Chapter 71 Emma, Are You Dr. N?
She looked very young, even somewhat nervous.
The whole room fell silent.
What was going on? Dr. N was just some young woman? This had to be a joke!
Everyone's eyes were practically bulging out of their heads.
They watched as she hurried over to Matthew's side and whispered something in his ear.
Matthew's smile instantly froze, his brow furrowing deeply as his expression darkened.
He cleared his throat, picked up the microphone, his tone carrying obvious regret.
"I sincerely apologize, distinguished guests. We've just received word that Dr. N cannot attend today's summit due to some urgent personal matters."
"What?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"What kind of stunt is this?"
The venue instantly erupted into chaos and outrage.
Expectations had been sky-high, only to be completely let down. The negative emotions spread like wildfire through the crowd.
Nicholas's eyes darkened, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the armrest.
Just as he'd suspected.
He'd had his doubts that Matthew had never actually secured Dr. N's attendance—everything up to this point had been nothing more than publicity smoke and mirrors to generate buzz for the summit.
Beside him, Ethan's face turned stormy.
"Damn it! I knew it!" he cursed under his breath. "That Matthew is absolutely shameless, lying so blatantly at such an important gathering!"
Matthew raised his hand, signaling for quiet. "Please, everyone, calm down and let me finish."
He struggled to maintain his composure.
"While Dr. N cannot be here in person, she has asked me to share some even better news with all of you!"
Matthew's voice grew more emphatic. "Dr. N has decided to publicly release her liver cancer targeted therapy formula!"
What? The chaos stopped dead, everyone freezing in disbelief, wondering if they'd heard correctly. Release the formula publicly?
Matthew continued, "Dr. N hopes this technology can benefit more patients, so she's decided to invite qualified medical institutions worldwide to collaborate on development and clinical applications! The Moore Group will serve as Dr. N's exclusive licensing agent for this technology transfer. We welcome everyone to discuss partnership opportunities with the Moore Group after the conference!"
Open licensing! This meant every institution present had a chance to access this world-changing liver cancer treatment formula!
Possessing a formula that could cure liver cancer would mean immeasurable value and prestige for any hospital or pharmaceutical company!
This news was more exciting, more electrifying than meeting Dr. N in person!
After a brief silence, even more thunderous and sustained applause erupted!
It nearly lifted the roof off the entire venue!
In Nicholas's deep eyes, a barely perceptible surge of excitement flickered.
His heart was actually racing because of this Dr. N he'd never met.
Public release of the formula, making technology accessible to everyone—this concept aligned perfectly with his own long-held beliefs!
Ethan was so excited his voice trembled as he grabbed Nicholas's arm.
"Nicholas! Did you hear that! Public release! Grandma has hope! This is incredible!"
His eyes were slightly moist.
Matthew raised his hand and clapped once gently.
The large screen behind him lit up again.
In the center of the display, a Bluebird Tech logo composed of countless points of light spread its wings and soared, elegant and mysterious.
Finally, the Bluebird Tech transformed into an eye shape, with four letters flickering in the pupil—[Bluebird Tech].
"That's Dr. N's logo!" someone recognized it.
Next, lines of complex equations streaked across the screen like meteors, profound and mesmerizing.
This was followed by descriptions of partnership requirements.
The conditions were extremely stringent, demanding not only absolute research capabilities from partners, but also limiting authorization to just one institution per city.
Truly one in ten thousand!
The audience below couldn't be bothered with applause anymore, frantically pulling out their phones to photograph and record the screen.
Meanwhile, in a secluded backstage rest room.
Emma pounded forcefully on the heavy door, her palms red from the impact.
"Is anyone there? Open up! Hello? Anyone?"
She was nearly in tears from frustration. Some damn person had locked her in here!
Earlier, she'd received an anonymous note written in block letters: [Urgent—proceed immediately to VIP Rest Room 13.]
Assuming it was from Jack or Sheryl, she'd rushed over without suspicion.
But the moment she'd stepped into the room, the door had clicked shut and been locked from the outside!
She'd been pounding and shouting until her voice was nearly hoarse, but there wasn't a sound from outside.
Even worse, the room seemed to block cell signals—her phone had no network connection at all!
Back in the conference hall, the summit continued. Next up was the high-tech company presentation segment.
As the largest corporate sponsor of the summit, the Harrison Group's promising young Vice President Eric Allen took the stage to introduce their latest intelligent medical assistance devices.
After completing Dr. N's announcement segment, Matthew hurried off stage, his expression grave as he strode quickly toward backstage.
Nicholas's eyes followed the movement, and he too stood up, following at a measured pace.
Matthew practically jogged to the door of VIP Rest Room 13.
He pulled out a backup key and quickly unlocked the door.
The moment it opened, a figure burst out, nearly colliding with him.
"Matthew! Thank god you're here!"
Seeing Matthew, Emma's eyes welled up with tears, her voice breaking.
Matthew quickly steadied her, gently patting her back in comfort.
"It's okay now, I'm here."
His gaze swept over her entire form, checking for injuries. "Are you hurt? Who did this?"
Emma shook her head, still visibly shaken.
"I'm fine, just got locked in. Matthew, is it time for me to go on stage?" she asked urgently, her tone full of anxiety.
Matthew sighed, his expression somewhat complicated.
"I looked everywhere for you just now, but we ran out of time. I already released the formula announcement on your behalf."
He paused, seeing the disappointment in her eyes, then added, "Don't worry, the effect was just as good. I'll find another opportunity to arrange a proper introduction with everyone."
"Besides," Matthew lowered his voice, "The Laurent family has been watching this whole time. It's safer for you to stay out of sight for now. Don't worry—you have final approval authority over all partnerships. You'll have plenty to keep you busy soon enough."
After listening, Emma felt a small pang of disappointment but managed to force a smile.
"Alright, thank you for handling that."
A low, cold chuckle suddenly came from the doorway.
Both turned to look.
Nicholas was leaning casually against the door frame, hands in his suit pockets, his expression unreadable.
How long had he been there? How much had he heard?
Emma's heart lurched.
Nicholas's gaze was sharp as a hawk's, locked firmly on Emma.
He slowly straightened, walking toward them step by step, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
That phrase "is it time for me to go on stage" just now.
And Matthew saying "I released the announcement on your behalf."
A stunning hypothesis formed in his mind, making his heart race uncontrollably, his blood seeming to flow in reverse.
He stopped in front of Emma, his voice trembling slightly with barely contained excitement.
"Emma."
"Are you Dr. N?"