Josie’s words silenced everyone; nobody had forgotten what happened over a month ago, and all clearly remembered the state Josie was in when she left the team.
Only Claire laughed aloud. “Fortunately, you left the team. After more than two months of recovery, you’ve finally gained some weight. Don’t do anything reckless again!”
Josie tilted her head and smiled at her—a marked departure from her earlier coldness. “I won’t do it again!”
“Aiden?” Natalie, full of resentment, reached out and tugged at Aiden’s sleeve.
Aiden’s thoughts drifted as he remembered the days when Josie was still on the team; looking back, he realized he hadn’t felt nearly as worn out then as he had over the past month.
All materials had been prepared in advance, allowing him to access them whenever he needed. The laboratory remained clean and well-lit, with no paperwork piling up. However, at that moment…
Natalie’s voice pulled Aiden from his thoughts, and as his eyes settled on her face, he was reminded that for more than a month, Natalie had persistently pestered him to study various subjects. At first, he believed that Natalie was more studious and capable than Josie. Now, however, he realized this wasn’t the case.
Josie rarely needed much guidance; she quickly grasped concepts with just a hint, and sometimes simply handing her a book was enough for her to fully understand the material. In contrast, Natalie often asked the same question multiple times and frequently had a steady stream of inquiries, which had significantly delayed his own review time.
“Let’s go!” Aiden furrowed his brows and pulled his sleeve back from Natalie’s hand.
Natalie turned and fixed Josie with a fierce glare. After more than a month of effort, she had finally managed to get a little closer to Aiden. Yet, with just a few words, Josie had managed to drive a wedge between them. Natalie simmered with frustration, thinking, ‘Josie really does have a talent for this!’
The others also seemed a bit at a loss. Their eyes lingered on Josie’s face, each revealing a different, complicated emotion. Gavin, who was the last to leave, finally stopped and said, “Josie, please don’t distance yourself from me. If you ever need anything, I’m always here to help. It was wrong of me to ignore your feelings, and I apologize. Please don’t be upset anymore, all right?”
“No!” Josie snapped. “I’m not angry—I just don’t need your help anymore. Please go, the award ceremony is about to start!”
Feeling embarrassed, Gavin awkwardly touched his nose and hurried to catch up with the group, arriving at their spot. Once they sat down, Aiden said to Kyle, “Sit next to me.”
As Natalie was about to sit down next to him, her face stiffened and she reluctantly gave up the seat. Kyle then sat down, looking uneasy.
Aiden asked, “Did Josie actually prepare all the documents and other materials I requested before?”
A cold sweat broke out on Kyle’s back, but he didn’t dare to lie any longer. “Yes, she was the one!”
“It’s no surprise that, on the past two occasions when I asked you to prepare materials for me, I sensed something was wrong. Now I understand that these matters were never actually your responsibility, and you managed to hide that impressively well.”
Aiden’s cold smile flickered briefly. “Kyle, can you be honest with me? How many times have you lied, and how many things in the past did Josie handle for you? What have you actually contributed to this team?”
“Aiden?” Kyle’s expression darkened. “You can’t just dismiss all of my contributions with a single sentence. Yes, I admit I asked Josie to handle quite a few tasks, but she’s several ranks below both of us. No matter how talented she may be, she can’t possibly manage every detail alone. Without my help, do you really think she could meet your standards?”