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“You… all of you! From now on, don’t go around saying you’re my students!”
Adriana’s words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire.
For a moment, the dim exhibition room resembled a noisy marketplace.
Those scholars, usually respected in major research institutes, now seemed like common townsfolk, speaking disre- spectfully to their own mentor!
Audrey stood to the side, curling her lips as she watched the farce unfold.
Claudine did not miss the look of smug satisfaction on Audrey’s face in the corner.
It was she who had deliberately sown discord!
After today, even if she were to be accepted as Adriana’s doctoral student, both she and Adriana would become laugh- ingstocks in the academic world, subject to criticism.
In a more serious scenario, Adriana might even be subjected to an investigation.
Claudine met Audrey’s gaze, her cool, clear eyes showing no sign of backing down.
In the past, she had only disagreed with Audrey’s views on relationships, but now, it was clear that this person was truly malicious.
She withdrew her gaze and supported Adriana at her side.
“Prof. Nixon, please don’t be upset.”
Claudine squeezed Adriana’s hand and walked to the side.
With a crisp “click,” Claudine turned on the lights in the room.
The sudden brightness made everyone present momentarily uncomfortable, but soon, someone cried out in surprise.
“Those are our names!”
It turned out that Claudine had not claimed the gifts for herself. Instead, she had written the name of each gift–giver on every exhibit, along with a detailed explanation of the restoration techniques used.
Claudine spoke up.
“Prof. Nixon, this is the surprise we all prepared for you. Every gift here is a piece restored by your students and col- leagues.
“I believe what you most want to see is our growth and achievements.
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“I deliberately placed these works here to turn this space into a small exhibition hall, which also serves as our gradua- tion presentation!”
After speaking, Claudine turned and bowed to everyone present.
“Everyone, I’m very sorry for not discussing this exhibition with you in advance. My intention was to surprise you, but I didn’t expect it to cause such a misunderstanding. My apologies.”
Claudine bowed once again.
Her calm and composed demeanor made everyone feel even more ashamed, and naturally, no one said anything fur- ther.
“If no one has any objections, please follow me and enjoy the works.”
With that, Claudine turned off the lights again.
This time, she walked to one of the pieces. A beam of light shone down from above, illuminating the previously dim artwork.
The special lighting revealed the most beautiful side of the piece.
The restored section and the original part were connected by a faint, silvery glow, as if a beam of light perfectly joined the two, merging products of different eras and bridging the gap of time and space.
The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Even the creator themselves had never imagined that their work could look so beautiful under the interplay of light
and shadow.
At this moment, everyone understood why Claudine had chosen to display their works in such a dimly lit room.
There was no comparison, no sense of superiority or inferiority. Claudine used lighting and placement to showcase the most beautiful aspect of each piece.
Their works were all unique.
As they viewed each piece, everyone felt as if they had returned to their school days, diligently studying restoration techniques under Adriana’s guidance.
They were immersed in this “graduation exhibition,” rediscovering their original aspirations.
“Claudine, I was too narrow–minded in what I said earlier. I’m sorry!”
Once someone took the lead in apologizing, others naturally followed suit.
The previously tense atmosphere vanished without a trace, and a smile once again appeared on Adriana’s face.
“You are all my students, and I have always treated you equally.
“You are peers and should not attack each other. Cultural relic restoration is the inheritance of an entire culture, and it requires your collective cooperation and effort. Just like this exhibition, each of you is unique, but only together can
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you uphold the depth of history!”
Adriana’s words were met with enthusiastic applause.
But when Adriana saw one particular piece, her smile froze.
Audrey noticed that Adriana was very interested in her work.
Unable to hide her pride, she stepped forward and spoke.
“Prof. Nixon, this is my work!”
Claudine glanced up at Audrey but said nothing more.
Adriana stepped forward, carefully examining the piece, but her expression grew increasingly grave.
At this point, everyone was interested in the piece and crowded around.
“Is this… the Ethereal Seraphim Sculpture?”
“That Ethereal Seraphim Sculpture was auctioned off to a mysterious buyer for a high price not long ago. I can’t be- lieve it was Ms. Lavigne! Such generosity!”
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