Chapter 81: I Can Cripple You Right Now
"Alright, let's settle this with a tie-breaker!"
Emily said it calmly, like it was no big deal. "Pick an herb. Not only do you have to identify it, but you also need to explain its general medicinal properties."
This was definitely tougher than what the other participants had to do.
Bianca felt like Emily was doing this on purpose.
So, when she found out it was Emily's idea, she immediately protested, "You're targeting me! This isn't fair!"
Emily didn't even look at Bianca. Instead, she turned to Ophelia. "What about you? Any objections?"
Ophelia shook her head. "I'm fine with it."
Bianca's face twisted in frustration, and she muttered grudgingly, "Of course she is. She doesn't want to upset you. I'm the only one calling out this unfairness."
"Alright then, Ophelia gets first place, and you get second," Emily declared.
Joe nodded in agreement, and the other judges didn't object.
Bianca felt humiliated. "You say you're not targeting me, but why am I second?"
Emily sneered and explained to the puzzled audience, "Since it's a tie-breaker, it has to be more challenging. If you both keep tying, it wastes everyone's time. Besides, if you only know the herb's name and not its properties, there's no point in continuing the competition. Practicing medicine isn't just about memorizing names."
Emily's reasoning was solid.
Everyone there was knowledgeable in medicine, and they nodded in agreement.
"That's settled. If you have objections, then you lack confidence. In that case, there's no need to compete," Joe added.
Bianca, despite her reluctance, had no choice but to agree to the tie-breaker.
At first, Bianca could keep up, but as the difficulty gradually increased, requiring not just the herb's properties but also its application in prescriptions, she fell behind.
Ultimately, Bianca lost to Ophelia and took second place.
According to the rules, first place earned fifty points, second place forty-five, and so on.
Bianca shot an unwilling glance at Emily but had to swallow her resentment.
Outside, Daniel watched the whole process, his smile deepening.
James also watched, his face darkening as he entered the lounge. Despite his anger, he held back once inside, hesitating...
"What do you want to say?" Daniel looked up, his gaze coolly directed at James.
Though he was seated, the aura of authority in his eyes made James lower his head.
"Daniel, Emily's blatant targeting is unfair to Bianca and harms her reputation."
"So?"
"I was thinking, maybe we should replace Emily as a judge, put someone else in."
Daniel's gaze turned icy as he looked at James. "I thought you were inexperienced and made poor decisions. Now I see you're not just inexperienced, you're foolish! Emily's explanation was convincing, and you failed to understand or see that. I think Jett is more suited to manage Ascend Global Group."
He didn't need to hide his thoughts.
James' face turned very unpleasant.
"Daniel, I heard Emily's explanation. But given her recent conflict with Bianca, people might question the fairness of the competition even if they don't say it out loud. Someone needs to oversee this. I'm willing to monitor, and if there's another confrontation like before, I'll intervene."
Daniel rubbed his forehead, staying silent for a moment before speaking, "Alright, go ahead. I'll give you one more chance to prove your fairness."
James was thrilled.
He quickly thanked Daniel and called for Leroy, then took Leroy's place as the monitor.
After James left, York couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Smith, James clearly has ulterior motives. Why did you agree to his proposal?"
Daniel smirked. "Let's see if he values this opportunity."
York sensed the coldness in Daniel's words and felt pity for James.
If James behaved fairly, he might still have a chance to inherit Ascend Global Group. But if he continued to target Emily, this might be his last chance.
James didn't realize the gravity of the situation.
Bianca lost the first round and glared at Emily with eyes almost filled with venom.
But when she saw James approaching, she quickly changed her expression to one of grievance, her eyes moist, looking pitiful.
James indeed felt Bianca had been wronged and gave her a comforting look.
Bianca understood and immediately smiled.
She even shot a provocative glance at Emily, as if saying, "Let's see how you can trouble me now."
Emily followed Bianca's gaze and saw James. She rubbed her forehead with some frustration.
Why won't he just go away?
"Emily, are you okay? Need me to check you out?" Joe, who treated Emily like a treasure, asked with concern.
He seemed to forget that Emily was an excellent doctor herself.
"It's nothing, just some clowns trying to distract me."
Emily dismissed it casually.
In the face of absolute skill, everything else was trivial.
The second round was about pharmacy.
Bianca took first place.
Ophelia came in second.
Wren was third.
Bianca believed Emily didn't dare to trouble her because James was there.
Since James could appear here, it showed that Daniel, despite seeming to support Emily, still gave James significant authority. In the end, the power was handed to him.
After the second round ended, there was a break.
Bianca deliberately blocked Emily, taunting, "Emily, you think you can trouble me just because you're a judge? Impossible. With James here, you can't touch me. If you go too far, you'll lose your position as a judge. And if I spread the word, you'll be shunned even as a doctor."
Bianca was confident.
She was skilled at manipulating public opinion.
Emily frowned, barely glancing at Bianca.
"Move aside!"
Her gaze was fixed on Ophelia.
Bianca's eyes flashed. Seeing James approaching, she pretended, "Emily, I just want to make peace with you. Do you look down on me because you're a judge? Why are you targeting me?"
Emily grew impatient. "Move aside!"
She even reached out to push Bianca.
But before Bianca was touched, she feigned falling back, saying, "Emily, even if you target me, you shouldn't hurt me. I really want to compete fairly."
She pretended to fall.
James' face changed, ready to rush over.
Unexpectedly, Emily grabbed Bianca's collar, pulling her back, threatening coldly, "If you want to compete smoothly, behave yourself. Otherwise, I can disable your hands right now. Try me if you don't believe."
Her threat was heavy, and Bianca was genuinely startled into stillness.
Emily released Bianca's collar and quickly passed her, catching up with Ophelia.