?


    "Just tweak the data a bit to keep it consistent, no need to waste time verifying."


    Even though Carlson had anticipated it, hearing it firsthand was still a shock.


    "This is, academic, fraud!" He stressed every word.


    Edna''s face turned sour: "Carlson, you''re a sensible guy. I trust you know what should and shouldn''t be said. As your mentor, I''m just offering you a way to solve the problem. What to do with it, is up to you."


    Carlson looked up, locking eyes with Edna with an intensity she hadn''t seen before.


    "Professor, this isn''t right."


    It just wasn''t right...


    ...


    After Carlson left, Edna watched his departing back and snickered.


    It''s okay if he doesn''t get it now. People grow.


    Eventually, he''ll understand that truth doesn''t matter. What matters is how many papers you''ve published, how much academic output you''ve produced.


    People say research is pure, but Edna scoffed at that.


    Wherever there are people, there''s a struggle - for resources, funding, status, titles... Aren''t all these tied to output?


    Only those who reach the summit have the right to talk about "purity". But first, you''ve got to reach the summit.


    Edna took out her phone, "Call Hertha Sherwood over."


    It was her time to shine.


    "Hertha, school''s been in session for almost a month now. How are you adjusting? How are the senior students treating you? No one''s giving you a hard time, right?"


    Hertha was somewhat ttered: "No, no, everyone''s been really kind to me."


    "That''s good to hear. I called you here because there''s something rted to theb I need to discuss with you."


    Hertha''s eyes sparkled, barely containing her excitement: "Does that mean I can start getting involved in theb operations?"


    "You were recruited by me, of course, there''s a spot for you in the research team. It''s just that we''ve run into a bit of a snag... It might require some effort on your part."


    "What''s going on? Just tell me, and I''ll do whatever I can!"


    Edna''s smile grew warmer: "You might have heard, the group led by Madeleine next door bought thetest model of the CPRT analyzer with their own funds. Our team''s budget is tight, so I was wondering if you could... lend a hand?"


    "But don''t worry, your hard work


    won''t go unnoticed. I''ll keep a record


    of your contribution. When


    high-priority projects or conference spotse up, you''ll be the first I consider!"


    "If you''re interested in a direct PhD track, as long as your grades are solid, that shouldn''t be a problem either."


    First, promise them the moon. Whether they''ll get it, who knows?


    Hertha wasn''t just aiming for a degree; she wanted to achieve something, especially since... her mother ced such high value on education, it was almost a fixation. If she could earn her PhD, she believed Beverley would be proud.


    Without a second thought, she agreed.


    A million isn''t that much, after all. A little sweet talk at home, and the funds would be hers.


    But within days of Hertha securing a new CPRT analyzer for Edna''sb, the reality hit her hard.


    What happened to the budget being just over a million?


    It ended up costing over two million!


    The family agreed to cover only half, and Hertha had to sell more than a dozen of her beloved designer bags to make up the rest. Those bags were her treasures, and just like that, they were gone!


    Edna was over the moon, eager to unt her acquisition in front of Madeleine: See, it''s not just your students who can pull this off.


    However, she circled around a few times without catching a glimpse of Madeleine.


    "Oh, Ms. Payne has been away. She was invited to the International Biology Research Summit in Sydney. Didn''t you get an invitation, Ms. Edna?" "..." If you''ve got nothing nice to say, better say nothing at all.


    Edna, undeterred, lingered outside the C116b a bit longer, but the door remained firmly shut, the understated demeanor not giving anything away. Meanwhile, just a wall away, the research team led by Roseanne had officiallymenced their project.


    Time always flies in theb, and before they knew it, a week had passed.


    One day, as Roseanne was heading


    home, she noticed something odd about the apartment next to herst struck her that, aside from a brief


    encounter outside the cafeteria, she hadn''t seen Owen for quite a while.


    Given that they lived door-to-door, it was strange. Owen was always busy, but they used to run into each other in the hallway asionally. But not this time...


    No matter when she left in the morning or came back at night, his door was always shut tight.


    She even had this nagging feeling - Owen was avoiding her on purpose.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!