Chapter 16

Queenie frowned slightly. She flattened the paper and saw there was more
underneath. The last problem was the one the teacher hadn’t been able to solve and had assigned for homework. Though the steps were abbreviated, the answer was
correct.
The new girl had solved a problem the teacher couldn’t? But wasn’t she a poor student who hadn’t even finished her sophomore year?
Queenie pursed her lips, lost in thought.
…
After leaving Aurora High, Juniper walked toward the bus stop while checking her phone.
Luella: [Remember that mysterious client who wanted you to design a piece of jewelry? The offer is pretty good.]
Juniper frowned. [Too lazy.]
Between studying, moving, and adjusting to a new environment, she didn’t have the time or energy.
A long silence followed her message.
Then, another message came through.
Luella: [Regarding your response, I have just six words for you… ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!]
Who turns down a mountain of cash because they’re “too lazy”? It was infuriating. Sometimes she really wanted to throttle these rich people.
Luella: [By the way, the base looked into that major maritime disaster from fifteen years ago in Eclara City. It’s strange. All the records have vanished.]
At the mention of her family, Juniper’s expression darkened. If they had been rescued, surely they would remember they had a daughter, a sister, right? And if they hadn’t survived… Her family had loved her. They must have, otherwise they wouldn’t have worked together to push her onto Saskia’s fishing boat during the disaster.
Thinking of this, Juniper pulled her jacket tighter, a heavy feeling settling in her chest.
Luella: [But it’s very possible your family washed ashore and was rescued, just like you.]
Mist: [Thanks. I feel so much better now. Not.]
Luella: [You’re welcome! Hehe.]
Just then, a commotion erupted nearby. Someone shouted, “A doctor! Is there a doctor here?!”
Juniper looked over and saw an elderly man with white hair clutching his chest. He had collapsed on the sidewalk, blood trickling from his nose and mouth. A middle- aged man with him was crying out for help.
Cars swerved to avoid them, but no one on the street dared to get involved, afraid of getting into trouble.
[Gotta go.]
Juniper sent the quick reply, pocketed her phone, and pushed through the crowd. She knelt beside the old man, checked his pulse, and then his pupils.
A sudden heart attack. Without immediate intervention, he would die.
Juniper opened her backpack and took out a sandalwood box. As she prepared her needles, someone in the crowd remarked, “Hey, what’s she doing? Acupuncture?” “She’s in a school uniform. She’s just a student. Does she even know medicine?”
“Kids these days spend too much time online. Look at him, he’s bleeding everywhere. A few needles aren’t going to save him!”
“The ambulance is on its way. Don’t let her mess things up!”
“What do you think you’re doing?” The middle-aged man by the old man’s side shoved Juniper’s hand away in a panic. “Don’t touch him!”
“This is an acute heart attack. The golden window for rescue is four minutes,” Juniper said, her voice raspy and her face pale but stern as she held a needle. “From the looks of it, you’ve already wasted three and a half.”
Silence.
“You have ten seconds left. Do you want him to live, or die?”
“I—” The middle-aged man was frantic, trembling all over. “Live! Of course, I want him to live!”
If anything happened to the old master, his own life wouldn’t be enough to pay the price.
His eyes were red, his face ashen. “Can you promise you can save him?”
Juniper disinfected a needle and shot him a sidelong glance, her expression unreadable. “If you shut up, maybe.”