Chapter 103
Jane, Professor Wells, and the other judges were surprised when they received the new test questions–it was clear they were. different from the set they’d been given earlier that morning.
The participants were given only ten minutes to complete the test. To everyone’s shock, only forty contestants advanced to the
next round.
Mia was among the finalists, but Lucy was eliminated.
Furious, Lucy yanked the crumpled test paper from her bag. Lindsey tried to console her, saying, “It’s okay, Lucy. It’s just a
competition.”
“Get lost! Stay away from me!” Lucy exploded, tearing the paper into shreds and throwing it to the ground.
Annoyed, Lindsey walked away, muttering under her breath, “What’s her problem? She failed to cheat and now she’s blaming
me.”
The second round proceeded smoothly. Each time a video clip was played, the groups would start writing furiously on their
sheets. The entire auditorium was filled with nothing but the quiet scratching of pens on paper.
When the second round ended, there was a break while the judges calculated the scores. Sarah leaned back in her chair and picked up her water bottle, enjoying a moment of relaxation.
“Drink this.” A thermos cup was suddenly placed in front of her.
Startled, Sarah glanced up to see Zachary standing there. His elegant hand had just released the cup.
“What’s this?” she asked, confused.
“Hot water.”
v? Did he
Sarah nearly choked on her drink. Was this because she’d had a cold beer yesterday? Did he really have to bring her a thermos to
the competition?
If someone saw this, they’d definitely start gossiping!
Her face flushed red as she pushed the thermos back toward him. “Mr. Reynolds, you should head back to your
our seat.”
If the reporters caught wind of this, who knows what kind of crazy stories they’d come up with?
Zachary, fully aware of her concern, reassured her with a calm voice, “Don’t worry. They wouldn’t dare write anything reckless.”
Anything involving the Reynolds family had to be approved by them before publication, ensuring no harm could be done to their reputation.
“That’s not the point.” Sarah shooed him back to his seat.
20 Bonus
While the judges evaluated the second–round results, a tense atmosphere settled over the room.
Mia’s palms were sweating as she waited. Only when she heard her group’s score did she finally let out a sigh of relief–85 points.
Not the highest score, but still very good.
Her group advanced to the final round!
Only two groups made it through, and with five members per group, ten contestants would compete in the last round.
Lucy, however, sat seething, glaring at Mia and Sarah on stage. To her, it was all Sarah’s doing–she was convinced Sarah had
Intentionally sabotaged her. And Mia? She must have gotten the answers in advance from Sarah!
Lucy vowed to expose Sarah to everyone.
The final round began. Each contestant received two essay questions. One by one, they would go on stage to present their
answers.
To ensure fairness, the remaining contestants wore noise–canceling headphones playing music while waiting backstage, so they
couldn’t hear or mimic the answers of those who went before them.
When it was Mia’s turn, she stepped onto the stage nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Her voice was hesitant, and she
stumbled over her words as she shared her thoughts.
But then she caught sight of Sarah’s encouraging smile in the audience. It was like a gentle breeze swept through her heart, calming her nerves. Gradually, her voice steadied, and she finished her presentation with confidence.
After all the contestants had presented their ideas, the judges huddled together, whispering and debating before finalizing their
Scores.
When the results were announced, first place went to a student from the Psychology Department, second to someone from the
Business School, and third place… was Mia!
Sarah smiled as she read out the scores. Mia’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had never imagined she would one day win an award.
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