CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 96: SUDDEN ACCIDENT

Jasper Hawthorne was drenched in cold sweat, "What lies could I possibly tell? Before Laura Quincy and I broke up, the media exposed her for allegedly kidnapping my uncle’s son, Justin Hawthorne. At the time, the matter caused quite a stir, but you were abroad and didn’t know about it. Later, much after, almost when we started dating, my uncle suddenly posted a tweet saying the kidnapping was a misunderstanding..."

Helpless, Jasper had to explain the whole story.

Serena Jennings pondered for a moment, "These are indeed suspicious points."

Jasper quickly agreed, "Exactly! I’ve always felt there’s something between them..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Serena gave him a sidelong glance, "Your ex-girlfriend is quite capable, huh! No wonder you can’t forget her."

Jasper cried injustice, "I am not pining over her! The reason I want to know if there’s any shady business between her and my uncle is also to catch my uncle’s dirt."

He spoke convincingly, and Serena reluctantly believed him.

"Let me handle this. Hopefully, it will result in a good effect of killing two birds with one stone!"

"Sure, I trust you to handle things well."

"Of course!"

Serena was very proud, she had always been confident in this aspect!

On Monday morning, as soon as Laura Quincy arrived at the company, she received an email notification: All employees are required to participate in outdoor team-building training on Friday morning.

Upon receiving the email, many people groaned in despair, "It’s that annual outdoor team-building training again, a torturous routine!"

At the same time, many others were delighted, "Wow! Finally, we can interact with colleagues from other departments again."

So, this matter brought joy to some and worry to others.

Laura Quincy, being a new employee, had to participate in this year’s outdoor team-building training, which was considered an additional training for entering the company!

Crystal Langley, Quinn Chase, and Violet Whitman could choose to participate freely this year, and Quinn Chase chose to stay and be on duty at the company because she had a boyfriend.

Early Thursday morning, the company arranged four buses to transport employees participating in the training to an outdoor location.

Crystal enthusiastically acted as a narrator for Laura, "I heard this training base was bought by our company a long time ago. Even the instructors training us are specially hired from the military, last year’s instructor was quite handsome, I heard he was from the special forces, very competent, making many of our female colleagues swoon..."

She excitedly recounted the interesting stories from last year’s outdoor team-building training...

Laura Quincy just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Anyway, she wasn’t very interested in these matters; a handsome instructor had nothing to do with her.

After about an hour’s drive, they arrived at the destination.

As soon as Laura got off the bus, she noticed many unfamiliar female colleagues pointing and talking about her; she knew what they were discussing without guessing.

It was simply about her rumored affair with Young Master Thorne...

Crystal nudged her with her elbow, "Don’t take it to heart! Women love to gossip about such boring things when together, let the truth speak for itself."

Laura nodded, "I know, I won’t take it personally."

Crystal said nothing more; whether Laura and Young Master Thorne were involved or not, offending her was unnecessary; it was better to be on friendly terms!

Having one more friend was always better than one more enemy.

Thinking this way, she almost stayed with Laura the whole time, introducing this and that to her...

With nearly two hundred people, they were divided into six teams, each led by a coach.

The first day of training was particularly packed with tasks: trust fall, aerial trapeze, aerial broken bridge, competitive rock climbing, team single-plank bridge, high-speed descent...

Upon hearing about these activities, Laura just felt her hair stand on end, so many of them!

Crystal whispered, "Don’t be surprised! It’s like this every year, many old employees are already used to it."

Laura felt helpless, "How can anyone survive so many activities in one day?"

Crystal lowered her voice, "We’ve all come through it; by next year, you’ll be used to it."

Laura: "Ugh..."

When the formal training started, Laura realized how tense it was, and teamwork was crucial. Everyone wanted to win, so they were all full of energy, competing fiercely and not giving an inch.

During the first task, the trust fall, Laura felt her leg twist a bit, but she kept silent, as it was just the beginning...

By the third task, the aerial broken bridge, she encountered a girl from team D’s sales department; neither of them would yield, both wanting to pass through.

But this meant one person would inevitably lose...

Laura bent slightly forward, her eyes fixed on the "opponent" ahead, she wouldn’t admit defeat!

Crystal kept cheering and encouraging her from below, "Laura, go for it!"

The girl from the sales department was an old employee, clearly experienced with the task, intentionally shifting her body slightly as if about to fall...

Laura instantly fell into the trap, stepping forward to pass, but the girl’s hand reached over and pushed her down.

Although there were mattresses below, Laura landed awkwardly and twisted her foot...

