Chapter 704
Chapter 704:
If his performance in the finals suffered because of her refusal, he might blame her for his failure, and that could haunt him for years. The weight of such an outcome made her uneasy.
The ripple effect of one small choice could lead to something far larger, and the mere thought of it unsettled Fernanda. She wasn’t sure she could carry that kind of burden.
“Alright,” Fernanda replied, her decision firm. “If you win, we’ll do a video chat.”
She was certain Kevin’s team wouldn’t win anyway.
Despite everything, she still had faith in Neal and the others. Their chances of beating Kevin’s team seemed strong. But if Kevin’s team really managed to pull through…
Well, she’d honor her promise. After all, it would be Kevin who would end up embarrassed.
If his fragile ego took a blow, it would be his fault for setting up such a ridiculous video chat with a stranger.
Upon receiving Fernanda’s response, Kevin erupted with excitement, flooding the chat with emojis.
Without a second thought, Fernanda logged off.
The semester was drawing to a close, and the pressure of exams was fast approaching as Fernanda returned to school.
With mountains of material to review, she scaled back her time at the studio to focus on preparations.
Wendy also returned after a month away. Fernanda couldn’t help but wonder if her friend had been soaking up the sun somewhere.
“Wow,” Fernanda said, taking in Wendy’s appearance. “What happened to you?”
With a playful grin, Wendy tossed her baseball cap aside, ruffled her short hair, and leaned in to poke Fernanda’s chin. “Hey, gorgeous, do you have a boyfriend?”
Chuckling, Fernanda swatted her hand away in amusement.
𝖥𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖈𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗇 g𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝗌⨳𝖈𝗈𝗆
Wendy’s laughter echoed as she dropped to the floor, rifling through her suitcase. She pulled out a flat box and handed it to Fernanda. “Got something for you.”
Fernanda took the gift with a smile, tearing open the wrapping. It turned out to be a framed photograph, an up-close image of a historical artifact.
It was an unexpected gift.
“This was the first project I worked on with my professor when I started college,” Wendy said with a serious tone. “It’s super meaningful, alright?”
“I get it, it’s incredibly meaningful. Thank you for the gift,” Fernanda replied, holding the photo close to her heart. Her eyes locked with Wendy’s, a genuine smile on her face. “I really love it.” Wendy responded with a playful flick to Fernanda’s forehead.
She and her professor had spent a month in the desert, living in tents. Although they did their best to shield themselves from the sun, the intense UV rays were relentless.
Wendy had come back with a noticeable tan. Before leaving, she’d heard that showers would be scarce, so she’d made a bold choice—she buzzed off all her hair. Now, she looked every bit like a guy with her buzz cut. She was dressed in a simple white T-shirt, casual shorts, and sneakers. Fernanda couldn’t help but think that if Wendy showed up in the school playground, she’d be hit on by several admirers within minutes.
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