Upstairs, the vast open hall was crowded, a competition already in full swing.
Yeri's gaze drifted toward the stage as Calin spoke beside her, enthusiastically explaining that it was a programming competition, one that gathered the country's brightest minds from all walks of life.
Participants were presenting projects centered on artificial intelligence, particularly in firewall systems against hackers and malware development.
Calin continued, gesturing subtly toward the front rows. Those seated there, she explained, were industry heavyweights, investors on the lookout for promising talents and innovative projects worth backing.
As Calin chatted on like an eager insider, waves of applause, cheers, and murmured discussions rippled through the crowd.
On stage, the host soon welcomed a highly anticipated guest, an investor and the so-called "future leader of software development" as he called out the name Bryce Gate.
Yeri instinctively glanced at Calin, who was watching Bryce with unmistakable pride.
So this must be what she mentioned earlier, about his company going public.
Bryce began his speech, composed and confident. Partway through, he shifted the spotlight.
"One of our key projects wouldn't have been possible without the hard work and contribution of my beautiful and talented fiancée, Calin Ricci."
Calin smiled sweetly, offering a gracious nod as heads turned in her direction.
"For those who may not know," Bryce added, "although Calin is part of the entertainment industry and comes from a family known for jewelry, her deep knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and programming logic played a crucial role in this project… making me love her even more."
His final remark drew laughter and lighthearted giggles from the audience.
Standing there, Yeri couldn't help but understand why Calin had insisted on bringing her along.
Was it… just to show off?
"The girl beside Calin Ricci… doesn't she look familiar?"
"She must be her sister...they kind of resemble each other."
"No, that's Yeri Zhi! What is she doing here? Wasn't there a rumor about conflict between them?"
"What's she up to? She's not going to cause trouble, is she?"
"I heard Shin Keir is here too. Why isn't she with him?"
The person next to the speaker scoffed. "If it's Shin Keir, then he's probably meeting global leaders. Bringing a clueless fiancée to an event like this would only embarrass him."
Calin frowned slightly and turned to Yeri, her tone soft with reassurance. "Ignore them. I don't think Brother Shin is that kind of person."
Yeri simply nodded.
If she were the paranoid type, she might have overanalyzed Calin's words, mistaking comfort for subtle provocation, and spiraling into suspicion that Shin Keir was indeed embarrassed by her.
Just then, Bryce invited Calin onto the stage, and the crowd responded with a burst of applause.
After offering a few brief words, Calin demonstrated her coding skills, effortlessly breaking down complex problems. Her clarity and precision earned visible admiration from the audience.
"I really don't understand why Shin Keir chose Yeri Zhi over Calin Ricci," someone nearby chuckled.
Her companion nudged her, a silent warning to lower her voice.
But the girl only rolled her eyes and spoke louder, deliberately ensuring Yeri could hear.
"What's wrong with what I said? Even if she's younger than Calin, I doubt she'll be as successful or accomplished. KGG is a tech conglomerate, it only makes sense for Shin Keir to be with someone in the same field. Are people not allowed to feel disappointed? Tsk."
Soon, comparisons between Yeri and Calin spread like sparks catching dry grass.
Voices overlapped, some claiming Shin Keir was a fool, just another man who chose beauty over brains.
Calin's two socialite friends eagerly joined in, as if competing over who could deliver the sharpest criticism.
And yet, it was in moments like this that Yeri almost wanted to pat herself on the back for not letting their words pierced her.
Perhaps her skin had simply grown too thick. Or perhaps, after years of battling illness, her heart had learned a different language, one where the opinions of strangers are unintelligible.
Just as Yeri was about to slip away, Bryce's voice rang out again, deliberate, and impossible to ignore.
He said he felt honored to have Shin Keir's fiancée in the audience.
Yeri "…"
Bryce continued as if he and Shin shared a deep camaraderie, his tone warm with practiced familiarity.
Since Yeri was Shin's fiancée and present at such an event, he assumed she must have an interest in the field as well.
Like a spotlight snapping on, attention shifted.
Those who hadn't noticed her before now turned, their gazes carrying curiosity, scrutiny and expectation.
On stage, Calin hesitated, feigning a touch of awkwardness, as though she wanted to clarify that she had been the one who invited Yeri.
But Bryce had already moved ahead, asking Yeri directly about her interests, whether she knew anything about programming.
"Pfft- this is embarrassing. What would she know about programming?" one of Calin's socialite friends scoffed. "I know someone from SC University, they said she's often absent, and her grades are just average."
"Really? Must be busy dating Young Master Keir."
Their laughter was soft, but sharp enough to cut.
"If Miss Zhi doesn't mind," Bryce added smoothly, "on behalf of Shin Keir, could you share some knowledge in programming? Perhaps something you've learned from him?"
