Soon, the posts that had stirred up a frenzy across the university's internal network were swiftly taken down.
The school released an official statement and punished several students responsible for spreading false information.
According to their own confessions, they had simply been seeking attention. They'd overheard some gossip about plagiarism among Professor Han's students, and since Shu Lanzhou had scored highest in the first round of exams, it was unlikely that she'd copied anyone.
That's when they targeted Lin Muyao with their accusations, hoping to stir controversy online. Unfortunately for them, Professor Han stepped in quickly and suppressed the issue before it gained traction.
Later, when Shu Lanzhou left Professor Han's team and a video of Fang Ruoshi arguing with her at the dormitory entrance surfaced online, they saw a new opportunity to chase clout.
But for some unknown reason, each time they tried to upload those posts, they were instantly blocked. After appealing and being told their content violated regulations, fear of disciplinary action kept them from posting again.
Their stories fit together neatly. Aside from their lie about motivation, there were no loose ends for anyone to grab hold of.
And since they adamantly denied being paid to do it—and the school couldn't uncover any solid evidence to the contrary—the matter could only be put to rest there.
The students involved were formally disciplined by the university and made to publicly apologize to both Lin Muyao and Shu Lanzhou.
Not long after that, another announcement rocked the school: Shu Lanzhou's computer had been infected with a virus, and her exam paper was stolen!
The university's preliminary investigation classified the incident as a hacker attack targeting all of Professor Han's students. Traces of attempted intrusions were found on the computers of Luo Jialin and others.
However, due to Shu Lanzhou's lower level of protection, her screen had been successfully accessed, leading to the theft of her paper. Fortunately, no other students lost files.
Upon further verification by Professor Han, it was confirmed that although Shu and Lin's papers shared similar topics, there was no evidence of plagiarism. The university urged everyone to stop believing in baseless rumors.
In other words—Shu Lanzhou's paper was stolen, but Lin Muyao had nothing to do with it.
Ultimately, the accusations of plagiarism against Lin Muyao were officially dismissed as nothing more than false rumors.
Reading the announcement on the school's website, Shu Lanzhou allowed herself a wry smile.
That same night, capitalizing on the buzz stirred by the official announcement, she returned to her dorm and publicly uploaded her original research draft to the university forum.
Then, staying up through the night, she carefully revised and polished the paper before submitting it to the country's most prestigious medical journal early the next morning.
Only once everything was done did she allow herself to crash into bed.
She didn't wake again until the afternoon, when Dong Anlan brought her food. "You're amazing, babe—check the campus forum!"
Shu Lanzhou yawned. "Another big scandal?"
"It's still about you," Dong Anlan said with a small grin. "After you posted your original paper, people started calling out Lin Muyao, demanding she upload hers too. They're saying it's all way too much of a coincidence."
"I mean, why was your computer the only one that got hacked? And out of all the students in the second round, why is Lin Muyao's paper the only one that's so similar to yours?"
"A bunch of people are questioning whether Professor Han's selection process is even fair. They're saying unless Lin Muyao also uploads her paper so everyone can judge for themselves, it'll always seem shady."
"Some are even pointing out that if the plagiarism rumors were just started by internet trolls, why is your reputation the one that took a hit? Why were you the one who had to leave the team while Lin Muyao stayed on like nothing happened?"
"They're asking whether Professor Han and his entire research team owe you an apology."
Shu Lanzhou got up and splashed water on her face, clearing her head.
"I'm not looking for an apology," she said coolly. "What I want… they can't afford yet."
What she hadn't expected was how long-lasting the ripple effect would be. The online discussion was far livelier than she'd imagined.
She had thought this matter would be buried quietly in the hearts of people like Professor Han and the senior students who admired her—and only much later, piece by piece, would Lin Muyao's true colors be exposed.
But it seemed that with the current momentum, Lin Muyao was already in hot water.
Now, Shu Lanzhou was curious—what would Lin Muyao do next to regain everyone's trust?
At that same moment, in Professor Han Weicheng's office…
With a grim expression, Han stared at his screen. "What's your take on this?"
"I still don't believe Muyao plagiarized," Luo Jialin said cautiously. "It was probably just a coincidence. Admittedly, Shu Lanzhou's paper is more thorough and her arguments more complete, but…"
He hesitated, then continued, "Professor, Shu Lanzhou's not coming back to the team. Lin Muyao's our future. How we handle this… depends on your decision."
Han Weicheng had never felt so publicly cornered. Everyone online was demanding Lin Muyao upload her original paper—and even apologize to Shu Lanzhou.
He was a man who valued dignity and authority above all. This scandal felt like a direct challenge to his reputation, and it made him hate Shu Lanzhou.
"Go apologize to her on behalf of the team," Han ordered coldly. "Tell her—if she's still willing to return, we'll welcome her back."
Han was convinced that returning to the team was Shu Lanzhou's ultimate goal.
And once she did…
Luo Jialin caught the meaning in his eyes. "Understood, Professor. What about Lin Muyao?"
"Have her revise her original paper. I want a cleaner, more comprehensive version submitted to me by tomorrow. I'll make sure it gets published in the top national medical journal."
Once that happened, her reputation would naturally surpass Shu Lanzhou's. And the people online would finally shut up.
—
When Lin Muyao saw the public outcry against her, her heart sank.
People weren't stupid. No one was going to buy that it was all just a coincidence. The netizens were suspicious, the senior students were suspicious—and even Professor Han himself must have started doubting her.
Did she actually buy Shu Lanzhou's paper from the hacker?
She'd revised it, sure, but after two weeks, she could barely even remember the contents. It was never hers to begin with, so no amount of editing could make it truly her own.
By uploading the original paper now, Shu Lanzhou had essentially forced her into a head-to-head competition.
A ruthless move.
Lin Muyao knew she couldn't beat Shu Lanzhou in a direct comparison. After agonizing over her next step, she finally came up with an idea. She grabbed her paper and went to find Tian Hua.
"Senior, I have a favor to ask," she said, her voice soft, face cast with a pitiful expression like she'd been terribly wronged.
Tian Hua quickly closed the forum page he'd been reading and looked at her impassively. "What is it? No need to beg—just tell me."
In truth, he strongly suspected that the plagiarism allegations were real. After all, he'd helped install Shu Lanzhou's security system—there was no reason it should have been breached. And it was way too convenient that only her exam paper had been stolen.
This had to be an inside job.
Besides, he knew better than anyone just how capable Shu Lanzhou was. Within the team, only he and Fang Ruoshi could match her in diligence and talent.
A paper like that? Shu Lanzhou could have written it with ease. But Lin Muyao…
"I'd like you to take a look at my paper," Lin Muyao said, brushing aside his obvious skepticism and handing over her draft. "Everyone's demanding I upload the original, but I wrote this before I even joined the team. It's kind of rough, and I'm not very satisfied with it."
"Now that I'm officially part of the research group, if I upload something so underwhelming, it'll reflect poorly on Professor Han—especially with things as tense as they are. I don't want to lose to Senior Shu. You understand, right?"
Tian Hua snorted internally… but he had to admit she had a point.
Professor Han was all about saving face. If Lin Muyao's paper ended up getting publicly shredded and deemed inferior, it would be deeply embarrassing.
Embarrassment aside, having his objectivity called into question would be far worse.
And more importantly, Tian Hua still owed Lin Muyao a large sum of money. Whether he wanted to or not—he had to help her now.