Chapter 199

Soon, the dishes arrived. Silas caught the scent of the food, instantly piquing his appetite. He picked up a piece of Cajun chicken; the tender meat dripped with sauce.

“This is delicious!” he exclaimed. “I haven’t had such authentic Cajun chicken in ages. We definitely made the right choice coming here today.”

Bryan, intrigued, took a piece. “It’s really good! Lizzy, you should try some.”

“No, I’m on a diet.”

Bryan quickly retracted his fork, placing the chicken back on his plate and laughing. “Alright, then. When you’re not dieting, we can come back, just the two of us.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Who said I’d come with you?”

Playful banter continued at their end of the table. Across from them, a cheerful Sandy glanced at Miranda curiously.

“Miranda, I haven’t asked yet—how old are you? If you’re starting your first year of graduate school in September, you must be… what, twenty-two or twenty-three?” Sandy asked casually.

Miranda replied equally casually, unconcerned. “No, I’m twenty-six.”

The others’ reactions, however, were more nuanced. Twenty-six and just starting graduate school?

Bryan glanced at Paul, who remained calm, eating unhurriedly, as if he knew something.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, offering her first smile since sitting down. “Starting grad school at twenty-six? How hard did you have to work for that? How many tries did it take?”

Bryan nudged her under the table, silently warning, “Be careful; this is someone Dr. Jefferson brought in.”

Elizabeth glared at him. It was a clear “Mind your own business!”

Miranda answered calmly, “I only took the exam once. Both rounds of interviews were straightforward.”

“Really?” Elizabeth scoffed, clearly skeptical. “If it was that easy, why didn’t you take the exam right after undergrad? Why wait until now? Who knows how many times you actually took it?”

Miranda replied, “After graduating, due to certain reasons, I forfeited my eligibility for a combined master’s and doctorate program. I regret it now, so I decided to retake the postgraduate admission exam. Is there a problem with that?”

“Pfft! That’s absurd! Since when does Bedford College offer combined master’s and doctorate programs outside of the medical fields?”

Elizabeth had chosen to study abroad for her master’s because she couldn’t get into a combined program at Bedford College. Except for medical fields, Bedford College didn’t offer such a pathway. Now, someone claimed to have had the opportunity for a combined program at Bedford College but gave it up? What a blatant lie!

Miranda said calmly, “Just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Elizabeth laughed. Even now, Miranda wouldn’t admit it—she wouldn't believe it until she saw proof!

“Dr. Quinton, you work at Bedford College. Do you know of any combined master’s and doctorate programs outside the medical fields?”

Silas hesitated. “As far as I know—and I emphasize, this is only as far as I know—combined master’s and doctorate programs are mostly in medical fields. Other disciplines usually don’t offer them.”

“How about that?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, glancing at Miranda.

While Elizabeth showed open satisfaction, Miranda remained calm. “It wasn’t a combined master’s and doctorate program; it was a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate program.”

Silas paused, surprised.

Elizabeth sneered. “What’s the difference? Now you’re saying it was a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate program? Your story keeps getting more and more exaggerated.”