Losing to My Substitute (Katerina and Joshu)
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He knew that women needed to be pampered. In the past, whenever Jean threw a tantrum, he would do just that.

The difference this time was that he didn't receive Jean's usual sweet response after gifting her something.

He asked his assistant about her reaction, but she only gave a faint smile.

Before he could ponder further, a company meeting interrupted his thoughts.

Jean submitted her application to the school; she only needed to complete a thesis to obtain her diploma.

Writing a thesis wasn't difficult for her, as long as she finished the defense within the stipulated time.

However, while learning a language and practicing simultaneously, she still struggled. After being deaf for several years, her language skills were slowly recovering, but her spoken language was a

mess.

She called her best friend, Nydia Lew, who hesitated before answering: "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's still me; I haven't changed my number. Don't you have me saved?"

Nydia exclaimed, "Oh my god, babe! How long has it been since I received your call? You... your hearing has returned!"

It was a long story, so they decided to meet up at a café.

While waiting for Nydia, Berton called, anxiously asking, "What's the ratio of brown sugar again?"

"What?"

Caught off guard by Berton's inquiry, Jean heard Alma's voice on the other end: "Keep it on low heat! It's about to burn! Young master, let me handle it!"

"No, I can do it myself... Jean, what's the ratio of brown sugar? Why does it taste off after two tries?" "Winni's fever has reached 38 degrees; she's unconscious, and the medicine isn't working well..." From the sounds coming through the receiver, Jean could imagine the chaos on the other side. The

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usually calm and collected Berton was only like this for Winni.

He wouldn't even step into the kitchen, let alone eat anything that wasn't to his liking,

Jean had devoted herself to caring for Berton after dropping out of school

She managed everything-his meals, clothes, and living arrangements, even learning to make

medicinal dishes tailored for him,

Only Winni could get Berton into the kitchen.

Jean recalled the time she had gone skiing with Berton, where he had a fever of 40 degrees and was out of it.

At that time, he hadn't accepted her; he thought she was overreacting,

In a foreign land, with inadequate healthcare, Jean had pushed through on her own.

Now Winni only had a 38-degree fever, and Berton was losing his composure. It seemed Winni truly

was his white moonlight.

Sipping black coffee without sugar, Jean didn't find it bitter at all

Just as she hung up, Nydia rushed in.

Once the floodgates opened, Nydia couldn't stop herself from ranting:

"You don't know how crazy Berton is! He made me find a set of jade jewelry in the middle of the night, spending a fortune!

Just because he has money doesn't mean he can act like this! He's acting like a king! Luckily, I'm resourceful and well-connected!"

She even showed Jean a picture of the jewelry set.

Jean felt grateful for her regained hearing; even the loudest noise sounded pleasant, providing her with more opportunities to engage with and love the world.

Once Nydia finished venting, Jean finally voiced her concerns about her poor spoken language skills for studying abroad.

Nydia, serious for once, offered advice:

Jean, you've been stagnant for too long. The world is moving fast! Just sprinkle some coins, and you

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can find a tutor who'll teach you a foreign language and warm your bed.

Who knows, you might even end up with a male college student with an eight-pack who teaches you in bed!"