Chapter 0003

After Helen stepped out of Mr. Ruben's office, another of her lecturers spotted her and called her over. "Helen Robert."

Helen froze as Mr. Andrew Morris asked, "Are you keeping a boyfriend? Is that why you failed my exam? This has never happened before. What happened to you?"

Mr. Andrew was a middle-aged man who looked at Helen with disappointment in both his voice and his face.

Helen couldn't meet Mr. Andrew's eyes. Seeing all her lecturers upset with her, she knew she'd let her father's illness weigh her down. She could have accepted marriage instead of pursuing higher education, as her father had once suggested.

"Helen?" Mr. Andrew shook his head and said, "Stay away from boys so you don't destroy your future."

The man walked away. The rest of the day, Helen went from one lecturer's office to another until the chancellor summoned her to her office.

"Helen Robert, what's going on with you? You came to this university and excelled, and now, with only one year left to graduate as one of our best medical students, you're starting to falter. What happened?" Mrs. Katherine Collins asked, her voice calm but her eyes fixed on Helen coldly.

Helen couldn't meet Mrs. Katherine's gaze. She stood in the office with her head lowered.

"Are you keeping a boyfriend? Did he break up with you and affect your studies?" Mrs. Katherine asked, her voice filled with concern as she looked at Helen.

"No, ma'am. It's my father. He had a stroke, and he's unwell," Helen said, her voice choked with sobs. Mrs. Katherine's cold gaze softened as she peered at Helen with concern.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't know it was a family matter. Would you like to go home and take a break? You can return to complete your exams," Mrs. Katherine offered. She was a middle-aged woman.

Helen shook her head. "I'll finish the exams first," she said. Mrs. Katherine felt bad for judging Helen wrongly—they'd all assumed she was distracted by a boyfriend.

"It's fine. When you're ready to leave campus, let me know. I can give you a present for your father—it's one of the finest experimental medicines produced by one of our students. I think it could help with his recovery, though it's still under testing and not yet on the market," Mrs. Katherine said. Helen felt uneasy about it.

"Will it help with my father's stroke? My mother said he can't even talk or recognize her when she's around."

"Mmm. It might. Wait here—let me speak with Mr. Ruben to get it for you."

Helen sat in the chancellor's office, waiting for Mrs. Katherine to return.

-------

Meanwhile, Tasha called Helen's phone multiple times, but Helen didn't answer.

"Where is she?" Samuel asked. They had just finished their practical exams, and he'd noticed Helen looking downcast during them. But he couldn't reach out to her—he'd been busy. Besides, he was in the men's hostel and couldn't go to the women's to ask her out or chase after her.

Samuel had spent time working on a project, testing a new product on lab rats to assess its improvements and effectiveness as a medicine.

After wrapping up his final project and getting good results, Samuel discarded his lab coat and went to chat with Helen. But before he could exit the lab, she'd disappeared—like a ghost evading him. He spotted Tasha and asked her to call Helen. He didn't have Helen's number, and she wasn't answering anyway.

"I'm trying to call Helen, but she's not picking up. Why do you want my friend, Samuel? You have me right here. Why not date me instead of Helen? We're from the same well-off families. But Helen—she's from a poor home. And besides, she's chubby. Why chase after her?"

Tasha was wearing a green dress; she was in the same class as Helen and Samuel.

Samuel's brows furrowed. He pushed Tasha's hand away from his chest and spat, "I don't like a woman chasing after me. So if you're not interested in the deal, let me know, and I'll find someone else to help."

Samuel walked away to look for Helen on his own.

"Ugh. He'll come back to me," Tasha grimaced as she headed off for lunch. It was past 4 p.m., and they'd spent so much time on the practical.

Tasha tried calling Helen again, and this time, Helen answered.

"Where are you, Helen? I've been trying to reach you since morning, all to no avail. Where did you go?" Tasha asked, her voice filled with anger.

"I'm sorry, Tasha. I went to the chancellor's office. Mrs. Katherine called me because she noticed I looked unwell, and she said I didn't do well on the practical exams—which has never happened before," Helen explained calmly. Tasha rolled her eyes in jealousy.

"So what are you going to do now?" Tasha asked. She'd noticed Helen had been down, but since Helen refused to share her problems, she didn't bother asking.

"I'll meet you later," Helen said. Tasha sighed.

"Alright."

Helen waited in Mrs. Katherine's office. After a while, Mrs. Katherine returned with the medicine in a bottle and handed it to her.

"This is the medicine. One of our students developed it, and it's worked magic on the rats—curing them from seizures and strokes. You can try it on your father and report back to me with the results," Mrs. Katherine said with a smile.

"Which student? Can I know the person's name?" Helen asked, her voice laced with curiosity as her blue eyes met Mrs. Katherine's.

Mrs. Katherine hesitated to divulge the student's information but, after thinking for a moment, said, "Samuel Kingston. I'm sure you're aware of him. He has a reputation as a bad boy, but he's a genius like you—the one who created the medicine. His father owns a pharmaceutical company, so it's no surprise Samuel excels academically, even if he seems unserious."

"What?" Helen's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected the bad boy chasing her to be a secret genius.

"Why do you look so surprised? Do you think Samuel's a dullard?" Mrs. Katherine asked.

"Well, I don't know, ma'am. I just thought Samuel plays around too much and is popular because of his father's wealth," Helen mumbled, her cheeks flushing.

"Well, I understand. Try the medicine on your father and get back to me, alright? I expect good results by Monday. You can go home now—the medicine needs to be stored in a refrigerator so it doesn't spoil," Mrs. Katherine concluded with a smile, looking forward to hearing good news from Helen by Monday.

"Okay, ma'am. Thank you." Helen rose to her feet and received a permission letter to leave for home. She dashed out of the chancellor's office, went back to her room to pack a few things, and set off for her family's house.