect and help the disabled.


    Netizens all said that they would try to help the disabled according to the ad.


    Sophia tweeted to thank for the support. She was so happy that the ad worked. It was worthwhile even if it helped one person.


    The next day was the wedding of Kate and Andy.


    Sophia took two days off in advance to help out at home.


    Kate was trying on the beautiful wedding dress at home. Sophia helped and couldn''t help praising, "You''re so beautiful, mum! How can you be so beautiful?"


    Kate was embarrassed, "Am I? I''m forty, not young anymore... I told Andy I want a plain wedding dress. A plain wedding dress, this one? Anyone can tell it''s expensive."


    Just then, Andy came. "You always deserve the best. This dress is just right for you. You''re so beautiful, honey!" he said with a smile.


    Sophia walked out and left them alone.


    In the living room, she saw Albert, who was talking with Daniel. Next to Daniel sat a foreign girl of fifteen or sixteen.


    The girl saw Sophia. She stood up and said, "Nice to meet you. I''m Daniel''s girlfriend, Benita."


    Daniel got up with a smile, "Yeah. She came a long way to attend the wedding."


    Sophia smiled, "Nice to meet you, Benita! You''re so beautiful! Good for you, Daniel."


    Hearing that, Daniel was quite proud. "Yeah. I always choose the best. Of course, I know the best and I have the power to get it. You know, Benita was quite popular at school. A lot of boys are after her."


    Sophia nodded, "That''s right. You''re good."


    As she said, she looked at Albert.


    What was wrong? Albert didn''t understand.


    ***


    The next morning, Sophia and Kate got up early. The makeup artist and hairstylist came over to help with Kate''s makeup. It was a complicated job and took more than an hour to finish.


    The makeup-wearing Kate was nothing like a 40-year-old woman. She was as beautiful as a young girl.


    "Mom, you look great today!" Sophia said, "Andy is so blessed!"


    Kate smiled, "Yeah, he is. But he doesn''t listen to me. I told him I wanted a simple wedding, but he booked the hotel and invited so many people¡­ It''s not the first time he''s been married. Why all the fuss?"


    Sophia smiled, "Getting married is a big deal. You know, he did this for you. You mean a lot to him. Besides, he owned the hotel. He booked his hotel."


    While they were talking, Andy came. "Sophia knows me well. Good girl! You''re so beautiful, honey! I''m so blessed!" He said.


    Unlike a young couple''s wedding, the middle-aged couple''s wedding had no tricks. Everything went smoothly. Andy picked up Kate, got downstairs and got in the wedding car. Sophia got in another car. Together, they went to the hotel.


    There were lots of guests in the hotel, most of whom were unknown to Sophia, and should be relatives or friends of Andy. Only one of them, Eddie, was known by Sophia.


    They did business with each other. So, Andy had invited the Patton family to the wedding.


    Albert arrived early to help Sophia entertain. He knew some of the business partners of the Sterling family and came forward to say hello.


    Sophia''s classmates also came. She received them and arranged them for the seat.


    Daniel came with Benita. "Sister, is Mr. Terry here?" He asked Sophia.


    Sophia had just met Benjamin and said hello to him. She looked into the crowd and pointed to the man sitting in the corner. "See? There he is."


    "I''ll go and say hello to him," Daniel said.

 Chapter 248 - 248: He’s Dangerous

    Sophia didn''t understand. There were so many people here. Why did Daniel have to say hello to Benjamin? Did he¡­


    She remembered Daniel asking if he could bring a fan to Benjamin. She called to ask Benjamin about it, but he refused. Was Benita the fan?


    She was about to ask Benita to leave Benjamin alone when she suddenly said, "That man? Do you say he''s Mr. Terry? Are you kidding me? I had seen Mr. Terry before, and he didn''t look like this at all."


    Sophia was surprised, "Are you mistaken?"


    Benita took out her phone and said, "I took a photo of him then, secretly¡­ Anyway, he just came out of the crime scene, and I took it."


    Sophia looked at the picture. In the photo, a man was looking down to say something to a police officer. His face was not quite clear, but it couldn''t be Benjamin.


    "Are you sure? Maybe it was not Mr. Terry," said Sophia.


    Benita shook her head. "No, it was definitely him. I heard the police call him. And the newspaper said Benjamin helped the police solve the case. I''m a big fan of him. I came all this way to talk to him. It''s my dream to be a detective. Please let me meet him."


    Sophia looked at Benjamin as he was eating dessert and doing nothing.


    If Benita''s claims were true, then Benjamin was not David''s son.


    No, it was impossible. She had visited David before, and Benjamin was there then. So, Benjamin should be David''s adopted son.


    How many sons did David have? Did they name the same? That didn''t make sense.


    So, the only explanation was that the man in the picture pretended to be Benjamin and did things for David.


    Who was the man? Why did he pretend to be Benjamin?


    Benita looked disappointed but did not leave out of politeness, sitting by herself in silence.


    Daniel went to her and said something to her. Benita smiled again and went with Daniel to greet the guests.


    In the crowd, Sophia saw Professor Thompson, Bridget, Elma, and Victor. Sophia had invited Elma but didn''t expect her to come with her family.


    Sophia went to them. Bridget smiled and said, "Thank you for saving Victor, Sophia. I never got to see you. Elma told me your mother is going to get married. So, here I am."


    Professor Thompson also said, "Thank you, Sophia. I''ve heard about what you''ve done. Thanks so much. If it wasn''t for you, Victor would have¡­ He''s my only grandchild. If something happened to him, I¡­"


    Sophia didn''t say anything. She didn''t know what to do with Professor Thompson.


    Professor Thompson was the main suspect in the lock thing. Except for him, Sophia couldn''t think of anyone else.


    But she still couldn''t believe that he wanted to kill her. There was no hatred between them. Why did he do that?


    She sat on them and then went to others.


    Soon, the wedding began.


    It was simple. The priest didn''t say much, just the usual wedding speech. That was what Andy wanted. It was a long day, and he didn''t want Kate to be too tired. So, he just made everything simple.


    Looking at Kate''s happy smile, Sophia was happy for her. She was satisfied with this new father. She could tell that he loved Kate.


    After the wedding, Sophia got up to see the guests off.


    Benjamin smiled as he left, "You''re so blessed to have such a beautiful mother, sister. I wish I had such a mother."


    Sophia looked at him, "David has a wife, doesn''t he? So you have a mother, right?"


    Benjamin smiled, "I mean¡­ my natural mother."


    With some doubts, Sophia sent him away.


    In the beginning, Benjamin was invited by Albert to investigate the lab fire. Actually, it was David who Albert had wanted to invite. But Benjamin claimed that David was not well and came instead of him.


    Later, he accepted commissions from Nicole and Elma, both of which failed in Sophia''s opinion. Nicole was killed, and Victor was almost killed. He didn''t do much.


    He found something about the lab fire, but just a few suspects, far from the truth.


    He was not a qualified detective and always looked like a moron, but Sophia couldn''t see through him at all.


    What kind of man is he under the veneer of cynicism?


    Eddie walked out of the hotel, stopped by Sophia, and looked at her, "You invited him?"


    He was referring to Benjamin, who had just left.


    "Yes." Sophia nodded.


    Eddie looked her in the eye, "Don''t get too close to him. He''s dangerous."


    Sophia knew he had been on bad terms with Benjamin, but she then remembered something else and asked, "Do you know Nicole? Is she your girlfriend?"


    Eddie had a complicated look in his eyes. He turned away from Sophia. "I''m sorry for her. I know you''re her friend, but you''d better stop. I don''t want to see anything happen to you."


    Hearing that, Sophia knew he must know something. But just as he was about to ask, Eddie had turned away and got into the car.


    ***


    A few days later, the school started. Sophia didn''t go to school but continued her work in the academy. The project had made a lot of progress. Andrew had a lot of unique insights that Sophia didn''t think of, which, together with what she had thought of before, made the project go well.


    Sophia thought the project should be a success within six months.


    It was the Lock that troubled her. It didn''t have much progress. She looked up almost all the information these days but hadn''t got a clue.


    She had made a kind of Lock that could be opened from the outside, but could not be opened inside, only after the start would leave a trace, which could be checked afterward.


    But the lab lock was no different from the normal Lock. Leaving no trace was the key.


    One day, she was tinkering with the locks when the doorbell rang. Elma came to ask her to go out.


    Sophia was thinking about the Lock and refused, "Sorry. I''ve been busy. How about another time?"


    "What are you busy with?" Seeing the tools and books on the table, Elma was surprised, "Lock? Are you interested in locks? My dad had studied them for a while before. You can ask him. You saved Victor''s life. He''s always grateful to you. He''d love to help you."


    "Professor Thompson studied them? When?"


    Elma thought about it. "In April and May last month. Yeah. He studied it for months. He said he wanted to make a special lock. I thought he made it for the patent, but then¡­ there was no then. What kind of locks are you working on? You make it for the patent?"


    Sophia was silent for a moment, "What kind of person do you think your father is?"


    Hearing that, Elma stayed for a moment and then said, "Well, he''s an honest man. My mother always said that we would live better if he tried."


    Sophia looked down and said nothing.


    Honest man¡­


    Elma''s words confirmed Sophia''s thought. The key was the Lock, which was made by Professor Thompson himself.


    A specially made lock. There was no such lock before. So, there was no trace at all.


    No one knew how desperate she was when she was trapped in the lab because of the Lock.


    Anyway, she would make the Lock.


    She forced a smile, "Well¡­ let''s go shopping next time."


    She wouldn''t blame Elma for what Professor Thompson did, but she didn''t know how to deal with her yet.

 Chapter 249 - 249: Do You Cook Well?

    Sophia had been familiar with her colleagues for some time at the academy. Several of her former colleagues on the project team, in particular, soon got close to her.


    In the lab, "Sophia, Andrew just called Professor Normand to his office. The thing is, Andrew''s face is not good," Ivy gossiped. "He had been doing bad. Andrew was very dissatisfied with him. Both you and he are from Glinton. Tell us about him?"


    Sophia didn''t want to judge others. "Maybe he didn''t work on the new energy project. He just needs some time," she said.


    Professor Normand specialized in chemical additives. Sophia didn''t know much about him and didn''t know if he had ever studied new energy.


    "That''s impossible," Ivy said, "Andrew had his paper. If he didn''t study it, how could he write the paper? It''s not some random writing. You know how strict Andrew is."


    She then began to talk about Professor Normand with several colleagues. He was not easy to get along with. They didn''t talk much with him. But he didn''t do very well in the study.


    Ivy loved gossiping. They talked for a while, and then she was about to go out for information.


    Sophia grabbed her. "You''d better not."


