Casual Questions

Shu Lanzhou was woken up by hunger. By the time she opened her eyes, the sky outside had already turned pitch black.

She stretched lazily, but before she could sit up, Mu Side pulled her into his arms.

"You're awake? Must be starving. What do you want to eat?"

Shu Lanzhou hugged him back.

"Anything's fine. I'm not picky."

"Then I'll go cook!" Mu Side got up and headed to the kitchen. Shu Lanzhou reached for her phone, only to find it had been on silent.

There were multiple missed calls and countless messages—both from her dorm group chat and the research project group. Each had over 99 unread notifications.

Shu Lanzhou guessed it had to do with the paper that had blown up online.

She first returned a call to Mu Yaning.

As soon as the call connected, a stern voice came through:

"How could you not discuss something this big with us? Do you have any idea who Han Weicheng is in this industry? What made you think you could go after him so lightly?"

"With the way the internet runs on gossip, one slip-up and you'd be the target of public condemnation. Don't you realize how risky this is?"

"Hehe." Shu Lanzhou chuckled.

"I'm not scared. I have my brother, and I have all of you. Why should I be afraid? I don't care what strangers say. I only care about the people who care about me."

"Don't say such childish things. You're a medical student!" Mu Yaning scolded, clearly upset.

Shu Lanzhou quickly caught the shift in tone.

"You're right, Teacher. I was wrong. But I'm also not so kind-hearted that I can tolerate people who've hurt me living freely without consequence."

"I used to be powerless, and I couldn't find the right opportunity to expose them. But now, they've handed me the chance on a silver platter—why shouldn't I take it?"

"I know this may not lead anywhere in the end. If the institute and school back Han Weicheng, he'll walk away untouched."

"But just like I said online—over the past two decades, has he truly contributed anything of real value to the industry or the medical field?"

"Is he really irreplaceable? Can he truly produce some kind of groundbreaking research?"

"I believe the school and the institute will weigh these questions carefully before deciding. Our school has stood strong for a hundred years—surely it hasn't relied solely on Han Weicheng's fame to attract students, has it?"

"It's him who's exaggerated his own importance with manufactured popularity. If the school just publishes a truthful report outlining the actual contributions of each professor, maybe releases a public statement..."

"I think it won't really affect student admissions next year. Don't you think so, Teacher?"

Mu Yaning frowned deeply at her words.

"Tell me honestly—were you already planning revenge the moment you left Han Weicheng's team? You never once thought of letting it go?"

Shu Lanzhou took a deep breath and sighed lightly.

"Yes. I've never planned to just let it go. I endured and backed down before because I knew I couldn't fight him."

"I was a student, and he was the professor. If I had caused a scene the moment I left his team, it would've been self-destruction. No one would have stood by me."

"No one would've believed that a fourth-year undergraduate could write a thesis beyond her academic level. No one would've thought Han Weicheng was targeting me."

"The school, pressured by his reputation and influence, would likely have buried the whole incident. In the end, I'd have gained nothing and ruined myself."

"So first, I had to switch majors, start fresh, and slowly grow stronger—strong enough to one day stand on even ground with him."

"After the campus competition, I could've already struck back through Wu Cheng's team. But then I met my brother—and all of you. Your kindness changed me."

"Because of you all—because of the Mu family—I learned to treasure my reputation more. I told myself, even if I were to expose Han Weicheng, I must do it cleanly."

"I can't let myself become ugly and bitter. That's why I waited. I waited for the right opportunity to reveal his true face in a natural, undeniable way."

Shu Lanzhou knew Han Weicheng all too well. Even without her, he would have found ways to push Lin Muyao to the top, using Luo Jialin and the others as stepping stones.

She had thought she'd have to wait a few more years. But fate had other plans—this time, Luo Jialin gave Lin Muyao the data ahead of schedule, and Tian Hua's paper was submitted without full experimentation.

Lin Muyao rushed the process—and ruined herself.

Mu Yaning's voice softened, filled with worry:

"Why didn't you tell us? Something this serious—we could've helped you."

"I didn't want to be someone useless!" Shu Lanzhou laughed lightly.

"I know you care about me. But I can't rely on others for everything. There are things I must do myself. Please, Teacher—believe in me."

"From the moment I knelt before you and promised to abide by the Mu family's rules and uphold its values, I've never once thought of doing anything illegal or immoral."

"I will use honest and righteous means to bring the guilty to justice."

There was a moment of silence from Mu Yaning.

"Silly girl… Leave the school's side of things to me. Don't come to campus for a few days, and stay away from the online mess."

"If anything happens, call. And if you have any plans moving forward—talk to us first. We're all behind you, understand?"

Shu Lanzhou's eyes turned red. She nodded, her voice thick:

"I understand, Teacher. Thank you. I promise—I won't let you down."

"..."

After hanging up, Shu Lanzhou tilted her head slightly to hold back tears, but they still fell. She wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and then dialed another number—Nan Xi.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to call her big sister. Did you see today's journal release? Didn't I give you a grand entrance—three papers published all at once!"

"I even linked related papers for extra punch. That lousy professor? His fancy theories don't stand a chance against our brilliant little girl. Don't you agree?"

Shu Lanzhou laughed.

"Come on, Sister Xi, don't tease me. But seriously—thank you. If the papers hadn't been published so quickly, we wouldn't have had this impact."

"Of course!" Nan Xi's laughter nearly burst through the speaker.

"Let me tell you—those three papers of yours are no joke. I brought in my mentor, who knows plenty of experts in the field."

"We even met with Elder Long. He brought in a few retired professors, and they collectively reviewed and evaluated your papers. Then I told them a little story—hehe..."

"When they heard it, they were furious. All of them agreed to stand up for this bullied female student and harshly criticized the kind of professors who rely solely on fame and fake contributions!"

"Don't be afraid, girl. Sure, he's a seasoned professor. But you're not alone. Believe me—justice lives in people's hearts. You can do this!"

Shu Lanzhou felt tears welling up again. In her previous life, she had been condemned by all, told to leave the medical field, accused of plagiarism, fraud, and theft.

No one had believed her.

But now… someone finally did. Someone finally said, justice lives in people's hearts.

Tears brimmed again.

"Thank you… thank you, Sister Xi. Really, thank you."

"Silly girl. No need for thanks with me." Nan Xi's voice softened.

"Now, just one casual question—what's going on between you and Mu Side?"

She must've seen the livestream from last night—noticed the two of them together.