Marked by My Scummy Ex-Wife’s Boss (GL) - Chapter 33.1

Song Zhen didn’t let Zhu Sui carry her. In the end, she dragged her heavy feet, determined and tearful, and walked out on her own.

Song Zhen was usually easygoing, but once she got stubborn, she really dug in.

It wasn’t the first time she had slept in the lab. Whenever they hit a breakthrough or a crucial node in their experiments, the three of them often stayed up all night—just like tonight’s emergency treatment session.

One adjusted the drug formula, one performed the procedures while monitoring the reactions, and one fine-tuned the dosage ratios.

After one of those all-nighters, at first Cheng Lang and Zuo Tian could still manage to make it back to the dorms. But Song Zhen, shamelessly and immovably, had slept in the lab more than once. Eventually, Cheng

Lang gave in and bought a foldable bed just for her. In the end, it became a blessing—they were often so exhausted that all three of them would collapse onto that small bed. Whoever woke up first the next morning had to buy breakfast for the others.

Of course, in these situations, Song Zhen was always the last one to wake up.

It wasn’t just Cheng Lang who couldn’t do anything about her. Zuo Tian also marveled at her endurance—how she could go from being full of energy, powering through ten sleepless nights, to instantly looking like she needed to be rushed to the ER once the results were in. She truly was the model of a diehard researcher. If the work wasn’t done, she was like an Energizer Bunny—unstoppable!

That ridiculous comparison earned Zuo Tian a well-deserved smack from Song Zhen.

Who would’ve thought that the indomitable Dr. Song would finally meet her match?

She could be shameless, sure—but someone had now used an even more shameless method to drag her out of the lab…

Respect. With aching limbs and unwilling tears, she silently admitted defeat in her heart.

Zhu Sui, you win. Song Zhen, respect.

Zhu Sui smiled and followed quietly behind. She could tell Song Zhen was struggling, so she didn’t walk too close to annoy her—just kept a measured distance as they headed together to the underground parking lot.

Only when the elevator doors closed outside Second Group of the Adrenaline Department Cheng Lang finally emerge from First Group lab, her eyes still lingering in the direction of the elevator.

Were they close? Not exactly.

Zhu Sui hadn’t held Song Zhen, hadn’t even taken her hand.

But not close? That kiss in the lab… Song Zhen wasn’t angry, just surprised.

Cheng Lang was confused. She frowned slightly—and the headache that had been building all night flared up again.

Damn insomnia. It always triggered her nerve pain when she overused her brain. She’d gotten used to it over the past year, but seeing Zhu Sui walk away with Song Zhen made it intolerable tonight.

Pressing her temples, Cheng Lang shook her head. She couldn’t figure it out. Then she looked down at the clipboard in her hands. The team in the ward was still waiting for her to take over. Mrs. Brown had only just stabilized. As the wife of a foreign diplomat, her case was high priority… Cheng Lang decided to shelve those thoughts for now.

Besides, she’d known Song Zhen for over ten years. She knew her personality inside out.

Regardless of the possibility or impossibility, just based on Zhu Sui’s background, there was little chance they could ever be together. Song Zhen was always cautious around people from prominent families—afraid of getting involved in complicated entanglements.

And frankly, people had always liked Song Zhen. From A-class to B-class, male and female alike, someone always had a crush on her. Adding Zhu Sui to the mix didn’t even seem that unusual…

What was complicated was Zhu Sui’s sensitive identity. In an already volatile situation, her presence would only make things harder to control.

Cheng Lang steadied herself and unexpectedly recalled the tacit coordination they had during the treatment. Song Zhen had reminisced after stepping out of the ward—but Cheng Lang found herself remembering even more, especially during that half-hour rest. So many images flashed rapidly through her mind…

She shook her head again and glanced at her watch. It was late.

Hands stuffed in her lab coat, she headed toward the ward.

Her mind wasn’t clear—she’d deal with all this tomorrow.

—

Zhu Sui pulled smoothly into the underground garage.

Turning to the passenger seat, she found Song Zhen fast asleep. With a chuckle, she reached out to gently pat her cheek.

After a night of intense work, Song Zhen’s eyes opened, slightly red-rimmed and watery. She looked utterly pitiful and reluctant to move.

When Zhu Sui reached out to carry her, Song Zhen suddenly insisted on being piggybacked instead.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhu Sui watched as Song Zhen stubbornly clutched the seat. Whether half-asleep or dreaming, she refused to cooperate unless carried the way she wanted.

Zhu Sui was a bit annoyed, but she also knew how exhausted Song Zhen was after days of work. With a resigned sigh, she hoisted her onto her back, locked the car, and headed for the elevator.

Song Zhen slumped against her, face pressed against her back.

Feeling the touch, Zhu Sui paused and looked back slightly. Song Zhen’s eyes were tightly shut—she looked so well-behaved.

What a little handful—and so cute.

Shaking her head, Zhu Sui adjusted her grip and pressed the elevator button.

Behind her, Song Zhen started mumbling.

Zhu Sui strained to hear. She was whispering, “Daddy…”

“…Jie?” Zhu Sui asked.

“Mm?” Song Zhen jolted awake and, blinking in confusion, finally came back to herself. “Zhu Sui?” she murmured, voice soft and sleepy.

