Chapter 9 Slapped

• After transferring the money, Noelle deliberately struck up a conversation with Nelson, hoping to build a closer relationship.
• Maybe because Nelson found this boss generous, he patiently chatted for a bit before using the excuse of needing to take a shower to log off.
• The next day, when Noelle arrived at school and saw her classmates buzzing with excitement, she learned that a film crew was coming to shoot on campus.
• She recalled that in the original story, Madeline was discovered by the director on this very day, auditioned for a supporting role, and then entered the entertainment industry.
• Noelle didn't think much of it. After class, while her classmates rushed downstairs to watch the filming, she stayed away from the commotion, standing in the corridor outside the classroom, watching the crowded playground below.
• At that moment, she heard a voice behind her.
• "Excuse me?"
• Noelle turned to see a middle-aged man with a work badge hanging from his neck and a baseball cap on his head. He had a small, artistic mustache and was looking at her with bright eyes as he approached.
• "Hello, I'm Eddie Bird, the assistant director of the film crew for 'When the Wind Blows'. We're filming at your school and have a supporting role available. Are you interested in auditioning?"
• Noelle was stunned...
• Noelle hesitated for a moment, but then, remembering Madeline's eventual fate in the original story, she thought that if she could enter the entertainment industry earlier, maybe she could improve her situation if the rest of the plot remained unchanged.
• If not, she had nothing to lose.
• Noelle was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, "Sure."
• Before long, she followed Eddie to a conference room that the school had set aside for the film crew. As she walked in, she saw Madeline just finishing her audition.
• Madeline had a gentle smile on her face, but it froze as soon as she turned and saw Noelle.
• Eddie led Noelle over and spoke a few words to the person sitting in the middle of the group evaluating the auditions. When they looked at Noelle, their eyes lit up.
• This girl's appearance was truly striking...
• Madeline sat quietly on a plastic stool in the corner, watching Noelle's audition with a smile, though her hands clenched her skirt tightly.
• Noelle's audition was simple. She followed the prompts and completed the performance, noticing the evaluators watching her with intense interest.
• As Eddie led her out, he said with a smile, "Noelle, let's connect on iMessage. By the way, the student who just auditioned has the same last name as you ... "
• Madeline had already disappeared.
• Eddie said they would contact her within two days with the final result. Noelle thanked him and left. While everyone else was still at the playground watching the filming, Noelle headed back to the classroom.
• But as she rounded the corner by the flower bed, she saw Madeline standing in her path.
• Their eyes met, and Madeline walked up to her, lowering her voice, "Noelle, are you trying to compete with me on purpose?"
• Noelle frowned.
• Madeline continued, "First, you tried to steal Liam from me, and now you're after this audition ... Noelle, just how jealous of me are you? Why do you insist on competing with me at every turn?"
• Noelle didn't want to argue. She remained calm, "Think whatever you like."
• With that, she moved to walk past Madeline. But just as they were about to pass each other, Madeline suddenly stepped in front of her and cried out as she dramatically fell backward down the steps. "Noelle, don't!"
• In the next moment, Madeline crashed into the flower bed at the bottom of the stairs, the soft black soil cushioning her fall. She struggled to sit up, covered in dirt.
• Noelle froze, realizing what had just happened.
• At that moment, the bell rang. Students who had been watching the filming began to return from the playground. The first ones to arrive saw Noelle at the top of the stairs and Madeline, looking disheveled and tearful, in the flower bed below.
• "Noelle, how could you ... "
• Noelle knew the security cameras here were broken, which was why Madeline dared to pull such a stunt.
• Liam pushed through the crowd, reached into the flower bed to pull Madeline out, and then turned to Noelle, his face expressionless. "Apologize!"
• The surrounding students began to whisper.
• "She's bullying the campus belle again?"
• "Yeah, I heard she dressed up just to try and seduce Liam but failed. Now she's targeting the campus belle."
• "And Madeline's her cousin too ... "
• Liam, his voice hard, repeated, "Noelle, apologize!"
• Madeline bit her lip and murmured, "Just ... forget it."
• Someone in the crowd shouted, "How can we just forget it? This is too much. We need to tell a teacher ... "
• At that moment, everyone watched as Noelle slowly stepped forward and stood in front of Madeline.
• Just when everyone thought she was going to apologize, Noelle, without warning, slapped Madeline across the face.
• Gasps erupted around them. The next second, Liam shoved Noelle away.
• He couldn't believe Noelle could be so foolish and arrogant, daring to strike Madeline even now. He instinctively pushed her, and she stumbled back into the wall, then slipped and fell to the ground.
• Liam hesitated. Noelle, sitting on the floor, her eyes red but silent, stood up, supporting herself against the wall. She looked directly at Madeline, "Since you want to frame me, I'll give you what you want."
• Just then, a teacher from the Disciplinary Office arrived, dispersing the crowd and instructing Noelle, Madeline, and Liam, "Come with me. We'll sort this out in the office."
• Noelle said nothing and walked ahead. Madeline and Liam followed.
• No one noticed the man in a lab coat standing at a nearby corner, smoking and watching a video he had just recorded on his phone, his eyes gleaming with interest.
• "Are girls these days so cunning?"
• But the girl from the Lewis family was even more intriguing: accused of something she didn't do, she turned the tables and made the accusation true with a slap, ensuring she wouldn't be falsely accused without retaliation.
• Usually quiet and unassuming, he almost believed the information he had was wrong. She certainly didn't seem like the arrogant girl described in the reports.
• Now it seemed she was every bit the Norman descendant ...