CHAPTER 16: CHAPTER 16: GRACE LIKE A SOARING SWAN

The night was hazy, and the lights inside the room were brightly lit.

Victoria Sinclair had taken a shower and was sitting cross-legged on the floor between the low coffee table and the sofa, wearing pajamas.

The coffee table was filled with documents, a small printer, and a laptop.

Victoria Sinclair was struggling to revise the proposal.

She was skilled in pharmaceutical research, but writing a proposal felt like it was killing her.

But with only a few people in the company, no one else had the ability to make such an investment plan.

The sound of the door opening echoed.

Victoria knew Eugene Vaughn had returned, but she was too busy to even lift an eyelid.

Eugene changed his shoes, put down his car key, closed the door, and walked in.

Victoria’s gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, her fingers typing away.

It wasn’t until she caught a glimpse of Eugene sitting on the sofa beside her that she stopped and turned to look at him.

Eugene picked up the materials on the table and browsed through them, a slight smile on his lips, letting out a very light snort.

He looked quite dissatisfied.

Victoria felt the proposal was too difficult and had to ask, "I want to know, are you pretending for Grandma’s sake, or do you truly want to invest?"

Eugene raised an eyebrow, "Is there a difference?"

"We’re both busy, and if you never intended to invest from the start, I don’t need to continue with this proposal."

Eugene leaned back lazily, one hand resting on the back of the sofa, "Operating at a loss, relying on government support to barely sustain?"

Victoria felt slightly embarrassed and was momentarily speechless.

Eugene gazed at her fair, slightly flushed face, his voice deep and calm, "With your ability, any well-known big company would be eager to have you. Good benefits, high salary, why go through such hardship to run a small, unprofitable company?"

Victoria sighed softly, her clear, bright eyes shining like pearls, her gentle voice light yet firm, "You know, some so-called world-class pharmaceutical companies first produce vaccines and then create viruses that can be killed by these vaccines, spreading them globally and earning huge profits."

Eugene gazed at her in silence.

Victoria continued, "Have you seen medicines that can cure chronic diseases, yet never reach the market or hospitals, only available to a privileged few?"

Eugene’s deep eyes turned dark and intense, still remaining silent.

Under his gaze, Victoria’s cheeks heated up, and she quickly turned back to her computer, muttering to herself, "Capitalists only empathize with other capitalists, why am I even telling you this."

Eugene pursed his lips, turned his head to the side, his throat moving slightly as he glanced at the clock and asked, "How much longer will you be?"

"About half an hour."

"Then I’ll go take a shower first." Eugene stood up and headed to his room.

Victoria exhaled a warm breath, feeling her tense nerves relax instantly. She straightened her back and focused on the proposal again.

Half an hour passed.

Eugene came out on time, sitting on the sofa.

Victoria clearly smelled the fresh scent of his body wash, faintly mixing with a hint of steam.

Her heart raced a little. The proposal was already printed, and seeing some typos, she hurriedly searched for a pencil to make corrections.

The desk became more cluttered as she searched, looking down to the floor.

"What are you looking for?" Eugene asked her.

Victoria moved her laptop, "A pen."

Eugene watched her from behind as she searched, her slender back framed by long black hair pinned up with a pencil, a few strands falling but unable to hide her fair and graceful neck.

He reached out and pulled it.

Her long hair fell free, and Victoria jumped, turning to Eugene in surprise.

As she turned, her eyes sparkled like stars, her hair flowing, a stunning image.

Eugene’s pupils quivered slightly, handing her the pen.

Victoria then remembered she had used the pen to secure her freshly washed hair.

Slightly embarrassed, she took it, "Thank you."

Victoria quickly corrected the typos, organized the materials, and handed them to Eugene.

Eugene took them, flipping through unhurriedly.

She closed her laptop and began tidying the desk.

Once finished, she sat upright on the sofa, a meter away from Eugene, quietly waiting for his response.

The man wore casual light loungewear, his brows furrowed as he focused intently on her proposal, exuding a powerful aura.

Victoria felt inexplicably nervous.

She knew Eugene was giving her a chance out of respect for his grandmother; she wasn’t very hopeful.

After all, her company indeed wasn’t profitable at present, and no capitalist would invest in a small enterprise with no visible potential.

Eugene closed the proposal, with a slightly sarcastic tone, "If you had no ambitions and were just an ordinary investor, would you put money into this?"

Victoria bit her lower lip lightly, unable to say against her conscience, sighed deeply, nodded, then shook her head.

Eugene concluded, "Drugs for rare diseases are the most costly research and the least profitable business, long in duration with little return."

Victoria couldn’t help but lean closer, reaching to flip through the documents in his hand, "Look here, besides researching rare disease drugs, I’ve developed two vaccines, already in clinical trials, with minimal side effects and great prevention results..."

Eugene gazed at her earnest face, his voice hoarse and deep, "I see, it’s a rare virus that appeared several years ago. Though it has a high fatality rate, it’s not highly contagious. As long as prevention and control are done well, it won’t spread widely. So, since there’s no profit to be made, major pharmaceutical companies didn’t invest in developing this vaccine."

"You can’t just let this virus run rampant because there’s no profit to be made, right?" Victoria looked directly at him, her tone firm.

Eugene explained steadily, "Your research aims to cure and save lives, but it’s only when there’s profit for businessmen that there’s funding to support your dreams."

Victoria sighed lightly in frustration, "In the end, you still think it’s not profitable."

Eugene replied unequivocally, "Yes."

"What if I successfully develop two drugs for rare diseases?" Victoria countered.

Eugene’s smile was enigmatic, "Would you let me set the price?"

Victoria froze.

Eugene asked again, "Do you agree to sell a dose of a special drug for a million?"

Victoria took a deep breath and shook her head.

Eugene seemed to see through her inherently kind nature, realizing she was an excellent pharmaceutical scientist but definitely not a good businessperson.

She excelled in medicine, but certainly not in business.

That was why she was unwilling to join a large enterprise and collude with capitalists.

Eugene handed the documents back to Victoria, suggesting, "The country loves selfless researchers like you. You’re suited for state funding, and the special drugs you develop could be included in the medical insurance system for ordinary people to access."

Victoria mumbled softly, "But the funding for small pharmaceutical companies like ours is limited; it can’t support extensive research costs."

Eugene ignored her and stood up, heading back to his room.

Victoria hurriedly stood up, blurting out, "President Vaughn, please reconsider."

Eugene paused, his back to her, unmoving.

Addressing him as ’President Vaughn’ clearly indicated her identity and stance, and for this reason, this was the longest conversation she’d had with Eugene in two years.