"After Becoming the Protagonist's Scumbag Alpha Ex-Wife" (ABO) - Chapter 24

Su Yuecha and Guan Jingyi were pushing hard on the door when the resistance in front of them suddenly gave way. The two of them stumbled forward.

Guan Jingyi’s face went pale when she saw Wen Qingyun and Qin Ran inside the room. They both looked terrified, as if something had seriously frightened them.

Su Yuecha steadied herself by grabbing the edge of the table, a little surprised that the room didn’t smell like Qin Ran’s pheromones at all. She glanced around and saw Qin Ran standing there coldly watching her. Though Qin Ran’s hair and clothes were soaked, and there was a visible slap mark on her face—making her look a complete mess—her eyes were sharp and her expression was cold. She looked nothing like the frenzied, out-of-control mess that Su Yuecha had expected Qin Ran to be.

How was that even possible?

Qin Ran’s body shouldn’t be able to get through an estrus cycle without her inhibitor. Unless… she had marked another Omega at the last minute?

Omega pheromones were known to be the most effective natural suppressants for calming an Alpha that is in heat.

Was there an Omega in this room?

As if to answer her question, the sound of a wheelchair scraping against furniture rang out.

Bang. Bang. Bang. The wheelchair kept crashing into the cabinet and the table as it tried to pass through the narrow space—it kept ramming into it and clearly trying to force her way out

Su Yuecha froze for a second. She hadn’t expected that it would be, of all people…

Wen Qingyun? who had practically been shut-in for over a year—to show up here.

She also noticed there were patches on Wen Qingyun’s wrinkled clothes, and an inhibitor patch was stuck to her neck. It was hard to tell if she’d been bitten or not.

But judging by how she looked like she was in the middle of a severe reaction, she’d probably been marked, hadn’t she?

Qin Ran had marked this mentally unstable woman?

As Su Yuecha stood stunned, Qin Ran also looked a bit confused.

“That way’s blocked. Turn around and take the side path,” Qin Ran instructed, but when she turned to Wen Qingyun, she noticed something wasn’t right.

A moment ago, Wen Qingyun exuded composure and aloofness, as if she could maintain her composure under any circumstances. But now, she looked anxious, and her fingers were frantically pressing the wheelchair’s control button.

“Qin Ran, don’t tell me you actually marked this lunatic? You seriously kissed her? Your face is even swollen from her slap!” Su Yuecha scoffed at Wen Qingyun’s state. Since no one else was around, she didn’t bother filtering her words. After all, “Qin Ran” used to refer to Wen Qingyun this way all the time.

Just as her words fell, Wen Qingyun suddenly stood up from the wheelchair and stumbled forward, slamming right into Su Yuecha. The impact knocked the smaller woman straight to the floor. But Wen Qingyun acted like she didn’t even see her—she just wanted to escape. She stepped right on Su Yuecha’s hand as she tried to flee.

Su Yuecha let out a sharp scream, trying to shove her away, but Wen Qingyun pushed on desperately. Her balance was completely off, and her hands were clenched tightly to her chest, trembling. Right as she was about to fall face-first to the ground, Qin Ran rushed forward and caught her.

Qin Ran hadn’t expected Wen Qingyun—who had seemed perfectly stable a moment ago—to suddenly lose control like this.

Wen Qingyun struggled violently in her arms while gasping for breath. She was exerting herself to the limit, causing her face to turn blue due to oxygen deprivation. It was obvious that she was about to pass out. Her fingers dug into Qin Ran’s skin, and then she suddenly bit down hard on Qin Ran’s shoulder.

Qin Ran winced. “Ah—!”

“You crazy lunatic! Wen Qingyun! Guan Jingyi, slap her for me!” Su Yuecha cried out, lifting her injured hand.

“That’s enough! She didn’t mean to.” Qin Ran didn’t even look at Su Yuecha. She reached out and shoved her aside, then turned to Guan Jingyi and said, “Please get a sedative. Now.”

Qin Ran was still in estrus, with an inhibitor patch sealing off her gland—there was no way she could soothe Wen Qingyun herself right now.

