“Objectively, their innovation project presents no significant issues. With Professor Lawson’s reputation supporting them, winning a Third Prize should be fairly straightforward.” Sean kindly held the chair for her as she sat down.

After the recipients received their awards and returned to their seats, the winner of the Second Prize had their photo taken and was about to leave the stage. Josie nodded. “I know, it’s just…” She bit her lip. “You can call me petty if you want.”

She thought, ‘That group doesn’t deserve any awards, and David doesn’t have the integrity needed for his role.’

“No!” Sean smiled faintly. “Josie is far from lacking in cunning. If it were me, I doubt I would have stopped at just thinking about it.”

‘What does this mean? Is he going to prevent them from winning the award?’ she thought. Josie blinked, momentarily unable to process what was happening. Before she could grasp it, the teacher’s voice echoed through the hall once more.

“Where is the representative from Aiden’s team? Please come up to the stage to accept your award.” The teacher smiled and added, “The Third Prize is still a great honor, so don’t take it lightly! If you don’t come up soon, it might seem disrespectful to the awarding teacher.”

It was widely acknowledged by faculty and students alike that those mentored by David routinely represent the school in various national medical competitions each year, consistently earning impressive rankings.

In this type of internal competition, the Grand Prize had always been easily won, and for many years, no other team had managed to claim it–because David Lawson had been a brand of excellence on his own. This situation not only sparked envy among classmates but also among other advisors and professors, who had often privately wished for a chance to outdo David.

This time, Aiden and his team only got Third Prize. Many students and teachers were secretly happy about it. It wasn’t that everyone harbored dark intentions; it was just a natural tendency to compare oneself with others. After all, everyone wanted to come in first.

Aiden was so shocked that he nearly fainted, his teeth clenching so hard they clicked audibly. “Didn’t you want to go on stage? Why aren’t you going? Are you planning to keep the teacher waiting?”

His eyes swept over the faces of Natalie and the others, but he remained seated, making it clear he had no intention of going on stage to accept the award. Gavin and Jaden also sat perfectly still–they weren’t willing to embarrass themselves over a Third Prize.

When no one else moved, Kyle forced himself to stand. Sitting at the far end, Vincent had no choice but to rise as well. Finally, it was Natalie’s turn. For a moment, she felt as though everyone in the auditorium was watching them. Her face grew so warm that she didn’t dare lift her head.

‘Why did it have to be only the Third Prize? Why was it just the Third Prize, especially at my very first competition after joining the team? Why?’ she wondered.

When Josie stepped on stage to accept the First Prize, Natalie’s jealousy grew intense–she wanted nothing more than to see Josie fail. Natalie had always believed their team would win the Grand Prize. Soon, as she prepared to take the stage herself, she was determined to leave a lasting impression and annoy Josie, unable to muster a smile.

Now, Natalie was the one unable to laugh. She walked onto the stage with her lips pressed together and her head bowed, anger welling up inside her and nearly bringing her to tears. Losing to Josie was deeply humiliating.

Since the other prize recipients had already taken the stage, Vincent quickened his pace, and Kyle followed suit. Natalie had no choice but to hurry after them. However, wearing high heels, she felt acutely embarrassed by the situation–she kept her head down and didn’t notice the red carpet beneath her feet.

As a result, while climbing the stage stairs, Natalie stumbled and fell straight onto Kyle’s back. Fortunately, Kyle was in front; otherwise, she would have landed on the floor. Before Natalie could catch her balance, someone in the audience–no one knew who–let out a gasp of surprise.