One of the initial reasons they agreed to join the project was: Ethan Scott was very friendly. They had a good first impression of Ethan Scott—enthusiastic, friendly, polite, and respectful of their ideas. Even though after signing the contract with Ethan Scott, he rarely came to the studio, leaving all matters to them and letting them solve any problems. However, Ethan Scott managed appearances well, providing them with meal allowances, overtime pay, and frequently ordering takeaway for them proactively. At least in terms of attitude, there was nothing to complain about. Without investigating or asking questions, simply because the information they provided didn’t match what Ethan Scott wanted, without further ado, he directly vetoed Nora Scott. Looking at the situation too superficially. "Why did Nora take a leave of absence—ahhhh—" Eduardo squatted on the ground, holding his head in frustration, shouting in despair. Ethan Scott’s attitude was infuriating. Eduardo was extremely agitated. Montague said nothing, turned around, and started packing his backpack. Hearing the commotion, Eduardo looked up and asked suspiciously, "Where are you going?" Montague lowered his head, throwing things into the bag, expressionless, "Back to school, to sleep. Rest well." Eduardo quickly stood up. After throwing in the glasses case, Montague zipped up the bag, then tossed it over his shoulder and said, "If he doesn’t care, why should we work ourselves to death?" Eduardo rubbed his nose, making it red. He almost forgot, Montague not only admired Nora but also secretly liked her. Now Ethan Scott is treating Nora with such disregard, it must have upset Montague. In a certain restaurant. "Second brother, what’s up?" Sophie Scott absentmindedly ate her ice cream and asked Ethan Scott who had just finished the call. Ethan Scott put away his phone, smiled casually, and replied, "Nothing. The two juniors perfecting my drawing insist on recommending an undergraduate on leave; perhaps the time is too short, and the pressure is too great for them." "Undergraduate on leave?" Sophie asked curiously. "I’ve heard a bit. A student highly valued by Professor Duncan, quite pretty, was the belle of the school back then." Ethan Scott smirked disinterestedly, "Maybe her looks made them want to get close." Engineering students, there aren’t many girls; any slightly attractive one is treated like a treasure. Teachers and classmates add their own filters. In terms of skill, she doesn’t amount to anything. Montague and Eduardo should know better; even they were allowed to participate in the project only after thorough assessment. A student who hasn’t even completed the sophomore year... What credentials does she have? What kind of ragtag bunch do they want to squeeze in here? It’s not a charity I’m running. Sophie wasn’t very interested in this. After a slight pause, Sophie asked again, "Is that drawing still not done?" "The difficulty is greater than imagined." Ethan Scott said, "But I’ve found a few experts to help. If even they are at a loss, probably nobody can complete it." Sophie lowered her head, scooping another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "Let’s not talk about this," Ethan Scott smiled gently, gazing at her, and asked slowly, "How’s your mood now, better?" Ethan Scott said, "That’s good. Your eyes are still swollen, not even pretty; you mustn’t cry anymore these days." Though her smile was somewhat forced, at least there was a bit of it on her face. "As long as you know." Ethan Scott chuckled lightly, sizing her up, suddenly asked, "Is it because of that woman your dad brought back?" Her fingers clutching the metal spoon tightened, Sophie lowered her head, her lips bitten by her teeth turning pale; it was a long while before she spoke softly, "...Hmm." If not for Nora, she wouldn’t have messed up and become a joke. Last night Lily Turner advised her to turn off her phone, yet she couldn’t help but go online a bit, seeing many sarcastic comments in the group, ominously teasing. There was even someone anonymously posting about last night’s events as a joke. No names were mentioned, everyone used aliases, but the follow-ups had many guessing it was her. [Wasn’t UU supposed to be a rich girl, why does she look like a white lotus.] [Hhhh, it’s so embarrassing. There isn’t such a good thing in the world. Someone sure is naive.] [Fake Ms. X has a huge face, really thinks such a dreamy story would happen to her? Doesn’t know anything but dares to take the lead. True Ms. X knows the reason behind the freebie, emmm, more like a reasonable development, right?]