Heartstrings on Fire Novel Full Episode
Chapter 171-180

Chapter 171

Right now, Agnes just wanted to find a place to hide. She had zero memory of what Jared had told her, but there were some things she couldn’t just spill out. She was a lightweight when it came to drinking, and she wasn’t a pleasant drunk. On top of that, she had ten years of taekwondo under her belt, so she was strong. What Jared said wasn’t entirely out of the question. Agnes was so embarrassed she totally forgot what she was originally talking about. She thought they were both drunk that day, so that’s why…

Suddenly, Agnes remembered something. She asked, “Aren’t you the one who can’t get drunk?”

Brayden had just mentioned that Jared could hold his liquor. He’d just downed a bottle of hard liquor and was totally fine now. Meanwhile, Mamie was acting out after just two sips, showing how strong that stuff was.

Jared nodded, “Indeed, I can hold my liquor pretty well.”

Agnes asked, “Then how did you get drunk at that dinner with Director Zoe?”

M

That time Jared, as an investor, had gotten drunk at a dinner. Ivar ended up dumping him on her. In the end, Agnes had to book a room at the hotel.

At that time, Agnes was mad at Jared because of his relationship with Mamie, but that day, Jared ended up having the upper hand.

Jared said casually, “Agnes, they say some people are born with a worm inside them, so they don’t get drunk. But sometimes the worm needs to rest. That day, the worm inside me happened to be resting.”

Agnes was confused, thinking about what kind of worm he was talking about. When she turned her head and saw the smirk on Jared’s face, Agnes suddenly got mad, “Jared, are you messing with me again?”

She huffed and stopped talking to him.

Jared, laughing, took Agnes’s hand and became serious, “If I say I liked you the moment I saw you, you might not believe it. I find it ridiculous myself. But since the first time I saw you, I felt familiar, curious, and had no aversion to you. In fact, I couldn’t help but want to be near you. So, Agnes; I can’t answer your question. Because I don’t think it was just a one-night stand between us. That night, I thought it through. From the moment I touched you, I intended to make you my wife and spend my life with you. So, our marriage wasn’t because of that night. But because I liked you the moment I saw you.”

Jared still remembered that night at the bar. That night, she was sloppy drunk and fell right into his arms.

He usually hates physical contact with others, but that night, the moment she fell into his arms, he could smell a faint fragrance amid the strong smell of alcohol. Her flushed little face was like a ripe red apple.

Friends around them all thought this girl was obviously drugged. Several even offered to help, saying they’d handle it.

He usually didn’t like to get involved in such things. But that day, he unexpectedly took her in his car and brought her home. That night, was a game-changer.

Agnes was indeed drugged that day. Jared had investigated and soon found out it was her friend, Jenny.

By then, Jenny had left.

Jared had no intention of telling Agnes about it. She was kind-hearted, and he didn’t want her to see the dark side of the world.

Jared didn’t consider himself the type to take advantage of others. But that night, he did lose control

Chapter 172

Jared still couldn’t figure it out even now He didn’t have any special feelings towards women before. Even with Mamie, there was nothing special. He thought maybe there was something wrong with him. But that night, after meeting that girl, his feelings seemed to have changed.

His body seemed to have awakened a new sensation, and it got stronger and stronger. He could feel that some boundaries he had been holding onto for years were finally

broken

Yes, he did something not so cool this time, taking advantage of someone when they were vulnerable. He knew Agnes was not herself at that moment, but he still approached her

That night, he barely slept Looking at the girl who was sleeping beside him like a kitten, he felt confused for the first time.

Why her? Even he himself couldn’t answer this question.

Jared never believed in fate. But after meeting Agnes, he had a strange premonition. That feeling of first love.

When she kissed him, the feeling of electric shock, and the involuntary tremble throughout his body, were experiences he had never had before.

He did struggle. The appearance of this girl seemed to have broken his bottom line, like throwing a stone into the water, causing a huge fluctuation.

And yet she asked him why? He wanted to know why more than her.

After hearing Jared’s words, Agnes’ heartbeat suddenly accelerated. Jared said he liked her the moment he saw her. Fireworks suddenly popped up in her mind, and her heart was filled with pink bubbles.

