Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Upon hearing that Zoe's two-person team had actually made it through, everyone was stunned. "What? What did the host just say? Who was that third team that got through?" Clara almost thought she had misheard and quickly turned to Sean for confirmation.
"Mom, she said Zoe advanced," Sean replied, though he was just as surprised inwardly. 'Zoe, who came from a small town, is actually this capable? Can she really do business? Is this for real? And where did she learn all this?' he wondered to himself.
In the venue, Shawn lightly rubbed his thumb and index finger together. His gaze on Zoe was thoughtful.
Based on his judgment, Zoe should have advanced in first place in this first round. He didn't know why she had ended up in third. 'Perhaps Zoe wasn't in top form today?' he wondered. Shawn couldn't help but take a few more looks at Zoe.
The most astonished person at the results was undoubtedly Eunice. She really hadn't expected Zoe to come in third place.
After all, Zoe's team consisted only of her and Mandy. Everyone knew Mandy's capabilities, and her contribution could be safely ignored.
This meant that Zoe had earned third place all by herself. 'How could this be possible? She can't be that good,' Eunice thought to herself.
But no matter what, the results were out, and Eunice had no choice but to grit her teeth and accept it, vowing to crush Zoe in the next round.
With everyone harboring their own thoughts, the second round of the competition was about to begin.
After a ten-minute break, in the waiting area, as soon as Zoe and Mandy were about to leave, they saw Shawn walking toward them from the judging area.
His handsome figure and imposing presence were flawless from every angle, leaving no room for criticism.
When Eunice saw Shawn leave his seat and head toward the waiting area, her face turned slightly red, and her heart started racing. 'Mr. Ludwig is so handsome. If only I could talk to him,' Eunice thought to herself.
Cheryl, spotting Shawn, immediately exclaimed to Eunice, "Look. Eunice, it's Mr. Ludwig. You should go talk to him. He must be coming for you." Cheryl pulled Eunice toward Shawn.
Although Eunice wasn't entirely sure who Shawn was coming for, she didn't refuse Cheryl's help.
'As long as I can talk to Shawn, it doesn't matter if Cheryl is pushing me into it,' Eunice thought to herself. 'After all, it's Cheryl who's giving me the chance to get close to Mr. Ludwig.'
But just as Eunice was thinking this, Shawn walked right past her without even a glance, completely ignoring her. Instead, he walked straight up to Zoe, who was standing in the corner, in full view of everyone in the room.
'Could it be that Mr. Ludwig is going to Zoe? How could this be possible?' Eunice thought to herself.
Mandy had just grabbed two bottles of water, intending to hand one to Zoe, when someone beat her to it.
She turned her head in confusion and was stunned when she saw who it was. "M-Mr. Ludwig?" Mandy was genuinely shocked.
"Drink this," Shawn said to Zoe, his lips moving slightly as he handed her the water. He even twisted the cap off for her.
Everyone in the room was left dumbfounded by Shawn's gentle gesture. 'What? Mr. Ludwig has always been aloof. When did he become so considerate? He's actually bringing Zoe a drink and twisting off the cap for her? Oh my?' they all thought to themselves.
Eunice was furious at the scene unfolding before her.
When Zoe saw Shawn, her eyes sparkled mischievously. She smiled, pouted her lips, and playfully said, "No, my hands are tired. How about you feed me instead?"
No one else would dare speak to Shawn that way. After all, he was someone to be revered, not trifled with. But Zoe was openly acting coy. She was being incredibly bold. 'Just you wait, Mr. Ludwig is going to get angry,' they all thought.
As every heiress, heir, and member of the Evans family thought this, the next moment left them all awkward. Shawn actually brought the bottle to Zoe's lips. 'Oh my, Mr. Ludwig is feeding a girl a drink himself?' they thought. Everyone was stunned.
After taking a sip, Zoe realized the drink was unusual. It was likely a specialized energy drink used by the military to invigorate soldiers.
'Does Shawn think I'm not capable enough?' she wondered. Seeing Zoe drink the beverage, Shawn seemed relieved. "Do your best in the next round," he encouraged her before preparing to leave.
But Zoe suddenly grabbed his hand, holding onto it tightly. She looked up at him with a playful smile. As Shawn turned his head, their interlocked hands were captured in a close-up on the big screen.
The audience couldn't help but gasp in amazement. This was clearly an interaction between a couple, and it was incredibly sweet.
"Mr. Ludwig, just verbal encouragement isn't enough," Zoe said with a mischievous grin. And then, in the next second, what she said left everyone in the room completely stunned. "Instead of words, I'd rather have a kiss of encouragement."