Chapter 170
Niamh stood beside her, holding her breath and staring at the screen, her fingers clutching the notebook tightly.
A few seconds later, the curve that had been jittering suddenly smoothed out, becoming a perfectly flat line.
Response delay: 0.03 seconds.
Below the threshold.
Perfect pass.
The multipurpose hall fell completely silent for two full seconds.
Then someone—no one knew who—started clapping.
The applause went from sparse to dense, from dense to thunderous, wave after wave, until even the ceiling seemed to tremble faintly.
Kian stood up.
The people behind him followed suit.
More and more people rose to their feet. No one spoke, but everyone stood, applauding, their gazes fixed on the three young women on stage.
Kian looked at Lucinda for several long seconds. Then he smiled. "Ms. Wipere, I was overthinking things. Ridgeway Tech's technical capabilities far exceed my expectations."
He paused, his voice rising. "Our institute would like to establish a long-term technical partnership with Ridgeway Tech. You name the terms. As long as we can collaborate, everything's negotiable."
The moment he finished, someone else jumped in. "Ms. Wipere, us too! That smart control system project—we'd like to co-develop it with Ridgeway Tech. All resources prioritized!"
"Ms. Wipere, we specialize in pharmaceutical R&D. The application of Crimson Star Crystal in pharmaceutical equipment is critical to us. Could we schedule a separate meeting to discuss this in detail?"
"Ms. Wipere…"
Voices surged from all directions. Pairs of eyes locked onto the slender figure on stage, brimming with fervor.
Lucinda stood on stage, waiting for the applause to gradually die down before picking up the microphone.
Her voice was measured, every word clear. "Thank you all for your recognition. Ridgeway Tech's philosophy has always been not to lock ourselves away and conduct research in isolation, but to convert technology into something truly usable that benefits more people."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the expectant faces below. "As for collaboration, we don't set barriers, and we don't do exclusives. Any institution that meets the criteria can receive technical support from Ridgeway Tech."
The room erupted again.
Lucinda stood on stage, watching the joyful, excited faces below. Her lips curved slightly.
The applause continued, lingering long after the successful experiment. The shock it had delivered hadn't yet faded. Countless partner representatives crowded the front of the venue, eagerly handing out business cards, hoping to secure a spot in the next round of collaborations.
Gaia and Niamh stood to the side, both wearing expressions of undisguised excitement.
Especially Niamh—her eyes sparkled like she wanted to write "My master is the best in the world" across her face.
Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance to the hall.
Everyone instinctively turned. A middle-aged man in a suit, carrying a thermal lunchbox, was striding in quickly.
Quite a few people frowned.
Security at scientific exchange meetings of this level was always strict.
How could someone just barge in like this?
The next second, the middle-aged man was already beaming as he approached the stage.
"Cindy, as your dad, I need to talk to you about something."
One sentence—and the entire venue fell silent. Countless gazes snapped to Lucinda.
Gaia froze, instinctively looking at Lucinda.
Dad?
Wasn't Ms. Wipere a young lady of the Douglas family? Where did this dad come from?
Niamh froze too.
She knew about the Wipere family situation. Her face instantly darkened.
On stage, Lucinda's previously warm demeanor turned ice-cold in an instant. Her beautiful eyes held not a trace of warmth.
Preston, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed. Carrying the lunchbox, he stepped forward and even deliberately raised his voice. "Cindy, I know you're busy with work. I specially made porridge for you myself."
With that, he opened the thermal container. A rich aroma immediately wafted out.
"This is the sea cucumber porridge you loved most as a child. Drink it while it's hot."
Many in the audience looked surprised.
It seemed like a caring father after all.
However, Lucinda merely glanced at it coolly, her gaze landing on the bottom of the container.
There, half a delivery sticker that hadn't been fully peeled off was still stuck to it.
She let out a cold laugh, the mockery in her eyes nearly spilling over. "Made it yourself?"
Preston's expression stiffened slightly. "Of course."
Lucinda raised her gaze, speaking slowly. "Delivery platforms are helping customers make porridge by hand now?"
The air went silent. Quite a few people followed her gaze and also noticed the remnant sticker.
Preston's face flushed instantly. "I—I just had someone help deliver it…"
Lucinda didn't bother listening. She cut him off. "Also. Sea cucumber porridge? Did you forget I'm allergic to sea cucumber?"
With that single sentence, Preston completely froze. The expressions of those around him turned strange.
He didn't even know what his own daughter was allergic to, yet claimed it was her childhood favorite.
Beside them, Niamh couldn't hold back a laugh.
Preston's face looked unpleasant, but he still forced himself to ask, "Cindy, you're allergic to sea cucumber? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Lucinda's lips curled with even colder disdain. "Stop putting on a show. The one who actually likes sea cucumber is Allegra, not me."
The hall erupted into murmurs. The way people looked at Preston completely changed.
Preston's face burned with embarrassment. He wanted to crawl into a hole.
But thinking of the company's situation, he steeled himself and continued. "Cindy, I was wrong in the past. But what family holds grudges overnight? I came today because I actually want to discuss a collaboration with you."
Hearing this, the coldness in Lucinda's eyes deepened.
Of course. Preston sought her out for nothing but profit.
Preston, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed. He rubbed his hands together and adopted the air of an elder. "Your research institute is doing so well now. The Wipere family has run into some difficulties recently. Could you provide some technical support to the company?"
"Also…" He spoke while glancing at Gaia, his eyes lighting up. He continued matter-of-factly, "I heard Ms. Fisher has excellent technical skills. Why don't you take some time to come guide our company and help us get our projects off the ground? Cindy, we're all family. You can't just stand by and watch the Wipere family fall apart, can you?"
As his words fell, the entire hall went dead silent.
Countless people were shocked by his shameless audacity.
Free technical support, plus core researchers personally going over to provide guidance? He made it sound like he was doing them a favor.
Gaia was stunned speechless for a long moment.
Lucinda, however, rolled her eyes outright, not giving him an ounce of face. "If you're sick, go to a hospital. Don't come here and lose your mind in front of me."
The entire room fell silent.
Gaia nearly burst out laughing. Niamh outright started clapping. "Master, well said!"
Preston's face darkened. "Cindy! Is that how you talk to an elder?"
Lucinda's gaze was icy. She didn't bother wasting words on him and looked directly toward the entrance. "Security."
Security immediately walked in from outside.
Preston panicked, his voice rising. "You can't do this! No matter what, the Wipere family raised you for over twenty years! You can't forget where you came from!"