Chapter 64 I Am Your Husband, We Will Spend a Lifetime Together

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: I Am Your Husband, We Will Spend a Lifetime Together

Sophie Winslow didn’t sleep well that night. Her dreams were filled with memories of the time she took her wedding photos with Julian Sterling during their first year of marriage.

Julian was a minimalist. He disliked any so-called sense of ceremony and refused to hold a wedding. Knowing this was unfair to her, the old Mrs. Sterling had taken it upon herself to force him into taking wedding photos with Sophie.

Once he agreed to something, he would indeed cooperate. He raised no objections to whatever the photographer asked of him, whether it was pulling her into his arms, gently stroking her cheek, or...

"Mr. Sterling, could you kiss the bride?" the photographer had asked.

She was young back then, and her heart inevitably raced when facing the man she loved. She had fully expected him to refuse. After all, their relationship was merely one of cordial, distant respect.

Yet, Julian calmly nodded. With practiced ease, he leaned down and tilted his head to capture her lips. He didn’t like to close his eyes; he just stared unblinkingly at her stiff, flushed face as she held her breath. He carelessly arched an eyebrow. "Sienna, I’m your husband. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together. What are you so shy about?"

A lifetime... Human promises were always so worthless. Affection could not withstand scrutiny, nor could it survive being put to the test.

Sophie abruptly opened her eyes. The corners of her eyes were damp, but her expression was incomparably calm and clear-headed. Fortunately, she was the one who had taken the initiative to end those seven years of absurdity. Personally burning away what had once been her emotional pillars and declaring herself a stranger to Julian was the most resolute decision she had ever made.

She calmly raised a hand to wipe away the faint trace of moisture and reached for the phone on her nightstand. Opening WhatsApp, she found Julian’s contact and blocked him with absolute, unhesitating decisiveness. She then switched over to her contacts list and blocked his phone number as well, thoroughly excising the man from her life.

Sitting up, she went to wash her face and brush her teeth. She planned to visit her mother today—the mother who had remained in a coma for years following that car accident.

She sat quietly by the hospital bed for a long time. In truth, she felt quite suffocated, but she had nowhere to vent her emotions. It seemed that simply sitting there in silence allowed her to catch her breath.

However, she didn’t have much time to compose herself. There was a smart healthcare exhibition today that she needed to attend with Peter Preston. In an era where artificial intelligence was surging in popularity, the medical industry had also seen a sudden rise in innovation. The competition among hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and smart device manufacturers was exceptionally fierce. Naturally, the inherent advantages of traditional somatic medicine had drastically diminished. She wanted to change this status quo.

That morning.

Sophie and Peter arrived at the exhibition hall together. Sophie couldn’t help but marvel at the rapid pace of modern development.

"As long as you’re back, it’s never too late. A genius like you will definitely adapt in no time," Peter said, carrying a hint of envy. Anyone would easily feel inferior around someone like Sophie.

Sophie didn’t dare to be quite so confident. The industry was full of capable people everywhere; it was better for her to stay grounded.

"Go take a look. The exoskeleton robot you built at the National Academy of Somatic Medicine back in the day is also on display over there," Peter said, pointing in a certain direction. Everything exhibited here today was the product of immense technological advancements in the medical field over recent years, representing true milestones.

Sophie nodded, planning to stroll around on her own. She soon spotted the exoskeleton robot on the display stand. It was a product she had specifically designed back then, taking into consideration the mobility issues of paralyzed patients. The patent had already been sold, and it was being mass-produced, benefiting numerous bedridden individuals and giving them a new lease on life. That was why she had named it "New Life" at the time, which people affectionately shortened to "Neo." New life—she hoped that millions of patients and their families could sweep away the gloom and welcome a fresh start.

Looking at a piece of her past, Sophie still couldn’t help but feel deeply moved. This robot was the very version she had built with her own hands, the final testing prototype that she had perfected alongside her mentors at the academy.

She had just gotten married at the time. Several leading figures from the National Academy of Somatic Medicine had called her, urging her to join the academy for further studies and medical research. She had originally intended to juggle both her career and her family. But later on, for some unknown reason, her admission letter never arrived. Coupled with the Sterling family’s strict rules for their daughters-in-law, the matter gradually fizzled out into nothingness. Thinking about it now... A love-struck fool truly deserved to suffer a death of a thousand cuts. Having paid the price and been completely shattered, she finally woke up to reality.

Nostalgically, she raised a hand and gently stroked the machine’s chassis.

