Chapter <b>407 </b>
<b>Chapter </b><b>407 </b>
<b>On </b>Thursday night, Celeste and Matthias, who had just returned from a business trip, attended a banquet together.
<b>As </b>soon as they arrived, she spotted Wynn and Linda.
They had noticed her too.
The moment Linda saw her, her expression soured. She snorted and muttered to Wynn, “Why is she everywhere?”
Celeste paid them no attention. After she and Matthias chatted briefly with the host of the banquet, she saw Kieran approaching, them.
Kieran had gotten an invitation after learning she would be attending the event.
That evening, Celeste wore a sleek, form–fitting ck gown with simple cut, paired with her long<b>, </b>straight, dark hair<b>. </b>
Not only did she look cool andposed, but she also carried an alt of mystery. She was stunning and eye–catching
It seemed that every time he saw her at a banquet, she managed to impress him all over again.
He had been at the previous two events as well<b>, </b>so Celeste <b>wasn’t </b>surprised to see him this time. She simply said, “You’re here too?”
Kieran quickly masked the amazement in his eyes and replied, “<b>Yeah</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>
It was said that Dane Tanner would also be attending tonight’s banquet. He was a good friend of Cayden’s. The two were equally
well–known for their contributions to AI.
During her PhD studies, Wynn had met Dane twice.
They weren’t close, but they knew each other.
Upon hearing that Dane was present, Wynn approached to greet him. “Mr. Tanner, long time no see.”
Dane gave her a small nod.
Seeing that he still remembered her, Wynn smiled and wanted to continue the conversation.
However, Dane, clearly uninterested, turned his head before she could say anything and asked his assistant, “Well? Are Rodriguez and Yoder here yet?”
“They’ve arrived.”
Dane’s eyes immediately lit up. Turning to the group of people surrounding him, he said, “<b>I’ve </b>heard Rodriguez and Yoder are here. Please excuse me, I’ll catch up with everyer.”
The host of the banquet teased, “So eager to chat with Mr. Yoder?”
“No, I’m more interested in Rodriguez. I think she’s much more impressive.”
With that, he offered a few quick goodbyes and turned to walk toward Celeste and Matthias.
Wynn’s expression turned rather stiff after being brushed off like that.
Linda, watching from the side, was indignant.
“What’s with him? Isn’t he supposed to be Cayden’s friend? He sees you and-
IF
–
Wynn pulled herself together and interrupted, “Enough.”
Seeing her expression darken<b>, </b>Linda got nervous and didn’t dare speak further.
Meanwhile<b>, </b>Dane had reached Celeste and immediately introduced himself. <b>He </b>said, “I’ve read your paper multiple times—it’s
<b>absolutely </b>fascinating<b>.</b><b>” </b>
After <b>shaking </b>hands, Celeste replied<b>, </b>“Mr. Tanner<b>, </b><b>you </b>tter me
Her paper had only been published a few days <b>ago</b><b>, </b>but organizers from several <b>top </b>international Al conferences <b>had </b>already <b>sent </b>her invitations, hoping she would attend.
Celeste, however, had politely declined them all.
Since she wouldn’t travel abroad, Dane had decided to fly in himself to meet her.
Now that he finally saw <b>her</b><b>; </b>heunched enthusiastically into conversation. He started with her paper, then quickly expanded into other Al–rted topics.
Whether it was the history of Al or trends in its development, Celeste responded with calm fluency.
When Dane mentioned who had published which paper in what year and on which topic<b>, </b>she could immediately follow up by highlighting the brilliance of that work and naturally referencing two or three rted papers.
She extracted the core ideas and engaged Dane in a deep and informed discussion.
PrevNext <h2>The Scent of</h2>