Chapter 158 - 157: It Takes a Strong Heart to Do Experiments

Chapter 158: Chapter 157: It Takes a Strong Heart to Do Experiments

Grinding away in the lab for what felt like three solid months, Rian Sinclair thought she was about to regress into a cavewoman. Looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, she sighed softly. "People who do research really have nerves of steel."

Every day was an endless cycle of running experiments, recording data, and repeating the process. She only ever stopped when Ethan Sinclair dragged her out to eat.

When Rian finally emerged from the lab, Donovan Sinclair and the others were all waiting for her. Even Quentin and Celeste Sinclair, who had been abroad, were there. She looked at the group with a hint of embarrassment; after all, they had been the ones delivering meals to her over the past few months.

However, since her experiments were often at a critical juncture and they didn’t dare cross her, they had resorted to playing the emotional card. If Rian stayed up late, they stayed up late. If Rian skipped meals, they skipped meals.

Auntie Alden also knew that her lady was deep into her research, so she spent every day coming up with new recipes for nutritional supplements to keep her healthy. As for messages from her other friends, Rian had barely replied, sending out a uniform "I’m busy" to all of them.

But upon leaving the lab, Rian didn’t head straight home. Instead, she ushered Donovan and the others into her office.

Rian placed the newly developed Scar Removal Cream on the desk. "I asked you guys to handle the patent for this earlier. Did it go through?"

Donovan nodded. "The patent has already been filed."

"Let’s put this Scar Removal Cream through clinical trials first," Rian continued. "Once we get approval, we’ll roll out a massive promotional campaign. It boasts a one-hundred-percent scar removal rate with zero side effects." She then turned her gaze to Donovan. "I’ll leave the domestic market in your hands. Set the price at ten percent above cost."

Donovan agreed, and Rian shifted her focus to Quentin. "You have full authority over the overseas market. Triple the price."

Quentin nodded as well. He knew exactly how valuable this Scar Removal Cream was—it was practically a dream come true for anyone with scars.

Seeing their agreement, Rian nodded in satisfaction. Developing the Scar Removal Cream hadn’t actually taken up much of her time; her main focus had been testing its medicinal properties. The commercial version they were going to sell wouldn’t work as instantaneously. After all, she still needed to make a profit.

But with repeated use, it would still guarantee a complete recovery. As for those few girls, Rian planned to gift them several boxes of the highest-potency Scar Removal Cream. For severe scars, daily application would show significant results after just one month.

The real reason she had stayed in the lab for so long was to figure out the application of the mineral essence. Using it in agriculture had already taken considerable effort, let alone applying it to the human body—that was an entirely different beast to tackle.

She had applied for a patent and submitted a report for this early on. The higher-ups took the matter very seriously, though they couldn’t forcefully seize it as their own.

Rian was still debating whether to hand it over to the state, mainly because a large portion of those higher-ups didn’t believe such a miraculous reagent could actually exist. It was only after adding other medicinal compounds and conducting countless trials that she had finally arrived at the end product.

The TRP Reagent.

This was an experiment Rian had completed entirely on her own, without a single assistant involved at any point. From top to bottom, she had to do everything herself. There were times when she was so engrossed in recording data that she completely forgot to sleep. Thinking back on it, Rian couldn’t help but think of the nation’s scientific researchers. They were just like this, too.

Rian had tested the TRP Reagent. Although she hadn’t tested it on humans yet, she had used it on living organisms. The continuous regeneration of cells was visible to the naked eye, and the newly generated cells were visibly more vibrant. It was just one step away from clinical trials.

But this wasn’t something Rian dared to rush into.

She needed to continue her experiments to make the reagent more compatible with human cells. Furthermore, many of the higher-ups opposed testing it on humans, so this matter would have to be put on hold for a while. That was why Rian only brought out the Scar Removal Cream. Getting approval for its clinical use was feasible. While many higher-ups were still skeptical, the pushback wasn’t nearly as fierce as it was for the TRP Reagent.

Donovan and the others naturally understood that the Scar Removal Cream was just a small appetizer; the TRP Reagent was the true centerpiece. But their hands were tied. Since the higher-ups wouldn’t allow it, the reagent couldn’t be released to the market. Even though they could easily find willing volunteers, everything still depended on their lady’s final word.

Having finished her instructions, Rian massaged her aching temples. "Has Auntie Alden cooked yet? I’m a bit hungry."

Ethan immediately piped up, "Auntie Alden prepared a massive feast. She said you must be exhausted from your experiments and need to replenish your energy."

At his words, everyone couldn’t help but look at Rian. Feeling a twinge of guilt under their gazes, she quickly ushered the group out to drive toward Imperial Lake Bay.

After enjoying a massive feast, Rian finally felt like her old, carefree days had returned. She lounged on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows to rest. Beside her, Bandage had grown quite a bit under their careful feeding. Seeing its owner, the pet couldn’t stop whining for attention. Rian had to coax her sweet girl for a long time before she finally settled down.

While relaxing, Rian remembered Ash Sinclair, whom she hadn’t seen in what felt like ages, and beckoned Donovan over.

"Do you have any arrangements for me, Miss?"

Rian waved her hand, gesturing for him to take a seat. Once he sat down, she asked, "How is Ash doing?"

She remembered receiving news about him while she was still immersed in her experiments; it had been regarding his leave of absence from school. Ash had chosen to study Computer Science at Veridian Institute of Technology in Kyoro. It was the university’s ace major and quite renowned throughout Veridia. At the time, she had simply told Donovan to handle it, as she truly couldn’t pull herself away from the lab.

Donovan replied, "Miss, the Young Master’s leave of absence has been fully processed, and he can return to school at any time. Under your authorization, we also donated a library and some laboratory equipment to Veridian Institute of Technology. The Young Master has also passed trials for several clubs. After careful consideration, he chose the ASG Club, where he’ll be starting on the main roster."

Rian was slightly surprised. "The starting roster?"

Donovan nodded. "ASG hasn’t been doing well in recent years. Their roster consists mostly of veterans whose skills have seriously declined, so they’re in desperate need of fresh blood. The condition they offered the Young Master was an immediate starting position upon joining the team, completely bypassing the bench."

Rian nodded at this. That sounded exactly like Ash’s style. She hadn’t expected ASG to be bold enough to put a rookie straight onto the starting lineup, but on the other hand, it was a solid testament to Ash’s skills. Seeing how things stood, Rian didn’t pry any further. He had chosen this path himself, and she only hoped he would be able to stick with it.

She had no intention of stepping in to help him, either. Experiencing a few setbacks while young was a good thing; it would serve nicely to temper his impulsive nature.

Donovan handed over a file containing information on ASG, which Rian took and flipped through.

The more she read, the deeper her frown became. The best ASG had ever achieved was making it to the semi-finals. Their roster management was almost comically loyal—no matter how poorly they performed, the starting lineup remained completely unchanged since the dawn of time. Were they in the esports scene to actually compete, or just to take a stroll and enjoy some international tourism?

Ash’s position on the team was the sniper. As a sniper, he would have priority access to the team’s best resources. It was a strategy where the team would essentially fatten up the sniper first before worrying about anyone else. However, this also meant that if the sniper underperformed, they would be the first target of public backlash.

Comments like "You got all the best resources and still played like trash," "What’s the point of feeding you so much?" or "Is that big gun of yours just for show?" would be par for the course.

After finishing the file, Rian also noted that there were upcoming matches serving as qualifiers for the Global Finals in December.