Marked by My Scummy Ex-Wife’s Boss (GL) - Chapter 48
Zuo Tian was bawling. Song Zhen was sobbing. The two of them laughed and cried at the same time, overwhelmed with joy.
The remaining two members of Team 2, Chen Ye and Cao Fan, heard the commotion and rushed in—only to be greeted by what looked like a complete emotional breakdown.
“Is everything okay?”
“What happened?”
The two male researchers stepped through the door, both asking anxiously——only to see that the only seemingly sane person in the room was their department head. Zhu Sui stood at the lab table in her white military uniform, arms crossed, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she watched Song Zhen and Zuo Tian cry and cheer.
Right. When in doubt—ask the calmest person.
Just as they turned to Zhu Sui for answers, Zuo Tian grabbed Chen Ye, who was still a few credits short of graduating, and exclaimed excitedly, “It worked! It worked! The harmonizer experiment succeeded!”
Chen Ye blinked, stunned. Then realization hit—and he immediately gripped her hand back, just as excited. “Really? Where is it? The data??”
“It’s all here! I just finished logging it. The result’s right in front of you—look!”
Without a second thought, Chen Ye ran over and peered into the petri dish.
Cao Fan followed quickly behind, crowding in beside him—
“Ahhh! It worked! It really worked!!”
“This is amazing!”
And so the very same Chen Ye who had thought Song Zhen and Zuo Tian were overreacting moments ago now joined them in hysterical celebration—screaming, hugging, jumping like he had caught a buff that lowered his IQ by 30%.
He even wiped at his eyes. “It’s real… We did it! The final component for the Z-serum is done… sob sob sob…”
Cao Fan gave him a baffled look. “Why are you crying now?”
Zuo Tian and Song Zhen could cry—that made sense. They were the project’s founders. They’d been working on this from the very start. But Chen Ye? He’d only joined less than a year ago, and he was a guy. Wasn’t he taking this a bit too emotionally?
“Brother Cao, I’m just so moved… I didn’t expect this… I really didn’t…”
“Sob sob… It feels like all the hard work of the past six months finally paid off. I’m so proud…”
Though he hadn’t been on the team long, Chen Ye’s emotion was contagious. And Cao Fan, who had been there since the beginning—who’d weathered every setback and challenge—felt his own throat tighten unexpectedly.
As Chen Ye rambled on, recounting every obstacle from joining the sub-lab to the formation of Team 2 to the pressure of taking over Mrs. Brown’s unfinished work, Cao Fan listened silently. Who would’ve thought he’d live to see the harmonizer’s success?
Now that the harmonizer was complete, the final puzzle piece of the Z-serum had clicked into place. Naturally, the Z-serum itself was close behind. Cao Fan felt that pride surge in his chest too.
It really hadn’t been easy.
Especially for Team 2 of the Pheromone Division—all Betas.
Song Zhen never cared what others thought. Zuo Tian was also a Beta, but came from a good family and didn’t pay much attention to the subtle snubs around the institute.
But for people like Chen Ye and Cao Fan, the stigma was real.
They were the outsiders in a world dominated by Alphas and Omegas, constantly under scrutiny.
Who would’ve thought their team would be the one to make the breakthrough?
It felt… like redemption.
In a room full of emotional wrecks, only Zhu Sui remained calm, arms folded, quietly watching with a small, satisfied smile.
That was when Vice President Rong opened the lab door—and froze at the chaotic sight inside.
He blinked, closed the door as if trying to reset the image, then opened it again a few seconds later.
Same scene. A bunch of people crying and laughing, and one calm Zhu Sui standing off to the side.
Okay… not a dream.
“…So, what’s going on here?” he asked carefully.
No one paid him any attention.
Only Zhu Sui stepped forward, took the documents from his hands, and explained without rush or pride, “The harmonizer experiment succeeded. We’re just celebrating.”
Vice President Rong didn’t process it immediately. “Ah. So the harmonizer worked.”
Zhu Sui glanced at the file and nodded, understanding. “You’re here to deliver this? Got it. I’ll have Dr. Song fill it out, review it, and send it to your office later.”
“…Alright. Then I won’t interrupt.”
“Take care.”
Vice President Rong left, head spinning, bombarded by the emotional waves still echoing behind him. He closed the door, saw Zhu Sui wave him off, and practically bolted down the hall.
Halfway down the corridor, clarity finally returned.
Wait a minute.
The harmonizer… worked?
The harmonizer?!
He stopped in his tracks, stunned.
The harmonizer—THE harmonizer—worked?!
He turned and sprinted back, yanking open the door, completely losing composure. “Wait—the harmonizer? Did I hear that right?!”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“You heard correctly—it succeeded on the first attempt!”
Everyone chimed in excitedly.
Song Zhen, now composed but still red-eyed, stepped forward. “You heard right. I gave you my word—this is it. The harmonizer worked.”
