Chapter 216 Sebastian Was On Purpose
"Who did you think of?" Calliope pressed.
Otis sneered, "Don't ask. It's someone you can't afford to mess with."
When communicating with himself, Marcus would at least be somewhat indirect, but Sebastian would just barge in and start questioning.
There was no helping it; that was the status and clout of a big shot in academia.
Harmony College could afford to lose a businessman's funding, but it absolutely could not afford to lose a scientist who could produce academic results!
"Go back!" Otis sneered, "You're no match to Aurora!"
He thought, 'Aurora could even stir up two big shots to come forward while still in the hospital. And you, Calliope, are nothing!'
Back in the office, Calliope's ears were still ringing with Otis's words: You're no match to Aurora!
She was so angry she wanted to throw a cup, but she had already thrown it.
All she could reach was a pen holder.
The pen holder hit the wall opposite, scattering the pens inside all over the floor.
Bronte happened to push the door open and come in, completely unaware of the suffocating tension in the office. She called out, "Aunt Calliope." and then walked to the break room to pour herself a drink.
As she drank, she said, "I'm so thirsty. By the way, when will Ignatius finish that paper? A professor asked about it in class today. I said it would be done this week. Can you hurry him up for me?"
Calliope's face was expressionless. "Do you think a paper is like groceries from the supermarket? Done in a week?"
This outburst left Bronte stunned.
"Aunt Calliope..."
"Shut up! How many times have I told you to call me Professor Ross at school!"
"But there's no one else here," Bronte said, feeling wronged.
"One wrong word, and both of us are done for!"
Bronte hadn't realized it was that serious, "I'm sorry, Professor Ross! I'll be more careful next time! But about that paper..."
"Still thinking about the paper? If you have the guts, write it yourself! Camilla and the others can buy their own equipment; is it that hard for you to produce a paper? "You can have Ignatius help you with one or two papers, but can you have him help you for a lifetime? Once someone like Ignatius takes off, do you think he'll still bother with you?"
"I want to write it, but I just can't!" Bronte pouted, on the verge of tears.
Her persona as a genius girl was already established; there was no turning back for her.
Calliope said loudly, "Why are you crying? I'm not dead yet! If Camilla and the others can do it, why can't you? I think your mind has never been on academics! Always wanting to be the best, but never measuring up. How did I end up with such a useless niece like you! Get out! Get out of my sight!"
When Bronte walked out of the office, she was completely dazed.
She didn't understand what she had done wrong, or why Calliope, who had been so kind before, was suddenly so harsh.
After scolding her, Calliope's mood slightly improved. "Come in."
Ignatius pushed the door open and entered, "Professor Ross, here's the progress report for the past month."
Calliope reached out.
Ignatius handed it over.
As she flipped through it, her frown deepened, "It's been a month, why is there no progress?"
"The various data from the groups of bacteria we've been cultivating are inconsistent. We're currently investigating the cause, so progress is slow."
"How much longer do you estimate?"
"Can't estimate."
"What do you mean you can't? Figure it out! This project has been stuck with you for over half a year. If we don't see outcomes by the end of this year, it will be as if the entire team produced nothing in the second half of the year!"
Ignatius replied, "I understand, but experiments can't be rushed. It takes time to verify."
Calliope smirked, "Ignatius, you're a smart person. You should know how precious time is for us. Someone like Aurora, holding onto a project for two or three years without any notable academic output, will eventually be abandoned!"
She continued, "You just said the data is inconsistent. You're re-cultivating the bacteria for a second verification, aiming for consistent results, right? If you think consistency is inevitable, then why go through the trouble of a second verification? Is it meaningful?"
Calliope's eyes narrowed slightly, her smile deepening, "After all, whether it's consistent or not is up to us, isn't it?"
Ignatius stared at her intently, "So what are you suggesting?"
"Just tweak the data to make it consistent. There's no need to waste more time verifying."
Even though Ignatius had anticipated this, hearing it firsthand was still a shock.
"That's academic fraud!" he said, enunciating each word.
Calliope's expression darkened, "Ignatius, you're a sensible man. I trust you know what should and shouldn't be said. As your mentor, I'm merely offering a way to solve the problem. How you choose to proceed is up to you."
Ignatius looked up, and for the first time, he met Calliope's gaze with such sharpness.
"Professor Ross, this is wrong."
After Ignatius left, Calliope watched him go and sneered.
She thought, 'It's okay if Ignatius doesn't understand now. People grow up eventually. By then, he will realize that the truth doesn't matter; what matters is how many SCI papers he's published and how much academic output he's produced.'
People said research was pure, but Calliope scoffed at that.
Resources, funding, status, titles—weren't all of these tied to output?
Only those who reached the summit had the right to talk about "purity," but first, one had to reach the summit.
Calliope took out her phone, "Tell Clara to come over."
She thought, 'It's time for her to be useful.'
Calliope said to Clara, "Clara, it's been almost a month since the semester started. How are you adjusting? How are the upperclassmen treating you?"
Clara was flattered, "They're all very nice to me."
"Good, that's good. I called you over because there's something related to the lab I want to discuss with you."
Clara's eyes lit up, barely able to contain her excitement. "Does this mean I can start working in the lab soon?"
"You were chosen by me, so of course, there's a place for you in the research team. But we're facing a bit of a problem right now, and we might need your help."
"What is it? Just tell me, I'll do my best!"
Calliope's smile grew even more benevolent. "You might have heard that Aurora's team bought the latest version of the CPRT measurement instrument with their own money. Our team has limited funds, so do you think you could help out?"
She paused before saying, "But don't worry, your efforts won't go unrewarded. I'll remember this contribution, and in the future, if there are any high-priority projects or exchange opportunities, you'll be the first to get them! If you want to go straight to a Ph.D., as long as your grades are decent, that won't be a problem either."
She thought, 'Anyway, just give her a promise. Who knows if it can be fulfilled?'
Clara worked hard to get into grad school, not to slack off, but to achieve something, especially since Elodie valued education so much that it had almost become an obsession. If she could get a Ph.D., Elodie would be very pleased.
Clara agreed without a second thought.
After all, a million dollars wasn't that much. She could get it by sweet-talking her family.
In a few days, Calliope's lab also acquired a new CPRT instrument, but the price...
Clara was on the verge of tears.
What happened to just over a million dollars?
It clearly cost over two million!
Her family only gave her half, and she had to sell many of her beloved bags to make up the rest.
Those bags were her treasures, and now they were all gone!
Calliope was cheerful every day, looking for an opportunity to show off in front of Aurora: See, it's not just your students who have the financial means.
But after several rounds, she never saw Aurora.
"Oh, Aurora hasn't been around lately. She was invited to attend the International Biology Research Summit. Didn't you get an invitation?"
Calliope, still unwilling to give up, wandered around outside Lab C116, but the door was tightly shut, low-key to the extreme.
Meanwhile, in the lab just a wall away, Camilla and her team had started their research project.
Time flew when they were immersed in the lab, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, Camilla came home after class and, as she opened the door, caught a glimpse of the apartment next door. She suddenly realized something.
Except for that one time in the cafeteria, she hadn't seen Sebastian for a long time.
Given that they lived across the hall from each other, even though Sebastian was always busy, they would occasionally run into each other in the hallway. But this time, no matter whether she left in the morning or came back at night, the door across the hall was always closed.
She even had a vague feeling that Sebastian was doing it on purpose.
Purposely avoiding her!
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