CH 255

The seminar had finally reached a crucial point. Xing Conglian found it hard to sit up straight and looked at Xiao Zhan.

Wang Chao also nudged Mr. Xiao Zhan and asked, “What is an isomer?”

Xiao Zhan initially flipped through the previous test data in a panic, but when he was suddenly called upon, he began reciting somewhat hesitantly, “Isomerism refers to the phenomenon where compounds have the same molecular formula but different structures. Isomers with the same molecular formula but different structures are called structural isomers. For example, the molecular structure of optical isomers* is very similar to the compound itself, to the extent that their melting and boiling points are often the same. They can usually be observed using physical methods.”

*Two or more forms of a compound which have the same structure but are mirror images of each other and typically differ in optical activity.

“After mixing isomers, can the effect of a drug change?” Xing Conglian asked.

“It’s possible. For example, chiral isomers are widely present in nucleic acids and proteins within the human body, and most drugs also exhibit chirality*,” someone explained to Xing Conglian. “There is a drug called levodopa used for Parkinson’s disease, and its D-isomer can cause optic neuritis and lead to blindness.”

*When two isomers that are mirror image of each other. They have the same chemical properties except when reacting with other chiral compounds.

Furthermore, the young man who had walked out earlier added, “Several decades ago, an isomer incident involving thalidomide* caused severe teratogenic reactions in pregnant women.”

*Drug use to treat a number of cancers and many skin disorders (mainly leprosy). When it was first released in 1957 in West Germany, it wasn’t tested on pregnant women and resulted in major birth defects and the deaths of many babies, leading to its removal from the market in 1961. This led to greater drug regulation and monitoring in many countries.

“But during our TERN experiments, no adverse isomers were produced. It shouldn’t be our fault.” Feng Zhenzhen pushed Li Zheng and grew anxious. “Professor Li…”

Li Zheng remained silent for a long time, and his silence caused all the researchers around him to quiet down.

In contrast, the other Zhourui employees opposite of them looked at the researchers who had taken the initiative with a gaze that seemed to say, “We knew this would happen.”

“Speaking of which, I still find it unbelievable that such a thing occurred.” Li Zheng pushed his golden-rimmed glasses, and his face became filled with disappointment and weariness.

Wang Chao anxiously looked at the scientist who was the first to speak out, unsure of what to say. “Well, this… it’s not your fault either.”

“In fact, the absence of a TERN isomer suggests there may have been some oversight in our development process, but I’m not trying to shift the blame because I’m certain that, according to the pharmaceutical formulation we provided, it would be impossible for adverse isomers to appear.” Li Zheng finally looked up, his gaze becoming calm and cold. “Considering the series of process improvement proposals put forward by Shen Lian, it’s likely that our company ‘optimized’ the pharmaceutical process to save costs, resulting in the production of a small amount of optical isomers in TERN through the optimized process. However, due to negligence in quality control or deliberate concealment by the factory, these isomers were not discovered.”

“Li Zheng, speak with evidence. Are you trying to shift the blame onto our production team?” The supervisor in charge of pharmaceutical production at Zhourui Pharmaceutical angrily rebuked.

The chubby researcher next to Professor Li stood up abruptly and slammed the process optimization report on the table. He was visibly angry and pointed at the other person. “Then tell me, with your chest held high, that you thoroughly checked the purity of each batch of drugs after process optimization. Dare you say that there are absolutely no optical isomers in Nao Kangning?!”

“Just because you’re being aggressive doesn’t mean you’re right!” The deputy general in charge of production also stood up and slammed the table.

“Tsk.” Feng Zhenzhen, sitting with her legs crossed, sneered, “Then please clearly tell us, does it exist or not?” Before the other person could respond, Feng Zhenzhen didn’t give him a chance. “Let me come up with an excuse for you. Either you didn’t conduct isomer testing at all, or when the drug problems arose, you detected the isomers, but their quantity was minimal. Separation and purification would require substantial costs. So, you simply conducted simple drug tests during production, found no major issues, and covered up the matter. However, as adverse reaction cases increased and TERN was shared through patents, you were afraid of being held accountable, so you came up with the method of replacing the old drug with a new one.” The female researcher continued, putting down her leg and sitting up straight. “Although we now know that TERN has a problem and can quickly deduce the presence of isomers, the pharmaceutical process is very complex. Even if you investigated it accurately while being deliberately concealed, you had a whole eight years. If anyone among you had the courage to come forward and say we should cut off the limb rather than choose concealment, how could the situation have evolved to what it is now?”

Wang Chao was stunned by everything he had heard so far and interjected, “But I remember that we were able to discover the issues with the old and new drugs because Zhourui was replacing the manufacturer. Doesn’t that imply they also didn’t know how the isomers were produced? Otherwise, Shen Lian wouldn’t have been able to hide until now?”

“There’s one explanation.”

A deep voice resounded. Xing Conglian, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke.

Wang Chao turned to look at his boss, and his boss’s cold gaze fell upon the chubby figure of the chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical. In that instant, it was as if the most cunning hunter had finally caught sight of his prey’s vulnerability.

Xing Conglian spoke slowly, composedly, and unrushed. “Now, let’s hear Chairman Zhou’s answer. Is it true that the person responsible for secretly conducting investigations into the issues with the Nao Kangning drug is Shen Lian?”

Wang Chao was momentarily stunned but quickly understood the question at hand.

Zhourui Pharmaceutical knew there was a problem with Nao Kangning, but they had never discovered that Shen Lian was the one behind it. If it wasn’t due to the incompetence of the investigator, then the most likely explanation was that the person in charge of the investigation was Shen Lian herself.

