Mi Xue’s sudden appearance not only surprised Yi Wei but also left others who recognized her stunned. They hesitated at first, cautiously observing, and then someone stepped forward to ask, “Excuse me, are you Madam Miller?”
Mi Xue nodded slightly to the person and then said to Yi Wei, “Let’s go, to your room.”
“Okay.” Yi Wei walked around to the back of his adoptive mother’s wheelchair and said to Anna, “I’ll take over.”
Yi Wei pushed Mi Xue’s wheelchair, leading them back to his room. Aite had work and couldn’t accompany them, but his assistant came with Mi Xue, along with some bodyguards following behind.
As they moved, people around them started whispering and speculating.
“Even though it’s been years since we’ve seen her, her appearance hasn’t changed much. That must be Madam Miller.”
“But why is she in a wheelchair?”
“I heard a few years ago she and her husband had an accident. Her husband passed away in that accident, and she’s probably in a wheelchair because of that.”
“So, is that why she’s been absent from the public eye for so long?”
“That contestant who just ranked first, Yi Wei, wasn’t he recommended by Madam Miller? So, it must be her.”
“Madam Miller is actually here. Should we go over and greet her?”
“I heard Madam Miller is here? Where? Where?”
“Calm down! It might not really be her. Maybe someone just made a mistake.”
Before Yi Wei and Mi Xue could even reach the accommodation area, a crowd had already gathered to catch a glimpse of them. Word of Mi Xue’s presence had spread, and even members of the association came to see if it was really her. After all, she hadn’t been seen for years, and her sudden appearance was causing a stir.
“Madam Miller, it really is you,” the president of the association said as he approached. “Why didn’t you inform us beforehand? We would have prepared a proper welcome for you.”
“I’m just here to watch the competition,” Mi Xue replied. “I didn’t expect that even after all these years, I would be recognized so quickly.”
“Madam Miller’s achievements are recorded in the annals of psychology. How could anyone forget you just because you’ve been absent for a few years?” the president said respectfully. “I’ve already arranged for a VIP room for you. Shall I take you there?”
“Alright, I’ll trouble you then,” Mi Xue responded.
The president immediately had security clear the crowd, personally leading Mi Xue and her group to the VIP accommodation area, with other members of the association following closely behind.
“It really is Madam Miller! I can’t believe I’m seeing her in person!”
“You only saw her from behind, why are you so excited?”
“But that’s Madam Miller’s back!”
“Now that she’s here, will she serve as a judge?”
“I doubt it. A competition of this level wouldn’t interest her enough to serve as a judge.”
Inside the room, Yi Wei glanced around at the spacious, bright, and luxurious living room. It was grand enough to justify being called a VIP room. It was so large it felt like a conference hall, and with everyone else who had come in, it really did feel like they were here for a meeting.
“President Andri,” Mi Xue called out.
“Yes, Madam Miller?” Andri responded.
“I’m not in the best health right now. I’m only here to watch the competition and have no other plans or intentions. Please ask your association members to leave. I need to rest,” Mi Xue said with a smile.
“Of course.” Andri turned to the others and said, “You’ve all heard Madam Miller. Go back to your duties.”
Those who had hoped to ask Mi Xue for advice had no choice but to leave in disappointment.
After everyone had left, Andri turned to Mi Xue and said, “Madam Miller, there’s something I’d like to apologize for. Regarding the situation with Yi Wei’s district being changed when he first arrived at our association, it was my son who did that. I didn’t expect him to take such actions. I’ve already punished him by expelling him and banning him from ever working in psychology again.”
Yi Wei brought over some tea for Mi Xue, thinking that the punishment was indeed harsh. Since Andri’s son was Yi Xuan’s senior, he must have spent years studying psychology. Now, being banned from working in the field meant that all his efforts had been in vain.
“I’ve already heard about this,” Mi Xue said after taking a sip of tea. “Was it Jefferson’s so-called genius student, Alan Chien, who convinced your son to do it?”
“Yes… yes, that’s right,” Andri said in a pleading tone. “Madam Miller, could you please speak to Mr. Aite for me? I would like to ask if we can stop pursuing this matter any further.”
“I understand. I’ll talk to him for you,” Mi Xue replied.
“Thank you very much,” Andri said with a slight bow. “If you need anything, please feel free to let me know. I’ll leave you to rest now.”
After Andri left, Yi Wei turned to Mi Xue and asked, “He’s willing to sacrifice his own son’s future to protect Qi Ran’s reputation. I don’t quite understand why.”
