Chapter 48 EZ 55 Vouchers

Vincent’s face turned pale, panic setting in. He realized in that moment just how close he had come to saying something he would regret. He had almost implied that Josie’s past success had been entirely thanks to him and the other seniors.

Everyone had always assumed that without their guidance, and without David’s strict teachings, Josie wouldn’t have been able to maintain her top rank or win so many awards.

But if he actually said that out loud, the whole meaning would change. After all, Josie was the only girl on the team. If it weren’t for her frail appearance, rumors would have spread long ago.

Once those rumors took hold, people would start questioning David’s fairness in selecting talent. That was a burden Vincent wasn’t willing to carry.

He was hit with a deep sense of regret, but Josie, already furious, clenched her fists, her anger barely contained.

In her previous life, it had been these very rumors that had destroyed her. Everyone had said she was shameless, that her success in joining David’s team and achieving so much was all due to manipulating the professors and seniors. They claimed she had no real talent.

Later, when the professors and seniors realized her skills weren’t as solid as they thought, they wanted to kick her out of the team. To stay, she had resorted to desperate measures, even offering herself to the professors and seniors.

But they turned her away, unwilling to accept her behavior. They wrote harsh evaluations and pushed her out.

Those rumors almost drove her to despair. But none of it was true. Neither David nor any of the five seniors ever stood up for her.

They watched as she was slandered and humiliated until no hospital would hire her, and she couldn’t get into any research institute.

Now, Vincent was making the same mistake again. She wondered, "Does he not realize that one careless word could destroy me again? How dare he say my achievements are all thanks to them? Who is he to say that?"

If it weren’t for the fact that she didn’t want to get her hands dirty, Josie would have slapped him across the face.

Vincent knew it was too late to fix things. There was no chance of winning Josie back now. She had clearly cut ties with them for good.

But the rabbit he gave her was from the heart. The watch she gave him had also been her own choice—he had never forced her.

What he didn’t know was that the money for the watch came from her scrimping and saving for months. Everyone had joked that she’d switched to a vegetarian diet to maintain her figure.

But he never thought about the fact that Josie was already so thin. How could she have deliberately avoided eating meat?

He didn’t want to blame himself. It was all her choice. He had never pressured her, so why should he be the one to take the blame or face the anger of others?

Vincent glanced at the disapproving glares from the crowd, and his dislike for Josie reached its peak.

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"So, Natalie was right after all. You’ve really changed, Josie. I never thought you’d become so despicable, always talking about money."

"How can you even focus on research with that attitude? No wonder you failed the exam against Natalie. No wonder Professor Lawson picked her for the team. You didn’t make it because you deserved it!"

Josie let out a short, cold laugh. "Vincent, don’t you remember? I ranked first in the first round of assessments. I lost because of my paper."

"If Professor Lawson doesn’t like my paper, I accept that. Since you think I deserve it, then fine, I deserve it."

With that, she had no more patience to argue. If it weren’t for the fear of being misunderstood, she wouldn’t have wasted another second with Vincent.

What a waste of time!

Josie turned and walked away.