Chapter 79 She Is Dr. J
"Luke! I'm Chris from Cooper Corporation. We've been in touch before. Thanks for helping me reach out to Dr. J about the surgery. I heard you're involved in developing and selling the new drug. That's something worthy of national recognition - it can help so many patients!"
Chris's smile was open and friendly, but Luke was unhappy that he was blocking his way to see Joanna.
After hearing Chris's identity, his expression became even more complicated.
What a joke - Dr. J was his own wife! Having to go through him to invite her - clearly a bad husband who didn't care about Joanna!
Luke's face showed no warmth: "I understand, Mr. Cooper. Let's discuss the conference matters later. There's still some time before the meeting starts, and I'd like to see my old friend."
Chris smiled and graciously stepped aside: "Of course. But if I may have the honor, could I also meet your friend?"
Luke said nothing and walked straight toward Joanna, greeting her with an enthusiastic hug.
"Joanna! You've gotten thinner, and even more beautiful. It's been so long since we've seen each other!"
Joanna was also excited to see her friend: "Last time I mentioned inviting you to dinner - you have to wait for me after the conference! Though I'm not familiar with the restaurants here, so Luke, you pick!"
"No problem!" Luke smiled and asked about how she'd been lately. Their easy familiarity stunned Chris.
He hurried over anxiously: "Luke, your old friend is my wife? What a coincidence! Joanna never mentions these things, so I had no idea!"
Luke glanced at him and asked Joanna: "Joanna, you haven't divorced this Mr. Cooper yet?"
Joanna smiled awkwardly: "There are still some procedures to complete, but it'll be soon."
Chris's face turned ugly with anger. He pulled Joanna aside and said: "Why do you have to tell Luke about this too! Cooper Corporation needs to work with the research institute right now. Can't you just pretend we have a good relationship and help me secure this partnership?"
Joanna shook off his hand and kept her distance: "I don't think divorce is something to be embarrassed about. I have no obligation to help you secure partnerships. As Luke's friend, whoever he chooses, I support."
Even Angelo never asked her to sacrifice old friendships to make deals happen - what made Chris think she would help him!
"Without me, would you even qualify to attend this conference? Joanna, don't forget - your mom still needs me to play along!" Chris warned in a low voice.
Joanna did hesitate for a moment, but before she could say anything, Luke walked over, clearly annoyed.
"Mr. Cooper, I finally get to see Joanna, and we have a lot to talk about. If you want to chat, you can wait until you're back home!"
Chris looked embarrassed: "Sorry to interrupt, Luke. You two carry on."
But before leaving, he still used his eyes to signal Joanna not to say anything out of line - this partnership was important.
Joanna completely ignored him and chatted with Luke about their classmates until the meeting started.
They had to interrupt their conversation as Luke, being one of the organizers, went up on stage.
"We're very pleased that our research institute's new drug has gotten everyone's attention. The new drug research is related to cancer. As we all know, cancer has a very low cure rate. Our institute has done many experiments and tested many theories before getting new insights from existing drugs."
Luke and other doctors from the research institute discussed the current challenges and the drug's side effects. Other doctors attending the conference, including Joanna, began sharing their thoughts.
Although Joanna had less surgical experience with cancer, she had done a lot of research because of Sandra.
"The cause of cancer is very important. If the new drug can make progress in stopping and breaking down cancer cells, that would be something to celebrate."
She shared other insights and proposed several points that were accepted.
However, someone wasn't happy about it.
Cynthia, who happened to be sitting behind Joanna, anxiously pulled her down: "Joanna, the people sharing opinions here are all really accomplished experts. We're here to learn, so we shouldn't speak out of turn. Plus, you're an orthopedic surgeon - you don't understand cancer!"
After pulling Joanna down, she even bowed to the organizers: "I'm sorry, my friend just got a bit excited. Everyone can continue the discussion."
Joanna frowned: "I'm being serious. My mom is a brain cancer patient. She's only awake for very short periods and can't even be emotionally stimulated. If the new drug is developed, it would be hope for both her and me."
Cynthia looked like she was about to cry: "Joanna! I can't deal with you anymore. If you get criticized by the experts, I'll have Chris come comfort you."
Joanna found this ridiculous.
What had been a perfectly good conference - she was sharing her opinion, and Luke and the other doctors from the research institute had already accepted it.
But Cynthia, who didn't even understand medicine, had to run over and criticize her.
Luke, who didn't have the best temper, asked directly: "Does this lady have better insights? If not, please don't interrupt Joanna's comments."
Cynthia's eyes turned red, feeling misunderstood: "I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just that Miss Jones is an orthopedic surgeon and probably doesn't understand cancer cells. Plus, she's only been working for a few months, so her opinions might be a bit simple."
Chris supported Cynthia. He also felt that while Joanna had some skills now, she wasn't at the level to speak in front of so many medical experts.
When it came to drug research direction, one wrong statement could make the research process more complicated.
He stood up too: "I'm sorry, Joanna is my wife. Her opinions can't be taken as reference. Luke, you don't need to give her face because of your relationship with Joanna. You can point out her mistakes."
Then Chris said to Joanna in a low voice: "You're here to learn. Have a better attitude and don't be afraid to face your mistakes. Being able to hear experts speak is much better than studying on your own. Be humble and stop talking."
Joanna and Luke exchanged glances, both somewhat silent.
Angelo chuckled softly, which sounded quite out of place in the quiet conference hall. Everyone turned to look at him.
He simply stood up and extended his hand to invite Joanna on stage.
Although Joanna didn't know what Angelo was planning, she trusted him and placed her hand in his.
"Everyone, I'd like to introduce again the doctor Grace General Hospital sent to participate in this conference. This is Joanna. Although she's an orthopedic surgeon, she has very rich surgical experience. Perhaps you'd all be more familiar with her other name - Dr. J!"