    Just then, Sophia''s phone rang. It was Andrew. She answered the phone. Andrew asked her to go to his office with a colleague who once worked on the project.


    Ivy heard that and leaned over, "I''ll go, I''ll go with you!"


    She loved gossip. Of course, she wouldn''t miss the chance.


    Sophia came to Andrew''s office and saw his unhappy face. Seeing Sophia, Andrew couldn''t help complaining, "What''s wrong with Normand? He''s making up the number. I suspect his paper was written by someone else. It''s been two months, and he did nothing. Do you think he wrote his paper himself?"


    Sophia had such doubts in mind in terms of Professor Normand''s performance. But as his colleague, she didn''t want to make groundless comments on him.


    Ivy came over and said, "Give me his paper. I know the project well. I''ve worked on it with professor Green for two years, and I know all the views on such projects at home and abroad. And I think that''s the reason you asked me here, right?"


    Andrew nodded and took out a paper. "Here''s his paper. Sophia, you''re an academic talent, and Ivy, you''ve worked on the project. Read the paper. Tell me have you ever read the opinions anywhere? Is it copied or written by someone else?"


    Ivy reached for the paper, flipped through it, and was surprised.


    "The paper¡­" Ivy couldn''t help shouting, "These are all professor Green''s ideas!"


    When Sophia heard this, she took the paper at once. After a glance, she knew that it was based on a paper she had written before and that the core ideas were the same.


    She hadn''t published the paper yet, and only a few people on the project had read it. There were electronic and print versions of the paper, which were in the laboratory. But in the fire, the computer and the paper were both burned, and nothing existed.


    So, Professor Normand must have sneaked into her lab to get the paper. In Benjamin''s investigation, he had suspected that professor Normand had a motive, and now it seemed that he was probably the one who set the fire.


    But¡­ wasn''t professor Thompson the murderer?


    Or did the two men conspire to kill her? Sophia was confused.


    Hearing that, Andrew was shuddering with anger. Ivy had to comfort him.


    "He stole professor Green''s paper. How shameless!" Andrew hammered the table hard. "I wonder why he had so many unique ideas but couldn''t do anything."


    Ivy was also very angry, "Professor Green had passed away. Normand is so shameless to do that. Isn''t he afraid of professor Green''s retribution?"


    Sophia said nothing.


    Although she was angry, she would not add fuel to the fire under the circumstances.


    Andrew decided at once that Normand would be dismissed from the team for faking paper. In consideration of Normand''s dignity, Andrew did not publicize the scandal but claimed that Normand had voluntarily quit the team due to physical discomfort.


    When Normand heard the news, he pleaded with Andrew to give him another chance, but Andrew wouldn''t change his mind but asked him to leave with all his belongings in a day.


    In the afternoon, Normand dejectedly returned to his seat to pack up. No one talked to him. Academics despised people who falsified papers. Although they didn''t talk about it, they all looked down upon such people.


    Especially those who had worked with Sophia before were furious that Normand had plagiarized Sophia''s work and looked coldly at him.


    Normand didn''t talk to anyone but packed his things in silence. He packed up carefully and took away all his things in the laboratory, even a pot of flowers he had bought.


    After work, the colleagues in the lab left one after another. Sophia just had a new idea and wanted to finish the experiment before she left.


    Albert called, "Mrs. Green asked me to ask when you would come back?"


    "I''m not sure yet. Maybe later¡­ I have to finish the experiment. Tell them to eat first," Sophia said.


    Kate and Andy had been living in Kate''s house since they got married. Daniel also moved in. Andy had wanted her to move into his villa, but Kate thought it would be uncomfortable and would rather stay at her house. Andy obeyed her in everything. She could choose wherever she wanted to live. So, he just moved in. The house was big enough for the four people.


    Albert hung up and started cooking.


    Actually, Kate never let him ask when Sophia would be back. She went out with Andy in the afternoon. Before going out, she told Albert, "Pearson, Andy, and I will go to the movies. We may come later. So, can you help Sophia and Daniel with dinner?"


    "All right," Albert answered at once, "I don''t want to eat alone."


    However, "Do you cook well?" Daniel looked at him, suspiciously.


    Albert smiled, "You doubt my cooking?"


    "You don''t seem to know how to cook."


    Half an hour later, the meal was ready. Daniel looked at the food and couldn''t help drooling. "It looks delicious! Oh, the porridge smells so good!"


    He thought about it and said, "Oh, my sister hasn''t come back yet. Call her."


    Albert shook his head, "No. Let''s eat first. I''ll take some to her later. She''s always like this, and she doesn''t remember the time when she''s working, and she doesn''t remember to eat."


    Daniel looked at him, "You know her?"


    "Yeah."


    "Then why don''t you tell her you love her?"


    Albert was drinking his soup and nearly spat it out. "What are you talking about, kid?"


    Daniel raised his eyebrows. "I''ve had seven girlfriends! I''m more experienced than you. You know you''ll die alone if you don''t dare to tell her."


    Albert didn''t know what to say.


    Silently, he finished his meal.. Then he put the food in a lunch box and drove to the academy with it.

 Chapter 250 - 250: I Thought I Lost You Again

    In the lab, Sophia was still deep in her experiments, unaware that it was completely dark.


    Suddenly, she smelled a burning smell, which seemed to have come from a laboratory outside, and hurried over.


    As soon as she entered the laboratory, she froze.


    Flames were blazing on the table. There were many chemicals in the lab that could explode at any time.


    On that table were some important information, many were paper, and there was no backup. How did they catch fire?


    As soon as she saw the fire, she felt the blood freeze all over her body. She couldn''t think, neither did he dare to approach.


    It took her awhile before she thought of looking for a fire extinguisher.


    There were a lot of fire extinguishers in the lab for fires. Sophia found the nearest one and unplugged it. Holding the nozzle in one hand and the pressure knob in the other, she sprayed it into the burning area.


    But the fire extinguisher was unresponsive and unusable.


    She found another, but it was still unusable. This scene... It was like a repeat of what she had suffered.


    The difference was that the door was open, and she could escape through it if she wanted to.


    But what about these papers if she was gone?


    As the fire grew, Sophia felt that her feet are getting heavier and heavier. She knew she could do nothing but run away. Otherwise, it would be too late.


    With a sigh, she went out of the laboratory and called the fire department.


    She suspected Normand did it. He had wandered around the lab for a long time in the afternoon. Perhaps he was angry and wanted revenge. The modus opera he used was very similar to the lab fire. He might have used some kind of spontaneous combustion device that would have burned at a certain time.


    Afraid to see the fire, she backed away and waited for the firemen.


    Suddenly, she saw a man rush into the sea of fire, running and shouting, "Sophia, are you there?"


    Sophia recognized him. It was from Albert.


    He ran inside because he thought she was in a fire, did he?


    Sophia hurriedly followed, shouting, "Come out! I''m outside!"


    However, the sirens of the roaring fire engine drowned out her voice, which Albert did not hear, rushing inexorably into the inferno.


    By this time, the firefighters had stepped out of the car, and a firefighter asked Sophia, "Is there anyone inside?"


    Sophia was so worried that she cried, "Yeah¡­ Save him! I''ll go with you to save him!"


    The fireman was about to rush in to save Albert when he came out himself. As soon as he saw Sophia, he rushed up and held her tightly.


    "I thought¡­" He was hoarse, "I lost you again."


    Sophia started for a moment, then slowly smiled and put out her arms around him.


    The fireman complained, "It''s on fire, you know? Shouldn''t you have gone in there? Fortunately, you''re all right. Once there''s a fire, no matter what''s inside, the first thing you should do is run, understand?"


    Albert apologized at once, "Sorry. I know I was wrong. I won''t do this next time."


    The fireman smiled, "Next time? You want another time? Once is enough. Prevention is the most important. Laboratory fires are quite common. A spark can start a big fire. So be sure to take precautions. I remember a fire broke out in the laboratory of Glinton University more than half a year ago, which was much more serious!"


    Sophia took Albert away and asked in concern, "Are you hurt?"


    Albert touched his head, "My hair seems a little burnt... Am I not handsome?"


    Sophia looked him over from head to toe and was relieved only after making sure he wasn''t hurt. "Why did you go in there? The fire is so big, what if you can''t come out?" She said.


    Albert smiled, "It''s all right. I ran fast. I went in and looked around and didn''t see you. I thought you should have come out and just I came out."


    "You fool!" Sophia sighed.


    Albert''s face was gray and dirty, and his clothes were burned in places. Sophia took a tissue from her pocket and reached out to help him dust his face.


    When her finger touched his skin, she felt hot, and maybe it was because he just came out of the fire.


    She smiled, "You''re cooler today than usual! You''re very handsome!"


    Albert scratched his head. "This haircut?"


    ***


    It was late when Sophia and Albert returned home. Kate and Andy had got back from the movie.


    "Did you eat?" Kate asked.


    Sophia shook her head, "Not yet. I just got back from work."


    Daniel was surprised. "Pearson sent food for you, did he? Didn''t you eat?"


    "He lost it on the way," Sophia said.


    She saw the food. He had been carrying it out of the car, but when he saw the fire, he just put the lunch box away.


    "He''s so unreliable," said Daniel.


    He kind of did not want such a brother-in-law, though Albert cooked well.


    "Then I''ll get you something to eat," Kate said and walked to the kitchen, "It''s late. How about I make you some porridge?"


    "All right," Sophia nodded.


    Kate went to the kitchen to cook, and Sophia went to take a shower. For fear that the family would worry for her, she didn''t tell them about tonight.


    But she didn''t expect that Albert had known she was coming back to life.


    Was that why he cared about her all the time?


    After the bath, she heard some noise in the kitchen. She hurried over and saw the porridge overflowing with the sound of "Sizzle¡­" for cooking too long.


    She went over to remove the lid a little and turned down the heat to allow the porridge to cook slowly.


    Not until she got out of the kitchen, she suddenly realized that she was not afraid of the flames anymore.


    Just then, Kate came out of the room and shouted, "Oh, god! My porridge! I was just talking and forgot about it. Is it overflowing?"


    "It''s all right. I''m taking care of it," Sophia said.


    Kate was surprised, "You don''t like to get close to the kitchen, do you?"


    Sophia smiled, "It''s all right. I''m fine."


    Later she had some porridge and then went to bed.


    She was exhausted by the incident.. With such a big loss to the laboratory, the new energy project would be delayed.

 Chapter 251 - 251: Very Handsome

    The fire at the academy made headlines the next day, drawing a lot of attention.


    Fortunately, Sophia reported the fire, and the firefighters arrived in time to prevent a widespread fire.


    Most of the laboratory was burned down, and there was no way to continue the research for a short time. The Pearson Group, which sponsored the project, claimed that it would re-fund the research. It was just that it would take some time for the project to restart.


