Luo Jialin's face shifted between pale and flushed.
The grand prize project had been planned with Shu Lanzhou's help — she had even provided technical support — and her own team's innovation project had snagged a first prize as well.
In stark contrast, their team had only managed to secure a third prize!
And all of this had happened after Shu Lanzhou left their team.
Thinking back, during all the years she had been with them, hadn't they consistently brought home first prizes?
So what did this mean?
Could her value to the team really have been that crucial?
No, impossible. It had to be a coincidence — just pure coincidence.
Besides, this time, the innovation project idea hadn't even come from them — it had been Lin Muyao's suggestion. Technically, it was Lin Muyao who lost to Shu Lanzhou, not them.
Luo Jialin tugged irritably at his collar.
"It seems we were too careless with this project," he said gruffly. "We shouldn't have relied solely on Lin Muyao's proposal and underestimated the capabilities of the other teams."
Hearing this, the others recalled that it had been Lin Muyao's idea. They had grown complacent from always winning and hadn't bothered to question the quality of the idea.
After all, in previous competitions, Shu Lanzhou would throw out a suggestion in the group chat, everyone would agree, they'd execute it — and like clockwork, they'd win. No surprises.
They had grown too comfortable at the top, forgetting there were countless people just waiting to drag them down.
Clearly, they couldn't afford to be so overconfident anymore.
Tian Hua stood up. "I'm going to congratulate Shu Lanzhou."
"I'll go too," Fang Ruoshi said, rising to her feet.
Du Yifan blocked them, face darkening.
"Why congratulate her? She had time to help another team plan their project but didn't even bother giving us a single idea! She's an ungrateful traitor — what's there to congratulate?"
"I'm sorry — it's my fault the idea wasn't good enough," Lin Muyao suddenly cried out.
Today, she had been trampled under Shu Lanzhou's feet again and again, and she was already on the brink of losing control.
But she had no choice — today, Shu Lanzhou was the center of attention.
Lowering her head pitifully, Lin Muyao said, "If I'm remembering right, when the competition was announced, Senior Shu hadn't officially left the team yet. If she had good ideas, she should have shared them — that way you wouldn't have been dragged down by me."
Her tears fell in heavy drops, each one striking the ground.
"I joined the team late, I didn't know everyone as well as Senior Shu, and I was a year younger too. I didn't have the same depth of professional knowledge she had. I just... wasn't as good as her. I'm sorry."
"Enough!" Luo Jialin finally burst out, the pressure in his chest unbearable.
He knew full well this wasn't anyone's fault but their own.
"This isn't on you," he said, voice stiff. "We stayed on our high horse for too long. We got cocky, and this is the price. It's actually a good thing — a wake-up call to know exactly where we stand."
He turned to Du Yifan, his face dark.
"Shu Lanzhou helping whoever she wants is her own business. We have no right to demand anything from her. Besides, she had already made up her mind to leave. It's perfectly normal she stopped thinking about us."
Still, Luo Jialin felt bitter.
Especially seeing the gentle smile on Shu Lanzhou's face now — he suddenly realized that back when she was on their team, he had never once truly paid attention to her.
The person they all thought was dead weight — the one they believed was the most useless — had, after leaving, shattered all their preconceptions again and again.
He had misjudged her completely.
Unable to accept it, Du Yifan stormed out of the room.
"He's not going to cause trouble for Shu Lanzhou, is he?" Tian Hua muttered, and then he and Fang Ruoshi quickly followed.
Lin Muyao watched them leave, her fists clenched in rage. Not a single one of them had cared about her feelings.
Idiots! Are they really going to start treating her the way they used to treat Shu Lanzhou?
Useless fools — only knowing regret once it's too late. Serves them right to be manipulated by her.
She turned to glare at Luo Jialin.
Meanwhile, as the award ceremony wrapped up, Shu Lanzhou and He Sixin were getting ready to leave — only to be blocked by Du Yifan, who came charging toward them.
"Shu Lanzhou, tell me the truth," he demanded. "The project that Wu Cheng's team won with — wasn't even the idea your doing too?"
His face was twisted in anger. "At that time, you hadn't even officially left the team. If you had ideas, why didn't you share them with us? You used to—"
"You said it yourself: used to," Shu Lanzhou cut him off coldly.
"Ever since you people demanded that I publicly apologize to Lin Muyao over your plagiarism scandal, I've had nothing more to do with any of you."
"And even if Wu Cheng's idea had been mine — what does that have to do with you?"
"You—" Du Yifan reached out to grab her, but his hand was smacked away by Mu Side.
Mu Side shoved him back with a grimace of disgust.
"Thick-skinned, aren't you? Or are you just too used to bullying people? Let me give you a piece of advice — better fix that habit. If you can't, I'd be happy to help you."
Shielding Shu Lanzhou, Mu Side led her past the chairs.
"You guys go ahead," he said.
He Sixin quickly pulled Shu Lanzhou along. "Don't waste your time on that scum. Who does he think he is, accusing you like that? As if your brain was ever his property! Ridiculous."
Du Yifan had always been domineering — especially after Shu Lanzhou rejected his confession. He seemed to enjoy bullying her even more after that.
Shu Lanzhou used to feel a bit guilty about it, thinking she had wronged him. But now?
Shu Lanzhou chuckled lightly, brushing the encounter aside. "Sis, I want to go find Ding Yuejiao and the others. You want to come?"
"Of course! I'm in the same department as Wu Cheng anyway — might as well say congratulations."
Seeing Shu Lanzhou so unaffected, He Sixin felt a little relieved — but the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
In front of so many people, Du Yifan had nearly laid hands on Shu Lanzhou — who knew how badly he had treated her in the past?
Clutching Shu Lanzhou's arm tightly, she asked, "Tell me honestly — did Du Yifan ever hit you before?"
"No," Shu Lanzhou said after a pause. "He did yank my collar and shove me a few times, but not often. Luo Jialin wouldn't have let him get away with anything worse."
Han Weicheng's students couldn't afford a scandal like that. Du Yifan was impulsive — but not completely brainless.
"Still, yanking and shoving isn't okay either!" He Sixin fumed. "Who the hell did he think he was, treating you like that?"
Shu Lanzhou's heart warmed at her anger.
Any lingering resentment from Du Yifan's outburst completely disappeared, swept away by Mu Side and He Sixin's protection.
"Thank you, senior," Shu Lanzhou said sincerely. "I won't ever give him another chance to hurt me. Don't worry — they'll never bully me again."
"Good," He Sixin said, giving her hand a firm pat. "No one gets to make us suffer but ourselves. Remember that."
"I will," Shu Lanzhou replied with a bright smile.
Meeting people who genuinely cared about her — it felt so good.
Maybe her luck wasn't so bad after all.
As they headed toward the stage to find Wu Cheng and the others, Du Yifan was grabbed — one arm each — by Tian Hua and Fang Ruoshi.
"What the hell were you trying to pull just now?" Tian Hua said with a scowl.
Turning to Mu Side, he apologized, "Sorry, Mu Side. Du Yifan used to be pretty close to Shu Lanzhou. Ever since she left, he's been in a bad mood. He lost his temper — please don't take it personally."
Mu Side glanced at them coolly. "I do take it personally."
"From now on, keep him away from her. Without you people, she'll only get better and better."
He shoved Tian Hua aside and strode after Shu Lanzhou — only to bump into Luo Jialin.
Mu Side paused, sneering slightly.
"Keep your people in line," he said lazily. "Don't make me do it for you."
Luo Jialin's face darkened. "Stay away from Shu Lanzhou. She's focused on her research — don't lead her astray."