Darkstone Code-Chapter 936 - 934: Graduation

"We plan to host a party the day after tomorrow, on the weekend..."

Catherine received an invitation from other interns close to the end of the workday.

Some interns had already left the President’s Mansion a while ago, leaving only eight people behind.

Among them, Catherine was the only girl, while the other seven were boys two years younger than her.

These young people all had prominent backgrounds. The internship at the President’s Mansion was about to end, and next month they were almost set to transition to new roles and embark on new journeys.

Before leaving, these interns who persisted to this point, or rather the people behind them who supported their completion of a full internship, had come to a certain understanding of each other.

The media always depicted Catherine as the "Flower of Commoners," portraying how challenging and remarkable her journey was.

Yes, from those reports it indeed appeared that way, with her mother still doing odd jobs, her father working as an administrator in a warehouse, while she lived in a cramped room allocated to interns, juggling work and study.

From any angle, she absolutely deserved the title "Flower of Commoners." The media loved her, and so did the public.

But the other interns knew the truth.

Only those with enough capability could complete the entire internship at the President’s Mansion. "Experiencing a full internship at the President’s Mansion" and "experiencing the work of an intern at the President’s Mansion" were entirely different matters.

Those who left halfway through had capable people behind them but not enough to support their stay here for too long, which was merely a transaction.

They would let the recommended individuals stay for a few months and then leave, but not a full year.

A commoner being selected to join the President’s Mansion internship program was already incredibly unlikely, let alone one who could "experience" it to the end.

Those aware of these secrets wouldn’t casually disclose them, as that would offend Catherine and the people behind her. Now, as the time for farewell approaches, they just wanted to solidify their relationships.

You never know when they’ll meet again — but the next meeting, they won’t be interns anymore; they might be legislators, directors, even mayors, governors, or members of parliament. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Everyone who comes to the President’s Mansion as interns aims for a political career. If their future is in the capital, they wouldn’t waste time here; they would have long started their "self-made" ventures.

Wasting a year here can’t compare to "starting a successful business at the age of twenty-two" in the realm of capital, although everyone knows it’s all false, society acknowledges it.

In certain instances, public recognition becomes a form of power, an unstoppable torrent.

Catherine contemplated and nodded in agreement; the so-called year wasn’t that long. She started working here around October and had been here for six months, with the internship ending in over a month.

During this upcoming period, they might not be able to gather like they do now.

They and the people behind them couldn’t wait until after the internship ends to arrange their next moves; some arrangements had already begun, and they needed to frequently attend various social events, even pausing their work at the President’s Mansion briefly.

Catherine didn’t refuse; she agreed.

Her inviting young peer reminded her, "You can bring your male companion; we will invite some others as well."

"What kind of party?"

"A party for young people!"

After Catherine left, another intern asked the host of the party, "Do you want to pursue her?"

The host waved his hands repeatedly, "Am I crazy?"

"Everyone knows she has Lynch behind her, and Lynch’s power is expanding so quickly now; antagonizing him isn’t wise," he shrugged, "Just hoping to leave some connections; you never know where she will go next, maybe a chance to collaborate in the future."

He spoke with a touch of hesitation, "Without Lynch, it might not be impossible; the titles she carries are too impressive, anyone her age associating with her becomes a focal point for media and society."

His tone carried some regret, which was quite natural.

Since the title "Flower of Commoners" emerged, the media has continuously reported on Catherine’s affairs, even dedicating a column in a newspaper to it.

Daily updates are minimal, mostly about her outfits, off-work social situations, and so forth.

Indeed, Catherine manages her social engagements very strictly, contributing to her continuous appeal.

After work, she spends most of her time at the library until nine-thirty before returning home to rest.

On weekends, she finishes work a bit earlier, goes to the gym to exercise, then runs a lap at the central park in Bupen and proceeds to the supermarket to replenish groceries.

She never visits nightclubs or bars, rarely dines out, almost always cooks for herself.

An almost perfect girl, even the pickiest could rarely find fault with her.

She loves life, loves learning, actively voices for disadvantaged groups and women, while looking stunning; who could say anything against?

