Chapter 253

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Cheers erupted in the open air . Some students whined , “ What a pity that we don’t major in pharmaceutical analysis ! ”
“ Professor Colton , why don’t you join the branch of clinical medicine ? ”
“ No way ! Professor Colton is an expert in pharmaceutical analysis . ”
Helen elbowed her way out of the crowd and asked loudly , “ C
“ Can I be
your
student ? ”
Aria recognized Helen and responded softly , “ Of course . ”
The crowd buzzed with excitement , shouting , “ Let’s get down to work . ”
“ Let’s go ! ” They felt energized .
Few people among the crowd knew architecture , so Aria and Caleb built some shelters for their team together .
With a happy smile , Aria and Caleb worked well together .
Three hours later , night fell . Helen handed Aria a towel , and Aria wiped her sweat off with it .
Aria felt restless as if something important was missing . Then , a tall figure caught her eye .
Against the light , the figure walked straight towards Aria . She had forgotten Owen .
Aria pursed her lips and averted her gaze from Owen guiltily .
Caleb walked over , crouched next to Aria , and gently took the tools from her hands . “ Aria , ” he said softly . “ Go take a break . I’ll wrap things up here . ”
Without hesitation , Aria let go of the tools and said , “ Oh , okay .”
Her guilty look confused Caleb . “ What’s wrong ? ” Caleb wondered .
“ Aria , ” a familiar voice sounded above .
Caleb raised his head and saw Owen , his pupils constricting in surprise . “ Why are you here ? ”
“ Is he the reason for Aria’s guilty look ? ” he wondered .
Owen crouched down casually . “ I got here earlier than you two . I was here for charity when the outbreak started . ”
After the explanation to Caleb , he turned to Aria and said , “ They wanted to take Betty away , but I said no . Betty’s already asleep . Aaron is there with her . ”
On his way to see Aria , Owen had heard of the medical team formed by the students from Mandino University .
He thought that Aria must be in that team . Aria had formed her plan when the quality of her machines was questioned .
The arrival of the medical students saved her a lot of time and trouble . “ Thank you , ” Aria said sincerely .
Owen gently pulled Aria up by the wrist . “ Your hands are for research , so leave the heavy work to me . ”
Sometimes , they joked with each other . Aria casually replied , “ Okay , I will leave it to you. Caleb , see you later . ”
Caleb nodded . “ Okay , just let us know if you need anything . ”
He couldn’t help with the studies of the new virus , but he was competent in logistics .
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After Aria left , Caleb turned to Owen and asked , “ Is this how you get along with Aria ? ”
Just now , Caleb felt that he was the third wheel on site . There was a tacit understanding between Aria and Owen .
Aria might not perceive that , but Owen must be clear of that . Caleb couldn’t help but felt jealous .
“ Yeah , ” Owen responded curtly .
Caleb was candid . “ Do you like Aria ? ”
Owen didn’t expect such a direct question . After a pause , he looked at Caleb and then slowly nodded . “ I do. ”
Caleb was dumbfounded by Owen’s confession .
“ She’s great , ” Owen said .
It was true , so Caleb responded , “ I know . ” Aria was admired by many people , but not her family .
On the way to Jamelan , Caleb received a call from his parents . Hearing his plan , they told him to take good care of Aría .
“ Aria’s amazing . She doesn’t need my protection . All I can do is to keep her company , ” Caleb replied .
His answer silenced his parents .
Their relationship with Aria wouldn’t be so bad if they had given her more trust and love upon her return .
There was no turning back the clock , so they would live with regret for the rest of their lives .
“ Caleb , it is me , Silvia .” The phone was in Silvia’s hand now . Silvia added , “ Be careful , both you and Aria . ”
“ We will . ” Caleb was busy with his work , so he seldom went home or took the initiative to call his family , including Silvia .
Silvia must have noticed the change in Caleb . She received fewer and fewer messages from him .
Over time , they had no words for each other . Caleb felt no regret or guilt because he owed Silvia nothing .
Caleb collected his thoughts . Working , he looked at Owen and said , “ Aria knows nothing about romance . ”
“ I know . ” Owen’s voice was steady and unwavering . “ I am resilient . Give me some help if possible , my dear brother – in – law . ”
Caleb laughed with anger . “ I’m Aria’s brother , not yours . ” Caleb wouldn’t help Owen or be in his way .
Owen smiled . “ You’ll . ”
Caleb felt speechless . He couldn’t help but think that he was too nice to Owen .
) …..
“ Hey , Ms. Gibson , have you heard that ? Aria and her brother built their research team with over 20 medical students . ”
Hannah kept her hands busy . “ Whatever . We should focus on our jobs . ”
Vincent nodded . “ Ms. Gibson , you’re right . I won’t disappoint you . ”
After a brief chat , Vincent left . The others worked on .
Hannah appeared composed , but her hands trembled uncontrollably .
This was her shot to prove herself . Her life would be hopeless if she lost to Aria again .
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She was determined to beat Aria this time . She took a deep breath , forcing herself to calm down .
Not far away , a man glanced at Hannah , walked over , and looked at the notes on the table . With a smile , he said , “ Dr. Gibson , are you studying the virus ? ”
Restless , Hannah said , “ Yes . The vaccine is the best solution . ”
“ You are right . Let us know if you need help . ” The man sighed as if something came to mind . “ It is weird . After the new virus , a corpse was found hers
Hannah was shocked . “ A corpse ? ”
The man looked surprised . “ Didn’t you hear that ? A dead man was found in the river , by Aria . ”
“ By Aria ? ”
“ Yeah . It is said that the corpse is already swollen . The police can’t identify him yet , though it is confirmed that none of the locals go missing . ”
After more information was provided to Hannah , the man said , “ Dr. Gibson , I have to go now . ”
Hannah nodded absently . “ Okay . ” The man gave Hannah a meaningful glance before he turned around .