Book 1: She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement Annulment

Chapter 21

Chapter 61: Investigate Her Daughter!

Justin looked at her, only to see that the young woman, after answering him, had no intention of picking up her cell phone and showing him a photo at all.

“…”

For some reason, he felt a little embarrassed.

At the sight, Melissa, who was next to him, said, “Are you asking about Cherry? I have photos of her, too! I even took videos!”

She picked up her cell phone after she spoke. Just as she was about to show a photo to Justin, Nora subtly stopped her and said, “Aunt Melissa, things don’t seem to be going well for Uncle Simon over there.”

Sure enough, it successfully distracted Melissa. She turned to see that Simon and the other party were starting to argue in low voices.

She smiled apologetically at Justin and quickly walked over.

Justin, “…”

He couldn’t help but feel that she had done it on purpose just so he wouldn’t be able to see the photos.

Wasn’t it just her daughter? He had already shown her his son, so what was there for her to be so secretive about?

A hint of a chilly look came over his countenance.

When he saw Nora also giving him a nod and walking over to Simon, he suddenly instructed Sean, “Look up her daughter; surely she isn’t that ugly that she shouldn’t be seen in public, right?”

Since she refused to show him her daughter, then he would find out what she looked like, no matter what!

Justin was obviously upset after he said that. Had it been any other time, he would already have turned and left. This time, however, he actually followed them over.

Sean: “…”

By the time Nora came over, Simon already had an awful look on his face.

The other party was a man about 40 or 50 years old, and he spoke in a hurtful manner.

“… Simon, it was only on account of the friendship between our families that I’ve been doing business with the Andersons out of kindness all these years.

“Times are moving on; the drugs produced by the Anderson's to compare to the Myerses’ now. Surely you can’t always rely on friendships when doing business?”

Melissa clenched her fists. She turned to Nora and said with disgust, “He’s the Deputy Dean of the Traditional Medicine Hall. His last name is Lucas. All the formulas of Harmonia Pharmacy’s medicines have been improved by your mom, so they have always been very effective!”

“They used to beg us to sell them our products, and the business dealings between the two of us have always had arm’s length transactions.How did it even become them ‘doing business with the Andersons out of kindness’?”

Simon took a deep breath and said nicely, “I’m agreeable to your request to terminate our partnership because you’ve found another supplier.However, the batch of pills you custom-ordered have already been fully manufactured.After signing the contract, surely you have to follow the contractual terms, right?”

Deputy Dean Lucas replied with a smile, “Let’s do this instead—I know you’re in a bit of a pinch lately. We’ll buy the batch of pills at a 60% discount. How does that sound?”

Simon’s grip on his champagne glass tightened intensely as he tried his best to suppress his anger. “A 60% discount?We’ve always given you a low price. You’re clearly kicking us when we’re down!”

Deputy Dean Lucas patted Simon on the shoulder and said, “That’s exactly what I mean, Simon. If you’re agreeable to it, then we’ll help you out this one time and at least give you a bit of profit.However, what I’ve heard is that everyone else has returned their goods. Moreover, Harmonia Pharmacy has barely any clients and its reputation is already a goner now!”

There was sarcasm hidden in his words.

“You—!” Simon was outraged.

The man adopted a casual attitude as if it didn’t matter either way. “In any case, do think it over properly. Will you keep the pills with you and let them expire, or sell them at me at a low price…”

He had only just said that when a voice came from beside him. “A 60% discount is too high. How about a 20% discount instead?”

As soon as the person said that, the few of them turned and saw Sheena.

Her husband was a well-known internal medicine physician.

At the sight of her, both Simon and Melissa’s eyes reddened slightly and they felt a warm feeling welling up in their hearts. Simon called out, “Sheena.”

Sheena ignored him. Instead, she smiled at Deputy Dean Lucas and said, “A 60% discount is too much of a loss for us! But if it’s a 20% discount, the loss is within an acceptable range.”

Then, she leaned toward him and said, “When we close the deal, I’ll treat you to dinner, old friend!”

A lewd look had appeared in Deputy Dean Lucas’s eyes when he saw Sheena. He took her hand and fondled the back of her hand.

Sheena felt a wave of disgust, but she nevertheless tolerated it until Deputy Dean Lucas said, “You guys can forget about selling your medicines anymore. Mr. Myers has already put the word out that he won’t sell their medicines to anyone who buys from the Andersons.You must understand that he has a Carefree Pill in his possession; that’s something that can save someone’s life! Who would dare to go against him? I’m the only one who can still afford to buy your medicines at a 60% discount now.”