    The colleagues were furious. They were experts in the field of chemistry. After examining the fire site, they soon found from the traces near the fire site that someone had committed arson by a delay-burning chemical device.


    Almost everyone thought that Professor Normand was the arsonist. He was the only one in the team that might do this to vent his anger. Outsiders couldn''t get into the laboratory, and only insiders could do it.


    But the surveillance videos and the computers had burnt down, and it was clear that Normand had been well prepared. They found no evidence of his arson and could do nothing about him.


    Sophia thought the case would never be solved like the fire half a year ago. But three days later, the police announced they had solved the case and arrested Normand.


    The reason was explained in the final report. The lab''s monitoring equipment was upgraded to connect wirelessly to remote servers. Although the computers in the lab were damaged, monitoring data was still stored on remote servers. The police transferred the monitoring and saw the whole process of Normand''s crime.


    Sophia was surprised that the monitoring equipment was wirelessly connected.


    The one who could think of that was indeed careful, and she could only think of one person who could do that.


    Albert didn''t come home in the days after the fire. Sophia had to call him to ask about it.


    "Yes, it''s me!" Albert said proudly, "I''m very smart, am I? At first, I thought, this is a big project, right? And the monitor has to be foolproof. So, I used remote monitoring equipment."


    Sophia laughed, "Yeah, you''re smart. By the way, aren''t you going home these days? I haven''t seen you for days."


    Sophia heard no answer for a moment and wondered what was going on. "Are you there?" she asked.


    "Yeah. No¡­ it''s just that¡­ I didn''t expect you to pay me that much attention. Well, I don''t know what to say."


    Sophia smiled. "So, when exactly are you coming back? I''m hungry. Kate and Andy went out again!"


    "Right now!"


    Twenty minutes later, Sophia got a call.


    "Madam, your cook is in position!" Albert said.


    "Oh, you''re quick," said Sophia.


    She came to Albert''s house and saw that he had changed his look. He had curly hair, the little screw curls.


    "Your hair¡­" Sophia didn''t know how to say it.


    Albert seemed quite happy. "Handsome? I know. Does it look like it''s just been burned?"


    Sophia came to realize something.


    He made his hair because she said he was cool when he came out of the fire.


    She couldn''t help laughing, "Yeah. Handsome! Very handsome!"


    She rolled up her sleeves and said, "Let''s go to the kitchen. I''ll help you with the cook."


    She went into the kitchen with Albert and got the ingredients ready at his command.


    Albert turned on the induction cooker to prepare the dishes. Suddenly, something occurred to Sophia. Did Albert cook with an induction cooker because he knew she was afraid of fire? She had been ignoring it.


    He had been taking care of her feelings for fear that she might be uncomfortable. But she had never noticed.


    If that didn''t prove his feelings for her, how?


    She smiled, "You can use the gas stove. Teach me how to cook, all right? Then I can cook for you."


    Albert stopped and was stiff.


    Did he hear that, right? Did she want to cook for him?


    Was that an illusion?


    Sophia went straight to the gas stove, turned the fire, and put the pan on. "So, what should I do first, chef?"


    Albert hurried forward. "Well, you''d better stand by and watch. Let me do it. You''ll get burned. Besides, the smoke is bad for your skin. Although there is a range hood, there is still smoke."


    Sophia didn''t know how to cook and had to step aside. "Don''t you fear it''s bad for your skin?" she asked with a smile.


    "No. My skin is thick. And I don''t live on my face."


    Sophia turned to look at Albert, who was focused on cooking. She felt that he was more handsome than usual, even with the strange hair.


    "Actually¡­ you can live on your face," she said with a smile.


    He had such a beautiful face. It was a pity that he didn''t live on it. Those who wanted to live on their appearances but looked inferior to him would blame god''s injustice.


    Albert was very happy after hearing that. "Really? Then I want to live on my appearance instead of my talent."


    Sophia was confused.


    Had he always made a living by his talent?


    ***


    Sophia didn''t need to go to the academy and had time to study the locks, which was harder for her than her work. Sometimes she got no clue, and she would just drop it and go to practice driving.


    After the first exam, she stopped for a few months.


    She came to the driving school, found the coach, and then got to the training field.


    It was spring. The weather was warm. Many people came to practice driving. Everyone wanted to get their license before summer when it would be hot.


    There were many people, and not everyone could get a car alone. Sophia had to use a car with five people. They had to take turns practicing.


    She was number three. They just needed to learn one thing: parking the car in a garage. Everyone practiced twice, and then it was time for lunch. They could come in the afternoon.


    Sophia read the news on her microblog with her phone and waited.


    After the fire, enthusiastic netizens left messages for her, asking if she needed help and planning to donate to her. She declined them all.. The money for the project was in place, and the project itself would make a huge profit, more than enough to cover the fire''s loss.

 Chapter 252 - 252: Don’t You Dare

    The loss was supposed to be paid for by Normand. But he had no money, his family was in debt, and his assets were negative. So, everything went according to the law. Normand had not yet been sentenced, but according to Sophia''s knowledge of the law, he would be sentenced to at least three years in prison.


    Had it not been for that the evidence of the lab fire was destroyed, Normand would stay longer in prison.


    Sophia tweeted a thank-you note and said that someone had funded to rebuild the lab and go back to work in a few months.


    Netizens were making fun of it.


    "It must be Mr. Pearson, the rich fool."


    "It''s definitely Mr. Pearson. He wouldn''t give a chance to others."


    "I heard about this project. It''s amazing. If it succeeds, it will benefit humanity. I think Mr. Pearson is really good at business. If the project succeeds, they will make a lot of money!"


    "He has a good eye for investment and a better eye for finding a wife."


    Sophia saw the word "wife" and blushed inexplicably.


    "Sophia, it''s your turn." A girl waved at her.


    The girl was ahead of her and happened to know her. When she finished her practice, she came to call her.


    She got up and was about to walk to the car when a black man came up to her and said, "I''ll practice first. I have work to do later. Me first!"


    Sophia didn''t want to give up. The car practice was not that important. If he was in a hurry, he could do it next time. "Sorry, I''m not very idle," she refused calmly.


    The man frowned, "What business do you have? Shopping? Actually, I think you women had better not learn to drive. The road killer, oh¡­ So you''d better not learn to drive."


    These words annoyed Sophia. Who did he think he was? How dare he discriminate against women?


    She had to teach him a lesson.


    Sophia smiled, "Sir, you mean you learn faster and better than me, right?"


    The man raised his chin and looked quite confident. "Of course!"


    Sophia smiled. "Well, let''s have a match, shall we? The one learned fastest and can accurately park the car inside the while lines will win."


    The man was surprised that the girl dared to bet against him. If he agreed, would people think he was bullying her?


    He was about to say something when Sophia raised her eyebrows and said defiantly, "Don''t you dare?"


    The man was enraged, "What? Will I be afraid of you? Let''s compete. So, how about winning? How about losing?"


    "It''s simple," Sophia said, "the loser has to come early every day to line up for the winner till the end of the driving test."


    Since there were six people in a car, they had to practice in turns and those who came early practiced first. The person at the front of the line could swap with the person behind.


    The man agreed at once. "All right. Deal! You''ll line up for me. I wish you won''t be too scared to come."


    He stood beside the car, his eyes rolling. "Lady first! Please!"


    When the coach was teaching, he could listen and learn twice. Then the odds of winning would be higher.


    Sophia knew what he was thinking but didn''t disclose him, and she just got in the car.


    "You two are funny." The coach was a young man. He couldn''t help laughing. "The game is fun. But you don''t have the advantage."


    "It''s all right. Let''s start. Start the lock," said Sophia.


    The coach began to explain reverse stall parking. It was the most difficult part of the exam. Reversing the car into a white box slightly wider than the car required a precise grasp. But there were some skills, which would help with the reverse.


    Sophia listened to the coach and watched him demonstrate it, and then she remembered it all. She nodded and said, "I get it. Let me have a try."


    The coach was surprised, "I just said it once, demonstrated it once, and you got it?"


    "Yeah."


    The man in black couldn''t help saying, "Don''t be urgent. I know you want to win. But you just watched it once. You think it''s that easy?"


    Sophia ignored him. Holding the steering wheel in one hand and the target in the other, she slowly stepped on the clutch and started the car. When the car got to the white line in front, she stopped it and hung up the gear. Then she fixed her eyes on the white line in the rearview mirror and drove back bit by bit.


    She did this for the first time and did it slowly for more than one minute.


    She got out of the car and took a look at her watch. "With the coach''s explanation, it''s twelve minutes. Now it''s your turn. If you couldn''t do it in twelve minutes, please come early in the afternoon to keep a seat for me."


    The man couldn''t believe it. The girl just heard it once and made it?


    He heard that it was difficult. His brother failed the exam for pressing the line in the reverse. The pass rate for this course was less than half. Many people practiced for a long time before they went to the exam, but they still made mistakes.


    He didn''t feel like he was able to handle the reverse in twelve minutes fully, and he didn''t remember it when the coach was teaching Sophia.


    Sophia sat aside, checking the microblog and waiting. Twelve minutes later, she stood up and said, "You lost!"


    The man hadn''t had time to have a try. Twelve minutes weren''t even enough for him to remember the instructions the coach had given him.


    "Well, please take place for me in the afternoon," Sophia said, turning away.


    She didn''t expect the man to keep a seat for her. Sure enough, the man wasn''t there when she came in the afternoon. And she never saw him again for a few days.


    What a loser!


    When the coach saw her in the afternoon, he advised her to go to another coach.. His team was all learning reverse, and he thought Sophia did it quite well and could learn something else.

 Chapter 253 - 253: I’m Here For The Dead

    Sophia spent most of the afternoon lining up and just over an hour practicing. The other items were more accessible. When the coach demonstrated once, she could remember it, which made the coach suspect that she had learned it. How could a novice learn so quickly?


    "Well¡­ There''s an exam in five days. Shall I make an appointment for you?" The coach asked.


    "Yeah," said Sophia.


    If she had taken the test earlier, she would have got the license earlier. After all, the car sent by Andy had been parked downstairs. What a waste! Even if the car wasn''t used, all kinds of insurance should be paid.


    These days, she was busy studying locks and getting her driving license. The license didn''t take her much time. After course two, she went to practice course three for half a day and soon passed the exam. Course four was easy as course one that she remembered the knowledge after reading the book once.


    The next day after exam four, she got a call from the driving school that she could get her license.


    When the coach handed her the license, he sighed, "If only my students were like you. You know, a man stepped on the accelerator, then the car rushed to the wall! Oh, god! I was in the passenger seat then. I thought I would die!"


    It seemed that the coach was a high-risk occupation, Sophia thought.


