Chapter 104
Everyone had been eager to try for a while now, but since it involved the Forbes Family, they didn't dare show it too obviously.
Now that Quentin had given the word, they could no longer hold back and surged forward, surrounding Charlotte and the easel in the middle.
The principal had wanted to stop this bet, but seeing the situation, could only sigh helplessly.
As for the other two judges, after exchanging glances, they couldn't help but step forward and give Charlotte a hint, "Charlotte, why not use a pencil first? If you make a mistake, it's easier to erase."
Charlotte glanced at the pencil being offered, then at the liner pen in her hand, and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness. But this draws faster, so I won't waste everyone's time."
The two judges wanted to persuade her further, but were shooed away by Quentin with a look of disgust, "You two, stay out of this."
At this moment, Charlotte had already picked up the liner pen, and all eyes instantly focused on her fingertips.
Her fingers held the pen, making a few quick strokes, leaving only a dozen or so lines on the white paper.
Calvin immediately mocked out loud: "What is that supposed to be? Charlotte, you're really a genius!"
Scattered laughter rose around them.
Jenna got nervous, "She's not done yet, what's your rush?"
This time it was Quentin's turn to reply slowly, "Fine, take your time, so you can't say later that I bullied Lynn's daughter."
After saying this, he simply put his hands behind his back, walked to a chair nearby and sat down, looking completely relaxed.
Jenna was furious and was about to go argue with him when Philip beside her held her back, "Jenna, Dad just said not to argue with them, it's a waste of energy."
Philip deliberately raised his voice a bit, and both Calvin and Quentin heard it.
But since Philip was just a five-year-old child, arguing with him would only invite criticism. So they had to swallow their anger and wait for Charlotte to fail before mocking them properly.
Charlotte at the easel, however, wasn't affected at all and continued painting at her own pace.
The pen tip moved across the paper, making a rustling sound.
In a short while, lines of varying depth gradually covered half the paper.
But those lines looked completely messy just like a child's scribbles.
Landon had been watching silently, and now couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.
Calvin sneakily moved behind Charlotte, "Charlotte, if you can't draw, just forget it. Don't waste everyone's time."
Elara couldn't help but mutter: "Exactly, what is all this? So ugly!"
In the crowd, people began to question along with them.
Watching this scene, Sabrina felt like she'd just drunk a glass of ice water—cool and refreshing, very pleasant.
Charlotte had indeed made the clothes based on the sketches Lynn left behind.
She had thought Charlotte had secretly learned design, but it turned out she'd overestimated her.
The first place and the sapphire pendant would both be hers.
Amid the waves of mocking laughter, Charlotte remained calm, but her hand movements clearly became faster.
Finally, after finishing all the lines, Charlotte's pen swept boldly across the paper, beginning to fill in the gaps between the lines. Then she picked up the markers.
A miracle happened!
With the rustling of the pen tip, those originally scattered and chaotic lines suddenly transformed.
Landon, who had been quietly watching, saw his eyes light up dramatically.
On the paper, various shades of green overlapped wonderfully, clearly showing the costumes Charlotte and Philip had worn during their performance on stage.
Moreover, the design handled the depth and light-dark contrast of the image extremely well. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, you'd almost think it was the work of a master-level artist.
Around them, people's mocking smiles suddenly froze, as if they'd seen something incredible.
Sabrina, who had been gloating and waiting to see the joke, was also stunned.
She stared hard at the easel, her angry gaze almost piercing through the paper.
How is this possible! Charlotte can actually draw? And draw this well!
She must be seeing things!
Noticing something unusual, Quentin finally looked up from his phone screen.
Quentin was short and fat, blocked by several people in front, so he couldn't see what was happening right away.
So he stood on his toes and looked through the gaps in the crowd.
With just one glance, he was shocked.
If it weren't for the paper frame, he would have thought someone had hung Charlotte's performance costume there.
Whether it was the line proportions, light-dark relationships, or the texture of the image, everything was flawless.
What was going on?
He could no longer hold back, pushed through the people in front, and rushed to the easel to examine it carefully.
Impossible!
A housewife who had never held a paintbrush could actually draw such a good sketch?
At this moment, Charlotte calmly put down her pen and glanced at the stunned Quentin: "Mr. White, you lost."
Quentin licked his thick lips. "Mr. Forbes just said you'd never held a paintbrush. Why didn't you object?"
Looking at the flustered Quentin, Charlotte only replied calmly: "Mr. White, accept your loss gracefully."
Quentin had never been so embarrassed, even his fingers were trembling slightly. "You did this on purpose, deliberately set me up?"
Charlotte glanced at him and was about to speak when someone beside her spoke first.
"You're Quentin, right? You were the one who first said Charlotte couldn't design, and you were the one who proposed the bet. What, now that you've lost you want to blame someone else?"
At some point, Landon had come to Charlotte's side and was looking at Quentin with a half-smile.
Seeing someone protecting Charlotte, Quentin was about to lose his temper, but hesitated when he saw Landon's imposing presence.
Landon looked either rich or noble—who exactly was he? And why was he protecting Charlotte?
The principal knew Landon's identity, and seeing the situation getting more serious, he quickly pulled Quentin aside, "Mr. White, this is Landon Forbes from the Forbes Family."
The legendary brilliant Landon Forbes had actually returned to River City!
Quentin couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Jenna had long found Quentin unpleasant, and now glared at him: "What kind of vice president? Can't own up to your actions—you've really lost all face for the Design Association!"
At this point, some people in the crowd also began to speak up for Charlotte.
"The girl's right, is a vice president really going to go back on his word?"
"Where are all those people who questioned Charlotte earlier? Why aren't they speaking up now?"
"If you ask me, Charlotte is naturally gifted, truly worthy of being Lynn's daughter."
"Quentin, accept your loss already, don't waste everyone's time."
Hearing the crowd's comments, Charlotte slowly curved her lips, "Quentin, apologize."
Quentin's face turned red, extremely embarrassed.