Chapter 232 A Sense of Ritual for the One You Like
Olivia nodded and then asked, "So you're sure you're going?"
He glanced at her with a smile and said, "What? Can't bear to see me go?"
Olivia nodded and said, "Of course I can't!"
They had just reconciled not long ago, and she hadn't had time to properly show her respect to Rodolfo.
Besides, once he got involved in research and development, he would be very busy, and they would have even fewer chances to see each other.
Thinking about it, Olivia felt a bit uncomfortable.
Rodolfo smiled with relief and said, "Don't worry. The government invited me over, and they've naturally considered my age.
I'm just an old man now. At most, I'll be in charge, mainly overseeing the project's progress. They won't push me too hard.
When we discussed it earlier, they already said there would be one or two days off each week.
As for working hours, they won't make me stay up late like the young people do, so it'll be much shorter!
So don't worry. We'll still have chances to see each other every week.
You can bring Bianca to visit Harmony City, and I can also come to Emerald City.
But these are secondary matters.
As a doctor, the most important thing is to fulfill one's mission.
Your company's development is now closely related to the military, so you need to work hard too. I'm waiting for you to achieve great things."
Olivia nodded and immediately replied, "Don't worry, I will! I absolutely won't disappoint you again!"
Rodolfo finally felt relieved.
Then, after a brief pause, he said to Olivia, "From now on, bring Bianca over here for dinner every evening. If you're too busy, I'll have Simon pick her up."
He was afraid that after going to Harmony City, he wouldn't see Bianca and would miss her.
Olivia understood what he meant and happily agreed.
Meanwhile, when Lyle came home from a business dinner that evening, his assistant told him about the lawyer's letter.
After reading it, his expression showed some disdain, and he casually tossed the letter into the trash. "Let them sue. These days, the same medicine under different brands can have the same formula. There's no reason they can use it but others can't!"
He wasn't afraid of this kind of lawsuit that he was sure to win.
One of the reasons he borrowed this medicine formula was because Olivia was Rodolfo's student.
Thinking of that old bastard, Lyle's eyes filled with gloom.
He disliked Rodolfo, even to the point of resentment.
Since he was young, he had found Rodolfo unpleasant.
The reason was simple.
Rodolfo was the most talented person in the Medica Vitae Sect. From the moment he entered, everyone in the sect praised him constantly.
Lyle thought his own abilities weren't bad either.
But because of Rodolfo's existence, he had always been overshadowed.
Later, after being expelled from the Medica Vitae Sect, Lyle was even more upset and vengefully ran off with Rodolfo's fiancée.
The Medica Vitae Sect had two gems—one was Rodolfo, and the other was Rodolfo's fiancée.
Her talent was no less than Rodolfo's. She was the youngest among them all, yet had learned the most and was the most skilled in medicine.
But she happened to be Rodolfo's fiancée.
Lyle took her away not only to get revenge on Rodolfo but also hoping to learn all the medical techniques of the Medica Vitae Sect from her.
However, he didn't expect that the woman, feeling she had wronged the Medica Vitae Sect and Rodolfo, refused to teach him anything.
Eventually, Lyle naturally grew tired of her and neglected her, finding other women outside.
He had been waiting for her to bow her head and apologize.
But unexpectedly, the woman chose to end her life, causing him a whole lot of trouble.
Over the years, he and Rodolfo had been competing in secret.
Unfortunately, he had been constantly overshadowed.
Rodolfo's status in the medical field was too high. No matter what Lyle tried, he couldn't do anything to him.
He couldn't deal with Rodolfo.
But targeting his student and making him unhappy would be good too!
Also, he had heard about the military recruiting a research team this time.
Without a doubt, Rodolfo must be on the invitation list.
Rodolfo had already enjoyed enough honors.
If he didn't fight for it now, he might never beat him in this lifetime.
A hint of malice appeared in Lyle's eyes.
How could he bring Rodolfo down?
He needed to plan this carefully!
It would be best to make sure he could never recover!
...
Rodolfo didn't know Lyle was plotting against him. He had been particularly busy recently.
Apart from spending time with adorable Bianca, he was planning a grand birthday for Olivia to announce her status to everyone.
Simon understood his intentions.
He was already experienced in organizing banquets; it was just the guest list that needed Rodolfo to redefine.
The scale of the banquet was bound to be extraordinary.
Rodolfo had Simon write invitations, inviting almost all of his connections.
Government officials, military personnel, big names in the medical field, and even business people he had treated were all included.
