Chapter 50

Trevor, last year’s World Chess Champion, clearly showed his support for Shermaine. The viewers couldn’t help but wonder whether that meant Shermaine would win.

Wendelyn’s fans fell silent. They didn’t want to believe it, but they had to face the fact that Shermaine might actually win.

Trevor was the World Chess Champion, and his words were highly credible.

In World Chess, Trevor had only a few opponents who could give him a run for his money. He had already defeated all of them, earning a reputation as unbeatable.

With no worthy opponents left, he had started taking on challenges against the computer with difficulty levels ranging from 1 to 99. He had breezed through levels 1 to 90 with ease.

He was planning to continue streaming his matches against the computer when his fans mentioned an intense live game involving a master player. The moment he heard the word “master,” he perked up. Without hesitation, he ended his stream and switched over to Wendelyn’s.

As soon as he entered the stream, his attention was drawn to the board. There was indeed a master at play–her approach was bold and unconventional, yet meticulous and flawless. His competitive spirit flared up, and he immediately wanted to challenge the player.

[This is hilarious. I’ve always hated Wendelyn’s die-hard fans. Guess they’re about to get slapped in the face.]

[They really should have been more restrained.]

[All that showing off–where does that leave the real experts?]

[Damn, mind your own business. Even if Wendy loses, to us, she’s still a hero. So what if Shermaine’s good at chess? She’s got no morals.]

[Shermaine must have been bullying Wendy since she came back to the Jean family. And that old woman–why’s she so biased toward Shermaine and yelling at Wendy? Both are her granddaughters.]

[Exactly! It’s so unfair. My heart breaks for Wendy.]

At this point, Roy, who had been eating while watching the live stream, suddenly lost his appetite. He didn’t know the first thing about chess and was terrible at strategy games, though he had dominated in e-sports, winning world championships in games like Heroic Epic and PUBG.

He was pretty frustrated when Trevor, a world champion, predicted Wendelyn’s loss. However, he couldn’t help but agree with Wendelyn’s fans, who criticized Shermaine for lacking morals, even though her chess skills were undeniably impressive.

Joshua seemed to sense what Roy was thinking, but he knew someone who was lost in their own thoughts couldn’t be swayed by words alone. Sooner or later, Roy would realize the truth and see what kind of woman Wendelyn really was.

Joshua was also watching the live stream on his computer. The last time Shermaine played chess against Owen, she had been awkward and hesitant, but today, her performance was on an entirely different level–sharp, unpredictable, and downright brilliant.

Joshua knew Shermaine had only recently started learning chess. Yet, she had already become a force to be reckoned with, dominating the board. Her ability to learn was clearly extraordinary.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Shermaine could learn as quickly and well in other areas as she did in chess, as well as medicine, where she had claimed to have some proficiency.

The cigarette burned out quickly. Joshua extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray and went back to his work.

Half an hour later, Shermaine placed a black stone on the board and then leisurely took a sip of coffee. “Wendelyn, you lost.”

Wendelyn’s hand trembled, and her whole body went limp. She couldn’t believe she had lost.

Chapter 50

The cheating device Wendelyn used was the most advanced technology from abroad, custom designed by a tech genius just for her. Yet even cutting-edge tech was no match for Shermaine.

Wendelyn couldn’t accept it. Behind her glasses, her eyes were bloodshot, an indication that she was filled with frustration.

Janice stood up, beaming with pride. “What a brilliant game! Sheary, I am really impressed. You’re fantastic!”

She thought, ‘Sheary is the real blood of our family. Could she possibly be worse than that adopted girl, Wendelyn? No way. Wendelyn can’t even be compared to Sheary.’

Shermaine smiled. “Grandma, it was nothing special.”

Clyde and Ruth froze in place, stunned and finding it unreal that Wendelyn had lost to Shermaine.

Shermaine took another sip of coffee before saying, “You remember our bet, right, Wendelyn?”

With so many people watching the live stream, Wendelyn bit her lip. “I do. A bet’s a bet.”

Shermaine smiled. “Well, my request is that you turn off your beauty filter and remove your makeup in front of everyone.”

The viewers in the live chat were all in shock.

Wendelyn’s face turned pale. She was unnerved by the request.

[Please, Wendy is naturally beautiful. What’s the big deal about removing makeup?]

