Chapter 292: Assessment Results

Chapter 292: Chapter 292: Assessment Results

The air in the waiting room felt as if a mute button had been pressed. Six people were curled up in different corners, maintaining a facade of calm while their heartbeats were clearly audible.

Celia looked down, rubbing the edge of her notebook until her fingertips turned white.

Taylor clutched her laptop bag in her arms, her gaze fixed on the wall clock as the ticking of the second hand seemed infinitely magnified.

Marcus leaned by the window with his hands in his pockets, appearing steady but frequently glancing toward the conference room.

Evan sat on a bench, lightly tapping his knee while replaying his written segments in his mind, wondering where he could have improved.

Emma pulled out her phone, seemingly replying to messages, but the screen remained on a blank page, a flicker of expectation hidden in her eyes.

Elias was the most restless of them all. He paced back and forth, occasionally adjusting his tie and whispering "it’ll definitely be fine," though the unease in his eyes was unmistakable.

He forcibly suppressed the sense of failure from the mess he had written in the conference room, instead pinning his hopes on his Yale pedigree and his uncle’s background.

Just then, Vera pushed open the door and walked in, holding a printed list with a professional smile on her face:

"Thank you all for waiting. I will now announce the results of this assessment."

Everyone’s gaze instantly focused on her; the waiting room became so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing.

"Only two candidates have been accepted for this assessment:

Taylor El and Marcus Gray. Please report to the company at 9:00 AM tomorrow to complete the onboarding process. Specific details will be sent via email." Vera’s voice was clear and steady, devoid of extra emotion, yet it felt like a stone dropped into a calm lake.

As the words fell, the emotions in the waiting room instantly diverged.

Taylor snapped her head up, a look of unbelievable surprise flashing in her eyes. She pursed her lips tightly to keep her smile from becoming too obvious before turning to look at Evan beside her: "Evan, I... I was accepted?"

The expectation on Evan’s face froze for a moment before he quickly replaced it with a gentle smile and a slight nod:

"Congratulations, Taylor. Your writing deserves this recognition." His tone was sincere, though it couldn’t hide the fleeting disappointment in his eyes.

He truly felt he had performed well and hadn’t expected to be rejected.

But seeing the light in Taylor’s eyes, he was genuinely happy for his friend. He reached out and patted her shoulder, "Make the most of the opportunity."

Marcus’s tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and a look of ecstasy finally appeared on his calm face.

He pressed a hand to his chest and took a deep breath to steady his excitement before walking over to Taylor and extending a hand: "Congratulations. We’ll be colleagues from now on."

He knew very well the weight of this acceptance. Echo Pictures was on the rise, and Irene Coppola’s eye for talent was recognized as sharp throughout the industry. To stand out among the six was undoubtedly a ticket into the inner circle.

The smile on Emma’s face vanished instantly. She froze for a few seconds before slowly closing her phone and whispering "Congratulations" in a tone marked by obvious disappointment.

She picked up her bag and stood up, walking to Vera with a slight nod: "Thank you for the notification. May I ask if there will be any waitlist opportunities later?"

"Not for the time being. We will contact you if there are any changes later," Vera replied politely.

Emma nodded, turned, and left the waiting room, her silhouette looking somewhat lonely.

Celia showed no expression, merely giving a soft "Oh." She picked up her bag, said a calm "Thank you," and turned to leave.

Being rejected wasn’t a surprise—it wasn’t her first time—but thinking about how her Ivy League pedigree failed to give her an edge, she still felt a bit of resentment.

Only Elias’s smug expression instantly froze into a livid grimace. He glared at Vera in disbelief: "Only two accepted? Why wasn’t I included? Is a Yale degree not even as good as theirs?"

He subconsciously wanted to step forward and argue, opening his mouth, but the image of his scratch-filled, logically chaotic draft flashed through his mind, and the words died in his throat.

Indeed, even he couldn’t be convinced by such a piece of work.

But he wasn’t willing to give up just like that. Seeing Vera preparing to leave, he immediately switched to a flattering smile and quickly chased after her.

"Ms. Vera, wait a moment!" Elias blocked her path, his tone urgent and carrying a hint of deliberate fawning.

"Please, can I see Ms. Coppola again? I have something very important to tell her. In fact, my uncle works at Universal Pictures, and he specifically recommended me to Echo Pictures.

Perhaps Ms. Coppola has intentions of collaborating with Universal in the future; I could completely act as a liaison and help build that bridge for you!"

He deliberately emphasized "Universal Pictures" and "uncle’s recommendation," attempting to use his background to secure an opportunity.

Vera’s smile remained unchanged, but a hint of coldness flickered in her eyes. She responded with a hollow smile,

"I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Elias. Ms. Coppola has other important work to handle and has already left the company. As for the collaboration you mentioned, I will pass it along to her. We will notify you if there is any news." Her words were polite, but left no room for negotiation.

Elias wanted to say more, but seeing Vera’s distant attitude, he knew further pestering would be futile.

He could only shut his mouth resentfully, shooting a disgruntled glare at Taylor and Marcus while muttering "Just you wait" under his breath before finally turning to leave.

Evan walked over to Taylor and patted her arm: "I’m heading out now. Good luck with your work."

"Evan, thank you," Taylor said, her eyes full of gratitude. "Actually, your writing was better than mine. Why would..."

"Maybe the style didn’t fit the requirements," Evan smiled, his tone easygoing. "It’s okay, there will be other opportunities." With that, he turned and left the waiting room, his posture remaining upright despite the regret.

After seeing everyone off, Vera returned to the conference room with the list, where she happened to run into Irene and Robert who were preparing to leave.

Remembering Elias’s words, she couldn’t help but tease, "Irene, you’ll never guess. Elias stopped me just now, saying his uncle works at Universal and even wanted to help you set up a collaboration just to get a chance."

Hearing this, Irene raised an eyebrow, a mocking arc curling at the corner of her mouth. "Universal?" She gave a soft snort.

"It’s bad enough having Paramount watching my projects every day; it seems Universal wants to come over and reap what they haven’t sown as well. However, their methods of planting a spy are a bit too clumsy, don’t you think?"

Robert was stunned for a moment before reacting, "You mean, Elias was sent by Universal?"

"High probability," Irene nodded.

"Otherwise, why would a Yale graduate, instead of using Universal’s resources, come to interview at our startup company and specifically emphasize his uncle’s background? It’s far too deliberate."

She flipped through the assessment drafts on the table.

"The reason only Taylor and Marcus were accepted this time is also because their writing fits our needs best. Taylor’s delicacy is suited for Twilight, and Marcus’s tension is perfect for Taken. The others either didn’t fit the style or their ability was too poor."

"True, the meeting scene Taylor wrote was very vivid, and Marcus’s rescue plot was very impactful," Robert agreed.

"Fortunately, the story outlines this time were all very common tropes—warm encounters, secret agent rescues—you can’t see the direction of our next projects at all. Even if he wanted to fish for information, it would be useless."

"A tall tree catches the wind," Irene smiled faintly. "Many companies have their eyes on us now. Transformers was a lesson. We can’t delay the acquisition of a distribution company either."

"Don’t worry, it’s all arranged. I already have people making contact," Robert replied with a nod.

Irene nodded.