Chapter 391
May I See You?
The National Collegiate Life Sciences Championship is held annually.
It was officially included in the National University Competition Rankings three years ago.
It is now a nationally recognized academic competition endorsed by the Ministry of Education.
The competition is divided into two categories: Scientific Inquiry and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Different tracks run simultaneously.
It focuses on evaluating students' originality and experimental research processes.
Sophia Sullivan's team naturally planned to participate.
As soon as the news broke, Hannah Morse and Marcus Lawrence were eager to join.
Extra credit for finals was crucial for them.
Hannah's raw score was eighty-five. She only reached ninety with her paper's bonus points.
Marcus reached ninety-two after the bonus.
Both had tasted the sweetness of extra credit.
Sophia was different.
She sought the challenge.
The extra credit was just a bonus.
Hannah looked up at the sky, speechless.
Marcus silently lowered his head.
Professor Victoria Lowell's team was equally excited.
Amelia Roscente's eyes shone.
Ashley Lowell secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Without published papers, winning a competition could still maintain her genius persona.
After the Monthly Research Symposium, everyone dispersed.
They discussed the competition in small groups.
The next day, Sophia's team submitted their application form.
While registering, Sophia glanced at Professor Lowell's team's materials.
She noticed Caleb Watson's name was also listed.
But the project leader was Ashley Lowell.
Caleb was only listed as a member.
A third-year graduate student doesn't need to participate in competitions.
He was likely acting as a guidance consultant.
Making Ashley the leader...
Sophia clicked her tongue softly.
Hannah turned her head. "What's wrong, Sophia?"
"Just feeling a bit compliacted."
"About what?"
Sophia said, "Hard work doesn't necessarily guarantee return. Sometimes you just end up doing the work for someone else."
If Caleb himself didn't struggle, no one else could help him.
…
Administrative Building Office.
Bang—
Amelia Roscente pushed the door open and stormed in.
The door slammed against the wall with a loud crash.
"Victoria Lowell, are you betting I won't dare to report you?"
"Are you insane? Causing a scene in my office!" Professor Lowell did not back down.
After getting a handle on Amelia, she had figured out her background.
All bark and no bite.
She didn't have the guts for mutually assured destruction.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited until now.
Amelia crossed her arms. "What do you mean by making Ashley the leader? Is she even qualified?"
"Not her, then you? Ridiculous."
"You—"
Professor Lowell brushed her hand away. "Have you published any papers? Any academic output? A leader needs to command respect."
"I may not have papers, but we both know how Ashley got her so-called output."
Professor Lowell's eyes flickered.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The Roscente family has no shortage of money and connections. Investigating Ashley was easy. Guess what I found out?"
Professor Lowell's face changed dramatically.
Amelia said, "Professor Lowell's last name is Lowell. Ashley's last name is also Lowell. What a coincidence."
"So what!" Her voice wavered.
Amelia curled her lip. "Ashley's grades were terrible in middle school. She suddenly became a genius in high school, winning competitions, publishing papers. Should I dig deeper?"
"You—" Professor Lowell trembled with anger.
She regretted letting Amelia join the team.
She thought she was a simple-minded rich girl, but she was actually shrewd.
Amelia said, "Make me the second-in-command. Or you and your niece are both finished."
She turned and left.
Amelia's name was added to the application form.
Jude Granger looked at Caleb in shock. "...Why?"
"No reason. The world is inherently unfair."
Caleb remained calm and unruffled.
Jude was even more confused.
…
The competition rules involved choosing your own topic, with a time limit for submission and review.
The judging committee would select the Grand Prize, first, second, and third place awards.
Sophia's team quickly decided on their project direction.
The choice of project leader was unquestionable.
Hannah and Marcus said in unison, "Sophia will lead!"
Sophia did not decline.
It was settled easily.
Time flew by. Another strong cold front arrived.
The project concluded smoothly.
The three of them worked day and night in the lab.
They finally finished on time.
Hannah let out a long sigh of relief.
Marcus, with dark circles under his eyes, finally relaxed.
Sophia said, "Take two days off. Recover your energy."
"Yay— Long live Sophia!"
It was Sophia's first time going home in a week.
She took a quick shower and collapsed into bed.
She slept soundly through the night without any dreams.
The next day, she woke up naturally.
Her phone showed it was noon.
She got up, washed up, and ate a quick bite.
She started a deep cleaning, loosening the soil and watering the plants.
After tidying up, she changed clothes and went out to buy groceries.
Just as she was about to step out, Sebastian Evans called.
It was their first call since returning from the other city.
"I'm downstairs at your place. May I see you?"
The man's voice was low and hoarse.