When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0801

“Alright,” Joll agreed readily. After hanging up, he let out a subtle sigh of relief. Theodore scratched his head, confusion flickering in his eyes.

At a coffee shop outside the campus, the flow of customers picking up their orders made the environment somewhat noisy. When Miranda and Madison arrived, Joli was already there waiting.

“Hi,” Madison greeted as she approached him.

Joli stood up, glancing at them with a slightly awkward expression. “What would you like to drink? I’ll place the order.”

The two didn’t stand on ceremony.

Madison said, “A butter latte, no extra sugar, with only three ice cubes.”

Miranda added, “An orange Americano, large, iced, no extra sugar.”

“Got it,” Joli said.

As they spoke, he navigated the order through a mobile app but didn’t pay immediately. Instead, he opened a group deal app and purchased two discount coupons. Then he returned to the order page and applied the coupons at checkout, instantly halving the total

price.

During this, Joli glanced at the two sitting across from him. Seeing that Miranda and Madison remained unfazed, showing no disdain or judgment over his cost–saving move,

he relaxed.

In fact, Madison leaned forward to share a tip. “Next time you’re hunting for deals, try checking their TikTok page for price comparisons. Sometimes, they have official subsidies, and you can get a drink for as little as three dollars and 90 cents!”

It was clear she’d done this herself many times.

“Alright,” Joli nodded, the awkwardness dissipating completely.

As they waited for their coffee, Miranda began the conversation. “How have you been these past few days?”

Joli nodded. “I’m alright. The results were about what I expected. The only thing that surprised me was how quickly the college responded. I thought it’d take them ten days or more to release a statement.”

Madison scoffed lightly.

This blew up into a national news story, Do you think the college

has a golden four–hour rule. If they don’t respond

dared to delay? Crisis man alls, and no matter how polished their statement is

quickly, public outrage only

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Chapter pro

later, it’ll be useless.”

Miranda followed up, “Have you found a new mentor?”

*15 888

Joli smiled wryly and was about to reply when liis phone buzzed with a notification that their coffee was ready.

“Excuse me for a moment,” he said before standing up to retrieve their drinks.

Madison nudged Miranda’s shoulder and whispered, “Miranda, what if he’s already found one?”

Miranda smiled faintly. “That’d be great news.

“But…”

“If he has options, we shouldn’t pressure him.”

“You’re right,” Madison agreed with a reluctant nod, but she couldn’t help sighing.

Soon, Joli returned with their drinks. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Miranda and Madison said in unison.

Joli sat back down and returned to the earlier topic. “I haven’t found one yet.” Madison’s eyes lit up, and Miranda asked, “Would you consider joining Dr. Young’s lab?” Joli froze. He was caught off guard and didn’t reply for a long moment.

“Of course,” Miranda added, “if you have other plans, just ignore what I said.”

Joli took a deep breath and asked hesitantly, “Did Dr. Young ask you to bring this up?”

“She did. She’s on a flight back to the country right now and will land tomorrow morning. If you’re interested, you can complete the paperwork at the administrative office then.”

“Dr. Young? But why would she…” Joli’s disbelief was evident. “Dr. Young? But why wo

Miranda smiled. “Why not? No professor would turn down an outstanding student.”

Miranda smiled. “Why no

“But no professor likes a troublemaker either,”

“Well, Dr. Young might be different. She doesn’t shy away from challenges; she’s only concerned about students lacking dedication to their studies or commitment to research.”

Madison, who had been listening anxiously, couldn’t hold back any longer. “What’s there to hesitate about? Dr. Young is leagues better than that Sophie Xander in every possible way. What’s stopping you?”