Chapter 159 I Do Not Live Just To Please YouSophie was the one who did the suturing at the end of the surgery. Arius knew that she had been reading up a lot on that and that she was gifted in the procedural skill. Back when she was at Horington, she practiced on animals and participated in a few surgeries. Although those were nothing compared to that highly challenging operation, Sophie still performed splendidly.Arius’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he watched her.Dr. Smith is right. She’s a gem. I can totally see why he has always wanted to be her mentor. Her fingers are dexterous and she’s really good.“Sophie, you should come with me to the medical association after your grandpa gets well.”Arius was determined on nurturing her talent.She was the most gifted person he had ever seen.“We’ll see,” Sophie replied casually without taking her eyes off her hands.It was her principle to always give all her attention to a patient when she was performing surgery.She would not allow even the slightest mistake.After closing up the wound, Sophie put aside the needle driver and looked at her suture work with a satisfied smile.Seeing that Sophie was someone who derived joy from her work, Arius was confident that one day she would willingly join him.“Good job. You may leave the rest to them,” he said.The doctors and nurses came in in scrubs after Arius spoke. When they saw how the surgery was done, they could not help but marvel at the fine work.When they looked back at Sophie, they could not see any expression on her face because she was still wearing a face mask and surgical cap. All they could see was a pair of cold eyes above the mask.She walked out with Arius and went on to clean and tidy herself up. When she came back in a new set of clothes, she saw that the director was amazed by how well the surgery was done.Sophie was not surprised to see the man’s expression. When people in Horington realized her talent, people from different sectors marveled at her ability and wanted her to join them as well.The director walked toward her nervously, rubbing his hands together. He was thinking about how he could persuade the girl to apply for medical school and work for his hospital.“Hi, um, Ms. Tanner. I believe you already know who I am. You see…”Arius saw Sophie listening uninterestedly to the director when he came back out again.He almost laughed at the sight because it reminded him of the past.“Come on, you’re making her feel intimidated. She’s only in her senior year!” Although Arius dissuaded the director, he knew in his heart that Sophie would be a renowned doctor if she set her heart on studying medicine, but despite how much potential Sophie had, Arius still thought the man was being too pushy.He would only scare her away.The director pursed his lips and cleared his throat uneasily.He’s right. I sound too desperate.“What about this?” the director asked after a slight pause. “Come again tomorrow and we will talk about this after your grandpa’s surgery. Is that okay?”Arius was left speechless. You still seem too desperate. Her grandfather has major surgery tomorrow and you’re talking about sending her to study. This is ridiculous. You’re only interested in getting her to work for you.“Well… I’m really tired after this whole day. I think I could use some rest,” Sophie finally said.Indeed, Sophie was spent. Although she was skilled, she was still inexperienced. Besides, she did not manage to have a good night’s rest before the surgery, so it went without saying that she was exhausted.Arius felt bad for her seeing how worn out she was.Being a doctor, especially a surgeon, was a taxing job. Every surgery was a test of one’s stamina.“All right. All this can wait. Let’s go back and rest first. We’ll go see your grandpa later,” Arius interrupted.“Arius, I don’t care if you leave for the medical association on your own, but she has to stay.”Arius looked at the stern man and shrugged.“You speak as if she belongs to me, but she doesn’t. Yes, it is true that she needs to learn under someone, but I’m sure that will be at the medical association. That’s the best for her.”“But—” the director wanted to speak up and keep Sophie at his hospital, but he knew what Arius said was true.“She will be Dr. Smith’s successor,” Arius cut him short. That was what Barney wanted. Despite how good Arius was, he would only remain a mentee to Barney. The latter never once thought of making Arius his successor, but it was a different case for Sophie.Barney wanted to make her his successor.With that said, Arius stamped out the last shred of hope the director had.“Fine…” he sighed. He would have tried his best if it were someone else, but he knew he stood no chance in that case.It was the founder of the medical association he had to compete with. Anyone within the medical field would know they should back off.“There’s no need to be disappointed. I’ll introduce you to a few good doctors,” Arius promised.It was because of the director that Arius came to meet his mentor, so in some sense, Arius was still indebted to him.The director felt compensated when he heard that.“All right. That’s better than nothing.”Seeing Arius had diverted the director’s attention away from her, Sophie went off on her own. When she stepped away, she found out that Constance was still standing there, waiting. When Constance saw her, she dashed toward her immediately.“Sophie!” she cried out. “That man. The one who stood beside you. Is that Arius?”Sophie looked at her from the corner of her eyes as she continued walking toward the ward. All she wanted was a good rest, not talking to her, but Constance was unwilling to let her go without having her question answered.She grabbed Sophie’s hand in frustration. “Hey! Can’t you see I’m talking to you? Mason is still unable to walk, and his doctor said Arius is the only person who could help him. He said Arius is—”“What does this have to do with me?” Sophie’s blatant question put the agitated woman to a stop.What did she say? Did she just say she has nothing to do with Mason?Constance frowned at Sophie’s cold expression. How could she be so cold toward him!“Sophie, you grew up with Mason ever since you were a kid. Don’t you feel sorry for him now that he’s in this state? How could you be so cruel?”Constance was disgruntled that Sophie felt no pity for Mason.“Well, that’s me for you. You never liked me and you still don’t, and I’m not interested in making a good impression either. What you think of me has nothing to do with me. I don’t live just to please you.”“Please, Sophie! I’ll stop interfering in you guys’ relationship if he can walk again. I’ll really just let y’all be!”Sophie scowled at her.“What makes you think I will help him?”“What do you mean? I thought you’ve always liked Mason. I’m giving you a chance to be with him! Stop being so arrogant!” Constance was a proud woman. Although she was at a disadvantage and needed a favor, she still did not know what it meant to ask nicely. She thought by approaching Sophie and asking for help was already enough. To her, Sophie should have accepted her request since she had asked.Sophie looked at the arrogant woman and pulled her hand back.“I’m sorry. You must have misunderstood. I’m not interested in Mason, so please stop bothering me. Don’t tell me you need me to take an oath again to prove that I don’t like him at all.”Constance was shocked. She recalled how she humiliated Sophie five years ago when she forced her to take an oath to never see Mason again.
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