Sheena tried to withdraw her hand, but Deputy Dean Lucas took hold of it again. He said, “Nana, how about we go to the balcony over there and have a chat?”

Deputy Dean Lucas and Sheena were classmates in college and he had always been attracted to her.

However, Sheena found him too ugly and had rejected him several times before.

At this moment when she heard his suggestive words, she almost gagged. She said, “Let’s talk here instead.”

Deputy Dean Lucas stroked her palm and said, “There are too many people here, so let’s go there instead. I can give you a 30% discount… Don’t make a scene; the Andersons are already down and out. If you embarrass yourselves again in a conference like this, then you really won’t be able to hold your head up high in the future anymore…”

Sheena wanted to withdraw her hand, but Deputy Dean Lucas held it tightly and gave her a warning look.

Then, his hand started to stray toward Sheena’s butt…

Sheena was extremely angry and embarrassed.

When they were young, the Harmonia Pharmacy had been sought after by all. In school, so many outstanding young men had courted her, but she had ignored them all.

But ever since her elder sister’s departure, the Andersons fell into decline and she’d had to keep an obsequious smile on even when she didn’t want to, in order to keep the business going.

And now, even a mere Deputy Dean Lucas had the guts to paw her!

This reminded her of the time back when she was still in junior high…

A group of girls had been jealous of her because she was rich and good-looking. They had ganged up on her in the bathroom, but she didn’t dare to fight back. It was her elder sister who had suddenly rushed in, her small and skinny self with a broom in her hand, and started beating them indiscriminately.

Afterward, with her chin raised, she had lectured her. “What’s there to be scared of? You can only deal with wicked people like them by being even more ruthless than they are!”

If Sis were still here, how could they possibly have ended up like this?!

Sheena clenched her fist tightly. She was about to push Deputy Dean Lucas away when she suddenly sensed him freezing up.

She turned to see that the young woman who bore a 70% resemblance to her sister was currently standing beside her coldly. Her delicate hand had pressed down on Deputy Dean Lucas’s wrist.

She applied a little force, causing him to open his mouth, ready to shout.

Nora said coldly, “Don’t make a scene. If you embarrass yourself in a conference like this, you won’t be able to hold your head up high in the future anymore.”

She threw his words right back at him.

Deputy Dean Lucas let go of Sheena and took a step back in compromise. The pain made his forehead break out in cold sweat.

He lowered his voice and snapped, “Can you let go of me now?!”

Nora let go of him.

Simon rushed over and stood in front of Sheena and Nora. “We’re not going through with this transaction anymore!”

At the sight, Deputy Dean Lucas lowered his voice and barked angrily, “Fine! Okay! Since you don’t want to sell the pills to me, I’m gonna see who, apart from the Traditional Medicine Hall, dares to buy your medicines!”

After he said that, a deep voice suddenly reached them: “Who says there’s no one who dares to buy them?”

Chapter 62: It Really Is The Carefree Pill

Justin strode over with a cold look on his face.

The conference was very noisy, and all the guests had gathered into their own respective little groups.

Justin was low-key by nature, so no one had noticed him.

Moreover, this was a medical conference. Most of the guests here wouldn’t be able to come into contact with people of his level, so they didn’t know who he was.

However, this didn’t include Deputy Dean Lucas.

Deputy Dean Lucas was stunned when he saw him.“M-Mr. Hunt?”

Justin, however, ignored him.

He merely turned to Simon and said indifferently, “Uncle Simon, Hospital Finest will procure all of our traditional medicines from the Andersons. For every type of pill that Harmonia Pharmacy sells, we’ll take 5,000 pills a month each.”

All of them were dumbfounded.

5,000 pills… of each type!

Although it wasn’t a lot, it was enough to sustain Harmonia Pharmacy’s daily expenses!

He was practically a lifesaver.

Moreover, he had also chosen an appropriate quantity. Hospital Finest was definitely capable of finishing all 5,000 pills of every type of medicine, no matter what.

Therefore, it wouldn’t give others the impression that Justin was taking pity on them, so his actions showed sufficient respect toward the Andersons.

The way he handled the matter was both appropriate and meticulous.

Simon quickly recovered from his astonishment. He, Sheena, and Melissa looked at one another.

They still needed to feed so many people in the Andersons. Additionally, Sheena and Sheril were also leading research and development efforts for new drugs in the pharmaceutical department, so the future still held endless possibilities for them.

