Chapter 910 How Could This Be Possible?
When the three of them arrived at the fifth cafeteria, they immediately attracted peopleâs attention. People discreetly focused on Catherine, being cautious not to disturb her.
Catherine, unfazed by the surrounding gazes, took a seat at the spot Ronin found.
Ronin and Rylan were in charge of buying food, while Catherine held the table. In reality, she didnât need to do this-with a single glance, she made sure no one dared to occupy the seats she had her eyes on.
Ronin soon returned with the food, purposefully sitting across from Catherine and leaving the seat next to her for Rylan.
âCatherine, the fish today is particularly fresh. Have a taste,â Ronin said.
Catherine glanced at the fish, her brow furrowing instantly. Sensing her discomfort, Ronin moved the plate away. âItâs okay if you donât like it; thereâs some chicken here,â he said, trying to offer an alternative. However, Catherine continued to frown.
After a few more attempts, even Catherine felt she was being too picky and stopped Ronin. âAlright, Iâll have some vegetables,â she said.
Rylan, who had been observing the two
the whole time, directed his scrutinizing gaze toward Catherine.â Catherine, have you lost your appetite recently? There are a few dishes that used to be your favorites, arenât they?â he asked, his eyes repeatedly glancing at her stomach.
Catherine straightened up and gave him a cold look. âWho says my tastes have to remain the same? Just because two people used to be friends doesnât mean theyâll be friends for life.â
Rylanâs expression froze, making the atmosphere quite awkward. It was obvious what Catherineâs words implied.
Sensing the awkward situation, Ronin stepped in to ease the tension. â
Catherine, donât say that! Misunderstandings happen occasionally. Our friendship is not just about fate but also about suitability. I sincerely hope that the three of us can remain good friends,â Ronin said, then turned to Rylan, âRight, Rylan?â
Surprisingly, Rylan, who usually managed his expressions well, didnât dare to meet Roninâs gaze at that moment. His reaction instantly dampened Roninâs spirits.
Throughout the meal, nobody talked, and Rylanâs thoughts drifted away from Catherine.
When they finished eating, Catherine stood up. âYou guys eat, Iâm off to the lab.â
Ronin wanted to stop her, but Rylan held him back. âLet her go!â
After Catherine left, Ronin showed a hint of disappointment.
Rylan, in turn, comforted him, âRonin, thank you.â
Ronin looked puzzled until Rylan explained, âThank you for always standing by my side.â
Hearing this, Ronin smiled faintly. â Rylan, weâve been good friends for many years, havenât we? Well, I just remembered I havenât prepared the fruit for Catherine. I gotta go now!â
Everyone knew how much Ronin cared about Catherine, so Rylan didnât think much of it and waved him off. âGo ahead!â
Ronin stood up, and in that instant of turning around, his smile vanished. All he could think about was the scene of Catherine having dinner just now. He couldnât help but wonder if Catherineâs sudden change in taste meant she was sick. With this in mind, he couldnât help but quicken his pace.
Marshall heard from the students that Catherine had appeared in the Styre University cafeteria today, having dinner with Ronin. He had been waiting at the laboratoryâs door early on. Before long, he heard Catherineâs voice and immediately stood up to greet her. â
Just as I expected, you always come to the lab when youâre at school,â he said with a confident look.
Facing Marshall, Catherine chuckled and said, âProfessor Hartley, the experiment is still ongoing. Where else would I go?â
This was why Marshall admired Catherine-they both regarded the experiment as their life.
âIs everything okay now?â Marshall asked.
âLetâs talk inside.â
Some things were not suitable for discussion in public. Marshall immediately understood Catherineâs intention and followed her into the office. Once they were seated, he eagerly inquired about her situation.
Catherine didnât hide anything from him. âThe label that was hanging over my head has been removed for now, but Iâve agreed to their conditions.â
âThose bastards!â Marshall slammed his hand on the table, unable to conceal his anger. He knew Catherine must have been threatened, but he hadnât expected these people to be so malicious. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He didnât blame Catherine; in such a situation, swallowing oneâs pride was simply a matter of helplessness.
Catherine took the initiative to comfort him, âProfessor Hartley, donât worry. I agreed to their conditions. But itâs not certain whether they will be able to obtain it smoothly.â
Marshallâs eyes lit up. âHow did you do it, Catherine?â
Catherine smiled mysteriously and said, âI canât talk about it now. When the time is right, I will tell you!â
âSo, youâre keeping secrets from me?â Marshall said, pretending to be disdainful. âWell, since you have your plan, I wonât interfere.â
Now that Catherine had returned, Marshall immediately handed over all the experimental projects to her, even skipping the reporting procedures.
After much hardship, Zobber finally found some clues. She had traced the original IP address of the video, and if they could lock onto this clue, they might be able to identify the uploader.
Excited by this discovery, Zobber shared the good news with Withal. Seeing her exhausted, Withal felt sorry for her. âGo and rest. Iâll take care of the remaining work.â
Zobber had been working for over 20 hours straight, and Withalâs offer was a rare opportunity she couldnât pass up. She stood up and comforted him with a pat on the shoulder. âIâm counting on you. Good luck!â
Withal wanted to say something to her, but seeing how tired she was, he remained silent. He sat at the computer and immediately took over Zobberâs previous work. Their years of working with each other made it easy for Withal to get started. Zobber had already done most of the work, and he only needed to tie up some loose ends.
Despite this, it still took Withal quite some time. When the results finally appeared, Withal was dumbfounded. He double-checked the results, finding it hard to believe what he was seeing.
âHow could this be possible?â he exclaimed inwardly.