Joseph, his face full of sighs and lingering fear, sat down beside Jeremy.
Fortunately, Josie demonstrated foresight by instructing the immediate submission of a patent application once the research method was validated. She also sought assistance from the Reedshaw family to expedite the process. The certificate was obtained in just over two months, and its arrival felt almost aided by divine intervention. Then, Joseph felt that he had to give credit to Josie’s intelligence and foresight.
Josie’s evident happiness stood in sharp contrast to Aiden and his companions across from her. Gavin, in particular, had his fingernails digging into his own hands. He thought, "Why did it end up like this? Josie jumped up cheerfully to high-five others, and she has helped them tease the very people she used to care about. She once always put our interests first. At present, absolutely no leniency is being shown towards us."
Gavin felt a sharp pain in his heart, especially after just hearing Jeremy say that the reason Joseph was able to discover this research method was because Josie had reminded him. This reminded Gavin of the days when he and Josie conducted experiments together. Josie always offered unique insights into their research. At each critical stage of the experiments, she consistently proposed innovative perspectives. If they were still on the same team, he felt that this research methodology would belong to him instead. After all, he had already come up with the general concept beforehand. Seeing the certificate in Joseph’s hands, he felt truly distressed. It was as if something that rightfully belonged to him was forcibly taken away by others.
Gavin no longer wished to remain. He said, “Professor, I apologize for disappointing you. Since they have already obtained the patent, there is nothing more to discuss. Let’s go.”
He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would lose control and ask Josie why she left them to help these people instead.
Aiden was somewhat surprised, but even more disappointed. He remarked, “It is indeed our own fault for falling behind. We have no one else to blame.”
“Why must we always be one step behind!” Audrey was truly indignant. She thought, “It is one thing for their paper to be published before ours, but now, with a patent clearly within reach, how can we bear to let this opportunity slip away as well?” She said, “David, say something. Does their patent really follow the proper procedures? Is their research method actually different from ours? Is it possible that these are two separate approaches?”
Josie thought, “Even after the certificate has already been slapped in her face, she is still making a last-ditch struggle. Just how badly does she want this patent? Did you even bother to read our papers and carefully compare the research methods you described with ours before making such statements?”
A trace of coldness appeared on Josie’s face. She said, “Director, we must conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether there are any substantive differences between the two research methodologies. It is essential to ensure that Professor Lawson and his team do not miss the opportunity to apply for this patent.”
“Since Josie has said so, director, please help us,” Audrey said, not realizing there was a trap in Josie’s words. She simply thought Josie was intimidated and trying to please them. Audrey continued, “After all, with different supervising professors and different interns, I do not believe two teams could have discovered the identical research method. Although their research results have already come out, it is still uncertain whose research methodology is superior. As the saying goes, slow work yields fine results, which is especially true in research. Although our group may be slower, we have always been rigorous and meticulous. We would never be careless with medical research, and the papers we produce are substantive, not just for show.”
After hearing her sarcastic remarks, Joseph was so furious that he stood up abruptly, unable to catch his breath. He was pulled back by Jeremy, who said, “Sit still, no need to rush. The director hasn’t spoken yet.”
Joseph was a little confused. He thought, “Even after Mrs. Kinberg has spoken so harshly, how can Professor Wilcourt still tolerate it, especially when there is clearly no need to continue the investigation? Just by looking at the filenames of their application documents, we can tell that there is little difference between the two research methodologies. It is virtually impossible for them to apply for a patent.”