Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 627

“Is that how your ‘accident’ happened, Juniper?” Tucker asked, his voice tight with disbelief.

“Well…” Juniper blinked, her voice shrinking as she tried to explain, or rather, bluff her way through. “I just thought your code was brilliant, so I submitted it on a whim. And what a coincidence, it took first place!”

“On a whim?” Tucker looked like he was about to faint. His computer, a computer science professor’s machine, was protected by a top-tier firewall. Had a first-year student really bypassed it so easily?

“But…” His mind was a mess. He frowned, shaking his head. “Even if I did enter, there’s no way I could have won.”

He didn't say it outright, but Juniper understood what he meant.

“About that,” she began, pressing her lips together. “It seems the judging in previous years wasn't exactly fair, so I wrote an anonymous tip to the organizers. They brought in a whole new panel of judges.”

She continued, “This new panel doesn’t really know Byron, so they judged objectively. It’s only natural that you won.”

“A tip?” Tucker stared at the young girl in front of him, scarcely believing his ears. First, she’d hacked his firewall to register him, and now she was telling him she’d reported the judges? She had told him she didn't know much about computers. Who in the world was this girl?

“I have to get back to class,” Juniper said, glancing at the time. “You should take a moment to process your win. And maybe start thinking about which project to use for the international competition.” She gestured with her chin. “Don’t forget to eat the snacks.”

With that, she bolted out of the lab, not daring to look back at the stunned expression on his face.

Tucker sat frozen in his chair, Juniper’s words echoing in his mind. It was finally sinking in. This girl was a true prodigy!

...

“What’s this? Are you all suggesting I’m wrongly accusing her?” Byron’s anger simmered, and he swept a cold gaze over the students, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

The students bit their tongues. They all thought so but didn't dare say it.

“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?” Just then, Juniper slowly lifted her head. Her eyes, framed by thick lashes, were clear and bright as her cool voice cut through the tension.

“What did you say?” Byron was taken aback. He couldn't believe Juniper had the audacity to talk back to him in front of the entire class.

“Hah.” A bitter laugh escaped Juniper’s lips. She gave him a sardonic smile and repeated, her voice sharp and clear, “You heard me. You are wrongly accusing me. I wasn’t late. On what grounds are you punishing me? I’m. Not. Standing.”

She delivered the last few words with such force and conviction that the other students stared, their eyes wide with awe.