Chapter 102 Dispute
Aurora just got the news that this year, seventy percent of the grad funding from the academy went to Calliope's research group, leaving her with the scraps.
After all the random expenses, Aurora might only have control over less than twenty percent of the funds.
Lately, with no new progress in her experiments, she hadn't published any papers.
No papers meant no academic achievements.
Slowly, her research funding kept getting slashed, her health was going downhill, and she had no students ready to take over.
A long sigh escaped Aurora's lips as she pondered the situation.
Right then, Calliope, who lived across the street, strolled over with a grin. "Professor Garcia, good afternoon, just back from the lab? Heard your group made a new discovery recently? Is that true?"
Aurora stayed silent.
Calliope continued, "Oh, so it's not true. You hustle to the lab every day, looking all diligent, but where's the actual output? I heard your group's funding got cut again this year. Been there, done that, used to envy you back then."
"Every dog has its day!" Calliope smirked, "Looks like it's your turn to suffer now."
Aurora lifted her chin and adjusted her shawl. "Ten years ago, the research funding was less than a tenth of what it is now, but the output of the entire Life Sciences Academy was double what it is today. This shows that the amount of resources doesn't necessarily correlate with academic output. However..."
Aurora changed her tone. "Certain individuals' presence directly affects the climate, causing the academy to spend a lot on research funding but get disproportionate academic results."
Calliope's face darkened. "Aurora, you! Just being stubborn. At this rate, whether your entire research group can continue to exist is a question!"
"Plus, I haven't seen you have any outstanding students over the years. As a teacher, you should know better than I do how important it is to have a talented student who's willing to work hard and focus on academics. I have one, do you?"
Aurora shot back, "How do you know I don't?"
"Who is it? I haven't seen one. Being stubborn is useless." Calliope sighed, "You should retire early to avoid ruining your reputation."
Aurora just looked at her quietly, with a hint of pity in her eyes. Though her research hadn't made much progress recently, it wasn't as bad as Calliope made it out to be.
By mid-April, the weather was warming up.
Even though she had secured her grad admission, Camilla didn't slack off. Every day, she was either at the library, at home, or at the grocery store.
Besides researching papers, her biggest hobby was cooking herself a good meal.
Sometimes, she'd run into Sebastian and invite him to share the food.
But those chances were rare because Sebastian was always busy and practically lived in the lab.
The few times they met were when Sebastian came home to grab a change of clothes or when the lab's break room was occupied, so he had to come home to sleep.
Days went by, and Camilla's life was monotonous but fulfilling.
She no longer had to wait for a man who didn't care about her to come home; she didn't have to prepare food and drinks for him, manage all aspects of his life, or absorb his negative emotions, constantly draining herself.
Having gone through those days, Camilla cherished her current life even more.
Video calls with her parents in Starlight City had become one of her daily routines.
Since moving into the new house, Alistair had completely let himself go, planting everything he had ever wanted to but couldn't, didn't dare to, or had no way to plant.
Every day after class, the first thing he did was check on his flowers and plants in the yard, oh, and various fruits and veggies too.
Bella said, "Your dad is living a pure rural life now."
Alistair shouted from afar, "I enjoy it!"
Bella was deeply engrossed in her latest creation, finding fresh inspiration that consumed her focus, oblivious to the world around her. Despite her dedication, her editor, Debra, still turned down the idea. The two inevitably had a few arguments.
Alistair said that Bella was wiping her tears at midnight, holding her previously published mystery novels.
Camilla frowned after hearing this.
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