"Director, Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase are our department’s best-performing students with the highest grades. Grace is even on the radar at the Ministry of Diplomacy. I simply can’t think of a single reason not to give this study abroad opportunity to them."

"What about Tina Sinclair and Miles Dalton? They can’t even hold a simple conversation. What’s the point of them going? It would be a complete waste of a spot. I’ve already submitted the list, and I’m not changing it." Claire Dunn’s resolute voice quickly came from inside the office.

"It looks to me like you’re the type who won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin. Do you have any idea who those two are? Their parents are government officials with plenty of connections. To secure these spots, they’ve even donated a significant amount of money to the university. If you offend them and they stop their donations, is that a responsibility you can bear?"

"You must not want this job anymore. Let me be clear: I can find a reason to fire you at any time. You’d better think long and hard about whether you can retract that list and swap their names in."

The department head finished his angry tirade and came out, only to find Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase standing by the door. He let out a cold snort, flicked his sleeve, and stormed off.

Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase knocked on the door. After a long moment, Claire Dunn’s voice came from within. "Come in."

The two of them walked into the office.

Grace Winslow saw Claire Dunn’s red-rimmed eyes and asked cautiously, "Professor, are you okay?"

Claire Dunn raised a hand to wipe her eyes, then shook her head with a smile. "What could possibly be wrong? I’m fine. What brings you two here?"

"I just wanted to ask what the weather is like there, what kind of clothes we should pack, and what else we need to prepare before we leave." Grace pretended not to have heard the earlier conversation, asking the questions she had originally intended to.

Joanne Chase looked like she was about to speak, but seeing that Grace Winslow wasn’t mentioning what had just happened, she kept her mouth shut.

’She knew Grace must have her own plan. There was no need to disrupt her rhythm.’

"I’m not too sure about that myself, but I can try to find out for you. There’s still some time before you depart, so you can prepare slowly. No need to rush." Claire Dunn thought for a moment before shaking her head.

She looked at Grace Winslow with a gentle expression. "Grace, you’re the most talented and hardworking student I’ve ever seen. I have very high hopes for you. If you can continue to advance in this field, your future will be limitless. You must never give up, no matter what."

"And you, Joanne Chase. To be honest, I didn’t have the highest hopes for you at first, but you turned out to be the one who tried the hardest. When you were just starting out, your accent was so thick, I felt like I could never correct it. Now when you open your mouth, I almost have to wonder if you’re a native speaker from abroad."

Joanne Chase lowered her head, looking a little embarrassed. "It was Grace who taught me. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have the results I have today."

"When you two are on the exchange program abroad, you must work very hard. Six months is a precious amount of time. An opportunity like this doesn’t come along every day." Claire Dunn looked at them with a gratified smile.

"We will, Professor," Grace promised, then gently tugged on Joanne Chase. "Professor, if there’s nothing else, we’ll be on our way."

Claire Dunn nodded, and Grace Winslow led Joanne Chase out of the office.

Once they were outside, Joanne Chase looked completely baffled. "Grace, we both know our professor is under a lot of pressure to give us these spots. Why didn’t we just tell her we’d give up the chance to go abroad?"

"Our professor is withstanding all this pressure just to give us these spots. How can we just give them up so casually?"

"What good would it do for people with Tina Sinclair’s and Miles Dalton’s abilities to go abroad? It would be a waste of the spots. I have a plan that will ensure they can’t snatch these spots away, and it won’t cause trouble for our professor either." Grace Winslow smiled, her eyes holding a trace of disdain.

"What kind of plan?" Joanne Chase asked, her expression uncomprehending.

"Come with me," Grace Winslow said, pulling her along.

Instead of heading back to the dormitory, they went straight to Grace’s home.

Ever since Grandma Forrest had left, Irene Lynch had become much more withdrawn. Occasionally, people would still come to the house to cause trouble, but they were always dealt with and sent away.

When Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase arrived at the house, no one was home.

Joanne Chase was completely baffled, having no idea what kind of plan Grace Winslow had devised to protect their spots in the study abroad program.

As it turned out, Grace Winslow just went inside to grab a few boxes of pastries, then led Joanne Chase out again.

This time, they went straight to the Ministry of Diplomacy and found Leon Rhys.

"Comrade Winslow, you’re a rare sight. What brings you here to see me?" Leon Rhys said, somewhat surprised to see Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase.

Grace Winslow smiled and handed him the pastries she was carrying. "It’s nothing much, Minister Rhys. You see, Joy and I were selected for this year’s study abroad program. However, we’re not sure what to expect when we get there. We figured that since you often travel abroad, you must be very experienced, so we took the liberty of coming to ask you for some advice."

"My mother made these pastries herself. Please consider them a small token of our gratitude."

Leon Rhys couldn’t help but smile. "You were selected this year? You’re only sophomores, aren’t you? That’s quite impressive, you two young comrades."

"It’s all thanks to our professor. Our advisor is a wonderful person. She had to withstand a lot of pressure to give the spots to us. The department originally planned to give them to two students with connections. Our professor was even threatened with losing her job for giving the spots to us." Grace Winslow sighed, her expression full of gratitude.

Leon Rhys narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

’Although Grace Winslow hadn’t spelled it out, he could already smell something foul afoot.’

After a moment of thought, he spoke. "Ford often travels abroad with me. If there’s anything you don’t understand, he can tell you. You two have to get back to the university, don’t you? Take my car."

’Grace Winslow understood at once. Leon Rhys had picked up on her hint. Having Secretary Ford personally drive her and Joanne Chase back to school was a deliberate move to put pressure on certain people.’

She naturally accepted his generous offer. "If you enjoy these pastries, Minister Rhys, you can have Secretary Ford let me know. We always have them at home."

Leon Rhys simply smiled without saying a word.

Samuel Ford entered soon after and led Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase out.

Joanne Chase was so nervous she couldn’t stand it. Even after they left the office, she didn’t dare to utter a word.

The two of them were going to Country Y, so Samuel Ford told them about the local culture, social customs, and culinary habits. He also mentioned what the weather was like there at the moment.

He personally drove the two of them back, dropping them off right in front of their dormitory building.

Cars were still a rare sight in those days, especially one that was clearly a government vehicle. It immediately attracted the attention of many onlookers.

When people saw Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase get out of the car, it prompted even more of them to start whispering behind their backs.

Everyone knew Grace Winslow didn’t come from a simple background. One look at her usual clothes and belongings was enough to tell that her family was definitely wealthy and influential.

It was just that she was very low-key and never flaunted her family’s background.

Now, seeing her being dropped off in a car, everyone was once again certain that Grace Winslow’s family situation was absolutely excellent.

After all, not even Tina Sinclair and Miles Dalton were chauffeured to and from the university.