She paused, then added, “Once we complete verification with repeated trials, the Z-serum will be ready for clinical testing.”
Vice President Rong stared at her, at a loss for words.
He suddenly remembered when Team 2 was first formed. Song Zhen had looked him in the eye and promised success—within six months at most, three at the soonest.
He hadn’t really believed it then.
Now, three months later, she had done it.
Looking at her calm, determined smile—and the chaos of joy behind her—he finally let out a long breath and nodded.
“…Congratulations.”
And then even he couldn’t help but laugh.
Yes—it really worked!
The news of Song Zhen’s harmonizer success spread quickly within the research institute that day among those who’d been watching closely.
Within three or four days, after repeated trials confirmed its success rate met international standards, the harmonizer was officially declared a success.
Exactly one week after that first successful experiment, Song Zhen synthesized the final product of the Z-serum—just as she had outlined in her research proposal three years ago.
With that, Team 2 completed all preliminary research and development on the Z-serum.
And that same day, the news that the Z-serum had entered the clinical trial stage officially spread throughout Institute One—and soon, through unofficial channels, to Institutes Three and Five.
Cheng Lang heard the news while receiving an IV in the hospital.
She’d only been on medical leave for half a month, but the weight loss was obvious.
Bored, she was flipping through a book, thinking vaguely about dinner or whether it was time to find a new apartment, when her assistant knocked and entered.
After hearing the report, Cheng Lang put down the book. Her gaze went vacant.
The assistant twisted her fingers nervously. “Dr. Cheng… Team 2 succeeded. We still haven’t made progress. Should we…”
But she didn’t know how to finish the sentence.
It was too sudden. The entire Team 1 went silent when they heard the news—as if mourning a defeat.
Cheng Lang sat in silence for a long while, then slowly straightened up and sighed.
“…Call my attending physician,” she said. “Tell him I’ve decided to begin physical therapy. I want to be discharged.”
Her assistant eagerly agreed—clearly relieved to have her return.
After the assistant left, Cheng Lang stared out the window. Her expression remained unreadable.
But her hand, resting at her side, slowly clenched into a fist.
When Tong Xianglu heard the news, she was stunned.
Even Tong Rou was dazed when she found out.
The Alpha group had been stuck on the harmonizer issue for over a decade, unable to make a breakthrough. In the end, it was District One’s gamble—a project greenlit with minimal backing—that succeeded first, with two entirely unestablished rookie researchers bringing the stabilizer into clinical trials ahead of everyone else.
To Tong Rou, who had spent most of her life studying stabilizers, this was nothing short of a brutal slap in the face.
A bitter irony, tinged with helplessness.
To Tong Xianglu, it was something she couldn’t believe—but had no choice but to accept.
“How is that possible? Then what about us? Are we really going to let District One claim the first stabilizer? Does that mean everything we’ve worked on for more than ten years was just…”
Her panicked words were cut off by Tong Rou’s sharp interruption. “Enough! Don’t panic!”
The three women—Tong Rou, Tong Xianglu, and Tong Yun—fell into a long, tense silence.
Tong Rou took a deep breath and said coldly, “Who said theirs is the first stabilizer?”
Tong Xianglu muttered, “But they’re already entering clinical trials…”
“So what? Clinical trials aren’t the end. Why are you losing your composure?” Tong Rou narrowed her eyes. “Zhuang Qing’s experiment was hyped up by everyone and still made it to clinical—but it failed, didn’t it?”
Having found her footing again, Tong Rou regained her composure and spoke with renewed certainty:
“As long as it hasn’t passed clinical trials, that stabilizer is not a success.”
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, formulating her plan.
“This is no small matter. The Z-serum is about to enter clinical trials as well. I’d bet the Fifth Research Institute is paying close attention.”
Tong Yun blinked, surprised, as Tong Rou turned to her.
“Go buy the tickets. We’re heading to the Fifth Military District tomorrow.”
________________________________________
Early July.
The First Research Institute officially released a statement:
The Z-serum, developed by Team 2 of the Adrenaline Department, had completed its research and development phase and would soon enter clinical trials.
The hashtag #Z-serumEntersClinicalTrials shot to the top of domestic and international trending lists, sparking intense public interest.
At the same time, related topics like:
• #FirstStabilizerDebuts
• #WillZ-serumRepeatAlphaReagent’sFailure
• #WillZ-serumSucceedInClinicalTrials
also climbed to the top of trending searches, becoming hotly debated subjects among the public.
Meanwhile, the creators of the Z-serum were oblivious to all the hype. They were buried under a mountain of paperwork, utterly miserable.
“Ugh—why?! I can’t do this anymore!” Zuo Tian wailed as she reached out for her cup like a zombie.
Her trembling hand hovered in the air until Zhu Sui, unable to bear the sight, handed her the cup.
