After the Lab Betrayal, I Sought Revenge

That day, I handed in my resignation letter. The reason? "My family has several hundred acres of barley that need harvesting, and as the only daughter, it's my responsibility to help. Otherwise, they'd think I was ungrateful." They tried every possible angle to convince me to stay.

"We're all part of the same team. How can we manage without you?"

"Exactly, especially since we're at a critical stage in the vaccine research. How can you just walk away?"

And then there was my boyfriend, Lochlan, who tried to pull a reverse psychology trick on me.

"Nikki, you're not leaving because of that plagiarism incident, are you?"

"You can’t just quit after one mistake. Do you think leaving will erase everything?"

"You need to pull yourself together and prove your worth!"

I looked at him calmly and gave a nonchalant "Oh." In my previous life, I’d suffered so much online harassment that it drove me mad. By now, such words had lost their sting.

I had been goaded into trying to prove myself again. I locked myself in the lab for a month straight. To keep my mind sharp, I drank coffee until it felt like my veins were full of it. Under such pressure, I eventually made a crucial breakthrough. But just when I was about to announce my results, Freya somehow released the same findings before me, as if she was reading my every move.

Now that I've been given another chance in life, I don't care to figure out how she managed it. Leaving this place is the smart move. Can’t win the battle? Then I’ll retreat!

I smashed my computer on the spot, shredded my research papers, and made my decision clear: I was out of there for good.

"But..."

"Why don’t you come help harvest barley then?"

Lochlan froze. "I have no idea how to do that."

I laughed. Then why are you standing in my way?

"Step aside, you're blocking my path."

I threw away all my notepads and pens, leaving nothing behind. After clearing everything out, I felt refreshed and stepped out.

As soon as I looked up, I saw Freya approaching, pretending to be apologetic as she blocked my exit. "Nikki, are you really leaving? We’re all in the same team."

Oh, look at that farewell face, she’s quite the actress. Anyone who didn’t know better might think we were as close as sisters.

In my former life, after my public disgrace, she wrote an article that seemed to defend me, but each word was a subtle jab.

She said things like, "Everyone, please stop attacking her. She's just a girl seeking approval~"

"I’ve spent a lot of time with her, and I know her character well; she just likes to imitate. She usually copies my style and fashion sense. Maybe this time, she just went too far."

Those words led everyone online to believe I was not only a plagiarist but also a manipulative flirt. The number of people cursing my name could circle the globe!

"You’re a responsible person, Nikki. I trust you’re only joking, right?" she cautiously asked, trying to guilt-trip me into staying.

But I wasn’t falling for it anymore. I smiled slightly and patted her shoulder gently, "I’m leaving now, so I’ll leave the rest of the research to you."

"The hope of humanity rests on your shoulders. Work hard, okay?"

I hurried home, put on a hat, and got straight to work. Then, I posted an update on Twitter to let everyone know I’d quit.

"From today onwards, I’m Nicole the harvester. Also, Freya Wagner will be handling the future vaccine development, so be sure to follow her updates." I tagged Freya just to make my point.

Let’s see how the plagiarism queen handles it—bring it on!