Chapter 109 I Don't Want that Kind of Luck
Hector was thinking the same thing, so he didn't bother sticking up for Camilla.
Doris sneered, "A bio major messing with our physics data? That's a joke."
Just then, Darren, who'd been hammering away at the keyboard, suddenly perked up. "I re-ran the numbers, and guess what? Camilla was spot on!"
Doris clammed up, looking like she'd just swallowed a bug.
Betty and Hector were floored.
Darren continued, "It's not 50 and 71, it's exactly 50.2 and 70.88! That tiny slip-up threw off everything after the seventh node."
In scientific research, even the smallest error could lead to significant deviations
Hector leaned in close to the screen. This time, he double-checked everything and recalculated with the right numbers, 50.2 and 70.88. Sure enough, all the values lined up perfectly!
His eyes lit up. "This is it, the glitch is at the seventh node!"
Betty double-checked and found no errors. She looked at Camilla with a mix of surprise, shock, and a hint of apology. She hadn't stood up for Camilla earlier either.
Darren, buzzing with excitement, said, "Camilla, we owe you big time! This data had me stuck for three days. If you hadn't caught that mistake, who knows how much longer we'd be spinning our wheels?"
Camilla stayed cool, even when Doris had been gunning for her, she didn't flinch. "Just lucky, I guess. Even if I hadn't caught it, Hector would've nailed it soon enough."
Camilla wasn't exactly being humble; she knew Betty and Darren, despite their laid-back vibes, were sharp as tacks.
Doris wasn't a slouch either. Without her, they would've figured it out eventually.
Betty's look at Camilla shifted again, now a mix of admiration and guilt. She realized that even though Camilla had been around for almost half a month, everyone had kept her at arm's length.
An undergrad, even one accepted into a grad program, was still just an undergrad. Knowledge had its pecking order, after all.
Especially in their top-tier lab, working on cutting-edge stuff with the best resources, doing research that could change the world, even the humblest person would feel a bit superior.
That sense of superiority came from their work and their skills. Even if they wanted to chat with Camilla, they wouldn't know what to say.
Because Camilla might not get it, and it'd be a waste of breath. So, they just didn't bother.
Plus, Camilla's background was a bit of a mystery, and her connection with Sebastian was murky.
All this made them keep their distance from Camilla. Their attitude was kinda dismissive.
Until today, Betty realized she'd totally underestimated Camilla.
The most embarrassed person was Doris. The more self-righteous she'd been, the more awkward she felt now.
Before she shot her mouth off, she hadn't even considered that Camilla might be right.
An undergrad from bio correcting a physics project? That was like a chef giving advice to a pilot—no one would buy it!
Camilla looked at the gobsmacked Doris and said coolly, "Thanks for the lesson earlier. I get that research needs to be rigorous, truth-seeking, and practical. But we should also be open to others' opinions and take reasonable suggestions. Don't you think?"
"Like today, no matter who pointed out the mistake or what the suggestion was, it should be checked out before we decide if it's right or wrong, instead of jumping to conclusions based on personal feelings."
Camilla's tone was chill, like she was just stating a fact. But to Doris, every word made her feel deeply ashamed.
After another crazy day, Camilla dragged her tired self home, flopped onto the couch, and dozed off hugging a pillow.
Under the same night sky, some folks were busy and sleep-deprived, while others were partying under the neon lights.
With the loud, pounding beats and the flashing lights, the young people swayed on the dance floor. Simon was caught up in the vibe, his body moving instinctively.
He held a wine glass, the red liquid sloshing with his moves. His eyes occasionally lingered on the people on the dance floor, like a panther eyeing its prey.
"What are you staring at? Didn't you say you wanted to play cards? What, losing too much and not happy?" Oliver came over with a drink, lazily teasing Simon, who was dancing solo.
Simon raised an eyebrow. " I'm never afraid of losing."
"Tonight's luck is good; a few ladies in there are my type. Isn't this more fun than playing cards?" As Simon spoke, a hot girl in a black tank top on the dance floor winked at him, and Simon enthusiastically blew her a kiss.
Oliver, who always had a steady girlfriend, couldn't get into such flings. "I advise you to take it easy, don't end up with a disease."
"Don't worry, I know my limits." Simon took a sip of his drink and nodded towards the inside. "Is Leopold still in a bad mood?"
Oliver sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, if it were me, I'd be stressed too."
"I think it's great. My mom keeps bugging me for grandkids, and he gets one ready-made. How nice," Simon said with a bit of schadenfreude.
Oliver gave him a look. "Don't let Leopold hear that, or he'll dump the kid on you and ditch the kid's mom."
Simon's face changed. "No way, I don't want that kind of luck!"
He didn't want to get tangled up with a gold-digger.
Playing around was fine; there were plenty of women. If he got tired of one, he could just move on to another. But having a kid was a whole different ball game.
No men would want to be blackmailed by a woman with a pregnancy. So Simon played around but always took precautions. He knew his limits.
Oliver was about to say something when Leopold came out of the private room, holding his coat, looking like he was ready to bail.
Leopold said, "Oliver, get someone to take me home."
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