Chapter 147 Letting Sophie Winslow Inherit Calyx

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Letting Sophie Winslow Inherit Calyx

Moreover, the invitations were targeted and exclusive. This meant Evan York had genuinely saved a spot for Sophie Winslow.

It made Stella very unhappy. After all, Evan and Finn Lockwood were Julian Sterling’s best friends; they were supposed to always stand by her side and present a united front against outsiders. She didn’t want the status quo to change. They were supposed to favor her forever.

Evan didn’t notice Stella Sutton’s expression. Twirling a pen in his hand, he said, "The buzz around Helios’s new cardiovascular drug development is incredibly high. It’s award-winning material. Sophie is the primary author—it wouldn’t make sense if she didn’t come."

He didn’t mention his own selfish motives.

At the mention of this, Stella’s expression stiffened slightly. She knew all too well just how prestigious this new drug development at Helios was. Developing a new drug was already fraught with immense difficulties; once successful, it brought unparalleled glory. Yet Sophie had ridden on her coattails, snatching up such an honor...

At present, she observed Evan’s expression. He made it sound purely professional, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about his attitude toward Sophie. He seemed different from before. He paid her far more attention and showed her much more patience, which stirred a sense of inexplicable discomfort in her heart.

"Mr. York, I’d like to tell you something," she said, seemingly having thought of something and weighed it carefully.

Evan looked at her. "What is it?"

A dark glint flashed through Stella’s eyes.

The negotiations with Longview had fallen through. However, Sophie didn’t feel it was a pity. After all, she wasn’t incapable of producing results without them.

Upon returning to Helios, her phone rang the moment she stepped into the pharmacological analysis room. She glanced at the caller ID—it was Hector Caldwell. Thinking something had happened with Lydia, Sophie answered, "Caldwell?"

Caldwell was in the middle of a mahjong game. His voice was interrupted by a fierce shout of "Six of Characters!" before he asked lightly, as if it were no big deal, "Has Kingsford Medical University contacted you?"

Sophie found it amusing. "Why would they contact me?"

Caldwell snorted. "I wrote them a letter of recommendation. Your recent cardiovascular drug development has been highly valued by the national project team above. The side effects are minimized, the efficacy is increased by eight percent, and the price is kept in the lower-middle tier, benefiting the common people. How could that not be considered a monumental achievement?"

Sophie was confused. "So what? What’s the recommendation letter for? It’s not like I’m going back to school."

"Who asked you to go back to school?" Caldwell snorted again. "You’re going to be exceptionally promoted to associate professor."

Sophie was speechless. She thought she had misheard. "Me? Me? A little sprout like me?"

"What? Why not? At your age, you’ve developed a Class 1 new drug, passed the NMPA approval, and received clinical approval as the core inventor. The two top-tier journal papers you published back then also meet the criteria. Not to mention, you have Digital Chinese Medicine—a database that could feed you for a lifetime. Coupled with my recommendation letter, you are more than qualified."

Sophie couldn’t help but be shocked. Caldwell, however, didn’t think it was a big deal.

"If you had joined the National Academy of Somatic Medicine back then, you would have been a tenured professor long ago." He threw out a Two of Dots tile and added, "This matter is quite significant, so we still need to go through the proper procedures with Kingsford Medical University. After all, people with your abilities and achievements at your age are exceedingly rare over the years."

Sophie clicked her tongue in amazement. That was Kingsford Medical University.

"But don’t get too smug. You need to remain steady in how you conduct yourself and your work. In all likelihood, they won’t require you to have teaching hours; the focus will primarily be on scientific research. But they’ll have to discuss the specifics with you."

There were many types of professors. Some mainly taught and had strict teaching hour requirements, while others focused on research. Sophie’s situation was indeed unique, especially since she was so young. It required comprehensive consideration.

"Would I be a bit unqualified to..." Sophie wanted to say something, struggling to find the right words.

Caldwell knew exactly what kind of nonsense she was about to spew. With a sharp CLICK, he abruptly hung up the phone.

Sophie was left speechless.

Before she could fully process the news, Peter Preston barged in. Having caught wind of the situation himself, he said with a complicated expression, "I really want to fight non-human geniuses like you."

Someone like Sophie, who lacked ambition and a drive for success, was especially infuriating. Otherwise, she would have achieved far more than this.

Having finally recovered her wits, Sophie comfortingly patted his shoulder and flashed an encouraging smile. "It’s okay. By the time you’re pushing forty, you’ll probably achieve it too."

Peter was rendered speechless. How infuriating was that?

No wonder his dad talked about Sophie every single day, saying things like, "My junior sister is so outstanding," "My junior sister is so amazing," "You’re the same age as her, so why are you such a disappointment?" and "I want to just let my junior sister inherit Calyx."

Good heavens. He was already a standout among his peers, yet his own father called him a disappointment and even wanted to give away the family fortune to Sophie.

Baring his teeth, Peter swatted away Sophie’s agonizing hand. "I heard from your senior brother that Kingsford Medical University is going to keep this under wraps for a while. They said they’ll delay the announcement of this blockbuster news about your exceptional promotion to associate professor."

Sophie finally let out a sigh of relief. With her laid-back nature, she really wouldn’t be able to adapt to such a sudden change.

However, as it belatedly dawned on her, having such a status would also give her leverage within the Sterling family. Even if Lydia’s situation was exposed in the future, she would have the power to fight for her. This would become her trump card.

Since the matter wasn’t public yet, she and Peter naturally wouldn’t leak the news.

In the afternoon.

Sophie took some time off to check on Quentin Winslow’s condition. After confirming that everything was fine and he was recovering well, she returned to Helios.

Just as she changed into her lab coat, she received the invitation to the medical summit. Seeing Ms. Winnie Hayes’s name on the invitation, Sophie naturally had even less reason to refuse.