    Sophia had got her license but was still a little nervous about her driving skills. It was her first trip, and she wanted someone to be with her.


    The first person she thought of was Albert.


    "You want me to guide?" Albert laughed, "I didn''t know you thought so highly of me. All right. Let''s go."


    He went downstairs with Sophia, got into her car, and sat in the passenger seat.


    As he expected, Sophia drove quite well, and he didn''t need to say anything. She was a steady and well-behaved driver. Even where there was no camera, she would follow traffic rules.


    "Where do you want to go?" Sophia asked, "I''ll drive you there."


    "Anywhere I want to go?"


    "Yeah."


    Albert thought about it and said. "Let''s go to the movies. There are some good movies. I heard they''re quite good."


    Sophia agreed and drove to the cinema. Then she stopped the car and got out with Albert.


    It was Sunday, and there were lots of people in the cinema. They had to wait in line to buy tickets. Albert let Sophia sit and wait, and he lined up to buy tickets.


    Sophia went to get popcorn and coke. When she finished, Albert was still in the middle of the line. Seeing that the movie was about to start, she went to him, intending to enter directly after buying tickets.


    When they lined up, someone recognized Sophia as well as Albert. Then a lot of people gathered them around and asked for Sophia''s photos and autographs.


    "How about this?" Albert stood in front of Sophia, "All of your movies are on me. Please let her go. If she takes photos with all of you and signs all of you, we''ll miss the movie."


    The fans were quite understanding and were glad to watch movies with their idol.


    Sophia was embarrassed, "They''re my fans. I''ll treat them."


    Albert raised his eyebrows and said, "As a gentleman, how could I make the lady pay?"


    They were so in love, the fans thought but were happy to see that.


    When the movie started, Sophia and Albert went in with the fans. But she soon found that her fans weren''t even watching the movie. They were watching Albert and her!


    It was dark in the cinema, but others kept looking at them. No one watched the movie.


    Were Albert and her so attractive?


    When they got back home, Sophia noticed that she and Albert were on the news for watching movies together.


    Was it that easy to get online?


    "I ran into Sophia today. Mr. Pearson generously said that he would treat her fans to the movies. What a good boyfriend!"


    "Mr. Pearson had been protecting Sophia from the fans. He is our fans'' rival, isn''t he?"


    "I think these two are a good match. I have been watching them in the cinema. They look better than the stars. Too bad Sophia doesn''t act. Otherwise, I''d have to watch every movie of hers."


    "When will they get married? No, no. Sophia isn''t old enough to get married. It may take a few more years."


    "I have a strange thought. What will their kids look like? Smart and clever! Oh, god! How could other kids compare with theirs."


    ***


    Reading the comments, Sophia blushed.


    What? Kids? They were true, imaginative.


    She was recognized a lot recently, for example, at the driving school. If things continued like this, she would have to wear a mask when she went out.


    Fortunately, her fans were well behaved and never did anything to upset her. Like this day, her fans had been watching Albert and her, but no one made a sound for fear of disturbing them.


    She felt happy to have these fans.


    ***


    The next day, Sophia wanted to visit her past parents. She did that on the day of every year.


    The cemetery was quiet. From time to time, some people came to pay their respects. No one talked loudly here.


    Sophia''s parents were buried together here. When she arrived, she found Kevin. She put the flowers in front of her parents'' graves. The two graves were next to each other. Her father bought the two plots after her mother died. So, when her father passed away, she just buried them together.


    In front of both graves lay identical packages of lilies, apparently bought together.


    "You are here, sister," Kevin whispered.


    Sophia nodded, placing the two bouquets she had bought in front of the graves. Then she suddenly realized something.


    Wasn''t Kevin surprised at her coming? Did he find anything?


    She did not speak.


    After a moment''s silence, she rose and left with Kevin.


    As Sophia passed by the front row of graves, she thought of that¡­ her last body was buried here.


    Her grave was not far ahead. It was weird for her, a living person, to see her own grave.


    She walked there, only to find her grave empty and without flowers.


    She turned to look at Kevin, "No flowers for your sister?"


    Kevin looked at her and said, "I''m here for the dead."


    Then he said nothing more and turned away.


    He knew it. After all, he was her brother.


    But didn''t she seem pitiful? No one came to worship her. Albert knew she was still alive and would not come to her grave. But¡­ why did she think of him? He was not her family.


    Forgot about it, no matter what, she had now was the most precious life.


    As she turned to leave, she noticed that a man came from the other side and stopped at her grave.


    She retreated hastily and hid.


    She knew the man, and it was Professor Thompson.


    He placed a bunch of flowers on Sophia''s grave.. He said nothing, but sighed, made a low bow, and turned away.

 Chapter 254 - 254: Why Did You Do That?

    Sophia was about to leave when Professor Thompson left. Then she noticed another person coming through the side door with flowers in his arms.


    She knew the man, too.


    It was from Eddie.


    Eddie was surprised to meet Sophia here. "What are you doing here?"


    "I come to worship Professor Green. Don''t you hate her? Why are you here to see her?" Sophia said.


    She remembered asking Eddie if he would hate Sophia for exposing his father''s wrongdoing and bringing him to justice.


    Eddie was adamant at the time that he hated Sophia.


    Without answering, Eddie walked slowly to Sophia''s grave and put the flowers down.


    "I did hate her before, but¡­" he said slowly, "Now I think about it, I was too impulsive. After more things, I''m more grateful to her."


    "Grateful?" Sophia was puzzled.


    Eddie nodded slightly and turned to her. "If she hadn''t sent him to prison, I might have... killed him myself!"


    Sophia was shocked.


    So, he said he hated Sophia, not because Sophia sent his father to prison, but because his father went to prison, leaving him no chance to kill him himself?


    Eddie''s voice was full of hate. "He is a bastard. He had been torturing my mother because she couldn''t have children. Later, my mother adopted my sister and me, which made no change. He used to beat and scold us. Then I thought, how good it would be if he died one day."


    The cemetery was quiet except for the rustle of leaves as the wind passed.


    It was creepy.


    "I had been expecting a chance. Finally, there was a great one. The scum killed someone for personal gain. I thought I could kill him and then create a false image of him committing suicide for fear of punishment. But just as I was about to do it, he was uncovered and sent to prison by the professor. Do you know how much I hated this meddling professor then?" Eddie continued.


    It took Sophia a while to get the story. She was silent for a moment and asked, "So... Why don''t you hate her now?"


    Eddie bowed his head and looked at his hands. "I have my mother and sister. I don''t want to face them with my bloody hands. And... I recently found out the whereabouts of my biological mother and sister, but I... I don''t know how to face them."


    Sophia was silent and then asked, "Why are you telling me this? We''re not that familiar, are we?"


    Eddie looked her in the eye for a moment and then said, "Probably because...You are something like my sister..."


    Sophia paused for a moment and remembered something else. "About Nicole''s case¡­ you must know something, do you? I''ve been curious about one thing. Albert asked Benjamin to investigate you in Plain. And Nicole entrusted Benjamin with the stalking case there. Is it just a coincidence?"


    Eddie smiled, "You''re really smart. You''re right. I asked Nicole to go to Benjamin. It was because I was annoyed by his investigation and wanted to make trouble for him so he wouldn''t have time to investigate me. But¡­"


    He took a deep breath. "I didn''t expect her to die."


    Sophia came to understand something, "So¡­ was it you she was waiting for the day she died?"


    Eddie shook his head. "No. I wanted to make the stalker thing more real, so I sent someone pretending to be the stalker over to her house to mess her house up, then I can ask Benjamin to investigate it. But I didn''t expect the man I sent to have some trouble on the way to her house, which allowed Joseph to take advantage of it."


    There was a chill on Sophia, "So Nicole called the security guard to let the man in the mask in just to fit in with your plan... Well, the one who caught the man you sent and informed Joseph..."


    She could only think of one person.


    Eddie nodded slowly. "I''m sure it''s the detective Benjamin. He found out the truth and knew we were joining together to tease him. Somehow, he found out about my plan and used it to lead Joseph to Nicole''s house. I had someone look into it but couldn''t find any evidence that he did it. I''ve been telling you, Benjamin is¡­ very dangerous!"


    Sophia was petrified. She couldn''t believe that the silly detective who loved to be with her and called her "sister" had such a deep mind beneath his simple and honest appearance.


    Besides, Benita had said that he wasn''t Benjamin.


    So, who was this person? For what purpose did he come here?


    Was he only here for Albert''s commission?


    And why did David cooperate with him? Why didn''t he expose him?


    All this, Sophia wanted to ask him in person.


    "I have to go. Take care!" Eddie gave her a look and walked slowly towards the exit.


    Sophia didn''t notice that Eddie looked back at her at the corner and uttered a word.


    "Sister¡­"


    ***


    Sophia stayed for a while at the gravestone, then Kevin came to her, "Sis, are you going back now? You were talking with a gentleman. I didn''t want to disturb you, so¡­"


    He had been waiting not far away, only to notice that Sophia''s complexion had changed somewhat. He was worried about her and hurried over after Eddie left.


    "It''s all right. You can go back first. Leave me alone for a moment," Sophia said.


    She didn''t tell him about it. She just wanted to go to Benjamin to verify it immediately.


    Kevin nodded, "All right. Just call me if there is anything I can do for you."


    When Kevin left, Sophia immediately called Benjamin.


    "What''s the matter, sister?" Benjamin asked, still, in a casual tone.


    Sophia frowned, "I''m not your sister. I have something to ask you."


    "I know what you want to ask. Wait a moment. I''m here around." Benjamin lowered his voice.


    Sophia was stunned. He knew where she was?


    Soon, she got it. Benjamin could know Eddie''s plan, which meant that he probably listened to Eddie. So, he had heard every word of Eddie.


    Sure enough, ten minutes later, Benjamin appeared in front of her.


    Still, his clothes were strange. He looked at her with a smile as if nothing had happened.


    Sophia frowned and asked, "So, Eddie was telling the truth. About Nicole''s case¡­ did you do it?"


    Benjamin took two slow steps towards Sophia, bent down to look straight at her eyes, and smiled, "Are you tricking me? You didn''t set up surveillance to get the evidence, did you?"


    "I''m not so bored. There''s no surveillance here. Even if there was, the video couldn''t be evidence."


    Benjamin nodded. "You''re right. Even if you go to the police with the video, I can tell them I''m just joking. Now that you know it, yeah, I did it. You won''t believe me even if I deny it, right?"


    "Yeah. But I want to know why. Why did you do that?"


    Benjamin smiled bitterly. "Will you believe me if I say I didn''t want that? I did try to investigate Eddie for Albert, but Eddie asked David to arrange me a boring job. So, I made a little mischief. I stopped the man on the way and then called Joseph."


