Chapter 20
Josie let out a bitter laugh. David was obviously clearing Natalie’s name, making sure no one would dare label her a plagiarist again.
At the same time, it conveniently explained Josie’s exit from the team—she simply failed the recruitment.
With this, Josie’s departure had nothing to do with David and his people. Not only did it squash further speculation, but it also set Natalie up as the rising star, overshadowing Josie completely.
Josie thought, "Plagiarism aside, once I get my hands on evidence and expose Natalie for cheating during recruitment, I wonder how humiliating David’s precious announcement will look then."
Suddenly, Josie found herself looking forward to that day.
Scrolling further, Josie spotted the most eye-catching comment under the announcement—it was from Aiden.
He wrote: "Welcome to the family, Natalie. Your arrival has brought a splash of life to our dull research team. Looking forward to working with you."
Right after him was Kyle, whose comments were, as always, full of flattery and brown-nosing.
Josie glanced at it and laughed out loud. She used to be so naive, thinking Kyle’s sweet words were meant just for her, that his praises and compliments were sincere.
It wasn’t until Josie was abandoned and despised by the team that she saw Kyle’s true colors, the venom behind his words.
During those days in prison, Josie would often replay those memories and wonder—how could someone who once said the sweetest things to her turn around and curse her with the vilest insults?
Back then, Josie couldn’t understand. But after being reborn, she did—because to Kyle, everything boiled down to one thing: value.
In Kyle’s eyes, all that mattered was whether you were useful or not. He was the very definition of a social climber.
Josie didn’t linger on that page for long. A quick glance was enough to confirm all five of those senior team members were still there.
Honestly, Josie found it amusing to see them playing happy family with Natalie.
Then Josie moved the mouse back to Sean’s homepage and reposted his thread, adding her own message: "Yes, I’ve joined Professor Wilcourt’s team.
Switching majors in senior year is a risky move, but I’m grateful to Professor Wilcourt for giving me a chance. I won’t let her down.
Thank you, Sean and Claire, for your care and support. Having you both around gives me so much confidence in starting over. I’m truly grateful."
For Josie, changing majors was her first step toward rewriting a tragic fate.
But in everyone else’s eyes, Josie looked like a stray dog that had been kicked out of the house.
Delilah’s lab was seen as nothing more than a shabby little shelter, yet Josie still had the audacity to publicly express gratitude as if it were some grand opportunity.
To those watching for drama, it was just Josie trying to save face, finding herself a pathetic excuse to step down gracefully.
Naturally, this only brought on another round of mockery and ridicule.
Josie hadn’t even exited the page when comments started flooding in.
"Looks like the department’s top spot is up for grabs now. Let’s give a round of applause."
"Always acting cold and high and mighty. Guess you’re not that special after all. Serves you right."
"Compared to Natalie, you’re not even worth a finger. She’s beautiful and kind, you’re just a drama queen."
"God, you’ve been fooling Aiden all these years. Finally, he comes to his senses. About time you got kicked out."
"Natalie saved Aiden! Who’s going to save my poor Sean? I don’t want my favorite senior to be bewitched."
Josie’s fingers paused, eyes lingering on the word “bewitched” for a few seconds. She thought, "In the past life, wasn’t that exactly how Aiden and the others had been bewitched?
Even when the truth was right in front of them, they refused to believe her. Instead, they accused me of being malicious, trying to frame Natalie.
This time, I’m not going to carry that burden. I’m so curious to see just how far they can climb, what kind of achievements they’ll reach.
And Natalie, the girl they’re so desperate to protect, what unforgettable experience will she bring them all?"