Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



But Madeleine was overseas attending an academic summit and hadn't returned yet, so Roseanne's team was without their mentor present. And, just their luck, they were scheduled to present right after Edna's group.

Carlson stood up, detailing the academic progress they'd made that month. The highlight was Sybil, as the lead author, publishing an article in a highly respected scientific journal.

At this point, Carlson paused, seemingly overwhelmed.

The audience was momentarily puzzled, then quickly caught on that this might be their cue to applaud.

Soon, a thunderous round of applause filled the room.

Carlson was speechless.

The university and department leaders on stage were grinning from ear to ear. Especially Babur, whose smile was so wide it was almost comical. Edna straightened up in her chair, a small smile playing on her lips.

Amidst the applause, Sybil stood up, saying, "Thank you, everyone. But the person who truly deserves my gratitude is my mentor-Ms. Edna! Her professional guidance and patience have been invaluable."

The applause resumed, even louder this time.

Edna acknowledged the gesture with a modest nod.

Carlson quietly took his seat.

Arkle, sitting nearby, couldn't help but marvel, "Oh my goodness! Sybil spends her days either out exploring or just chilling, sometimes even skips classes. Yet, she managed to quietly publish in a top journal... That's just amazing!"

Where did she even find the time to write?

Especially considering she barely set foot in the lab. Does writing a paper not require experiments anymore?

"Carlson," Arkle nudged him, "didn't you mention last time you'd finished a paper and were about to submit it? Which journal were you thinking of sending it to?"

"Not happening."

"When will you submit it?" Arkle asked, eyes filled with envy.

He too dreamed of having his own academic achievements soon.

Imagine buying a copy of the journal and sending it home to his parents. They'd be so proud...

"I'm not submitting it."

Arkle, lost in his daydreams, took a moment to process, "...Not submitting it?! What do you mean?! Why not?!"

Carlson had spent countless hours in the lab, laboring over experiments and analyzing data. How could he just decide not to submit? Carlson's expression was unreadable: "There was an issue with the direction of the experiment. All the data needs to be reevaluated." "...What?"

But it was supposedly ready for submission. Such a significant discrepancy shouldn't have been discovered at the last minute.

Catching a glimpse of Carlson's grim expression, Arkle felt a pit in his stomach and dared not ask further.

Slater: "Alright, who's up next? Let's keep this moving! We don't want to waste everyone's time," he said, casting a snide glance toward Roseanne.

Roseanne stood, her voice calm:

"Last month, our group secured a lab space, self-funded the purchase of a CPRT meter, and finalized our research topic and direction We're making steady progress."

"... Is that it? Slater sneered, "Seems pretty basic. Well, I guess if you don't have any significant findings to report, there's not much you can say without making stuff up."

Roseanne remained silent.

Their lack of academic results was a fact, and there was no denying it.

Mamie and Scales were seething but powerless.

Sybil gave a light chuckle and said, "Slater, maybe you could try being a bit more tactful. Being so blunt can really embarrass them."

Slater shrugged, "If they're embarrassed, they can leave. I'm just stating facts."

Roseanne took a deep breath and sat down.

As the next group was about to be called, the vice-chancellor pulled out his phone, gestured for a brief pause, and turned away for a quiet conversation, "Hello, yes..."

Five minutes later, when the

vice-chancellor turned back to faceNôvelDrama.Org owns all content.

the crowd, his eyes immediately found Roseanne. His expression and demeanor were electrified with excitement!