Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Take this home and give it a read, Roseanne. School officially starts in September, and it wouldn't hurt to get a rough idea of your research focus before joining the lab group. That way, you won't be completely in the dark." Roseanne glanced at the stack of papers in her hands and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll get up to speed as quickly as possible. I won't let you down!"

Seeing her determination, Madeleine chuckled. "Do I have any reason to doubt you?"

"I watched your interview video. Over the years, I've sometimes worried whether you'd be able to keep up with the current pace of research." She patted Roseanne on the shoulder. "But after watching your interview, I realized you haven't missed a beat."

And the way you tackled that question from Owen was a pleasant surprise.

To put it bluntly, not even a third-year grad student could have answered it better.

It's not just about whether the answer was right or wrong, but the way you demonstrated your thought process and logical skills.

"You're my student, and nobody knows better than I do about your talents and excellence. You have what it takes, you know?"

...

Their conversation was cut short when Ms. Payne received a phone call and had to leave.

Carrying the stack of papers, Roseanne walked home, lost in thought about her teacher's words.

It hadn't always been easy. There were times she doubted herself, afraid of failing and messing things up.

Especially when she learned that Ms. Payne had been focusing on a particular research topic for years without significant breakthroughs. Roseanne worried that her joining wouldn't bring anything new to the table... Opening the papers, she noticed they were organized by date, from the most recent to those dating back to the 1940s, when biology first emerged as its own discipline.

Previously she had always viewed the development of biology fromzan outsider's perspective, like reading a history book. But now, looking at it as both a creator and practitioner was a totally different experience.

Roseanne was completely engrossed.

Suddenly, her phone rang, snapping her back to reality.

"Is this a relative of Leda? This is Lumina City General Hospital. There's been an accident, and you need to come quickly."

Roseanne's heart nearly stopped,

her hand shaking as she ended the

call. In a panic, she grabbed her purse, thinking of hospital expenses, and took several credit cards along with her phone and jacket before rushing out.

Luckily, a taxi pulled up before she could even open her ride-sharing app.

"Please, to Lumina City General Hospital," she said, her voice barely steady.

The driver, an elderly man, noticed her anxious expression and nodded understandingly. "Hold tight, young girl. My car is fast and safe, I'll get you there in no time." Roseanne managed a weak smile. "Thank you."

Her mind raced with dreadful possibilities during the ride, unsure what to expect, and she tried calling Leda again, only to find her phone off.

The taxi driver liked to listen to the

We

radio for news updates. As the music faded, the announcer's voice came through: "It's 1:30 PM, and y have an urgent news update. A bus rear-ended a truck on West 26th Street, resulting in a multi-vehicle accident. Currently, ten people are injured, and one fatality has been reported..." Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.