Chapter 2878: with translation of chapter title

2783.2675 The time it takes to eat a bowl of braised stew.

「Teacher Tang! 」 Liu Hui saw Tang Liu pick up her bag and turn to leave, she immediately threw two hundred‑yuan bills to the waiter and chased after her.

「Okay, I'll be there right away. 」 Tang Liu no longer had the hesitation from just now; she said firmly.

Only after she hung up the phone did Liu Hui step forward and ask, 「Where are you going? I'll see you off. 」

「No need, the company has an urgent matter; I have to rush over. 」 Tang Liu said to Liu Hui without changing her expression, 「Ms. Liu, you go back first. 」

Although she spoke politely, Tang Liu's words carried an unmistakable 'keep out' vibe. The gentle amiability from just moments ago had vanished completely, leaving only an invisible wall separating the two.

「Oh, oh. 」 Liu Hui, aware of the social nuance, bowed and left, but didn't go far; instead she quietly hid in the car, watching Tang Liu from a hundred meters away. She was curious, and a woman's intuition told her this matter must be related to what happened with Doctor Zheng earlier!

Tang Liu waited quietly for the company car to come pick her up.

She couldn't understand; although the company headquarters was indeed in Di Du, could the whole matter really be reflected this quickly?

Johnson's secretary on the phone spoke politely but gave Tang Liu no further information, so she pondered, bewildered and confused. According to normal procedure, a mega‑corporation like Wan Nuo is like a prehistoric dinosaur, with an extremely long reflex arc.

Ordinary pain stimuli would never elicit a rapid response. Layered reporting, nobody wants to take responsibility, everyone is just going through the motions, letting the bullet fly a bit longer—these are the norm.

But today's unparalleled swift reaction carried an air of strangeness.

Wan Nuo, such a colossus, actually reacted super‑fast; I had just finished a bowl of braised stew, and they were already moving.

Could it be that the company wants to do something to Doctor Zheng? That seems impossible. I made it quite clear in my email, merely omitting my own hypoglycemia and emphasizing Doctor Zheng's suggestion to add side‑effects to the instructions.

Whether it's a new drug or an old one, this is extremely deadly. Of course, this is also something Tang Liu deliberately did.

She frowned, thinking hard for nearly thirty minutes, when a car pulled up in front of her.

「Professor Tang, please. 」 The assistant in the passenger seat got out and opened the car door for Tang Liu.

「Mr. Johnson, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. 」 After getting in the car, Tang Liu greeted John Johnson, the supervisor of Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical's East Asia region.

The last time they met was three months ago at a headquarters cocktail party, where they had chatted happily.

But Johnson showed none of the friendliness from memory; his face had a greenish tint, and he asked sternly, 「Tang, please go over the content of your email again in detail. 」

He didn't even grumble or complain; he simply stated his purpose in the most concise terms.

Tang Liu realized something was off; the pressure Johnson was under must be coming from higher up at Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical.

She recounted the previous events in full detail, not even hiding the fact that she had fallen ill and gone to the 912 Emergency Clinic.

That's just how the world is; pointing to the little money from North Carolina Medical School really isn't enough for financial freedom.

Therefore, a giant like Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical is Tang Liu's patron, or rather a patron one must not offend. Because patrons who are similarly generous are few and far between globally, their HR departments keep in touch.

Being headstrong might only bring future hardship. Facing life, one must bow when necessary—Tang Liu sees this clearly.

If it were something else, it would be easy to say, but from Johnson's expression and gaze Tang Liu could see his seriousness and endless pressure.

After hearing Tang Liu finish, Johnson immediately continued to report the whole process.

He couldn't make a decision, and Tang Liu realized this. It was merely a suggestion from a Nobel laureate—was Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical overreacting? Tang Liu harbored some inner criticism but didn't voice it.

「Doctor Zheng isn't answering his phone; I think now is the time for us to show sincerity. 」 Johnson said helplessly.

「Sincerity? 」

「Tang, I can see your doubt. 」 Johnson sighed, 「No matter why, headquarters has already prepared the documents in the shortest possible time and submitted them to the European Medicines Agency. 」

The European Medicines Agency is the European drug regulator; it oversees new drug approvals and amendments to drug information, etc. Hearing that name, Tang Liu froze.

Even if Doctor Zheng is a Nobel laureate, Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical's reaction seems overly extreme!

Amending a drug's instructions is a major matter for a pharmaceutical company; it absolutely shouldn't be decided so hastily.

Yet Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical showed not the slightest hesitation, not even waiting 24 hours—had they prepared the materials in the time it took me to eat a bowl of braised stew?

Impossible!

「Tang, we've stirred up a big trouble. 」 Johnson said anxiously, 「Please don't add any more trouble for me later—absolutely not! 」

「Mr. Johnson, can I know what's happening? 」 Tang Liu felt as if the world were ending.

Wan Nuo Pharmaceutical, a company as massive as a prehistoric beast, is actually light as a butterfly! If they could handle every matter with this efficiency, what would Pfizer even have left to do? They'd have long become the NO. 1 in the pharma market.

「Tang, anything involving Doctor Zheng cannot be overlooked. 」 Johnson said worriedly.

He said it so simply, yet Tang Liu froze outright. She was certain this had nothing to do with the Nobel Prize—does any Nobel laureate's offhand remark automatically become something that cannot be ignored?

「Then the instructions…」

「We've already submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency; the specific documents will keep headquarters busy for a long, long time. 」 Johnson sighed and said, 「Damn it, why did you show up at 912! 」

His irritable temper was already uncontainable, his emotions on the verge of collapse. A small butterfly flapping its wings finally brought about a great storm.

Tang Liu wasn't angry; she simply couldn't understand what had happened. Could it be just because of my email?

After a few minutes of rage, Johnson entered a sage-like state, he sighed, head lowered, and said, 「Tang, have you ever met Doctor Zheng before? 」

Tang Liu shook her head.

「I've seen him once. 」 Johnson said, 「From a distance, almost a hundred meters away. 」

「Was it the day the Nobel Prize phone call was announced? 」 Tang Liu asked in surprise, but upon reflection it also seemed impossible. Johnson isn't a reporter; how could he have been waiting for Doctor Zheng that day?

「No! It was when Mr. Luo came to Di Du. 」 Johnson sighed and said, 「You don't need to know who Mr. Luo is; the last time he left that castle before this was because of the Cuban missile incident. 」

「……」