The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Monica and Wade exchanged a glance, then slowly rose from their seats.noveldrama

At that moment, they both had the same sinking feeling: This is bad-we're about to embarrass ourselves.

Zachariah addressed them, "Young man, why don't you start by briefly describing the basic pathological changes in atherosclerosis."

Wade froze.

He leaned toward Citrine, whispering, "Did he just say porridge? Is he asking about the soup we drink?"

Citrine murmured back, "There are three stages. The first is fatty streaks, which you can actually see on the artery... then comes the fibrous plaque stage..."

Wade cleared his throat. "The fatty streak stage."

Zachariah nodded approvingly. "Good, go on."

Wade pressed forward, "Uh, the meatballs are big, and the bread rolls have little red spots on the surface..."

Before he could continue, Zachariah interrupted, struggling to suppress a smile.

"Clearly, you must be hungry, son. Why don't you sit down for now-lunch in the cafeteria today is all-you-can-eat bread rolls."

The whole class erupted in laughter, students doubling over in their seats. Citrine, Monica, and Gorman tried their best to muffle their giggles, wanting to spare Wade whatever dignity he still had left.

Once Wade sat down, Zachariah turned his attention to Monica, who was still standing.

"Well, since your classmate doesn't know, why don't you answer for us?"

"M-me?" Monica's smile vanished in an instant.

Zachariah nodded encouragingly.

Monica had never felt so mortified. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Watching her sister struggle, Citrine finally stood up from her seat.

"Professor Zachariah, these two are my brother and sister. They're just sitting in today to keep me company and aren't familiar with our medical courses. How about I answer the question for them?"

Monica looked at Citrine, eyes shining with gratitude, nearly on the verge of tears.

Seeing Citrine stand up, Zachariah's

expression softened. "You little rascal, is there any question you can't answer? All right, you and your sister can sit down. I won't put you two on the spot."

"Thank you, Professor Zachariah." Citrine nodded politely, then gently pulled Monica back down beside her.

Monica felt as if she'd just survived a shipwreck. She grabbed her sister's hand tightly. "Citrine, you saved me. I would have died of embarrassment if it weren't for you."

Wade snorted, still sulking. "Citrine, that's not fair. You didn't stand up for me when I was floundering, but the second Monica's in trouble, you're right there. What gives?"

Monica shot him a triumphant look. "Told you I'm still her favorite sister."

Then she glanced at Wade and burst out laughing. "Honestly, Wade, you were so embarrassing just now. I almost pretended I didn't know you."

Wade shot back, "And you just stood up there like a deer in headlights. Don't tell me you weren't embarrassed, too!"

Citrine couldn't help but laugh at the two of them bickering.

Off to the side, Gorman watched the scene unfold, feeling oddly left out. Their laughter seemed to belong to another world—a world from which he was excluded.

Even though Monica and Wade had just made fools of themselves, Gorman found himself envious of the way Citrine openly acknowledged them in class, and of how easily they could win her affection.

Ever since flu season began, Citrine

had started hosting live video

streams on social media. What

began as a simple Q&A about health soon turned into full-blown remote consultations, connecting with viewers face-to-face through her webcam.