Chapter 224 Making More Mistakes

The cool touch of Natalie's fingertips instantly steadied Horatio, and he quietly swallowed the words he'd been about to say. Instead, he chose to stand off to the side and watch her. Natalie stepped forward, ignoring Gwen's furious stare. Her gaze settled on the neatly arranged instruments on the lab bench. Her tone stayed calm, but there was a quiet certainty behind every word. "If Ms. Locke wants a hands-on competition, I don't have a problem with that. But it has to be fair and should reflect real technical skills without favoring either of us. Don't you think so?" Seeing how readily Natalie agreed, Jaden's expression eased a little, and he took the lead. "Since this is about practical lab skills, let's focus on two core projects. They're fundamental to biological research and will test efficiency, precision, hands-on technique, and data analysis. Does that work for you?" The suggestion immediately won approval from the other researchers. After all, these types of fundamental