r 407 The Echo After the Storm 

Chapter 407 The Echo After the Storm 

Maria finally pushed down her anger, but the irritation in her voice was impossible to hide. 

Alice gave a half–smile that wasn’t quite a smile. 

“Since you’ve admitted you didn’t choose the best candidates for the experiment, then there’s no problem.” 

Maria fell silent. 

She felt like she had stepped into a trap. 

Alice turned to look at the other professors. 

They immediately lowered their heads. 

This was way too embarrassing. 

“In that case,” Alice said calmly, “we should redo the competition. What do you think, Mr. Reese?” 

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Byron looked at the students who had already been selected. “You’re already on the list. If we start over, that wouldn’t be very fair to you. So I’d like to hear your opinions.” 

He said it politely, but everyone knew what he really wanted. He wanted the students to express their desire for a rematch on their 

own. 

That way, he wouldn’t take the blame. 

The students looked at one another. 

In the end, they all stepped forward and agreed to compete again. They wanted to earn their place with real results. 

Byron felt relieved. 

He went along with it and announced that the competition would be rescheduled. This time, the judges would be chosen by student vote. 

The crowd exploded with cheers, 

“Mr. Reese is amazing!” 

“Mr. Reese is the best!” 

Maria clamped her lips. 

Changing the judges? 

Her face burned with shame. 

There was no way to hide scandal. 

online 

Instead of letting people mock her online, Maria decided to strike first. 

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Chapter 407 The Echo After the Storm 

She dug out an old account she had used in the country. 

Maria hadn’t logged in for years. 

But because it was a verified account, Nathan had always told her to keep it. 

Now, it finally came in handy. 

Right on the spot, she typed and posted a message. 

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“Today I worked as a judge at Riverview University. I didn’t realize that judging systems now focus only on grades. I was clearly out of touch. I apologize for the trouble this caused.” 

Her account was usually inactive. 

When she posted, it felt like a ghost coming back to life. 

At first, almost no one noticed. 

But as the issue spread, the post slowly entered the public eye. 

The name “Maria Spencer” quickly reached everyone’s ears. 

Soon after, Riverview University was hit by online backlash. 

People believed that no matter what kind of selection it was, students should come first. Education should focus on morals, intelligence, physical health, creativity, and effort–not just grades. 

Only valuing test scores disappointed many. 

After all, Riverview University was a dream university for countless people. 

If the university only cared about grades … 

Things escalated again. 

What Alice had said at the club was leaked. 

The footage had been edited. 

It made it look like Alice was the troublemaker behind everything. 

Next, Nolan Group was dragged into the storm. 

Not long after, Spencer Group was pulled out and criticized as well. 

But Spencer Group was barely surviving. 

Strangely enough, because of Alice, it gained attention instead. 

Several of its media accounts even came back to life. 

In the end, the biggest winner turned out to be Spencer Group. 

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Chapter 407 The Echo After the Storm 

That was completely unexpected. 

Emma was comforted by Clayton. 

After Alice finalized the donation details with Byron, she finally left the university. 

It was already dark. 

Lights came on across campus. 

Students walked in small groups, their shadows stretched long under the streetlights. 

It felt as if the whole world had come alive because of them. 

For some reason, Alice felt alive too. 

Her heartbeat quickened. 

Even the blood in her veins seemed to flow faster. 

Under the moonlight, she noticed a figure ahead. 

He looked familiar. But he stood in the shadows; she couldn’t see his face clearly. 

It was as if he were wearing a mask. 

Alice slowly stopped walking. 

That sense of familiarity came from the deepest part of her soul. 

As if she had met him a long time ago. 

As if they had crossed paths before. 

But where? 

Why couldn’t she remember? 

Still, by instinct, she felt no hostility from him. 

So she walked toward the figure. 

The figure moved too. 

Toward her. 

Faster and faster. 

When they were close enough, she finally saw his face. 

It’s Eric. 

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Chapter 407 The Echo After the Storm 

Oh! 

No wonder he felt familiar. 

For a brief moment earlier, she had truly thought he was that person. 

But now that she thought about it, it made no sense. 

Back then, Eric was already the CEO of Nolan Group. Someone like him would never go to a place torn by war. 

Realizing that, she felt a quiet sense of loss. 

She didn’t know why she felt that way. 

Maybe it was because someone had once made her a promise and never kept it. 

So many years had passed. That man might already be married, with children. 

She was not the kind of person who disturbed others‘ lives. 

No matter what, she would never go looking for him. 

And maybe, they would never meet again. 

If they never met again, then so be it. 

“Hey,” she said.