Winnie, without any hesitation, inquired further, “But what? Just spit it out.”
Lisanne’s brows creased. “After giving it some thought, I realize I might need Prince Andrew’s help to resolve this matter. Given that I need someone to shield me from the pressure, Prince Andrew—a member of the royal family—is undoubtedly the best candidate.
“As for the person who’s dying to see me leave, he’s actually a rival of mine in the research center and also a fellow mentee. Ever since we worked together under the same boss, he began to covet my research topics and results.
“Back then, he kept hinting to me to include his name on my thesis even though he made zero contributions. Obviously, I rejected him as there was no way I was going to reward him for doing nothing, but that was the genesis of his grudge toward me.
“Now that I have tendered my resignation, it’s natural that I want to take my research papers and results with me. However, he protested against it by claiming that he had completed the research together with me. He told me that I was free to leave but had to leave the research data to him, either that or add his name to my thesis.
“Considering how despicable he is, I would rather destroy my research data than leave it to him. But now, I’ve changed my mind. I have instead decided to share two of my theses with Prince Andrew’s girlfriend. Doing so would help her put her foot in the door of the research center.
“Now that I’m looking to quit and Professor Houlter has passed away abruptly, the research center is suddenly short-handed. Also, Prince Andrew’s presence will help facilitate my resignation too. In the event my rival gives me any trouble, the prince would naturally have my back. After all, his girlfriend is the one taking over my role, and it makes no sense for him to sit idly by when she’s being attacked by someone else. Anyway, this is what I have in mind, and it feels like a win-win scenario. So, what do you think?”
Winnie gave the matter deep thought. “I think it’s feasible, but have you thought it through? Do you really want to share your theses with someone else? Those are, after all, the fruits of your research!”
“Yes, I’ve made up my mind.” Lisanne’s tone was firm. “For the sake of returning to Chanaea, this is certainly worth it.”
“Fine. I’ll find a way to talk to Prince Andrew about this. Just wait for my update.”
“Great!” After breathing a sigh of relief, Lisanne opened the menu and prepared to order a slice of cake.
“I finally have some appetite,” she remarked before asking Winnie. “I’ll order one for you too, Winnie. How about a mousse cake?”
“I’ll pass.” Winnie took a sip of coffee. “The earlier I get this done, the better. After finishing this cup of coffee, I’m going straight to see Wilhelm.”
“All right then. I hope you’ll bring good news.”
The fact that Lisanne was willing to share the credit for her theses would definitely be welcomed by Andrew’s girlfriend.
As a result, the matter was quickly resolved.
Although Wilhelm knew that Winnie had contributed significant effort to the matter, she was still someone within Xavier’s network. Hence, he stopped making things difficult for the latter.
As for Lisanne, she quickly made preparations to return to her country.
Due to her experience at the research center, her impression of Yartran was utterly ruined. Therefore, she didn’t even want to keep her house there and instructed Winnie to sell it on her behalf.
Although Winnie agreed to it, she figured that Lisanne might still return to Yartran one day. Thus, she bought the house out of her own pocket and planned to return it to Lisanne as a gift one day.
Now that Lisanne was all packed, she decided to leave all her furniture behind. All that was left was to receive a confirmation of her resignation from the research center.
It was during this lull in Lisanne’s schedule that Winnie brought Xavier over to see the former.
Firstly, they wanted to thank her. Secondly, Winnie wanted to introduce Xavier to Lisanne, who was, after all, a close friend of hers.
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