    He sighed, "I just wanted to give them a warning not to mess with me. How did I know that pervert Joseph would kill her?"


    Sophia believed him. Joseph''s murder was an impulse, and plenty of evidence was left at the scene to prove it.


    So, that was all the truth about Nicole''s death. Benjamin didn''t mean to kill her, but she died because of him.


    "So¡­ who are you? You''re not Benjamin, are you?" Sophia asked.


    Benjamin smiled, "You know that... You''re right. I''m not Benjamin. It''s more convenient for me to do things in the name."


    Sophia was puzzled. "Why did David cooperate with you? He''s an internationally renowned detective, and since you''re not his son, he doesn''t have to do that, right?"

 Chapter 255 - 255: I Just Want To Know Everything

    Benjamin sneered. "Internationally renowned detective? Without me, he would just have been a famous detective. You know, he''s only become famous for solving some big cases, and those cases..."


    He looked at Sophia. "I solved them for him. Of course, he has to follow my order."


    Sophia was shocked. If he told the truth, then he was terrible.


    But she didn''t get it. "Why did you do that?"


    "Because¡­" Benjamin laughed wildly. "I''m too clever. I''m bored. How boring my life will be if I don''t do anything! I don''t care about fame. It''s a burden to me. I just enjoy being able to do things that no one can do. As for others, I don''t care."


    Hearing that, Sophia didn''t know what to say.


    Finally, she asked, "Who are you?"


    Benjamin stared at her with an elusive look.


    "Who am I? I also want to know that."


    "Well, that''s the all," said Benjamin, turning to the exit. Halfway through, he looked back and smiled again. "You make me think that¡­ the world is not that boring."


    Sophia felt helpless about Benjamin. She knew he helped kill Nicole, but she couldn''t get him punished at all. What he did was infallible, leaving no trace of evidence in any link.


    She still didn''t know what Benjamin approached her for. She remembered meeting Benjamin for the first time in her lab at Glinton University, and he had been in her life ever since.


    Did he do it only because he was bored?


    In the following month, Sophia had never seen Benjamin again. She didn''t contact him. He didn''t appear in front of her.


    During the period, one thing happened.


    There were many illegal activities in the Patton Group operation, and its rapid rise in just two years had something to do with them.


    Sophia called Eddie a few times, but he didn''t answer it, presumably too busy with it.


    A month later, Sophia finally made the lock she wanted.


    This proved that the lock existed and that all the M.O.O. was fully explained.


    Albert went to her and saw her studying these things. He didn''t ask about them but just told her that she could go to him whenever she was in trouble.


    Sophia showed the lock to him. "It''s time to reveal the truth of the whole story."


    She called Professor Thompson and made an appointment with him in Albert''s office.


    Professor Thompson was surprised at the call, but he still agreed because Sophia had saved Victor.


    He arrived at the office on time. One staff member made him sit in the office and turned away.


    However, half an hour later, he was still alone in the room. That was rude. He took out his phone and called Sophiabut couldn''t get through.


    Under such circumstances, even in his good temper, he grew impatient. He rose to leave. When he got to the door, he reached for the doorknob and turned down.


    But the door didn''t open.


    He felt something not good.


    When the staff left, he didn''t lock the door. Otherwise, he would have heard the key turn.


    Then why didn''t the door open?


    Was it¡­


    Just then, there was a noise; the door was pushed open from the outside.


    Sophia was standing outside the door, looking coldly at him.


    "Are you familiar with the scene, Professor Thompson?" Sophia asked.


    An alarming look appeared on Thompson''s face. He kept shaking his head, "What? No¡­ How can I be familiar with it? I¡­ I have to go."


    As he spoke, he wanted to bypass Sophia and leave the room.


    Sophia said, "Professor Thompson, your plan is perfect. When the lock starts, it can trap the people in the room without leaving any trace. But you might forget something. The mechanism can leave a trace."


    As she said, she took out a small screwdriver and pried the lock open. "Like this, moving the spring, the mechanism will become what it was before. But a normal lock won''t be like this. When the mechanism failed, it looked like other locks, but it was still different.


    She looked into Professor Thompson''s eyes. "After the lab building was demolished, the Pearson Group kept all the things. The lock, of course, was among them."


    Professor Thompson shivered, so as his voice. "Why¡­ why are you looking into this? Did Pearson ask you to investigate? I¡­ I knew he wouldn''t give up. He used to be so good to professor Green."


    "You don''t have to worry about that. I just want to know¡­ are you the one who started the fire in the laboratory?"


    Professor Thompson hurriedly shook his head. "No! How could it be me? It was Professor Normand who set the fire..."


    Suddenly, he covered his mouth with his hands. By saying so, he was admitting that he knew everything.


    Sophia pointed to the sofa next to her, "Sit down, please. It''s just the two of us here, and there''s no monitoring equipment. I just want to know everything."


    Thompson stayed for a while before strolling to the sofa. Then he sank on the sofa with a soft underfoot.


    He was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "You''re right. I changed the lock. But it was Professor Normand who set the fire. I got word that he was going to set the fire by accident, then I made the lock¡­"


    Slowly, Sophia asked, "You want to use Professor Norman to kill Professor Green, do you? Then he''s your scapegoat. What''s your grudge against her that you tried so hard to kill her?"


    Professor Thompson waved his hands at once, "No, no¡­ What can I have against a little girl? I just...Well, anyway, I never meant for her to die. I was worried she might die from the fire, and I removed all the combustibles around Normand''s fire device, so the fire wouldn''t start!"


    Sophia was stunned. She never thought about that.


    But there was something she still couldn''t understand. "If you didn''t mean to kill her, why did you do that?"


    Professor Thompson shook his head. "I can''t say it. Anyway, I didn''t mean to kill her, nor did Professor Normand. Professor Green rejected his research. He hated her and wanted to ruin her research. I know him. He would never dare to kill."


    Sophia was confused.


    Professor Thompson wanted to trap her in the room. Professor Normand wanted to burn her laboratory.


    She believed that Professor Normand did not want to kill her. Even if the fire broke out, the lab was on the first floor, and she could run away on the electric wheelchair.


    And Professor Thompson said that he emptied all the combustibles to avoid a big fire.


    But finally, the fire started.


    On the investigation report, the fire was started from the windowsill. She tried to remember what was near there.


    Soon, she remembered.


    There was nothing near the windowsill. The reason she noticed that was because she saw it was empty and put something there.


    The "something" was a bottle of toilet water she had Kevin bring her.


    A fine sweat oozed from her forehead.


    The main component of toilet water was alcohol, which was flammable and volatile. The bottle was made of plastic. After the self-ignition device started, the fire burnt the bottle, the liquid flowed out, got on fire, and quickly ignited the distant combustible.


    She couldn''t understand Professor, but she didn''t expect that the toilet water was the key to the fire.

 Chapter 256 - 256: Experience A Perfect Crime

    Slowly, Professor Thompson got up and walked to the windowsill. He gently pushed the window open and looked out. "I have never made a big mistake in my life, and I did it with no malice, but I did kill a person. Since the fire, I couldn''t sleep every night. Now I''ve said everything, I feel relieved."


    As he spoke, he suddenly seized the edge of the window with one hand, stepped on the sill, and climbed up.


    Sophia startled. "What are you doing?"


    Professor Thompson gave a miserable smile, "I don''t want to go to jail in such an old age. I also don''t want to get anyone into trouble. I''ll take all the responsibility."


    Sophia didn''t want him to die. She hurried up and said, "Get down. Yes, you made an irreversible mistake, but you don''t need to die for it. Think about your family, how sad they will be!"


    Professor Thompson shook his head, "They''ll be ashamed of me. People like me¡­"


    Sophia walked slowly to him as he spoke, trying to approach him when he wasn''t noticing.


    "Don''t come!" Professor Thompson shouted, "Or I''ll jump right off. I have some words to say, then I''ll¡­"


    "Get off!" a voice sounded before he finished speaking.


    Sophia knew the voice. She turned back and saw Benjamin coming to her, and Albert came behind him.


    Albert had been waiting for Sophia in the next room. Sophia thought that Professor Thompson would not talk much if he was there, so she just asked him to stay away.


    But later, Benjamin came. Albert had heard about Benjamin from Sophia. He worried about Sophia and came along.


    The moment Sophia saw Benjamin, she came to understand everything.


    The person whom professor Thompson wanted to protect was Benjamin.


    Bridget had told her that professor Thompson had a detective to protect Victor, who was fine in half a year. Now she thought about it, the person who protected Victor was not David but Benjamin.


    Professor Thompson was grateful to Benjamin that he would do things for him and hide everything.


    Professor Thompson looked desperate when he saw Benjamin, "What are you doing here?"


    "Get off right now. You have done enough for me. If you die, your grandson Victor will have nothing to do with me!"


    Professor Thompson stayed for a moment and lowered his head down slowly.


    Benjamin went to the sofa and sat down. He looked up at Sophia and pointed to the spot beside him. "You must have a lot to ask me, right? Sit here!"


    Sophia was about to walk by when Albertstepped ahead and sat next to Benjamin.


    Sophia was touched. She knew Albert was worried about her safety.


    She sat down next to Albert and asked, "I have a question...Why did you do that? Do you have a grudge against Professor Green?"


    Benjamin looked up at her and said calmly, "No. On the contrary, I admire her. She was the only one I admire in the world."


    Sophia didn''t get it. "Then why did you¡­"


    "I''m just too confident. I didn''t want to kill him. I just want to prove something to her," Benjamin said slowly.


    He looked into Sophia''s eyes. "I just want her to know that there are perfect crimes in this world!"


    Sophia stayed. She seemed to talk about it with someone.


    She then remembered that in Odom''s case, David had said that it was a perfect crime that no one could solve.


    She retorted at the time that there was no perfect crime in the world and that what was missing was the eye to find evidence.


    If David was just a puppet of Benjamin, then the person she was talking to was Benjamin.


    "My thought was simple. I want her to experience a perfect crime. Then I can tell her that there was a perfect crime in the world. Later, I found out that Normand was going to set fire to professor Green''s laboratory for revenge, and I thought of a perfect plan," said Benjamin.


    "I asked Professor Thompson to make a special lock that could trap her in the lab when the fire was on. In case she was burned, I asked Thompson to remove all the combustibles around her. Just gave her a false alarm."


    "After that, I could go to her and told her that it would be a perfect crime if I hadn''t had someone to remove the combustibles. Because the lock was specially made for the crime, there was no such lock in the world and no one would think of that. If things were to come to light, Professor Normand would be the only one responsible. No one would suspect me."


    "I just wanted to hear her concede my point of view, that''s all."


    Sophia was shocked.


    She couldn''t believe it, but it was indeed the truth.


