The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 556

A month later.

Today was the official market launch of Vitas-1. Riverdale University hosted a grand press conference at the Metropolitan Convention Center in the capital.

Inside the venue, major media outlets had set up their cameras early, and the attention of the entire pharmaceutical world was fixated on this event.

Lawrence Sterling stood at the podium. Behind him, a massive LED screen displayed the molecular structure of Vitas-1.

The blue double-helix lines slowly rotated against a white background, resembling a meticulously choreographed map.

He wore a dark tailored suit, a Riverdale University pin fastened to his lapel. His white hair gleamed silver under the spotlights, making him look exceptionally vigorous, nothing at all like a man in his seventies.

The audience was packed with reporters, officials from regulatory departments, representatives from partnered pharmaceutical companies, and leaders from various departments at Riverdale University.

Camera flashes erupted in continuous bursts, the sound of the shutters as dense as a downpour.

Lawrence Sterling leaned forward slightly, adjusted the microphone, and raised his eyes. His steady gaze swept over every face in the crowd before a perfectly measured, humble, yet confident smile touched his lips.

"Thank you all for being here today. The launch of Vitas-1 is not merely the birth of a new drug; it is the fulfillment of a promise—a promise our generation makes to the next, and to every family shadowed by cancer."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, his pacing unhurried, with every pause flawlessly timed.

He began by recounting the Riverdale University medical team's relentless three-decade pursuit of cancer-fighting targets. Then, he shifted gears, mentioning the "researchers who dedicated their life's blood to this cause." He used the plural term without naming anyone specifically, pausing for a moment, as if in silent tribute or mourning.

Immediately after, his tone shifted again, becoming impassioned and earnest.