Chapter 336
I suppressed the awkwardness I felt. Thad to pretend that I didn’t know about any of it so that I could wait for the women to discuss it in detail and try to pick up leads from their conversation.
“You’d better be careful about what you say. It won’t be good for you if the organizer hears you. We just got unlucky with this competition. We might pass the next time.” One of the other women was comforting the first one, but I could sense very clearly that something wasn’t right.
I pressed my lips together as I tried to think of proot, but at that moment the first woman looked displeased and kicked a trash can violently.
“I mean, the green clothes that the fourth contestant designed looked terrible. If there isn’t bribery involved, how could this have been the result?”
I was rather surprised. I hadn’t expected to hear something so juicy, but what came next shocked me even more.
“Do you think that the panelist named Barnes is a good man? He’s the most expert judge, but do you know what he’s expert in? He’s the most skilled when it comes to unspoken rules.”
Iwas startled. After all, I wasn’t a local, and there were many things that I could only glean from what other people said.
“Let’s just watch. Those pretty women today are sure to catch their eye. Someone will be sure to contact them within a few days, and when that happens there’ll be even more things going on behind the scenes. However, getting together with someone like that probably won’t end well either.”
1 had been listening for a long time. Through their conversation, I found out that one of the judges, Duncan Barnes, only appeared like a perfect gentleman. He was an accomplished man, but he was also sinister.
Not only did he enjoy forcing women into sexual favors, but he also liked using his power to continuously push the boundaries of others. Many people had been forced to leave the industry because of him.
“Aren’t you curious about why Kevin left the industry? Didn’t you know that it was because he found out how shameless people like that were?”
I had been planning to leave, but I was surprised to hear Kevin’s name. He was known as an authority in the fashion design world. How could something like that have happened? Had he really lett the industry?
Still, it was true that there hadn’t been any exhibitions held by Kevin lately, which was worrying.
“Kevin’s sister Kelly Somerson almost got injured because of that beast. However, life is just like that. This guy managed to get himself a position as a judge in such a big competition. He even won competitions by plagiarizing others. He’s utterly shameless.”
There were too many unfair things in the world. I couldn’t protest on Grandma’s behalf, just as Kevin couldn’t speak up for his sister, Kelly. We were both to be pitied, and we had suffered the same things.
This made me feel rather mournful. Perhaps this was just what humans were like.
People only thought about how to make better things happen when they were at their lowest point.
However, ever since I found out that there were unspoken rules here, I felt very troubled. I didn’t know if I should continue participating in the competition.
I also didn’t know if anyone would come looking for me. However, I thought about it and decided that I might not be one of their choices.
How capable could an exchange student be? They would be sure to leave me alone.
At that moment, I heard something even more shocking, which left me flabbergasted.
“Do you know how Duncan became a panelist? He was supposed to marry the dean’s daughter, and he also plagiarized many works.
“He secured his own position and always treats others with that gentle manner of his. In the end, he left the university because he was convicted of having inappropriate relations with female students by coercing them into it.” That sort of thing was practically a crime. I didn’t know why that kind of person still had the audacity to stick around to listen, and I began to feel extremely conflicted