Simon didn’t put on a pretentious act and refuse his offer. Instead, he said gratefully, “I will definitely sell all our medicines to you at the lowest price possible! I also guarantee that they’ll absolutely be of the very best quality!”

Justin nodded and instructed Sean, “Get the Legal Department to draw up a contract so that we can have it signed as soon as possible.”

After speaking, he looked at Nora.

She hadn’t asked for any consultation fees or operation fees for his grandmother’s operation back then. By helping them out a little and sending them some money, he would just take it that he was returning her the favor.

However, Nora frowned, seemingly a little troubled. “5,000 pills of each type? Does this include new products?”

New products?

Simon and Sheena were a little confused. They didn’t have any new products, did they?

Justin, however, quickly replied, “Yes, it does.”

Nora glanced at him and asked casually, “Are you sure? The new product is a little expensive.”

A little expensive?

How expensive could it get?

Justin didn’t take her question seriously. He asked, “How much is it?”

Nora replied softly and unhurriedly, “The cost price is $800 per pill.”

Justin frowned.

At $800 per pill, 5,000 pills would mean $4,000,000 a month!

Even the total cost of 5,000 units of every type of pill from Harmonia Pharmacy would probably only add up to less than a million dollars a month. Was she asking for that much right off the bat?

She was demanding quite the exorbitant price.

Justin frowned, his expression even turning a little cold. Although he had only interacted with her no more than a few times, she didn’t seem like she was such an ungrateful person.

Simon and Sheena, who had finally regained their senses, hurriedly said, “Don’t talk nonsense, Nora! We don’t have any new products!”

Nora explained, “Sheril’s making it at the moment. It’ll be finished soon.”

What was there for them to finish soon? It had been years since the factory’s Research & Development department launched any new product.

However, in the presence of outsiders, Simon couldn’t quite reprimand Nora for babbling nonsense. As such, he could only give Justin a vague reply and say, “New products aren’t included.”

But Justin instead stared at Nora and asked, “What do you think, Miss Smith?”

Nora hesitated.

Carefree Pills were developed using very expensive medicinal herbs. The cost prices of the various precious medicinal herbs in the pills were high from the start.

Excluding the materials and manufacturing costs, a single pill could already cost up to $500 or $600.

A wholesale price of $800 was really very low. In fact, she had even been thinking of setting the retail price at $1,500 per pill.

She was originally thinking that the Carefree Pills would even allow Harmonia Pharmacy to recoup its capital and make a name for itself, but if she had to set aside 5,000 pills for him every month.

Ah, well.

What could she do? He was Pete’s father. She would just share part of the profits with him, she supposed.

At the thought, Nora sighed and said, “You can have them.”

Justin, “?”

She was obviously ripping him off, but why was she sounding as if she was reluctant to give him the pills?!

Upset, he suddenly lost interest in staying any longer. Simon hurriedly said, “No, Justin, this won’t do… She’s still young, so she doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

Sheena also grabbed Nora and lectured her in a low voice. “What kind of nonsense are you saying in front of Mr. Hunt?! He’s only helping us out because his father was friends with Sis. How can you raise the price like that? You’re so…”

The word ‘shameless’ did a U-turn on the tip of her tongue when she thought of how Nora had defended her just now, and she forced herself to swallow the word back down.

While they were arguing, Justin instead said, “That settles it, then.”

A gentleman should be true to his word. Since he had agreed to it, he mustn’t go back on his word.

He would just treat the money as her consultation fee and take it that he was returning her the favor.

From there on, they didn’t owe each other anything anymore.

As soon as he said that, a loud voice traveled over from a short distance away. “Mr. Myers, I heard that you still have another Carefree Pill. How much would you be willing to sell it for?”

Nora turned and saw a handsome man with a pair of flirtatious eyes. He looked to be in his twenties and wore a gray suit, making him look tall and lean.

He was talking to a white-haired old man. “I’m willing to pay $150,000 for the pill in order to treat my uncle’s illness!”

For some reason, Nora actually found the man very affable. She asked, “Aunt Melissa, who’s that?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Melissa answered, “That young man is Joel Smith, the current head of the Smiths. His uncle is Ian Smith.”

Ian Smith?

The man who never married for the rest of his life after Mom let him down?

While she was musing over this, the old man, Jon Myers, said, “Mr. Smith, it’s not that I refuse to sell it, but there’s only one left. It’s our shop’s treasure!”

