He could absolutely leverage that online influence to finally win over the girl of his dreams.
Tragically, such a perfect, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had been utterly ruined.
And it was ruined by a girl who knew a couple of traditional medicine tricks and suddenly thought she was a god!
Having his shot at glory stolen was exactly why Leo viewed Claire as a thorn in his side.
Today genuinely was another golden opportunity, and Leo had moved mountains to convince Professor Yates to bring him along.
Who knew he would run into Claire again? Fueled by new resentment and old grudges, he spared no effort in tearing her down, projecting the most malicious intentions onto her every move.
"Is Leo getting a little anxious?"
Claire, on the other hand, was entirely relaxed.
Perhaps because she was simply giving him a taste of his own medicine, neither Vice President Finn nor Professor Yates stepped in to stop her, nor did they show any inclination to defend Leo.
On the contrary, Leo's current defensive meltdown laid his true character bare for both experts to see.
"I suggest you stop spouting nonsense, or I'll sue you for defamation!"
Claire casually strolled over to Leo and gave his shoulder a patronizing pat. "Why so tense, Leo? Your tongue was remarkably sharp when you were tearing me down."
"Why are you suddenly so incredibly agitated now that the spotlight is on you?"
"I figured this was just your normal conversational style."
"How does that old saying go? You never know how much the knife hurts until it drops on your own foot."
"You...!" Leo glared at Claire with visceral caution, completely lost for words.
He had finally realized that this girl was not someone to be trifled with.
Claire maintained her sweet smile. "Leo, I was merely making a joke. Why are you getting so defensive?"
"Or could it be... that I actually hit the nail on the head?"
"Does that mean the news of the military student's crushed testicle is going to
skyrocket to the top of the trending charts tomorrow?"
Leo remained deadly silent. He was genuinely terrified of Claire now.
"Just make sure you don't try to make me your scapegoat when it happens!"
"Like I said, I didn't even bring my phone!"
Leo's complexion cycled through several shades of pale; he had completely lost the ability to formulate a response.
Mostly because this girl was legitimately terrifying.
Having said her piece, Claire simply ignored him, leaving Leo standing awkwardly in place, utterly humiliated.
Vice President Finn finally stepped in to smooth over the lingering tension. "You're a bright young man. Why
out of your way to antago Wh
girl?"
y go
a little
"Broaden your horizons a bit, and you'll find that the world is actually quite a beautiful place."
Leo's face burned as if he had just been slapped across the cheek.
The rest of the experts soon arrived, officially kicking off the consultation, with some joining via video call.
Normally, just being allowed in the
room for a consultation of this magnitude-even just to take notes would be a tremendous honor for Leo, a chance to absorb invaluable new knowledge
But today, he couldn't absorb a single word. He felt as though every person in the room was silently mocking him.
Unlike Claire, who navigated the high-pressure environment with effortless grace.
When Vice President Finn pushed
her to the forefront, announcing that
she would be managing the
emergency hemostasis during the operation, the room erupted in disbelief.
Yet, the young girl remained perfectly composed, facing the tidal wave of skepticism with unshakable calm.
Ultimately, the consultation finalized the surgical plan, and after securing the family's consent, Claire genuinely scrubbed into the operating room.
Meanwhile, Leo was relegated to the waiting area, forced to watch the live surgical feed on the monitors alongside the others.
Throughout the grueling procedure, all he saw was the young female student's absolute, unwavering poise.
He also felt the weight of his mentor's intensely disappointed gaze. "Leo, compared
to her, you have a very long way to go."
His mentor's heavy sigh made Leo want to sink into the floor.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I let you down."
Professor Yates shook his head slowly. "I know you young people have your own ambitions, but remember this: never underestimate anyone, especially a woman!"