"The screen-monitoring software hasn't been active for too long, and it hasn't stolen many files," Ke Beichen said as he leaned back in his chair. "But I'll still need to run some data recovery to figure out exactly what was taken. That part may take a bit of time."
He gestured to Mu Side for his phone so he could transfer the project paper over, then looked at Shulan Zhou.
"I'll give your laptop back tomorrow. That okay?"
"Of course. Thanks, Senior," Shulan Zhou nodded. "It's getting late—shall we head out for dinner?"
"Let's go, let's go. I'm starving," He Sixin chimed in, casually tossing her water-drenched laptop to Mu Side. "See if there's anything salvageable?"
"The motherboard got water damage," Mu Side examined it quickly. "I'll clean it up when we get back—it's not too serious."
As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward Shulan Zhou.
She blinked in realization, grinning. "Wow, didn't expect you to be so tech-savvy too, Senior Mu!"
Mu Side curved his lips into a smile. "Not as skilled as Ke Beichen. I never studied this stuff seriously."
Ke Beichen glanced between the two, clearly baffled.
What the heck? Why was his buddy suddenly trying to one-up him?
On the way to the restaurant, Dong Anlan brought up the forum situation with Ke Beichen.
"These screenshots you sent—looks like someone's been deliberately defaming Shulan Zhou. Are you trying to figure out who's behind it?" Ke Beichen's brows furrowed. "This stuff is disgusting. They're basically trying to ruin a girl's reputation, make her unable to even walk around campus with her head held high."
"Leave it to me. I'll dig these keyboard warriors out one by one and expose them. Let's see if they dare stir up trouble online again."
Dong Anlan hadn't expected him to agree so quickly—and even with such indignation. Come to think of it, he hadn't hesitated earlier either when it came to cleaning Zhou's laptop.
No wonder he was voted one of the top heartthrobs on campus—not only handsome, but also kind. She felt lucky just to call him a friend.
Friend, right?
Dong Anlan still felt a bit unsure, but more than anything, she was struck by the difference in people.
Luojia Lin had also been one of the school's voted "top guys," though more of a departmental star than campus-wide. The poll results between them hadn't differed much.
But their words…? One was sky, the other was mud. No comparison.
She couldn't believe she'd been so blind, pining after Luojia Lin for so long. If not for Shulan Zhou, she'd still be fooled by his polished reputation.
"What are you thinking about?" Ke Beichen suddenly leaned closer, his charming eyes twinkling like they were about to shoot sparks.
Startled, Dong Anlan took a step back. Her face flushed.
"N-Nothing. Thank you, Senior. But no need to go so far as exposing them—just finding out who they are will be enough."
"Alright," Ke Beichen nodded, his eyes dimming just a little, a flicker of disappointment in his voice.
Was it him? Was his charm not enough? Why did it always feel like Dong Anlan was deliberately keeping her distance?
"Do you two have a plan already? Need me to do anything else?" He straightened up, smile returning to its usual relaxed tone.
Dong Anlan let out a silent sigh of relief. "We do have a plan, but we don't need your help with that part—yet."
"Well, if you ever do, don't hold back," Ke Beichen smiled again. "We're teammates now. Teammates and friends."
Her heart warmed. Sure enough, when you're around kind people, it makes you feel calmer too.
"Alright. I won't be shy, then."
—
Dinner was lively and pleasant—until it was time to pay. That's when a small hiccup happened.
"Senior, didn't we agree I'd pay tonight?" Shulan Zhou looked at Mu Side.
He reached out and gently tapped her on the head. "You already paid once. This round's on me."
"Exactly," He Sixin added, pulling her out of the restaurant.
"You were only going to treat because Ke Beichen helped you, but he's Mu Side's friend—he only came because Mu Side asked him."
"Besides, your computer's issue wasn't just your own problem. It put the entire team's project at risk. Him fixing it helped us all. So it's perfectly fair that Mu Side pays."
"And let's be real—you're still a freshman. It's fine to treat us occasionally, but we can't let you pay every time. People would think we're bullying our junior!"
Warmth bloomed in Shulan Zhou's chest, her eyes stinging slightly.
Her seniors from her past life had never worried about these things. Even Du Yifan and Luojia Lin, who came from wealthy families, never once tried to stop her from footing the bill.
They figured if she offered, they'd take it—no skin off their backs. And of course she never said anything about it, so it didn't hurt their pride.
And even if she had said something… who would've believed her?
After all, Du Yifan and Luojia Lin were flashy spenders. If she minded the bill, she'd be the one labeled petty.
People really are different.
"No way," Shulan Zhou smiled as she hooked arms with He Sixin.
"You guys have never bullied me. Ever since I joined the team, you've all taken such good care of me. I paid because I wanted to. I wanted to treat my seniors."
"When I earn more money in the future, I'll treat you all to even better meals!"
He Sixin burst out laughing.
"You adorable little goofball. You're seriously too sweet. But I'm holding you to that. Mu Side—"
She turned back and called, "You heard her, right?"
"Loud and clear," Mu Side smiled, eyes curved like crescent moons. "I'll definitely be eating more of Junior's meals."
—
It sounded like a normal sentence, but… why did it feel off somehow?
Before Shulan Zhou could dwell on it, the group had already reached the school gates.
Dong Anlan waved goodbye to Ke Beichen, then walked over to head back to the dorm with Shulan Zhou.
"See you tomorrow, seniors!" Shulan Zhou called out, waving toward Mu Side and He Sixin.
Since Mu Yanning had her own faculty apartment on campus, and He Sixin stayed with her, neither of them returned to the girls' dorm.
On the walk back, Dong Anlan updated Shulan Zhou about the forum plan.
"Ke Beichen should have results for you tomorrow. I'll get someone to start a pre-heating post tonight—we don't need a wide audience, just a few trusted classmates from our group chat. Since it involves Professor Han's students, it should get traction quickly."
Shulan Zhou nodded, fingers already flying across her phone. A moment later, Dong Anlan's phone buzzed.
"…Why did you just send me a red envelope?" she asked, confused.
Shulan Zhou gave a faint smile. "Send it to the group chat. Everyone's helping—it's not much, just a little thank-you."
"You're always so considerate." Dong Anlan accepted the money and did exactly that, then sent the forum post along with the instructions.
Just as they reached the dorm, Zhang He jumped down from the top bunk.
"Quick, quick, quick—check the school forum! I knew the students would see through all that garbage eventually. Look at this post blowing up! With this momentum, all that slander against Shulan should be cleared in no time."
"I wonder what that Lin girl will think when she sees this."
Shulan Zhou and Dong Anlan exchanged a glance, a quiet smile passing between them.
"…Wait a minute." Zhang He squinted at them suspiciously.
"These new posts calling out Lin Muyao's plagiarism and clarifying Shulan's name… they're saying all the nasty rumors came from a few of Professor Han's obsessed fans. That was you two, wasn't it?"