Marked by My Scummy Ex-Wife’s Boss (GL) - Chapter 32
Not long after, the Tong family received the news and hurried over as well.
Understanding Mr. Brown’s emotional state, Tong Rou didn’t approach the hospital room, nor did she show her face. Instead, she proactively asked Vice President Rong to arrange a nearby lounge for her. She and
Tong Yun were willing to wait inside the research institute.
Vice President Rong responded politely, “Oh no, we couldn’t possibly trouble you like that…”
Tong Rou replied calmly, “It’s only right. After all, this was caused by Xiao Lu. Waiting for the results is nothing. Compared to the pain we’ve brought upon Mr. and Mrs. Brown, this small gesture isn’t even worth mentioning.”
Her attitude was as humble as it could be.
Vice President Rong actually agreed with her in his heart. The hospital room was sealed—Mrs. Brown couldn’t see Tong Rou or Tong Yun—but Mr. Brown could. At such a time, seeing them would only add to his distress.
He had been struggling with whether or not to let Tong Rou visit the room, but her tact spared him from making the choice.
He arranged a lounge close to the hospital room for the two women and promised that as soon as there was any result, someone would inform them immediately. Tong Rou nodded with a polite smile, and Tong
Yun followed suit.
As he left the lounge, Vice President Rong shook his head with admiration. “As expected of the director of the Third Research Institute. Not a single flaw in her conduct.”
The Third Research Institute specialized in pharmaceutical R&D, particularly renowned for its hormone research, especially stabilizer development.
Tong Rou was not only the only one among the three major research institutes to serve as a director, she was also the only one who still worked year-round on the front lines of research.
Her professionalism and poise were undeniable, even for Vice President Rong.
He had served as deputy dean for years and could no longer easily set aside his pride. Yet Tong Rou had been director even longer than he’d been in his role—and she still could. People really were incomparable.
After his moment of reflection, Vice President Rong headed back toward the patient room, anxiety heavy in his steps.
Outside the room, everyone waited in tense silence. Inside, the atmosphere was even more charged, on the verge of snapping.
Led by Song Zhen, Cheng Lang, and Zuo Tian, the team had initially applied a base-grade stabilizer laced with S-class Omega pheromones to Mrs. Brown’s gland, but saw no effect. Cheng Lang then began adjusting the formula.
Several iterations later, with the S-class Omega pheromone content increased to the maximum, Mrs. Brown thankfully showed no rejection. Slowly, the medication began taking effect, and only then did everyone breathe a little easier.
After a quiet wait of more than ten minutes, the prioritized medications were placed at the forefront. When the instruments detected a spike in pheromone activity, Song Zhen said, “It’s about time. Begin intervention.”
Mrs. Brown’s condition was critical. They had to act immediately to get ahead of the escalation. Once the pregnancy entered the chaos phase, it could rapidly worsen, leaving them with even less time.
Five categories of medications, split into over a dozen vials with varying ratios, were prepped for skin tests by Zuo Tian.
The first: ineffective.
Second: also no reaction.
Third: still nothing…
Zuo Tian looked up at Song Zhen, who remained calm. “Continue.”
Everyone in the hormone research unit was holding their breath in fear. When they reached the sixth formula, the allergic reaction finally lessened. Song Zhen took note of the mixture and instructed Zuo Tian to test more ratios. Some still caused minor allergies.
But Song Zhen felt a small sense of relief—if it wasn’t a full allergy, then it was simply a matter of refining the ratio. That was far better than not being able to use the drug at all.
“Keep going. Cheng Lang, check this ratio and see how we can tweak it…”
Before she could finish, Cheng Lang had already taken the data from Zuo Tian and started analyzing the third formula’s different ratio responses.
Watching Cheng Lang work, Song Zhen was momentarily distracted. At the beginning of the Z-serum’s development, it had just been the three of them in the lab. So many experiments had been just like this—Zuo
Tian executing the procedures, Song Zhen managing ingredient selection, and Cheng Lang refining the ratios.
But only for a fleeting second. Now was not the time for nostalgia.
Zuo Tian’s hands were still steady. The fourth formula failed. So did all variations of the fifth.
The situation remained grim.
Just as Song Zhen allowed herself a flicker of hope, she tensed again.
