The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1637

The lab was still busy with noise when Shirley set her things down, and almost immediately, her classmates gathered around her.

“Shirley, did you hear about Karan?” someone asked.

“Hm?” Shirley shook her head. She honestly didn’t want to get mixed up in Karan’s drama.

Even so, the girl scooted closer, popping open a bag of her favorite snacks. “So, the university might not have punished her, but a video from that day blew up online. Every sponsor working with Karan pulled out. All of them.”

“Really?” Shirley kept tidying up test tubes and notebooks. A little surprise showed on her face, but it wasn’t like she took any pleasure in hearing it.

The classmate crunched on another chip. “Yep. And I heard every single one of her study abroad apps got rejected overnight. Now none of the professors here dare to take her on as their student. She’s basically blacklisted in the whole physics community.”

Karan used to act untouchable, head always held high. To fall so far and have to slink home like that... Now, studying abroad was out of the question, and finding a job after graduation suddenly wasn’t so certain either.

“All that happened?” Shirley slowed down, frowning a little.

It just proved you really needed to keep your head on straight and your heart in the right place.

Her classmate nodded, her eyes warm as she looked at Shirley. “No matter what people outside say, all of us in the class are rooting for you,” she said, voice gentle.

One day, Shirley would make them proud. Everyone felt it.

“Thank you.” Shirley smiled, genuinely this time. She was determined to work hard and not let anyone down.

“Winning that exchange student spot doesn’t change where you come from,” Pandora said, her words coming out sharp. She looked flawless, decked out in designer clothes and perfect makeup. “Don’t start thinking you can cling to people out of your league. Stop dreaming about marrying into some big family. It’s never gonna happen.”

Pandora’s dislike was obvious, her face twisted even more by bitterness. She clearly blamed Shirley for Karan’s situation at Cabinda University.

“You finished?” Shirley’s voice stayed even, her face unreadable. “If you’re done, please move.”

Pandora couldn’t handle Shirley’s calm. As Shirley tried to step past, Pandora grabbed her arm, voice suddenly low and full of warning.

“Everyone in the Blair family knows about me and Andrew. Our families match in every way that matters. Even if you graduated from every top school in the world, you’d still never touch anyone in the Blair family. So let’s be clear. Stay away from Andrew, or…”

“Or what?” Shirley met Pandora’s glare, her gaze hard as ice, her tone full of quiet contempt.