Joel Smith’s flirtatious eyes were upturned even when he wasn’t smiling, making people feel warm and comfortable in his presence. Yet at the same time, he also inspired awe despite his mild exterior.

His assistant, who was standing next to him, reprimanded, “In that case, why did you give one to the Hunt's? At the bottom of it all, is it because you think the Smith's cannot compare with the Hunt's? Or do you think we, the Smith's, cannot afford it?”

Jon wiped the beads of cold sweat from his forehead and said, “That’s not what I mean at all, Mr. Smith.”

Joel didn’t want to be thought of as someone who coerced others into selling, either.

Thus, he suggested mildly, “How about we go over there and discuss this further?”

It was only after they left that Nora finally looked away.

Melissa sighed emotionally. “To think a pill can sell for $150,000!”

As soon as she said that, Deputy Dean Lucas, whose presence all of them had overlooked, suddenly said, “That’s the Carefree Pill they’re talking about; of course it’ll be expensive! What kind of new product are you launching to actually have the audacity to sell it at $800 per pill?You’re obviously trying to scam others!”

He hurriedly looked at Justin and said, “Don’t be fooled, Mr. Hunt! The traditional medicine industry is a complicated one; how can a bit of lousy medicinal herbs be worth $800… Do you think you’re selling the Carefree Pills?”

A sharp look glinted in Justin’s eyes—he was obviously displeased.

What concern was it of Deputy Dean Lucas’ that he was willing to be scammed of his money?

He was about to speak when the young woman’s lip corners curled upward and she said coolly,

“You’re right, we are indeed selling Carefree Pills.”

Chapter 63: The Carefree Pill Belongs To The Andersons!

“What?”

All of them were astounded.

Even Simon, Sheena, and Melissa felt like they must have misheard her, not to mention Deputy Dean Lucas. After all, the place was noisy and everyone was basically only talking about the Carefree Pill.

Deputy Dean Lucas was the first to recover. “What did you say? Are you kidding me?”

However, something seemed to click in Melissa’s mind and she whispered, “Nora, do you have the Carefree Pill formula? I get it now!Your mother must have left it for you?!”

She had vaguely heard her husband mention before that Nora’s mother was the one who had developed the Carefree Pill back then!

Nora nodded. “Yeah. I’ve already given it to Sheril. I reckon that we’ll be able to commence mass production in a couple of days.”

She had thought that everyone would be excited after she said that, but Simon’s jaw was tense and he didn’t say anything.

Sheena’s brows drew together tightly. “Don’t talk nonsense outside when the product hasn’t been finished yet. As expected, a child like you is simply unreliable. You can’t keep yourself calm and steady at all!”

The look in Nora’s eyes turned a little cold.

Wasn’t her second aunt being a little too hostile to her?

The thought had only just formed when Simon lowered his voice and said, “Nora, your mom only managed to make the Carefree Pills by coincidence back then, and even so, only a batch of five pills was successfully produced.

The manufacturing process is a bit complicated and the success rate is extremely low. This is also the reason why the Carefree Pills hadn’t been popularized back then.

Even with the formula, it’ll be difficult for us to mass produce it…”

At the sight of the awful looks on Simon and Sheena’s faces, Deputy Dean Lucas sneered, “Tsk. Are you lusting for the Carefree Pill just because you saw that Mr. Myers has one? If the Carefree Pill was something that any Tom,

Dick, or Harry could make, Mr. Myers wouldn’t be treating the one he has as the treasure of his shop!”

Not far away, another loud laugh reached them.

Everyone looked over to see Jon and Joel walking out together.

A relaxed look came over Jon’s features after he laughed. He said, “That settles it then, Mr. Smith!”

Joel looked rather disappointed—it seemed like the talk just now hadn’t gone too well. After nodding, he walked to the side with flagging interest and his interest in the conference became rather lackluster.

Nora watched him.

Joel’s eyes were downcast at the moment and he had lost the warm smile he had just now. Perhaps because he was thinking of his uncle’s condition, there was some sorrow and melancholy on his handsome and elegant visage.

It was rather heart-wrenching to see him like that.

Nora found herself taken aback at the thought.

She had always been an apathetic person who’d rather make fewer friends if she could get more sleep in return. The empathy she felt today came rather inexplicably.

She shook her head, discarding the thoughts in her mind.

Someone nearby asked Jon, “Didn’t Mr. Smith buy the pill?”

Jon sighed and replied, “The pill actually doesn’t hold much use for Mr. Smith’s condition. He’s in poor health and needs regular nourishment to nurse his health. A pill is of little use to him.”

