Chapter 195 How Could Sophie Winslow Show Up at Kingsford University?!

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: How Could Sophie Winslow Show Up at Kingsford University?!

Sophie Winslow was not a student at Kingsford University, nor was she attending as an honorary alumna. Instead, she was present in her capacity as an incoming associate professor.

Although the formal procedures for her appointment had not yet been finalized, the university had made an exception to accommodate her for this event.

On such a momentous day for Kingsford University, many industry heavyweights were invited, including top executives from major corporations who came to scout for talent.

Peter Preston was also attending.

When the day arrived, Sophie drove Peter straight to the Kingsford University campus.

Checking his email, Peter let out a dramatic sigh. "Once you’re officially a professor here at Kingsford, am I going to need an appointment just to see you?"

Sophie easily picked up on his teasing. Playing right along, she replied, "Don’t worry. With our relationship, I’ll always leave the back door open for you."

Seeing her smug little expression as she leaned into the joke, Peter shook his head and laughed.

After all, to become an associate professor by exception at Sophie’s age was incredibly rare in the history of Kingsford University. The prestige of such an achievement spoke for itself. It clearly laid out the trajectory of her future—a path so dazzlingly bright that it almost blinded him.

Upon their arrival, Philip Preston’s assistant was already waiting to receive them.

Kingsford University was exceptionally bustling today. The campus had been opened up, and crowds of people were coming and going.

Inside the grand auditorium, Philip was conversing with a few older gentlemen. Catching sight of Sophie out of the corner of his eye, he waved her over.

Sophie walked over, and Philip introduced her. "These gentlemen are all academicians from the National Academy of Somatic Medicine. Sophie, come meet them."

As they were introduced one by one, Sophie was genuinely astonished.

These men were the pillars of the nation and Philip’s esteemed colleagues. Yet, he was casually introducing them to her just like that. Under normal circumstances, getting an audience with even one of them would have required clearing an impossibly high bar.

Putting aside her usual relaxed demeanor, she introduced herself formally and respectfully.

One of them, Justin Kane, looked Sophie up and down before turning to Philip. "So, is this the little prodigy you never stop talking about?"

They all knew exactly how much Philip adored his junior; he was constantly singing her praises. Moreover, they had also heard rumors that this very junior was about to be appointed as an associate professor by exception, her future shining brilliantly.

Philip gave a light harrumph. "She’s alright, I suppose."

In front of Sophie, he still had to maintain his pride.

Peter leaned down and whispered to Sophie, "The old man is putting on an act."

Sophie didn’t dare laugh out loud. She shot Peter a reproachful glare for cracking jokes during such a serious introduction.

But that single glance was perfectly captured by a group approaching from behind.

Evan York didn’t miss Sophie’s glance. It was playful and lightly reproachful—completely devoid of the harshness and coldness she usually directed at him. Instead, it revealed an indescribable sense of trust and reliance. It was an expression only shown to someone she was incredibly close to. To his surprise, he even sensed a sibling-like intimacy between them.

Finn Lockwood, however, scowled. "Is this Sophie’s tactic? Throwing flirtatious glances at just anyone?"

Today, he, Evan, and Stella Sutton had all returned as honorary alumni, though he and Evan were not from the same major as Stella.

As he spoke, he glanced at Julian Sterling beside him. Julian had already retracted his gaze from Sophie’s direction, appearing entirely uninterested.

Seeing his reaction, Stella couldn’t help but feel a surge of secret delight. However, when she looked back at the important figures standing before Sophie, her expression turned grave. "Director Preston actually introduced her to those academicians. Isn’t he being a bit too generous with Sophie?"

Having deeply immersed herself in this industry, she was far from ignorant about the identities of the men standing beside Philip. They were incredibly renowned industry titans; any one of them would warrant a thousand-word introduction on Google. How could Philip introduce Sophie to them so casually?

Even she had never had the chance to interact with those figures.

With complicated feelings, Evan cast a glance at Sophie and Peter. "Director Preston probably just has the kind of personality where he’s willing to give everything to those around him."

"Exactly. If you become Director Preston’s student, all of those connections will be yours," Finn said.

The tense string in Stella’s heart instantly loosened. She felt Finn made a valid point.

But...

"Mr. Preston introduced Sophie to his own father, but he didn’t stop to think. Why would someone like Sophie, who has mediocre qualifications and has only worked as an ER doctor for a few years, be valued by Director Preston? Does simply having the channels to meet important people magically improve her own half-baked skills?" Finn shrugged, priding himself on speaking the harsh truth.

Though they had initially been shocked when they saw the scene, they quickly rationalized that it was merely the result of Sophie’s networking tricks.

Stella covered her mouth and let out a soft chuckle. That was indeed the truth. When she first walked over and saw Sophie conversing with those figures, she had been quite startled, her heart churning with unease. But now that she had reasoned it out, there was nothing to worry about.

"It doesn’t matter," Stella said, tilting her chin up slightly with a smile that was both friendly and intellectual. "If sweet-talking were all it took to guarantee a boundless future, then what would be the point of actual skill and ability? We might as well all just take classes on emotional intelligence."

Her words were dripping with heavy implications, though she hadn’t explicitly attacked anyone. She didn’t believe for a second that those important figures would actually remember Sophie. In the end, they would only slap a label on her: "The ’close friend’ of Director Preston’s son." Sophie simply didn’t have the capability to make people remember her for who she was.

Finn gave her a thumbs-up.

Julian didn’t participate in the conversation, as several industry insiders had already come over to exchange pleasantries with him.

Once Sophie’s introductions wrapped up, she was notified to take her seat. She remained entirely oblivious to the group standing nearby.

Peter lowered his voice and told her, "I just got some first-hand information. Julian Sterling is going to be here today. Sterling Corp is the most ideal employer for the geniuses incubated here at Kingsford University, so he’s naturally on the VIP guest list. But...

"The university leadership already caught wind of the fact that you two are married. So, they placed your seats right next to each other. Don’t worry, though; the reason won’t be made public. Everyone else will just assume it’s a coincidence."

Sophie stopped dead in her tracks.

Bad news. How was this any different from absolute bad news?

She was just here to attend a nice event, and now she had to put on a "harmonious couple" act with Julian Sterling?

A while ago, Julian had publicly revealed their marriage. Ordinary people wouldn’t have the channels to know about it, but among the high-ranking figures in the industry, who wouldn’t know the gossip surrounding the formidable Mr. Sterling? It had probably already been circulated in countless different versions. Especially since she was about to be appointed as an associate professor by exception, parts of her background would naturally fall within the scope of review.

And so, this situation had come to pass. Because they were husband and wife, they were directly seated together. To outsiders in the know, it would seem like the most logical and appropriate arrangement.

Peter patted her shoulder. "I’m going to go say hi to my mentor. You go ahead and catch up with your ex-husband."

Ignoring the withering glare Sophie shot him, Peter turned and practically sprinted away.

Helpless, Sophie rubbed the back of her head and started walking toward the seating area.

Just as she arrived, she saw her name card placed right next to Julian’s.

In the brief second she hesitated, a hand reached out, grabbed her name card, and tossed it into the back row like a piece of garbage. Then, the person took a name card from the back row that read "Stella Sutton" and placed it next to Julian’s.

The entire sequence happened in a flash. Sophie looked over and met Stella’s eyes.

Stella had clearly seen her, yet she still did it right in front of her face, looking entirely... justified!