Daniel’s doubts were precisely the masterwork of Harold’s subordinates.

The Boss had said to leave no traces, to make it look coincidental, like “destiny.” The most natural approach was deepening cooperation with the Hotel Management program.

Wouldn’t adding just the Architecture program seem strange?

But by including the College of Agriculture too, adding Architecture wouldn’t stand out as much!

After all, if they were cooperating with the College of Agriculture… heh, couldn’t Wilson Hotel claim they wanted to provide the best organic food for guests by collaborating with Cornell’s Agriculture College on organic vegetable cultivation?

As for the Architecture program, Harold’s subordinates had racked their brains.

They could only say that to promote their new hotel in Washington, Wilson Hotel decided to sponsor an internal design competition for the Architecture program.

The Architecture program belonged to Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and this design competition targeted the entire college.

While Daniel had his doubts, when the news spread, the Architecture students were ecstatic.

Even Daisy was extremely excited:

“Xia, the first prize in this competition is $50,000! God, that’s so generous – $50,000 is enough for an entire college education!”

At Cornell University, tuition costs were at least around $10,000 per year.

Xia Xiaolan was a bit dazed: “So generous – which company did you say was sponsoring this?”

“Wilson Hotel! They’re also sponsoring Hotel Management and the College of Agriculture. I heard they want multiple collaborations with Cornell!”

Hearing Wilson Hotel, Xia Xiaolan’s eyelid twitched.

This was quite a coincidence.

She had just met Harold a few days ago…

But would they sponsor an Architecture design competition just for her?

Her relationship with Harold wasn’t that close!

Xia Xiaolan shook off this thought, “Daisy, do you want to enter this competition?”

“Of course, we should enter! The first prize is $50,000, the second prize is $30,000, third prize is $10,000 – these are probably out of our reach, but besides these three prizes, there are also 10 excellence awards with $2,000 prizes. Couldn’t we try for one of those?”

Daisy was getting a bit overconfident.

Having just received an A from Professor McCarthy, with Xia Xiaolan in their group, Daisy felt they were at their peak performance. Despite the Architecture college being full of strong competitors, she dared to dream about winning an excellence award!

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t sure whether to praise Daisy’s ambition:

“You mean enter our electronic commercial plaza design in the competition? What about Richard and Lyle – have you asked their opinions?”

Just as Xia Xiaolan finished speaking, Richard and Lyle came over: “Xia, let’s enter the competition! They’re selecting 10 excellence awards, $2,000 each. We could split the prize money… NO, you contributed the most to our group. If we win an excellence award, I propose Xia takes $1,000, and we three split the remaining $1,000. Anyone object?”

“I agree!”

“No objections!”

Xia Xiaolan chuckled – Richard was even more ambitious than Daisy, directly mentioning the “excellence award” without even bringing up the top three prizes.

They couldn’t possibly win the top three – this was Richard’s group’s self-assessment of their abilities.

But for Xia Xiaolan, if they were going to enter the competition, would she dare put just an excellence award on her resume?

“During studies at Cornell University, President Xia participated in the college’s architectural design competition, achieving a commendable tenth place…”

-Heh, does that introduction sound good?

Xia Xiaolan snapped her fingers twice, interrupting the three who were getting carried away:

“Hey, everyone listen! I agree to enter the competition, and prize money distribution is a minor issue – if we win anything, we’ll split it equally. We’re one group, and the work is everyone’s achievement. But that’s not the point – the point is you’re all aiming too low. If we’re entering, we should aim for the top three! Daisy, you seem to know the most – tell us, besides the generous prize money, what other benefits come with the top three places?”

Daisy’s face flushed – Xia Xiaolan’s goal was too ambitious!

But the top three prizes came with different treatment.

“I heard that although the competition is only open to Cornell Architecture students, the judges won’t just be university professors – they’ll invite partners from major firms… And there’s an unconfirmed rumor that the top three teams might be invited to participate in designing Wilson’s new hotel!”

Daisy’s breathing quickened.

She, Richard, and Lyle didn’t know that Xia Xiaolan’s electronic commercial plaza was a real project. If they could participate in designing Wilson’s new hotel, such an experience would be even more valuable than the high prize money!

This would be the “first time” for all three of them.

Most architecture students’ “first time” wouldn’t come until after joining a firm, but they could participate in designing a five-star hotel as sophomores – enough to become their stepping stone into world-class architectural firms.

Wasn’t the goal to break into Jonathan’s circle?

If they seized this opportunity, they wouldn’t just enter Jonathan’s circle – they’d surpass him and enter an even more exclusive circle!

After Xia Xiaolan’s speech, Daisy was filled with desire for a top-three finish.

The chances were slim, but without trying… Daisy wouldn’t be satisfied!

With Xia Xiaolan’s recent motivational speeches and their initial victory under Professor McCarthy, Daisy, and the others weren’t as unconfident as before.

“Whether aiming for an excellence award or top three, we fill out the same registration form!”

Daisy clenched her fist.

Xia Xiaolan laughed: “You’re right – the registration form doesn’t ask what place you’re aiming for, and there’s no mockery for not winning. Besides, in any competition, who doesn’t want a first place? Even if we loudly declare our goal, should we fear others’ ridicule?”

Many didn’t believe in their group, but they still earned an “A.”

Lyle suddenly realized:

“If we get the top three using the design we’re submitting to Professor McCarthy, he’ll give us all A’s for the final, right?”

That goes without saying.

So now, both goals shared the same path to achievement – what more was there to discuss?

Xia Xiaolan and the three went to get registration forms.

“Individual or group participation allowed, group size not to exceed 5 people.”

Their four-person group was perfect for eligibility.

Fewer people meant fewer to split the prize money with – winning first place alone would be incredibly impressive, and guaranteed to make a name for oneself. But that possibility was too small – with only half a month to prepare, could one person even complete it?

The design competition stirred up the entire Architecture college.

The college and university strongly supported such activities that motivated students’ creative design enthusiasm!