Chapter 34 No Looking Back
“Professor, it’s Ginny.”
Lucky Draw
Some students fell silent when they saw her; others greeted her with polite warmth.
Professor Edward told everyone to keep working on their experiments and then stepped outside.
“I’m sorry, Professor. Everything that’s happened these past few days… I didn’t mean to make you worry,” Ginny said softly.
She handed him the printed statement Ryan had prepared.
For a moment, Professor Edward didn’t take it. Her heart sank. Just as she was about to assume he had already given up on her, he finally spoke.
“I’ve already seen the statement online. But I appreciate that you brought a printed copy. It’s thoughtful.
“Ginny, I never really believed you were capable of that kind of thing. I’ve already told everyone in the lab–if you could get to the bottom of things before we left the country, you’d be welcome back.”
In the span of a minute, Ginny felt as though she had been strapped into a roller coaster–soaring upward only to plummet into darkness. The drop was sharp, the air knocked from her
1/6
13:54
Chapter 34 No Looking Back
&
Lucky Draw
chest. But if this was where the ride ended, if this was the moment she’d been hoping for, then maybe it had all been worth
- it.
“Thank you for believing in me, Professor.”
“But not everyone will be convinced by a single statement,” he said.
Professor Edward continued, “If you want more people to believe in your abilities, I’d like to hold another exam for you. Let them see what you’re really made of. Would you be willing?”
Of course she was.
She also understood Professor Edward’s intentions. He was giving her a way to prove herself.
If she hesitated now, it would be an insult to everything he’d done on her behalf.
She agreed on the spot and confirmed the exam time with him.
When Ryan heard the exam would be at one in the afternoon, he suggested they livestream it across all platforms—let the world see her skill firsthand, and take away any ammunition left for those who still wanted to drag her down.
Professor Edward liked the idea.
2/6
13:54
Chapter 34 No Looking Back
Lucky Draw
Since the exam was that afternoon, Ginny and Ryan grabbed a quick bite to eat at a small place near the hospital.
At exactly one o’clock, the exam began.
Ryan sat in a public bench along the hallway, eyes on the live
stream.
Professor Edward monitored everything from inside the classroom.
Countless online viewers joined in as makeshift proctors. Ginny’s re–exam quickly became the talk of the internet.
[These questions are insanely hard, but she only glanced at them briefly before she started writing. She’s the real deal.]
[Oh my God, med school is this hard? I recognize every word, but together they make zero sense.]
[She dared to let everyone watch. That’s guts. Girl, we’ve got your back.]
[+1]
[+1]
Elsewhere, Melody was getting her nails done with a friend when she saw the news, and her mood immediately tanked.
3/6
13:55
Chapter 34 No Looking Back
Lucky Draw
“Attention–seeker. If she were really that talented, why didn’t she get into Professor Edward’s lab carlier?” she muttered.
She hadn’t meant for anyone to actually hear her. But it turned out a med student happened to be sitting nearby–one who was also a die–hard Professor Edward fan.
The girl snapped back without hesitation, “You think all it takes to get into Professor Edward’s lab is talent? You need serious surgical experience. Clinical hours. Real patient work. Dr. Jenkins had all of that. That’s why she earned her spot. If you don’t understand, maybe stop talking.”
Melody had only meant to vent a little. She hadn’t expected to get called out in public, and was about to start a scene when her friend pulled her back.
“Let it go. She’s not worth it. And anyway, didn’t you say you hoped she’d go abroad? Once she’s gone, Chandler will be all yours, won’t he?”
That thought calmed her down. A little.
Two hours later, Ginny’s results hit the trending list again–out of a possible 100, she had scored 99.
“Dr. Jenkins, congratulations!”
“You’re incredible!”
4/6
13:55
Chapter 34 No Looking Back
(Lucky Draw
“Welcome back, Ginny!”
Wendy stood at the back of the crowd and said, just loud enough to be heard, “Welcome back, Ginny.”
Whether it was genuine or for show, Ginny didn’t care. She was in too good a mood.
With the lab admission letter once again in hand, Ginny was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions.
“Let me treat you to dinner tonight,” she told Ryan. “No arguments. You’re not paying.”
He’d been running around for her these past few days, doing everything he could.
She didn’t know how else to thank him. A meal felt like the least
she could offer.
Ryan drove them to an old street near their university–the one lined with food stalls and little shops. He brought her to the barbecue place she used to love.
“This is the one we used to go to during school?”
After graduation, everyone had gone off chasing jobs and routines. They hadn’t been back in years.
The barbecue still tasted the same. The street hadn’t changed
5/6
13:56
Chapter 34 No Looking Back
(**) Lucky
Lucky Draw
either. But something inside Ginny felt off–familiar, yet distant.
“People grow up. Things change. That’s just how it is,” Ryan said quietly. “After a few years abroad, you’ll come back here and feel it even more.”
The thought of leaving weighed on her. “Once I’m overseas… I won’t be able to ask you for help anymore. You should be happy about that. My loss, though.”
She smiled under the evening lights.
Ryan watched her, words stuck in his throat. He tried to speak a few times, but in the end, swallowed it all down.
“If you’ve already made the choice to move forward,” he said quietly, “then don’t hesitate. Don’t look back.”
Write your comment
tr Gifts
6/6
