CHAPTER 689: CHAPTER 689: MIRACULOUS EFFECTS

Elias Hawthorne wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth, he didn’t speak. He let her drag him along.

The spare medical kit in the car was quite basic, but fortunately, it contained disinfectant, gauze, and cotton swabs. Ann Vaughn also carried a bottle of medicine for external injuries with her.

However, upon taking it out, Ann Vaughn realized that it was the bottle Warren Vance had someone deliver to her.

She had used it once and casually placed it in this bag, later forgetting to take it out.

"We’ll make do. If you’re worried, once we get back to the city, you can go to the hospital to get it treated again," Ann Vaughn said, pouring a few drops of the liquid from the bottle and applying it to the edge of Elias Hawthorne’s wound.

Her arm injury had completely healed, without leaving any marks.

It seemed that Warren Vance’s medicine had a strange taste but was quite effective.

Elias Hawthorne’s back suddenly stiffened, "No need."

After bandaging Elias Hawthorne’s wound with gauze, Ann Vaughn put the gauze and disinfectant back into the medical kit and looked up seriously at him, "Thank you for just now."

The crisis happened so suddenly that even she couldn’t react in time. If it hadn’t been for Elias Hawthorne, her eyes might have been ruined if not blinded.

In that moment of instinct, Ann Vaughn believed he acted out of kindness.

"Hmm." Elias Hawthorne flashed his light blue eyes, responded with a hum, and then turned his head away.

Seeing his awkward manner, Ann Vaughn smiled, "Since you don’t want to go to the hospital, just come to Vaughn Clinic to see me directly when it’s time to change the medicine."

Elias Hawthorne turned his face to look at her, blinked his eyes, "Hmm."

Due to Elias Hawthorne’s hand injury, Ann Vaughn drove the car on the way back.

After dropping Elias Hawthorne off at his place, Ann Vaughn got out of the car to take a taxi back, only to be suddenly stopped by him.

"Jane Sheridan is bringing people back from Mordane, be careful."

This was probably the most coherent sentence he’d said.

Ann Vaughn glanced back at Elias Hawthorne standing under the streetlight in surprise, smiled lightly, and nodded, "Not bad, little brother, you’re improving."

"I’m not your little brother." Elias Hawthorne said stubbornly.

It seemed he had some particular resentment towards the term "little brother," so Ann Vaughn didn’t bother arguing over a title, waved her hand, and left.

Watching her retreating figure, Elias Hawthorne lowered his head and took out his injured hand hidden in his coat pocket, using his other hand to remove the gauze.

In no time, his light blue eyes gazed upon a hand with nothing visible but a thin layer of blood.

If it weren’t for the dark red blood that had stained the gauze.

Elias Hawthorne might have thought that the injury was just a figment of his imagination.

Her medicine... was astonishingly effective?

Elias Hawthorne’s gaze turned astonished, his mood growing increasingly complex.

...

Villa No. 8.

Little Dumpling carried a cup of milk out of the room and saw Ann Vaughn coming out of the elevator. He immediately ran over with his tiny legs.

"Mommy! Did you watch the news?" Little Dumpling asked, looking up.

"Mommy just got back from Mount Verne, hasn’t had a chance to watch it yet." Ann Vaughn picked up Little Dumpling’s soft body, sighed tiredly as she walked toward the room, "What trouble is the J Country Research Institute stirring up now?"

If she didn’t step up to explain it, she’d indeed be no different than being roasted over a fire.

To hand over her hard-earned achievements was absolutely impossible.

Wanting something for nothing—what a dream.

While Ann Vaughn was feeling frustrated, Little Dumpling shook his head and said, "No, they’re too busy dealing with their own problems now."

Dealing with their own problems?

Ann Vaughn raised an eyebrow, put Little Dumpling to sit on the side, and then opened the computer by the bed.

Soon, she understood what Little Dumpling meant.

The major forums and websites abroad were filled with slanderous tales about her for the past few days, accompanied by foul accusations.

But now, the pages were full of scandals about the J Country Research Institute...

The tables had turned. Just as they smeared Ann Vaughn, they were now facing their own retribution.

Academic fraud and plagiarizing results might not have caused them great harm, but the failure of medical experiments... last year alone cost them several volunteers.

Allegedly, these incidents were covered up by J Country, compensating and appeasing the volunteers’ families, so few knew about them.

No matter the truth of these claims, as long as someone believes them, J Country faces much more serious repercussions compared to what Ann Vaughn faced these past days.

Soon, a series of credentials, including Ann Vaughn’s graduation from Speisen Medical School in K Country and her past role as a guest professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the school, were published on Speisen’s official website.

The politicians or business moguls previously declined by Ann Vaughn now stood up to confirm that Ann Vaughn’s credentials were not fabricated.

"Just because you don’t know, it only shows your ignorance, it doesn’t prove anything else."

This sentence was openly displayed on websites and forums across different countries, astonishingly, even the J Country’s news sites had it posted without taking it down.

As if bewitched.

"The J Country Research Institute’s paper records date back to last March? How did they forge such convincing evidence?" Ann Vaughn spat in disbelief as she looked at the news.

Even she was taken in by those documents, imagining the effort they exerted.

"It’s not hard." Little Dumpling said proudly, raising his chin, "Fake is fake, it will show its flaws eventually in front of the real thing."

As long as the J Country Research Institute used computers, they’d definitely leave traces on them.

No matter how clean they tried to wipe it, Kenny was confident in recovering them one by one.

"The people sent by the J Country Research Institute are apparently arriving tomorrow; let’s hope he doesn’t end up crying," Ann Vaughn chuckled, "But this matter will probably be erased soon."

Foreign issues aside, domestically, any negative remarks related to the J Country Research Institute will surely be deleted, leaving only a few words behind.

This isn’t for J Country’s sake but to let everyone see clearly.

What true elegance is in a nation known for its etiquette.

While hitting J Country, they also gain a good reputation internationally, why not?

"It’s unfair to Mommy." Recalling those offensive remarks, Little Dumpling frowned, displeasedly puffing his cheeks.

Seeing his indignant look, Ann Vaughn felt warm inside, reached out to hug his sweet-smelling body.

"Kenny, what do you think causes more suffering: physical discomfort or mental torment?"

"Physical discomfort will heal, but the wounds on the soul will increase with time," Kenny thought for a moment and answered earnestly.

Ann Vaughn pinched his little cheek, "Exactly, we absolutely won this round."