Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Rosalind Fairchild Can’t Make Any Waves
The next afternoon in class, Luna Axton noticed that her usually scruffy professor was wearing a tie, his hair was neatly combed, and his leather shoes were shiny and stylish.
For several days in a row, all her professors came to class dressed very formally. Even the female professors wore beautiful makeup.
But Blaze Fairchild didn’t show up in the classroom.
The professors kept this up for two weeks before realizing Mr. Fairchild wasn’t coming back to class. They all reverted to their usual researcher personas, dressing for comfort and letting what little hair they had stick out every which way.
Everything went back to its usual free and lively state.
During this time, the class academic representative, Peter Peterson, actively sought out Luna Axton to form a team.
Peter was the academic representative, but his grades were average. His strength lay in his organizational and leadership skills. He had personally handpicked and persuaded all his team members to join.
Luna knew full well that Peter had approached her because of her grades.
At the registration site, the four of them gathered together, happy to have successfully signed up.
A student from another team saw them and sneered, "Wow, Mr. Representative, you’re really desperate to win, aren’t you? You won’t even spare a pregnant woman like Miss Axton."
The term "pregnant woman" wasn’t inherently loaded, but coming from this student’s mouth, it took on a nasty, uncomfortable tone.
Luna Axton’s brow furrowed in displeasure. Her pregnancy was difficult, yes, but that didn’t mean she was incapable of doing anything.
"I..."
"Don’t you want to win?" Peter shot back dismissively, cutting Luna off. "Miss Axton is just pregnant. Her hands and her brain still work fine for the competition. She agreed to join, so don’t be sour just because I have such excellent teammates."
"With a belly that big, what if something happens..."
Before the student could finish, another team member, a female student named Flora Hayden, shot back, "Shut your trap! We’re all classmates, don’t be so venomous!"
The tall and strapping Julius Cheney shook his head and warned the other student, "Medical ethics are part of the grading criteria, you know."
The competition hadn’t even begun, but the battle lines were already being drawn.
Luna Axton watched as her teammates—two guys and one girl—shot down the other student with one comeback after another, leaving them speechless and pale-faced.
She was grateful that they were all defending her so fiercely.
Luna Axton said with great confidence, "Since we’re so united, we can definitely take first place."
Peter Peterson chuckled. "We can only get first place because we have you, our four-subject whiz."
Flora said, "Don’t put pressure on Miss Axton. We all just need to do our best at what we’re good at."
"Right, we’ll all do what we’re best at." Julius Cheney extended his hand, and the other three placed theirs on top. Together, they shouted excitedly, "First place!"
The medical skills competition was divided into three stations. The first station was case file analysis, a written exam for all students.
The second was practical skills, using a lottery system to assign tasks from a wide range, such as wound debridement and suturing, pre-operative hand scrubbing, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The third station was a clinical simulation. Teams would draw a disease and have to act as the patient, doctor, nurse, and lab technicians. They were required to demonstrate the entire process, from consultation to determining a treatment plan, all within twenty minutes.
Luna could only pray that for the second station, they wouldn’t draw CPR. She couldn’t act as the patient, nor could she participate in the rescue effort. She’d be relegated to being a bystander who calls 911.
After successfully registering, the team began their preparations.
Every day after class, the four of them would spend two hours practicing simulations at school.
The other three team members were filled with confidence because of Luna’s participation.
The more her teammates trusted her, the greater the pressure she felt.
On one hand, she worried about drawing a practical task she couldn’t perform. On the other hand, the competition was at the end of June, right when Lucky would be full-term, and she was afraid she might go into labor early.
Whenever these worries surfaced, the only thing she could do was open her laptop and write out detailed, step-by-step solutions for every possible scenario. She used different colored pens to highlight key points and common mistakes that could lose them points.
When her teammates received the materials, their eyes lit up as they looked at her. If she weren’t pregnant, they would have definitely lifted her up and tossed her in the air to celebrate.
Time flew by amid their intense preparations.
Outside the window, a magnificent sunset painted the sky.
Luna Axton sat on the sofa by the window, answering a call from her mother, Jenna Axton.
"How have you been lately, sweetheart?" Jenna asked.
