"Wow... getting that excited—could it be because it's her first time going on stage to receive an award?"
"Shulan Zhou is also on stage for the first time, and I don't see her losing her composure like that. And she won first prize! That girl only got third place!"
"For a student of Professor Han, a third prize really isn't worth getting so worked up over."
"Look at her face! She's about to cry. Maybe it's not excitement but frustration over only getting third place!"
"What's wrong with third prize? Some people dream of getting even that and can't. Yet she pulls a face like that—how disrespectful to the school and the awarding professors!"
"Exactly! She's even the department flower, but can't even manage her expressions. How did she even get selected?"
"Ever heard of photo edits? You guys were just blinded by pretty pictures!"
"Well, I'm not blind anymore. Next year I'm voting for Shulan Zhou!"
"Absolutely! Shulan Zhou is so adorable—confident but modest on stage, poised and elegant. And her smile is just so sweet!"
"Seriously, my heart melts every time she smiles. I've never seen such an adorable girl!"
"…"
Lin Muyao was already feeling miserable when she left the stage, and hearing all this gossip made her face flush bright red with anger. She was so furious she could explode right there and blow all those gossipy idiots to pieces.
It wasn't enough that Shulan Zhou beat her by winning first prize. Now even her once-proud looks and demeanor were being compared—and losing—to Shulan Zhou!
Were these people blind or what?
Shulan Zhou was just a plain, ugly girl from the countryside! How could she possibly compare to her?
It was infuriating!
Lin Muyao slumped dejectedly back into her seat.
"You insisted on going up there, and now you pull a face like that? Who exactly are you trying to impress?"
Luo Jialin's voice was cold as he spoke, his tone low and biting:
"Do you realize you've just ruined the entire team's image? Lin Muyao, where's your dignity? Or are you simply not fit to be on stage at all?"
The words landed like two brutal slaps across Lin Muyao's face!
She was stunned, her heart aching unbearably.
It would've hurt less if anyone else had said it—but it had to be Luo Jialin!
Why would he say something like that to her?
Was all this really her fault?
If he hadn't been so embarrassed by their loss, would he even have let her go on stage?
It wasn't her incompetence that cost them the Grand Prize! Why shouldn't she show her disappointment?
But Lin Muyao knew that at this moment, she couldn't argue back. Not only could she not argue, she had to apologize.
She couldn't let Luo Jialin hate her!
"I'm sorry, Jialin-ge," she said, on the verge of tears, "I was just too surprised and lost control for a moment. I embarrassed everyone—it was all my fault."
Her guilt-ridden face made Luo Jialin's heart soften a little.
He hadn't exactly kept his composure either.
The turmoil inside him wasn't nearly as calm as he looked on the outside.
"Enough. Sit down. Don't lose the last bit of dignity we have," Luo Jialin said, steadying his breath and motioning for everyone to sit down.
The host teacher gestured for silence:
"Next, we will be presenting this year's Grand Prize! Is everyone excited?"
"YES!"
The little auditorium nearly erupted, and the host had to cover his ears with a laugh.
This year's Grand Prize was generating more excitement than ever!
Even the teachers seated in the front rows couldn't help smiling more warmly and whispering among themselves:
"This project was a real surprise. I don't think the Grand Prize marks the end, but a whole new beginning!"
"It's definitely worth further research. The winners this time aren't ordinary students!"
"Finally, someone other than Professor Han's students are taking center stage!"
"Exactly! It's so refreshing to see more talent flourishing. I genuinely hope all our professors and students continue to shine!"
"Yes, a hundred flowers blooming is far better!"
"…"
After the flurry of discussion, the host waved everyone quiet again.
He tossed out a few jokes to further build the suspense, the tension and excitement in the hall rising by the second.
Everyone seemed genuinely thrilled—everyone except Luo Jialin and his team, who were anything but.
For years, they had been the ones in the spotlight, the ones everyone eagerly anticipated. Now... someone else had taken their place.
They were dying to know who had managed to snatch the Grand Prize right from under their noses.
Not that they even stopped to realize...
They hadn't just lost the Grand Prize—there was even Second and First Prize above them!
But to them, it was as if nothing else mattered.
All their resentment and anger were directed at the Grand Prize winner.
"Alright, alright, no more teasing," the host finally announced with a big grin, "Please welcome our Grand Prize winners, the Wu Cheng Team! Let's give them a big round of applause!"
"Wow... it's Senior Wu Cheng's team! That's amazing!"
"Haha, our department finally shines!"
"Senior Wu Cheng, you're incredible!"
"Senior Wu Cheng! Senior Wu Cheng!"
"…"
The little auditorium exploded into cheers, the applause quickly turning into a loud, synchronized chant.
Shulan Zhou's lips curled up into a smile as she watched Wu Cheng walk up the stage, pulling along Ding Yuejiao, who looked utterly dazed and clueless about what was happening.
She couldn't help but laugh softly.
"So happy?" Mu Side teased, reaching out to tickle her palm.
Shulan Zhou quickly pulled her hand back. "Senior, don't mess around! Ding Yuejiao is my roommate. Of course, I'm happy for her!"
"Hmm."
Mu Side gazed at her little clenched fist with a touch of regret—he shouldn't have tickled her, he should've just held her hand instead.
This girl didn't seem to mind his touch at all. She was so naive she hadn't even realized he had deeper intentions!
He didn't have the heart to break this pure, sweet moment.
Mu Side thought to himself, I'll just wait patiently until she figures it out... no rush.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Shulan Zhou lifted her head again, focusing on the stage and waiting for the award ceremony to finish.
But the Grand Prize winners had a different treatment—they didn't just take a photo; they had to give a speech too.
Wu Cheng accepted the microphone.
"I'll keep it short," he said. "Thank you to our mentor, and to every brother and sister in our team. This award was hard-earned—thank you, everyone."
"And most importantly, I want to thank my girlfriend, Ding Yuejiao!! Thank you!"
He turned to the girl beside him and handed her the microphone.
The hall erupted again, everyone cheering for the perfect couple and shouting wishes for a lifetime of happiness.
Shulan Zhou's smile deepened.
This feeling is wonderful...
She genuinely wished them a long and happy life together.
"Alright, alright, thank you everyone," Ding Yuejiao said, clearing her throat with a bright smile.
"Actually, if we're talking about who we should thank the most today, it's Shulan Zhou."
The hall went wild again.
Students in the front row even shouted, "What does Shulan Zhou have to do with this? Tell us more!"
In the past, few had heard of Shulan Zhou, but after several scandals involving plagiarism, quitting the team, and switching to an obscure major—all widely gossiped about on the campus forum—
her name was now known by nearly every student and professor in the medical school.
Not to mention, her team had just won an award too!
"Alright, I'll tell you more," Ding Yuejiao said, smiling warmly toward Shulan Zhou's direction.
"When we first heard about the competition, our team brainstormed a bunch of innovative ideas.
But none of us specialized in cytology, so we were hesitant about finalizing our project."
"It was thanks to Zhou Zhou's help that we chose the project we did—she helped me write the proposal, and later on, she also provided technical support for all the specialized cytology work."
"You could say she was the powerful support behind this winning project!
This honor belongs to her too!"
"Thank you, Zhou Zhou—thank you, my wonderful roommate and dear sister!"
As her words fell, the entire hall exploded again!!
And no one reacted more strongly than Luo Jialin's group...