Everyone understood now.

The Carefree Pill might be a lifesaver for others, but in the case of Ian whose bodily functions were barely supporting him, they needed one Carefree Pill per day to slowly nurse him back to health.

However, there was only a single pill left in the whole world now. Thus, it was useless to him.

Jon went on. “However, we cannot ignore Mr. Smith’s condition, either. I’ve agreed to have Tina go over every day to conduct health checkups on Mr. Smith.”

This way, he wouldn’t offend the Smiths. He sure was smart.

Someone nearby flattered him and said, “Dr. York is the last student you ever took in; there aren’t many who can have her conduct health checkups on them every day now!”

“Now that modern medicine holds such a prominent place in society, traditional medicine has become much less significant. The only thing we can be proud of now is the Myers Peace Pharmacy!Mr. Myers, I’ve heard that it’s hard to get an outpatient appointment with you these days.”

Someone suddenly changed the subject and asked, “Mr. Myers, how much are you selling that pill of yours? Name your price!”

“Yes, that’s right! Mr. Myers, is that pill for sale?”

“I’d also like to buy it as a backup plan…”

A group of people flocked to Jon and surrounded him and for a time, the Myerses basked in the spotlight like none other. Even Tina next to him was proud to be associated with them.

Jon smiled and said, “It’s not for sale! That’s the last pill we have, so it’s our shop’s treasure.”

Tina raised her chin and said gently, “Mr. Myers has been using a special preservation method on the pill over the years. The cost of preserving it so that it won’t expire already costs about $150,000 per year…”

“Hiss! That’s a lot of money! No wonder that pill still hasn’t spoiled even after 25 years…”

“With that pill, the Myerses can dominate the world of traditional medicine!”

“…”

Jon’s gaze swept across the Andersons—who had been isolated and kept outside by the others—in the distance as he listened to the crowd’s compliments. A sharp look flashed across his countenance.

He suddenly said, “Traditional medicine requires one to accumulate and build up experience. One must be content with what they have and calmly accumulate experience. More importantly, they mustn’t allow themselves to be tempted by other things. Am I right, Simon?”

His words made everyone look at Simon.

Jon continued and said, “How glorious the Andersons were twenty years ago! There was no one who didn’t know about the Andersons whenever they were mentioned in the traditional medicine and pharmaceutical industry. But all these years, you and your second sister have placed your time and efforts on making social connections and on making money instead. Your intentions in making medicine are no longer pure!”

Being reprimanded in public Simon and Sheena instantly flush.

Melissa stepped forward and said with a smile, “Mr. Myers, Myers Peace Pharmacy’s main business is also the sale of medicines. Surely someone has to take charge of making sales, right? Speaking of which, back when our eldest sister was in charge of making medicines, I heard that you even came to us in person to ask for advice!”

Jon stared at her and sighed. He said, “Your eldest sister, Yvette Anderson, is indeed a rare pharmaceutical genius. She was the only one with any hope of surpassing my prowess back then.What a shame that she wasted her efforts on love and romance, and eloped with a man instead! How shameless! If she had behaved and been contented with her lot back then, she would probably have also been able to create the Carefree Pill!”

Simon was rather angry. He said, “Yvette was the one who made that Carefree Pill in your possession!”

Sheena was also furious.

Back then, Yvette had made five pills. Jon had borrowed two in the name of research and observation.

Afterward, Yvette had gotten herself in trouble before she could improve the formula. The three pills they had were also used on a patient, and all of them had forgotten to ask for the two Carefree Pills back!

But now, not only was he using those two pills to suppress the Anderson's, but he was also claiming that he was the one who made them? How utterly shameless!

Jon smiled and said nothing.

Tina, however, frowned and said, “That’s a very strange claim you’re making, Uncle Simon. If the Anderson's were really the ones who made the Carefree Pills, why would it be in my teacher’s possession while you don’t have any?”

“Exactly. How can the Andersons be so shameless?They’re actually stealing credit for the Myerses’ pills…”

“Carefree Pills are very difficult to make. The two that Mr. Myers has were only successfully made by chance. How can the Anderson's claim they’re theirs? If the Anderson's had made them, why aren’t they bringing them out?”

“Moreover, they’re even saying that Yvette was the one who made the pills. She’s already dead; without her around anymore, of course, they can say whatever they want. Unless they can produce the Carefree Pill, who would believe them?”

Amidst the speculations, and a cool voice slowly reached them: “Who says the Anderson's don’t have any Carefree Pills?”