Chapter 953 Rejection
Jeffery had been wanting to find an opportunity to visit Clara's home.
After all, he was practically her primary physician now. It was quite normal for a doctor to visit a patient's home to understand their living environment, especially when the patient's condition was persistent and difficult to treat.
However, showing up uninvited seemed too presumptuous. He couldn't bring himself to do that.
Lyra nodded after hearing him out. "You're right. Let's not worry about that for now. Anyway, she doesn't need to go back home for the time being. We'll just keep a closer eye on her."
After that, Lyra frequently visited the nursing home.
Each time, she brought something for Clara—sometimes it was her favorite fruit, an interesting novel, and sometimes just a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Over time, although Clara often greeted her with sarcasm, her attitude had softened considerably. Occasionally, she even showed a hint of anticipation.
One day, Lyra planned another visit to the nursing home.
She carried a bag of oranges she had carefully selected from the fruit store—large, plump, and just the kind Clara liked.
Thinking about the surprised look she might see on Clara's face, Lyra walked with a spring in her step.
But before she reached the door, she heard angry shouting from inside.
"Tony came to see you out of kindness, and not only are you ungrateful, but you also treat him like this! What have I always taught you?"
"I told you to take good care of Tony. Have you been ignoring everything I said?"
The words grew harsher, each one cutting like a knife.
Lyra stood outside, her heart sinking. The voice continued, each sentence feeling like a stab to her heart.
Finally, Lyra couldn't take it anymore and pushed the door open. "That's enough!"
The door banged against the wall, the sound echoing through the room.
The room fell silent instantly.
A woman in the room quickly turned around, glaring at Lyra. "Who are you? Don't you know to knock before entering? How rude."
As she spoke, she brushed off imaginary dust from her clothes.
Lyra finally got a good look at the woman.
Clara's mother, Delilah Roberts, was dressed like a businesswoman: bright red lipstick, shoulder-length hair, a camel coat draped over her shoulders, her expression a mix of impatience and disdain. What was even more chilling was that this expression wasn't because of Lyra's arrival; it was her usual demeanor towards her daughter.
Lyra instantly had a poor impression of her."Ma'am, since you mentioned manners, let me remind you—this is a nursing home, a private place. Some public places require quiet, let alone here. Is your shouting polite?"
"You! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? I'll report you!" the woman fumed.
Lyra didn't back down, even introducing herself. "Serenity Health Center, Lyra. Feel free to report me anytime."
Seeing that Lyra wasn't afraid and couldn't be outshouted, the woman finally left in a huff, dragging a boy with her.
After they left, Lyra quickly shed her earlier sternness, sighed, and sat by the bed, gently comforting the sobbing Clara.
"Don't cry. Here, wipe your tears." She handed Clara a tissue. "Crying too much will make you look bad."
Clara took the tissue, wanting to speak, but after crying for so long, she hiccupped first. "Mind... your own business!"
Lyra couldn't help but chuckle.
Seeing Clara too busy crying to wipe her tears, Lyra kindly took the tissue back and gently wiped her tears away.
Once her tears were gone, Clara looked like a pretty, delicate girl again.
Lyra was silent for a moment before speaking softly. "Don't let them get to you."
"What?"
"They're not worth it. The first thing you need to learn is not to seek their approval, but to accept and love yourself." Lyra spoke each word with a sigh and a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
She thought of her past self.
Back when she was with the Hill family, wasn't she just like Clara, ignored and trampled on? She was young then, thinking that if she tried hard enough, Heath and Elowen would eventually change their minds about her.
It wasn't until later, after many setbacks and hardships, that she understood a truth.
Not everyone was worth pleasing.
Or rather, if someone required you to grovel for their approval, they were not worth it.
Lyra said calmly, "Sometimes, learning to let go is a form of liberation."
The room was silent for a long time.
Clara finally looked up and asked softly, "Did you go through something like this too?"
It wasn't that she was too perceptive; it was that Lyra's emotions were too obvious.
Lyra paused, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.
Then, she slowly shared her own experiences with Clara.
Clara listened intently, and after hearing everything, she seemed to understand something. Lyra had other matters to attend to and couldn't stay long. She advised Clara to ignore those people and then returned to the hospital.
Thinking of the long-neglected paper, she resignedly opened her laptop to work overtime.
The next day, the paper was freshly completed.
Lyra took it to Jeffery. He read it with a furrowed brow, making Lyra nervous, thinking it wouldn't pass. "How is it?"
To her surprise, Jeffery put down the paper and smiled at her. "Well done. You're almost ready to graduate from my mentorship."
Lyra blushed slightly. "Not that fast."
But her expression showed how much Jeffery's praise meant to her. After the paper passed, the first thing she did was apply for publication.
Lyra shared Jeffery's view on this—being a doctor, the points in her paper were based on real medical cases. Her topic this time was the cell division surgery she had previously worked on, sharp and to the point.
Choosing to publish it was to hope more people would see it and not ignore patients' suffering for the sake of profit.
"Immortality" wasn't always a good thing.
However, the paper was rejected.
Lyra was incredulous when she received the email notification. "How could it not pass?"
"What didn't pass?" Mia happened to walk by and asked casually.
Seeing Lyra not answering, Mia walked over and saw the big "Rejected" on the email. Looking closer at the sender, she was shocked.
It was from the Tree of Life Association!
Everyone in the medical field knew what this association represented.
Mia was so startled she almost swallowed her gum. "Your paper was rejected by the association? That's unusual. They rarely reject submissions unless..."
She stopped mid-sentence, her expression becoming complicated.
Lyra sensed something. "Unless what?"
Mia hesitated, then lowered her voice. "Unless your paper touched on someone's interests. The Tree of Life Association has deep connections, Lyra. Be careful."
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