"What has Anne been busy withtely?" Geneva wondered aloud. "I''ve invited her over for dinner twice, but she always says she''s too busy. It''s been over a month since Ist saw her..."


    Neely Rodriguez lowered his newspaper and nced at her. "Honestly, you''re a grown woman. Why are you pestering your granddaughter forpany? What do you think Roseanne is busy with? It''s either experiments or papers. Of course she can''t get away."


    "I know... I just miss her after all this time..."


    Neely paused. It was true. He missed her too.


    After the New Year, the elderly couple had bought a vi in the same Pinehollow neighborhood as their daughter. They moved in as soon as the contracts were signed. Madge was quite startled to return from Hong Kong and find her parents had be her neighbors, but she was also genuinely happy. The arrangement was perfect for Neely and Geneva; they could see their daughter and son-inw every day without living under the same roof, giving everyone their own space.


    They had been living there for two months before Neely had to return to the capital for a board meeting he was chairing. Upon their return, neither of them had been idle. Neely was busy with work, while Geneva tended to her garden, worked on her vegetable patch, and periodically called Roseanne to invite her for dinner.


    Another Saturday rolled around. Roseanne had workedte at theb the night before and ended up just sleeping there, since she kept a bed, bedding, toiletries, and a change of clothes on hand. She slept until eight, woke up for breakfast, and slipped on herb coat. By eight-thirty, the second set of model data had finished processing, allowing her to pick up right where she left off.


    "Morning, Roseanne~"


    At nine, Mamie and Scales arrived.


    "Morning," Roseanne replied, briefly pulling her eyes away from the screen to greet them.


    Scales immediately noticed something. "Roseanne, did you pull an all-nighter?"


    "An all-nighter?!" Mamie''s eyes went wide.


    Roseanne shook her head. "No. I went to bed at three."


    Scales and Mamie exchanged a look. How was that any different from an all- nighter?


    Mamie let out a pained groan. "Roseanne, you''re so brilliant and you work so hard. You make me feel like such a cker..."


    There was Roseanne, and then there was Carlson. He had returned to the


    university two weeks ago, having settled all his family''s affairs and finally free of his burdens. And then, he had decided to apply for a Ph.D. program.


    Mamie had been stunned at first, but on second thought, it made perfect sense. Even when he was saddled with his family''s heavy burdens and exploited by Edna Moore, forced to be a ghostwriter for Sybil, Carlson had managed to maintain his grades. and produce consistent academic work. Now, with all those obstacles gone, he was like a fish returned to the sea. Pursuing a doctorate seemed like the natural next step.


    Roseanne alone was enough to create a hyperpetitive atmosphère. Now, with Carlson in the mix, they were leaving no room for anyone else to breathe. Mamie''s scalp was already tingling with stress. Lately, she felt a pang of guilt whenever she cked off even a


    little. She had no choice but to throw herself into her project with


    everything she had. If she fell


    behind, she would drag the whole


    team down.


    Roseanne often tried tofort her, saying things like, "Don''t worry," "Take your time," and "I''ll do what''s left," but Mamie knew better. She couldn''t just hand her


    ve


    responsibilities off to someone else. Once or twice was fine, but if it became a habit, she''d just be feiting Roseanne drag her along. Mamie wasn''t stupid. She understood that once the gap between people grew too wide, it became impossible to catch up. And if you couldn''t catch up, how could you walk the same path? Eventually, you''d just have to go your separate ways.


    As a result, Scales quickly noticed that Mamie had be not only more proactive


    but also much more serious. She used to be the oneughing and joking in theb,


    but recently, she barely chatted. She would arrive, change into herb coat, head straight for theb bench, and stay there for hours.