Agnes lowered her head, and asked shyly, “So, are you confessing to me?”

Jared smiled slightly, “Sort of.”

She was filled with joy.

Jared suddenly changed the topic and asked, “What about you?”

རྨ ༢ ཛ ཎ ༤

Agnes was stunned, “What about me?”

“Why did you agree to marry me that morning when I proposed?” Jared asked.

Agnes answered, “Because I had just broken up then, and starting a new relationship is the best way to heal from a breakup. Besides, we had slept together that night. If I don’t marry you, who else could I marry? You’re not bad you know, so I agreed.”

When Agnes looked at Jared again, his face was not happy. Jared gritted his teeth and asked, “So, you were just using me as a tool to heal your feelings?”

“What do you think?” Agnes teased him deliberately. Seeing Jared’s face getting darker and darker, she found it amusing.

Jared’s voice was cold, seemingly reluctant to ask, “What about now?”

Agnes stroked her chin, pretending to think, “Now…”

She sneaked a glance at Jared. His angry look was actually quite cute.

Agnes felt that she had teased him enough, and it was time to comfort him. She immediately showed a smile, and hurriedly said, “Now of course you’re the best and I love you the most. You know, I find your angry look very charming.”

This was the first time Agnes had expressed her feelings so directly.

She mentioned “you” couple times in a row, which made her feel a little uneasy.

But Jared seemed very satisfied with this. The serious look on his face finally eased a bit, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He said lightly, “Continue.” Continue what? Was this guy addicted or what?

Agnes began to rack her brains, “Jared is handsome and elegant, talented. His charm is irresistible.”

Jared suddenly coughed twice.

Agnes asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jared replied, “Okay, that’s enough.”

Agnes stuck out her tongue, then leaned over and gave a gentle kiss on Jared’s face. She felt like she was beginning to like this man more and more.

Chapter 173

After the shooting of the movie “The Magical Romance of Cinderella, Agnes was about to start a new semester. She was now a senior

On the first day of the new semester, Agnes was the talk of the town

The big magical movie was shot right at Lakeside College, so it was the hot gossip among all students. But the leading lady was none other than Agnes from the joontalions department. What was even more shocking she got hitched with the big cheese of the Whitfield ferrally at just 20.

This was the buzz all summer long No doubt, Agnes became the center of attention.

So, on the first day of the new semester, many were at the school gate waiting for her arrival.

As soon as Agnes stepped into campus, she felt gazes falling on her from all directions, Many were looking at her, talking about her, but not daring to interact with her

With her sharp ears, Agnes heard a lot of rumors.

“Look, that’s Agnes from journalism, tied the knot with Mr. Whitfield at only 20. That’s why Mr. Whitfield only accepted an interview from a campus mediose it was all for her.”

“I heard Starlight International Group is run by Justin, she’s so lucky. Not only did she marry into wealth, but she also got to act with the hottest and most handsome star

“Her dad is the chairman of Starlight International Group, and I heard he funded the movie. Justin is also a star of Starlight. So, her family background really does matte She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, we can’t really compete with that.”

“But, wasn’t there a rumor that Prince Frost announced that Agnes from the journalism department was his girlfriend? Is that true?

“Isn’t Prince Frost, Ryder Whitfield, Mr. Jared’s nephew?”

“But their relationship was public. I was there at the cafeteria when Ryder held Agnes’s hand and declared it after Ceole tried to provoke him. How could that be fake? What’s going on?”

“Maybe she was with Ryder first, then got close to the family after meeting the parents!”

“Oh my gosh, this is so complicated.”

Hearing all of this, Agnes felt uncomfortable. She was worried about this issue before the new semester started. While she never admitted it. Due to Cesile’s midleading many people on campus had misunderstood her relationship with Ryder.

Ryder only used her as a shield to avoid Cecile. Even he probably didn’t expect his shield to become a burden and tarnish his reputation. No wonder Ryder was so annoyed

with her now.

“Look, isn’t that Prince Frost? Oh my god, he’s so handsome. I can’t believe I get to see him on the first day of the new semeste

“Why is he coming to school with Agnes? Do they live together?”

“Wow, his ex-girlfriend became a family member? Isn’t that awkward?”

