Josie shook her head. “A petty revenge won’t hurt her, unless I have something that will keep her down for good.”

But right now, she didn’t have that.

“Is that it?” Allison was fuming. “I can’t just let this slide. If someone tried to set me up like that, I’d make sure her mother wouldn’t even recognize her!”

Allison had a fiery temper and couldn’t stand injustice.

“Well, it’s not like we can’t make her uncomfortable.” Josie smiled slightly. “Do any of you know someone who’s good with computers? Preferably a real expert?”

They all shook their heads. “We’re from the medical school. There’s probably not a single computer genius in the entire university, and our social circles don’t exactly extend beyond our department.”

This was one of Josie’s frustrations.

She’d been wondering how Natalie had managed to plagiarize her thesis. She had considered the possibility that Natalie might have sneaked a peek at her computer when she wasn’t around. But after thinking about it carefully, Josie realized her computer had always been in her dorm during the days she was writing her thesis. She never brought it to the lab.

She’d also thought about whether someone had helped Natalie by accessing her computer, but no one in her dorm knew Natalie. Even if they did, she didn’t believe they’d help her do something like that. As for people from other dorms, they couldn’t even get into their dorm without permission. Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. Her computer had a screen lock, and without the password, no one could see its contents.

That left only one possibility: someone had hacked into her computer and planted a virus to steal her files.

The events with the forum today had only confirmed her suspicions.

“Forget it for now. I’ll think of something else,” she said, trying to stay calm. “I can’t rush things with Natalie.”

Zoey grabbed her hand. “Whatever you decide to do, we’ve got your back, no questions asked. Just let us know when you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Josie smiled warmly. “I won’t forget you guys.”

Adeline patted her shoulder and made her sit down.

“Alright, enough of this for now. You probably haven’t eaten yet, right? We brought you some food. Seriously, what’s going on with you? No classes, always holed up in your dorm studying, and you still forget to eat on time?”

“I was just upset today. I’ll definitely eat on time from now on!” Josie gave them a grateful look, making a promise.

Allison nodded. “You’d better. Look at you, you’re so thin. Your clothes barely fit! It’s a shame, with a face like yours.”

“Exactly,” Adeline added, “You need to take better care of yourself. Stop being so foolish with your money, buying gifts for everyone else. I’ve never seen anyone as ridiculous as you!” She gave her a light tap on the forehead.

Even though they were scolding her, Josie felt happy.

These people really cared about her. How had she been so blind in her previous life to ignore their kindness and push these true friends away?

She hated the version of herself from that life, but she was grateful that fate had given her another chance. This time, she wouldn’t let these friends down.

She would take better care of herself—and love them as much as they loved her.

Josie obediently let them lecture her, then happily went to eat, giving them a guilty but determined look. Her expression made the others smile and soften, no longer wanting to scold her.

As Josie ate with focus, Aiden and the others were also having their meal together.

Aiden had arranged this dinner to comfort Vincent and invited the whole team.

He waved them to take a seat.

“Order whatever you want, don’t hold back. It’s my treat today,” Aiden said.