Chapter 322
A brand new five-story building stood before them.
Its exterior walls were smooth and clean.
The glass panels were crystal clear.
The surrounding area, however, was barren and desolate.
In the distance, a construction site was still active.
Professor Victoria Lowell scoffed.
"Building a lab in a place like this? Sophia Sullivan certainly knows how to put on a show."
Blake Cunningham's initial anxiety completely dissipated.
It was just a cheap trick, after all.
"Let's go," Victoria said. "No point wasting our time."
They turned to get back into their cars.
A voice called out from the distance.
"Blake?" An elderly man smiled and waved.
Blake froze, then looked surprised. "Professor Zhou? What are you doing here?"
Professor Zhou Dingxian was a founding member of the Computer Science department.
He had long since retired.
Blake had been his student and later his colleague.
They had a close relationship.
They had just spoken on the phone last week.
Zhou had said he was vacationing in Hainan.
"Didn't you go south to escape the cold?"
Zhou chuckled. "I prefer Kyoto. Old Benjamin invited me to join the fun, so I came along."
"Fun?"
"The lab's unveiling ceremony."
Blake's heart tightened. "A student's foolishness shouldn't trouble you. How inconsiderate..."
He assumed Sophia had invited him.
He hadn't expected her to have such connections.
Zhou frowned. "Foolishness? The first fully autonomous, student-built smart bio-lab in the country. A first in MIT's history. How is that foolish?"
Blake was incredulous. "This barren land? A lab?"
A smart bio-lab, no less.
Such exaggerated claims!
"Barren land?" Zhou pointed at the building. "Five full floors. Fully equipped. State-of-the-art facilities. Almost all imported..."
His tone held a hint of envy by the end.
He had never worked in such a well-equipped lab himself.
Blake was stunned. "Sophia Sullivan built this?"
"Of course. The front is even livelier. Just walk around from here to see."
Zhou, full of curiosity about the lab, had explored the interior and then wandered to the back looking for more surprises.
That's when he ran into Blake and his group.
Blake walked around to the front entrance in a daze.
The noise of a crowd filled the air.
Congratulations could be heard everywhere.
Victoria's jaw dropped in astonishment.
She blinked hard.
It was all real.
Sophia had actually built a laboratory.
How was this possible?
Shane Holloway was completely dumbfounded.
The prepared taunts stuck in his throat.
Not a single word could come out.
Amelia Roscente's eyes widened in shock.
She suddenly remembered Sophia's words—
What goes around comes around...
Ashley Lowell panicked and grabbed Victoria's arm. "Auntie, what do we do? If the President finds out about what we did..."
"Shut up!" Victoria snapped sharply. "We did nothing! Watch your mouth!"
Jude Granger and Caleb Watson were carefully examining the building.
The more they looked, the more excited they became.
"Caleb, five floors... how big must it be?"
Caleb stood with his arms crossed, pure admiration in his eyes.
This was so like Sophia.
Go big or go home.
"Let's go in and find out."
Jude's eyes lit up. "But we don't have invitations..."
They had come using Blake's invitation.
Caleb smiled slightly. "Says who?"
He opened his jacket, revealing a corner of red paper in an inner pocket.
Jude was shocked. "Caleb, you—"
"Shh. Keep it down."
Jude suppressed his excitement, his heart pounding.
"Sophia gave it to you?"
"Yeah."
"You're close?"
Caleb thought for a moment. "Not really."
"Then why—"
"Maybe... she wanted us to see the show?"
Just then—
Professor Eleanor Watson approached with a smile. "Dean Blake, what an unexpected honor!"
Blake forced a smile. "You flatter me. In the presence of such esteemed seniors, I dare not claim to be an 'honor'."
He glanced around and gasped.
The Head of Biology from Caltech.
A renowned luminary from the tech institute.
The Vice-President of another major university.
A professor from a prestigious academy...
Half the academic elite had gathered here!
He was insignificant compared to these people.
Eleanor pretended not to notice his discomfort. "I don't recall sending an invitation to Dean Blake? Sophia, come here—"
Sophia stepped forward. "Professor?"
"Dean Blake specially brought Professor Lowell and students to offer congratulations. But I'm sure I didn't invite Dean Blake?"
"No, you didn't," Sophia nodded. "When we sent the invitation to the President, we included one for Vice-Dean Blake. Perhaps the Dean didn't wish to come, so the invitation went to the Vice-Dean instead?"
"I see," Eleanor said, as if suddenly understanding. "I thought Dean Blake had come to watch the spectacle."
Their back-and-forth made Blake break out in a cold sweat.
He could only offer an apologetic smile. "I wouldn't dare..."
All his earlier arrogance had vanished.
Eleanor said "make yourselves at home" and took Sophia to greet other professors.
Blake was completely ignored.
Victoria was even more overlooked.
Blake suddenly remembered something, his face changing dramatically.
He hurriedly pulled out his phone—
"Tyler! Stop the reporters from the Campus News! Send them back immediately!"
On the other end, Tyler was startled. "Dean Blake, what's wrong?"
"Don't ask questions, just do it!"
"But... but... it's too late!"
Blake stood frozen on the spot.