"What are you touching? Don’t you have any sense of boundaries?" a harsh reprimand rang out from behind her.

Sophie turned her head and saw that Stella Sutton, Julian, and their group had arrived at some unknown point. Finn Lockwood and Lucas Langley had been chatting to the side and looked over at the sound of the voice. The moment Lucas saw Sophie, he couldn’t help but pull a long face.

Sophie merely looked at Stella, who had spoken, and calmly retorted, "Did you take a job in security? You’re certainly good at maintaining order."

Those words were truly choking. Stella’s expression turned cold as she spoke with self-righteous indignation, "The exhibits here are of extraordinary significance. They represent the pioneering patents created by the legendary Faye. If you break it, it would be no different from trashing the hard work of researchers."

Lucas glanced at Stella. Suddenly, he understood why she had earned Julian’s favor. She was principled, possessed high-level thinking, was capable, and had a charismatic personality. In stark contrast to Sophie... who only knew how to covet a man who already had a girlfriend. His expression darkened further.

Even Finn looked over and asked in surprise, "You actually have an invitation?" This smart healthcare summit carried immense prestige. Yet Sophie, a layman, somehow had the connections to get in. Given that she was still Mrs. Sterling, he was willing to give her an out. "Since you don’t understand these things, just look quietly. No one will laugh at you."

Sophie hadn’t expected that the very product she had tested time and time again back in the day was now something Stella demanded she couldn’t touch.

"If you want, you can follow Stella later and learn a thing or two," Finn added. "She’s bold in her ideas and actions. She plans to launch a robotics project related to somatic medicine in the first half of this year. It can be used for smart triage in traditional hospitals, bringing somatic medicine into the modern era. She already has extensive experience in Western pharmaceutical research and is now entering the smart healthcare sector. You have a lot to learn from someone who excels in so many fields."

If Stella made a name for herself in smart healthcare in the future, would Sophie still have the nerve to monopolize the position of Mrs. Sterling? Finn observed Sophie with the amusement of someone watching a good show, hoping to see a look of embarrassment and crushing inferiority on her face. However...

"Oh, how amazing," Sophie said, fully aware of the reaction they wanted. She offered a half-hearted compliment.

Integrating somatic medicine into a robot for smart triage was indeed a rare concept in traditional hospitals. It was a viable idea. However, she personally felt it didn’t involve any profound technological depth. Her Digital Chinese Medicine database alone could completely blow it out of the water.

Seeing Sophie’s attitude, Stella retracted her gaze, not taking it to heart. She let out a dismissive chuckle. "True, what’s the point of talking to you about this?" Sophie didn’t understand the true value of such things anyway.

Finn laughed. "Since Julian is helping you set up the project, I’ll definitely be the first to invest." His grandfather was still harping on about his savior. After investing in Stella’s project, he could bring her to meet his grandfather. If the old man was happy, he might even show Finn a bit more favor.

Sophie couldn’t help but glance at Julian. He was going to help Stella with this project?

Lucas had been intentionally or unintentionally keeping an eye on Sophie all along. He caught her glancing at Julian once again, and a cold glint surfaced in his eyes. She still hasn’t given up?

"Mr. Preston." Stella caught sight of Peter walking over and approached him with a soft smile. "I have a project I’d like to discuss with you. Once the joint research and development with Kingsford University is concluded, perhaps we can engage in a more in-depth partnership. I want to build an offline physical machine. When the time comes, could we directly import your company’s Digital Chinese Medicine database into it?"

She understood pharmacology and kept pace with the times. With Julian helping her expand her resources, she could tackle both pharmaceuticals and smart healthcare simultaneously, making her future achievements immeasurable. And Digital Chinese Medicine was the optimal partner. It housed the most authoritative database of somatic medicine, containing renowned prescriptions from ancient times to the present, pharmacological data, acupuncture techniques, modernized formulas, and online intelligent diagnosis. If she could utilize all of that, it would become her stepping stone to the very top. This was also one of the reasons she had been so determined to collaborate with Helios in the first place. Sooner or later, she would meet the legendary Faye behind the scenes.

Upon hearing these words, Peter paused in his tracks. He subconsciously glanced at Sophie before asking, "Actually, I’m curious about something. Miss Sutton, what makes you think you’re in a position to negotiate this? Digital Chinese Medicine is the industry benchmark. There are plenty of people who want access to our database. What exactly is your advantage?"

Only then did Stella laugh softly.

"Do I count as her advantage?" Julian lazily lifted his eyelids, his voice completely flat.