Chapter 108 Teach Her a Lesson
"Camilla! Do you even know how many times I've tried to reach you? And you didn't pick up once! It's been forever. If I didn't call, were you just gonna ghost me for good?" Juniper was seriously pissed.
Camilla checked her phone and saw a bunch of missed calls, all from Juniper. She had meant to call back a few times, but got caught up with stuff and totally spaced.
Feeling kinda guilty, she quickly said, "I'm sorry, Juniper. I've been super swamped these past few days and just forgot! I swear I'll try not to let this happen again. No, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again!"
Actually, Juniper knew the day after Camilla joined the lab.
She and Sebastian had a so-so relationship. They were tight as kids, but after Sebastian went abroad for college and didn't come back for years, he turned into the "genius physicist" everyone talked about and they drifted apart.
Juniper only knew that Sebastian was always buried in the lab, but she had no clue what he was actually up to.
Seeing Camilla's state now, she got it. Disappearing for a week was nothing; no response for a month was the norm.
"Fine, just don't let it happen again," Juniper's tone softened. "But you absolutely can't miss the dinner next month, got it?"
Juniper called today just to remind Camilla.
Camilla grinned. "I know, it's your birthday, right? How could I forget? I've already got your gift. Just wait for the surprise."
"That's more like it." Juniper was satisfied and started looking forward to it.
After hanging up, Camilla grabbed her stuff and headed back to the lab.
As soon as she walked into the experiment area, she heard a wail.
"Where did I mess up? I've crunched these numbers eight times and still can't find the problem." Darren was frustrated, staring at the data on the screen. He'd been busting his butt for days, and the results were a letdown.
Usually, there were always some discrepancies in the data, but they were minor. But the eight values Darren calculated were almost completely unrelated. He was really stumped.
Scratching his head, he turned to Hector for help. "Hector, you're better at quick calculations than I am. Can you help me see where I went wrong?"
Hector adjusted his glasses, scanned the data from top to bottom, and carefully checked the original samples. "Maybe the third node is the problem. This section of data is messy and prone to errors. I see here and here, the steps aren't very clear. Maybe you should recalculate?"
Darren wailed even louder, "I've calculated it eight times! What if I get a ninth different answer?"
Betty had a different take. "I don't think the third node is the problem. Darren just skipped a few steps. Given the complexity of the formula, simplification is necessary. Doris, what do you think?"
Darren's data required super complex formulas, and her undergrad major was data computation.
Doris picked a set of original data, looked at it for a moment, then circled the common points in Darren's data and recalculated, coming up with a new answer. "Check this out. Did I get it right?"
Betty looked it over carefully and nodded. "Looks good to me."
But Hector, with his experience, immediately saw the issue. "These two spots still don't match.""The data in row 7 is off. It's not 50 and 71; it should be 50.2 and 70.88." As Camilla walked by and saw the long string of data, she immediately noticed the two incorrect values at the seventh node.
Usually, Hector, Betty, Darren, and Doris kept a polite but distant relationship with Camilla in the lab. They weren't exactly hostile, but they weren't close either.
Even the friendly Betty and the accommodating Hector couldn't bridge the natural distance between them and Camilla with just a few more conversations or meals.
That distance was due to differences in education, status, age, and time spent together. Their relationship with Darren and Doris was definitely different from Camilla.
At Camilla's words, the four exchanged glances, seeing doubt in each other's eyes.
Doris even sneered. She thought, 'Hector, the most experienced and best at quick calculations among us, couldn't see the problem. Could Camilla really spot it at a glance?'
Betty, worried that Camilla was just trying to get attention, kindly gave her an out, "Camilla, Darren has been working on these data sets from the start. The first version was calculated long ago, and we've all checked it. It's unlikely that the original data at the node is wrong."
Hector nodded. "Both Sebastian and I have verified it. There's no problem."
Doris laughed coldly. "Someone just can't help but show off, can they? If you don't know, don't speak. It's ridiculous!"
Camilla frowned. "If you don't believe me, you can verify..."
"Verify what?" Doris cut her off, "We're not even working on the same research project. Biology and physics are vastly different fields. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Jack of all trades, master of none'?"
"Sebastian already made an exception by letting you use the lab for your biology research. Now we're discussing a physics problem, and you think you can just butt in? Trying to show off how capable and impressive you are?"
"Winning gold medals in four subjects in high school doesn't mean you're now an expert in all four fields. Each subject has its own specialized research areas. Do you think you know everything and can comment on everything?"
"This isn't high school, and it's not a competition. Doing research is not the same as solving problems. You have to be responsible for every word you say. If you don't understand, you can stay silent, but don't just spout nonsense."
Doris's tirade left no room for Camilla to speak.
Betty wanted to intervene several times, to tell Doris to ease up and give Camilla some respect, but the words never formed.
Doris was relentless, delivering blow after blow.
Though Doris's words were harsh, they weren't wrong. Especially for a researcher, these were fundamental principles.
One must be responsible for what he said and the data. Research wasn't a tool for anyone to seek attention or fame.
Betty glanced at Camilla and sighed. 'Maybe this will teach her a lesson.'
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