Rebirth with a Space to Counterattack and Abuse the Scumbag

I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the unease in my heart.

In the laboratory, the clinking of test tubes, the hum of the instruments, and Xiao Wu's occasional exclamations of surprise intertwined to create a slightly noisy symphony.

But at this moment, I found the sound particularly jarring, as if countless eyes were watching from the shadows.

My gaze swept across the laboratory, every corner and every researcher becoming objects of my suspicion.

Xiao Wu was facing the microscope, frowning, as if he had encountered another problem; Mr. Liu was engrossed in reading through the materials, sometimes taking notes, sometimes frowning deeply.

They are all my partners, but I dare not let my guard down.

Suddenly, a strange figure came into my view.

He was wearing a blue work uniform, holding a notebook, and standing in the corner, glancing up at me every now and then.

That face was unfamiliar; I was certain I had never seen him before.

He seemed to be taking notes intently, but his eyes were shifty, as if he was hiding something.

My heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of vigilance welled up inside me.

This person is definitely suspicious!

I pretended to be calm and continued with the experiment at hand, but my eyes were always fixed on him out of the corner of my eye.

He seemed to sense my gaze, paused slightly, then lowered his head and continued to "diligently" take notes.

I picked up a test tube without making a sound and walked over to him seemingly casually.

"Comrade, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before." I spoke calmly, but my eyes held a hint of scrutiny.

He looked up, a shy smile on his face, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Hello, I'm a new volunteer named Sun Qiang. I'm here to help everyone with some record-keeping."

"A volunteer?" I raised an eyebrow, a playful smile playing on my lips. "You must have had a lot of trouble."

"It's not hard work at all. It's an honor to be able to contribute to scientific research," Sun Qiang said modestly, with a hint of cunning in his eyes.

My fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the test tube; the cold touch of the glass made me even more alert.

His smile grew brighter, and it made me increasingly uneasy.

This Sun Qiang is definitely not an ordinary volunteer; he must have some ulterior motive for approaching me.

I turned around and said to the other researchers, "Everyone has worked hard today. It's getting late, let's take a break."

Everyone put down their work and stood up.

I noticed that Sun Qiang also pretended to put down his notebook and followed the crowd with a relaxed expression.

"Mr. Liu, come to my office for a moment." I beckoned to the expert, a mysterious smile playing on my lips.

Old Liu followed me into the office. After closing the door, the smile on my face vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression.

"Mr. Liu, what do you think of that new volunteer?"

Old Liu pushed up his glasses, pondered for a moment, and said, "He seems quite diligent, but he doesn't quite seem like someone who does scientific research."

“I think so too.” I nodded and lowered my voice. “I suspect he’s a spy sent by our competitors.”

Old Liu was shocked, "A spy? This..."

"I deliberately gave him some false information about the new material's formula. That way, we can follow the trail and find the mastermind behind it all."

I smiled slyly, and a mysterious atmosphere spread between us.

I had just seen Mr. Liu off to lunch when there was a knock on my office door.

Gong Lin's tall figure appeared at the door, carrying a thermal box in his hand.

"Are you tired? I made some snacks." His gentle voice dispelled the tense atmosphere in the office.

"Wow! It smells so good!" I happily took the insulated box, opened the lid, and an enticing sweet aroma wafted out.

Inside are delicate little pastries, exuding a faint aroma of milk and fruit, making them incredibly tempting.

I picked up a piece and put it in my mouth. It was soft, sweet, and melted in my mouth.

"Mmm! It's so delicious!" I squinted my eyes happily, looking at Gong Lin with eyes full of admiration.

A warm atmosphere filled the laboratory.

"Eat more if you like it." Gong Lin looked at me with affection and gently wiped the crumbs from the corner of my mouth.

I savored this moment of sweetness, but my heart remained preoccupied with that "volunteer."

"Gong Lin, could you keep an eye on that volunteer named Sun Qiang for me?"

Gong Lin's eyes sharpened instantly. "What's wrong?"

"I doubt……"

"Wait, someone's coming..." I suddenly interrupted myself, looking toward the door.

"Knock knock knock—" The knocking sounded again.

"Come in." I composed myself and adjusted my expression.

The door was pushed open, and Sun Qiang leaned in halfway, a fawning smile plastered on his face. "President Miao, I've come to ask if there's anything I can help you with?"

I looked at him, and in his seemingly harmless eyes, there was a hint of cunning that was hard to detect.

I didn't answer him, but turned to look at Gong Lin.

He understood immediately, walked behind me, and gently tidied my slightly messy hair.

His fingertips gently brushed across my cheek, a ticklish, tingling sensation like an electric current, instantly flushing my cheeks a deep blush.

My heart was racing uncontrollably. I didn't dare look him in the eye and could only look down at the small pastries in the insulated box in my hand.

