Meg''s fingers tightened and then loosened as she maintained her meticulouslyposed appearance, showing no trace of worry. "You all keep working on the calctions and checking for errors; I''m going to see my professor," she said with a calm confidence.


    At this point, she needed her professor to step in. After all, he was the department head, while Zane was just a regr faculty member.


    Her teammates, who had been a bit rattled, found a surprising sense of calm at her words. Of course, how could they forget that Meg''s professor was Mr. Calvin? With him on their side, what was there to fret about?


    Meg left the science building and headed straight to Mr. Calvin''s office. Luckily, he only had one ss today, and she caught him just as he returned.


    Meg carefully exined the idea she had borrowed from Mirabe to Mr. Calvin. When he heard her out, he frowned deeply. "Didn''t you tell me the second paper was an original idea from you and your team?"


    He had been so proud to have such a talented student, and now she was saying the idea was actually based on a freshman''s suggestion?


    Meg couldn''t meet Mr. Calvin''s eyes, her head bowed, hands clenched in front of her. "I''m sorry, professor. I know I let you down. I just thought Mirabe''s approach had more research value, so I redid it using her idea."


    Mr. Calvin rubbed his forehead, "So now Mirabe is using you of stealing her idea?"


    Meg''s eyshes fluttered as she nodded heavily. "It''s my fault. I didn''t get her permission when I tweaked our project based on her idea."


    "Permission? It was just a suggestion. Did she publish the paper before you, ore up with the n first? If not, she can''t use you of giarism."


    Mr. Calvin was annoyed that Meg hadn''t told him sooner, but he was even more frustrated by the unreasonable behavior of some students. Instead of stirring up trouble, wouldn''t it be better to learn somemon sense?


    Meg stayed silent, knowing she couldn''t admit that Mirabe had already drafted a n. If she did, she''d lose Mr. Calvin''s trust forever. She''d erased all the data from herputer; as long as she denied everything, even Zane''s word wouldn''t be enough evidence.


    Seeing Meg''s defeated stance, Mr. Calvin sighed deeply. "Alright, I''ll cover for you this time. Be sharper next time; being too honest can get you into trouble."


    Mr. Calvin''s words lifted a weight off Meg''s shoulders. She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes, "Thank you, professor. I''ll be more cautious from now on."


    He couldn''t bring himself to scold her further. She excelled in everything except being a bit too kind-hearted.


    With a wave of his hand, Mr. Calvin said, "Let''s go, I''lle with you to Zane''s office."


    Meg wiped her eyes, nodded, and thanked him repeatedly, following closely behind.


    As Mr. Calvin reached the door, he paused and turned back to Meg with a serious tone, "I need to ask onest time-are you certain your paper''s concept was only inspired by that girl''s suggestion and nothing else?"