Everyone was buzzing with gossip.

Agnes turned around. Sure enough, she saw Ryder not far behind her.

He was still looked handsome and aloof, wearing a simple white shirt, but with an artistic vibe. Carrying his black backpack as usual, he gave off a cold, restrained, and mysterious feel.

No wonder so many girls at school were head over heels for him. His face looked like it was straight out of an anime.

Agnes couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.

Watching Ryder come closer, when he was next to her, Agnes considered whether to politely say hi. But he didn’t even glance at her just walked right past her treating Agnes as if she was invisible.

Agnes watched as Ryder walked away and let out a sigh. Maybe, he also heard those rumors at school.

That probably made him dislike her even more.

Chapter 174

Agnes didn’t have a lot of classes this semester. After grabbing some textbooks for her major, she planned to head back home as classes hadrit started yet.

At the school gate, she ran into Kerri. After catching up, they decided to grab some grilled fish together.

At the restaurant, Agnes confessed, “Kerri, there’s a reason I didn’t tell you about my marriage.”

Kerri was Agnes’ college roomie and her best friend besides Jenny. Agnes felt she owed her an explanation. But Kerri said, “I get it. Stuff like this can be hard to share”

Agnes let out a relieved sigh, “I thought you’d be mad that I kept such a big thing from you.”

༢ འ ༴ ་ ༴ བ ་

Kerri hesitated, ‘Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you either.”

Agnes asked in surprise, “What’s up?”

Kerri nervously confessed, “Agnes, I’m married too, but I haven’t told anyone.”

Agnes was stunned.

Kerri, with her gentle demeanor, kind nature, and outstanding academic performance, was a medical student at the renowned neurology department of Lakeside College, the same major as Ryder.

She was always the model student, spending all her time studying, doing lab work, writing papers, or doing clinical rotations with professors. She rarely mingled with boys outside her major.

How on earth did she end up married?

Agnes asked, “When did this happen?”

Kerri confessed, “Two years ago, I got married in Vegas when I was 18.”

The more Agnes thought about it, the more complex it seemed. There must be a story there.

Before Agnes could ask, Kerri explained, “You must think it’s unbelievable, like something out of a TV drama. But my life is just like that. I was an orphan, lived in an orphanage for 12 years, then got adopted by a family. They paid for my education and planned out my life to a tee. From the moment they adopted me, I knew I had no freedom. They’ve done so much for me. So no matter what they arranged, I had to accept.”

Agnes could see the helplessness on Kerri’s face. For a moment, Agnes felt she couldn’t keep prying. She could tell, Kerri wasn’t happy in her marriage.

How could a girl who was forced to marry at 18 possibly have any love in her life?

Agnes had heard about some wealthy families adopting helpless girls to groom them into suitable brides for their disabled sons when they couldn’t find a suitable match from a good background. Then, these girls would be bound by their gratitude for the rest of their lives, unable to make their own decisions.

Agnes never thought this would happen to Kerri.

Seeing Agnes’ worried look, Kerri said, “Don’t worry about me. Luckily, he’s not into me and has been thinking about divorce. I’m just waiting for him to let me go so I can start my own life.”

Kerri didn’t mention who her husband was and Agnes didn’t ask. If it was bound to end, there was no need to dig deeper. Agnes had always held this view.

Kerri must have made up her mind to tell her about it today.

Agnes said, “Well, I wish you a speedy divorce.”

Kerri clinked her glass with Agnes’ and said, “Thank-you.”

Chapter 175

The two continued to chat for a bit.

Out of the blue, Kerri said, “I just saw that you’re pretty popular in the voting for the school culture festival. Looks like you stand a good chance of winning the whole competition. Mr. Whitfield seems to have boosted your popularity quite a bit.”

Agnes asked, puzzled, “What culture festival?”

༤ ༠༠ ༥ ༤ ༅ ༤ ༦

Kerri explained, “The annual school culture festival. Each school sends a performance to compete, and the winning performance gets a reward. It’s a big deal for the school’s reputation. Plus, this year’s festival coincides with Lakeside College’s centenary celebration, so we got the hosting rights. The school’s taking it super seriously.”

