Chapter 155 He Will Stay Here Today
The laughter broke the tension, but it made Cecilia's cheeks heat up uncontrollably.
"I, I didn't mean to." She explained in a bit of a fluster, her eyes darting away, not daring to look at him again.
Stefan lowered his hand.
A small red mark had appeared on his forehead, which, together with the cut at the corner of his mouth, unexpectedly added a touch of down-to-earth humanity to his appearance.
"Of course you didn't." Not only was Stefan unconcerned, he watched her with great interest. "But this is the first time I've seen what Ms. Martinez looks like when she blushes."
His eyes were full of undisguised appreciation and curiosity, making Cecilia's face burn even hotter. She could almost feel the heat spreading from her neck all the way to her ears.
Stefan knew exactly how to tease people with his words, and exactly how to strike the right balance so she couldn't really get angry.
She cleared her throat, forcing herself to calm down, and put the cotton swab and medicine back in the first aid kit.
"The medicine's all applied." Cecilia's tone returned to its usual composure. "It's getting late, and I need to prepare for the next round of the competition, so I won't keep Mr. Hensley any longer."
Her tone was quite direct.
Stefan wasn't bothered. He stood up readily.
He understood the principle of knowing when to stop. Being able to enter her home today was already an unexpected bonus.
"Alright." Stefan nodded and walked to the entrance to change his shoes.
Before leaving, he turned back to look at Cecilia, who was still standing in the living room. His eyes sparkled under the light.
"Thanks for today."
His thanks wasn't just about her applying the medicine.
Cecilia understood what he meant. She didn't say more, just watched him leave. The moment the door closed, she let out a long breath, leaned against the cold wall, and raised her hand to touch her still-burning cheeks.
His body temperature, his gaze, the rhythm of his heartbeat.
These unfamiliar, vivid, uncontrollable feelings were gradually eroding her frozen heart.
Her heart that had long been filled with hatred from her past life.
She closed her eyes and shook her head forcefully, driving those chaotic thoughts away.
Her revenge wasn't complete yet. She had no right to indulge in any kind of emotion.
The next day, at the venue for the second elimination round of the design competition.
Contestants arrived one after another, the atmosphere even more tense than the first round. After going through one brutal screening, everyone who remained was truly elite.
As soon as Cecilia walked into the preparation area, she felt a venomous gaze fixed on her.
Following the feeling, she looked over to see Isadora standing not far away, staring at her coldly.
In just two or three days, Isadora's nose had somehow already been restored. At least on the surface, there was no sign of any crookedness, though there was still some unnatural slight swelling on both sides of her nostrils.
At this moment, Isadora wore full, elaborate makeup and a well-tailored luxury outfit, still trying to maintain her dignity and pride as chief designer.
But the previous incident, through word of mouth from people at the scene and some speculative posts online, had already stirred up quite a wave in the industry.
"Chief designer loses her temper in public," "expensive nose goes crooked at one touch," "twists the truth but gets caught by surveillance" – these keywords had become indelible marks of shame for Isadora.
Isadora blamed all of this on Amelia.
Faced with this undisguised hostility, Cecilia simply looked away calmly, as if she hadn't seen it. To Cecilia, Isadora was just a yapping defeated dog, not worth wasting any energy on.
The filming crew responsible for the live broadcast had already begun final equipment checks, and the on-site director was coordinating various personnel with a megaphone.
Cecilia thought Stefan wouldn't come today. After all, he had just fought with Rufus yesterday, still had marks on his face, and the company must have a pile of matters waiting for him to handle.
But when she looked up, she saw Stefan walking in from the VIP passage, casually taking his seat in the exclusive viewing area behind the judges' panel.
Today he had changed into a dark gray bespoke suit that made his figure look even more upright. The cuts on his face were cleverly covered with concealer – you couldn't tell unless you looked carefully.
Stefan noticed her gaze, looked in her direction, and even mouthed "good luck" to her.
Cecilia was somewhat surprised.
Didn't he need to work? Was the CEO of the Hensley Group really this free?
As if understanding her confusion, Stefan took out his phone and sent her a message.
[Not much going on at the company this afternoon, can handle things remotely.]
In other words, he was going to stay here today to watch her compete.
Looking at that message, Cecilia felt a complex warmth pass through her heart. She didn't reply, just nodded silently, withdrew her gaze, and focused all her attention on the competition about to begin.
At exactly ten in the morning, all contestants were guided to the open-air plaza in the center of the venue.
On the huge electronic screen at the front of the plaza, light and shadow flickered, and the theme for the second round was finally revealed.
[Theme: Broken and Reunited]
This title appeared on the screen, with a line of small text below as explanation.
"Please use 'Broken and Reunited' as inspiration to design a piece of jewelry with narrative quality and structural aesthetics. Note that 'broken' is not just about form, and 'reunited' is not just about repair. We hope to see designers' unique interpretations of this philosophical concept."
As soon as this theme was announced, there was an immediate chorus of sharp intakes of breath at the scene.
It was even harder to grasp than the first round's "Relics of Tomorrow," and tested designers' skills and depth of thought even more.
"Broken and Reunited" could be understood as physical breaking and reuniting, or emotional falling apart and reconciliation, or even destruction and rebirth in life philosophy.
The scope was so broad that people didn't know where to start.
Moreover, the competition format had also changed. The production team gave contestants a full half day for brainstorming, but they were no longer confined to individual studios. They could move freely throughout the competition park to find inspiration. They just needed to return to their studios before 4 PM to complete and submit their design drafts.
You didn't know how your opponents were thinking, or from which corner they might gain amazing creative ideas. This undoubtedly increased the competition's entertainment value while bringing greater pressure to the contestants.
After the theme was announced, most contestants immediately turned around with grave expressions and hurried back to their studios, planning to think hard in a quiet environment. Some scattered in small groups – some walked toward the art installations in the park, others sat by the water feature, trying to capture inspiration from real-world objects.
Isadora glanced disdainfully at Cecilia, who was still standing in place staring up at the big screen, and a cold smile curved at the corner of her mouth.
There she goes again with that pretentious, profound pose.
Isadora wanted to see just what profound insights this woman Amelia could have about "Broken and Reunited"!