As soon as they stepped onto the stage, the crowd erupted in thunderous apuse and cheers, each wave louder than thest.


    "Go, Ms. Flora! You''re the best, Ms. Flora!" Cecelia yelled excitedly through a megaphone.


    Henrik, sitting next to her, winced as the noise made his ears ring. "Your employee is quite... enthusiastic, isn''t she?" Raulmented, ncing at Cecelia with carefully chosen words. It was clear she was cheering for Flora with everything she had.


    "Cough, cough... Go, Ms. Flora... go!" Cecelia''s voice was nearly gone after shouting for so long, and she couldn''t manage another word.


    Henrik handed her a bottle of water with a resigned sigh. "Thanks, boss!" she said gratefully.


    Henrik, rubbing his temples, asked, "Aren''t you a public figure? Aren''t you worried about being recognized?"


    To his surprise, Cecelia beamed, "I''d be thrilled! It means I''ve made it big!"N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Henrik shrugged, "Alright then."


    At the judges'' table, the four judges were murmuring among themselves.


    "I heard that this year, the University of Maple Grove let a freshman from the medical schoolpete, something... oh right, this year''s national top scorer, Flora."


    "Aputer sciencepetition, and they let a medical school freshman participate? Honestly, I don''t get what the leadership at the University of Maple Grove is thinking." "This just shows how exceptional Flora must be."


    "Actually... I know a bit of the inside scoop. My cousin Brianna is one of the mainpetitors for the University of Maple Grove. She mentioned more than once that Flora''sputer skills are pretty weak and often drag them down. She''s only in thepetition because she''s good at sweet-talking the higher-ups at the University of Maple Grove, so..."


    Aisha said hesitantly. She was an invited celebrity, sitting among the judges, though not actually judging—just adding some star power to the event.


    What Aisha didn''t notice was the man in the first seat of the judges'' table, who had been quiet until now, slowly turned to look at her. His slightly nearsighted eyes gave him a misty, almost affectionate appearance no matter who he looked at. At that moment, his gaze held a mix of confusion and coldness.


    This woman... does she have a grudge against Flora? Why does everything she says target her?


    Aisha, unaware of his thoughts, felt her heart race as he continued to ''affectionately'' stare at her. Beforeing, she had done her homework on the judges, learning that this man, named Jules, was a top figure in theputer science world and the most formidable among the judges.


    His constant stare...


    Could it be... he had fallen for her?


    Aisha was confident in her looks; after all, she was the nation''s sweetheart. She took a deep breath and shed Jules a sweet smile.


    Jules: "..."


    Is her mind really in the right ce?


    On stage, as the host announced the start of thepetition, all the contestants tensed up, focusing intensely.


    Maddox, gripping the buzzer, was trembling slightly. He told himself to stay calm and not to drag his team down!


    "First question: The physical independence of data refers to the fact that when the logical structure of data changes, its storage structure remains unchanged. True or false? Buzz in!"


    Almost the moment the host finished speaking, Maddox pressed his buzzer! But he was a split second too slow, beaten by Imperial Sky University.