Chapter 185 Thanks a lot for jumping into the fire for me.

Chapter 185 Thanks a lot for jumping into the fire for me.
You see, a major reason Mason had been so interested in Lily these past few days was that he’d accidentally discovered that she hated Jennifer just as much and that they were arch enemies at school.
This made Mason find Lily even more intriguing.
Mason thought of Jennifer, that ungrateful woman who humiliated him, and a sinister look flashed behind his glasses.
He ran his fingers through Lily’s hair. "Exactly. You’re every bit as good as her. Why should she be the only one to come in first?”
"But..." Lily felt a twinge of guilt. "My aunt says I'm no match for her."
A flash of coldness crossed Mason’s eyes.
"Silly girl. Your aunt's been a teacher for so many years that her mind's gone all rigid. In the adult world, it’s not just about ability. What matters most is how you play the game.”
Mason had probably figured out that Lily wasn’t a pushover, either. He didn’t dare provoke Jennifer, but that didn’t stop him from using Lily to get his revenge.
Lily was currently full of admiration for Mason, so she naturally didn’t doubt a word he said.
“You mean I can use some tactics to make sure she doesn’t win the competition?”
Mason said, “Exactly. If you want to win, you have to be willing to take risks.”
Lily laughed happily. "Thank you. You’re the only one who supports me!”
She leaned in to kiss him on the lips after saying that.
The two of them had another quick round of sex.
Jennifer arrived at the camp early to check in.
Pulling her suitcase, she stood at the entrance, brimming with confidence.
But just then, she spotted a familiar car:
Mason’s car.
She saw Lily getting out of it!
Jennifer frowned, quickly figuring everything out.
After getting out of the car, Lily saw Jennifer and froze for a moment.
But she quickly composed herself and sneered, "What are you looking at? You get to seduce rich men, but I’m not allowed to do the same?”
"I may not be as good as you at studying, but when it comes to other things, that’s not necessarily true."
"At least Mason's been with me these past few days. He’s already tired of you, Jennifer.”
It seemed that Lily hadn't been able to resist Mason after all.
But Jennifer wasn’t surprised.
She gave Lily just a single glance. "Well, thank you so much for jumping into the fire for me."
Leaving that infuriating remark behind, Jennifer walked away.
Several students from other schools had already arrived at the camp.
Jennifer shed her aloof and reclusive demeanor from Los University and stepped forward to get to know the other contestants and exchange information.
As soon as they heard her name, they recognized her as the winner of the preliminary round with the top overall score. They also knew she’d won international awards, so they quickly became friendly with her.
Seeing this, Lily was furious.
Wherever Jennifer went, Lily’s disgust followed.
She stopped trying to make friends and instead sat alone in a corner, clutching the video she’d recorded of Jennifer and Mason’s conversation.
But Lily backed down soon.
Mason was her boyfriend now, and exposing the video wouldn't benefit him either.
Lily could only wait and see how things played out.
She watched Jennifer’s retreating figure, a cold smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Everyone checking in for camp arrived soon after.
Of the fifty participants, there were an equal number of boys and girls.
Jennifer also spotted Daniel. Dressed in designer streetwear, he stood out among the boys.
He looked great in designer clothes. His outfits weren’t overly flashy, giving him the air of an idol stepping into the real world.
Many of the female contestants took notice of him.
However, Jennifer had heard from others that Daniel was the top-ranked international student.
During the first New Star Contest, the event was still relatively unknown in the international student community, so few international students participated.
But Daniel didn’t feel inferior at all; he could hold his own in conversations with academic stars from top-tier universities.
Jennifer could tell that the atmosphere at the camp was excellent.
After getting to know her competitors, she finally had a moment to glance at her phone.
She was surprised when seeing a message on her phone.
It was the crown that Michael had given her, which she had listed on a secondhand platform ages ago for 100 million, and someone had bid on it!
If not for this message, Jennifer would have forgotten all about the auction listing.
