Chapter 202: Oh, no, he didn’t!

Was she ready?

The headmaster’s words got stuck in Penny’s mind and it kept playing along in her head even after her conversation with him. Walking through the hallway back to her building, her steps were slow and her eyes were cast down.

"How come I am not ready? I was prepared for this since infancy," she mumbled, recalling that she made ten backup plans if ever she couldn’t change her fate and still ended up in the mansion that neglected her in the previous lifetime.

But deep in her heart, it wasn’t the headmaster’s questions that resonated with her, but the feeling she felt at the thought.

The plans Penny made back when she was an infant were all based on her previous life. Although there were still some events that didn’t change and reoccurred in this life, many people around her changed one way or another.

Starting from Haines’s overstay in the country, her brothers’ change, Nina’s unofficial redemption, and everything! Her friends, Grace, the school, her pets, and even her size! Name it, a lot of things changed. Looking back, it was very far from the life she used to have.

It was very different.

’It wouldn’t be a stretch to call that... I’m currently living the dream I once had,’ she thought and sighed deeply. ’But even so, I still want to leave because I don’t want to stay like this forever.’

Penny had a lot of plans and wanted to do things that she couldn’t do in her previous life. She didn’t know if she had another spare life, but in this lifetime, she promised to not only live it on her own terms, but she would also live to the fullest — explore and have fun. If all was good, she wanted to marry early and have a family of her own.

That was the original plan.

But somehow, a small part of her heart was a little reluctant.

"Where is this reluctance coming from?" she whispered, her steps stopping as she caught a crowd at the wide space at the end of the hallway. "Hmm? What’s going on? Is there a fight?"

She blinked, her curiosity earned. With her nosy persona taking charge, Penny approached and her face twisted the closer she was.

’Isn’t that Second Brother? What’s happening with the basketball team?’ Penny stopped on the sidelines, joining the bystanders who were watching whatever this drama was about to unravel.

"Hey, Max, isn’t that a little too much?" one of the basketball team members expressed his dismay. "Did you just come here to brag? If you don’t want to train, so be it!"

Penny’s eyes veered to this person named Max and tilted her head to the side. ’Did I see him somewhere?’ she wondered, looking up as she rummaged through her memory. It didn’t take long for her face to contort upon remembering where she saw this guy.

The star section garden, where she threw a flowerpot straight at Ray.

’Right. He’s there.’ Her brows rose a little while assessing Max’s figure. ’Now that I think about it, the basketball team openly expresses their dislikes toward one of their members. From what I recall, this member is from the star section, and he always thinks his other teammates are all losers without him.’

Penny frowned at the thought, and this exchange would justify the basketball team’s displeasure towards him.

"I didn’t come here to brag! Hah! I came here because I need something from someone. It’s you guys who came to me, telling me to practice, and spouted stupid and unnecessary comments!" Max argued arrogantly. "If you guys want to practice, go ahead! Don’t drag me with it!"

The basketball team’s face grimed at his response.

"Let’s just go," Hugo proposed calmly, despite the sharp look in his eyes. "If he doesn’t want to attend the training, that’s fine."

His teammates cast him a bitter look, but they knew Hugo was right. They’d been stuck with Max, who had prince syndrome for years now. They should know that talking to him is like talking to a wall. They would never win with his twisted logic.

Max sneered as his eyes sharpened at Hugo, watching the team slowly retreat like the pathetic bunch they were. "Hugo Bennet, stop acting like you can carry this entire team without me."

The basketball team stopped and slowly looked back at him.

"What did you say?" someone asked in disbelief.

"Max, basketball is a team play," Hugo argued. "I don’t carry anything or anyone. We help each other and train together. Win or lose together."

"How noble of you," Max snorted. "But I can’t believe I’m hearing someone glorify losing. A loss is a loss, and it doesn’t matter if you’re alone or not — it’s still called a loser."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I’m trying to say is that I am disgusted at the fact that my team even thinks losing is okay," Max hissed. "Then you’re asking me why I don’t train with you guys? This is why. Not only because your play is so mediocre, but you’re also pathetic."

Hugo’s jaw tightened, mainly because the attack was toward the entire team. It would be okay if it was only toward him. He could disregard it.

"Max, what do you want by prolonging this?" Hugo asked without beating around the bush. "By verbally attacking your team and by dragging the team’s confidence, what do you want?"

"Nothing, honestly." Max shrugged. "Or maybe... there’s one. Quit the team, Hugo Bennet."

"Are you out of your mind?!" one of the members couldn’t contain his anger and roared.

However, one of the biggest members with them placed a hand on the angered member. Unlike everyone, the big guy was calmer and unaffected by Max’s taunting.

The big guy set his eyes on Max and said. "Max, I don’t know why you’re suddenly acting so bold today. But whatever the reason, I hope you find peace in your heart and see the essence of this team and the game."

"Guys." the big guy, who was also the captain of the team, glanced at his team. "Let’s just go and train."

Again, as they tried to go, Max laughed in ridicule. "One more thing why I found this team pathetic is because you chose that loser as the captain."

This time, the pressure in the air leaped ten levels and everyone who was watching this couldn’t help but hold their breaths. That included Penny.

Penny’s eyes went wide. ’Oh, no, he didn’t!’