Chapter 412
Chapter 412:
He thought Yelena’s kind gesture of treating him to a meal must mean she was counting on his help for something important. Much to his surprise, Yelena threw him a curveball.
“No, we’re done,” she said bluntly, her tone as sharp as ever.
Erica, sensing a potential landmine, chimed in quickly to soften the blow. “This time, it was pretty straightforward. But next time, if things get tricky, we’ll definitely ask for your help p>
Corbett blinked, unsure how to respond.
Erica’s attempt to smooth things over only felt like a backhanded compliment, one that probably should’ve been left unsaid.
“Simple? Is that so?” Corbett said, his curiosity piqued. “Well, let me see how it’s shaping up. How’s the data looking p>
“It’s already in your email,” Yelena replied coolly.
Corbett wasn’t about to underestimate them, though he couldn’t shake his doubts. Some of the data involved advanced concepts—stuff they’d expect grad students and beyond to wrestle with—so it wouldn’t have surprised him if these girls had hit a few snags.
Still, Erica’s claim that it was “simple” had him raising an eyebrow. Were they bluffing? Only one way to find out.
He skimmed through the data Yelena and Erica had compiled, approaching it with a laid-back attitude. After all, he couldn’t quite believe that two undergrads had managed to get everything spot-on.
He expected it to be easy to spot mistakes.
To his surprise, after carefully reviewing all the data, he couldn’t find a single error.
Discover the best stories at gαℓησv𝒆𝓁s․com
Still in disbelief, he rubbed his eyes, wondering if he’d overlooked something. He double-checked, this time more meticulously, but still couldn’t find a single flaw.
Disbelief gnawed at him. He dove back in for a third pass, determined to catch even the faintest whiff of an error. Yet the results were the same—flawless.
“Corbett, did we mess up anywhere?” Erica asked nervously, watching how intently Corbett had been going through the data. Yelena, on the other hand, was as steady as a rock.
“There are no mistakes,” she said with the confidence of someone holding a royal flush.
Corbett turned to Yelena, his curiosity now in overdrive. “Why are you so sure? What makes you think everything’s perfect p>
Yelena met his gaze head-on. “Because I double-checked every last bit before sending it over. Trust me—there’s no room for error p>
Corbett chuckled sheepishly, a hint of admiration in his voice. “You’re right. There’s not a single mistake. To get it this right on the first try? Impressive p>
Deep down, though, he couldn’t help but compare. Their speed had been far faster than his own. It had taken him nearly three days to organize similar data in the past.
Additionally, he had only begun working with Professor Hoffman in the second semester of his first year of graduate school.
Meanwhile, Yelena and Erica were still undergraduates, managing it effortlessly. They had clearly surpassed his abilities, and that thought gnawed at him slightly.
However, he kept it hidden.
If they knew how much more polished they were, it wouldn’t look good on him.
“Corbett, I noticed your data isn’t sorted yet. How about we lend a hand?” Yelena said, her tone brimming with enthusiasm.
There was an underlying motive behind Yelena’s eagerness—she just wanted to wrap things up quickly so she could be done with it and leave.
Corbett paused, considering Yelena’s offer thoughtfully.
Corbett loathed the monotony of organizing data. To him, it was a mind-numbing task devoid of any real value.