The instrument sounded. Zuo Tian checked the readings and turned to Song Zhen. “Her pheromone activity is escalating rapidly. No collision yet, but it’s close…”
Sweat beaded on Song Zhen’s forehead. “Can you give me an estimate?”
Zuo Tian rechecked, placing the instrument on the gland and watching the data for nearly a minute. She answered solemnly, “Fifteen minutes at most. If the pace increases, ten.”
Song Zhen nodded. “Alright.”
Except for Team Two, who had clinical experience with pregnant patients, the rest of Team One seemed stunned. The pressure on the front line was more intense than they had imagined.
Seeing this, Song Zhen gave clear instructions: “Dr. Cheng, rework the ratios. I’ll check the ingredients to see if further refinement is possible. Zuo Tian, Chen Ye—keep monitoring the patient. Everyone else, remain at your stations as planned.”
Her calm command steadied everyone, like a jolt of adrenaline.
They straightened up, focused.
Cheng Lang quickly produced several adjusted ratios and passed them to her assistant. Seeing the assistant’s nerves, Cao Fan stepped in to help prepare the formulations. With Cheng Lang’s speed and both of them working together, they kept pace.
Meanwhile, Song Zhen examined the compounds, added two new ingredients, and handed the updated formulations to Cao Fan. She herself began mixing samples.
Compared to Team One, who were drenched in sweat, Team Two remained methodical despite their tension.
Zuo Tian even found time to chat lightly with Mrs. Brown about her daily life, coaxing a smile from the patient—remarkably impressive.
Song Zhen’s newly formulated samples were set aside. Cheng Lang’s ratios were ready for the second round of skin tests. The trio once again surrounded the patient.
With so many tests, the back of Mrs. Brown’s neck was covered in pinpricks. Song Zhen remained composed, simply instructing Zuo Tian to proceed.
Five ratios of the same drug—two showed only minor reactions.
Everyone looked to Song Zhen, who shook her head. “Not yet. Adjust further.”
Cheng Lang picked up her pen again. Just as she lowered her head, a moist towelette appeared in front of her—offered by Song Zhen to wipe her sweat.
Cheng Lang accepted it, eyes darkening slightly.
Song Zhen’s trial revealed one usable formula and one that failed.
She handed the viable one to Cheng Lang for ratio refinement.
…
This cycle repeated as time passed. Mrs. Brown entered the first stage of chaos, increasing pressure on everyone.
The drug ratios were still slightly off. Song Zhen kept shaking her head, and the team pressed on, gritting their teeth.
…
Song Zhen and Cheng Lang’s initial prediction proved accurate. Ten minutes into phase one, Mrs. Brown’s condition quickly escalated to stage two.
The pressure became suffocating. The ratios were still not perfect—just shy.
…
Five more minutes. Song Zhen shook her head again. “Keep adjusting!”
Someone from Team One finally spoke up, “The reaction is minimal. Could be a false one. Song Zhen, maybe we try it as is?”
“No,” Song Zhen said firmly.
Before she could elaborate, Cheng Lang snapped, “Stop giving random orders. Do you have clinical experience? Can you predict the patient’s reaction? Will you take responsibility if this goes wrong?”
Her harsh words left the speaker pale, backing away.
“S-sorry, I was just anxious…”
“We’re all anxious,” Cheng Lang cut her off. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, stay quiet. Just follow Song Zhen and Zuo Tian!”
On the surface, Cheng Lang remained professional.
Once Song Zhen finished her formulation, she explained, “Mrs. Brown’s case is unprecedented. What works on regular patients doesn’t apply. She’s been on long-term medication. Even the smallest risk could bring severe side effects…”
She handed the new sample to Zuo Tian, wiping her sweat with a tissue.
Zuo Tian, equally drained, carried on with the test.
Just when the dizziness became unbearable, someone suddenly shouted, “It worked! This one works!”
Everyone perked up. Exhausted, Song Zhen and Zuo Tian looked down to confirm—yes, it worked!
They exchanged glances, joy flickering in their eyes. Song Zhen immediately said, “Quick—use this formula. Anyone who can mix, get to work.”
“Sweetie,” she added to Zuo Tian, “try this sample on Mrs. Brown first. If it’s too slow to absorb, inject it around the gland.”
