A Plan Gone Awry

"I don't know about this," Du Yifan said with a grim face.

"Yesterday, Ruoshi and I went to several hospitals but couldn't find Lanzhou. We tried calling her, but no one picked up. We were so worried something might've happened, we couldn't even talk to anyone about it!"

Fang Ruoshi grabbed his head. "Lanzhou isn't an impulsive person. Even if she wanted to leave the team, she wouldn't be the type to broadcast it online. She doesn't have that kind of scheming nature!"

"How did this happen?" Lin Muyao's eyes were red.

"It was me before, and now it's Senior. Online rumors can destroy someone. Who would do such a horrible thing and target us?"

The fact that Shu Lanzhou wanted to leave the team was her doing. She wanted to force Shu Lanzhou out, leaving her no way back.

She certainly didn't want the seniors to coax Shu Lanzhou back.

But she couldn't let them suspect her. She had to clear her name.

Just like the last time, not only would she not be suspected, but she could also gain some sympathy and make them feel sorry for her.

It had to be said that Lin Muyao's luck was good. No sooner had she finished speaking, than Tian Hua saw a post on the forum by Mu Side.

"Someone said Lanzhou joined Professor Mu's research team? Could it be that these people are spreading the news about her leaving the team?"

"Let me see," Luo Jialin took the phone from Tian Hua's hand, and with a quick glance, he recognized the account of the poster. "It's Mu Side. He's a student of Professor Mu."

Guo Jialiang leaned over to take a look. "I heard that Professor Mu and Professor Han have always been at odds. They've fought a lot over poaching students."

"Do you think they might think that by pulling Lanzhou into their team, they can outdo Professor Han?"

Luo Jialin clenched his fists, a flicker of anger crossing his usually gentle face. "Lanzhou has always been with us, and her professional grades have always been at the top of the department. There have been professors who wanted to recruit her before."

"Now, Mu Side is jumping in at this moment. He probably has this in mind. But even if we don't want her, she can't just join their team!"

"I won't let him succeed!"

Du Yifan was hot-tempered. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find Lanzhou. She's a simple girl, and now that she's sick, she's probably in her weakest state. She could easily be persuaded by someone!"

"It's not necessarily all Mu Side's idea," Guo Jialiang said coldly. "Yesterday, in the library, I saw them…"

"Shut up." Fang Ruoshi rushed over and grabbed him by the collar. "You won't stop stirring things up, will you? Yesterday you said Lanzhou gave you the cold shoulder and refused to finish organizing the materials. What happened then?"

"She's sick and went to the hospital to be admitted. We've known her for so many years—how could you not know what kind of person she is? She would never associate with someone like Mu Side!"

"Senior Luo, this is clearly Mu Side trying to win Lanzhou over. We can't make her feel abandoned and push her into the opposition!"

Guo Jialiang pushed Fang Ruoshi aside. "How are we pushing her? It's her decision to leave the team. We didn't kick her out."

"We didn't kick her out, but we also ignored her when she was sick," Du Yifan shot a cold glare at Guo Jialiang and supported Fang Ruoshi.

"Lanzhou is still a girl. We've pampered her to this point. Ultimately, we're responsible for some of her mistakes."

"But instead of taking responsibility, we've placed all the blame on her. Now, she's upset and throwing a tantrum. She just wants us to coax her back."

"We didn't coax her, but how could we let Mu Side's actions be blamed on her?"

Tian Hua nodded along. "Yifan is right. We need to find Lanzhou and ask her directly. I don't believe she would give up on Professor Han's popular field and switch to something so niche with Professor Mu."

"Ah Hua is right. I don't believe she's foolish enough to give up on Professor Han's team either," Luo Jialin's expression softened.

"Since Professor Han wants me to ask, it's clear he doesn't want her to leave. We can't let Mu Side take advantage of this. Whether she's acting impulsively or is serious about leaving, she can't leave now!"

Luo Jialin would never allow Mu Side to steal her away, even if he didn't want her himself!!

"Jialin ge, how about I go talk to Senior? Girls can usually communicate better with each other, and since this mess started because of me, I'll convince her to come back."

Lin Muyao didn't expect this outcome. It was like shooting herself in the foot. She thought she could cut off Shu Lanzhou's path, but now Mu Side had jumped in and made things more complicated.

Now, Shu Lanzhou had become the object of competition between two sides. It was enough to drive her mad!!!

She would have been better off doing nothing and letting them coax Shu Lanzhou back.

"I'll go with you," Guo Jialiang muttered to himself, frustrated. He had originally thought that Shu Lanzhou had already been abandoned by the team, so it wouldn't matter if he kicked her while she was down.

He even hoped to please Luo Jialin and Lin Muyao by doing so.

Who would have thought that she would get sick and lose the trust of a few people, and now she was making trouble by leaving the team and being fought over by Mu Professor's team? It seemed she wouldn't leave the team anytime soon.

She might even win back Luo Jialin's attention. If he knew that Guo Jialiang hadn't helped her, he certainly wouldn't speak well of him again—and might even take revenge.

"I just don't know where she is now," Guo Jialiang groaned. "She hasn't returned to school, and she's not answering her phone. Finding her won't be easy!"

Lin Muyao raised her hand weakly. "Do you think Mu Side knows about Senior's withdrawal? Could it be that she accidentally spilled the beans when she bumped into him at the hospital?"

"Do you mean Lanzhou is at the Chinese medicine hospital?" Guo Jialiang reacted quickly!

Du Yifan's face lit up with excitement. "It's very likely! Lanzhou has always been frugal. The Chinese medicine hospital has a partnership with our school, and students get discounts. She must have gone there."

"Why didn't we think of that earlier?" Fang Ruoshi said, full of regret.

Luo Jialin glanced at everyone. "What are we waiting for? Let's go find her."

The group rushed out of the school, with Lin Muyao trailing behind. She watched their hurried backs, feeling an unfamiliar discomfort in her heart.

They really did care about her. While her comment earlier had been meant to subtly hint that Shu Lanzhou had been in the Chinese medicine hospital, it was also to make them understand that Mu Side knew about Shu Lanzhou's withdrawal because she had said it herself.

But they hadn't even considered that.

No wonder they had been coaxed by Shu Lanzhou for so many years, elevating her to the top of her class and giving her the reputation of a genius doctor.

If only she were more beautiful than Shu Lanzhou and less cold, she never would have had the chance to join this team.

Now that she had made it into the team, she wouldn't let Shu Lanzhou take it all away.

The top student would be her, the genius doctor would be her, and the seniors' affection, Luo Jialin's love, and Professor Han's attention—all of that would be hers!

Shu Lanzhou, the country bumpkin, with her ugly face—how could she compete with her?!

She didn't believe for a second that Shu Lanzhou's past achievements were all her own doing. It was all because she had manipulated the seniors and Professor Han.

After all, these people were easy to deceive, and they believed everything she said!

Lin Muyao thoughtfully took out her phone. The location tracking dot was now on the Chinese medicine hospital. Was Shu Lanzhou really sick?

Otherwise, why would she have been staying at the Chinese medicine hospital for so long?