The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Chapter 925: Nathalie: Everyone’s Here

Holding a teacup in hand, he walked over with an air of strolling leisurely through a courtyard, but the moment he took his place, all eyes in the room fixed on him...

"Holy shit, Mr. Yancey?!" Sadam Vinson immediately stood up.

Feeling somewhat at a loss, he turned and asked the young man beside him, "Why didn’t you tell me Mr. Yancey was coming? Should I go over and say hello?"

Unlike the patriarchs of the top families in Beijing, this old gentleman usually stayed in Leaf Garden and rarely made public appearances.

But his status was above the others.

He never attended public events unless it was a television news conference that required his presence. It was rare for him to accept invitations to the top social events in Beijing. Sadam Vinson was already surprised the last time he came to Nathalie Quinlan’s academic celebration, and now he was a guest at the medical competition... Sadam couldn’t articulate the complexity of his emotions...

Let’s face it, it must have been Amadeus who persuaded the old gentleman to come, but the problem now was that Nathalie was expected to rank in the bottom three this time. What was Amadeus doing inviting Mr. Yancey? To witness the birth of the third-to-last place?!

"Amadeus, does Ms. Quinlan know Mr. Yancey is coming?" Alfred Garland looked at Amadeus Yancey with a similarly complex expression, almost the same reaction as Sadam’s.

He was even more pessimistic than Sadam, estimating that Nathalie would rank rock bottom this time, or at best second from last. To be third from last, she’d have to be gliding on dog shit.

After all, the competitors in this medical competition were all senior students from top national universities, while Ms. Quinlan was a first-year rookie who hadn’t even finished reading her textbooks. It was normal for one or two people to underperform, but the likelihood of more than three underperforming was too slim!

...

Backstage.

Nathalie Quinlan found a corner to lean in and read, with one earbud in her ear, faintly emitting the sound of an audiobook.

Most of the students competing had arrived.

Contestants from various universities in Beijing knew each other and gathered to chat upon arrival, while those from other regions formed small provincial groups.

She seemed to be the only one not huddling with others, minding her own business.

A beginner’s "Nine Year Medical Competition Topic Compendium" in her hands stood out conspicuously. The girl sat there in a relaxed posture, unfazed by the curious glances occasionally cast her way, doing her own thing, with earplugs in, she timed it, took out her phone, and cranked up the audiobook speed to double.

At the same moment.

Her phone vibrated.

Two or three messages came in at once.

Nathalie Quinlan looked down with drooping eyelashes, tapped with her fingertip and opened them.

"I am waiting for you at the judge’s table. Your teacher is here too. We are here to support you, don’t be afraid, just do your best without pressure."

This message was from Shawn Norton.

Another WhatsApp message, Nathalie looked down and opened it.

"Grandpa is here."

"I guess it was Aunt who told him you joined this year’s assessment."

She furrowed her brow, finally showing a reaction, feeling a headache as she stared at the nickname of the person who sent her the message, Amadeus Yancey.

The old gentleman came?

Or was it Mrs. Yancey who called him?

Originally, when she decided to take part in this competition, she never expected to stir up such a fuss—it was just for fun.

Yet so many people had shown up... somehow, she felt an added sense of responsibility weighing on her shoulders.

Her head hurt, her hand pressed against her temples, massaging for a few seconds before releasing, forcing herself to calm down and listen closely to finish the last few questions...

*

At 9:20 am, most of the competitors were already backstage, waiting to enter.