Miranda and Madison immediately turned their gaze toward Sebastian. He scratched his head awkwardly. “Why are you two looking at me like that?” It was a bit embarrassing. “Seb, what does your family do exactly?” Madison’s eyes took on a curious look. Miranda chimed in, “I remember you mentioning that your parents are… civil servants?” It seemed that these “civil servants” weren’t the ordinary kind. She stopped there, not pressing further. Madison might be bold, but she knew when to back off. She had heard that children from high-ranking families often kept a low profile. It made sense why he hadn’t mentioned it before, so she didn’t push. Sebastian finally breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll do my best to make this happen.” “Good,” Madison responded. “For the lab!” “For not being kicked out again!” Sebastian added.

After they spoke, they both looked at Miranda. She was startled and instinctively responded, “Let’s charge forward?” “Charge!” they echoed.

They wasted no time and sprang into action immediately. As soon as Madison stepped out of the apartment building, she pulled out her phone and called her dad. “Hey, Dad, have you eaten yet?” “Yes, yes, I have! What about you?” “I haven’t…” Madison’s voice instantly turned pitiful. Upon hearing this, Mason knew something was wrong. If his precious daughter couldn’t even eat, something major must have happened. “Tell me, sweetheart, what’s going on?” Without hesitation, Madison poured out everything that had happened with the lab in recent days. “That’s it. Isn’t it infuriating?” Mason slapped his thigh so loud Madison could hear it over the phone. “Outrageous! The college isn’t handling what it should, but it’s quick to protect what doesn’t need protection. A prestigious institution is allowing this to happen? Absolutely disgraceful!” “Exactly!” Madison nodded furiously. “And you know what else, Dad? I casually mentioned that we’d be better off building our own lab, and two students from Sophie’s team overheard me. They laughed at me, saying I was dreaming in broad daylight, and even called me chubby…” “What! They called you chubby? Sweetheart, listen to me. You’re not chubby, not at all. That’s what we call a sign of wealth! Don’t stoop to the level of those country bumpkins!” “Hmph! What’s a lab anyway? If my darling daughter wants to build one, she can build as many as she wants. Let’s show them what real power looks like and what it means to be slapped in the face by your own words!” “So, Dad, you agree?” Madison squealed in excitement, with no trace of the sadness or crying from earlier. Mason was a little confused, “Agree to what?” “To help us build a lab!” “Dad? You just promised. You can’t go back on your word…” Mason suddenly realized and said, “Oh, so all that buildup was for this?” Madison chuckled sheepishly. “It won’t take much, really! Just a little!” “How much is a little?” “Just… around ten million.” “Ten million… what! Ten million! Does building a lab really cost that much?” That would be enough to build two buildings in their hometown! He could even rent them out for at least 100 grand a month… “Sweetheart, don’t let anyone scam you! There are a lot of scams going around these days…” He stood up in concern, thinking about how pure and innocent his daughter was. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone tried to take advantage of her. A scam? Madison almost laughed out loud at the thought. “Dad, it’s not a scam! It’s not one of those schemes. Miranda is putting in more than I am! She’s even giving up a plot of land. And it’s land, Dad, land!”