Her boss had posed an extremely tricky question, implying: If you admit that the person conducting the investigation is Shen Lian, then it means your company had discovered the adverse reactions of Nao Kangning long ago but failed to report it, allowing a toxic drug to circulate in the market.

“I am not aware of any investigation regarding the Nao Kangning drug mentioned by Captain Xing.”

Chairman Zhou could no longer control his facial expression, and Wang Chao couldn’t fathom how this cunning old man could still attempt to argue.

It seemed as though Xing Conglian had been waiting for this moment.

His sharp gaze fell upon the faces of the high-level Zhourui executives who had dared to stand out and berate others. He casually said, “Since the chairman is unaware, then let those below speak up.”

He pointed at the production supervisor. “Let’s start with the production department. Did you ever discover the issue with isomers? Did you choose to conceal it for the sake of your own job security without reporting it to the company’s higher-ups?”

The production supervisor and deputy general never expected Xing Conglian to so easily bypass the chairman and target them directly. They dared not look at anyone, and beads of cold sweat seemed to drip from their foreheads.

“It’s not that complicated. There are two choices: to shoulder the responsibility or not.” Xing Conglian maintained his calm tone, but his meaning was thought-provoking.

Upon hearing this, the anxious man instinctively looked up, glancing at the remaining ten empty seats. He subconsciously placed his hand on the table, as if about to stand up.

His action was noticed by another executive sitting beside him, who immediately stopped him.

The person shook his head gently.

“They won’t say anything, will they? They’re all in cahoots! Everything is documented in the meeting records. With cross-examination, we’ll be able to find out the truth!” This reaction somehow ignited Li Zheng’s anger. The scientist picked up a pen and pointed at someone who had spoken during the previous discussion. “You’re right. The key question is why the project for improving the drug was suddenly initiated. If it was a normal project for drug improvement, and Tan Kang changed the TERN configuration for the purpose of improving its ingredients, without the company’s knowledge, then it was solely Shen Lian’s doing. Our company would also be a victim and bear the responsibility for regulatory oversight. On the contrary, if our company collected clinical feedback, became aware of the drug’s issues, and concealed the truth for certain reasons, allowing a harmful drug to spread…” Li Zheng looked at the chairman, even expressing some pain. “From 2008 to 2016, a whole eight years, all of you were accomplices in covering up the crime for personal gain. You are murderers!”

Li Zheng’s words were like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, causing the production supervisor mentioned by Xing Conglian to tremble like a sieve.

Witnessing this reaction, Wang Chao believed a confession was within reach, and Zhourui was about to collapse.

However, Wang Chao watched helplessly as the man wiped the sweat from his forehead, his smile filled with extreme bitterness. In the most desperate tone, he said, “What can I do? It’s just that I failed to report it upward. I… I had a secret romantic relationship with Shen Lian… I was her accomplice…”

The meeting room exploded, and everyone looked in shock at the production supervisor, who had voluntarily confessed.

“Fucking hell!” Feng Zhenzhen was the first to curse.

In the chaotic environment, no one noticed the abnormality on a few seats scattered among the hundred-member team of Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Some people appeared crestfallen but clenched their hands into fists as if determined.

“Are you an idiot?” Wang Chao frustratedly cursed.

At that moment, another executive stood up as well. “I am also guilty. I failed to fulfill my supervisory duties, resulting in such serious consequences, yet I chose to conceal the truth. I cannot absolve myself of blame.”

Wang Chao looked at the madman-like gaze shifting to the person who had just confessed.

However, the admission of guilt by the senior executives at Zhourui didn’t stop there. Along with the production supervisor’s confession, several other responsible individuals stood up, confessing their own crimes. Some even walked up to the police officers after speaking, extending their hands to be handcuffed.

Meanwhile, some higher-ranking individuals remained silent, observing their subordinates confessing with cold eyes.

The police officers exchanged looks, somewhat bewildered, and could only turn to Xing Conglian, awaiting guidance from the one in control.

“You… Why are you all so stupid!” Wang Chao nearly overturned his computer in frustration.

At this point, a triumphant smile finally appeared on the chairman’s face. He curved his chubby lips slightly and looked at Xing Conglian. The previously feigned anxiety and nervousness were gone. He seemed to have a complete grasp of the situation, as if he had already prepared for every possible outcome. Everything was developing in the direction he had anticipated.

Ever since entering the office, Xing Conglian had been relatively silent. Now, faced with the chairman’s true provocation, he didn’t argue or persuade. He simply picked up his phone and sent a text message.

Before long, the back door of the conference room was kicked open with a bang.

An old man, holding a urinary bag, stood at the doorway, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Young nephew, what do you want from me? Is everything settled? My urinary bag is almost full. I’ll have to go to the hospital later.”

Everyone in the conference room looked toward the door as if they had seen a ghost, laying eyes on a thin, elderly man with a prosthetic leg.

The old man also noticed that there were so many people in the conference room, and his tone immediately changed when he spoke to Xing Conglian. He became extremely obsequious and said, “Boss, what can I do for you?”

Only then did everyone recall that this old man was seemingly the driver of the sports car from before. If he was indeed Captain Xing’s driver, then this police captain had an incredibly formidable background.

Faced with those questioning and puzzled gazes, Xing Conglian didn’t explain much. He politely asked the old man, “I have a question to ask you.”

“I will speak all that I know without reservation!” the old man said. “If you let me play outside for a couple more hours, I’ll even tell you my bank card password.”

“The current situation is like this: I offered lenient punishment to some middle-level employees who made mistakes. But why do they prefer to take the blame for the highest level of the company rather than accepting my goodwill?” Xing Conglian asked.

Upon hearing this question, the old man looked at Xing Conglian as if he had seen a ghost, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “You clearly know the answer, so why are you asking me?”