She thought she must be seeing things, but the system notification was crystal clear. It reminded her to ship the crown as soon as possible and suggested she select insured shipping.
Jennifer hurriedly contacted the buyer to clarify the situation, but the buyer messaged her first: Can you ship it today?
Looking at the account, which was just a string of numbers with no profile picture, Jennifer suspected it was a bot.
Who would spend 100 million on a secondhand platform?
When she first listed it, she never imagined anyone would bid on it.
Besides, her state of mind today was completely different from back then.
Given how she felt now, there was no way she’d ever put this item up for sale again.
Jennifer replied, I'm sorry. I'm out of town right now and won't be able to ship anything this week. Why don’t you cancel the order?
But the buyer said, It's okay. I can wait. I really like this item.
Jennifer never imagined someone would pay 100 million dollars just because they said they would.
Now that the buyer had already paid, Jennifer couldn't cancel the order unilaterally.
Besides, she couldn’t accept the money. She certainly didn't want to profit from something Michael had given her.
Only at that moment did she understand her feelings—she didn't want to sell the crown to anyone.
Just as she was about to explain everything to the buyer and apologize for her rashness, the camp counselor suddenly sent out an assembly notice, and everyone rushed over to gather.
She suddenly had no time to deal with this, and her phone was collected along with everyone else’s.
Her message, I'm sorry. I'm not selling it, never made it out in time.
Michael had an important meeting this morning.
Unlike before, however, he would no longer sit in the seat of honor at the conference table.
Now, that seat had been given to Lia, and he could only step aside.
However, the change in seating didn't change anything.
Wherever Michael sat was the center of power.
So, even though Lia occupied the seat and held the title, she found the meeting unbearable.
During the second half of the meeting, Michael questioned Lia, who was clearly struggling to hold her ground.
She said, "How about this, Michael? I think there’s someone who can discuss this issue with you. Let’s wrap up the meeting for today.”
By saying this, she had conceded defeat.
Johnson, standing nearby, couldn’t hide his delight for Michael; a smile spread across his face.
Just as Michael was leaving the conference room, however, he realized that the person Lia had mentioned was none other than Zoe!
She appeared before everyone, carrying a crocodile-skin Hermès Birkin bag and exuding an incredibly powerful aura.
"Michael, our last meeting was so rushed, we barely had a chance to talk. Today, I finally have the opportunity to exchange business insights with you.”
Zoe was a true businesswoman.
She had heard a lot about Michael and genuinely admired him.
Michael asked his secretary to make coffee and gestured toward the sofa in his office. "Have a seat."
Zoe spent nearly half an hour chatting with Michael in his office.
Having learned from her previous experience, she didn’t bring up the topic of a business alliance right away. First, she discussed international affairs with him, then moved on to art investment.
Toward the end of their conversation, she sensed the moment was right. She picked up her coffee and took a sip.
"Speaking of art investment, I came across something quite interesting this morning."
"Michael, did you know? I saw a crown on a secondhand marketplace that’s exactly like the one you gave me.”
“The seller’s location shows they’re in City A, and they’re asking for 100 million. I had my assistant take a screenshot. However, the seller said they can’t ship it for another seven days.”
Zoe spoke slowly, but the subtext of her words was all too clear.
Jennifer had put the crown Michael gave her up for sale online!
Zoe kept her eyes fixed on Michael’s expression.
Sure enough, a faint shadow crossed his usually impassive face for a split second, though he regained his composure quickly.
Michael said, "Well, you will have to be very discerning. Investing in jewelry, just like investing in art, tests one’s eye. You’d better not misjudge it.”
Zoe smiled without saying a word.
Only after she had finished her farewells and left did Michael glance at his schedule with a grim expression.
Tomorrow afternoon, Jennifer’s first match would be over, and he would be free that evening.
A cold, sarcastic smile touched Michael’s lips.
"Johnson, go register with the tournament organizers. Jennifer’s family is coming tomorrow to deliver some daily necessities.”