Chapter 336: Chapter 336: Lost, Along With the Family’s Reputation

Evelyn’s smile deepened slightly at the corners of her lips, and she said coldly, "You should say that to yourself!"

A gleam flashed in Hannah’s eyes as she continued, "We can’t find any judges here, so let’s play chess! Chinese chess or Go would take too long; let’s go for the simplest—Tic Tac Toe. How about it?"

"Okay." Evelyn responded.

They found paper and pen and set up a simple Tic Tac Toe grid. Evelyn and Hannah sat opposite each other, both brimming with confidence.

A crowd gathered around, betting on Hannah as if placing wagers.

Everyone knew Hannah had always been sharp, especially since she ranked in the top ten in the national Chinese chess competition.

Although Chinese chess and Tic Tac Toe aren’t the same, chess is chess.

Moreover, Tic Tac Toe was Hannah’s choice, giving her natural confidence in winning.

People looked at Evelyn with glances that carried some pity.

After all, losing would bring disgrace to her whole family!

A crowd gathered behind Hannah, while Evelyn had only the cake-making lady beside her.

People instinctively kept their distance from Evelyn, as if doing so would prevent failure from reflecting on them.

Evelyn took a deep breath, exchanged a look with the cake aunt, seeking some reassurance.

"Don’t be afraid," the cake aunt softly comforted, "actually, no matter the outcome, you’ve already won."

Her tone contained a depth of meaning Evelyn couldn’t grasp.

Evelyn couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head gently, "I will do my best!"

Hannah shot Evelyn a glance, imagining herself reporting triumph to Eleanor after the party, which made her especially happy.

Hannah was indeed experienced; the game had just begun, and she started pressing Evelyn tightly.

She was convinced she was bound to win!

Moreover, she wanted to defeat Evelyn thoroughly in the shortest, least time possible.

That’s how she planned to win spectacularly, win beautifully!

But as the game evolved, Hannah’s face showed signs of anxiety.

She found that Evelyn was absolutely no beginner—or perhaps even a seasoned champion!

The board, initially controlled by Hannah, gradually eluded her grasp.

In a short time, Evelyn began her counterattack and cornered Hannah without needing many moves.

Hannah sought new places to place her pieces step by step, but Evelyn had already taken charge of the whole board.

On the board, Evelyn already had three lines with unblocked rows of four consecutive pieces, ensuring Hannah would lose even if given four or five moves.

In just a few minutes, Hannah transformed from the presumed winner to the loser, her confident demeanor disappearing.

And the faces of onlookers were filled with astonishment and sighs, looking at Evelyn with admiration.

"How can it be?" Hannah said incredulously, "How could you... win?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Go clean up the trash on the floor," Evelyn lightly said, "A bet is a bet; you won’t cheat, will you?"

"I..." Hannah’s face changed, "I couldn’t have lost! Let’s play another round!"

"Pick up the trash on the floor first, and then we can play as many rounds as you want." Evelyn remained calmly composed, her voice steady, neither warm nor cold.

Without waiting for Hannah to speak, Evelyn continued, "Of course, if you admit defeat and refuse to acknowledge it, I won’t force you. If you open your mouth to ask for my help, to clean it up for you, I will."

Hannah widened her eyes in disbelief.

She couldn’t yet accept the fact.

How could she lose to Evelyn?

At the moment, it wasn’t about digging for reasons; she had to urgently handle the situation to save face!

"You were just lucky to beat me! Even a blind cat can find a dead mouse! Let’s go another round! Are you scared? Afraid to lose?" Hannah provoked.