Chapter 145 You Probably Need to Nourish Your Brain
"Fine, but not now!"
Bianca wasn't shocked when Eli called. She had seen it coming.
But just accepting it right away? No way. Emily would probably be smirking behind her back. She had to come up with something.
Eli frowned but didn't reprimand her. He knew she had her own ideas, and if she was saying this, she probably had a plan in mind.
"What's your reasoning?"
Bianca spoke firmly, "Dad, if I step up now, I'll be humiliated, the Johnson Group will be humiliated, and Chase might not come out of this well either. It's not a good move for us. I think we should have Chase stall things with the partners until my competition is over. Remember, I have a design contest coming up."
In the past, Eli would have trusted Bianca without hesitation. However, she had recently caused quite a few problems.
Bianca's words left Eli silent. Seeing his lack of response made Bianca anxious, her palms sweating.
"Alright, I'll give you more time. We'll have Chase hold off for now. When's your competition, and when do you expect the results?"
Bianca sighed in relief. "The submission deadline is in three days. Results should be out by the end of the week. After the preliminaries, the semifinals require in-person attendance."
"Okay."
Eli hung up.
Bianca thought for a moment and called Erik. "Erik, has Emily submitted her entry?"
"Yeah, she just did," Erik replied, not suspecting anything. Despite Emily's reputation improving somewhat after the last incident, Bianca still maintained a good standing in class, so Erik was friendly.
Bianca continued, "I was wondering if I could take a look. Don't get me wrong, I've already submitted mine, so there's no risk of plagiarism. I'm just concerned about her. Emily's been really busy lately, and I want to make sure she has put in the effort. We wouldn't want her to be embarrassed if the results aren't good."
She was good at using this kind of tactic to build her image as kind and caring.
Erik thought she was too kind. "Unfortunately, you're too late. Since Emily switched majors, she's no longer under our department. She probably submitted it directly to her new advisor. Maybe you should ask her directly. She might have misunderstood you before, but if you're sincere, I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
"Alright, I'll do that. Thanks, Erik!"
Despite her frustration, Bianca smiled and thanked him.
After hanging up, her expression turned cold. She took out a photo of Emily and pinned it to a dartboard, throwing a dart that landed right between Emily's eyes.
"Emily, just you wait!"
Her eyes were icy, filled with malice.
Meanwhile, Emily was unaffected. She received a call from Daniel.
Earlier, because of Charles's ranting, Daniel had seen the news about the Johnson family online.
"Chase, isn't that Emily's brother who lives next door to you? Do you think she'll help? I thought you liked her. Want me to step in?"
Charles winked at Daniel, trying to be playful.
Daniel rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Keep this up, and I'll have York kick you out."
Charles mimed zipping his lips. "Fine, I won't say anything. But it's obvious you like Emily. She's grown into quite a beauty. If I'd known you liked this type, I would've introduced you to someone better."
"She's perfect. No one compares."
This was as good as admitting his feelings for Emily.
Charles was surprised by the straightforward admission. "Are you serious?"
"When have I ever not been?"
Daniel's calm response made Charles sit up straight. "So, you're not going to do anything about the online rumors?"
Daniel held out his hand. Charles quickly pulled up the news and handed his phone over.
Daniel read carefully. It was about Chase's plagiarism accusations. After reading, he remained calm. "No need to intervene."
When he discovered that Emily was the skilled doctor, he had looked into her background. He knew how the Johnson family treated her and how she had been misunderstood and hurt by them. If Emily hadn't changed and started standing up for herself, he would have intervened long ago.
Now, he respected her decisions and wouldn't interfere unless she asked for it.
Based on his knowledge, Bianca's singing was mediocre. He doubted she could create such a song, suspecting it was Emily's work. The Johnson family denied plagiarism but were unable to clear their name because Emily refused to provide evidence.
"I didn't expect you to fall for someone, Daniel. Love is blind, huh? To be honest, Emily isn't as impressive as that skilled doctor. She's talented, unique, and sounds young. Doctors know how to take care of themselves so that she wouldn't look too different. After all, she has good-looking eyes..."
Charles paused as if he thought of something, then he continued, "And Emily's eyes do resemble those of the doctor. Could they be sisters? Maybe Emily isn't really a Johnson."
Charles's speculation grew more plausible to him. The Johnson family didn't treat Emily well at all.
Daniel felt exasperated. He suddenly wondered if he needed such a dense friend.
Wasn't it possible that Emily was the skilled doctor herself?
Charles hadn't considered this because he underestimated Emily, thinking she was just a pretty face.
"How about some nuts tonight? Charles could use them," Daniel said to the cook.
Charles looked confused. "Why are you changing the subject? And when did I say I wanted nuts?"
York, stifling laughter, translated, "Mr. Green, I think Mr. Smith means you need to eat nuts to boost your brainpower."
Charles finally caught on, fuming. "Really, Daniel? You're mocking me? I didn't even say anything bad about Emily! You've changed since you met her."
Actually, Daniel had become more lively.
Daniel smirked and said nothing, heading to his study. He then dialed Emily's number.