Chapter 74

"Wait, what? How did she end up being yours?" Roy demanded. "Joshua, explain yourself!"

Roy was still confused and about to ask something when Bradley walked over and reported, "Mr. York, Kingston—the second master of Black River Company—wants to play a match with you. Looks like he's hoping to discuss a potential partnership in new energy with you."

Joshua spotted Kingston in the adjacent lounge area, dressed in a crisp white tracksuit. He sat cross-legged on a chair, wearing a deceptively warm smile. Still, his overly effeminate aura made him seem neither here nor there—completely out of place.

Henry glanced over and remarked, "How does Kingston always get the inside scoop? The moment there's any progress on your project, he comes sniffing around for a partnership."

Although Black River Company was always the first to act, Joshua rarely did business with them. After all, their values didn't align, and Black River Company was known for its shady business practices.

"He just wants to cozy up to Joshua," Roy said, stroking his chin. "Henry, not everyone is as close to Joshua as you and I are. He's just trying to muscle his way in and get into his inner circle. I've noticed for ages that guy's been trying to be Joshua's sidekick," Roy remarked with a smirk. "Too bad Joshua doesn't give a damn about him. Bradley's a hundred times better."

Bradley was speechless.

Henry couldn’t help but think, "Roy really has issues—he can read men like an open book, but when it comes to women, he's blind as a bat and can't tell right from wrong." Henry mused, "Gotta admit, Joshua's charisma really works on both men and women."

Joshua screwed the bottle cap shut and said evenly, "Go tell him this is personal time—no business."

Clearly, Kingston was eager to collaborate but once again found himself shown the door. Though Kingston kept a calm facade upon hearing the result, his eyes betrayed a sinister and menacing glint.

Setting down his water bottle, Joshua turned to Henry and the others. "Who’s up?"

Roy was still fixated on what Joshua had said earlier—what did he mean, that hacker was his people? He couldn’t help but press, "Joshua, explain yourself! How did she end up being yours? Have you even met her? Is she good-looking or what?"

Joshua picked up his racket, raised an eyebrow, and teased, "Wanna know?"

Roy nodded furiously, his head bobbing up and down like a pecking bird.

Joshua smirked, "Beat me, and I’ll tell you."

But as it turned out, Roy got utterly demolished.

After Wendelyn went viral, she briefly enjoyed a wave of popularity. But her time in the spotlight was short-lived, as another trending topic suddenly rocketed to the top of the charts.

[Prodigy Ms. Shue from Sterling University Returns]

It was no coincidence that Shermaine made it onto the trending list. She had recently performed surgery on a high-ranking political figure in Yaleview Hospital, and just this morning, that very person was interviewed, as everyone in the Basterel was extremely concerned about his health.

In the interview video, Noel Barker recalled, "According to my wife, after I fell into a coma and was lying in the operating room, my life was hanging by a thread. Even Dr. Shelly—a surgeon of such caliber—hesitated to operate, given the less than 20% success rate and my rather delicate position. But fortune smiled on me."

The editor-in-chief asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Noel spoke gently, "It just so happened that Dr. Shue, Dr. Shelly’s junior colleague, was back in Basterel. With a single phone call, she came over and personally performed the surgery—snatching me back from death’s door."

"Dr. Shue?"

"Yes, Ms. Shue," Noel confirmed.

If even the renowned Dr. Danielle hesitated to perform the surgery, yet her junior, Dr. Shue, pulled it off—what did that imply? Afterward, the editor-in- chief did some research on Dr. Shue through international platforms and discovered that she was highly revered and admired abroad. Countless influential figures tried—and failed—to secure her for surgery, as she was perpetually busy and almost impossible to track down. Yet every operation she performed boasted a success rate of over 95%, with zero fatalities or mistakes.

Unfortunately, there were virtually no photos of Dr. Shue circulating on international platforms—unsurprising, really. A surgical genius of her caliber would undoubtedly face endless hassles in daily life if her appearance became public. Even more importantly, this legendary figure was from Wallington—one of their own. This thrilled the editor-in-chief and filled him with immense pride.

So today’s interview focused heavily on this remarkable figure. With the editor-in-chief having over ten million followers and featuring such a legendary person, it was almost impossible for it not to become a trending topic. The comments section exploded.

"Ms. Shue is an absolute legend at Sterling—on another level compared to Danielle. Heard she’s exceptional in other fields too. And get this—she’s only 19!"

"I was just Browse some international forums and saw rumors that a real estate tycoon in Moranta was willing to offer nine luxury mansions to hire Dr. Shue as his private physician. Not sure if that’s true though."

"OP, I’m in the Moranta and can confirm it’s true, but Dr. Shue didn’t even bother to acknowledge him—totally ignored him."

"Holy crap, who is this absolute legend?"

"I’m dying to know what this legend really looks like!"

"Wow, I’m seriously in awe—Wallington keeps producing amazing talent, but someone like her? She’s truly a once-in-a-century genius!"

Yaleview Hospital Official: Got a tough case? Come to us—we can arrange for Dr. Shue to handle it for you!

Medical University Official: Heard that this legend was spotted at our hospital today! So excited!

Other Hospitals Official: Legend, please show up!

Danielle never expected Shermaine to go viral like this. Fortunately, none of Shermaine’s personal details were exposed—anyone trying to dig them up would fail. The Medical University wouldn’t dare disclose her information without her consent.

Out of curiosity, Wendelyn also clicked into the post and scrolled through the comments. Biting her lip, she thought, "Wow, there really are such geniuses in the world! Only 19, and already so accomplished in medicine."

The moment she saw that this genius doctor’s surname was Shue, she felt particularly disgusted. "Seriously? Of all the surnames in the world, why did it have to be Shue?" she thought bitterly. Still, it wasn’t without its upsides for her. After that scandalous post had damaged Wendelyn’s reputation and made her less popular than before, this news broke and her image rebounded instantly—she was right back in the spotlight. But with such a top-tier celebrity dominating the headlines, Wendelyn’s trending topic suddenly seemed insignificant. The halo of "Most Beautiful College Girl" was quickly overshadowed, and her moment of fame soon dropped off the trending list, fading into obscurity.

After returning to campus, Shermaine buried herself in the lab, completely absorbed in product development. She was utterly unaware that she had already gone viral, with people enthusiastically discussing and admiring her.

Time flew by as December arrived. The season’s first snow began to fall, blanketing the world in swirling flakes. Yet Shermaine remained as unwavering as ever—her internal clock roused her right on schedule.

After several sleepless nights, Shermaine finally completed the OI system task. She logged into International Tech Forum, contacted the client, and submitted her work with a single click. The client informed her that Dolcie Chapman had also submitted her solution at the same time. He would evaluate both systems’ performance before making his selection. After all, this was the first time something like this had ever happened.

Shermaine replied straightforwardly, "You’ll choose me." With that, she logged off.

The client couldn’t help but sigh. After all, Dolcie was a platinum-level expert—yet this newly promoted one didn’t seem to give a damn about her. But after reviewing both systems, the client had to admit—her confidence was well- founded.

After submitting the task, Shermaine left her computer and walked out onto the balcony, stretching her limbs in relief. Lately, Wendelyn had been unusually quiet—so quiet it was downright suspicious. Shermaine thought to herself, "Something’s fishy. Wendelyn is the last person who’d want me engaged to Joshua—how could she do nothing?"

Shermaine glanced at the calendar. "So tomorrow’s the engagement party," she thought, a hint of unease creeping in.

On the other end, Wendelyn answered Yvonne’s call. With a tense voice, Yvonne asked, "Wendy, are you absolutely sure this thing won’t end up killing someone?"