Chapter 120: First Glimmer of Light (5)

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: First Glimmer of Light (5)

Joel Xavier also calmed down. If it weren’t for Seraphina Sterling’s reminder, he would have continued to think their current achievements were quite impressive. Now he knew that what he considered impressive results meant nothing in her eyes!

"So, what we need to do now is build a reputation for Apex Collections outside of Sanford!" Seraphina Sterling already had a plan in mind!

"But that’s very difficult! It was hard enough for us just to get a foothold in Sanford. If we expand now, we might even lose our position here! Apex Collections is destined to grow, but we have to take it slow. We can’t move too fast! Given the shop’s current situation, it’s not the right time to open a new branch!"

Joel Xavier disagreed with Seraphina Sterling’s approach.

"Your concerns are valid, but I never said anything about opening a new branch! And opening branches isn’t the only way to build a reputation for Apex Collections! In fact, there’s a perfect opportunity right in front of us!" Seraphina Sterling then shared her initial idea with Joel Xavier.

Joel Xavier was stunned after hearing her out. "Yes! Perfect! Absolutely perfect! This plan will definitely work! Boss, don’t you worry, I’ll make sure this is handled perfectly! I guarantee that after this, the name of Apex Collections will spread like wildfire across all of Apex! And our position in Sanford will be more secure than ever!"

Seraphina Sterling looked at the ecstatic Joel Xavier and couldn’t help but say, "Could you please not call me ’Boss’ from now on? It makes me feel so old! You can call me Miss Sterling."

"Okay, Boss!" Joel Xavier replied reflexively, the words slipping out before he could even think.

Seraphina Sterling didn’t bother correcting him again.

What Seraphina Sterling had proposed was just a preliminary concept; the two of them stayed up nearly all night hammering out the specifics.

The next day, Seraphina Sterling arrived at school on time, only to find a problem had arisen while welcoming the international students.

No one could communicate with Simon, the student representative from Country M.

Of course, this wasn’t an oversight on the organizers’ part. To ensure the winter camp ran smoothly, Aethelgard First High School had specifically chosen their best English teacher to lead the event. The supervising teachers from every participating high school were also proficient in foreign languages! Besides English, they had people who knew Korean, Japanese, French, and German. In fact, the primary requirement for being chosen as a student representative was fluency in a foreign language!

You could say the organizers had taken great pains for this winter camp! But no one had expected such an oddball among the participants! He was actually mixing French, German, English, Korean, and Japanese all together! It reached the point where he would say a single sentence, and it would take several teachers conferring with each other just to figure out what he meant!

This entire back-and-forth—deciphering his meaning and then formulating a reply—was severely delaying the schedule!

Seraphina Sterling looked at Simon’s sullen face. ’This guy clearly doesn’t want to be at the winter camp. He can obviously speak a single language, yet he insists on mixing five!’

"It looks like the teachers in your country aren’t very skilled. One can only imagine the caliber of students taught by them! Seems this trip to Apex is a complete waste of time!" Simon said in broken Chinese, shaking his head of bright blond hair.

Silence.

Dead silence.

The event hadn’t even officially begun, yet the air was already thick with the smell of gunpowder. Could the activities even proceed smoothly now? The students and teachers from Apex couldn’t help but have their doubts.

’He’s handsome, but what comes out of his mouth is hideous.’ Seraphina Sterling swept her gaze over Simon. "You’re comparing your strengths to our weaknesses and acting smug about it? If this is the caliber of your country’s student representative, I can only imagine what the rest of you are like!"