Agnes was actually familiar with the yearly school culture festival. It was like a big cultural exchange competition among various universities. Every year, universities would compete behind the scenes for the hosting rights.

The festival took place at the end of October every year, with top universities nationwide sending a performance to compete. Top government officials would come to watch, and in recent years, there was even a hefty cash prize and a medal of honor.

Although it was ostensibly to promote cultural exchange, in reality, it was a power struggle among the major universities. The school always placed great importance on

this event.

Agnes said, puzzled, “But aren’t all the competing performances handled by the performing arts department?”

The reason Agnes didn’t make a big deal out of this event was that for many years, the opportunity to participate was basically given to the performing arts department. The students there were incredibly talented. Some of them had even entered the entertainment industry and made a name for themselves.

Naturally, they should be the ones to take on such a task that brought glory to the school.

It was said that the school culture festival was a great opportunity for performing arts students to showcase their talents, as many people from entertainment companies would come on the day of the competition. If chosen, they could become famous overnight.

The current rising star in the entertainment industry was the champion of the last culture festival. Her stunning opera performance swept everyone off their feet. She was spotted by a talent scout, released her first album, and starred in two TV series in the same year, becoming famous overnight.

Almost all performing arts students saw the culture festival as a stepping stone to the entertainment industry, and there would be some disputes every year over the performance.

V…

Kerri said, “In the past, this had nothing to do with us. But this year the school has a new rule. Apparently, the school has decided that the competing performance will be a play this time, so there’s a school-wide vote to select a male and female student with the highest popularity to be the leads of the play. The announcement was sent out a month ago, and the voting is posted on the official website, with the names of almost all students on it. The deadline is tomorrow. I checked this morning, and among the girls, you have the highest popularity right now, followed by Cecile.”

A month ago, Agnes was fully devoted to the drama crew and had no time to pay attention to anything else. Now, she finally had some free time to pick up her phone and glance at the campus forum, which she usually never cared about.

Sure enough, in the popularity vote, she was leading with over thirty thousand votes. The second place only had over ten thousand votes. She was undoubtedly in first place. She also casually glanced at the voting situation for the boys. Without a doubt, the first place in the boys’ vote was everyone’s favorite, Ryder.

Chapter 176

Agnes was a bit baffled

She had nothing against participating in a drama performance. After all, it was all about bringing honor to the school and she always felt a strong sense of duty towards

that

But to pair up with Ryder… Agnes couldn’t envision how awkward that would be.

Kerri said, ‘Agnes, you better brace yourself. Tomorrow is the last day of voting I don’t think Cecile would let this opportunity slip by so easily Her obsession with Ryder is well-known. How could she possibly pass up the chance to rehearse a play with Ryder?”

Even though Kerri put it that way, Agnes was still at a loss. The voting wasn’t over yet and the official results hadn’t been announced. And even if she wanted to discuss this with school executives, Agnes had no idea who to go to. She could only wait and see how things would unfold.

However, the next morning, as soon as Agnes opened her eyes and checked the campus forum.

She saw that her votes had been overtaken by Cecile, who was leading the popularity chart with a 50,000 vote advantage.

Agnes actually felt relieved. It was within her expectations. How could Cecile possibly give up this golden opportunity? Even if it meant getting people to rig the votes, it wouldn’t be surprising.

However, when Agnes was about to close the forum, she noticed a new thread that was even more popular than the voting thread. The title of the new thread was ‘Don’t be fooled by her looks, the sinister girl from the journalism department.”

Agnes had a bad feeling and when she clicked on the thread, her suspicions were confirmed. The thread was about her.

Agnes read the whole thread from start to finish and by the end, she could only conclude that it was filled with lies.

It fabricated a lot of negative content about her, like how she used Ryder to get close to Jared, and used unfair means to get the leading role in Cinderella. It said she was promiscuous, frequented bars and led a chaotic personal life. It even said that she was secretly canvassing votes for the campus election. Every evidence in the thread was falsified.

Agnes’s fingers began to tremble involuntarily. She never liked being the center of attention, but she was always thrust into the spotlight.

There were already thousands of replies to the thread.

Agnes randomly scrolled through a few.

