Shu Lanzhou let out a laugh. "Friends? Forget it. Someone as noble as you—I can't afford that luxury!"
"Exactly," Zhang He added, glancing at Lin Muyao.
"We're clearly competitors. Saying stuff like 'friendship comes first' is just playing games. Let's be straightforward and stop pretending."
Lin Muyao swept her gaze over them. "But from what I know, she's also competing in the campus tournament. Doesn't that make her your rival too? So aren't you also not friends?"
She pointed at Ding Yuejiao.
Ding Yuejiao looked like she'd just swallowed something sour. She placed her hands on her hips. "Me? Same as you? Please. Ours is an open, honest rivalry. And no, we're not friends."
"We're sisters. Like, real sisters. You get that?"
"Exactly!" Zhang He nodded vigorously. "Don't try to stir things up between us and Lanzhou. We're not idiots—we're not going to fall for your tricks."
"If you've got time for this nonsense, better spend it reading a few more books. Otherwise, you'll just get crushed by Lanzhou again!"
Dong Anlan stepped in and started ushering everyone away.
"Why are you even wasting your breath on her? She'll probably cry in a minute and make it seem like we bullied her. Come on, let's go—best stay far away from someone like her!"
"Right, right—let's go. I can't afford to get entangled with a white lotus like her. Wouldn't want her to fake an injury and blame me later," Zhang He exaggeratedly took a step back.
Ding Yuejiao also backed off and looped her arms with the others as they walked forward. She muttered under her breath, "White lotus? That's giving her too much credit. She's at best a green tea bitch. Just thinking about her plagiarizing Lanzhou's thesis and then playing the victim makes my blood boil!"
"Don't be mad, don't be mad," Shu Lanzhou soothed, gently patting her chest. "Getting worked up is bad for your health. Not worth it."
"Yeah, yeah—not worth it," Zhang He snorted. "But seriously, I don't have eyes in the back of my head, and apparently neither does she in front. How did she manage to get stepped on by me?"
"Could she have done it on purpose? What's she trying to pull?"
Shu Lanzhou thought for a moment. "Probably wanted to see me make a fool of myself."
"What? Tell us more!" The group leaned in closer.
So Shu Lanzhou began telling them what had happened in the small auditorium…
—
Watching them walk out of the school gates chatting and laughing, Lin Muyao nearly ground her teeth to dust.
She knew she'd heard her mother call Han Weicheng. It had already been three days—why hadn't he done anything to Shu Lanzhou yet?
Could it be the school was covering for Mu Yanning, and that's why Shu Lanzhou escaped punishment?
Why should she get off scot-free, while Lin Muyao had taken three lashes that tore her skin open? Even after three days, the wounds had only barely scabbed over.
She had thought that returning to school would bring good news—then the punishment might've been worth it. But instead, the first thing she saw upon arrival was Shu Lanzhou's smiling face.
That smile—so blinding it made her eyes ache. She couldn't accept this.
No. She had to find Han Weicheng and get answers. Had he really done nothing to deal with Shu Lanzhou?
She quickly sent a message to the group chat, letting the senior boys know she was back and had brought them lots of tasty snacks. She told them to swing by the lab to pick them up.
By the time she hit send, she was already standing outside the lab.
Pushing the door open, she was surprised to find everyone already inside.
They were all staring at their phones, exchanging awkward looks.
When she walked in, Du Yifan was the first to stand up. "Lin Muyao! You're back! Come in, come in—let's see what goodies you've brought us."
But Lin Muyao immediately sensed something was off.
"What's going on?" Her eyes flicked with unease, and she forced a worried smile. "Did I come at a bad time? Why does everyone look so down?"
"It's not you," Guo Jialiang pulled over a chair and gestured for her to sit. "It's Shu Lanzhou."
Luo Jialin's face was somber.
"We might've misunderstood her before. She's actually been working really hard. If the professor hadn't asked me to organize her experiment notes and papers, I wouldn't have known how much effort she put in."
"Effort?" Lin Muyao feigned shock while inwardly fuming. What the hell did that bitch do now?
Fang Ruoshi turned her laptop screen toward them. "During her time on the team, she participated in over 200 experiments. Each had complete data logs. And—"
"And after each experiment, she also wrote a corresponding report," Tian Hua finished.
"No wonder she always looked sleep-deprived," Du Yifan muttered, stunned. "I didn't realize she was that busy. And I even scolded her…"
Fang Ruoshi looked remorseful. "If I had known, I wouldn't have made her prep so much for me. A lot of that should've been my responsibility."
"Same," Tian Hua was still reeling. "I skimmed through some of her papers just now… They're good—"
So good, in fact, some were deeper than their own work. But he didn't dare say it aloud.
Lin Muyao was on the verge of collapse. She'd rushed back to school to watch Shu Lanzhou be punished—not to see Luo Jialin and the others suddenly singing her praises!
That bitch—she really had a way of worming her way back in at the slightest opportunity!
She couldn't let this happen.
Lin Muyao softened her tone and said sweetly, "Well, if she's that capable, that's great news! It reflects well on Professor Han and you seniors too. Since everyone misjudged her, shouldn't we go apologize to her?"
That sent a chill down Guo Jialiang's spine.
He'd publicly questioned Shu Lanzhou's abilities in front of Luo Jialin to save face. How could he have known Luo Jialin would go verify it with Tian Hua and Fang Ruoshi?
Luo Jialin used to be completely indifferent to Shu Lanzhou. In fact, he was the one who treated her the coldest. So why was he suddenly so concerned? What was he planning?
Guo Jialiang regretted running his mouth.
Whatever the case, Shu Lanzhou must not be allowed to get too close to the team again. Otherwise, everything he'd tried to hide would be exposed.
He couldn't bear to have everyone in the lab look down on him.
"I'll go," he said, head bowed in guilt. "This all started because of me. I should be the one to apologize. If it weren't for my mistake, the professor wouldn't have been humiliated in front of everyone. It's my fault."
What's this about the professor?! Lin Muyao's nerves were fraying.
She needed to know what had happened in the past few days. Desperately.
"Senior Guo, what did you do that made Professor Han embarrassed in public? Did you provoke Shu Lanzhou again?"