Chapter 85
Gaia kept talking, her words coming faster now, tinged with barely contained excitement. "Mr. Grayson is the most brilliant mind in the domestic research community—bar none. I've read every single one of his papers. Some of them, I've read more than ten times. His problem-solving approach is so unique. He sees things others can't, achieves things others can't. Everyone in the industry who does technical work worships him, wants to learn from him. But I've never seen anyone grasp his methods to this degree."
She glanced down at those annotations again and couldn't help but add, "Ms. Wipere, you're truly incredible. If I hadn't seen with my own eyes that you wrote these notes, I would've thought Mr. Grayson himself had revised my work."
Lucinda leaned back in her chair, her gaze calm as she watched Gaia. That faint curve at the corner of her mouth stayed in place. She didn't explain. She didn't deny it either.
When Gaia saw she wasn't responding, she assumed Lucinda was acknowledging her admiration for Felix and added, "Being able to solve problems using the same approach as Mr. Grayson means you've reached that level too, Ms. Wipere."
Lucinda finally spoke, her voice flat. "Is it really a good thing to think like someone else?"
Gaia froze for a moment, then shook her head vigorously. "Maybe thinking like someone else isn't ideal, but if that someone is Mr. Grayson, it's the best thing that could happen. He's at the top of this field—the ceiling of the entire industry. If you think like him, it means you've reached that tier."
She looked back down at the annotations, her voice softening with genuine admiration. "Ms. Wipere, if you didn't tell me otherwise, I'd honestly believe these notes were written by Mr. Grayson himself. To have mastered his methods to this extent—you're truly amazing."
Lucinda smiled faintly but didn't take the bait.
She steered the conversation back on track, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk twice. "Let's get to business. Both of your proposals have been selected. Next month's Tech Invitational—the company plans to send you two to compete."
Soren's eyes lit up.
He straightened in his seat, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his knee.
He was a backbone member of the R&D department and had handled plenty of projects over the years, but competing in a national competition like this? That was a first.
If he could bring back a ranking, it would be a massive boost for his career trajectory.
"No problem, Ms. Wipere. I'll prepare with everything I've got." His voice was steady, but the eagerness in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Lucinda nodded, then turned her gaze to Gaia.
Gaia sat in her chair, head bowed, her fingers twisting together on her lap.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, her expression slowly shifting from the earlier excitement to hesitation.
Soren's words still echoed in her ears, making her suddenly unsure whether she dared to face this competition.
"Gaia." Lucinda called her name.
Gaia looked up, meeting Lucinda's eyes. She hesitated, then finally spoke. "Ms. Wipere, I… can I not go?"
Soren turned his head slightly to look at her, his mouth twitching as if he wanted to say, 'At least you have some self-awareness.' But with Lucinda present, he swallowed the words.
Lucinda studied her.
Gaia's fingers clenched tighter on her lap, and her voice dropped lower. "Ms. Wipere, I'm really grateful you're giving me this opportunity. But you saw it yourself—my proposal was only presentable after you revised it. The original version was a mess. Soren's right—I haven't been in the industry long enough. I don't have the experience. The people competing are all top-tier experts. If I go, I'll just embarrass the company. Instead of that, why not give this slot to someone more capable…"
Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it was barely audible.
The office fell silent for a few seconds.
Lucinda leaned back in her chair, her gaze resting on Gaia's face for several long moments.
Then she spoke slowly, each word deliberate and firm. "Gaia, I read your proposal. The original version did have a lot of problems—the phrasing wasn't professional, the details weren't polished, and in some places, it was obvious you were struggling through it. But do you know why I still chose your proposal?"
Gaia lifted her head, her eyes slightly red.
"Because your proposal had something real in it. That flight control redundancy design. That sensor array layout concept. Those things weren't built on experience—they came from talent. Experience can be accumulated over time. Technical skills can be honed. But talent? You either have it or you don't." Lucinda paused, her voice softening slightly. "You're one of the most naturally gifted young people I've ever met. Right now, you might feel like all those competitors are stronger than you. That's because they've been doing this for years—decades even. But have you considered this? After all those years, that's still where they're at. You've only been at this for two years, and you're already here."
She locked eyes with Gaia. "If you quit now, you'll spend the rest of your career doing testing and maintenance. But if you go—even if you don't win an award—at least you'll know where the gap is between you and them. You'll know what direction to push in. It's just one competition. Losing isn't shameful. Not even having the courage to go? That's shameful."
Gaia's tears finally spilled over.
She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, bit her lip, and nodded. "Ms. Wipere, I'll go."
Her voice was hoarse, but steadier than before. "I'll give it my best effort. I won't let you down."
Lucinda's mouth curved slightly as she slid the revised design documents across the desk toward her. "Take these back and prepare thoroughly. If you have any questions, come find me anytime."
Soren sat there, watching the exchange. His lips parted as if to say something, but in the end, he shut his mouth.
He picked up his own design documents, stood, and gave Lucinda a curt nod. "Ms. Wipere, I'll head out first."
Lucinda acknowledged him with a brief hum.
Soren turned and headed for the door. Gaia stood as well, clutching her documents and following behind him.
The two walked out of the office one after the other, the door closing softly behind them.
In the hallway, Soren took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and turned to face Gaia.
His brow furrowed deeply, that disdainful expression creeping back onto his face. "Gaia, do you even hear yourself right now?"
Gaia hugged her documents tighter and looked up at him.
"Ms. Wipere gave you this opportunity because she's kind-hearted. But don't you have any self-awareness? You're a rookie. What do you have to compete with those people?" His voice was low, but the impatience in his tone was crystal clear. "Ms. Wipere said you have talent—that was encouragement. And you actually took it seriously?"
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping even lower. "When you go, you'll get knocked out in the preliminaries. And when that happens, it won't just be your face on the line—it'll be the company's. People will say, 'This is the level Ridgeway Tech operates at?' How do you think the company will hold its ground in the industry after that?"