Zuo Tian was moved to tears. “Thank you, Director! You’re such a good person!”
Zhu Sui: “…”
Well-meaning or not, that compliment felt weird.
Shaking her head, Zhu Sui placed another cup of water in front of Song Zhen, whose eyes were bloodshot from sleepless nights. “Have some water. Take a break.”
Song Zhen paused, then obediently took a sip. The water soothed her throat as Chen Ye and Cao Fan also took the chance to rest and hydrate.
Near the window, Zhu Sui was the only one still sitting upright, composed as ever, diligently working through the endless Application for Clinical Trial Approval for New Reagents.
No one in Team 2 knew exactly what it was like to bring a drug to clinical trials in Huaguo.
But everyone now knew one thing: the paperwork was a nightmare.
It wasn’t just Team 2 that was collapsing under the weight of it—Vice President Rong was losing his mind, too. Their submissions kept getting bounced back, over and over again, forcing revision after revision, resubmission after resubmission…
Song Zhen glanced at Zuo Tian, whose eyes had gone dark and hollow. She looked like an extra in a zombie flick.
But while Song Zhen was looking at Zuo Tian, Zuo Tian was looking at Zhu Sui, tears in her eyes.
“Sniff… Director Zhu really is amazing. Even though she’s not a researcher, she fills out all these forms without complaint. No wonder she’s the dream A of every Omega in the First Research Institute!”
Song Zhen blinked. “Dream A?”
“You didn’t know?” Zuo Tian was surprised. “Right, you don’t follow gossip!”
“It’s literal. I mean, look at her—age, looks, background—who wouldn’t like her?”
Zuo Tian continued admiringly, “And she has such a good temper. Always smiling and kind to everyone. She probably has even more admirers now, but with how busy the Adrenaline Department is lately, no one dares bother her.”
Song Zhen said nothing.
Zhu Sui really did have a good temper.
Not just that—her demeanor, her worldview—everything about her was admirable.
That many Omegas liked her… wasn’t surprising at all.
Song Zhen suddenly wondered who Zhu Sui would fall in love with one day. Given her personality, she probably wouldn’t care about gender. And now that she wanted a child, her standards might become more open… maybe even a Beta?
That thought left Song Zhen oddly unsettled.
Uncomfortable, even.
“Teacher Song, I’m stuck here. Could you take a look?”
Before she could untangle her thoughts, Zhu Sui called her over for help.
Song Zhen patted her cheeks, pulled herself together, and joined the bureaucratic grind once again.
But this time, she found her eyes wandering. Occasionally, her gaze would land on Zhu Sui—on her straight posture, the silky fall of her medium-length hair, her long eyelashes like tiny fans. Song Zhen would space out, just watching her.
Then she’d snap out of it, rub her temples, and mutter with a smile,
“No wonder she’s everyone’s dream A…”
________________________________________
The day they finally submitted all the documents, everyone in Team 2 felt like they’d shed a layer of skin.
Zuo Tian waved her hands dramatically. “I take it back—doing research isn’t the hardest part. This is. I’ve been humbled!”
Then came the long wait.
That morning, when Vice President Rong arrived with news, Song Zhen was unusually nervous.
Vice President Rong frowned. “The review has been… temporarily suspended.”
Oddly enough, that calmed Song Zhen.
After all, the competition for the title of “first stabilizer” wasn’t over—District Three was still watching like a hawk. A few bumps in the road? That was normal. If things went too smoothly, that would be suspicious.
Now that the roadblocks had arrived, she felt more grounded.
Only when the other side made a move could she strike back.
“Why?” Zhu Sui asked calmly.
Vice President Rong replied seriously, “I’m sure you all remember what happened when the Alpha Reagent entered clinical trials.”
“Now that the Z-serum is about to follow suit, technically speaking, this is the second time a universal stabilizer has entered clinical trials. The whole country is watching.”
Zhu Sui raised an eyebrow. “And that has what to do with our paperwork being delayed?”
Vice President Rong nodded gravely. “District Three took the lead, using the Alpha Reagent’s failure as a cautionary tale. They’re demanding that all three major research institutes hold a joint review to discuss whether the Z-serum should proceed to clinical trials, when it should begin, and how the trials should be conducted.”
Song Zhen lowered her eyes without speaking.
Zhu Sui crossed her arms and nodded. “Given the attention on stabilizers, and the significance of the final phase of development, it’s reasonable to conduct clinical trials under joint oversight from the three military districts.”
“So each institute will send a representative?”
Vice President Rong nodded. “Exactly.”
“When?”
“Next week. Representatives from each institute will gather here at the First Research Institute for the meeting.”
“Ohhh—” Zhu Sui drawled with a sly smile. “Then we’ll be here, waiting to welcome them.”
Still smiling, she lowered her gaze.
Good. Let them come.
She’d been stuck at a bottleneck for too long.
Now, finally—things were about to move forward.