At the start of the school year, the University of Traditional Medicine was bustling with activity at the entrance, with cars, crowds of people coming and going, and many vendors.
Today, the enrollment for first-year students mainly was complete, and nearly everyone arriving was an upperclassman.
The car stopped at the entrance, and Sophia said, “I’ll go in by myself.”
The driver looked back at Scott Livinus, “Miss, should I escort you in?”
“No need,” Sophia replied as she got out with her bag. Though she was used to luxury cars and didn’t find them particularly special, Scott Livinus’s car was quite expensive, and bringing it into the campus would probably cause unnecessary trouble. “Thank you. I’ll go in myself.”
Seeing that Scott Livinus didn’t object, the driver got out and gave her a hand.
“Um…” Sophia looked down, then glanced back into the car with a smile. “Thank you!”
In the sunlight, her smile was dazzling, momentarily leaving Scott Livinus entranced.
He rarely saw her smile.
As her figure disappeared into the campus, the driver chuckled and said, “Miss Sophia doesn’t know yet, Mr. Scott, that you made a special detour just to bring her here.”
Scott Livinus’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
The driver understood that this meant he was in a decent mood, so he tried to say, “Henry really went a bit too far. On the first day of school, he could at least accompany her. They’ve been married for two years, but he’s never escorted her once.”
“Oh?” Scott Livinus replied indifferently.
“Yes, we all sympathize with Miss Sophia. But she’s alone; her parents are gone, so where could she go if she left the Scott family?” The driver wanted to say more about the shortcomings of Scott Richard’s family but held his tongue, remembering they were Scott Livinus’s brother and sister-in-law, and turned back toward the company.
It was Monday, the day of the company’s weekly meeting.
Scott Livinus arrived just on time; everyone else was already there and greeted him with enthusiasm—some genuine, some not.
The meeting hadn’t started yet, and small groups were exchanging looks at the table. Scott Livinus narrowed his dark eyes, acting as if he had noticed nothing.
Although he was the CEO, he had spent the past years abroad developing markets and had only recently returned. The domestic team had been entrenched in the company for years, with complicated relationships, making it challenging to uproot them. So, even if they did things he didn’t like, Scott Livinus pretended not to see.
Scott Livinus intended to stir things up a bit before he dealt with them all in one go.
Scott Richard tossed a project proposal on the table, leaned back in his chair, and smirked.
“Little brother, here’s the project proposal for the hemorrhoid cream. Everything is nearly complete. Next, we just need packaging, advertising, and promotion! I’m confident this formula is effective for hemorrhoids and will drive out other brands, dominating the market!”
Joanna took the document, and Scott Livinus acted as if he hadn’t noticed Scott Richard’s disrespectful tone or the way he addressed him, flipping through the proposal expressionlessly. After reading it, he said:
“I don’t think this hemorrhoid cream project is suitable for approval at this time!”
As soon as he spoke, the board members supporting Scott Richard all changed their expressions.
Scott Richard snorted, “Little brother, you don’t understand! America isn’t like other countries; hemorrhoid cases are common. This ointment might only cost a few dollars a tube, but the market is huge, and the gap is wide! With our reputation, launching this ointment will bring us a monopoly and substantial profit…”
“Discussing profit without considering efficacy is empty talk! Business isn’t child’s play where you do whatever you want!”
This reprimanding tone made Scott Richard’s face long. In the company, he was technically subordinate to Scott Livinus.
But he always saw himself as the elder brother, and Scott Livinus rarely embarrassed him directly.
Without openly confronting him, Scott Livinus still spoke with an authoritative tone as if lecturing him from a superior position.
He was using the tone of an authority figure to lecture him!
And Scott Richard couldn’t argue back!
Scott Livinus’s tone was cold as he tossed the project proposal back, saying:
“A mature proposal should be flawless. As everyone knows, Scott Corporation has invested multiple times in the development of this hemorrhoid cream, yet you can’t even get the formula right, and I hear there are many clinical issues. How can a product with so many problems hit the market? Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?”
Scott Richard laughed dismissively, with a face full of disdain as he spoke, “Little brother, you’re young, so you don’t understand! Our country isn’t as strict as other places… There’s no need to be so meticulous about every step!”
Scott Livinus’s face turned cold.
“So, you’re suggesting we gamble with Scott Corporation’s decades-long reputation? Gamble with the company’s stock? Disregard the company’s safety? You should know that for a pharmaceutical company, a negative incident with a product can be catastrophic! And you should understand that public trust is not earned without reason—it’s the result of years of hard work by all Scott employees! And now you’re disregarding it all?”
Scott Richard was left speechless by each cold accusation.
Everyone knew some things didn’t need to be taken so seriously.
But Scott Livinus insisted on seriousness.
His words were sharp, leaving Scott Richard humiliated and visibly upset.
Board member Director George chuckled, “Livinus, there’s no need to be so strict! Your big brother isn’t wrong. For the company’s development, we need profit! Without new products, how will you satisfy the shareholders? Personally, I think this hemorrhoid cream is ready for launch!”
Scott Livinus glanced at him indifferently and threw the file on the table.
The sound echoed in the conference room as if slapping someone’s face.
“If you want it approved, then show me something decent! This company is not a family affair; we don’t tolerate personal biases! If there’s nothing else, the meeting adjourned!”
Scott Livinus left, effectively ending the weekly meeting on his own.
Scott Richard’s face was grim. Ms. Emily walked over and whispered, “Richard, don’t be upset. We could go talk to the Old Man.”
Scott Richard thought of something, snorted, and said nothing.
“President.”
Scott Livinus walked upstairs with Felix, who said, “You embarrassed him; he won’t let it go without a fight.”
“Let him be.”
“He might go to the Old Man, don’t you think?”
“The Old Man?” Scott Livinus’s voice was cold. “He’s not a toddler who throws a tantrum for not getting a toy and runs to complain to his parents. If he does, the Old Man will look down on him!”