“Come on, everyone, let’s move!”
…
The drug was quickly mass-produced.
Wiping it on didn’t help much. As directed, Zuo Tian injected it in a ring around the gland to saturate the area.
…
Ten minutes later, the chaos held steady in phase two. The pheromone surge slowed.
Everyone was drenched in sweat, relieved to be alive.
Cheng Lang, mentally overworked, quietly took a painkiller.
…
After half an hour of steady medication, the patient’s state downgraded to phase one. Someone shouted the news.
Mrs. Brown, who hadn’t cried before, finally broke into tears. She was quickly reminded not to cry and tried to regain composure.
Song Zhen and Zuo Tian were overjoyed but kept their hands moving.
…
Another thirty minutes. A mild adverse reaction occurred—but it was normal.
The pheromone storm had completely subsided. The drug dosage now appeared high only by comparison.
Wiping her forehead, Song Zhen sighed in relief. “Stop this medication. From now on, drop the suppressants. Just use our soothing agent—skin test again.”
“Tiantian, take a break. Let Chen Ye take over.”
“Cao Fan, monitor this for me. I’ll get some water.”
…
After another round of testing and simple ratio adjustments—
Two hours later, the first-phase chaos neared its end.
Beep—beep—
The machine chimed. Gland activity returned to normal.
Everyone was too stunned to react.
Song Zhen froze. So did Zuo Tian. Cheng Lang rubbed her temples, a sharp headache setting in.
“Ahhhhh! We did it!!”
Someone finally screamed.
Then cheers erupted across the room.
“It’s over. She’s stable!”
“She’s safe, thank God!”
“She’s okay! Everything’s normal!”
This time, Mrs. Brown couldn’t hold back. Tears of joy streamed down her face.
Song Zhen and Zuo Tian looked at each other—and then smiled. No one knew who smiled first.
Zuo Tian, even forgetting past grudges, poured Cheng Lang a glass of water.
Minutes later, a final scan confirmed the gland was stable. The crisis had passed.
Chen Ye rushed to deliver the good news. Mr. Brown dashed in but didn’t dare get too close, afraid of contaminating the room. He stood at the door, speaking to his wife in English. Song Zhen didn’t catch the words, but Zhu Sui later told her—Mr. Brown was telling Mrs. Brown not to cry, saying she and the baby were both incredibly strong.
The three team leaders were too exhausted for congratulations. They returned straight to the hormone lab.
They rested quietly for half an hour before meeting again.
After over four hours of treatment, the meeting to plan post-monitoring stretched past 2 a.m. Song Zhen and Zuo Tian could barely keep their eyes open.
Someone had to stay behind. Cheng Lang volunteered to monitor Mrs. Brown overnight.
No one objected.
The next day, Zuo Tian would relieve her, then Song Zhen. They would monitor for three days, and if all remained stable, the patient could go home.
When it was finally settled, Cheng Lang returned to the ward, and Song Zhen was so tired she almost collapsed in the hormone lab.
“Jie, wake up. Let’s go home.”
“You can sleep at home. Don’t even wash if you’re too tired—just don’t sleep here, it’s uncomfortable.”
Zhu Sui called several times. Song Zhen refused to budge, whining, “Nooo… just let me sleep here for a bit…”
Zhu Sui wouldn’t have it.
After coaxing for a while and getting nowhere, she glanced around—everyone in Team Two had left. She leaned down and whispered, “Last warning. If you don’t get up, I’ll kiss you.”
“And not just that—I’ll carry you home afterward. Jie, how about it?”
Startled, Song Zhen didn’t even have time to react before Zhu Sui leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
Song Zhen sprang upright like a spring, clutching her forehead and staring wide-eyed.
Zhu Sui smiled mischievously, “I’m counting down. If you’re still sitting by zero, I’m carrying you off~”
“Five, four…”
Eyes wide, Song Zhen shot to her feet like a medical miracle.
And just as wide-eyed was Cheng Lang—who had come back to retrieve something and happened to witness the kiss through the glass.
Clatter—
The notebook in her hand dropped to the floor.
So, it wasn’t her imagination that day… Zhu Sui’s hand really had been on Song Zhen’s…
Realization dawned. Cheng Lang stood frozen, pupils trembling.