“Who did you think of?” Sophie pressed on.

Joseph smirked coldly. “Don’t bother asking. It’s someone you can’t afford to provoke.”

When Sam dealt with him, he was at least somewhat tactful, but that other person had stormed straight in to demand answers. That was the influence and standing a top scientist held in the academic world. Bedford College could lose a sponsor’s funding, but they could never afford to lose someone who produced significant academic results.

“You should go back. It’s not someone you can compete with. After all, you…” Joseph chuckled mockingly and continued, “You’re still a long way from Christine’s level.”

Christine, even while in the hospital, had managed to stir two major figures into action. But Sophie? She was nothing.

Back in her office, Sophie could still hear Joseph’s words echoing in her head. “You’re still a long way from Christine’s level. A long way… A long…”

Her anger boiled over. She wanted to smash something, but she had already broken her cup. The only thing within reach was a pen holder.

The pen holder flew across the room and hit the wall with a bang, scattering pens all over the floor. Just then, Yasmine walked in, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere.

“Aunt Sophie!” she cheerfully called out and casually walked to the tea station to pour herself a drink. As she sipped, she said, “I’m so thirsty… By the way, Aunt Sophie, when will Joli finish that paper? One of the professors asked about it in class today, and I told them it’d be done this week. Can you help me remind him?”

Sophie’s face was expressionless. “Do you think writing a thesis is like picking cabbages? This week? You didn’t even think before you boasted, did you?”

Her sudden outburst left Yasmine stunned. “Aunt Sophie…”

“Shut up! How many times have I told you? At school, you will refer to me as Dr. Xander!”

“But there’s no one else around,” Yasmine replied, feeling wronged.

“Do you not understand that walls have ears? One wrong word, and we’re both done for!”

Yasmine hadn’t realized how serious things were. “I’m sorry, Dr. Xander! I’ll be careful next time! But about that paper…”

“Still thinking about the paper? If you’re so capable, why don’t you write it yourself? Miranda and her group bought their own equipment—are you telling me writing one paper is too hard for you?”

“You might get Joli to help you once or twice, but do you think he’s going to keep writing for you forever? Once Joli skyrockets in his career, do you think he’ll even look at you?”

“I want to write my own papers, but… I just can’t!” Yasmine’s lip quivered, and she looked like she was about to cry. She had already bragged to everyone and built up her image—there was no turning back now.

Sophie snapped, “Are you crying? Why are you crying? I’m not dead yet, so don’t cry over me! If Miranda and her group can do it, why can’t you? Your mind’s never been on academics! You always want to outshine everyone, but in the end, you’re not as good as anyone! How did I end up with such a worthless niece? Get out! Get out of my sight!”

Yasmine stumbled out of the office, completely dazed. She couldn’t understand what she’d done wrong—why had Sophie, who had always been so kind, suddenly turned into such a terrifying figure?

After venting her frustration, Sophie finally felt a little calmer.

Right then, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Joli entered, holding a report. “Dr. Xander, here’s the progress report for this month’s research,” he said and handed her the papers.

As she read through them, her frown deepened. “It’s been a month, why is there no progress?”

“The various batches of cultured bacteria have shown inconsistent results. We’re currently investigating the cause, so the progress has been slow.”

“How much longer do you think this will take?”

“I can’t say for sure.”

“What do you mean you can’t? Solutions are for people to figure out! This project has been stalled for over half a year now. If you can’t show results by the end of this year, it will mean that your whole research group has wasted the second half of the year!”

“I understand, but experiments can’t be rushed,” Joli replied. “Some things take time to verify.”

Sophie smirked. “Joli, you’re a smart person. You should know how precious time is for us. Just take a look at Christine—holding onto a project for two or three years without any significant results. In the end, the industry moved on without her. You mentioned inconsistent results. You’re recultivating the bacteria for a second round of testing, hoping to get consistent results, aren’t you? If you believe consistency is inevitable, then why go through the trouble of retesting? Does it even matter?”

“After all…” Sophie’s eyes narrowed, her smile sharp. “Whether the results are consistent or not, isn’t it up to us to decide?”

Joli stared at her. “So, what exactly are you suggesting?”