Lilian's day flips when a professor calls her in, praises her proposal, and offers her entry in his competition — win the national contest and she earns the grad-school spot. She insists the draft needs edits, but he singles out her data model as innovative. Back at the dorm, classmates including Sienna grumble and accuse Lilian of stealing ideas, openly resenting her sudden advantage. The professor's endorsement raises the stakes and isolates Lilian. She leaves with a real shot at graduate school but now faces public accusations and a looming contest that will decide her work and reputation.