Chapter 439
Chapter 439:
Roland caught on to Corbett’s unease. He stepped closer, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You’re doing well. Keep it up p>
Corbett’s breath caught in his throat. He stared at Roland, speechless.
Praise from Roland was a rarity—more likely, he’d lose his temper than offer compliments.
Corbett was undoubtedly brilliant, but he had a knack for careless mistakes, often stumbling over avoidable errors. Even his method of organizing experimental data was riddled with flaws, earning him constant scolding from his teacher.
This might have been the first time Roland ever gave him a genuine compliment. Corbett felt a rush of emotions, caught off guard.
“Uh… Professor, did you come here for something specific p>
Roland raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged. “I noticed the recent experiments and data organization were flawless. Not a single mistake p>
Corbett froze, his smile stiffening.
It clicked. Roland wasn’t praising him—he was complimenting Yelena.
Upon seeing Corbett’s awkwardness, Roland’s brow furrowed. “Wait, are you saying you didn’t organize all that data yourself p>
Corbett hesitated, shifting between a nod and a shake of his head.
Now, Roland was completely puzzled.
Finally, Corbett admitted, “Professor, the truth is, I didn’t do it alone. The experiments and data organization weren’t entirely my work p>
Roland had suspected it all along. There was no way Corbett had suddenly transformed into a perfectionist overnight. Nobody could make such a drastic improvement in such a short time.
That was exactly why Roland had come—to confirm his hunch.
C𝒉𝑒ck ⓐuthor’s ⓒo𝓹𝓎 h𝑒r𝑒: gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫷𝓬𝗈𝗺
Roland hadn’t expected Corbett to be so candid. He had assumed, for a moment, that Corbett would take all the credit for himself. He asked, “Who helped you? Was it one of the graduate students? Or maybe a Ph.D. candidate p>
He didn’t even consider the new undergraduates in his group—he couldn’t imagine any of them pulling off something so impressive.
With a spark of excitement in his eyes, Corbett said, “Thanks to the two undergrads who joined the mentorship program earlier p>
Roland froze, his disbelief evident as he stared at Corbett. He had thought of every possible scenario, but this one had never crossed his mind.
“Where are they?” he asked.
Roland could hardly recall how Yelena and Erica looked. He had assumed they’d quit after a few days, not expecting them to stick around, let alone help Corbett with such a breakthrough.
Corbett continued, “They stayed up all night with me working on the experiment, and they went to grab coffee now p>
Roland didn’t say a word. He simply sank into his chair, pondering.
Corbett caught on—he knew Roland was waiting for Yelena and Erica to return.
A few moments later, Yelena and Erica reappeared, Yelena carrying two cups of coffee, and Erica followed with two more. Corbett’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You bought four cups of coffee? How’d you know Professor Hoffman would be here?” he asked.
Erica shook her head, confused herself. “I didn’t know. I thought it was strange when Yelena bought four cups. I asked her why, and she just said there might be an extra person in the lab p>
Now seeing Roland, Erica looked stunned.
The second Erica spotted Roland, she became visibly nervous, shifting uncomfortably and fumbling with her hands.
“Uh… Hello, Professor Hoffman,” Erica stammered.