[Go for it, Wendy!]

[Wendy looks amazing even without makeup. She’s famous for her natural beauty.]

Shermaine crossed her legs and leaned back. “It’s a simple request. Don’t tell me you can’t even do that?”

Wendelyn couldn’t even force a smile, her fists clenched tight. “Of course I can do it. I lost, so I’ll do it as you wish.”

But deep down, she was worried that people would ridicule her when they saw her bare face, as without makeup, she looked pretty ordinary.

Ruth coaxed, “Sheary, let’s just forget about this, okay? Or could you ask for something else? Making her remove her makeup in front of everyone–it’s really inappropriate.”

Shermaine gave a small smile and didn’t respond. She knew Janice would help her.

Janice’s eyes darkened as she scolded, “Inappropriate? Why didn’t you think it was inappropriate when you abandoned Shermaine in the hospital to face Ronnie and his mother alone? If it weren’t for Joshua stepping in to clear her name, Shermaine would’ve ended up getting arrested!”

“And now, it’s just a simple bet between the kids, and you want to get involved? It’s just makeup removal–a small thing, and you’re worried about being embarrassed?”

Ruth, caught off guard by Janice bringing up the past, felt awkward and said nothing, though inwardly, she was cursing Janice harshly.

This was a live stream, and Janice was practically broadcasting to the world just how poorly Ruth treated her own daughter.

Janice then called for the maid. “Go upstairs and bring the makeup remover.”

Wendelyn’s die-hard fans started attacking Janice again in the comments. [Ugh, Mrs. Jean is just trying to protect Wendy. This old woman is being so unreasonable.]

[How can this old woman be so biased?]

[I’m so mad. I wish I could crawl through the screen to tear that old woman a new one.]

Chapter 50

[Old woman, I suggest you treat Wendy better, or else, the Wendy fan club won’t go easy on you.]

But Shermaine wasn’t about to let it go. She said casually, “To the viewers in the live stream, I saw you all criticizing my grandma while I was playing chess earlier.

“You can insult me all you want, but don’t say a word about my grandma. Even Wendelyn doesn’t have the right to insult her. What makes you think you do?”

[Shermaine is so badass, and I like that about her. I might just become a fan.]

[I’m already a fan! She’s like a domineering CEO–so cool and confident. Love it!]

Soon, the maid brought over the makeup removal tools. Wendelyn took them and reluctantly echoed Shermaine’s words. She said, “My grandma has always been kind to me, so please stop saying bad things about her, okay? It’s not nice.”

She had to say that, or else people would think she allowed her fans to insult her own grandmother without doing anything, which could damage her reputation if it got out.

She added, “I lost to my sister this time, but I’ll keep improving. I’ll work harder.”

Wendelyn removed her makeup and turned off the beauty filter. In an instant, her pretty face became average-looking. Her skin was fine, but without makeup, her once stunning features seemed to lose their edge.

Facing the camera, Wendelyn forced a strained smile. “This is what I really look like. I’m truly grateful to all the fans who’ve supported me and kept encouraging me. Thank you.”

Her fans felt a pang of disappointment–without makeup, their idol seemed ordinary. But they’d still support her. Die-hard fans didn’t just leave easily.

Non-fans didn’t hold back, saying things that Wendelyn would surely hate to hear.

[She was the prettiest girl at Basterel University? Without makeup, she looks nothing special. If it weren’t for her talent, she’d probably just be another face in the crowd.]

[If you only follow her for her looks, maybe it’s time to unfollow.]

[LMAO. She’s not ugly, but not exactly pretty either. I just can’t vibe with this look. It feels kind of plain.]

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew Wendelyn’s bare face was just average.

As Wendelyn read these comments, her hatred for Shermaine grew even stronger. She had planned to use the cheating device to get an edge, crush Shermaine, and maybe even ruin her engagement with Joshua, but instead, she ended up humiliated and empty-handed.

Trevor, who had been silent until now, typed a message: [Hello, Shermaine. I’m Trevor Sanders, a Grandmaster–level professional chess player. It sounds like you’ve been keeping an eye on the comments. How about a match with me?]

[You’re really impressive. I’d love to have a proper showdown with you tonight.]

Just then, Shermaine’s phone rang. It was a call from Joshua. “Your gift has arrived. Go out and sign for it,” he said.