The nationwide talentpetition had actually been in the works for over a year.


    Back then, only a handful of people even knew about it.


    Ariel finally calmed down a little and smiled softly. “You don’t have to worry about that, really.”


    She held no grudge against Zach. He just held some bias against her. She wasn’t petty enough to hold a grudge over a few words and make Gary worry about it.


    Gary sighed. “That kid’s one thing, but more importantly, I don’t want someone like you to be overlooked. Honestly, I think you’ve got a shot at seeding Carlos.“”


    Ariel exhaled quietly. “Alright, thank you. I’ll think about it.”


    After the call ended, her mind raced.


    Chad looked at her, already having a good guess from the keywords just now. He had actually heard some rumors about this before the new year.


    “This is a golden opportunity,” Chad said, walking over. “They’re basically giving you a legit ticket into some of the departments. Not bad, little Ari. They’ve made an exception for you.”


    Ariel felt a swell of gratitude.


    After Liam told her she might recover, and now hearing this news, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly hopeful.


    Because now she had the chance to keep shining in her own field.


    Before, she might have declined because her condition was unstable. But now…


    “I’m going to sign up.” Ariel took a deep breath and made up her mind.


    Chad pped his hands. “Good call. It’ll give you a change to check out the best talents nationwide and see different approaches to research. You’re great at connecting the dots.”


    He could join too if he wanted, but he didn’t like being tied down by rules like Ariel could. Otherwise, given his background, he probably could have joined major projects before graduating.


    He figured Ariel’s future achievements were limitless.


    Through the channel Gary provided, Ariel registered and locked in the dates. She also carved out time to


    prepare.


    During downtime, she kept in touch with Edward about the details of her case.


    Meanwhile, she had heard news about Veyo Solutions.


    Cedric’s projects were booming, and visitors came in nonstop.


    Once those projects wrapped up in a few months, Veyo Solutions would be a much more significant


    Even though Nancy had been down after thewsuit and penalty issues, the sess of Veyo Solutions helped offset much of the negative impact for her.


    The next morning, Ariel received an invitation to a Veyo Solutions cocktail party.


    Chad got one too. He said, “Their project is going great. They’ve signed numerous significant deals, and the future profits could be substantial. This event is probably to celebrate their sess. They’ve invited many industry people. Maybe they want to use this chance to polish their image.”


    Ariel thought it over quietly.


    It struck her how perfectly timed it was that Jayson had brought Cedric on board and that the project was. wrapping up right around the time of the art exhibition scandal.


    It worked in Nancy’s favor. She wouldn’t bepletely crushed by the exhibition drama.


    However, the exhibition was ruined because of their conflict. Yet, Nancy still invited her. Ariel knew exactly what Nancy was up to.


    “Are you going?”


    Chad seemed to think of something and suddenly smiled at Ariel. At that moment, they both shared the same unspoken thought.


    Ariel narrowed her eyes and tapped the invitation lightly with her finger. Smiling, she replied, “Yeah. I need to sign off on the military contract wrap–up anyway, so it’s a good chance to check things out.”