Shermaine, who was aside, said, “It’s not like that. The allocation of spots for the clinical trials of Apothecary Pharmaceuticals is not based on who has money and power, but on who needs treatment the most. Those who sign up for the clinical trials are all cancer patients without exception. At least thirty percent of them have been declared by doctors to have less than six months to live. There are hundreds of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer alone, and many of them are children. People like us in our twenties hardly stand a chance to get a spot.”

Curious, Charlie asked, "Shermaine, did you also sign up for Apothecary Pharmaceutical’s clinical trials?”

Shermaine nodded and said, “I did, but I didn't get selected. The evaluation mechanism of Apothecary Pharmaceutical is somewhat like comparing miseries. First, they compare who has the most severe illness, and then they compare who is the youngest, whose family situation is the most pitiful, whose family responsibilities are