Guan Jingyi glanced at the two of them, then turned away and left quickly; her expression was calm—but once she turned her back, a flash of anger and resentment flickered in her eyes.

“Wen Qingyun, wake up!” Qin Ran shouted, gripping both sides of her head to keep her from biting again.

Wen Qingyun’s eyes were vacant and unfocused. She kept struggling, like she was in the middle of a nightmare. Her face twisted with pain.

“Qin Ran, is this S-class Omega really that irresistible to you? Are you seriously planning to use her as your personal suppressant? She’s not the only one who’s crazy—you’ve gone mad too!” Su Yuecha snapped, holding her hand and glaring.

“Shut up! Stay away!” Qin Ran’s voice went cold as she noticed Wen Qingyun getting even more agitated whenever Su Yuecha spoke.

She had a strong suspicion—Wen Qingyun’s breakdown had started the moment she saw Su Yuecha. Hearing Su Yuecha label Wen Qingyun as “crazy” could have been the main cause for her breakdown.

Qin Ran didn’t even want to argue anymore. She had once believed that Su Yuecha, despite her fake sweetness and pretentiousness, still possessed some pride. But that was clearly an illusion.

First, she tried to blackmail Qin Ran with the inhibitor. Then she deliberately released pheromones to tempt her into marking her.

Honestly, Qin Ran wouldn’t be surprised if Su Yuecha had even drugged her. Something had definitely felt off with her estrus cycle—she’d have to get a thorough checkup later.

“Perfect. Very good, Qin Ran,” Su Yuecha muttered as she stared at Qin Ran’s cold glare. She backed away and left the room.

She couldn’t understand it. Qin Ran had promised to marry her after the divorce… How had things turned out like this?

She used to think Qin Ran was just upset about her mother and would just let go. Plus, she had the inhibitor as leverage—she was confident she could still win her over. But now, all her confidence had vanished.

Qin Ran… might be beyond saving.

Su Yuecha looked at her swollen, red fingers and bit her lip. She wasn’t just some pretty decoration clinging to an Alpha.

She would make Qin Ran regret this day—she would pay for it.

As she walked out, she ran into Guan Jingyi carrying the medical kit. With nowhere else to vent her rage, she slapped Guan Jingyi across the face.

“Why are you being so helpful? Don’t forget—you’re my assistant. Come on, let’s go. Qin Ran’s nothing special. Did I hit you too hard? Let’s go back to my lounge; I’ll fix you up.”

Su Yuecha’s voice was harsh at first, but it quickly softened. Her tone softened as she lightly touched Guan Jingyi’s cheek.

Guan Jingyi’s face flushed red, and she let Su Yuecha lead her to the lounge.

Back in the room, Qin Ran was still holding onto Wen Qingyun, who had finally gone quiet. She clung tightly to Qin Ran, burying her face in her shoulder and breathing in the faint scent of residual pheromones—like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand, trying to escape reality.

Qin Ran tried to gently push her away, but Wen Qingyun wouldn’t move. Even a small nudge made her start panicking and her breathing grow ragged again.

“Ugh…” Qin Ran didn’t know what to do. Should she call for that sedative after all? Sure, Wen Qingyun was quiet now—but she was way too close.

Thankfully, it didn’t last long. Wen Qingyun soon fell asleep in her arms.

Looking down at those sharp, cold black eyes finally closed in slumber, Qin Ran felt a complicated mix of emotions.

How could this woman—so vulnerable and pitiful now—make her grind her teeth in frustration when she was awake?

Not long ago, Wen Qingyun had injected Qin Ran with poison!

Thinking about the substance Wen Qingyun had put into her body, Qin Ran’s mind, still groggy from estrus, finally began to clear.

The lab wasn’t very big. Qin Ran made the decision to inspect every drug, particularly the syringe Wen Qingyun had just used on her. She had to find out exactly what was in it and whether there was an antidote. After all, she had the entire research institute behind her. There had to be a way to save herself.

She was determined to prevent Wen Qingyun from gaining an advantage.

Qin Ran placed Wen Qingyun back in her wheelchair and pushed her out of the lab. Then she closed the door and tapped a few commands on the digital panel outside. Swiping her card, she upgraded the lab’s access level—now regular researchers couldn’t open the door.

