Chapter 292

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Liam immediately noticed something was off about Hannah . “ What’s wrong ? ”
Hannah clutched Liam’s hand desperately , her nails digging into his palm . Her voice trembled with panic as she pleaded , “ Liam , make them stop ! Stop it now ! ”
So that was why those students never came to bother her before , and Aria had been lying low all this time . They’d laid this trap from the very beginning , just waiting for the perfect moment .
Reporters and media crews swarmed the scene , livestreaming everything .
‘ They want to see me ruined and disgraced ! I can’t let that happen ! ‘ Hannah thought , panic rising in her chest .
Seeing the panic on her face , Liam grabbed her hand , suddenly understanding . “ Hannah , ” he pressed , “ tell me the truth – was the research proposal you submitted actually the work of the Mandino University students ? ”
Hannah desperately tried to reassure herself . ‘ There’s no way the security cameras were running 24/7 . I checked that place specifically – there definitely weren’t any cameras there ! No falling apart now . Stay calm ! ‘
Hannah opened her mouth to defend herself . “ I … ”
An exclamation interrupted her . “ Wait , isn’t that Dr. Gibson ? What’s she doing in someone else’s lab ? ”
‘ Breaking news ! We’ve got a bombshell ! ‘ With that in mind , reporters instantly raised their cameras , flashes popping like fireworks .
The big screen showed Hannah’s figure in full view .
The footage showed Hannah glancing around nervously , making sure no one was watching . Then , moving with exaggerated caution , she tiptoed over to the server and quietly inserted her flash drive .
About ten minutes later , she yanked out the flash drive and scurried away , furtive and anxious .
The crowd stood frozen in shock .
The livestream chat erupted instantly , with comments flooding the screen at breakneck speed .
Many viewers commented : [ Wait , what ? Is this theft happening live ? So Hannh Gibson stole someone else’s research ? ]
Winston was the first to come to his senses . He lunged forward , desperately trying to cover the big screen with both hands , and bellowed , “ What the hell is this ? Who played this surveillance footage ? ”
Winston’s frantic attempts were in vain — he couldn’t even cover a corner of the screen . Instead , his actions only fueled the fire , drawing everyone’s attention to the damning footage .
Hannah’s face instantly went deathly pale . With a venomous glare at the media crew she’d paid off , she shrieked , “ Turn it off ! Kill the livestream now ! ”
The media crew had indeed come for Hannah’s money , but with such a bombshell unfolding before their eyes , shutting down the livestream was never an option .
Not only did they refuse to stop the livestream , but they zoomed right in on Hannah’s face .
Viewer A : [ That guilty face – case closed ! ]
Viewer B : [ Bonus fact : she stole from her own juniors ! ]
Viewer C : I thought she actually did the research herself – turns out she just stole it ! ]
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Viewer D : [ Experts did develop inhibitor drugs too – but the integrated traditional – modern medicine approach had fewer side effects and worked faster , so they went with Hannah Gibson’s research . ]
Viewer E : [ Aria Saxon’s good at traditional medicine , and most of those students are into modern medicine – no wonder they came up with a combo
treatment . ]
Viewer F : [ Here comes Hannah Gibson’s excuses !]
“ Hannah Gibson ! Give us back our research ! ” an icy , furious female voice rang out .
Twenty – some students stormed over , their faces contorted with rage .
One of them shouted, “ Three years ago , you stole Professor Colton’s notes , and now you’ve taken everything we’ve worked so hard for ! How shameless can you be ? ”
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Hannah clenched her jaw , fingers digging into the fabric of her clothes at her side . “ Stop spouting nonsense ! I didn’t steal anything ! ” she shot back . “ That footage only proves I was in your lab and touched the server – it doesn’t prove at all that my submission used your research ! ”
A traditional medicine student snapped back , “ Still lying through your teeth even when you’re caught , you petty thief ? Then name the herbal ingredients we used in our formula ! ”
The day after Hannah plagiarized their research , the students submitted their application . Yet she had already filed hers half a day earlier with just one
night to prepare .
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