Especially these business people—they were all heads of various state-owned enterprises.
Every single one of them was influential.
Even Simon could see that Rodolfo was making a grand gesture this time, mobilizing everyone to slap the Johnson family in the face.
He wanted to tell the Johnson family that the person they despised for not having a wealthy family background could still be pampered and live a glorious life.
She should be the center of attention!
Olivia had been kept in the dark about this the whole time. She still didn't know about everything Rodolfo was quietly planning.
Bianca knew, but she didn't tell Olivia either.
Because when Rodolfo told her, he asked her to keep it secret from Olivia, saying he wanted to give her a surprise.
Bianca also wanted to give a surprise, so she took advantage of school time to paint in Benjamin's office.
To avoid being discovered early, Bianca didn't even bring the painting home.
This was the first time she had participated in creating a surprise, so she was particularly excited and didn't mind the effort at all.
At first, Benjamin thought Bianca was completing homework assigned by Andrew, so he didn't ask about it.
It wasn't until a few days later, when Bianca's painting took shape, that Benjamin discovered she had painted a family of three eating cake together at home.
From the background of the painting, it appeared to be a birthday celebration.
The painting was very detailed, with a warm style. Benjamin only needed one glance to feel deeply moved.
Bianca had really improved so much compared to before.
With Andrew's guidance, her emotional world was becoming richer.
She could feel everything in the outside world and convey her emotions through her paintings.
Each piece could move people with just one look.
Benjamin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Bianca, you painted this so well. Can you tell me who you're planning to give this painting to?"
Facing Benjamin, Bianca didn't hide anything.
She happily told Benjamin, "I want to give it to my mommy as a birthday present. I want to surprise her. Mr. White, you have to keep it secret for me!"
Hearing this, Benjamin looked somewhat surprised. "Your mommy's birthday is coming up? When is it?"
Such a big event—did Andrew know about it?
This was Olivia's first birthday since they met. They definitely needed to celebrate it properly.
This was a great opportunity to bring the two of them closer!
Bianca didn't know what he was thinking and honestly shared with Benjamin, "My mommy's birthday is on the 15th. It's coming up in a few days!"
"The 15th!" Benjamin slapped his thigh.
That was soon!
He hadn't heard any news from Andrew's side. Did Andrew not even know about this?
No way. Andrew had finally taken an interest in someone. As his good friend, he definitely needed to help!
Benjamin quickly pulled out his phone and sent Andrew a message: [Andrew, do you know Dr. Garcia's birthday? Bianca says it's on the 15th! Do you have any plans?]
When Andrew saw his message, his finger paused on the screen.
He really didn't know about Olivia's birthday.
But he remembered that when Olivia went to register at the Military Base Housing, the date on her identity document wasn't on the day Benjamin mentioned.
Benjamin continued sending messages: [I just heard from Bianca that Mr. McCoy seems to be planning a birthday party for her to give her a surprise. Andrew, we can't fall behind.]
Seeing this, Andrew looked puzzled. Was this something to compete over?
He typed back: [That's her teacher.]
Benjamin was anxious: [Yes, he's her teacher, but you like Dr. Garcia. As someone pursuing her, shouldn't you show something?]
This was someone Andrew cared about. Did he understand the importance of pursuing a girl?
Thoughtfulness and a sense of ceremony were both important!
Benjamin started earnestly giving Andrew examples: [You're single, so maybe you don't know about many things. But I saw videos online about a girl whose boyfriend forgot her birthday because he was busy. The girl felt he didn't value her at all, so she broke up with him in anger.
Also, there was a guy who was enthusiastically pursuing a girl he liked. Things were going well, and the girl was about to say yes.
But then he didn't know her birthday and missed the chance to celebrate. The girl felt he didn't value anything related to her and couldn't see his sincerity, so she decided his so-called affection must be fake.
So she rejected him and even stopped seeing him afterward!
And also...]
Benjamin wasn't tired at all and gave more than a dozen examples in one breath.
Afraid he couldn't convince Andrew, he even shared a bunch of short videos, wanting him to take them as a warning.
Andrew quietly read through everything and remained silent for a long time, his expression hard to describe.
Seeing that he hadn't replied, Benjamin anxiously asked: [Andrew, did you see what I sent? Take this seriously, or you might end up single forever!]
Andrew was speechless.
He couldn't take it anymore and replied: [If you have nothing to do, read more books and watch less garbage videos. It's bad for your brain.]