"Lucky and I are both doing well. I’m preparing for the competition."
Jenna said, "You have a big belly, sweetheart, so take it slow. My eyelid has been twitching lately, and I feel uneasy."
’Mom’s just being superstitious,’ Luna thought. ’It’s probably just from lack of rest.’
But she still reassured her mother. "Everything’s fine here. Blaze Fairchild has been by my side. As for Dad and his boat race, you should tell him and Austin to just do their best. Safety is the most important thing."
There is a river in Kensing.
The joint project between Kamaria and Kensing had been successfully launched. To foster friendship between the staff of both nations, various departments were organizing a boat race on the river.
Luna thought such an event was very dangerous. ’Aren’t hiking or mountain climbing safer than a boat race?’
When she had asked this question, Russell Frost’s answer had been:
Respect the wishes of both parties. The boat race was approved by multiple levels of leadership and would certainly be conducted with personnel safety as the top priority. Medical and rescue teams would be on standby.
"You don’t need to worry about your father at all," Jenna said. "He was the star of the swim team in middle school and won a bunch of gold medals. When he was studying abroad, he was also the captain of the university’s rowing team. Don’t worry, your dad knows what he’s doing."
Luna was still worried and reminded her, "Okay, but it’s better to be careful. Make sure he warms up properly too."
"I hear you, little sweetheart. Dad will be careful." Russell Frost’s voice came over the phone.
Luna’s lips curved into a smile. She knew her mom was getting tired of her nagging and had put her dad on the phone to respond.
The three of them chatted about a few other things before hanging up.
Jenna Axton still felt uneasy, with a lingering sense that something was about to happen. She sat back down on the sofa, lost in thought.
After a moment, she suddenly asked Russell Frost, "Are you sure your information wasn’t wrong? Miles Jacobs has been in Valoria for over half a month. How can there be no movement from him at all?"
The enemy was in the shadows while her precious Luna was in the open. She was extremely worried.
Russell Frost tested the oil’s temperature. Seeing it was ready, he tossed in the washed baby bok choy. With a sharp SIZZLE, countless droplets of oil splattered.
"The information was confirmed by Blaze. Miles Jacobs is definitely in Valoria. But Rosalind Fairchild and Yvonne Rhodes are making bigger waves than he is."
Jenna scoffed. "Rosalind Fairchild can’t stir up any real trouble. With her brains, she’d be lucky not to shoot herself in the foot. If we weren’t considering Mr. Fairchild’s feelings, who knows where she’d be crying right now!"
Russell calmly stirred the vegetables in the wok. "She’s crying in Kensing."
Taking advantage of his occupied hands, Jenna gave his butt a light pat. "Then she must be here chasing you."
Russell dropped the spatula, pulled her into his arms, and gave her a hard kiss. "Sweetheart, have you not noticed the black electric BMW that’s been following you every day after you leave the neighborhood?"
Jenna broke out in a cold sweat, her playful mood instantly gone.
She had never noticed a car following her.
"You mean, Rosalind Fairchild is here for me?"
Russell shook his head. "Not for you. For us."
Jenna grew wary. "What do you think she’ll do?"
Russell raised an eyebrow and pointed to his cheek. "Kiss me here, and I’ll tell you."
Jenna looked at him with mock disgust. He just got home from work and hadn’t even washed his face. ’No way am I kissing that!’
This bit of playful banter calmed her down; her heart wasn’t racing anymore, and her eyelid stopped twitching.
She wriggled free and turned to get a bowl for the soup.
"Anyway, as long as you’re here, I’m not afraid. I know you won’t let me be in any danger."
"Hmph... trying to motivate me with a challenge." Russell fell for it every time. The more she looked up to him, the harder he worked to do even better.
But, just as Adriana had said, with Rosalind Fairchild’s intelligence, she’d be lucky not to ruin herself in the process.
Everyone could take Mr. Fairchild’s feelings into account and not hold things against his only daughter.
But if Rosalind Fairchild was determined to self-destruct, no one could stop her.
The personal information of a diplomat’s family was classified. It wasn’t something she could just look into whenever she pleased.
Rosalind Fairchild definitely knew this, which was why she had sent Yvonne Rhodes to do the tracking.