“I never expected her to be such a schemer, there’s so much story behind this. Using an ex-boyfriend to get close to his family, then quickly getting married after rising to the top. Very few people can pull that off.”

“How can you become Mrs. Whitfield without some tricks? Besides, the cultural festival has always been handed over to the performance department. This year’s sudden open vote might have some secrets.”

“This kind of girl has a good family background, is pretty, heartless, cunning, and emotionally intelligent. No wonder she’s a winner in life at just 20. It’s so unfair!”

“This is just the opinion of the thread starter. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon. I’m a journalism student. I know she’s a good person.

“Kid, haven’t you heard that women are dangerous? Even the pretty ones are no exception. A friendly reminder, keep your distance from her to avoid trouble.”

Almost all of the comments were derogatory and defamatory, with many personal attacks. Of course, there were also people who pointed out objectively that these were unfounded accusations, but not many people were interested in pursuing the truth.

All they knew was that this girl’s rise was meteoric, which made them envious.

Agnes couldn’t bear to continue reading. At the end, she glanced at the signature.

The one who posted this was: Cecile is the superstar.

There was no doubt that it was Cecile.

Chapter 177

After Agnes got to school, she made a beeline for the drama department. She’d done a quick online search for the department’s class schedule. Turned out Cecile had a large-scale culture class at nine in the morning in a lecture hall.

Agnes was already waiting at the door before they finished class.

The moment the bell rang students came pouring out. Everyone cast weird glances at Agnes waiting by the door. Every now and then, Agnes could even hear whispers of hypocrite and malicious

Finally, out came Cecile.

Seeing Agnes, she raised an eyebrow and smirked in disdain, “Well, look who it is, the hottest starlet of the moment. What brings you to our humble drama department? Let me guess, you’ve done one play and you’re already thinking of switching careers?”

Agnes cut to the chase, “Did you post that thread on the school forum?”

Cecile played dumb, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re the one who wanted to be in the limelight, and now you’re exposed. Why drag me into this?”

Agnes retorted coldly, “Cut the act. I’ve traced the forum ID, and the registered account is your student ID. Are you still going to deny it?”

Cecile’s smirk didn’t falter at being exposed; she seemed rather smug. She said sarcastically, “So what if I posted it? I didn’t lie. You climbed up the ladder using Prince to get to Jared. You landed the role of Cinderella only because of your father’s connections, didn’t you? I just laid out the facts for everyone to see your true colors.”

Agnes shot back, “Do you even know what the truth is? Your so-called truth is just made up. You only aim to defame me, to knock me off the popularity list so you can take over my place. The real hypocrite here isn’t me, it’s you.”

The crowd at the door had already grown since class ended. Seeing the school’s two hot topics clashing, everyone stopped to watch. Some even whipped out their phones to record the whole thing.

Agnes’ direct accusation seemed to have left Cecile red-faced and angry, “Agnes, you’re talking nonsense. I’ve always been the top of the popularity list. Why would I fight with you over a role that’s already mine?”

“Already yours? I don’t think so. You think everyone in school is an idiot? You’re obviously rigging the votes. Cecile, let me tell you. I wasn’t interested in this role before, but you’ve crossed the line. I’m telling you now, I’m taking that role. We’ll see.” With that, Agnes turned and walked off, leaving a buzz behind her.

“Oh my god, Agnes is so badass.”

“She seems to have a point. Why did such a post appear at this crucial time? And indeed, Cecile’s votes are now far beyond Agnes’, ‘she was behind by over 10,000 votes just yesterday. Something fishy’s going on.”

“Could it be that what Agnes said is true? That Cecile deliberately posted it to frame her.”

*Shut up!” Cecile’s furious roar resounded from afar.

Agnes had blurted out those words in a fit of anger. She hadn’t really decided whether to participate in the school competition, but now, it seemed she had no other choice.

Yet she had no regrets. With people like Cecile, the more she let them push her around, the worse they get. Agnes had avoided trouble before not because she was afraid of Cecile, but because she didn’t want to stir the pot. But now that trouble had come knocking. If she still chose to endure it, then she’d really be a pushover.

Chapter 178

After Agnes came out, she gave Jared a ring.