    All this was just a wayward game for this man.


    In the whole incident, no one wanted her to die, neither Professor Normand, who set the fire, nor Professor Thompson, who changed the lock, nor Benjamin, who planned everything.


    The lab tragedy was just a coincidence of all these factors.


    Benjamin sighed and continued, "Please let Professor Thompson go. I''ll take the blame. Anyway, I don''t have any family or friends in the world, I don''t care where I am..."


    Professor Thompson got worried. "No. You''re my benefactor. If it weren''t for you, Victor would have been killed. I did it, no one behind me!"


    Speaking of Victor, Sophia remembered that Victor almost got killed on the plane.


    Benjamin was in charge of protecting Victor then. Sophia thought he was incapable of protecting Victor.


    Now she knew it wasn''t like that at all.


    Suddenly, Benjamin smiled, "You want to ask why I didn''t save Victor on the plane, do you?"


    Sophia was surprised. He could see through her mind.


    Just then, Professor Thompson''s cell phone rang. He answered it. Suddenly, his face changed, and he jumped into the room from the windowsill.


    "Victor was kidnapped!"


    Sophia and Albert jumped to their feet. Only Benjamin, still looking the same, sat there.


    "George is crazy. He squandered his money, so he kidnapped Victor and asked Bridget to pay him fifty million dollars. What should I do? Victor is just a kid¡­"


    Benjamin rose slowly and walked towards the door." It was my negligence. Just leave it to me."


    Sophia hurried up and said, "I''ll go with you."


    Benjamin smiled, "Thanks. But it''s not a big deal. I can do it alone."


    He looked deep into Sophia''s eyes, lowered his voice, and said two words.


    "Professor Green!"


    Sophia was shocked.

 Chapter 257 - 257: This Achievement

    Two hours later, Victor arrived home safe and sound.


    According to the police, George kidnapped Victor to an abandoned factory and placed explosives there. Then a young man came to the factory and rescued Victor. But... at the last minute, George frantically ignited the explosive. Unfortunately, the young man was buried in the bombed building with him.


    Sophia knew "the young man" was Benjamin.


    No. Benjamin was not his name. What was his real name? She had no idea.


    Was he dead?


    She couldn''t believe it. With his ability, how could he not escape?


    Or he did it on purpose.


    All these had been unable to verify. There were too many secrets on Benjamin, and his departure made all these mysteries.


    ***


    Later, Professor Thompson turned himself in at the police station and told the police everything. He was detained at the police station, and his testimony confirmed the arson of professorNormand.


    In the collapsed buildings, the police found two bodies. According to DNA tests, one of them was George, but the other could not be identified.


    Benjamin had no relatives and there was no blood sample of his. So there was no way to prove that the body was him.


    As a member of Sophia''s family, Kevin learned the whole truth from the police, and he was depressed.


    It was him who brought the toilet water to Sophia. He never expected it to be the weapon that killed her.


    Sophia comforted him, "That may doom to happen. You couldn''t predict it. Your sister asked you to buy toilet water for her, and you had to do it because you didn''t want her to get bitten. Right?"


    Kevin thought about it and then said, "Yes, you''re right."


    Even if everything came again, he would still buy toilet water and send it to her.


    Sophia smiled, "Right. That''s it. The college entrance examination is coming. Don''t think too much; just focus on your study."


    Sophia was interested in the college entrance examination. She applied to the school to take the examination. Though she had been admitted to Glinton University, she was still a high school student and was qualified to take it.


    Director Bull agreed happily and said that he would sign up for her.


    The day before the examination, many people posted messages on their microblog.


    "The top scorer of liberal arts in Lands City: Sophia Green!"


    "Haha¡­ There is no doubt that she will be the no.1 student in liberal arts."


    "Number two must be sad. Why did Sophia take the exam? He might ask."


    "We should make a rule: Sophia couldn''t take any exams. Only in this way will it be fair to everyone. She''s just a big bug."


    ***


    When the exam results were announced, netizens saw that Sophia won the first place as expected. Coincidentally, the top scorer in science was Kurt Weller, who was in the same school as her.


    Reporters couldn''t find Sophia and could only interview Kurt.


    "Kurt, do you have any tips for studying in science? How did you get the first place?"


    Kurt was silent for a moment and then said, "Because¡­ Sophia chose liberal arts."


    "That sounds¡­ reasonable. Sophia won the mathematics and chemistry Olympiad. Her science must be amazing," said one reporter.


    Then he realized he was off the point. "Well, forget about her. We''re just normal people, let''s talk about study methods¡­ You know, Sophia won''t accept any interviews, and we won''t get her way of learning anyway."


    Sophia didn''t care about her grades. She just took it. Instead, she was more concerned about the grades of Kevin and the other students.


    To her relief, their grades were ideal.


    Kevin didn''t disappoint her. His grades were very high enough for Glinton University. After the summer, he could go to school with Sophia again.


    Girls of the Sister Alliance were also admitted to universities, which were not the top universities like Glinton University but pretty good. Their families were surprised by the progress they had made in a year.


    Molly got an offer from a foreign university and would study abroad.


    Overall, Colin High School got better grades than ever and won a high evaluation. Many good students said that they would go to Colin High School.


    Director Bull got excited. He attributed the credit to Sophia. So, he is always @ Sophia on the school''s official microblog.


    And he called Sophia. "Sophia, I want to talk to you about something. Can you keep your microblog name even when you go to college?"


    When Sophia went to college, she was no longer a student at Colin High School. He worried that Sophia would change her microblog name into Sophia Green of Glinton University.


    After all, Glinton University sounded much better than Colin High School.


    Sophia thought about it and said, "Oh, thanks for reminding me. I forgot about it. I should change a name, right?"


    Director Bull was speechless.


    Sophia laughed. "I''m joking. Don''t worry. I won''t change it."


    She had twenty million followers. Everyone remembered her as Sophia Green of Colin High School. If she changed the name, her followers might not recognize her.


    And¡­ she didn''t bother to make a change.


    Half a year later, the new energy institute was rebuilt. Sophia took leave from school and returned to work at the academy.


    The new chemistry department director happily agreed and said that she could leave as long as she wanted.


    He taught Sophia a course and felt so stressed out. The student knew so much more than him that he even doubted about his life.


    ***


    People living near the academy often find a handsome, curly-haired young man going to the academy with a lunch box, rain or shine.


    Sometimes, the young man came out with a sweet and lovely girl. Then a happy smile would appear on his face.


    After some time, people knew him.


    "Oh, you''re here, kid."


    "You''re back from your walk, Martin."


    "Yeah. Come on, boy! When I was chasing my wife, I worked harder than you. He sat behind me on the bike. Oh, god! That was a hard time¡­"


    A fat lady beside the man grabbed his ear. "What do you mean? You think I''m fat?"


    "Oh, forgive me, honey. Oh, it hurts!"


    Albert looked at the couple with some envy.


    How many wished for such a sweet life!


    He wished for such a good fortune.


    It was just that¡­ What if Sophia didn''t love him?


    He had no confidence in winning her heart.


    ***


    A year later, the new energy project announced its success, creating a worldwide sensation.


    At the press conference, Andrew, dressed in a black suit, began by saying, "This achievement¡­ I hope to commemorate the late Professor Green with it."


    When hearing that, Sophia, who was sitting on the stage, could not help but turn her eyes to Albert.


    Meanwhile, he was looking at her.


    They had waited too long for this day.

 Chapter 258 - 258: She Was Professor Green

    I''m Edwin Wood. I was born in an ordinary family in France. My father was French, and my mother is American. So, I''m a half-blooded race. But people who saw me think I was American and not very French.


    I had a sister who had inherited our father''s character perfectly. Unlike me, she was an utterly French child.


    My mother told me I was probably the smartest kid in the world.


    Since I was a kid, I found that I could see through everything. I could tell who was lying and who was telling the truth. As I was growing up, my thinking ability became stronger and stronger, or I could say¡­ horrible!


    But meanwhile, I found it hard to communicate with normal people.


    When I was talking to them, it was like an adult talking to a kindergartener. I thought they were childish. I also didn''t bother to disclose their lies. So I would rather stay alone.


    Thus, I had no friends.


    My mother worried about me and took me to a psychologist. The psychologist told her that I had autism. But I knew it wasn''t the case.


    I just despised people.


    When I was fifteen, my parents had an accident while climbing the mountain, leaving my sister and me alone. Then I realized that the only meaning of my life was probably to take care of my sister.


    But soon after, I found how powerless I was before death.


    Two years ago, my sister was diagnosed with cancer. The doctor said it was too late that there was no way to cure her.


    But I didn''t believe it. I had to save her!


    The cure needed a lot of money. I had never taken money as an important thing. But it didn''t bother me. If I wanted money, it was easy to get.


    In the newspaper, I read news about an international thief. According to the report, I could figure out where the thief was.


    I went to a famous detective at the time, David Terry. He was a man greedy for fame and wealth. I could tell it from his resume. Every time he solved a case, he would ask reporters to report it. He made up a thrilling process to get admiration.


    He had an adopted son Benjamin, an American. He had often mentioned how he had helped the American police solve a major human trafficking case and adopted the poor, orphaned child, raising him and supporting him to go to college.


    Benjamin was different from David. He was better at handling cases than David, but he never liked to publicize or let reporters take photos of him. This young man should go further than his father.


    I told David that I could help him solve the case. The credit would go to him, and I just want the money.


    David didn''t believe me at first, but I convinced him in five minutes. According to the more detailed information in his hand, I quickly and accurately deduced the criminal''s hiding place.


    David went there with the police and arrested the man.


    After that, David said that he would cover my sister''s medical expenses.


    Later, I solved several major crimes for him, which soon made him the most famous detective in the world. Even the queen met him.


    I didn''t think it was unfair to me. On the contrary, I hated fame. I just wanted to do what others couldn''t do silently. Then, in a place where people didn''t notice me, I could see them smile.


    But my efforts didn''t make any difference, my sister''s condition deteriorated and eventually died.


    She left me. She left with all the meaning of my life.


    ***


    After my sister died, I wondered if I should leave this boring world with her.


    But David came to me at this time. He wanted me to help solve a case in America, the Odom Walker case, which shocked the whole detective world.


    It was not a big case. The victim was just an accountant. But the thing was, the scene was so simple and so perfect that there was no clue to the murderer.


    It piqued my interest. I studied it for days and found that I couldn''t solve it either. It was a perfect crime.


    But, a small mass of burnt at the scene intrigued me. It could be a breakthrough.


    David heard it from me and thought it made sense. He said he would ask someone to verify what it was.


    Then he told me the "someone" was the most intelligent person, Professor Green, at Glinton University.


    Hearing that, I sneered.


    Another celebrity hunter!


