Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



Carlson: "You applied for a lab in my name with the administration?"

"Oh, yes, that did happen."

"Who's going to use it? So I can get in touch with them."

Edna chuckled, "No one's going to use it."

"Just leaving it empty?" Although he had anticipated this, Carlson couldn't help feeling a bit down.

"Yes, empty."

He knew he shouldn't ask any more questions, just like the countless times before, it was better just to accept it.

But he couldn't help thinking about Roseanne confronting him, and Carlson suddenly asked, "If it's not going to be used, then why apply for it?" Edna raised an eyebrow. It seemed she hadn't expected this sudden bite from the usually tame dog.

Her smile became even warmer, "Just because we're not using it now doesn't mean we won't in the future. Academic resources are all about grabbing what you can when you can, surely I don't need to teach you that?"

"What resources are in there?"

Edna replied, "Well, there's a CPRT meter in there, isn't there?"

Carlson reminded her, "Our research group already has one."

"Having two wouldn't hurt."

"What seems redundant to us could be incredibly valuable to other research groups..."

"Carlson." Edna cut him off, "Are you too free today? Have you finished everything in the lab?"

"...No."

Edna's expression darkened, "Since you haven't, focus on what you need to do. You don't need to worry about anything else! Even though you're a genius with outstanding academic achievements, you still need to remember who provided you with these resources and who created these opportunities for you!"

Carlson's lips pursed, and his face went blank all of a sudden.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Edna looked at him coldly until...

He finally lowered his eyelids, returning to that obedient, unassuming demeanor, "Sorry, Professor."

Edna's smile returned, "Don't worry, I'm just a bit tough, but no pressure. Just concentrate on your experiments and pour all your effort into your studies. There will be a payoff one day."

Carlson had heard this many times before.

So, throughout his three years as a graduate student, he never slacked off.

Edna: "We'll just hold onto the lab in your name for now. We can figure out what to do with it later. Anything else?"

Carlson shook his head, "No, that's it."

"Alright, you can go then."

"Okay, Professor."

"Wait-" Edna suddenly called out, stopping him.

"I know you're busy with the lab, but try to prioritize the paper for Sybil, and try to finish it within this month."

Carlson frowned, "Didn't I submit one for her half a year ago?"

Sybil chimed in, "You know that was half a year ago. It's been so long, and I need some new output by now. What would people think otherwise?" Carlson didn't respond.

Edna shot Sybil a look to keep quiet,

then walked up to Carlson with a smile, patting him on the shoulder know you've got your own projects and you're also looking after Sybil's work. It's really tough on you. I feel really bad about it.

"I spoke with your parents yesterday. Heard about the torrential rains. Your dad's orchard got hit hard. Just when it was supposed to bring in some earnings, who would have thought? Months of hard work gone in a flash..."

Edna sighed as if she could deeply empathize, "Being far away, there's not much I can do to help, so I just

secretly transferred five d

dollars to your parents' bank account. It's not much, but it should help them get through this tough time."