bo /bher fans, Wendelyn radiated an air of calm confidence by letting her opponent y the ck pieces and make the first move, as if victory bwas /balready in her grasp.

On the public chat screen, thements flooded iolliin./li/ol

(Oh my god. bIsn’t /bWendy ssy?]

[At first, I was just a fan of her looks, but now I’m

n totally hooked! She’s amazing. It’s like she can c

anything. I totally respect her.)

[Wendy is like an angel…]

[I never thought I’d see Wendy ying chess in person today. This is such a pleasant surprise. Who’s she ying against?]

[I’m so excited! Is Wendy’s opponent any good? What rank are they?]

[Don’t forget, Wendy beat a professional yer just a few days ago.]

The fans showered her with praise while sending gifts like crazy. Honestly, Wendelyn had the charisma to start her own cult.

Wendelyn grinned slightly at the barrage of praise, her vanity satisfied beyond measure. Her eyes then drifted over to Shermaine.

Under the lights, Shermaine wore a blue–and–white dress, her hair tied in a simple bun, looking calm and unassuming. But she was effortlessly stunningb, /bgraceful, and radiant like the moon in the sky.

Inparison, even with her light makeup, Wendelyn couldn’t hold a candle to Shermaine’s natural allure. Jealousy wed bat /bher chest, and the urge bto /bcrush Shermaine’s radiance consumed her.

Wendelyn kept the camera focused on Shermaine’s hands, intentionally avoiding her face. Meanwhile, she made sure her whole body was fully in frame.

Wearing casual loungewear, sses, and light makeup, she basked in the soft glow of beauty filters that added an extrayer of charm. From every angle, she looked stunning in the eyes of her viewers.

Wendelyn knew that if the viewers saw Shermaine’s stunning face, they’d be instantly charmed,pletely forgetting about her–the talented girl they had admired. She couldn’t bear the thought of them calling Shermaine more beautiful than her.

Shermaine raised an eyebrow, seeing no reason to turn down Wendelyn’s offer to go first with the ck pieces. She casually picked up a ck piece and said nonchntly, “Alright, then.”

Her voice was soft andzy, carrying a charm that could make anyone’s knees go weak. It was utterly captivating.

Wendelyn continued, “ying just chess is boring. How about we make a bet, Shermaine?”

Shermaine loved betting. She hadn’t gotten much excitement from her bet with Mason–it was just too easy. But this time, ndelyn bwas /bwearing her cheating device, so it might be a little more challenging

Shermaine raised her gaze, her interest piqued. “What do you want to bet on?”

Meanwhile, Janice felt a sense of foreboding. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Wendelyn was like a fox in the henhouse, up to no good.

Wendy smiled, her eyes glinting with the determination of someone sure to bwin/b. “The loser has to agree to bone /brequest from the winnerb./bb” /b

Shermaine didn’t think twice. She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and replied, “Sure, as long bas /bbyou /bbcan /bwin, I’ll bagree /bbto /bbanything/b. bBut /bbdon’t /bforget–you might lose too. Be ready to ept whatever you might lose.”

Wendelyn clenched her fists and lowered her bgaze/b. “I don’t have much bto /blose. bThe /bonly thing I’ve ever bwanted/bb… /bbis /bbalready /bbyours/bb, /bbShermaine/bb./bb” /b

b1/3 /b

bChapter /bb48 /b

bHer /bbpitiful /bbtone /bwas bperfectly /bcalcted, and the live stream audience took the bait, Immediately bspinning /btales of family drama. Everyon Wendelyn was the Jean bfamily’s /bheiress. But recently, rumors had spread about the return of the Jean family’s long blost /btrue herress.

It was said that since her return, she had quickly gained a bad reputation, used of causing trouble wherever she went, relying bon /bbher /bbnewfound /bstatus and Joshua’s support.

The audience was shocked that she even bullied her sister.

Jane

Wendelyn looked aggrieved, “Grandma, don’t be

“You…” Janice stammered, consumed with fury.

I’ll stop.”

In an instant, both Shermaine and Janice were getting bombarded with insults by the viewers of the live stream.

Janice was fuming. Worried about her health, Shermaine quickly stepped in to calm her down. “Grandma, please don’t bget /bupset. It’s not worth bit/bb./b” bShe /bturned to Wendelyn and said, “I keep my word.manage to win, I’ll grant you any wish you want.”

Wendelyn’s eyes sparkled with determination. “Shermaine, I will beat you.”

Shermaine smirked, her smile confident and alluring.

[Shermaine’s way too arrogant. Wendy is definitely going to beat her. She talks like she’s some kind of big deal.]

