Even Jessica, once hailed as a prodigy by many of her university professors, was no exception to the challenges she now faced.


    Still, her current situation left her with no choice but to pick herself up and find the courage to start again.


    With renewed confidence and a solid foundation, she only needed a brief half- hour conversation with Mr. Smith before he couldn''t help but praise her.


    "Ms. Greene, you''re truly talented. It would be such a loss if you gave up animation. If you hadn''t taken that seven-year break and kept working in the industry, I have no doubt your achievements would rival my own."


    Even in such a short exchange, Mr. Smith could see she wasn''t just technically skilled-she also had a knack for scriptwriting and directing.


    "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Smith," Jessica replied. "I''m not thinking that far ahead. I just want to do my current work well. As for things that haven''t happened, I try not to dwell on them-no reason to add more anxiety. Everything happens for a reason, and it''s never toote to start over."


    In truth, those words were as much for herself as for him.


    Living in the moment-that''s what really matters.


    The past can''t be changed, and the future is impossible to predict.


    Worrying about either only leads to endless turmoil.


    She''d been caught in that trap before, letting her life spiral into chaos.


    Focusing on the present is the only way forward.


    Their online coboration was going smoothly. In the world of animation, there


    was no need to be tied to a physical office. Many tasks could be handed off to specialized studios, and a single character might be brought to life by one artist or several, all depending on the director''s vision.


    Jessica had her own reasons for


    wanting to join in person: she


    wanted to learn from Mr. Smith and live up to her professors'' expectations, she wanted to put some distance between herself and Timothy and his father, and she hoped thating abroad might give her a chance to seek treatment for her illness.


    Mr. Smith hadn''t insisted she work from his studio. Instead, he suggested she visit, get familiar with the ce, and meet face to face if anything was lost in trantion online.


    With a clear direction, Jessica could finally get started. Her first priority was to finalize the character designs as soon as possible.


    The next morning, Jessica got up early and headed to the hospital for a full check- up.


    Her condition wasn''t minor, so she went through a battery of tests from head to toe. The whole process took nearly the entire morning, and it would be another day before she could get all the results.


    Leaving the hospital, she unexpectedly ran into Timothy.


    Today, Timothy was sitting in a wheelchair.


    He had no idea Jessica had previously been hospitalized at Dr. Herbert''s clinic.


    He simply assumed she was here for a follow-up on her throat.


    He was at the hospital to deliver some test samples. Since the doctor had told him he could use a wheelchair today, he''d asked his driver to drop him off and then rolled


    himself inside in his electric chair.


    He maneuvered the wheelchair over and stopped in front of Jessica, his tone unusually gentle. "Your throat still hasn''t healed?"


    Jessica hadn''t nned to engage with him, but after all those medical tests, she realized that if Timothy got suspicious and started digging into her recent activities, he''d easily find out about her illness-and who knows what he''d do with that information? It could throw all her ns off course.


    So, instead of ignoring him, she replied in signnguage, "It''s nothing serious-


    just a minor injury. It''s been several days already; I''m almost fully recovered."


    Seeing her respond so civilly, Timothy felt he might finally have a chance for a real conversation.


    He nced at his watch. "It''s lunchtime-how about we grab something to eat together?"