Chapter 23
Luna choked on her pasta and violently coughed.
“You’re a fool!” Rhett handed her a napkin and ordered another plate of pasta for himself.
When Luna finally stopped coughing, she asked,How much was that? I’ll Venmo you.”
“Tell me about that innovation of yours.” Rhett ignored her question and brought up a more serious topic.
Luna’s eyes lit up. “Does this mean you agree to consider my idea?”
“Check the group chat.” Rhett shot her a cold look. “We don’t have much time. You have ten days to come up with a proposal. If you don’t, we can’t get the rest of it done. Got it?”
Luna furiously nodded. “Yes, I’ll complete the proposal. But Rhett, I’ll need your help after that.”
Eated, Luna wolfed down the pasta and nearly choked on it again.
Rhett, once more, called her a fool.
“I won’t fight you for your food! Slow down!”
“Heh! I just want to hurry up and write the proposal.” Luna set her fork on the table and continued, “Rhett, thanks for helping out just now. I’ll Venmo you for the pasta.” She wouldn’t have gone with Russell even if Rhett hadn’t intervened, but Rhett’s timely action certainly spared her the trouble.
After that, Luna picked up her bag, ready to leave.
Rhett then tossed his fork onto the table, muttering, “Little rascal!” However, he smiled in amusement when he recalled Luna’s attitude toward Russell. That was intriguing.
Luna finally checked the messages in the group chat after she left the cafeteria.
Erin had replied, “We can do that. Write the proposal!”
Erin had two PhDs and had worked as a professor for decades. She was accomplished in both the fields of cell biology and acupuncture. Rumors had it that she’d even practiced clinical medicine when she was in university.
Since Erin had given her the green light, Luna’s idea had to be doable.
Luna was a beginner in acupuncture and had been reading mostly books for beginners. Despite that, she was up to the task of writing that proposal.
After all, with Suzie and Rhett around, she didn’t have to worry about the more technical
Chapter 23
aspect in the later stage of their project.
Russell glumly returned to his seat at the cafeteria.
Wyatt glanced behind him and asked, “Where’s Luna?”
“She didn’t come with me.” Upon thinking of the situation earlier, Russell became angry again. “Rhett ordered a plate of linguine for her, and she happily ate it all.”
Kevin disapprovingly clicked his tongue. “I can’t believe he bought her out with a plate of pasta. Luna’s really something. Is our spread here not as good as Rhett’s pasta?”
“Haven’t you guys figured it out?” Trevor adjusted his glasses. “Luna is determined to learn acupuncture. She’s totally given up on Professor Hanley, and she doesn’t want to rejoin our team.”
Ethan still found it unbelievable. “Isn’t she affected by the comments online? Everyone in medical school knows what’s popular and what’s not. But she insists on going against the grain. Something’s very wrong with her!”
Wyatt had not expected Luna to really mean it. Once the anger passed, he started to feel uneasy. “What’s so good about Rhett? Why is she on his team? Is this her way of provoking me?”
“Wyatt, why don’t you coax her? She listens to you the most. She might rejoin if you talk to her.” Russell stared at Wyatt in desperation.
Wyatt started to waver. He was so close to agreeing.
