Reborn to Destroy the Cheaters!

Before I could confront Lily, the hospital's group chat blew up, with everyone talking about the same thing.

Earlier that morning, Lily posted an update. In the video, her face was red and puffy from crying, and her voice trembled with emotion. I even felt a twinge of sympathy.

"How can someone be so shameless as to take credit for plagiarizing another person's hard work? I've had to rethink my orthopedic medical paper, and I refuse to believe she'll try to steal from me again!"

Those were her exact words at the end of the video, and a chill ran down my spine.

Her following paper was also on orthopedics.

Could two people really have the same thoughts?

As I tried to process this, another message popped up in the group chat. Someone mentioned that Lily had developed mild depression from all the stress and was taking a leave of absence. The news sent the conversation into overdrive.

Of course, Kevin was the loudest in the group, fueling the fire.

He commented, 'This situation needs to be thoroughly investigated! We need to find the plagiarist and clear Lily's name. That plagiarist has no place in the medical field and shouldn't be allowed to practice!'

Not long after, Lily replied to his message. 'Thank you, Kevin. I miss Auntie's soup.'

Kevin responded almost immediately, 'Whenever you're feeling better, just come over. My mom will make it for you anytime.'

That was the moment I knew for sure. I had made the right decision to leave Kevin.

Everyone else in the chat was on their side, too. The conversation quickly turned into a one-sided bashing, and before long, someone started a petition asking the hospital to conduct a full investigation. They wanted to pressure the administration to take action.

As I stared at the growing list of signatures, my head started to spin. Flashbacks from my past life crashed over me like a wave, bringing back the cruel insults, the hate, and the death threats.

"Be careful walking at night. The spirits are waiting to drag you to hell!"

"You're disgusting, ruining that poor girl's life. Karma's coming for you, and your family will pay the price."

That last curse had come true. My parents had died because of me.

The memory of their deaths hit me like a punch to the gut, and I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood.

I couldn't let this happen again. I had to figure out what was going on before it spiraled out of control.

As I was staring at my phone, lost in thought, someone suddenly tagged me in the group chat.

'I heard Dr. Carter, who works in the same department as Dr. Lily Davis, is also working on an orthopedic paper. Could it be her who plagiarized?'

'I heard from someone on her team that her topic is the same as Lily's.'

'Rachel Carter? Isn't she the top ortho specialist? She's published so many papers. She wouldn't need to plagiarize, right?'

'But you never know. People aren't always what they seem. Who knows if her previous work was stolen, too?'

Right then, rumors spread like wildfire. Suddenly, the group chat was flooded with messages accusing me of stealing Lily's work.

And through it all, Kevin, who could've easily defended me, stayed utterly silent.

Frustration, disappointment, and a deep sense of betrayal hit me all at once. I wanted to leave the chat, to disconnect and calm myself down.

But before I could, someone posted several screenshots of Lily's latest orthopedic paper draft.

'To protect my work, I'm sharing the latest draft of my orthopedic paper with you all. Please help me if it gets plagiarized again. :(' Lily commented, adding a sad little emoji.

Meanwhile, her supporters immediately jumped to her defense.

'Don't worry! We all know how talented you are. We'll destroy anyone who tries to steal from you!' one said.

Another commented, 'Exactly! You're smart, kind, and beautiful. You deserve to be protected!'

With shaking hands, I clicked on the screenshots. The moment I saw them, an icy chill spread through me.

The content…it was identical to the handwritten draft I finished last night.