“There’s nothing surprising about it,” Mi Xue said. “Jefferson is the most influential figure in this association, and Qi Ran is the most talented of Jefferson’s students. Andri’s son, however, doesn’t have much talent. He became Jefferson’s student because of his father’s connections. Even if he can’t work in psychology, there are other fields he can enter. People trained in psychology are starting to work in advertising, sales, negotiation, and other industries. But Qi Ran has the reputation of a genius, and Jefferson is grooming him carefully in hopes that he will surpass my students. So, protecting Qi Ran’s reputation is more important.”
“I see,” Yi Wei nodded in understanding. He then asked, “What if you don’t agree to Andri’s request?”
“Since I’ve come all this way in person, it’s only right to show some goodwill. For your sake, I won’t break ties with them over this trivial matter. After all, we are on their turf,” Mi Xue said.
Yi Wei nodded. “I didn’t expect you to come to watch me compete. Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“I wanted to give you some pressure,” Mi Xue replied. “I’m not worried about your abilities in this competition, but now that I’m here, you have to win decisively and not embarrass me. In the future, you’ll face more pressure, so you should start practicing how to perform well under such pressure.”
“I understand,” Yi Wei replied seriously.
The doorbell rang, and Anna went to check. She turned back and said, “It’s Jefferson.”
“Let him in,” Mi Xue said.
Anna opened the door and stepped aside, saying, “Please come in.”
Jefferson walked in, squinting at Mi Xue. “It really is you. It’s been a long time, Mi Xue Miller.”
“Long time no see, Jefferson,” Mi Xue smiled. “You always said you’d surpass me, but even in the years I’ve been absent, it seems you’ve made no progress in doing so. I feel sorry for you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do it one day,” Jefferson said.
“Yes, there’s no rush,” Mi Xue replied. “Life is short, just a few decades. When the day comes that your eyes close for the last time, and you never open them again, all your achievements will be judged by future generations. They’ll decide what was worth remembering, and it won’t matter to us.”
Mi Xue was implying that Jefferson could continue to delude himself until death if he wanted to, but the world would still judge his failures and successes after he was gone.
“After all these years, you haven’t changed a bit,” Jefferson said coldly, glancing briefly at Yi Wei. “But provoking me now won’t work anymore. I’ve realized that I don’t need to prove I’m better than you on my own. If my students surpass yours, that’ll be enough.”
“Congratulations on finding a way to escape reality. But…” Mi Xue smiled. “Do you really think I’ll let you succeed?”
“We’ll see!” Jefferson snapped, turning and leaving.
Mi Xue and Jefferson had been at odds since they were young. Mi Xue always pointed out Jefferson’s mistakes, which made him feel offended. He started finding fault with her in return, but in the end, Mi Xue was always proven right. Mi Xue didn’t single out Jefferson; she corrected anyone’s mistakes and welcomed challenges to her own ideas. She believed that open dialogue could help the field of psychology progress and contribute to society.
Most people accepted her corrections humbly or agreed to disagree and continued their work. However, Jefferson, who already resented Mi Xue, grew even more envious as her accomplishments outshone his. He began using underhanded tactics to tarnish her reputation.
At first, Mi Xue didn’t bother with him, but when he crossed a line, she struck back. After being harshly reprimanded several times, Jefferson was nearly ruined. He calmed down for a while but never gave up his desire to defeat Mi Xue. With no other tricks working, his only option was to engage in a direct competition to prove himself superior, but he had never succeeded. Now, he pinned his hopes on his students. However, his students had never surpassed Mi Xue’s, leading to rumors that Jefferson wasn’t as good as Mi Xue, even when it came to selecting students. This made his resentment even stronger.
“Teacher, you called for me?” Qi Ran asked as he entered the room.
Jefferson turned around and looked at Qi Ran seriously. “You know how important tomorrow’s final is, don’t you?”
Qi Ran, equally serious, nodded. “I understand.”
“If you win the final tomorrow, it’ll be your third consecutive victory. The significance of that is important—you’ll be able to join the association before turning thirty, but more importantly…” Jefferson looked at Qi Ran intently. “He’s Mi Xue’s student. If you lose to him now, it’ll be even harder to beat him in the future. As long as you can keep him from surpassing you in the coming years, it’ll prove that your talent is superior.”
Qi Ran froze for a moment. He understood his teacher’s obsession with surpassing Mi Xue. Although he had lost to Yi Wei by ten points today, tomorrow’s competition was in the field he excelled at.
“I won’t let you down,” Qi Ran replied firmly, his eyes filled with determination.
R : wow ! I thought I was delulu sometimes but they’re the worst hhhh
🎄Christmas surprise ! : Not one, not 2… not 3.. but 5 PAGBWMH updates today for you !🎁🎁
Also, 2 updates for REI , BMN and BPTCMW ! Love you guys ! (♡ >ω< ♡)
Merry Christmas and happy holidays ! ☆*･゜ﾟ･(^O^)/･゜ﾟ･*☆
