Chapter 20

Typical of Suzie, she answered Luna's question coolly and generously, getting straight to the point and holding nothing back. She'd even brought her old notebooks for Luna.

Luna nearly burst into tears of gratitude upon holding Suzie's dated notebook with curled edges. She thought she had lost the capacity for emotion after her rebirth—that she could remain stoic no matter what. After witnessing life's trials and the harsh realities of human nature, her heart felt broken and still.

But now, she realized that wasn't true. She could still be touched by kindness, and she still believed in the good in the world. In her past life, she had chased sincerity but never received any. She became an orphan around five or six years old, and afterward, she roamed the village, surviving on scraps from other families.

No one liked her. Everyone saw her as a burden and wished she would leave. The entire village eventually pooled their resources for her education fund, and Luna studied hard, fearing she would let them down. All she could think about was leaving the village as soon as possible.

She felt fortunate to have met Wyatt and the others. She cherished their friendship and tried hard to keep pace with them, unwilling to hinder their progress. She was nice to them, agreeing to almost every request, hoping they would accept her as family if she were obedient and talented enough. It was all because she desperately wanted a family, seeing them as older brothers.

Alas, her sincerity wasn't always reciprocated.

Luna gently flattened the curled edges of Suzie's old notebook, her lashes trembling. "Suzie, aren't you worried Professor Wilder might favor me if you teach me everything you know?"

"Well, I certainly hope that day comes sooner. You'd better win Professor Wilder's affection. That'll take some pressure off me!" Chuckling, Suzie patted Luna on the head. Then she added, "You silly thing! We're a team. The better you become, the easier life gets for me. It's a good thing! I'm only worried I'm not a good teacher and might slow you down!"

"Not at all!" Tears welled up in Luna's eyes. "You're a great teacher!"

People could be so different. Not everyone was like her seniors on Wilson's team. In her past life, Kevin had only recommended a few books for her cell biology classes. She'd nearly accepted his confession of love because she'd been so touched by what seemed like annotations in his books.

Afterward, she worked day and night researching for Kevin and even attended classes outside her major for him. She'd completed an entire book of notes for his graduate studies exam! Thinking back, Kevin must have been withholding information by giving her books instead of his own notes.

Years later, he would repeatedly bring up that incident, reminding Luna of his contribution to her success—that she needed to be grateful to him. But Luna had returned his favors many times over. She owed them nothing.

When they left the library at noon, Luna wanted to buy Suzie lunch.

"Forget it! Save your money. I'll go home for lunch," Suzie waved. "I don't have many classes now. Just come to me if you have questions. If you're too busy, text me. If I don't reply, you can go to Rhett. He's more of an acupuncture expert than I am. He might seem cold, but he's easygoing. You'll see as you spend more time with him!"

Luna nodded obediently. She felt as if she had found a new home.

"You're so deferential. It's not good—you'll get bullied easily!" Suzie pinched her cheek. "Better to stay aloof. You're cooler that way."

Luna was amused. "Yeah! I'll listen to you!"

"I told you not to be so obedient!" Suzie waved again. "Alright, I really have to go. You go have lunch!"

But Luna ran after her and asked, "Suzie, does our team plan to participate in the university's Medical Innovation Competition?"