Chapter 220

In short, Shermaine couldn’t stand Lily’s new boyfriend. She could tell he wasn’t genuinely interested in Lily, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes as she thought about it.

When he excused himself to use the restroom, Shermaine leaned forward. “Lily, you should really take some time to observe this guy before you decide whether to trust him completely.”

“But he’s been really good to me,” Lily protested.

Shermaine couldn’t bring herself to say what she really thought—that smooth-talking men were experts at creating false impressions and sweet-talking women into believing their lies.

“Just take your time and really watch him. Don’t rush into anything,” she said instead.

“Okay, I understand.” Lily nodded thoughtfully. If Shermaine was saying this, maybe Warren wasn’t as great as she’d thought. She’d definitely keep her eyes open from now on.

Later that evening at Riverswood Villa, the crescent moon hung in the sky as the oppressive heat lingered.

Even though Shermaine didn’t feel like she’d sweated much, her skin felt sticky and uncomfortable when she got home. She headed straight for the bathroom, desperate for a shower.

But just as she stepped inside, Joshua followed her in from outside.

Shermaine stared at him. “What are you doing?”

“Sheary, I want to take a shower too,” he said with that familiar grin.

“Then use the other bathroom.” She’d gotten there first, so this one was clearly hers.

Joshua’s smile widened. “No need to make things complicated. One bathroom is plenty for both of us.”

Shermaine was speechless. She knew he definitely wasn’t going to give up on whatever scheme he’d been plotting during the day.

When they emerged from the bathroom, Shermaine had a towel wrapped around her body. Joshua carried her to the walk-in closet, found a shirt, and slipped it over her head. After removing the towel, he began gently drying her hair with another towel.

Joshua was still wearing only his boxer shorts, and his back told the story of their passion. The scratches from Shermaine’s nails that had marked him earlier were now joined by several fresh ones, clear evidence that she hadn’t held back during their recent encounter.

As Joshua worked the towel through her damp hair, he couldn’t resist leaning down to capture her lips with a kiss. His tongue parted her lips and slipped inside, deepening their connection.

Shermaine pushed against his chest and gave his waist a sharp pinch. “Can’t you give it a rest for five minutes?”

Joshua chuckled softly, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Sheary, you’re the one who made me like this. That means you’re responsible for dealing with the consequences.”

Shermaine’s expression darkened. “Don’t even start with that.”

“I’m being serious.” His eyes burned with intensity as they met hers. “You can feel how much I want you, can’t you?”

Shermaine pressed her lips together, unable to find words to respond.

Joshua leaned in to kiss her again.

Moonlight streamed through the windows as the night stretched on. By the time they finally finished, it was well past midnight.

Exhausted, Shermaine closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. She made a mental note that she wouldn’t la fashi next time. He’d kept her occupied all evening, leaving her no time to handle anything else.

The next day, Shermaine received an invitation from the International Tech Forum, which Joshua had picked up.

“Sheary, you’re going to Rodunst?” Joshua asked.

“Yeah.” Shermaine had already booked her flight for the morning of the 29th. Her fan meeting was scheduled for the 30th, which meant she had time before heading to Rodunst.

Joshua couldn’t help but think about how they were still in their honeymoon phase. To be honest, when he’d gone on that week-long business trip last time, he’d desperately wanted to bring Shermaine along. She’d turned him down, though, saying she had things to take care of.

“Perfect timing then. I’m thinking of taking a few vacation days to come with you. After your event wraps up, how about we head over to North Sea for some fun?” He figured it would make for a nice honeymoon getaway.

Everyone else got to have a proper honeymoon after getting married; they should have one, too.

Shermaine looked up with a smile. “Joshua, do you realize how clingy you’ve been these past few days?”

“Do you find it annoying?” he asked.

It wasn’t annoying exactly, but Shermaine did wish Joshua would tone it down a bit. It would be more in character for him. Shermaine shook her head. “Fine, let’s go together on the 29th. I’ll get you a ticket.”

Joshua’s plan had worked perfectly, and he couldn’t suppress a satisfied smile. He loved it when Shermaine indulged him like this. It made him want to be mischievous, even at his age.

The International Tech Forum’s meetup had been in planning since last winter and didn’t actually happen until June this year, which shows just how much preparation went into this event.

Shermaine knew that the International Tech Forum had invited around twenty platinum-level experts from countries all over the world, including Dolcie Chapman, who was incredibly popular on the tech forum and had countless male fans. Word was that they’d distributed over a thousand entry tickets.

Today marked the day when Roy finally revealed Shermaine’s identity as the Challenge King on the Koandria leaderboard to the public, since he had just posted the team-building photos they took earlier.

Shermaine had always been a well-known figure in the gaming community. As a former expert player who once dominated the top spot on Koandria’s first server leaderboard, plus her previous appearances in their livestreams, she already had quite a reputation.

Now that she was coaching Roy’s team, the esports world erupted in excitement.

As soon as the photos dropped, everyone’s reactions were immediate: [Holy shit, it’s a girl.]

[I thought I was seeing things wrong, so I looked at Roy’s photos again. Isn’t that Challenger King from Koandria’s District One leaderboard the same person who was Basterel City’s top achiever in natural science this year?]

[You’re absolutely right. That’s definitely our Basterel top science achiever. I compared their photos side by side. It’s the same person.]

[Damn, I’m pretty good at League of Legends myself, and Challenger rank is no big deal to me, but my SAT scores are complete trash.]

[Really goes to show that comparing yourself to others will drive you crazy. She’s amazing at gaming and she’s a total academic genius. I’m speechless.]

[Definitely a legend.]

Meanwhile, Shermaine and Joshua were already heading to the airport. When they boarded their flight, they were surprised to see that Kylie and Sarah were on the same plane.

Chapter 221