Chapter 83: The conspiracy is drawing ever closer to her.

Shi Runrun looked up at Cen Huan, a sheepish smile brightening her face as she blushed. Tugging Cen Huan closer, she whispered, “Huanhuan, keep your voice down! We’re in the classroom—there are so many people here!”

But Cen Huan only spoke louder. “So what?! Who at our school doesn’t know you’re the young mistress of the Xiao family? What’s there to be shy about?!”

Shi Runrun fell silent. Indeed, given how many times Xiao Xuezheng had personally come to pick her up at the school gate, their relationship had already caused quite a stir across campus. The fact that she had married Xiao Xuezheng was no secret anymore.

At that moment, a teammate chimed in, “Runrun, since your debate draft is finished and we’ve all reviewed it and think it’s solid, this afternoon we’ll need to submit it to the organizers of the case competition!”

“Alright, no problem. We don’t have any classes this afternoon, so let’s just take a taxi there together!” In truth, Shi Runrun had high hopes for this competition. After all, making it into the top thirty-two had already been a feat—if they could reach the finals, there would be prizes, cash rewards, and extra credits to earn!

...

At half past two that afternoon, Shi Runrun and Cen Huan waited at the school gate for their teammates, Li Leilei and Han Meimei. The four of them hailed a cab to the headquarters of the National Case Study Committee, the organizer of the competition. The building was a luxurious office tower in the city’s bustling commercial district.

As they entered the grand lobby, a receptionist greeted them. After explaining their purpose, the receptionist led them upstairs. They waited by the elevators, and just then, with a chime, the executive elevator opened to reveal an elegant figure.

A woman stepped out, clad in a tailored black skirt suit and tall heels, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, surrounded by a retinue. Someone at her side was briefing her on the day’s agenda, but she wasn’t listening. Her gaze landed on Shi Runrun and her friends.

Shi Runrun, catching her eyes, looked back. For a moment, she was stunned—the woman seemed strangely familiar, as if she had seen her before, though she couldn’t recall where. Their eyes met for several seconds. The woman smiled at Shi Runrun, then turned and strode out of the building.

Outside, a black sedan had been waiting at the curb for quite some time. The secretary opened the door, and Chi Wanwan, heels clicking, got in the back seat. She accepted an iced Americano from her secretary, massaged her temples, and closed her eyes to rest.

The secretary joined her in the car as it pulled away, grumbling, “Director Chi, why come here yourself on such a hot day just to sponsor a college case competition? We’re a design firm—there’s no need to get involved in this.”

Chi Wanwan opened her beautiful almond eyes and smiled faintly. “You don’t understand. Just don’t question my decisions. The sponsorship contract is signed, so just make sure the funds are transferred on time.”

At that moment, her phone rang from her small purse. She answered, lips painted a vivid red curving into a subtle smile. “Yes, send me copies of all the debate drafts from the top thirty-two teams in this year’s case competition, especially the one by a student named Shi Runrun. Pay extra attention—let her through, make sure her team reaches the finals.”

When the call ended, Chi Wanwan stowed her phone and leaned back, unable to hide the smile on her face. She kept seeing the pure, innocent face of Shi Runrun, whom she had just glimpsed in the building. Chi Wanwan wondered whether the girl had been taking the swapped contraceptives she’d prepared. Well, this case competition would be the perfect chance to get close to her... and to have a little fun.

She was determined to find out exactly what it was about Shi Runrun that Xuezheng liked so much. Chi Wanwan’s smile turned cold and venomous as she opened her eyes once more.

...

Shi Runrun was astonished when their debate draft and proposal passed the review in one go—no revisions needed! It seemed almost unbelievable, but her excitement and joy were overwhelming.

Passing the review on the first try meant the judges were highly impressed with their work. This also greatly increased their chances of making it to the final four. The prospect got her blood pumping: making the top four would bring honor, prize money, and extra credits—and she could even use this for her graduation thesis!

With renewed dedication, Shi Runrun met daily with her teammates after returning home, discussing and refining their proposal, preparing for the final four and the last debate.

A week passed in a blur.

During that time, Shi Runrun received only one call from Xiao Xuezheng. It came one evening. He told her he was busy with important matters in America, had visited his grandparents, and that his grandfather’s condition had stabilized. The doctors believed surgery was unnecessary and were confident in their treatment.

Shi Runrun felt an immense wave of relief. To her, this was the second best news after their case competition success. After all, her grandfather had fallen into heart failure because of her, and now, with no need for a transplant, he could recover his health—that was a blessing beyond words.

It felt as though everything was finally moving in the right direction, just as she had hoped.

Xiao Xuezheng reminded her to be good while he was away, to eat and take her medicine on time, and let the family driver take her to and from school, not to run off anywhere. Shi Runrun found him a bit nagging and hung up after a few words—after all, she wasn’t a little child anymore.

On Thursday night that week, Shi Runrun received an email from the competition judges. As expected, her team’s proposal had successfully advanced to the national finals—the top four!

They had only five days now. Next Wednesday, they would travel to C City, the provincial capital, for the final debate to compete for first, second, and third place.

For the sake of the outcome, Shi Runrun worked herself to exhaustion, barely sparing a thought for Xiao Xuezheng.

Soon, it was Tuesday afternoon. The final debate PowerPoint was finished. Shi Runrun saved it onto a flash drive, set it aside, and, together with Cen Huan and their closest friends, hugged and cheered.

Tomorrow they would leave for C City for the last round. They were thrilled and had prepared so long for this day—finally, their hard work had paid off.

To celebrate, they decided to treat themselves to a feast at a restaurant near the school gate. In their excitement, they forgot to put away the flash drive with the crucial debate PowerPoint, leaving it on the desk in one of their dorm rooms...