When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0626

“Speak of the devil,” Joseph thought to himself.

Then, he saw a group of photographers and reporters strolling in. “Hello, everyone! We’re here from Campus Daily. Is it okay to do a live report?”

Miranda and Christine exchanged glances.

“Of course,” Miranda replied with a smile. “But may I ask who sent you?”

“Mr. Banks from the Faculty of Bioinformatics. He mentioned that some students built their own lab and invited Mr. Taylor to the opening ceremony. He thought it was quite newsworthy, so we came to cover it.”

“Oh, Mr. Banks is always so thoughtful.”

Nearby, Joseph was speechless and wanted to cover his face.

After the reporters asked a few questions about the lab, one of them hesitated before asking, “Where’s Mr. Taylor?”

Just as the words left his mouth, Hendrix and Beckett arrived.

“Chris, congratulations!” Hendrix said with a warm smile as he stepped out of the car.

Regardless of the reason for his visit, his friendly demeanor showed he had a strong emotional intelligence.

In contrast, Beckett was less composed. He gawked at the towering five–story building and was shocked by the impressive lineup of guests present.

By the time he processed everything, Hendrix was already chatting with Miranda.

“You truly deserve to be Chris‘ student. The new generation always pushes the old forward. As the chancellor, nothing makes me happier than seeing my students thrive and knowing the future of academia is in good hands.

“I heard from Chris that you were the one behind the construction of this lab. You’re amazing, Miranda.” Hendrix gave her a thumbs–up.

Miranda took the opportunity to push Madison and Sebastian forward. “Well, Mr. Taylor, you’ve got it wrong. The lab was built by the three of us, so it’s not just me who’s amazing but us three.”

He laughed awkwardly. “You’re right. The three of you are amazing.”

Madison and Sebastian were caught off guard when Miranda suddenly yanked them forward. They barely

had time to react.

Once Hendrix and Beckett wandered off to chat with others, Madison snapped out of her daze.

“Did Mr. Taylor just compliment me, Miranda?” she asked.

“Yes,” Miranda confirmed.

“Oh my gosh! I never would’ve imagined this could actually happen.”

+25 BONUS

Chapter 0126

That was Hendrix Taylor–the top figure at Bedford College and a celebrity chancellor. She couldn’t believe he would praise her.

“Seb, help me out. M–My legs are shaking.” Madison said.

Sebastian’s mouth twitched at her request. “Seriously? But still, he reached out to steady her, though it took some effort.

“Yes!” Madison insisted.

Then, she turned to Miranda with sparkling eyes. “You’re the best, Miranda.”

Miranda hadn’t forgotten to include them, even in this moment of triumph.

Miranda shrugged. “I just spoke the truth.”

Sebastian shot her a grateful look.

As Hendrix walked by, Joseph wished he could fold himself in half and hide his head in the ground.

Hendrix strode past without a glance, so Joseph sighed in relief and thought he was safe. But then Hendrix turned and stood right in front of him.

“Faculty of Bioinformatics? Joseph Banks?”

“Y–Yes. That’s me, Mr. Taylor. Just when Joseph had started to relax, his heart began to race again. At that moment, he felt like crying.

If only he had known that Miranda could build a lab and attract so many distinguished academics, he wouldn’t have come at all. And now, he had reporters and camera crews from the Campus Daily ‘swarming around.

Joseph wanted to slap himself for being so clueless.