"Ah—"

She cried out in pain, only feeling a piercing pain in her ankle, as if it was a severe sprain.

Many people around thought she was faking it; after all, with the padding in place, so many people had fallen before, why was she the only one hurt?

Crystal Langley gradually sensed something was wrong, "Laura Quincy, can you stand up?"

Laura’s face turned pale as snow in an instant, she shook her head, "Crystal, please call a doctor for me; I think I might have twisted my ankle."

"You’re making a fuss over nothing! It’s not even high, how could you twist your ankle?"

"Whatever! It’s normal for delicate girls like her who can’t handle a little hardship; it’s not like we haven’t seen such types before."

Various sarcastic remarks poured into Laura’s ears, but she didn’t have the mind to listen to them, as the piercing pain in her ankle made beads of sweat roll down her forehead...

The accompanying doctor hurried over, quickly assessed her injury, "Quick! Lift her onto a stretcher! She must be sent to the hospital; her ankle is possibly fractured."

Those nearby couldn’t believe it, was it possible?

The girl from the sales department spoke up unhappily, "I didn’t push her! She fell because she couldn’t stand steady on her own, and besides, accidents during games are normal..."

Crystal gave her a glare, "Can you say less? Nobody’s blaming you."

Then, she hastily followed the medical staff, escorting Laura away.

The crowd left behind looked at each other in disbelief, no one expected such an accident...

In the ambulance, the accompanying doctor performed a simple immobilization of Laura’s ankle to prevent further injury from the bumpy ride.

Laura lay on the stretcher, just feeling the relentless rolling of sweat beads and the unbearably piercing pain in her ankle...

Fortunately, the ambulance sped along, quickly and safely reaching the hospital.

After examination by the doctor, it was determined that Laura had a minor fracture in her ankle, requiring immediate surgery...

Crystal was extremely worried hearing this, "Doctor, how long will the recovery take after the surgery?"

The doctor pondered for a moment, "The recovery time depends on the individual; after a foot injury, resting is crucial, it’s not advisable to walk much, but Miss Quincy is still young, so there’s no need to worry too much."

Crystal sighed with emotion, she didn’t expect that Laura’s accidental fall would result in a fractured ankle, recalling the way she had fallen was indeed awkward...

Ankles bent, folded position...

Just bad luck!

Since it was a minor surgery, Laura soon came out of the operating room. At that moment, her leg was numb from the anesthesia, she didn’t yet feel the pain, and upon seeing Crystal waiting outside, she felt quite grateful.

"Thank heavens you’re alright! Do you want to call your family?"

"No need."

"Oh, here’s your bag."

Crystal found it strange but didn’t ask more; after all, everyone has their privacy, and perhaps Laura just didn’t want her parents to worry.

Laura apologized, "I’m sorry for making you quit the training with me..."

Crystal exclaimed, "Oh come on, we’ve been colleagues for so long, why be so formal? You just need to rest and heal now."

Suddenly, Laura remembered something and asked, "Since I was injured during the training, shouldn’t the company reimburse the expenses?"

Crystal chuckled, "Of course! Our company is quite good with benefits like that."

Laura returned a smile, feeling much more at ease.

If the company didn’t cover the injury expenses, she’d have to spend her hard-saved money again.

Just thinking about it made her heart ache!

The hospital where Laura was was the same place where Nina Pierce worked, so she called her friend, and upon answering the phone, Nina’s right eye kept twitching, making her uneasy: Could something bad have happened?

"Nina, I’m in the orthopedic ward on the 11th floor, room 5 of your hospital."

"What! What are you doing there?"

Nina was utterly shocked; she just felt a foreboding, and then got a call about Laura being hospitalized!

It was so accurate!

Laura knew her friend would react this way and had to say, "I’ll explain when we meet!"

Nina immediately dropped everything she was doing and rushed to the orthopedic ward, hurried to room 5, and was shocked to see her friend’s right leg in a cast, "Holy crap! Weren’t you supposed to be at your company’s outdoor training today? How did you end up like this?"

Laura sighed, "While participating in training, I accidentally fell off a balance beam, just bad luck!"

Nina held her forehead, "No kidding, your luck this year is really not great! You’ve had mishaps big and small, and now just as the year is ending, you’ve fractured your leg. I’ll accompany you to a nearby temple tomorrow to light some incense and pray for your safety through the end of the year."

Laura rolled her eyes, "Is it that serious?"

Nina nodded, "Absolutely! Just look at the kind of things you’ve encountered this year; first, you irrationally spent 24 hours at the police station, then you were wrongfully accused by everyone..."