As they entered the elevator, Zhu Sui explained apologetically, “You were calling for your dad, so I called out to you…”

She hadn’t expected such a quiet voice would actually wake her, when shouting in the car hadn’t worked at all.

As expected, Song Zhen looked a little embarrassed. Zhu Sui smiled and offered her an out, “Did your dad used to carry you a lot when you were little?”

The question was warm and gentle. Still dazed, Song Zhen nodded earnestly.

Then she seemed a bit sad. “That was… a long, long time ago. Mom was still around back then too…”

She spoke slowly. “Every time we went to the mall, I’d run all over and couldn’t be held. So my dad would lift me way up—higher than all the other kids—and I’d quiet down…”

The moment she mentioned her mom, something in Zhu Sui’s heart clenched.

She’d seen Song Zhen call her dad before, and sometimes her dad would call too—but she had never once heard of her mom. It seemed likely…

As Zhu Sui debated whether to ask, Song Zhen continued on her own.

“After Mom passed in an accident, my dad’s heart got worse. I didn’t understand at first… but after I saw him once having an attack, taking his meds, I never dared ask him to carry me again.”

The mood turned somber, and Zhu Sui was about to say something to comfort her when Song Zhen suddenly smiled.

Bright and cheerful, she said, “But I grew taller, right? So my dad could hold my hand instead. Being held is nice too. Being with family… it’s just really good.”

Zhu Sui caught a glimpse of her smiling from the corner of her eye. Then Song Zhen nestled against her back with a happy sigh.

The heavy mood instantly lightened. Zhu Sui blinked, surprised, then lowered her gaze and smiled.

Song Zhen wasn’t someone to dwell in sorrow. Her heart was broad—life had its pain, but it also had joy. And clearly, she always chose to focus on the good.

That was… wonderful.

From the bottom of her heart, Zhu Sui thought: She’s wonderful.

—

The next day, Song Zhen didn’t wake until noon. The housekeeper had already finished making lunch, and the aroma filled the room.

The entire Adrenalin Division had been working nonstop. At the meeting yesterday, they’d agreed that only those on duty needed to report in. Everyone else was to rest—scientists weren’t machines. Their minds and bodies had hit a limit and needed a break.

Song Zhen was scheduled to swap shifts with Zuo Tian in the evening. She’d sleep again in the afternoon so she’d be ready to stay up that night.

After lunch, the housekeeper cleaned up and left. Zhu Sui made a fresh juice and brought it to her.

Song Zhen was reading something. Glancing at her screen, Zhu Sui saw it was still related to stabilizers. She set down the juice but didn’t leave as she usually did. Instead, she stood beside Song Zhen.

Half sulking, half pouting, she said, “Didn’t you say you’d spend more time with me?”

Song Zhen blinked in surprise and looked up. Then she nodded.

Zhu Sui lowered her gaze. “But when you’re busy, it’s like you forget I even exist.”

Her long lashes cast a shadow over her eyes, voice soft and tinged with grievance. Song Zhen was stunned.

“I—I…” she stammered.

Now that she thought about it, the promise to spend time together did sound like an empty gesture.

After coming back from Zhu Yi’s place, she’d gone through a brief heat period. Then, perhaps feeling awkward from being too close to Zhu Sui, she’d kept her distance. Zhu Sui hadn’t said anything and acted normal, and soon they were busy setting up group 2 and diving back into work. Then Mrs. Brown arrived, and the pressure only increased…

If Zhu Sui hadn’t brought it up, Song Zhen wouldn’t have realized how little time they’d spent together or how she’d completely neglected the “getting to know each other” part of their relationship.

She looked sheepish. “I’m sorry… I just get really tunnel-visioned when I’m working…”

She really wasn’t good at handling these kinds of emotional confrontations.

It used to be Cheng Lang. She’d stay silent, bottling things up until it exploded. Song Zhen was bad at reading emotional cues, so she never saw it coming—and by the time she realized, it was always too late.

When Song Zhen thought back to the past, a headache instantly bloomed. She hurried to explain, but social finesse had never been her strong suit. In her rush, she couldn’t even find the right words. You speak a little, I stammer a little—aside from “I’ve been busy,” or “work has been overwhelming,” everything she said came out sounding like an excuse.

Before Zhu Sui could even respond, Song Zhen was already embarrassed by her own clumsiness.

Zhu Sui watched her for a moment—then suddenly burst into laughter.

Only then did Song Zhen realize… the sulking had been an act. Zhu Sui had been teasing her!

Zhu Sui looked up, her long lashes framing bright, clear eyes. There wasn’t a hint of gloom in her smile as she said, “I understand now. You really just love your work so much that you forgot about me. Definitely not on purpose.”

“……” Song Zhen was speechless.

That was what she meant—so why did it sound so… wrong when Zhu Sui said it?

Zhu Sui curled her lips. “It’s not that I want you to make some big promise. I just want to say—I’m not the kind of person who’ll suffer silently. If you’ve promised me something, I expect you to follow through. If not… I’ll make sure to remind you.”

What?!

That honestly caught Song Zhen off guard.

“And I don’t like being upset. I’m the kind of person who, if I’m not happy, no one else is allowed to be either,” Zhu Sui said, her smile fading. “So, if you can’t manage this well, we’ll end up both being mad.”

“……”

Even though she hadn’t seen Zhu Sui angry yet, the tone alone was enough to convince Song Zhen she meant it.