The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 545

"Sloane, you look even more gorgeous than before the break!"

Piper set her tray down on the table and leaned in to inspect her. "Your complexion is glowing. Did you secretly spend the whole month pampering yourself?"

"You, on the other hand, got a tan and lost some weight," Sloane said, playfully pinching her cheek. "Have you not been eating properly?"

"It's all because Professor Jace tortured me!" Piper angrily stabbed her fork into her salad and glared at Josh. "He had me collecting samples all day and running geological models all night! It was the middle of the holidays! The holidays! He was emailing me to submit data before I'd even digested my holiday dinner!"

Josh took his time chewing a bite of his steak. Only when he was finished did he slowly reply, "That's because you failed your final lab report. Making you redo it was giving you a second chance."

"Whether I pass or fail shouldn't be entirely up to you!"

Piper grew even more indignant, turning to Sloane for backup. "Sloane, rein in your boyfriend! He abuses his power and just loves to target me!"

"Don't talk nonsense. You scored a 57 on your final, and passing is 60. The computer graded it, so don't pin that on me."

"The computer graded it, but the final essay question was up to you! Why couldn't you give me a few extra points?"

"I gave you a very generous score, okay..."

Sloane chuckled as the two of them bickered back and forth.

Sunlight slanted through the cafeteria's large glass windows, casting a warm glow over the three of them. She narrowed her eyes, thinking it had been a long time since she felt this happy.

Just then, a surprised voice rang out from the next table, slicing through the peaceful, idyllic atmosphere like a sharp knife.

"Look—isn't that Garrison Foster? The guy who won The Nobel Prize in Medicine six years ago?"