Chapter 575 Joining the Lab
Catherine skimmed through the materials Marshall handed her and found that the experimental project was very similar to what Rodge was currently working on.
Rodge hadn’t yet overcome the entire experiment; he hadn’t even passed the first phase. She had been helping Rodge adjust the data but wasn’t physically present in the lab. All the data was based on Rodge’s feedback, which inadvertently added difficulty and slowed down the progress of the experiment. If she joined the project at Styre University, she could directly observe the entire experimental process, which would better help Rodge complete the experiment.
“I’m in!”
With these three simple but decisive words, Catherine agreed to Marshall’s request to join the lab.
Marshall was extremely excited; he could tell that Catherine was an absolute genius in this field. If he could bring such talent into their experiment, it would definitely help his lab make remarkable progress.
For the past two years, his lab had been at a standstill, unable to implement experimental projects, and had reached a bottleneck. He had been unable to make a breakthrough.
That day, in the botanical garden, Catherine pointed out his computational error straight to the point. At that moment, he felt like he saw hope. Perhaps Catherine could be the hope to lead the lab to a breakthrough.
In addition to agreeing, Catherine also made a request. “I’ll join, but only for this one project.”
Amelia looked at Catherine’s expressionless face and secretly admired her, thinking, “Catherine truly lives up to her reputation as a top- notch expert, daring to set conditions in front of Professor Hartley. Catherine will definitely become the leading figure at Styre University!”
Marshall smiled knowingly, looking at Catherine with a sense of mutual understanding. He hadn’t even mentioned other projects to Catherine. The project he had just presented was intentionally used to test her, and everything went just as he had expected. She was the genius he had been looking for. Only such talent could understand how great his current project was.
“Okay, no problem!” Marshall readily agreed to Catherine’s conditions. ”
After class, I’ll take you to the lab for a tour,” he added.
Returning to the front of the classroom, Marshall was greeted by Jada. “Professor Hartley, are you ready to start the class?” she inquired.
Marshall nodded indifferently. “Let’s begin!” His demeanor shifted back to that of a stern instructor, a far cry from the amiable attitude he had just shown Catherine.
Feeling like a clown, Jada retreated to the side, enduring the scrutiny of the entire class, feeling extremely embarrassed. She couldn’t understand what was so special about Catherine that even Marshall treated her differently. Not only had he invited Catherine to the lab, but after being rejected, he had also dangled the most valuable project in the entire lab to entice Catherine.
If this project succeeded, their lab would lead globally, and they, as researchers, would gain recognition among the world’s scientific community. It was the ultimate honor, and Marshall had given this opportunity to Catherine, a freshman who hadn’t even opened her textbooks once. Why?
Anger and resentment almost consumed Jada. Perhaps earlier, she could have endured it and waited for the implementation of the next plan. But now, she couldn’t wait any longer. She had to destroy Catherine and reclaim everything that belonged to her.
When no one was paying attention, Jada discreetly slipped out of the classroom, clutching her phone. She was determined to change her plans and make Catherine pay the price for her pride.
As the bell rang, Marshall promptly announced the end of the class. He didn’t like to drag on, nor did he want to take up the students’ break time. However, being a renowned professor at Styre University, leaving after class wasn’t so simple.
The latter half of the class had been so captivating that many students were still engrossed in it and had questions to ask after class. They had no choice but to stop Marshall and seek his explanations.
Seeing Catherine stand up, Marshall, afraid she might leave, quickly called out in her direction, “Catherine, wait a moment. I’ll take you to the lab later.”
The surrounding students glanced in Catherine’s direction, their eyes filled with envy. “To be favored by Professor Hartley, Catherine is truly fortunate,” they thought.
Catherine heard Marshall’s call and paused with her book in hand before sitting back down in her seat. Seeing her sit down, Amelia followed suit.
Catherine turned her head to look at her, raising her eyes and asking softly, ” Aren’t you leaving?”
Amelia chuckled mischievously. ”
Catherine, can I go with you to visit the lab? Even though I’m not qualified to go to the lab, I want to take this opportunity to have a look. You know, Professor Hartley’s lab is the ultimate dream for students in this field nationwide!”
Amelia’s expectant expression amused Catherine. “Okay,” Catherine agreed simply.
Hearing this, Amelia was taken aback. She had expected to persuade Catherine for a while and then have Catherine ask Marshall for permission.
She didn’t anticipate Catherine’s immediate agreement. She stared at Catherine in astonishment. “Really?”
Shrugging, Catherine’s face was filled with nonchalance. “Do you want to go or not?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Amelia nodded vigorously.
“Then let’s go!” Her voice, though soft, carried a very compelling tone.
Amelia firmly believed that Catherine would follow through on her promise.
Ten minutes later, Marshall finally managed to escape the questioning students. He packed his teaching materials and approached Catherine. ” Catherine, let’s go!”
Catherine stood up, and Amelia stood up as well. She was about to explain the situation to Marshall, but Catherine stopped her. She didn’t know what Catherine meant, but since Catherine didn’t want her to speak, she remained silent.
The two followed Marshall to the most mysterious laboratory in Styre University, the top university in Eskana.
At Styre University, Marshall had a laboratory building all to himself, a promise personally given to him by the university president when he first started teaching at the university.
They had to go through multiple processes and various password verifications to enter the laboratory. Each time they passed a checkpoint, Marshall would introduce to Catherine the passwords and how to access them.
Amelia, unable to contain her curiosity, quietly asked Marshall, “Professor Hartley, when you talk about these confidential passwords, should I step aside to avoid them?”
Marshall looked at her curiously. “Why would you need to avoid them? If you don’t know the passwords, how are you supposed to enter in the future?”
Amelia was taken aback. “In the future? Professor Hartley, are you saying I can enter the laboratory?”
“Aren’t you Catherine’s assistant? Won’t you enter the laboratory with her?” Marshall looked at her with some confusion.
Amelia looked at Marshall, then turned her head to glance at Catherine, still not understanding when she became Catherine’s assistant. The sudden surprise of being able to enter the most famous laboratory in the country left her feeling dazed.
Catherine smiled lightly, raised her eyebrows at Amelia, and whispered, ” Pay attention to what the professor said. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
Amelia nodded silently, feeling touched, and followed behind Catherine. She knew that Catherine must have fought for this opportunity, and she absolutely couldn’t be careless. She had to study hard and not let Catherine down.