Even the harshest editor at the Federal Times admired her, saying, "She is like the spiritual embodiment of wonderful life expectations from outside; we hope for such a person to prove the beauty of humanity, and she appeared!"

Lynch spent fifty thousand for that quote.

Of course, that’s another matter.

In short, everyone likes her; she has all the elements to become a star politician.

With Lynch’s support, ideas and creativity that would be impossible for ordinary politicians will be "miraculously" achieved in her hands.

For instance, on the Federation presidential campaign declaration regarding education reform, both public and private universities’ expensive tuition fees exclude nearly all students from the lower social strata.

Occasionally, a few get into prestigious universities, not because their academic performance is outstanding—

For example, they excel in sports, they have a sweet appearance, or...

In short, it has nothing to do with academics; these few lucky ones aren’t truly fortunate, chosen merely to satisfy certain demands of prestigious universities.

Education reform continues to see no progress, ultimately due to financial issues.

As long as it’s a problem money can solve, Lynch sees it as no issue.

A little later, Lynch received a call from Catherine.

"Do you have time the day after tomorrow?"

"I should have." Lynch tapped his secretary’s rear, telling her not to keep looking for the missing pencil; as long as it wasn’t lost outside, it would be found eventually.

The secretary left with a blushing face, feeling frustrated bending over searching for the mysterious pencil, her face reddened, heartbeat pounding.

She wasn’t sure if not finding the pencil would displease Lynch.

After the office door shut, Lynch pondered seriously, "I have a small meeting before five, but it can be postponed. Do you need me to do anything?"

Catherine hesitated briefly, "Maybe you don’t need to postpone it; five isn’t too late."

"Oh, our interns are hosting a young people’s party, sort of summing up our internship period."

"They invited me to bring a male companion..."

Lynch interrupted her, "You can come directly to me after work, then we’ll go together."

"Do you need a new outfit?"

Interning at the President’s Mansion doesn’t require conspicuous colored clothes; neutral attire is sufficient. Overly displaying feminine traits in such settings can easily be viewed as seeking shortcuts.

For the past six months, Catherine’s clothes were perpetually those neutral work outfits; only after work would she occasionally switch to sportswear for exercising.

"They send me lots of clothes each quarter..."

Speaking of this, Catherine had overcome her initial embarrassment; Lynch arranged seasonal outfit service orders with high-end brands for her.

Each season, these brands would make three to five outfits tailored to Catherine, delivering them to her, never missing a quarter.

Initially, she felt uneasy, perceiving her enjoyment of such goods... a bit absurd.

She wanted to refuse, but Lynch disagreed, and since each outfit was made to her measurements, no one else could wear them. She transitioned from initial discomfort to gradually adapting, eventually growing numbly accustomed and ceased resisting Lynch’s arrangements.

Many clothes hardly exhibit seasonal changes, especially dresses and evening gowns, apart from some detail adjustments, seen as having no substantial variations.

Clearly wearable, yet already "outdated," and each piece costs at least tens of thousands, leading to confusion in her consumption perception.

She knew she had resorted to thriftiness with Lynch for two years, saving only a few hundred dollars, and now a single outfit cost tens of thousands, this contradiction left her dazed for quite a while.

It’s more about self-doubt, until she frequently worked alongside Ms. Tricia advocating for disadvantaged groups and women, gradually becoming accustomed to this lifestyle.

"It’s a young people’s party, so no need to dress too formally..." Catherine advised.

In the following two days, Lynch handled every moment’s tasks. Since their connection with Mariluo severed, the entire group entered a perplexed state.

A range of transformations and issues requiring addressing arose, supply shortages disrupted sales terminals throughout the Federation, needing urgent resolution.

Fortunately, the problems weren’t too significant; Lynch had measures to tackle them whether they caused trouble or not; at the core, it boiled down to interests.

As long as they realized causing trouble wouldn’t solve anything nor yield benefits, they wouldn’t truly stir things up.

In the Federation, lawsuits cost money.

Capitalists aren’t short of money!