Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Why Be a Stranger?
Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Why Be a Stranger?
Ten minutes later, Li Qiao arrived at the defense scene in the comprehensive building.
Room 307, a small classroom, was sparsely filled with students from the same defense group, and Jiang Yi was conspicuously among them.
Li Qiao’s defense was scheduled seventh in order, with the official defense starting at nine.
The teachers from the committee hadn’t arrived yet, and the expressions of the other students varied as they caught sight of Li Qiao, each flickering with different emotions.
Jiang Yi was seated at the second desk in the front row, her eyes raised with an arrogant and mocking look as she glanced over at her.
Especially upon seeing the thesis materials in Li Qiao’s hands, she couldn’t help but curl her lips contemptuously and asked with a sneer, “How well prepared is your thesis, are you confident about passing?”
Li Qiao casually placed the thesis on the table, kicked a chair open with her knee and sat down, her gaze fixed straight ahead, her voice cold, “You should ask the committee that.”
Jiang Yi was taken aback, forcing a smile as she gathered her wavy long hair, “I’m just concerned about you!”
At the sound, Li Qiao turned her head slowly, her gaze meeting Jiang Yi’s flickering eyes.
A trace of sarcasm crossed her doe eyes, “Do I need to thank you?”
The smile on Jiang Yi’s face gradually solidified, she lowered her head and fiddled with her manicure, putting on airs as she said, “No need for thanks, after all, we’ve been roommates for so many years, no need for formalities.”
Li Qiao didn’t bother to respond to her again but bent her lips deeply, meaningfully.
Soon, the defense began.
The four teachers from the committee arrived at the long desk on the stage right on schedule, and the students began their defenses in sequence.
Due to the high level of knowledge and hands-on experience required for a thesis in Biological Cell Engineering, the committee’s control over the details of the thesis was very strict.
Moreover, Biological Cell Engineering at South Sea Medical University was nationally one of the top programs, and it also had a cell gene laboratory supported by a national special fund, so one can imagine the difficulty level of the graduation thesis for this major.
About fifteen minutes passed, and the first student finished their defense.
The atmosphere on the stage was very serious.
It seemed that the committee’s teachers had some disagreements and, after several discussions, didn’t give an immediate pass or fail decision.
Instead, they asked the student to wait off-stage and invited the second student to come up.
This time, Jiang Yi was scheduled to go third.
She sat beside Li Qiao, occasionally glancing at her with an air of confidence.
At this moment, a few students sitting in the neighboring seats suddenly started whispering among themselves.
Apparently quite shocked, their voices gradually got louder despite their attempts to restrain themselves.
“I can’t believe she’s that kind of person?
So she was the one who framed Li Qiao on purpose.”
“That’s just disgusting, it’s like the pot calling the kettle black.
If I were Li Qiao, I’d definitely sue her for defamation and infringement of reputation!”
The whispers grew louder, and Jiang Yi furrowed her brows, looking back suspiciously at the students behind her.
To her surprise, those students were looking at her, their eyes filled with disdain and contempt.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart, and she looked away, pretending to be composed.
Just as she took out her phone from her pocket, the second student’s defense ended and it was time for her to take the stage.
Left with no other choice, Jiang Yi had to abandon the idea of logging into the forum, thinking that it had been down for several days and that it was unlikely to suddenly come back online on the day of the defense.
However, the discussions among the students intensified as she walked up to the stage.
“Quiet,” an assistant teacher from the committee sternly warned, and the classroom was once again calm.
Jiang Yi gathered herself and began her self-introduction.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion, but just as she was about to talk about her thesis, a sharp and piercing shout from outside the hallway of room 307 disrupted everyone’s rhythm.
That shameless campus belle Li Qiao, isn’t she in this classroom?”