She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 991

Quinn was seething.

She was the top student. She was the campus beauty. Everyone knew she was the undisputed queen of the medical department.

She glared at Melanie, scrutinizing her. She didn't look like a student at all. With her sharp, professional attire, she looked more like a corporate shark than a fresh-faced undergrad.

"What's the big deal? She's just some old woman," Quinn muttered under her breath.

Given the massive crowd in the hall, she was likely the only person whose jealousy blinded her to Melanie's objective elegance.

Everyone else was completely mesmerized.

"Okay, but... even if she's prettier than Quinn, Quinn is a verified genius. There's no way this woman has a better clinical answer," one of Quinn's loyal friends finally spoke up.

"Exactly. If she does answer, she'll probably just rephrase what Quinn already said. A pretty face can't beat actual medical knowledge."

Hearing that, Quinn's expression softened slightly.

She had no idea why Director York had specifically called on this 'Melanie' woman, but she firmly believed a beautiful idiot would never impress a man of his caliber.

Once the murmurs finally faded into silence, Melanie spoke. Her voice was composed, unhurried, and crystal clear.

"My perspective is the exact opposite of the previous student's."

The lecture hall immediately erupted in a collective gasp.

No one was more shocked than Quinn.

She had banked on Melanie awkwardly parroting her answer to play it safe. She had never expected her to take a completely contrarian stance.

"If the new drug has a faster timeline for drug resistance than the older one, prescribing it immediately accelerates the patient's timeline toward having zero pharmaceutical options. When that day comes, no other oral therapies will be available, and next-generation clinical trials might not yet be FDA-approved or covered by insurance. Therefore, the clinical decision isn't based on which drug is 'better.' It is entirely dependent on the time differential of drug resistance between the two therapies, and whether that window justifies a sequential switch."

Her calm, devastatingly logical breakdown hung in the air. The massive lecture hall fell into a stunned, pin-drop silence.

Three seconds passed.

Then, a slow, deliberate clapping echoed from the front of the room.

It was Sebastian.

Standing at the podium, his eyes were locked entirely on Melanie as he led the applause.

A split second later, the entire hall erupted.