Chapter 232 Sophie Winslow Is a Kingsford University Professor?

Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Sophie Winslow Is a Kingsford University Professor?

Stella Sutton wasn’t nervous about this kind of occasion. While the others who entered with her were all on high alert, she merely offered a faint smile. After getting her number, she walked in and glanced around.

She had expected Sophie Winslow to be in the waiting room. However, after scanning the faces one by one, there was no sign of Sophie. This made her slightly suspicious. They had seen with their own eyes that Sophie had indeed come this way.

But on second thought, given Sophie’s skill level, it wasn’t impossible that she had gotten cold feet and backed out at the last minute. People tended to make ill-advised decisions when extremely angry, like choosing the same group as her. When the scores were announced, it would be a public execution. It was understandable that Sophie wouldn’t want to fall behind her. Thinking of this, Stella just brushed it off with a leisurely smile.

Although she previously felt that Sophie’s secret application for the PhD program to steal Director Preston’s student quota was a bit underhanded, she now couldn’t be bothered to stoop to her level.

Each person’s interview lasted around half an hour. When it was Stella’s turn, she stood up. Having already familiarized herself with the specific procedures, she possessed strong psychological fortitude and calmly pushed the door open.

However, Stella’s expression imperceptibly stiffened as she surveyed the people in the room. Looking at Sophie, who was standing by the window rubbing her neck, she blurted out in astonishment, "Why are you here?"

Sophie had been sitting for over two hours and felt completely stiff. Turning around to see Stella, she replied without a change in expression, "Why can’t I be here?"

Stella immediately furrowed her brows and looked at the other highly respected professors and mentors. "Are we doing one-on-one interviews with the candidates? I still hope we can proceed fairly and objectively, one by one. Could you ask Sophie to leave first?" Even though she knew she could crush Sophie in terms of professional expertise, this was also a matter of her pride. She wouldn’t allow Sophie to stand by and disrupt her.

Stella’s words caused the other professors, who were flipping through the grades of previous students, to look up. Even Sophie couldn’t help but rub her temples. Did Stella really just ask her to leave?

Maintaining her composure, Stella said calmly and elegantly, "If she isn’t willing, I can wait for the next slot."

Professor Coleman, who had previously met Stella through Julian Sterling’s introduction, cast a baffled glance at her. He then turned to look at Sophie and introduced her, "This is your interviewing professor, Sophie Winslow. She isn’t a student."

Stella’s back stiffened. Astonishment crept up her cheeks as she wondered if she had misheard. But then she watched as Sophie walked straight behind the desk and sat down next to Professor Coleman. Meeting her gaze, Sophie said in a calm tone, "Please begin."

Looking at Sophie’s cold, glamorous eyes judging her from the mentor’s seat, Stella’s heart hammered like a drum, and the color instantly drained from her face. Countless shocking confusions and inexplicable panic pressed down on her nerves, instantly throwing her mind into chaos. She wondered, "Why? How could Sophie be a professor? How is this possible?"

"Stella Sutton?" Ms. Coleman reminded her, seeing her standing there stiffly with an awful expression.

Stella suddenly snapped back to reality. Too many questions plagued her, and even though she couldn’t figure out how Sophie had become a professor at Kingsford University, she had to force herself to focus at a crucial juncture like this. Clenching her fingers, she stepped forward and forced herself to calm down, sweeping a dark glance filled with hidden resentment at Sophie.

Sophie treated it as if she hadn’t seen a thing.

Stella’s self-introduction went relatively smoothly. When it came to the presentation segment, Sophie looked at her past resume and the scientific research projects she had participated in, letting out an imperceptible scoff. This was because Stella’s resume included Helios’s new cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drug pharmaceutical project, the establishment of an independent team for smart medical development, and her participation in the tumor surgery robot. Sophie wanted to laugh. Was Stella just trying to leech off her accomplishments alone?

Several professors flipped through her resume and nodded. Sophie, however, looked over and asked, "How much did you participate in the new drug? Were you credited? What research and development projects are currently underway in the R&D team you established? Which stages of Helios’s highly sought-after tumor surgery robot did you participate in? Please elaborate."

Stella’s expression darkened, a hint of resentment flickering in the depths of her eyes. Wasn’t Sophie just deliberately making things difficult for her at this moment, relying on the fact that she knew about those little behind-the-scenes episodes? Did she want her to feel utterly humiliated that badly?

Professor Coleman and the others also nodded. "Please explain in detail. This is standard procedure."

A faint layer of cold sweat formed on Stella’s forehead. It was because she genuinely had no way to elaborate on these matters. Especially with Sophie, an insider, sitting right there in the professor’s seat, ready to jump out and deny her claims at any moment. She took a deep breath to compose herself. "I followed up on the majority of the new drug project, but I didn’t participate in the clinical trials. Helios has records of this. As for my team, we are still in the development phase. Furthermore, regarding Helios’s tumor surgery robot, I have a deep cooperation with them. As an upstream parts supplier for Helios, I play a crucial role."

Sophie almost admired her ability to dodge the important points. She had easily transferred the majority of someone else’s credit onto herself. Nodding faintly, she asked, "Why did you only follow up on half of it? Was your R&D proposal adopted during the process?"

Stella’s expression turned completely cold. Sophie was too eager for revenge! Didn’t this mean she was absolutely refusing to let her off the hook? She was almost certain that Sophie was using her public position to exact private revenge! Not only was she jealous of Julian Sterling’s protectiveness over her, but she was also taking revenge for the fact that Stella hadn’t made an exception for her at Acuity a couple of days ago. That was why she refused to let her get away with being ambiguous.

"That’s right, weren’t you the lead researcher for that new drug project, Sophie? Have you two worked together before?" Professor Coleman recalled. Sophie had been quite prominent back then, securing the first authorship as the lead researcher at such a young age.

Sophie stated the facts objectively. "We have worked together, but she didn’t contribute much to the overall project."

Stella’s face turned deathly pale. She looked at Sophie almost uncontrollably, her eyes overflowing with a biting coldness. She wondered, "How could Sophie belittle me like this?"

Professor Coleman and the other professors understood what Sophie meant. Having grasped the general situation, they stopped asking any further questions regarding the details of those specific resume items and proceeded directly to the next part of the process.

Stella did her utmost to steady her mindset. Even if these few items weren’t counted, her resume included far more than just this. The rest of her accomplishments were solid and would all be factored into her final score. With the all-English introduction, on-the-spot academic assessment, and literature translation and interpretation, she would absolutely come out on top.

When she finished and walked out, Sophie turned her head to chat with the other professors in low voices. Stella happened to see this scene as she left. Her hand tightened its grip on the door handle. She believed there wouldn’t be any major issues with her performance, but Sophie was a ticking time bomb...

Finn Lockwood hadn’t left. Seeing Stella coming out absentmindedly from a distance, he asked in confusion, "Why do you look so awful? What happened?"

Julian Sterling, who had remained seated in his chair, looked over upon hearing the voice.

Stella’s eyes had yet to regain their composure. "There was indeed an unexpected situation." A sudden headache struck her, bringing a feeling she couldn’t quite put into words. "Sophie... is indeed inside, but she’s... sitting in the interviewing professor’s seat."