Alistair set down his fork. This time, he was really leaving. "Prof. Reed..." Bram called out to him. Alistair deliberately put on a stern face. "What is it now? What else do you want me to try?" Bram was at a loss for words. He sighed inwardly. Forget it. It's this late. Darcy's definitely not coming. He gave an embarrassed smile. "Nothing like that. I just wanted to walk you downstairs myself." They took the elevator down to the main lobby. As they stepped out, Bram suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. Darcy? She's here? He tentatively called her name.Sure enough, Darcy emerged from behind a large structural column. She walked over to Bram and Alistair, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice trembling slightly. She had actually arrived a while ago but hadn't had the courage to go upstairs. Seeing Alistair come down, she had hurriedly hidden behind the column, but Bram's sharp eyes had found her. She looked up at Alistair, her voice choked. "Prof. Reed..." Alistair was surprised to see Darcy here, instantly recalling Bram's mention of a surprise. His expression remained cool. "Hmm." Seeing him like this made Darcy even more flustered and uneasy. Fortunately, Bram jumped in to lighten the mood. "So, uh, I heard you'll be taking on part-time graduate students next year, Prof. Reed. Darcy is thinking about continuing her studies and wanted to meet with you beforehand." His words made both Darcy and Alistair pause. Darcy hadn't known Alistair was planning to take on part-time students, but now that she did, a spark of hope lit her eyes. Alistair was still being aloof and acting tough while secretly caring. He was still holding a grudge over what happened five years ago. He looked Darcy over and snorted, "Your children must be quite big by now. Do you still have the time and energy for graduate school?" Darcy's face flushed. "Prof. Reed, I don't have any children, and I'm not married. I'm single now." Alistair's face grew even colder. "What does that mean? Got dumped?" "Well... you could say that." Alistair was exasperated. "What terrible judgment!" Her judgment had been poor. She had misjudged the person. Darcy bit her lip. It was true she had prioritized love too much in the past. But she didn't regret loving someone. She had loved fully, and when it was time to let go, she had done so decisively. It was all just part of her life's journey. "Ah, forget it. I have to go. Contact me on WhatsApp another day." With that, Alistair turned and walked out. Bram was thrilled, his eyes shining. "That's a good sign! Him telling you to contact him is his indirect way of agreeing to let you apply! As long as you pass the entrance exam, you're practically in!" "Yeah." Darcy's lips curved into a smile. "Thank you, Bram." "Don't mention it. It was nothing." Remembering Darcy had said she was single, Bram felt his heart beat faster, and the tips of his ears felt hot.He made a "please" gesture. "Let's go back upstairs. I'll introduce you to the other students." ... "Jethro, let's go." Once in the car, Alistair said to his nephew in the driver's seat. Jethro slowly withdrew his gaze from the restaurant entrance, a smile playing on his lips. "Who was that talking with you just now, Uncle?" "Oh, that was Bram Marsh, my last and best doctoral student." "Not him. The other one." Alistair shot him a look but didn't answer. Seren chimed in from the back seat, "That's the one your uncle considered his golden student. For years, he couldn't stop talking about her. Back then, when the girl said she was going to apply for his graduate program, your uncle was over the moon. "But then, when the semester started, she never showed up. He found out she'd started a business with her boyfriend. Your uncle was so upset he couldn't sleep properly for six months! He'd often sit up in the middle of the night, sighing." So that's the story. Jethro's smile deepened. Alistair frowned. "I don't care who else you set your sights on, but her? You stay away." After five years, she was finally considering his program again. He couldn't let it get derailed a second time. "Uncle, you're overthinking it. I just thought..." Jethro chuckled, his hands turning the wheel as the car merged into the main road. He just thought... it was a small world. Seren, however, didn't see a problem. As long as Jethro could move on from the past, maybe it wasn't a bad thing to try. ... After chatting with everyone in the private room for a bit, Darcy got a call from Kaia. It turned out Kaia had finally found time to visit Ione at the hospital today.But when she arrived, the caregiver happened to be out, and Darcy wasn't there either. Kaia was furious. Ignoring Ione's attempts to calm her, she insisted on calling Darcy. She berated Darcy over the phone, "What classmate's birthday party is more important than Mom's health? You took leave specifically to care for her! Why are you running around!" Kaia failed to realize, as she said this, that Ione had been in the hospital for a week, and this was her first visit. With the phone between them and her mother nearby, Darcy didn't want to argue. She replied calmly, "I'm on my way back now." Kaia saw that Darcy didn't fight back, and her indignation only grew. After hanging up, right in front of Ione, she continued her tirade, "She's really gone too far! It's the weekend, and instead of being here for family, she's off to some classmate's birthday party. And that caregiver she hired is so unreliable!"