Said I didn’t Love Him But I Lied

The event of the day was held by the medical department, and Dr. Harrison was the main spokesperson. He gave his lecture just like how he would do so in his classes, awing his audience. When it was time for the question and answer session, no one dared to throw any questions at him.

“Does anyone have questions?” Dr. Harrison looked at the audience with a straight face and said unhappily, “When I was your age, my teachers would be bombarded by my questions, as if afraid that they had no time to answer all my questions.”

No one said anything after Dr. Harrison mentioned his experience.

Stainley and Everleigh exchanged looks and giggled knowingly.

It was common knowledge that Dr. Harrison liked to throw pop quizzes at his students. Those who were unable to answer the questions would always be treated with a scolding they would never forget. So, who with the slightest conscience would dare to talk back to him? The more they argued, the worse they would be treated.

Dead silence took over the room. It was probably so quiet that one could hear the sound of a pin falling to the ground.

“Ahem… Do you really have nothing to ask?” Everleigh faked a cough and took the microphone in front of her, saying, “Dr. Harrison, this year’s students must be way better than we were back then. They don’t have any questions related to today’s topic.”

Dr. Harrison’s face showed obvious displeasure.

Nathan Morgan broke out in a cold sweat as he stood next to Everleigh. The man was the head of the medical department of Ocpeace Medical University, and he was commonly known as Dr. Morgan.

Everleigh eyed the audience and said, “Well, if you don’t have academic questions, why don’t you throw Dr. Harrison some casual questions? For example, you can start by asking him how to cook an excellent dish of pork ribs.”

Everyone in the conference room was taken aback.

Everleigh remained calm and continued, “The pigs in our science laboratories are all well-fed. It’s a whole new knowledge on which of their body parts are best-suited to cook different kinds of dishes, and how we should cut the parts accordingly. ”

Stainley coughed from her side, or at least he pretended to. He knew every pair of ears in the room could hear him, but he still lowered his voice and whispered to her, “Everleigh, if you go on like this, I’m afraid Dr. Harrison will find out the truth. You know, the one where you ate all of his laboratory pigs back then.”

As soon as he finished his words, students under the stage could no longer hold their laughter.

One student laughed first, followed by a second one. Soon, it became a domino effect. Everyone was laughing their hearts out, livening the air around the room. Just one minute ago, the atmosphere had been serious, but now, it became more vibrant.

Dr. Harrison coughed twice, loudly enough for everyone in the room to be able to hear him. Everyone’s lips were suddenly pursed. No one dared to make another sound.

Dr. Harrison then said, “Why are you teaching them this rubbish instead of the useful stuff?”

Everleigh replied confidently, “I’ve done the experiment, so let’s not let it go to waste. Besides, I don’t know how to make good pork ribs. It’s all Mrs. Harrison’s work. Dr. Harrison, I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of it too, haven’t you?”

“You sure are very reasonable,” Dr. Harrison’s words dripped with sarcasm.

“Yep, it’s pretty reasonable.”

Just a moment ago, the audience had been quiet. Now, the whole room was taken over by their hysterical laughs once again. They wondered who this student was. She had the guts to argue with Dr. Harrison! No one had ever seen that, not until that day. The room turned lively again.

“Who is she? Which year did she graduate from? Isn’t she interesting?”

“I heard that she’s Dr. Harrison’s prized student and she’s our senior by ten years.”

“She’s got a pretty face and a charming demeanor!”

“I heard that she’s also the hospital’s Deputy Chief Surgeon. It’s impressive that she’s holding such a demanding position at such a young age. I can only recall a few of our seniors who are capable of such a feat!”

Various remarks and praises were heard.

Here and there, people were discussing Everleigh based on her details printed on posters promoting the event that day. The information had been provided by the publicity committee of the event when Stainley had informed the university of Everleigh’s intention to take part in it.

The energetic atmosphere slightly improved Dr. Harrison’s mood. He took the initiative to introduce Everleigh, “This is your senior. She went abroad to pursue a doctorate, but her skills didn’t improve when she came back. She even threw away all of her manners. As the young man said, she used to eat lab pigs so I must remind you to always be vigilant. If you find any pig missing from your lab, you know who you should look for.”

As soon as he said that, there was another heated discussion in the room.

Everleigh waited until a wave of crazy laughter had subsided before she stopped joking and put up a solemn face. “Okay, I think we should stop now. Lab pigs aside, I’m sure that each one of you has many questions. You’re just afraid to voice them out to avoid being scolded. Well, I was just like you back then. Am I right, Dr. Harrison?”

Dr. Harrison snorted, his face wearing a disgusted look.

Everleigh then shared about her experiences as a freshman who feared nothing. Back then, she had asked Dr. Harrison some stupid questions, earning her a few turns of terrible scolding. The audience found it relatable as they probably had experienced the same thing before.

If someone as excellent as Everleigh was scolded by Dr. Harrison before, why would they be afraid of losing their faces?

Everleigh looked at her juniors with a smile and said, “This is not a class nor a presentation. We are here to answer your questions. Who knows, perhaps we are the ones who should be afraid of you.”

Gradually, someone in the room raised his hand and said, “Everleigh, I have a question.”

Everleigh nodded and replied, “Yes, you may proceed.”

Just like that, the session went on smoothly.

Everleigh’s attitude was modest. No matter what questions the students asked, she was patient and answered them one by one. She had even taken care of the questions thrown at the seniors next to her. Some advanced questions were left to Dr. Harrison to answer and soon, a vigorous debate had taken over the room.

Questions after questions followed suit. The air around the room was now high-spirited.

Standing at one corner of the backstage, one figure was observing how Everleigh managed to not only communicate well with her juniors but also showed respect to her seniors. His eyes were full of admiration, just like back then.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

A student’s voice came from beside the figure, exclaiming, “Mr. Spencer, don’t you think Everleigh is awesome? She even took part in fighting the African pandemic!”

William’s mind drifted away, perhaps a little too far away. It was like he was reminiscing the past as he thought to himself that Everleigh had always been that way. Practicing medicine had always been her passion and that made her a true doctor. An honest and benevolent one!

When the event ended, Nathan showered Everleigh with endless praise.

“Dr. Harrison, you’re a capable teacher who produces capable students! It’s been a while since the medical department was this active!”

Dr. Harrison glanced at Everleigh. His attitude was indifferent, but he couldn’t hide the pride in his eyes as he replied, “It’s fine to let her come here more often in the future, although I must warn you that talking is all she knows.”

“Now let’s not limit it to a lecture. If Everleigh is interested, I’m going to officially hire her. Remember the student who asked if he could join Everleigh’s class just now? I think the enrolment rate will skyrocket if Everleigh joins us,” Nathan smiled as he spoke.

“Me?” Everleigh hesitated for a moment.

She was not sure how long she could remain in the country, and a work contract with the university would bind her for at least five years. Furthermore, should she ever take up the job offer, she would have to take students under her belt, adding to her responsibility. When that happened, she would not be able to leave whenever she felt like it.

“Yes. Is there any problem?” Nathan looked at her inquiringly.

Everleigh denied in a hurry, “No, Dr. Morgan. I graduated from Ocpeace Medical University and it’s my honor to be able to teach here. I beg you to give me some time to prepare myself as I’m currently quite occupied with matters at the hospital. Dr. Harrison knows this as well.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Harrison’s face darkened.