Jared was in a meeting, but he paused it, and went to the balcony to answer, “Agnes, what’s up?”

Agnes asked, “Can you do me a favor?”

“Shoot.”

“I remember you said you have a hacker mate, the one who traced back the anonymous posts Jenny Fitz spread on the school forum. Can you pass me his contacts? I need him to do me a favor”

Jared responded, “Sure, I’ll shoot his info your way later.”

It took Agnes by surprise how quickly Jared agreed, so she asked, “Aren’t you curious about what favor I need?”

Jared said, “If you wanted to tell me, you would’ve.”

Agnes thought it was unnecessary to bother Jared about it. Plus, what she needed was kinda childish, so she said, “I’ll fill you in when I get the chance.”

“Sounds good.” Jared’s voice was gentle.

After hanging up, Jared dialed Mr. K’s number.

Mr. K responded, “I’ll go all out.”

Jared said, “Report back to me afterwards.”

Mr. K retorted, “Isn’t that a bit much? Why are you always keeping tabs on her?”

Jared countered, “Our company’s tech director position is still up for grabs. Maybe I should have a chat with your mom?”

“Jared, I messed up! My mom still thinks I’m in the States, don’t spill the beans. Whatever Agnes asks me to do, I’ll keep you posted.”–

Agnes soon received a call from an unknown number: “Hello, this is Mr. K, what can I do for you?”

Agnes made her request. Mr. K assured her, “No problem, I’ll sort it out in no time.”

Agnes felt a bit embarrassed, “Thanks, sorry for the trouble.”

Mr. K cheerfully said, “It’s okay! Jared’s business is my business, Jared’s wife is my…”

Agnes was taken aback.

Mr. K realized he’d put his foot in his mouth and quickly apologized, “Sorry, I misspoke, don’t take it personally. I’ll get back to you.”

With that, Mr. Khung up.

Agnes was still a bit dazed.

Why did this guy seem so unreliable?

-But as it turned out, although Mr. K was a bit of a chatterbox, he was top notch.

In the afternoon, Agnes’s votes started to skyrocket.

By the cut-off time for voting, Agnes had just edged out Cecile Higgins by a single vote.

Agnes had asked Mr. K to help her rig the votes. She told him that she just needed to beat the original first place by a hair.

And this “hair” turned out to be one vote.

It was clear that in the afternoon, Cecile was also rallying for votes.

But, she was always held back by Mr. K.

The video of Agnes and Cecile’s morning conversation at the classroom door was also uploaded to the school forum. Soon, the whole school knew that these two popular girls were officially at war!

Chapter 179

Agnes saw the final results and was pretty chuffed.

Mr. K is really something else.

Keeping a one-vote lead must be tough, and just this one vote might already have Cecile blowing a gasket.

Even though victory is within arm’s reach, it always seems to be trailing by one vote.

Cecile was obviously fuming. She knew this was Agnes hitting back.

The next day, Cecile dragged Agnes to the Dean’s office. She accused Agnes of rigging vote, therefore her first place should be revoked.

Dean was planning to confirm the cast and arrange rehearsals.

She’d also heard about the “one vote difference” incident on the forum.

Agnes said, “Yeah, I rigged the votes, but I reckon I’m not the only one doing it. Andrea, you should look into it. I suggest disqualifying all those involved in vote rigging”

Cecile was gobsmacked.

So that’s what Agnes was up to! She blatantly rigged the votes to force the school to investigate and get her punished too.

But how could Andrea not see through this?

In a public vote, vote rigging is bound to happen.

Especially with the two girls in front of her, one the mayor’s daughter and the other the most popular rising star.

The school had already made up its mind. They saw Agnes’ popularity and thought she could benefit the school.

But, dealing with Cecile isn’t a piece of cake either.

Now, both of them rigged the votes and their popularity is sky-high.

If they disqualified both, it’d be a massive loss for the school.

Andrea thought for a moment and said, “Both of you are pretty popular. I’ll give you both the script, and you can form your teams and rehearse. In half a month, you’ll perform in front of the school. The more audience, the higher your popularity. Then, I’ll select the more popular team for the competition. Is that fair?”