    However, to my surprise, she solved the case with absolute evidence. And she told people that the burnt was meaningless.


    There was no such thing as a perfect crime, just a lack of eyes for evidence, she said to David.


    I wasn''t convinced. She just hadn''t seen a perfect crime.


    The reason why criminals were exposed was that they were not smart enough. If I commit a crime, it would be the perfect crime in the world.


    So, I decided to do this "perfect crime" experiment on her. She experienced it and would believe it.


    Of course, I wouldn''t make the crime come true. I didn''t want to kill her. Who would I prove it too if she died?


    I just wanted to come up to her when it was done and told her I could do the perfect crime!


    I did some research and found that Professor Normand, Professor Green''s colleague, made a self-ignition device. He had been secretly observing Sophia''s lab, looking for a chance to put it in.


    Meanwhile, Professor Thompson, another colleague of Professor Green, went to David because his grandson suffered several accidents. David asked me to protect the child.


    I asked Professor Thompson to find a chance to break the lock of Professor Green''s lab and then replace it with a new one. Professor Thompson specially made the new lock. A special lock for the perfect crime.


    Professor Thompson was worried, I explained to him that Sophia wouldn''t be in danger, and there would be no loss at all, he finally agreed.


    Everything went as planned. Professor Thompson opened the door while Professor Green wasn''t there. Professor Normand had been waiting for the chance and wouldn''t miss it. He sneaked in, stole some information, and installed the self-ignition device.


    Then, Professor Thompson removed all the combustible as I ordered. This way, the fire would only burn for a short time for Sophia to see.


    I waited at home in peace, but what I got later was the news that Professor Green had died in the Glinton University laboratory fire.


    Once again, I found myself powerless in the face of death.


    I killed her.


    Ironically, Albert, Professor Green''s friend, the successor of the Pearson Group, went to David and asked him to help investigate the case.


    I took the case in the name of Benjamin and went to the scene.


    Just one glance, I knew everything. There was a burned toilet water bottle on the ground. That was the key to the accident.


    I came to understand that the world was not entirely under my control. But it was too late.


    It wasn''t until then that I realized that Professor Green, whom I had never met, was probably the most important person in the world to me.


    Her death made me think the world was boring again. At that time, I felt very tired, life for me was just a burden. I couldn''t find anything to do. I had no interest in anything.


    Until one day, I met a girl with the same name as Professor Green at the burnt lab.


    She was a person I didn''t find boring. I didn''t like to talk to people, but I enjoyed talking to her.


    She said she had a missing brother, so I jokingly called her sister. But soon, I found her real brother.


    His name was Eddie Patton. The Pattons adopted him, the owners of the Patton Group. And his adoptive father happened to be the murderer of the Odom case.


    Eddie had known that Sophia was his sister. But for some reason, he didn''t tell her about it.


    He found out I was investigating him, sent a few warnings to me, and even deliberately had Nicole set up a fake case for me.


    I saw through the case soon.


    In response, after learning about Eddie''s plans, I contacted Nicole''s ex-boyfriend, Joseph, and asked him to go to Nicole.


    Later, it gave me a heavy blow again.


    Nicole died!


    I just wanted to play a trick on her. I didn''t mean to kill her at all. But God made a joke to me again. Her death became an irreversible mistake for me.


    I suddenly realized that the power I had had never brought me any good. What I had done seemed wise enough to make me get away with punishment, but could I escape the condemnation of my conscience?


    Later, while secretly protecting Victor, I met Sophia again.


    Just then, I had a feeling. Was she Professor Green?


    I knew it didn''t make sense, but I just felt that way. Even though I had never met her, I was the one who knew her best.


    Victor was with her, and I didn''t need to worry about him.


    Later, it proved that she could protect him. She even noticed something I didn''t think of.


    Only Professor Green could do that.


    She was Professor Green!


    I was sure about it.


    Finally, what I thought was a perfect crime was ruthlessly revealed by her.


    I didn''t panic at all. On the contrary, I felt a sense of relief.


    I looked at her, and she looked at me.


    She never knew what she meant to me.


    When I wasn''t around Victor, George took the chance and kidnapped him. Along with him was a fugitive. George was a fool. Even if he got the money, where could he go?


    I had been feeling guilty about Professor Thompson. So this time, I wanted to end everything. George, I was tired of playing games with you.


    Then I did it.

 Chapter 259 - 259: I Came To Invest

    Sophia hadn''t seen Eddie for a long time. She called him but couldn''t reach him. Finally, one day, she called Eddie and got through.


    Sophia had heard from Albert that the Patton Group''s case had been decided. The Patton family had paid a lot of fines and lost a lot of money. Their business suffered a great loss and a big crisis.


    Eddie''s voice seemed dull. "Oh, Sophia¡­ Can I help you? If there is anything I can do for you!"


    "No. I''m fine. I have been unable to contact you. I''m worried about you. Well, I''m relieved to hear that you''re fine."


    Eddie smiled, "You think I''ll kill myself, do you? How could I do that? I suffered a more difficult time. I can do it. Thanks for your concern. I''ll go to you when I settle everything."


    Sophia cared about him. He was happy to know that, even happier than making a lot of money.


    Patton Group needed a large infusion of money to throw the crisis, but the credibility problems made it hard to find investors.


    He regretted that he was eager to succeed and did something wrong.


    The secretary came in and told him that the representative of the Pearson Group wanted to see him.


    Eddie frowned. He disliked the Pearson Group best. He was pissed at Albert, chasing Sophia.


    He tried so hard to find his sister. He hadn''t got to tell her when Albert appeared and tried to take her from him. That was not what he wanted.


    He couldn''t just let Albert go and had to ask the secretary to let him in.


    Yes, it was Albert. The person he hated the most.


    Eddie''s face didn''t look good. "What''s wrong? You come to laugh at me? Hmm¡­"


    Albert looked at him with a smile. "No. I heard that you need money. I just want to invest¡­"


    Eddie was stunned. How could this obnoxious guy invest in his company? The sun came out from the west?


    He didn''t get it. "We are competitors. You want to invest in my company? Are you kidding me?"


    Albert just smiled and pointed to the sofa. "Sit, let''s talk."


    "Are you in love with me? I''m not into you." Said Eddie.


    "I''m in love with your sister," said Albert.


    Eddie was furious, "You bastard! My sister is only sixteen. You''re so old¡­"


    His sister Dora was a sixteen-year-old cute girl, who was too good for Albert.


    "I''m talking about Sophia."


    "What?" Eddie stayed.


    Albert explained the reason he came. Kate had asked him to find her missing son, and he agreed. After long research, Eddie was finally identified as Kate''s missing son.


    Eddie was taken and sold far away by traffickers. Later, the traffickers were killed in a round-up, but the police were unable to find the parents of all the rescued children. Also, information technology was not well developed at that time, and there were no statistics for every family.


    Recently, the police had been integrating information from recent decades and made a match. Many missing children had found their parents. That was how Eddie knew that Kate was his mother. Also, Albert could find out that Eddie was Kate''s son.


    "So¡­ you help me because of my sister." Eddie was upset. "No. I won''t accept it! It''s an insult to me! It''s like I sell my sister for money. I''ll never do that. I''d rather lose my company!"


    Albert gave a thumbs-up. "Good for you! All right. I have to go."


    Then he left without looking back.


    Eddie was speechless.


    Why didn''t Albert say something more? That was so insincere.


    If Albert insisted, he could accept the investment. He wasn''t a man of high self-esteem.


    And even if he refused it, his sister seemed to marry Albert.


    He was regretting it, the secretary came and told him that there was a man from the Sterling Group.


    Eddie let him in. The visitor was Andy.


    Andy smiled as soon as he saw Eddie, "Son, you look like your mother. Handsome boy!"


    Eddie didn''t know what to say.


    Andy took a copy of the contract out of his briefcase. "It''s a welcome gift. I wonder if it will help you."


    Eddie was so touched.


    He thought he could protect Kate and Sophia and make them live easy and happy. But he didn''t expect that he just got into trouble and his mother and sister gave him so much help.


    He felt so useless.


    Andy laughed. "I knew it. When Sophia was attacked, you secretly helped her. I know you must miss your mother and sister although you never said it. You are a good boy. I trust you, and I want to help you."


    Eddie signed the contract. Anyway, Andy was kind of his father and was far better than his adoptive father.


    Sophia and Kate were shocked to learn that Eddie was the missing kid.


    Kate was so excited that she cried, "He''s alive... Great! My son is still alive¡­"


    Soon, Sophia made an appointment to meet Eddie at his house with Kate.


    Mrs. Patton was an understanding woman. She knew the reason Kate came. "That''s great. Then Eddie has two mothers and two sisters. There will be more people to care about him. I''m really happy," she said with a smile.


    Dora kept asking Sophia, "I heard that you and my husband, no, I mean Mr. Pearson¡­ You''re in love, are you?"


    Sophia didn''t know how to answer.


    Eddie, however, seemed awkward. He hesitated for a while before calling out, "mom." Hearing that, Kate couldn''t hold her tears anymore.


    They had lunch together. Eddie got more familiar with Kate and wasn''t so conservative.


    Kate was glad to see the lost son and wished him to visit her more. After all, he had to take care of Mrs. Patton.


    Mrs. Patton advised her to change Eddie''s last name, but Kate said, "I don''t think it''s necessary. We don''t need our son to carry on the family responsibility. And he might not be used to the new name. Just be it so."


    Mrs. Patton smiled. "Yeah. I don''t count on him to carry on the family responsibility."


    Kate didn''t get it.


    Did she think so because she had a bad relationship with Jarred?


    Dora was a little envious, "Great! Eddie has two mothers now. I want to find my biological mother. If I have two mothers, I will get two dowries."


    Mr. Patton was speechless.


    It was the happiest day for Eddie. Most importantly, Kate and Sophia didn''t blame him for what he did, and they didn''t even mention it.


    He decided that he would never make a mistake again. He wanted to be a decent businessman and never let his relatives down.


    Though Albert didn''t cooperate with Eddie, he did some help to Eddie. With the support of the Pearson Group and the Sterling Group, the Patton Group got well within a few months, even stronger than before.


    During the co-op, Eddie met Albert and saw his strange curl hair and couldn''t help smiling.


    "Come and sit here, brother!" Albert pointed at the seat next to him.


    Ryan came to serve coffee. He had met Eddie a few times, but he had never expected that this man would become his boss'' brother-in-law. He remembered that he had offended Eddie and got worried.


    His nervousness made his hands shake. Then the coffee spilled all over Eddie.


    Eddie got burned and jumped unconsciously from his seat.


    Ryan was so scared that he just ran away.


    What the hell?


    Was he a monster? Was he so scary? Eddie was confused.


