CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 89: PLAYED BY SERENA JENNINGS

"Go Serena!"

Even before the semi-finished product was presented, the audience started cheering for Serena Jennings.

Serena looked up and saw Patrick Rhodes standing in the audience, waving his arms at her.

She was taken aback, and then saw Patrick being warned by the staff, sheepishly sitting back down.

Already shocked that Patrick came to watch the jewelry design competition, she didn’t expect him to cheer for her in public, making Serena even more perplexed and bemused.

At the adjacent workstation, even with a sweet and exquisite makeup, Claire Shaw couldn’t hide the dissatisfaction on her face.

What does Patrick mean?

Only cheering for Serena?

She couldn’t believe that with her standing on stage, right next to Serena, Patrick could miss seeing her.

Claire was aware of the change in Patrick’s attitude towards Serena.

However, she believed that the moment she won the championship, Patrick’s eyes would no longer entertain Serena, leaving only her.

With a smirk on her pink lips, Claire’s mood lifted again, casting a disdainful glance at Serena.

Serena’s semi-finished robot earrings, no matter how refined the craftsmanship was, couldn’t possibly compare to her perfected design.

As Serena took out her semi-finished competition piece from the box, the sly smile on Claire’s lips gradually froze.

In the audience, Quentin Xavier instantly stood up.

"Quentin, what’s wrong? Need to go to the restroom?" Sharon Sanders asked curiously.

"Oh, no... nothing..." Quentin slowly sat down.

Fortunately, the convention hall was dark, with the lights focused on the stage, or he would have a hard time explaining his surprised and unsettled expression to Sharon and Nancy.

Instinctively, Quentin glanced at Claire Shaw, whose face turned ghastly, glaring at him as if she wanted to kill him.

Quentin immediately lowered his head, not daring to look again.

Being close to Claire Shaw, Serena could catch the changes in Claire’s expression from the corner of her eye.

While others were earnestly working on their jewelry, Claire repeatedly exchanged glances with someone in the audience.

Serena knew exactly who that person was—Quentin Xavier.

"Our boss’s design... wasn’t a robot after all?" Sharon Sanders widened her eyes.

"What is that? A scarf?" Nancy Young tilted her head.

"Looks like it, but it’s not quite... there’s no fabric, seems all metal." Sharon analyzed while watching Serena’s design on stage.

At this moment, Quentin Xavier fully understood—

He had been played by Serena.

Serena’s competition piece was nothing like the robot earrings designed to pair with headphones.

These past days, her constant revisions in front of him were all an act.

Quentin tightly clenched his fists, seething with anger.

Even if Serena had turned the tables on him, Quentin didn’t believe Claire Shaw would lose.

Considering the previous hits launched by The Lockwood Group, Claire had that capability.

Though his anxious heart gradually calmed, Quentin still felt annoyed.

He thought Serena wasn’t particularly skilled but rather scheming.

Fixing a hard stare on Serena, he wanted to see what she would ultimately design.

Among the ten designers present, except for Serena, all were conforming robot forms to fit the AI theme.

Some designed robot pendants, some robot rings, others robot watches, and some simply added robotic elements to conventional jewelry styles.

Only Serena’s semi-finished work left people puzzled.

It indeed looked like a scarf.

The silvery white noble metal shimmered elegantly under the lights, crafted with multiple techniques like brushing, weaving, and hollowing to create a lace texture, delicate and luxurious, with complex patterns, densely inlaid with countless small diamonds and sapphires, the gems absurdly small but densely set, dazzling and eye-blinding.

As far as jewelry is concerned, Serena’s scarf stood out the most.

Quentin Xavier watched Serena closely using a microscope on stage, the more he watched, the more his brow furrowed.

"I never knew our boss had such skill?" Sharon elbowed Nancy Young.

"Am I seeing things? How is she setting the stones? There’s no metal prong." Nancy Young was equally shocked.

In the front row, sitting in the VIP seats, Leo Grant and Ronan Ross each had their thoughts.

"This Serena Jennings..."

Leo spoke first, his gaze unwavering on Serena.

Ronan Ross felt something was off, his expression shifting repeatedly.

The live demonstration of jewelry making was actually quite tedious for outsiders; Patrick Rhodes, restless after two hours, was about to leave.

But to see Serena, he endured to the four-hour mark without a single nap.

As the competition approached its finale, Patrick Rhodes couldn’t hold it any longer.

He wanted to use the restroom.

In the distant CBD, inside The Nash Group Tower, Justin Nash was secretly watching the live broadcast on his phone—

He had been watching for a whole four hours.

"Justin, are you busy?"

The office door suddenly opened, and Justin quickly turned his phone screen down on the desk.

Though he acted swiftly, Cynthia Fulton saw it.

Cynthia moved beside Justin nonchalantly, massaging his shoulders.

"If work is too busy, we could postpone visiting the bridal shop."

"No, we fixed today, so let’s stick to that!" Justin said, but his face showed no trace of the joy of accompanying his bride to try on wedding dresses.

"Alright, since you insist, I’ll go with you." Cynthia smiled sweetly, "Oh, by the way, Director Zhao seemed to be looking for you just now."

"Probably about the West Coast project..."

"Should I step out?"

"No, I’ll go find him!"

Justin stood up, leaving his office.

Leaving Cynthia alone in the room...

And Justin’s phone.

Cynthia flipped over the phone lying screen down on the desk, and it was still lit, the live stream ongoing.

"What is this, a jewelry design competition?"

Cynthia tugged the corner of her mouth, puzzled.

"Why is Justin interested in this kind of thing?"

Could it be he was picking jewelry for her to wear at their wedding?

Thinking of this, Cynthia smiled knowingly.

She was about to turn the phone screen down again when the live broadcast camera suddenly focused on a person.

She recognized this person.

Watching Serena Jennings engrossed in jewelry creation on screen, Cynthia’s smile gradually faded.

The Blue Ocean International Convention Hall.

The New Star Jewelry Design Competition officially entered the evaluation and scoring phase.

Though things hadn’t unfolded as Claire Shaw had schemed, she’d do her utmost to perform under the circumstances.

"The earrings I designed use PT950 platinum and perfectly cut South African diamonds, crafted with 3D printing and high-polish techniques, creating a cat’s eye effect, integrating modern headphone functions while embodying futuristic and tech vibes, matching the AI theme, striking a balance between aesthetics and practicality."

After Claire Shaw finished answering, the judges awarded her a high score of 90.

It was the first and only score above 90.

Next, it was Serena’s turn.

Serena’s designed scarf was truly luxurious and unparalleled.

If others’ designs were jewelry pieces, Serena’s was a top-tier collectible.

However...

"Contestant number one, please explain how your design piece relates to the AI theme?"