Chapter 364

Lily's face remained impassive amidst everyone's doubts, appearing indifferent to their discussion.

The examiner glanced at Mr. Parker before saying, "Please be quiet. You wanted to know why Ms. Christian won first place, correct? Let's return to the final question. Do you believe your answers were correct?"

"Could both bottles be Mr. Parker's works?" someone realized.

If Mr. Parker disagreed with this, their answer would have been incorrect. Since the question didn't state that neither bottle belonged to him, it implied that at least one did.

The examiner smiled, picking up a stack of papers. "Here are the answer sheets. Almost everyone provided detailed analyses of the materials and ingredients, concluding with their judgments. Many believed the bottles didn't belong to Mr. Parker; others thought they did. Ms. Christian's answer, however, omitted this point." Everyone exchanged glances.

"Was analyzing the creator's identity wrong? Were we penalized for adding our own judgment, regardless of its accuracy?" someone questioned.

"Let's hear Ms. Christian's perspective," the examiner said, gesturing to Lily. "Incidentally, her compositional analysis was the most comprehensive—remarkably detailed. If you remain unconvinced, you can review it later."

Lily felt a pang of disappointment. She'd expected the test to conclude with the results. This unexpected development was proving troublesome. Feeling helpless, she approached the microphone.

Instead of immediately offering her opinion, she turned to Mr. Parker. "Before answering, I have a question for you."

Mr. Parker, glancing at her, gestured for her to proceed.

"What was your intention in phrasing the competition's questions?"

A gasp rippled through the room. Lily's directness surprised everyone; it hinted at a deeper connection between them.

Mr. Parker, after studying her intently, replied, "What do you think?"

Silence followed.

"I believe you were testing whether external factors would cloud our judgment," Lily stated. "The final question could have been presented without identifying the creator. Whose work it was is irrelevant. However, the labels deliberately identified the creator, attempting to influence our preconceptions and add unwarranted meaning."

"We recognized that; hence our questioning. We rejected the competition's implied answer and judged for ourselves," the earlier questioner interjected, his dissatisfaction apparent.

"No, you didn't," Lily countered, causing the man to bristle.

After a brief pause, Lily continued, "As the gentleman stated, you doubted the organizer's labels, but you weren't unaffected. You became entangled in them, spending excessive time analyzing their authenticity. This clouded your judgment. Wasting time on the labels—questioning or speculating—was counterproductive."

Silence descended once more. Despite their initial skepticism, the examiners gradually came to believe Lily.

Someone asked, "Ms. Christian, how did you answer? Didn't you consider who created these works?"