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A smile spread across Natalie's face when she heard that. “Truth be told, I'm most worried about that. Alas,
worrying wouldn't help either. Joyce isn't with me, so I can't keep an eye on her. She only has herself to depend on,
but we should believe in her.”
“That's all we can do for now.” Lina nodded in agreement.
Thereafter, the two of them didn't continue the topic and spoke about other matters before returning to the study.
This had become their nightly routine. After all, being a judge meant being swamped with work that couldn't
possibly be completed during the day.
Besides, Natalie and Lina weren't just judges; they were also mentors. Guiding and making suggestions to perfect
the works of the participants under them were part and parcel of their job.
All of these were things that couldn't be done during the competition during the day, and naturally, they had to
handle them during the night.
It took Natalie and Lina a couple of hours to take care of everything.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBy the time they were done, it was already well past eleven at night.
Natalie set her pencil down and stretched lazily, relieving the soreness in her waist.
Lina did the same, twisting her neck and wrist. A bitter smile appeared across her face as she said, “I never
expected being a judge and a mentor to be so exhausting.”
She thought being a judge meant sitting on the judge's panel and providing a bit of feedback on the participants'
works.
Never did Lina expect she would have to help the participants amend their works on top of providing feedback.
Seeing the tired look on her fellow judge's face, Natalie smiled and handed her a cup of coffee. “Yeah, being a
judge is tiring, but at least I'm here with you. Drink some coffee. You'll feel more energized.”
“You're the only reason I'm still holding on. Otherwise, I would be fast asleep by now,” said Lina as she took the cup
over.
She was one to do as she pleased. If she really couldn't stand it, she would've gone straight to bed instead of
torturing herself.
If someone was accompanying her and that somebody was as excellent as she was, then Lina wouldn't do that. In
fact, she'd lift her spirits and stay up late with the other person.
More than respecting them, Lina didn't want to lose to them either.
“Oh, you.” Natalie knew Lina's personality well, so naturally, she knew why the latter would say that. Natalie was
both amused and exasperated as she shook her head. “All right, we're both tired after the long day. Why don't we
head back and get some rest?”
“Okay.” Glancing at her watch, Lina yawned.
The two ladies finished up what was left in their cups and switched off the lights before returning to their respective
rooms.
Meanwhile, it was three in the afternoon over at Astoria.
Sean hung his head as he leaned against the wall outside of the operating theater, holding a lit cigarette between
his fingers.
The puffs of smoke shrouded him, blurring the expression on his face.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSeeing this, the bald man next to him couldn't help but ask, “Mr. Thompson, would you like to have a seat?”
Sean shook his head. “No.”
The man didn't say anything after the rejection.
Sean then flicked the butt of the cigarette away and took a glance at his watch. “How many hours has it been since
the surgery began?”
The man pondered for a moment before responding, “It's been five hours.”
“Five hours... And how long did Stanley say it would take?”
“Five hours.”
Hearing this, Sean narrowed his eyes. “In that case, the surgery should be ending soon.”
“Yes.” The man nodded. “But Dr. Quinn's estimation might not be entirely accurate. Perhaps there might be some
slight delays.”
Sean hummed a response and said nothing.
The person in the operating theater was none other than the person who invited him to join the organization.
They must have shown him kindness. That was why Sean found out about Joyce's whereabouts to get Stanley to
perform the procedure.
After the surgery, he would no longer be indebted to anyone, and he could finally do whatever he wanted without
any worries.
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