Qin Ran brought Wen Qingyun to her office. She settled her down on the long sofa, grabbed her own coat to cover her, and picked up her phone to call Assistant Wang.

Soon, Assistant Wang arrived with a fresh change of clothes. Qin Ran dried her hair and changed, finally feeling clean again.

“Our institute currently has three chief specialists, right? Who’s on duty today?” Qin Ran asked.

“Yes, three. Professor Song is in today. Do you need something?” Assistant Wang replied.

“Good. Go ask Professor Song to come over and check everything inside Inhibitor Research Lab No. 2. Especially that disposable syringe on the table—I need a full breakdown of what’s in it. Also, find someone to take a bl00d sample from me. I suspect I inhaled some kind of toxin—I’m not feeling well. Ask Professor Song to handle the tests carefully, and let me know once the results are out,” Qin Ran instructed.

Professor Song was one of the best in the institute. He couldn’t be worse than Wen Qingyun, could he?

Assistant Wang jotted everything down.

“President Qin, earlier today you listened to the presentation on the inhibitor research project. What did you think? You mentioned before that once the project made progress, you’d promote Dr. Su to chief specialist…”

Assistant Wang asked eagerly. As Qin Ran’s assistant, he was naturally aware of her relationship with Su Yuecha.

“No. The chief specialist title isn’t something to hand out casually. All three of our current chiefs are senior professors with multiple patents under their belts.

Su Yuecha isn’t qualified yet. And if you want to keep your job as my assistant, drop the sarcasm. Dr. Su is Dr. Su. I’m the head of this group—I make decisions based on merit,” Qin Ran said with a wave of her hand.

The original Qin Ran must have been out of her mind—making empty promises about job titles, using relationships for promotions… How was the institute supposed to maintain credibility like that?

“Ah, understood, President Qin,” Assistant Wang replied quickly, inwardly tense. He realized that he’d overstepped. Did President Qin and Dr. Su have a falling-out?

Just then, another thought hit Qin Ran.

Wait a second—Wen Qingyun had asked her to make her a chief specialist.

…Right.

Wen Qingyun’s ability absolutely qualified her.

And more importantly, she was also a major shareholder.

“By the way,” Qin Ran added, “didn’t Ms. Wen register earlier as a regular researcher? Use my authorization email to upgrade her access. Make her a chief specialist—not just in a specific field, but with full access to every lab.”

She could feel herself slapping her own face with this decision.

“You’re… sure?” Assistant Wang asked, stunned.

“I’m sure. Ms. Wen’s status is one thing—but her capabilities are undeniable. She’s more than deserving of the title. You’ll see, she’ll prove it soon enough,” Qin Ran said confidently.

“Alright, I’ll take care of it right away,” Assistant Wang replied, marveling at how naturally Qin Ran could lie through her teeth. Seriously? Of all the positions to offer your own person, you had to choose chief specialist?

That title wasn’t a joke!

But with a capricious boss like Qin Ran, he knew better than to protest. He just accepted the task and left.

After delivering a few more updates, Assistant Wang went off to work.

Qin Ran returned to handling her company affairs until lunchtime, when Assistant Wang informed her that Professor Song’s lab results were ready.

She closed the office door and headed over to the lab.

“All the agents in the lab were compliant with regulations,” Professor Song reported. “The syringe you pointed out contained a pain suppressant. With that dosage, it wouldn’t cause any harm.”

Qin Ran froze. So Wen Qingyun had been bluffing this whole time?!

“However,” Professor Song continued, “this other vial does contain a substance that could be dangerous. It’s a concentrated formula. Clinically, it’s common enough, but if overused, it can damage neural pathways, cause irritability and aggression, and in severe cases—brain atrophy, cognitive decline, double vision, disorientation… even cerebral infarction, with no cure.”

He held up a small vial as he spoke.

Qin Ran barely had time to feel a flicker of relief before she broke into a cold sweat.

She’d thought things couldn’t get worse after skin ulcers and hair and teeth falling out… But this? This was a whole new level of terrifying.

How was she supposed to survive like this?!