Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

On the VIP platform, Preston and Clifford glanced over at Derek, asking, "Mr. McCormick, is there any particular contestant you have your eye on?"noveldrama

Derek chuckled. "Our Gabo Creek Province is full of talented individuals. Of course, I'm keeping an eye on a few."

The two elders straightened their backs, their expressions turning smug. "We imagine the contestant you have in mind must be one of our Advanced Medical Institute students, right?"

Derek shook his head. "No, actually. The one I'm interested in is that contestant from earlier—his name is Andrew Lloyd."

Preston and Clifford's faces immediately darkened. They scoffed and replied, "Then I'm afraid you might be mistaken, Mr. McCormick. That boy has no right to stand alongside our Advanced Medical Institute students, much less challenge someone like Mosby.

Just watch-you'll see soon enough."

They had only brought it up to confirm whether Derek's attention was focused on their side. Hearing that his interest lay elsewhere, their disdain was obvious.

Derek just continued smiling, unbothered. "Of course, your students have been trained from a young age and are exceptional in their own right. But there's always a bigger fish, and Andrew might just be the dark horse of this tournament."

Preston and Clifford snorted in unison. "A dark horse? Our institute has crushed countless so-called 'dark horses' over the years. We'll see how long this one lasts."

On the competition platform, the first round had started. It was on herbal identification.

"Ghostwhiskers!"

"Bride's Bane!"

Jared and Francesca both called out their answers almost simultaneously, identifying the herbs placed in front of them without hesitation. The other contestants quickly followed, each offering their own responses as they examined their herbs.

By the end of the first round, 49 out of 50 contestants had passed, with only one unfortunate competitor failing to identify the herb correctly and shuffling off the stage in shame.

Jared let out a dismissive snort. "How pathetic. Did that idiot actually think he had a chance against us? What a joke."

Francesca frowned. "Jared, we passed the first round, but it's only the beginning. There's nothing to brag about yet. Instead of looking down on those who failed, we should feel sympathy for them."

Jared just smirked, his eyes full of contempt. "Come on, Fran. I'm not being heartless—I'm just being realistic. If someone can't even handle a basic

identification test like this, then they're nothing but a fool."

Francesca shook her head, a trace of disappointment in her eyes. Jared was still too arrogant for his own good.

Andrew, standing nearby, let out a quiet chuckle. "Those who mock others for failing often end up as the

ones being mocked themselves e

Some people take pleasure in others' misfortune, without realizing that they might be the next ones to fall."

Jared's expression darkened. "Andrew, are you saying I'll be the next one to fail? Didn't you see that I was the first to identify my herb just now?"

Andrew clicked his tongue in mock admiration. "Oh, very impressive. Recognizing common medicinal herbs is the bare minimum for a medical professional, and you're already boasting about it?"

Jared's face twisted into an icy sneer. "Keep talking, Andrew. The second round is about to begin, and the difficulty is about to spike. We'll see who gets kicked off the stage first."

Andrew just smirked. "Don't worry. The only one getting kicked off will be you."

At that moment, the announcer's voice rang out again. "The second round of the Grand Medical Summit will now begin!"

The second test also involved herbs, but with a twist. "Each contestant has six herbs in front of them, each with a similar appearance. Your task is to identify the one herb that appears the least frequently among them."

Andrew only needed a single glance to solve the problem. He

immediately noticed that three of

the herbs were of the same typenet

two were another type, and only one was unique. Without a moment's hesitation, he picked up the lone herb and handed it to the examiner.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Francesca doing the same, her round face breaking into a relieved satisfied smile. A few feet away, Jared was frowning, his brows

facet

deeply furrowed as he struggled to

find the correct herb.

After a few tense seconds, he finally selected the right one, but it was clear he

needed more effort.