Chapter 1927

"Holy crap, did I just see that right? That girl actually knows how to check someone's pulse."

"No way. Isn't that something only those old-school alternative medicine types do? She's just a kid!"

"Austenberg's about to blow up!"

Usually, only serious med geeks could pull off that kind of pulse-checking. But this was a global design competition, and a ton of med students were tuning in to the livestream.

The second Fiona started, everyone watching basically lost it.

What even was going on?

That technique was super rare.

The chat was going wild. People were freaking out over Fiona's pulse-check, some even screen recording it to send to their professors or group chats. There were clips flying around, some being sent to students, and a few med school teachers even paused their classes just to show the video and talk about what she was doing.

And through it all, Fiona stayed totally clueless.

"Make sure you all get some rest for tomorrow's round. If you're not feeling well, come find me," Mr. Connor reminded them.

"We got it, Mr. Connor," the team answered.

Fiona nodded, but noticed the cameras were sticking on their group way longer than anyone else's.

She blinked, a little lost, as the camera crew kept circling back to them, switching up angles. Was it because they'd been too loud?

Whatever. Fiona shrugged it off.

Maybe the cameraman wasn't even filming her.

"Fiona, do you think this is weird?" Jane leaned in, whispering, "Why do they keep pointing the camera at us?"

Fiona didn't say anything, but she looked uneasy.

Being center stage wasn't her thing.

"Wow, she's gorgeous! I can't take it!"

"Is being insanely good-looking a requirement for designers or what?"

"Seriously, not only can she design, she can do pulse diagnostics? No way!"

"Where's my assistant? I want everything there is to know about her in the next ten minutes!"

The chat was getting ridiculous, with more and more people obsessing over Fiona's looks.

Wherever there was drama, the cameras just kept rolling.

"Maybe they're actually filming Jackson!" Jane guessed, her imagination running wild.

Honestly, it made sense. Jackson

was both talented and stupidly.

handsome. No one would blanel

camera crew for zooming in on him.

"Let's just watch the competition," Fiona said softly.

Her voice was quiet, but Jane heard every word.

The chat exploded again.

"She spoke!"

"How can she look so good just talking?"

Then Fiona's phone started buzzing nonstop in her pocket. She glanced down. Tyler had sent her a video link. She just shot back a mark. .

Tyler: You're trending.

estion

UM

Fiona didn't bother opening it. She just locked her phone and focused on the stage.

The competition was still tight.

All four teams were close, everyone clutching their buzzers. As the clock ran down, International Glam nailed the last question, officially ending the first day's theoretical round.

A couple minutes later, the organizers had the results ready.

The host walked up to the mic.

“Alright, everyone, whether you're here in person or watching from home, it's finally time for the results!"

He held the mic in one hand and the scorecard in the other, voice buzzing with excitement.

After a wave of cheers, his hand holding the card was actually shaking.