"Positive," Shanley replied, taking a sip of red wine with a confident, devilish smirk. “Have you forgotten what Cybeic Shadows is capable of?"


    A rare smile finally broke through Jimmie''s grim expression. “Sorry, I only remember Cybeic Shadows getting its butt kicked by Binary Oracle for two years straight.”


    Every year at the global hackingpetition, the top contenders were always Cybeic Shadows and Binary Oracle. Before Binary Oracle appeared on the scene, Borealia''s Cybeic Shadows had consistently held the championship title. Then, Australis''s Binary Oracle emerged, and history was rewritten.


    "I didn''t quite catch that. Say it again,” Shanley''s gaze turned icy, the look in his eyes sharp enough to kill as he swirled the wine in his ss.


    "Tsk." Jimmie knew when to quit while he was ahead. He gave a faint smile and clinked his ss against Shanley''s. "Thanks, man. I owe you."


    "How are you going to thank me?" Shanley asked, raising an eyebrow with azy drawl.


    “Well.....” Jimmie savored the wine, the rich aroma clouding his judgment as he said with a half-joking smile, “You don''t have a girlfriend yet, do you?"


    He had known Shanley for years and trusted his characterpletely. If his sister was around the same age, Shanley would be a worthy person to entrust her to.


    Shanley looked up, meeting Jimmie''s gaze and instantly understanding his intention. "I don''t have one now, but that doesn''t mean I won''t in the future."


    "Huh?" Jimmie''s smile faltered. "Who in their right mind would fall for you?"


    “A proud, little spitfire,” Shanley said, a fond and gentle smile spreading across his lips at the thought of Juniper.


    “Little?” Jimmie pursed his lips,tching onto that one word and scoffing, "You predator."


    So Shanley didn''t want his sister, huh? His loss!


    ...


    While waiting for the DNA results, Juniper spent the next few days in a daze. She would asionally zone out in ss and get called out by her teachers every single time. It was as if they had ruler-straight vision, aimed directly at her and no one else. Consequently, the rumor that "Juniper is a cker with no ambition" quickly spread throughout the entire school, leaving the teachers restless and gossiping amongst themselves.


    "Ahem..." Keith, the cranky physics teacher, held an old thermos, slowly blowing on the steam. "You all think she''s a bad student? I''m not so sure about that," he said with a smile.


    All the other teachers turned to look at him in unison, whispering among themselves.


    “I heard Juniper skipped ss on Saturday and made the old man furious.”


    "It''s true!" a female teacher whispered, covering her mouth. "A student told me he wasughing one minute and muttering to himself the next, even calling Juniper a genius!"


    "Pfft!" Another teacher couldn''t hold back a snort ofughter. "With that attitude of hers? She thinks she''s all that just because she can dance a little. At this rate, she won''t even get into amunity college!"


    The teachers, their brows furrowed with worry, urged the dean to report the situation to Salma. One teacher had already lost his mind because of her; if she stayed, the entire faculty might go insane.


    “Juniper, the exams are next Wednesday. How''s your preparation going?" Queenie asked, worried by the campus gossip. The teachers at their school weren''t unreasonable; they didn''t dislike students with poor grades, but they detested those who were smart but simply refused to study. And right now, Juniper was the poster child for that.


    “Hmm?” Juniper, leaning against a wall with her legs crossed, was munching on nuts. “What''s there to prepare for? All you need is a hand to write with, right?"


    Queenie was speechless.


    Just then, Juniper''s phone vibrated. A message popped up: [Boss, the DNA test results for you and Jimmie are in.]