Free Web NovelChapter 41: Chapter 41: Stone Selling Convention
Summer was so scared her legs wouldn’t move. Her brain knew she had to dodge immediately, but her feet were rooted to the spot. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Seraphina Sterling was right next to Summer. If she dodged, Summer would be the one to get hit.
In the blink of an eye, Seraphina Sterling lunged forward. The moment the chair left Willow Hale’s grasp, Seraphina deftly caught it. Her movements were so swift and precise, anyone watching might have thought they were just playing a relay game! freewēbnoveℓ.com
Dana Lowell walked in just in time to see the alarming scene. "Willow Hale, what do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your mind?! Throwing a chair at a classmate in the classroom? Are you trying to kill someone? Is this what your teachers have taught you?"
"Ms. Lowell, you have to protect us! Willow Hale just threw a chair!" Seraphina Sterling pulled Summer behind Dana Lowell, causing the other students to roll their eyes. A single thought surfaced in all their minds: ’Are you sure you’re the one who needs protection?’
"I... Seraphina Sterling framed my father! This is the punishment she deserves!" Willow Hale still hadn’t figured out why the chair hadn’t hit Seraphina, and Dana Lowell’s sharp reprimand sent her into a panic. She reflexively shoved all the blame onto Seraphina Sterling!
"Framed?" Dana Lowell adopted the stern tone of a homeroom teacher. "Investigating cases is a job for the police. You are students, and your primary task is to study! Stop letting your minds wander all day! Instead of wasting time on other things, you should be studying. The results for this month’s exams are out. Why don’t you all take a look at the mess you’ve made of your scores?"
"I don’t know about anyone else, but I definitely scored better than Seraphina Sterling!" Willow Hale lifted her chin arrogantly.
"Ms. Lowell was right. Students should focus on studying, not constantly plotting against and framing others! With all that time, you’d be better off figuring out how to keep your number one rank in the grade. You’re not like everyone else—you need that scholarship! If you don’t get it, I’d be very interested to know how, given your family’s situation, you plan to pay the exorbitant tuition fees!"
Willow Hale’s expression was so haughty it was as if her eyes were on top of her head, looking down on everyone else as a pauper. "Me beating you on this month’s exam is a lesson for you! To stop you from thinking about your crooked schemes all day!" Willow had already forgotten that Dana Lowell hadn’t announced the scores yet; who had actually done better was still up in the air.
"Willow Hale! When did I ever say your score was better than Seraphina Sterling’s?" Dana Lowell shot her a glance. "Our class’s overall performance this time was very poor! Of course, part of the reason is that the test was very difficult, but that’s no excuse for all of you to do so badly! You should all learn from your classmate Seraphina Sterling. No matter how difficult the test was, she still got a perfect score!"
Dana Lowell deliberately glanced at Willow Hale. ’I really don’t know where she gets the confidence to think her score could surpass Seraphina Sterling’s!’
"That’s impossible! There’s no way Seraphina Sterling got a perfect score! She missed three days before the exam and didn’t even review before going straight into the test! And the questions were so hard! Unless you knew them beforehand! Otherwise, I’ll never believe you got a perfect score!" Unable to withstand one blow after another, Willow Hale forgot she was in class and simply roared her accusations.
"Willow Hale, this is a classroom, not your home! Even a kindergartener knows to raise their hand before speaking! Don’t you even understand that simple rule?" Dana Lowell had a fiery temper. "Exams are a serious matter. Absolutely no one would know the questions in advance! Willow Hale, your score this time has dropped you out of the top fifty in the entire school! You’re the one I was talking about just now. Instead of wasting time staring at others, you should be using it to study hard! If you’re not as smart as others, you have to work harder!"
The phrase "not as smart as others" completely ignited Willow Hale’s fury and destroyed her reason. She roared, "Seraphina Sterling! I will crush you under my heel!"
"Willow Hale—get out, right now!" Dana Lowell’s fiery temper flared. Her sharp roar made even the usually calm Seraphina Sterling flinch. In all her years of teaching, she had never encountered such an unruly student!
Willow Hale had never been reprimanded like this by a teacher in front of all her classmates. Before, they had never even spoken a harsh word to her, let alone scolded her! Of course, Willow couldn’t bear such different treatment. With a loud CRASH, she kicked over her chair and stormed outside.
After Willow Hale left, Dana Lowell spent a long time praising Seraphina Sterling, and Willow, who was listening from outside, was so enraged she wanted to claw at the wall in frustration!
While the Hale Family was in disarray, the Stone Gambling Convention finally began!
Tollan Town had already gained some fame, and with the government’s strong promotional efforts, this Stone Gambling Convention had attracted nearly every major player in the domestic jewelry industry. Although the event was organized by Terrence Grant, the venue was filled with stalls selling raw stones. Just from renting out the stalls alone, Terrence Grant had already made a handsome sum!
Seraphina Sterling had been eyeing this Stone Gambling Convention for over half a year. She had made ample preparations for this day and felt somewhat confident. As long as she didn’t get into a bidding war, she could afford to buy a few small pieces.
"Seraphina, hurry up! Mia and I are ready to go! The Stone Gambling Convention must have started already!" Summer and Mindy Linton stood outside the residential complex, waving their arms at Seraphina Sterling.
The weather had turned cooler. Seraphina Sterling was wearing a black and white tracksuit. It lacked a certain youthful energy but added an air of composure. Though they were all around the same age, Seraphina Sterling seemed far more mature—not in appearance, but in her aura.
"Seraphina, I heard they invited celebrities to the opening ceremony! I’ve never seen a celebrity in person before! Hurry up, or it’ll be over soon!" Mindy Linton thought Seraphina Sterling was walking too slowly, so she jogged over and pulled her by the arm to get her to move faster.
But even so, Mindy Linton and Summer still didn’t get to see the celebrities they were so eager to meet. By the time the three of them arrived, the opening ceremony was already over.
The venue was packed with people. Many had come with the hope of getting rich overnight, but even more were representatives from companies searching for good jade. The more influential companies, however, generally headed to the second floor. The raw stones there had been pre-screened and were more likely to yield green jade. Of course, the prices were double those on the first floor!
Seraphina Sterling had no intention of going to the second floor. With the money she had, she probably couldn’t even afford a single raw stone up there. Her purpose for coming today was clear—to find a hidden gem.
Soon, Seraphina Sterling found her target.