    Albert''s assistant was indeed interesting.


    Albert went out, scolded Ryan, and asked him to buy a new suit.


    When he came back, he took out a small box from the drawer. "Sophia knows it''s your birthday. So, she bought you a birthday present," he said to Eddie.


    Eddie took over the box and opened it. It was a beautiful tie.


    "Sophia is so sweet," Eddie exclaimed.


    "Mrs. Green also has a gift for you, but it''s not ready yet¡­ You want to know? She knitted you a sweater!" Albert continued.


    "Really? I''ve never worn a handmade sweater yet!"


    Then he suddenly looked at Albert. "What about you?"


    "What?"


    "I know you want to marry my sister. It''s my birthday. Don''t you give me a gift?"


    Albert then realized that he had set himself a trap.


    He sighed helplessly. "All right. Just tell me what you want, as long as I can afford it. Of course, forget it if it''s too much."


    Eddie didn''t know what he wanted for a while. Right then, Ryan came and told him that the suit was ready.


    Eddie looked at Ryan''s trembling look and found it interesting.


    "Can you help me change?" Eddie asked.


    "Yes, sir," Ryan said, picked up the clothes, and followed him to the locker room.


    Eddie took off the wet clothes, cleaned himself with a towel, and asked Ryan to help him put his new clothes on.


    He found that Ryan had good taste. The clothes were nice and in the right size, like they were right for him.


    "What''s your name?" Eddie asked.


    Ryan was startled and stammered, "I''m¡­ I''m Ryan."


    Would he be fired? He was in despair.


    Walking out of the locker room, Eddie returned to his seat and said to Albert, "I know what I want, but I''m afraid you won''t agree."


    "Within one million dollars, otherwise, forget about it."


    Eddie smiled. "It''s not about the money. I want¡­ him!"


    He pointed at Ryan. "Your assistant has good taste. I want him to choose clothes for me."


    Ryan was surprised. "Choose clothes?"


    What an easy job! But¡­ the salary¡­


    Eddie looked at Ryan with a smile. "Double salary!"


    Ryan Sampson was so moved that he was ready to cry. Oh, god! He just needed to choose clothes and could get double the salary?


    What a great job!


    And most importantly, he wasn''t sure Albert was gay or straight. He didn''t think Albert could win Sophia''s heart. And he worried that if Albert failed, he might come out. As the nearest man to Albert, he could be targeted at any moment.


    While Mr. Patton was straight, there were a lot of rumors about him having affairs with female celebrities. If he worked with him, he must be safe.


    Albert looked silently at the assistant who had been following him for years but whose face clearly showed "I want to change my job". "He''s yours," Albert waved his hands and said.


    Ryan was thrilled. His day was coming.


    However, he didn''t notice that Eddie looked at him with a deep smile in his eyes.

 Chapter 260 - 260: Finale: The Love Confession

    In the sophomore summer vacation, Sophia''s followers exceeded thirty million. She didn''t think she did anything in the past few years. She just posted messages about her research or answered questions from her fans occasionally.


    On the day her followers hit thirty million, there were many a lot of comments.


    "You have thirty million fans, Sophia. Should you do something?"


    "Memorize it! Live broadcast, Sophia! We''ve talked a lot, but you haven''t responded."


    "Good advice! I want to see Sophia. Live broadcast!"


    ***


    Sophia didn''t have much free time. She was working on a big project. As a sophomore, leading such a big project independently was rare in the whole academic world.


    But she thought she should do something for her fans, who were lovely people. Sometimes she tweeted something about public benefit, and her fans would help publicize it, which could be popular within a few hours.


    When she became popular, many people invited her to shoot. But she didn''t want to do that and declined. There were some good public-service ads, which she would help promote free.


    Sophia''s microblog was recognized as the best platform for public service advertising. Other public-service ads tended to be unknown, but as soon as Sophia tweeted an ad, it would become hot soon.


    Advertisers couldn''t help but sign that if Sophia was willing to post commercials, the publicity effect would be great.


    Sophia thought for a moment and tweeted.


    "I''ll broadcast live tomorrow night from eight to nine."


    Within an hour, the message reached the top of the list.


    The fans were so glad that they could see her live. For them, it was more exciting than winning the lottery.


    Sophia decided to do it because she thought it was easy and simple without preparations. She could just answer questions to her fans on it. Anyway, it was just an hour.


    Soon, "Sophia will live" appeared on the popular search page. Everyone could see it.


    Many people joked that it was one of the most anticipated events of the year. After the Super Quiz became popular, many shows had invited Sophia, but she never accepted any of them. Microblog was the only way for netizens to get to know her. However, she didn''t often tweet, rarely one message in a month. So her followers were dying to hear from her.


    Sophia finished tweeting and went about her business without going online to watch the discussion.


    ***


    "So¡­ you haven''t declared your love yet?" On the other end of the phone, Grey was surprised, "Do you know how many years you have known her?"


    Albert sighed, "I want to tell her. But every time I was about to tell her, I thought, how could she love me? Would she find it funny if I told her? What was it about me that she liked? I thought about it, but¡­ nothing."


    "Don''t you find your strengths?" Grey asked.


    "I thought for a long time and found that I''m rich. But Sophia didn''t care about money. She isn''t in a lack of money. Last time, she got one million from the new energy project and she just donated it. Besides, her father is rich, as her brother. Money is nothing to her."


    Grey was speechless.


    He had been worried about Albert. His son Victor was old enough to go to elementary school, but Albert hadn''t got married. What a coward!


    He could understand Albert. Albert was deep in love with Sophia, and Sophia was a great girl that Albert considered himself not good enough for her.


    "How about this?" Grey said, "I''ll have Bridget ask Sophia. Then we can make a plan."


    Albert was depressed. "What if she doesn''t like me?"


    "You can die alone."


    Albert was silent.


    In the afternoon, Bridget visited Sophia with Victor, saying that Victor missed Sophia and wanted to see her. Also, she brought Sophia some gifts. Sophia thanked her.


    "Thanks. But you don''t need to bring me any gifts. I''m happy to see you. You can just come next time."


    Bridget smiled, then chatted casually with Sophia. As she chatted, she turned the conversation to Albert.


    "What kind of person is Mr. Pearson?" Bridget asked, "What do you think is the best thing about him?"


    Sophia was helping Victor peel pistachios. "He''s good-looking," she said.


    "And?"


    "I can''t think of anything else."


    Bridget didn''t know what to say.


    After leaving Sophia''s house, Bridget worriedly told Grey the news she had probed.


    Grey also got worried. "Do you think Sophia will agree to be Albert''s girlfriend for his beautiful face? I don''t think it''s possible¡­"


    "Yeah. She''s so lean. She didn''t seem to be that shallow."


    The news left Albert with mixed feelings.


    He was glad that he got something Sophia liked. That was not easy. What worried him was that it might not be enough for her to fall in love with him.


    "By the way, I heard a piece of news. Booth, you know¡­ he had been trying to woo Sophia recently," said Grey.


    Albert got upset. "That ugly guy? How dare he woo Sophia? I''ll make him break now."


    He had no confidence only when he was with Sophia. When it was about others, he was always confident.


    Grey sighed. "Then, just tell her. You know, you can stay still, but you can''t stop others from chasing her. By the way, my wife is pregnant again. I''m about to be a father of two. And you¡­ If you don''t do anything, Booth will win her. Then you''ll die alone."


    Albert had a nightmare that night. He dreamed that Sophia and Booth were holding hands and shopping happily.


    He awoke in terror.


    Just then, he decided to tell his love for her the next day.


    For that, he specially made a new look and bought flowers. When everything was done, he began to hesitate again.


    What if Sophia refused him?


    But at the thought of that dream, he decided to have a try anyway. If Booth came this evening, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    He orchestrated everything. Kate and Andy weren''t home this night. He also asked Daniel to leave. So, he planned to make a romantic candlelight dinner. After dinner, he would tell her.


    He chose to do it at Sophia''s house. Sophia would be more relaxed there. He told Sophia in advance that he would cook at her house.


    Sophia agreed without thinking. Albert was used to coming over to cook when Kate was away.


    Albert had Daniel place the flowers and candles in the cupboard to keep it a secret. He came into the house and went to the kitchen to cook. Sophia helped, just like usual.


    When dinner was ready, Albert asked Sophia to help serve the meal, and he went to the cupboard to get the candles out.


    Just then, "Would you like some wine? They are in the right cupboard," Sophia said.


    Oh, he was discovered.


    It was awkward. He stopped taking out the candles, closed the cupboard door, and smiled, "I thought the win is here."


    Sophia did it quickly.


    Sophia sat down to eat. It was a quarter to eight. She had to live later, so she ate fast.


    When Albert was thinking about how to act next, Sophia stood up and said, "I''m done. Excuse me. I''ll clean up later."


    Then, she walked to the living room and took out her notebook.


    It was different from what he planned, Albert thought.


    He got worried. If things went on like this, he might not be able to carry on his plan.


    From the distance, he could see Sophia talking to someone on the computer. Was she on a video call with Booth?


    No! Even he didn''t do that with Sophia.


    He gritted his teeth and decided to confess his love like a man.


    He took the flowers from the cupboard and walked over to Sophia.


    "Sophia, I want to talk to you!" Albert stood by Sophia with flowers in his arms.


    He caught sight of Sophia''s face on the computer screen. So, it was a video call.


    Sophia didn''t even look back, "Sorry. I''m a little busy right now."


    She was watching the questions posted by netizens and chose some to answer.


    At this point, there were more messages appearing on the screen. Her face would have been covered by the messages if she had not set them to the right of the screen.


    "It''s Mr. Pearson."


    "Let him talk."


    "We want to see Mr. Pearson!"


    Sophia saw the calling from netizens and had to say, "Okay. Just say it."


    Albert summoned up all his courage and said, "Sophia, I¡­, I love you!"


    Sophia paused for two seconds and then spoke slowly.


    "I know."


    Albert didn''t say anything.


    Then?


    It drove netizens crazy.


    Live broadcast¡­ the love confession?


    That was amazing.


    But¡­


    "I know." What was that?


    Sophia looked back and saw Albert standing behind her, holding the flowers.


    She smiled, stood up, and took over the flowers.


    "Thank you. I love them," she said.


    "The flower¡­ or me?" Albert whispered.


    "Both."


    Albert couldn''t say how he felt. He did it, did he?


    He almost jumped with excitement.


    Sophia pulled him to sit next to her. Then she said to the screen, "Mr. Pearson, my boyfriend, and future husband!"


    ***


    After three years, Sophia and Albert got married. All of their fans were happy while watching their wedding live broadcast. In the same year, Sophia got pregnant, and the couple happily waited for their son to come out.


    ***END***