Yeri's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't just a stage for Calin to shine, this was the real intention.
A carefully set trap.
Calin hadn't brought her here simply to show off but to place her under the brightest light, strip her bare of competence, and let the contrast speak for itself.
Not just to embarrass her but to turn Shin Keir into a joke.
A man of brilliance with a fiancée who, aside from her face, was ignorant. Someone who couldn't match his intellect, his passion, his world.
And here, surrounded by industry titans, investors, and prodigies, people who knew nothing of petty rumors or online drama, many looked at her with genuine anticipation.
"She's so pretty… if not programming, she must know something innovative, right?"
"If not that, maybe cybersecurity frameworks? AI defense systems? Spatial computing?"
Expectation, hope and curiosity. All of it pressing in.
On stage, Calin leaned toward Bryce, whispering something. He frowned slightly, then quickly masked it.
"I apologize," Bryce said, now wearing a polite, almost regretful expression. "I wasn't aware Miss Zhi is still in high school."
A graceful retreat, giving her a way out.
Yeri smiled but instead of stepping back, she stepped forward.
The murmur in the crowd faltered as she made her way onto the stage, each step landing like a quiet drumbeat.
"I'm not very good with speeches," she said lightly, her voice calm, almost casual. "But this event is really interesting… May I join the competition?"
Calin's composure fractured for a split second, her eyes widening before she could mask it.
Bryce's gaze sharpened, scanning Yeri as if trying to peel her apart layer by layer, searching for hesitation, for bluff, for weakness.
The crowd erupted into a restless storm. Some snickered, frowned, others whispered with poorly concealed disdain.
"She really dug her own grave. Why embarrass herself like this?"
"Doesn't she realize she's dragging Shin Keir's reputation down with her?"
Sure enough, no one faulted Bryce for putting her on the spot. Instead, the blame twisted neatly toward Yeri, as if she had stepped forward out of some desperate need to feel important.
And yet there were also those who leaned forward, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Miss Zhi wants to join the competition?" Bryce repeated, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, his tone dipped in condescension. "Just so you're aware, this isn't some campus-level event. The participants here have résumés that would leave most people speechless."
Calin stepped closer, her voice lowered, laced with concern that sounded just a touch too careful.
"Yeri… you don't have to do this, Brother Bryce was just excited and wanted to acknowledge your presence. I should've told him earlier that I was the one who invited you."
"Miss Zhi, I've already given you a way out," Bryce said, his tone tightening beneath its polite veneer. "Don't embarrass yourself further."
Yeri looked at him then at Calin, her gaze turned cold.
Around them, phones were already raised like a forest of silent witnesses. If she walked out now, the headlines would bloom within seconds: Shin Keir's fiancée flees tech event in humiliation.
A conclusion already decided.
"If I can't compete," Yeri said calmly, "then how about participating as a guest? Surely someone on this stage could spare a moment to humor me."
A ripple passed through the crowd.
"Let her compete."
The voice cut cleanly through the noise.
A man wearing glasses stepped forward from among the participants, dressed in the uniform of Bryce's company. There was a certain arrogance in the way he carried himself, like someone who had already calculated the ending of this little spectacle.
He crossed his arms, lips curling into a smug smile. "It would be an honor, to have the chance to play with the esteemed fiancée of CEO Keir."
"How about this?" he continued. "If you compete with me and I lose, you can take my place in the official competition."
Then, almost as an afterthought but not quite,
"My only request is that, regardless of the outcome, CEO Keir won't take it personally."
The implication was obvious.
If she lost, she might cry to Shin Keir and he might retaliate.
Yeri almost laughed.
"We're all adults here," she said with a small shrug. "Win or lose, people should know how to deal with it."
The man snorted, unconvinced, clearly thinking she was just putting up a brave front.
Around them, the judges, investors, and even the other participants exchanged glances, curiosity winning over hesitation. One by one, they agreed.
Within minutes, a computer station was prepared for Yeri.
On stage, Calin leaned slightly toward Bryce, her voice low. "Do you think she can do it?"
Bryce's gaze remained fixed on Yeri, sharper now, more analytical than before.
He had investigated her thoroughly, Yeri Zhi had no background in programming. No record of competitions or notable projects.
Aside from occasionally playing the well-known game Tartarus, she was practically invisible in any tech-related space.
"She might know a thing or two," Bryce finally said, "But do you even realize what kind of event this is?"
His eyes flicked briefly toward the man in glasses. That one wasn't just any participant, he was a hacker Bryce himself had recruited, someone notorious in underground circles, a mind sharpened on breaking systems rather than building them.
Against someone like that… What could Yeri possibly do?