Han Weicheng waved his hand dismissively.
"Shu Lanzhou refuses to admit she had anything to do with the stuff online. Begging her won't change a thing—she's made up her mind to cling to us like a leech."
"In my opinion, we should take this opportunity to cut things off clean. Get rid of her once and for all before she starts sticking to us like a snotty stain."
Lin Muyao's heart skipped a beat. What does he mean by a 'clean break'? Is he finally going to investigate the online scandal and give Shu Lanzhou some closure?
She gritted her teeth and cried harder. "Then what should I do now? Everyone in the school is cursing me—I don't even dare to leave the dorm."
"All I wanted was to learn from you, Professor Han. Why do I have to be treated this way? Why does Senior Shu hate me so much?"
"She's just petty!" Du Yifan snapped, "Don't stoop to her level. From today on, just stay close to me. I want to see who in this school still dares to talk crap about you."
Luo Jialin nodded. "Yifan's right. Shu Lanzhou says she's quitting the team, but the first thing she did was run to Professor Mu. No way she's really willing to let go."
"She's doing all this just to drive a wedge between you and us—trying to get our attention so she can claw her way back into the team."
"Don't worry. We're not falling for it. We believe in you completely. You're not the kind of person people are saying you are online. There's no way you'd orchestrate all this drama yourself."
"Of course I wouldn't!" Lin Muyao grew anxious.
"Who'd be stupid enough to pay people to insult themselves online? The plagiarism accusations didn't just smear my name—they disrespected Professor Han too! I'd never do something like that!"
"And I'd never slander Senior Shu's reputation either. I may not like her, but I still respect the professor and all of you."
"Saying she seduced the professor and our seniors? That kind of garbage reflects poorly on all of you, not just her. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't pull such a stunt!"
The mood fell heavy. A few people exchanged glances, visibly swayed by Lin Muyao's impassioned defense.
"I'm heading to the Student Affairs Office," Han Weicheng stood up. "Since Shu Lanzhou refuses to delete the post, we'll have the school handle it."
"Jialin, go find out exactly who stirred things up online. This time, we're not letting it slide. I want these troublemakers punished—hard."
Luo Jialin left with Han Weicheng, while the others stayed behind to comfort Lin Muyao.
"Don't cry, junior. With the professor and Senior Luo stepping in, this will be sorted out soon," Tian Hua patted her shoulder.
Fang Ruoshi came over too. "Honestly, this might be a good thing. So long as the plagiarism issue stays unclear, it's a ticking time bomb. We may believe you, but that doesn't mean everyone else will."
"Ruoshi's right," Du Yifan growled. "Let them investigate thoroughly. When the truth comes out, that Shu Lanzhou will have to shut up. We'll see how she likes it then."
Idiots, Lin Muyao thought. If the plagiarism could be cleared up easily, would I have needed to pull that 'wounded victim' act and pretend I had nothing to do with it?
She sniffled.
"Thank you, seniors. I'm okay now. I was too weak before, almost crushed by the cyberbullying. But this time is different. I know I've got all of you behind me, and I won't fall apart so easily."
"I'll show all those people who want to see me fail—those who are hoping I'll quit the team—that I won't give up. I'll beat them!"
"I'll become someone Professor Han and all of you can be proud of!"
"You're so brave!" Du Yifan stepped closer, eyes fixed on her. "And seriously adorable—way cuter than Shu Lanzhou ever was."
As he spoke, he reached out to pinch her cheek, startling Lin Muyao into recoiling.
"Senior, I'm already miserable enough. Don't bully me."
"Haha! You're too cute," Du Yifan laughed heartily. "Don't worry, with me around, no one can mess with you. Just stick by me from now on—I'll make sure you walk tall on campus."
"…"
What an idiot. Really thinks he's invincible. Useless fool—I don't even know how he made it onto the team.
Oh, right. He passed the grad school entrance exam and joined Professor Han's research team thanks to the study plan and prep materials Shu Lanzhou made for him.
That foolish girl—always doing thankless things, thinking she was helping a group of decent people. But now look at them, circling around me.
Once this online mess is handled, I'll make sure Shu Lanzhou regrets everything.
Before Dong Anlan could even leave the dorm, Shu Lanzhou called her back. "No need to investigate. I know who posted it."
"Who?" The others turned around, curiosity piqued.
Shu Lanzhou held up her phone. "It was Senior Ke and Senior Mu. They're at the Student Affairs Office now and asked me to come too."
She didn't have time to explain further. "I'll tell you everything when I'm back."
"I'm coming with you," Dong Anlan grabbed her bag and followed.
As they walked, Shu Lanzhou scrolled through the messages Mu Side had sent her the night before, glancing at Dong Anlan. "Don't you have class this morning?"
"Yeah," Dong Anlan checked the time. "Elective at ten. Still early—I'll walk with you first."
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Senior Ke probably messaged you last night after identifying the poster. You must've missed it, so he sent it to Senior Mu instead."
"Mu and Senior He discussed it, and with the comparison posts we made, they published an exposé and analysis thread online. He mentioned it in the group chat."
"I went to bed early and slept like a log—I didn't even see the message!"
Dong Anlan pulled out her phone. Sure enough, there was a message from Ke Beichen sent at midnight. By then, she'd been fast asleep and didn't see it at all.
"Well, it's probably for the best. If they hadn't posted last night, we would've had to find someone today—and it might not have gone viral."
She quickly texted a thank you to Ke Beichen, then looked up at Shu Lanzhou.
"Honestly, Lanzhou, you're lucky. Seniors like Mu and He are way better than your previous ones. They don't just boss you around—they actually protect you."
"Sure, the department might be niche, but everything else is great! Just the vibe in the lab these past few days has me tempted."
"If I had more energy, I'd totally pick up an extra acupuncture elective!"
Shu Lanzhou chuckled. "That'd be awesome. Then when I'm having midnight existential crises about coursework, I won't be alone!"
"You wish!" Dong Anlan teased, hurrying up the stairs.
When the two of them arrived at the Student Affairs Office, they were surprised to see not only Mu Side and He Sixin there, but also Ke Beichen and Mu Yanning.
Mu Yanning ran over with a beaming smile. "Professor, Senior Shu—you're here! Thank you so much!"
"Don't thank me yet," Mu Yanning raised her chin and nodded toward the office. "This only works if that paper is really yours and someone did plagiarize it."
Shu Lanzhou turned to look and saw Han Weicheng inside, speaking with the director of Student Affairs.
Noticing her, Han Weicheng strode out and barked, "Shu Lanzhou, get in there and explain everything to the director. Tell him Muyao didn't plagiarize your paper, didn't insult you online, and that all that messy stuff going around has nothing to do with her!"
"…"