The price listed was definitely not on the low side; it was actually twice what Zane had initially imagined. Initially, he thought it would be around a million, but now, with the DO Group''s offer to double their initial bid, it was nearing eight million. Zane could hardly contain his excitement-it was electrifying.


    Seeing Zane''s dazed look, Mirabe called out, "Professor?"


    Zane snapped back to reality, cleared his throat, and tried to keep his cool. "Well, Mirabe, what do you think?"


    Sensing the moment, J quickly chimed in, "If that''s not enough, how about we double it again?"


    For J, it wasn''t about the money; he just needed to keep his dad happy.


    Zane gasped, hardly believing his ears. Was this for real?


    "Of course, this is just the starting fee. All future expenses will be covered by us," J reassured them.


    Zane''s mind was practically frozen. He instinctively nced at his student.


    A smile was already ying on Mirabe''s lips as she turned to J, "You mentioned wanting to talk about the big database earlier, right? I have a new n that''s even more detailed and refined than before."


    J was caught off guard, feeling unexpectedly honored.


    Soon enough, Mirabe was patientlyying out her n to J.


    Meanwhile, Calvin, who had taken the contract from Zane, was reading it intently. As he did, his face grew paler.


    Not only had the DO Group''s rep actively sought out coboration, but they had also willingly upped the offer multiple times. This was easily one of the biggest projects in recent years.


    Once pulled off, Zane''s reputation would surely skyrocket, especiallypared to Calvin''sckluster


    record over the past couple of years. A sense of urgency gnawed at Calvin.


    Zane cast a nce at Calvin, unaware of what he was thinking, and casually raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Calvin, do you still think my student and I need to apologize?"


    Calvin''s face twitched, and he eventually said, "Regardless, we need to exin things to Tech Center."


    He didn''t mention the apology again.


    Zane looked over at the DO Group''s rep chatting with Mirabe, then back at Calvin with a hint of sarcasm.


    "Mr. Calvin didn''t you hear Mr. Monks say this was all a big misunderstanding? If it was a misunderstanding, why should my student and I have to exin


    anything to Tech Center?"


    After a pause, Zane added, "However, I think it''s you, Mr. Calvin, who should be


    figuring out how to exin this to Tech Center."


    Calvin''s expression flickered, struggling to keep calm.


    He was the one who had leaked the DO Group''s project to Hank. If Hank found out the DO Group had approached the school with such a high offer... Calvin felt a chill, unable to imagine the fallout.


    Before long, J had Joseph print the revised documents, signed them effortlessly,


    and even asked Zane to add him on Messenger.


    Joseph, recalling the conversation with J in the car and J''s chat with Mirabe, realized J hadn''t been bluffing.


    After some thought, he bowed to Mirabe and apologized, "I''m sorry. It was my mistake that led to today''s mix-up. Please forgive my ignorance."


    Mirabe gave Joseph a curious look.