Andrea thought, this way, everyone will rehearse, no time will be wasted, and they can promote within the school. Plus, competition between them would spur improvement. Both agreed.

As they left the Dean’s office, Cecile said to Agnes, “Agnes, let’s make a bet, see who gets picked in the end, you or me.”

Agnes said, “Alright, what’s the stake?”

Cecile said, “If I win, you let me slap you three times, how’s that?”

Cecile seemed smug, as if she could already see herself slapping Agnes.

Agnes said, “Fine, but if I win, you have to announce to the whole school over the PA system that your previous posts were all lies, and you have to personally apologize to

me!”

Cecile agreed, “Deal.”

Agnes headed home with the script.

Now she agreed to this, she needed to start preparing.

The reason she made a bet with Cecile was to leave herself no room for retreat.

< Z F F = *

This was her only chance to prove her innocence, she couldn’t give it up easily.

If she doesn’t take a firm stand this time, there will be more false accusations in the future. Agnes was already fed up.

Agnes approached Kerri Bradford to discuss strategies.

Kerri said, “Finding actors won’t be hard. You’re the president of The Journalism Society, there are bound to be many willing participants. But I must remind you, Cecile is a performing arts student, a teacher’s pet. The performing arts department will definitely help her rehearse to grab this opportunity, that’s her big advantage. Plus, they have many popular, talented actors. If you want to beat Cecile, the only thing you can do now is to find a partner who is more popular than the performing arts students.”

Agnes and Kerri thought of the same person and almost at the same time said, “Ryder Whitfield!

Chapter 180

The only person who could outshine the performing arts department in terms of popularity was Ryder from the medical school.

But the moment his name was mentioned, Agnes immediately vetoed him.

The reason Agnes did not want to participate in the competition was because she did not want to share the stage with Ryder

So why was she inviting him to join now?

Kerri said, “Agnes, Ryder is your only shot at winning He’s the top dog in the male lead popularity vote. If you don’t go for him, Cecile will. You better make a move now! With your relationship with Jared, you should have no problem convincing him to take your side.”

What Agnes didn’t tell Kerri was that Ryder was currently pissed at her.

Agnes was torn

In fact, Kerri was right. Cecile already had a huge advantage. Without Ryder, Agnes wouldn’t stand a chance of winning.

She didn’t fancy being humiliated by Cecile in public.

After all, she and Ryder were practically family. He should lend a hand if his aunt was in trouble, right?

So, after parting ways with Kerri, Agnes headed straight the medical school.

But Agnes did not expect to be one step behind.

Ryder was in the lab.

The lab was quiet, but Cecile was already there.

“Prince, do me a favor, will you? You’re the top pick in the popularity vote, the rightful male lead. I know you’re swamped, but you’re a bright spark. You won’t need much rehearsal time. This is about bringing honor to our school.”

“Plus, the prize money for this competition is 200K. I promise, with our popularity, we can outshine the other universities. Once we win all the prize money is yours, okay?” “I know you’re not short of cash, but even if you don’t join now, the school will still force you to participate later on, because you’ve already been picked as the male lead.” Ryder, engrossed in his experiment, was bothered by Cecile’s interruptions: Finally, he snapped, “I have no interest in performing in a play. I’ll go talk to Andrea myself and tell him to find someone else.”

Cecile asked, “Ryder, are you refusing to join my team because you’re waiting for Agnes to ask you?”

At the mention of Agnes, Ryder’s body stiffened slightly.

He looked up to see Agnes standing in the doorway.

With her back to the door, Cecile didn’t realize Agnes was already there.

Cecile continued loudly, “Ryder, I’m not a fool. I know you fancy Agnes, but you should know that the two of you can never be together. She is now your…”

“Shut up!” Ryder cut her off sharply.

Caught off guard by Ryder’s icy demeanour, Cecile was left speechless.

Ryder’s expression was colder than usual.

The temperature in the lab seemed to drop a few degrees..

“I… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that,” Cecile stuttered.

Ignoring her, Ryder’s gaze shifted past her to the doorway.

Cecile turned around to see Agnes standing quietly in the doorway.

Cecile quickly put two and two together. No wonder Ryder was so upset just now.

She turned to Agnes and snapped, “What are you doing here?”

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