Chapter 293: Listen to My Excuse
Hearing Arabella’s seething internal monologue, Aurora Donovan felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his expression growing inexplicably grim with tension.
Seeing this, Derek Kensington assumed he was just upset about Julian Spencer. It was understandable. A genius who had shattered the rules with his own talent and hard work to earn a special admission from the university—and even the lab—was now getting the same treatment as some kid who had parachuted in through connections.
In the future, this idle, wealthy good-for-nothing would probably leech off the credit and honor from projects he had painstakingly completed. It was only natural to be upset.
"This kind of thing happens all the time, so don’t take it too hard. Life is full of office politics you just can’t avoid. Try to look past it. Don’t go picking a direct fight, or you’ll be the only one who ends up losing out."
As he spoke, Derek Kensington gave Aurora Donovan’s shoulder a comforting pat. However, to Arabella, who had already pegged him for who he was, those words reeked of an attempt to stir up trouble.
’Oh, Derek Kensington, Derek Kensington. Your parents must have told you to be a better person, so why are you so determined not to listen? The male lead hasn’t even shown up, yet you’re already secretly prodding my third brother into a confrontation. You talk a big game about not letting it get to you, but you’re the one who’s the most worked up about it, right?’
The moment Aurora Donovan heard that sarcastic, passive-aggressive tone in his sister’s thoughts, he knew exactly what kind of role this senior student played in the "script" she was following.
He subtly glanced at Derek Kensington. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t surprised.
He had been here for nearly two months, and while he hadn’t interacted with the man much, Derek had always come across as a perfectly nice guy in their brief meetings. Most people in the lab had the same impression of him.
But according to Arabella’s recent description, the man wasn’t as easygoing as he appeared on the surface. ’Could he actually be a deep-scheming type?’
Countless thoughts flashed through Aurora Donovan’s mind in an instant, but his expression remained impassive.
"I understand. Don’t worry, Kensington. I know how to handle this."
"That’s good." Derek Kensington glanced at his watch and said, looking troubled, "Judging by the time, he should be arriving any minute. I have to go out and meet him."
"Perfect timing. We were about to head out for lunch, so let’s go together. I might as well tag along with you, Kensington, and meet the new classmate we’ll soon be working with."
"All right, let’s go together then."
Derek Kensington took the lead, walking out in front, while Arabella and her brother trailed a few steps behind.
"Aurora~~~"
That one low call, with its deliberately drawn-out tone from Arabella, was enough to make the hair on Aurora Donovan’s arms stand on end.
"Wha... what is it?"
"I’m going to ask you one last time. Is there really no Ph.D. in your lab with the surname Donovan?"
Aurora Donovan: "..."
"Why aren’t you answering? I knew it..." Arabella pointed at her brother, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Fine, I admit it. At this moment, there really isn’t any Ph.D. in our lab with the surname Donovan."
"’At this moment?’" Arabella finally caught the linguistic loophole in Aurora’s previous answers. "Which means... there might be one later."
Aurora looked up at the sky, a guilty conscience written all over him. "Ahem, well, as for what happens in the future... who can say?"
The words had barely left his mouth when they heard Derek Kensington, who was walking ahead, exclaim, "You must be Julian Spencer, our new junior colleague, right? Hello, I’m the senior student sent to show you around the research institute. My name is Derek Kensington. You can just call me Kensington."
The attention of both Arabella and her brother was immediately captured. And it had to be said, this male lead, whom Arabella regarded as a mortal enemy, was genuinely handsome.
He had handsome features, a chiseled jawline, fair skin, and a stylish haircut. Paired with a nearly six-foot frame and a long, fashionable black trench coat, he was a living mannequin.
Anyone in the know would just say that today’s university students have a great sense of style and always dress to impress, even for school. Anyone who didn’t know better might mistake him for a professional male model who had come to campus for a runway show.
Julian Spencer stood with one hand in his pocket, looking utterly bored as he listened to Derek Kensington’s self-introduction, his languid posture making it clear he didn’t give the other man a second thought.
Suddenly, as if he had spotted something, his eyes lit up. He ran straight past Derek Kensington and headed for Arabella and her brother.
"Dr. Donovan! I’ve heard so much about you. It’s an honor to finally meet you in person."
Aurora Donovan: "???"
Arabella Donovan: "!!!"
A moment later, Arabella stiffly turned her neck to look at Aurora Donovan. "Dr.... Donovan?"
Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Derek Kensington’s eyes. He feigned surprise and said, "You two know each other? Well, calling him that isn’t exactly wrong. Aurora submitted his application before the new year to skip his master’s and enroll directly in the Ph.D. program. As long as the board approves it, Aurora will become the youngest Ph.D. in our institute—and in the entire university."
Arabella Donovan: ’Heh.’ ’So that’s why he kept emphasizing ’at this moment’ and ’for now.’ This is what he was hiding from me!’
Aurora Donovan shuddered, nearly reaching out to his sister in a desperate gesture. ’Let me argue my case—no, let me explain!’
Fortunately, Arabella had more important matters to deal with at the moment and didn’t have time to settle the score with him. She shot him a warning glare before turning her attention back to the visibly thrilled Julian Spencer.
’One look in his eyes confirms it. This is definitely the male lead, reborn from his second life!’
’Second life? Reborn?’ The two men, having suddenly caught these keywords, both flinched. Their gazes toward Julian Spencer now carried a new layer of curiosity and scrutiny.
As Julian Spencer met Aurora Donovan’s suddenly intense gaze, the hair on his arms stood on end, and a sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.
’What’s going on? In this life, I know for a fact I haven’t offended this VIP, nor have I ever caused him any trouble. So why is he glaring at me so... fiercely? Don’t tell me someone badmouthed me to him already?’
Derek Kensington, who had indeed badmouthed him earlier, would have felt quite wronged. Aurora Donovan wasn’t glaring fiercely at all; he was looking at Julian with keen interest, as if he wanted to drag him into the lab to study him!
’Reborn? This guy was actually reborn? He doesn’t look any different from a normal person, so how did he get to live an extra life? What are the principles behind rebirth? What are the trigger conditions? Is he the only one, or were others reborn along with him?’
Most people feel a mix of curiosity and fear when faced with the unknown. This did not apply to Aurora Donovan in the slightest. When faced with the unknown, his only desire was to get to the bottom of things and understand everything he didn’t know. Therefore, from the moment they met, Julian Spencer naturally became his primary object of interest—a lamb for the slaughter!
At that moment, Arabella had no idea just how audacious her third brother was—that after a single glance, he was already sharpening his knives for the male lead.
The story surrounding this reborn male lead, Julian Spencer, was a bit complicated. It was similar to the "potluck stories" that had been popular for a time.
A "potluck story" is where several authors collaborate on a single work, each writing a fixed section, with the parts ultimately combined into one book.
Strictly speaking, however, Julian Spencer’s situation was similar but not quite the same.