"You have a very irregular sleep schedule, don't you? And you probably eat a lot of junk food."
"Generally speaking, kidney stones are caused by poor daily routines and unhealthy habits, though genetic and environmental factors could also be at play..."
Mrs. Ingram's eyes darted away guiltily.
"I don't eat *that* much junk food."
But Felix ruthlessly sold his mother out.
“She has terrible habits. My mom has a weird job—she's a Thriller Novelist. She stays up all night writing, snacking, and eating BBQ..."
Felix listed her offenses as if he had been holding onto these grievances for years.
Mrs. Ingram hung her head in shame.
It wasn't like she wanted to be unhealthy, she just couldn't control herself!
"Wow, that is such a cool job!" Skylar cupped her face in awe.
To think this seemingly ordinary, slightly adorable woman had such a badass career.
It suddenly dawned on Claire. No wonder this mother seemed so innocent and sheltered—she hadn't had to deal with the harsh realities of corporate society.
Being a writer meant a relatively isolated, simple working environment.
“Does anyone have a fork? A disposable plastic one is fine, I just need to borrow it.” Claire asked the crowd loudly.
A girl who had just packed up her takeout heard her and immediately pulled one out. "I have one!"
"Here you go!"
Claire took it, snapped off the handle, and used the blunt end of the plastic fork to apply firm pressure to a specific acupoint on Mrs. Ingram's wrist. Moments later, Mrs. Ingram visibly relaxed as the sharp pain began to subside.
"Wow, it actually works! Traditional medicine is amazing!"
Seeing his mother's pain ease, Felix let out a massive sigh of relief. "Thank you so much!"
"Professor, right over here! Someone just collapsed!"
A student pushed through the crowd, leading a medical professor into the shop.
"Where is the patient? Let me take look." The professor appeared to be in his fifties, slightly plump, with sharp, piercing eyes that commanded authority.
"Over here."
Someone called out.
"What happened? Why is everyone crowding around? Did someone call 911?"
"Professor Yates?"
Someone in the crowd recognized him.
"Professor Yates is a top urology expert! Hurry, let him look at her!"
"Yeah, my mentor was having lunch nearby. When I heard someone was having severe stomach pains, I ran to get him,"
the student who brought Professor Yates announced proudly.
Hearing that a renowned professor and doctor was present, the crowd automatically parted to make way.
Seeing Claire pressing a piece of plastic into the patient's wrist, Professor Yates frowned.
"Hey, you, step aside! Stop delaying my mentor from examining the patient!"
Claire didn't even look up. “Just a moment. I'm managing her pain first.”
The student's face darkened when she refused to move. "Are you out of your mind? If you delay her
treatment are you going to take responsibility?"
"Watch your mouth! Didn't Claire just say she's helping ease the pain?"
"The patient even said she feels much better now."
Skylar thought this guy was incredibly rude and immediately stepped up to defend Claire.
Zara tilted her chin arrogantly. "Exactly. Who's the one actually causing a scene here?"
“You all—!” The student couldn't believe his good deed of fetching a professor was being met with such disrespect from a bunch of girls.
“Do you have any idea who my mentor is? Do you really think a random student is better than a top medical expert?"
"We don't care who your mentor is but the fact remains that the lady is in less pain thanks to Claire's first aid Skylar retorted, careful not to insult Professor Yates directly.
But this arrogant student was definitely riding on his professor's coattails.