Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

A few men, spotting the young boy darting away, quickly gave chase. Flora could feel the boy behind her trembling even more. "Sister... save me..." he pleaded, his voice shaky.

"Hey, sweetheart, this doesn't concern you. Move aside, or you'll get it too!" one of the men barked, glaring at Flora with a menacing tone.

Flora wasn't the type to poke her nose into other people's business. She didn't know the boy or his history with these guys and wasn't planning on getting involved. But now the boy had come to her for protection, and the way those men talked rubbed her the wrong way. With a slight, almost amused lift of her brow, Flora said, "Deal with me too? Go on, give it a whirl."

"Lady, don't play the hero! Move it!"

"We'll see who's asking for trouble," Flora replied, her tone cool and undisturbed.

"Fool, you're asking for it! I'll teach you a lesson today!" The man, angered by Flora's attitude, cursed and lunged at her.

Yet Flora stood her ground, her eyes calm and steady.

Three minutes later, the men who had been so full of swagger were sprawled on the ground, staring at Flora in terror as if they'd seen a ghost. Wincing in pain, they scrambled to their feet and hightailed it out of there.

Flora dusted her hands off and continued on her path.

"Sister-" the boy called out from behind.

He jogged up to her, a smile breaking across his face, revealing a dimple. "Sister, you're amazing."

Flora glanced at him. The boy looked about seventeen or eighteen, younger than her, wearing a thin, slightly tattered black jacket that hinted at frequent bullying. Bullies seemed to be everywhere.

Thinking of the beating he'd taken, Flora felt a flicker of sympathy.

"Sister, thanks for getting rid of them." His smile, though genuine, carried a hint of melancholy, likely from being picked on so often.

"No problem," Flora replied nonchalantly and was about to walk away when suddenly,

"Gurgle, gurgle "

A peculiar sound broke the silence.

The boy clutched his stomach, blinking up at her. "Sister, I'm hungry..."

Flora gave him a look and pulled two packets of cookies from her pocket. "Here, have these."

The boy blinked in surprise, then grinned as he took them. "Thanks, sister."

Flora nodded, not looking back as she headed back to her dorm.

The boy watched her until she disappeared from view, then turned his attention to the cookies in his hand.

...

Flora returned to the dormitory to find Selene tidying up. "Flora, where'd you disappear to? I couldn't find you," Selene asked, curious.

Before Flora could answer, Selene went on, "I made your bed too, and there's some fruit on the table for you."

On the table sat a plate of strawberries, all washed and ready to eat. Flora casually picked one up, popping it into her mouth.

"Want one?" she asked, noticing Selene eyeing the strawberries.

Selene, her hands full, couldn't grab one but clearly wanted to. "Open wide," Flora told her.

Selene instinctively opened her mouth, and Flora tossed a strawberry in. Selene almost choked. Couldn't Flora be a bit more gentle?

Selene grumbled but continued

tidying up. Before, others would do

these chores for her, but now that she was with Flora, it was her turn Plus, compared to Flora, who had been pampered by the Irving family and Connor to the point of almost losing her independence, Selene had left home young to study medicine and was quite adept at managing household tasks.

"Oh, by the way," Selene mentioned, "the staff came by to talk about the entrance exam while you were out."

The academy had a unique entrance exam each year. Unlike regular schools with written tests, this one involved real-world combat training.

Graduates from this medical academy didn't just need to know medicine; they had to be skilled in firearms, hand-to-hand combat, and survival tactics.

The entrance exam took place a

month after enrollment, where each

student had to spend three days the remote mountains, with the

in

faculty deliberately causing disruptions. Survival depended on

one's own skills.

The staff had briefed them upon arrival to prepare them mentally. Everyone had looked pretty dismayed when they heard about it.

Flora, hearing this from Selene, simply raised an eyebrow, finding the whole thing quite intriguing.

...

That evening, Flora and Selene

headed to the cafeteria for dinner Both of them were strikingly beautiful, the kind of people who

turned heads wherever they went.

Being fresh faces, their entrance caught a lot of attention.

"Look, it's them again," Tina whispered to Kylie, a hint of envy in her voice. Kylie glanced over, her expression cooling upon seeing Flora and Selene.