A faint sweet fragrance filled the air, mingling with the crisp scent emanating from Gong Lin, making me feel slightly dizzy.

"Thank you for your hard work, Comrade Sun. There's nothing I need your help with for now." Gong Lin's voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a subtle warning.

Sun Qiang seemed to sense something, his smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Okay, Mr. Miao, Mr. Gong, I'll get back to work now."

He left the office, and the door closed again.

I let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if all my strength had been drained away.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Gong Lin's tone was full of concern. He walked to my side and gently pulled me into his arms.

His embrace was warm and broad, like a safe harbor, which made my tense nerves relax a little.

"I'm still a little worried. It seems like our research and development has hit a bottleneck." I buried my face in his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and a faint sense of frustration welled up inside me.

"Take your time, there's no rush," Gong Lin said softly, gently stroking my back as if comforting a frightened kitten.

I cherish this tenderness, but I also understand that I cannot indulge in it forever.

There is still much to be done and many difficulties to overcome.

I looked up into his deep eyes, which were full of encouragement and support.

My heart gradually calmed down.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the office, accompanied by Xiao Wu's slightly panicked shout: "President Miao! Something's wrong! I think I've messed up the formula..."

Gong Lin and I exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

We walked quickly to the door and opened the office door.

Xiao Wu stood helplessly by the lab bench, holding a piece of paper in his hand, his face pale.

"What's going on?" I asked in a deep voice.

Xiao Wu stammered, unable to speak, and just kept looking at the paper in his hand.

I snatched the paper from his hand, quickly glanced through it, and my expression instantly turned serious.

This is indeed the formula for our new material, but for some reason, the data on it is completely different from the results of our experiments.

"This...how is this possible?" I muttered to myself, my mind filled with doubt.

Suddenly, I saw Xiao Wu point sharply towards the door, his face turning bright red.

"Mr....Mr. Miao, I think...I saw Sun Qiang tamper with my formula!" Xiao Wu stammered, his face flushed, his finger trembling as he pointed to the door.

My heart sank, and a surge of anger rushed to my head.

Sure enough it was him!

This Sun Qiang is incredibly audacious!

I immediately looked around and found that Sun Qiang had already disappeared.

He got away quickly!

"Seal off the lab immediately!" I commanded sternly, my voice carrying an unquestionable authority. "No one is allowed to leave!"

The atmosphere in the laboratory instantly became tense. The researchers looked at each other in bewilderment. Gong Lin walked to my side, gently took my hand, and silently gave me strength.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

"Xiao Wu, are you sure you saw it clearly?" I looked at Researcher Wu, trying to keep my tone calm, but my eyes held a sharp glint.

Xiao Wu nodded quickly and said firmly, "I'm sure I saw him sneaking up on my lab bench and taking my formula!" His voice was filled with lingering fear and self-reproach.

My anger intensified. How dare Sun Qiang touch my things!

I turned to look at the doorway, my eyes as sharp as a knife.

"He can't run away!"

I made a decisive decision to have Gong Lin arrange for people to hunt down Sun Qiang and hand him over to the police.

At the same time, just in case, I asked Professor Liu to recheck all the experimental data to ensure there were no other omissions.

As Sun Qiang fled in disarray, the tense atmosphere in the laboratory gradually dissipated.

Although the spy was driven away, the feeling of unease I had before also disappeared, and the heavy weight on my chest finally lifted. I took a deep breath, and a sense of relief spread through my heart.

I smiled at everyone, though I looked tired, my eyes were full of determination and confidence.

"Let's continue, everyone. Now, let's work together to overcome this final technical hurdle!"

Everyone responded in unison, and the sounds of instruments running and test tubes clinking together filled the laboratory once again, and everything returned to its previous order.

But at this moment, I couldn't ignore the unease in my heart.

Although Sun Qiang was dismissed, the technical challenges still remain for us.

I picked up the recipe information on the table and studied it carefully again.

“This formula…” Old Liu suddenly pointed to one of the data points, his brows furrowed, “seems to have some problems.”

My heart sank. Had all our previous efforts been in vain?

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly.

Pointing to the data, Professor Liu said, "This data deviates from our previous experimental results. If we proceed with the next experiment based on this data, it is very likely to fail."

Looking at that data, I felt like I'd been doused with a bucket of cold water; my whole body felt ice-cold.

Are we really going to stop here?

"Should we...?" Xiao Wu cautiously began to speak, but I stopped him by raising my hand.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm myself down.

“No need, we…” I opened my eyes again, my gaze filled with determination and unwavering resolve, “We can definitely find a solution!”

I picked up the pen on the table, wrote a number on a piece of paper, and handed it to Old Liu. At the same time, I looked at Gong Lin and slowly said, "You..."