"Why are you sitting here alone?"

  At that moment, Douglas approached uninvited, holding two glasses of wine, and sat down opposite Grace.

  He wore a black, vintage-style suit with bright red rose patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar—flashy and unrestrained, which actually suited his temperament quite well.

  Thoroughly pretentious and ostentatious.

  If it were earlier, Grace might have been willing to banter with him, but now she was clearly in low spirits, and the timing was inappropriate.

  Therefore, she glanced at the wine Douglas offered but did not reach out to take it. She simply looked at him with a cold gaze and said, "I'm not in a good mood right now. You should choose a different time."

  Upon hearing this, Douglas raised a handsome eyebrow and, remarkably, without any further ado, simply nodded. "Alright then, I won't disturb you."

  With those words, he gently placed the glass of wine before Grace, gave her a slight smile, and then stood up and left cleanly and directly.

  He really knows how to take advice!

  Watching his retreating figure, Grace couldn't help but let out a soft, amused chuckle. He was indeed a skilled playboy. Had he persisted even a second longer just then, his score in her book would have plummeted straight to the floor.

  But by leaving directly like that, she actually found herself adding a few points for him.

  Meanwhile, Arthur Vance and Madam Vance had just finished attending to their friends. Only then did Madam Vance finally drop her smiling facade, looking at Arthur with eyes full of worry. "Bruno is usually such an intelligent boy. How could he bring his fiancée to our home today?"

  Her tone was unmistakably tinged with reproach as soon as she spoke.

  Arthur sighed. "You can't blame him for that. Scarlett never told him her feelings. How would Bruno know?"

  "Stop making excuses for him. Could he really not have sensed it?"

  "Talking about this is useless now. Scarlett is only a sophomore. Bruno is already planning to get engaged. Those two are definitely impossible," Arthur waved his hand dismissively. "She'll meet someone better in the future. Bruno is not the right person for her."

  Unexpectedly, as the couple was speaking, two young men dressed in waiter uniforms suddenly approached. One of them swiftly pulled something out from his waist, startling the couple so much they stepped back repeatedly, nearly crying out in alarm.

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  However, what the young man pulled from his waist turned out to be nothing more than a document tucked into his waistband.

  The young man hurriedly introduced himself. "Hello, Boss Vance. Sorry for approaching you in such a presumptuous manner. I am Richard, a senior Computer Science student at Aethelburg University of Science and Technology. This is my classmate, Harry."

  While speaking, Richard smoothed out the creases in the document he held, then presented it to Arthur with both hands, his expression earnest. "Several classmates from my department and I spent a year developing a new type of intelligent program. We know the Vance Group has been committed to innovation and breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence in recent years. Our development is truly very suitable for the Vance Group investment. Boss Vance, could you please take a look..."

  After finishing his speech, Richard looked at Vance with shining eyes full of hope, his hands trembling slightly uncontrollably.

  Arthur was still somewhat shaken from the fright. Upon regaining his composure, his expression darkened further.

  He was already in a poor mood because of his daughter, and now these individuals had appeared in such a brash manner, blatantly presenting some nonsensical document for him to review at his private house party. It was highly irregular.

  Nevertheless, constrained by the occasion and the onlookers, Arthur maintained a cold demeanor but spoke softly. "I do not discuss business today. If you have matters to discuss, you can schedule an appointment with my secretary."

  If a university student like him could meet Arthur by scheduling an appointment, he wouldn't have resorted to sneaking in by posing as a waiter.

  Richard urgently pleaded, "Boss Vance, you really must not miss this program. It will undoubtedly become a significant asset to your company's artificial intelligence division in the future. This program is truly outstanding. Could you at least take it back and look at it when you have a moment, please?"

  Harry, beside him, also entreated, "Boss Vance, please give us a chance. We will definitely complete this program flawlessly, down to the smallest detail!"

  "Security!"

  Arthur's patience was exhausted. He called for security directly. The surrounding guests watched with amused expressions.

  University students like Richard and Harry were utterly insignificant in their eyes. The document in their hands was even more worthless trash; no one cared.

  Only Grace, watching the two being escorted out by security, had a faint gleam flicker in her eyes.

  Richard. She remembered this person.

  And the document in his hands was absolutely not trash.

  Because in her past life, the intelligent program developed by Richard's team was ultimately acquired by the Dylan Group. The entire team joined the Dylan Group, subsequently playing a crucial role in the Dylan Group's monopoly in the AI field.

  The reason Grace remembered Richard so distinctly was that, within just a few years, Richard rose to a senior position at the Dylan Group due to his exceptional contributions to the corporation, frequently appearing in major news and magazines.

  He is a genius!

  Witnessing this scene now, Grace was somewhat surprised. She hadn't realized that their initial overture wasn't made to the Dylan Group, but rather to the Vance Group, the current domestic pioneer in the AI field.

  Unfortunately, the Vance Group failed to seize this opportunity, indirectly planting a major hidden danger for the future.

  Richard and Harry were driven out like unsuccessful beggars. Their faces showed reluctance and indignation, but also helplessness.

  "Richard, what do we do? Without investment, our following work..."

  "Don't talk defeatism. There's nothing wrong with our program. We're just currently lacking investors with vision. It's the Vance Group's loss for not wanting it. There are other options. I won't give up!"

  After saying this, Richard carefully put away the document. After a moment's thought, he sighed regretfully. "Damn it, they didn't even pay us. My arms are sore from carrying those trays."

  "I've got two tutoring jobs lined up for tomorrow, with daily pay. I'll split it with you then," Harry said.

  Richard looked at him and smiled. "Alright. Then tomorrow I'll go make the rounds to other companies. I refuse to believe no one can recognize how amazing this program is!"

  "Richard!"

  Just as the two were about to leave, they were stopped by Grace, who had hurried out after them.

  Richard turned around in surprise, and the next moment was also slightly stunned, his eyes filling with unconcealed admiration.

  So beautiful!

  "Calling me?" Richard pointed at himself uncertainly, looking left and right to confirm no one else was around.

  Grace walked up to them, a smile on her face. Before she could speak, Harry beside her blurted out in surprise, "You... you are Grace?"

  Grace blinked in surprise. "You know me?"

  Harry shook his head with a simple, honest smile. "Not personally, but I know of you. I've seen your photos on the university forum and have also seen you around campus."

  Richard also recognized Grace now. Like Harry, he didn't know her personally but was aware of who she was.

  Grace smiled and nodded, then said to Richard, "Richard, I would like to talk with you."