Chapter 278

Yvette put her hands in her pockets with a half-smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Tilting her head slightly, she said lazily, “No need. I already know the result. There won’t be a second one.”

Jay’s mouth twitched.

He couldn’t argue with that. The confidence Yvette carried left him in genuine awe.

As Yvette began walking out, hands in her pockets, the crowd instinctively parted, creating a clear path.

They swore it was involuntary and unplanned.

Somehow, they just all stepped back in unison and then watched Yvette leave.

Spencer stared at Yvette’s back, then turned to James, and asked, “Mr. Owens, isn’t Ms. Zeller not staying to wait for the result?”

James glanced at him and shook his head. “No need. There won’t be any surprises.”

The crowd was left speechless and wondering where James’s confidence came from.

Half an hour later, the people in the lab were standing in stunned silence, their faces frozen in disbelief.

They stared blankly at the screen, which displayed the result that James and three senior professors had just finished grading.

All twenty questions were answered correctly.

What shocked them even more was that Yvette had used two different methods to solve the final problem, the one Spencer had submitted.

Everyone finally realized that it wasn’t that Yvette was slow in answering. She had simply taken her time to solve the problem using two distinct approaches.

The students in the outer lab felt a mixture of emotions, realizing why Yvette had left without waiting for the result.

It wasn’t arrogance; she simply knew she had it in the bag.

They couldn’t help but wonder where James found such a genius and how they were supposed to keep up.

The students now thought of Yvette as a master of all trades.

Reflecting on how they had initially underestimated her and intentionally created challenging questions to make things difficult for her, they all looked completely embarrassed.

Ryan, standing amidst the group, stared at the screen without moving.

Suddenly, he walked out.

But no one noticed, except for Marcus, who barely gave it any thought.

James, seeing the dispirited expressions on everyone’s faces, said seriously, “I gave you all an opportunity to learn, but you wasted it. The issue is your pride. You refused to believe that Yvette was better than you. Yes, you were all top students back in your hometowns, but entering this lab is just the beginning of your journey, not the end. You should know there’s always someone better out there. Take some time to reflect on this.”

With those words, he walked into his office without looking back his figure appearing particularly frail and lonely.

After all, this man, who had single-handedly shouldered the responsibilities of the National Physics Lab for years, was getting old.

The crowd remained silent, regret clearly written across their faces.

They finally understood James’s well-meaning efforts.

Many began to reflect on whether they had lost sight of their original goals and their sense of self. Today’s event served as a wake-up call.

Jay and Marcus watched the disheartened group.

Marcus’s eyes were complicated as he said, “Don’t think you’re that special. There are people who are far more talented and yet remain humble.”

Everyone knew who he was talking about.

After saying that, Marcus pulled Jay along and left.

But midway, Jay stopped, turned back, and spread his hands, saying, “15,000 dollars. Don’t forget. Make sure Mr. Owens gets it, alright?

Everyone’s faces flushed, tinged with embarrassment.

Spencer stepped forward. “Don’t worry, Maxwell. We’ll hand the money to Mr. Owens by tomorrow.”

Marcus’s lips twitched. He thought, “This guy always has a way of ruining the moment. Always the little miser. Even at this moment, he’s worrying about the 15,000 dollars for Siren. I really don’t know what to say about him.’

After running out of the lab, Ryan wandered aimlessly until he reached a gazebo.

After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out his phone and called Simon.

Within seconds, the call connected.

“Ryan? Why are you calling at this time? Isn’t the lab keeping you busy?” asked Simon.

They had kept in touch regularly.

Ryan took a deep breath, his voice slightly shaking as he asked, “Mr. Sunderland, when you said I might run into a familiar face in the lab someday, were you talking about Yvette?”

There was a brief silence on the other end befor Simon replied, “Yes. You met her?”

Hearing the answer he had expected, Ryan couldn’t quite describe his feelings.

He recounted today’s events to Simon over the phone.

Simon sounded unsurprised. “That’s normal. You’ll get used to it”

Ryan really wanted to ask, “How is any of this normal?”

Back when they were at Argrol University, rumors swirled about Yvette that she was only good at drawing and knew nothing about physics because she frequently skipped exams.

Ryan couldn’t help but think, ‘If that were true, then what was all this today? Was it all just a dream?”

Before ending the call, Simon reminded Ryan, “Don’t mess with her. Understand?”

Ryan put his phone away and stood still.

He thought, ‘Everyone always called me the genius of the physics department at Argrol University, the future hope of the field. I believed it too. But now, it just seems laughable.

Meanwhile, inside the Jeep, Jeremiah was driving while Yvette sat in the passenger seat, legs curled up as she nestled into the chair, a thin blanket draped over her.

She looked completely relaxed, holding a banana milkshake in her hand, her face as effortlessly beautiful as ever.

Jeremiah turned his head slightly and asked, “How was the tour today?”

Yvette took a sip of her milkshake.

It was just how she liked it.

She glanced at Jeremiah, who was casually driving with one hand, and replied, “It was interesting, and I made 15,000 dollars.”

Just two minutes ago, James had transferred her the money, even adding an extra zero for spending money.

Jeremiah’s hand briefly paused on the wheel, his bright eyes filled with amusement.

He thought, ‘She won money at the physics lab? Someone must have been foolish enough to mess with her again.

He asked, “15,000 dollars? That made you happy?”

Yvette sat cross-legged under the blanket, only her head poking out, looking much more obedient than usual.

She nodded slightly. “Kind of.”

Money didn’t mean much to her; she’d never lacked it.

For years, she’d measured wealth in billions.

On the way back to Skyland, Jeremiah received a call.

The person on the other end sounded incredibly respectful. “Jeremiah, we all know you’re back and gathering. Are you free to join us? We’re already at Sky Nimbus.”

Sky Nimbus in Betrico is the largest and most luxurious of all the chain leisure clubs.

Want to have a It’s at least ten times better decorated than the one in Seacrity, and naturally, the cost of the decor is several times higher as well.

emiah said, “Hold on.”

Then he looked at Yvette and asked, “Do you want to go? It’s nearby. If you don’t feel like it, we can head back to Skyland.”

Yvette lowered her clear, bright eyes slightly.

Her voice was calm as she said, “Sure.”

Earlier, there had been some noise at the other end of the phone, but now it was completely silent.

In Sky Nimbus, a man suddenly pushed open the door to Room and strode inside.

In an easygoing manner, he said, “Did you call Jeremiah? Samantha’s already at the door.”

Then he noticed that everyone in the room was staring at him in shock.

Just now, they heard Jeremiah’s voice on the phone along with a girl’s voice.

They knew it had to be Jeremiah’s girlfriend from Seacrity, the one who had been causing a stir lately.