[Wendy, we’ve got your back! If you want something, go for

irit/ii! /i

Only after trying will you have no regretsb./b]

[You’ve got this, Wendy! You’re the best!]

Some random viewers couldn’t help but be drawn to Shermaine. [Am I the only one who thinks Shermaine is kinda cool?]

[Nope, not just you.]

[Her voice is amazing too.]

But they were immediately attacked by Wendelyn’s die–hard fans and fell silent, only lurking in the chat.

As for Wendelyn’s chess skills, she hadpeted in an amateur tournament above the state levelb, /bwinning a championship and attaining bthe /bss bD /blevel. While she wasn’t a professional yer, her victory in such a challenging andplex tournament had made her quite well–known at the time. But Shermaine thought that Wendelyn’s championship probably had more to do with the high–tech cheating sses she was wearing bnow/b.

Wendelyn streamed everything–drawing, ying the piano, singing–and of course, ying chess. She’d often y against others on a tform called “World Chess,” where amateur yers from different countries gathered, and even professional yers sometimes joined under pseudonyms to dominate the games.

Wendelyn had consistently won her matches there. She was ranked ss C and close to advancing to ss B.

When she yed against Owen that day, she didn’t wear the sses–likely afraid he’d catch on. After all, Owenb, /bbeing a National Masterb, /bwas bno /bordinary yer.

Professional yers are sharp and meticulous, especially those who’ve won awards in major tournaments. Trying to cheat bin /bbfront /bbof /bbthem /bis asking bfor /btrouble. That’s why Wendelyn only dared to y against amateur yers.

Even when she did encounter a professional, it was usually someone bat /bthe Expert level easy to fool and unlikely to notice bher /bbtricks/b.

Meanwhile, bin /bthe Al Technology Department on the 65th floor of the York Group building, Joshua bwalked /bbin /band nced bat /bbthe blue/bb–/bbhaired /bbRoy /bb“/bbHow’s /b

b12.40 /b

bMon/b, b2 /bbJun /b

it going?” he asked.

Right now, they were working on upgrading and optimizing the face recognition 3.0 system, and the team was burning the midnight oil.

Roy had been called in to help solve some issues. Of course, he wasn’t doing it for free. Even though they were close friends, Joshua made sure to pay him what he was worth.

Roy stretched his neck. “Almost done. Should be finished before midnight.” Standing up, he added, “I’m hungry. Let’s go out and grab something to eat.”

Joshua’s face remained expressionless. “I already had Bradley order takeout.”

Roy’s mouth twitched. “Seriously? I’m helping you out, and you won’t even treat me to a proper meal?”

“Didn’t I pay you enough?” Joshua replied tly.

That wasn’t true. Joshua, known for his generosity, had paid Roy tens of millions for his help.

Soon, Bradley brought the takeout in.

Roy thought eating alone was a little sad, so he decided to just eat in Joshua’s office. If they couldn’t go outb, /bthey’d at least eat together here. He’d makeollido./li/ol

Joshua, however, showed no intention of eating. He was focused on the project reports submitted by the higher–ups

The York Group, with its unshakable position in Basterel, was originally built on real estate and aviation manufacturing, industries in which they were leaders.

When Joshua took over the family business after retiring from the military, he established a new department–M&A Strategic Investment Department.

In just five years, he spearheaded the acquisition of over i40 /ipanies,rge and small, domestically and internationally. He also led the group’s overseasmercial bank iin /isecuring several billion–dor mergers, earning him a ster reputation in the financial world.

He had a broad portfolio of venturesi, /iincluding major investments in Al and new energy. The returns from breakthroughs in Al and new energy alone had driven the York Group’s market value past $900 billion.

As iRoy /iate, he suddenly shoved his phone in Joshua’s face. “Look at this! Wendelyn is so beautiful–graceful, elegant, and incredibly talented. Just look at how stunning she is while ying chess.”

Joshua remained indifferenti, /ihis gaze briefly shifting to the screen. His attention was drawn to the hand holding the ck piece–slender fingers with neatly trimmed nails that had a soft pink hue. iDespite /ithe bandages still wrapped around the back of her hand from an injury, she made her moves without hesitation.

He immediately noticed the insults directed at Shermaine and even Janice. His gaze darkened.

Roy continued, “Joshua, who do you think will win–Wendelyn or Shermaine?” He immediately voiced his opinion. “I think it’s Wendelyn. I’d put money on it–she’ll definitely win.”

He remembered Wendelyn’s iimpressive /ichess skills. Among iyers /iher age, she had few equals. There was ino /iway Shermaine could be a match for Wen

With

Commentollie. She’l/li/ol

iAD /i

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