"It's a long story," Shu Lanzhou waved a hand. "Let me take a shower and change first—I'll explain everything later."
After stepping out of the bathroom, she chose a high-neck sweater, layered it with a padded vest underneath, and threw a camel-colored overcoat on top.
This coat was also one that Dong Anlan had taken her to buy recently.
Though she was slim, her shoulders were fairly broad, and with her decent height paired with a pair of Martin boots, she looked tall, fashionable, and put together.
Only her cheeks were still a little swollen.
Fortunately, Dong Anlan had applied some light makeup to help cover it up!
"Which bastard hit you that hard?" Dong Anlan's eyes were practically red with anger. "You have to tell us the full story later. We'll help you get even!"
Shu Lanzhou gave a faint smile. "Alright."
"Lanzhou, you look amazing," Zhang He circled around her, impressed. "No matter what happens with the competition today, just your aura alone makes you a winner!"
"Exactly," Ding Yuejiao said, linking arms with her. "With Lanzhou on the scene, victory is inevitable. Come on, let's go to the venue!"
The competition was being held in the central auditorium of the university. Each team would present their project live, followed by scoring from a panel of professional judges.
Each department had a set quota of submissions. For departments with more entries, the initial screening was done by internal faculty, who selected the top works to advance to the school-wide competition.
Projects from Professor Han's team were allowed to be submitted directly to the university level.
The same went for Professor Mu's team, so the presentation today was actually the second round of evaluation.
Thirty entries would advance from this second round, and a month later, ten would be selected from those. From the ten, there would be one grand prize winner, two first-place winners, three second-place winners, and four third-place winners.
Just as Shu Lanzhou and Ding Yuejiao were entering the hall, Luo Jialin and his entourage had already arrived ahead of them.
Luo Jialin wore a casual jacket under a smoky gray coat, while Lin Muyao had her long hair flowing freely. She wore a short trench coat in a matching tone, tied at the waist with a knotted belt.
Below, she had on tight jeans and high boots.
Her tall frame made her legs look even longer in that outfit.
As soon as the two of them appeared, they caused a stir in the crowd.
Whispers began to spread like wildfire.
"No wonder they're the department's flower and grass—such a perfect-looking pair."
"Seriously, what a feast for the eyes. Lin Muyao is just gorgeous. If it were Shu Lanzhou instead…"
"Why bring her up? She can't hold a candle to Lin Muyao. That bumpkin doesn't deserve to stand beside Luo-senpai."
"Good thing she quit Professor Han's team. Otherwise, she'd have brought down the whole team's looks."
"Haha… you're hilarious. As if looks matter in today's competition—the judges won't be scoring based on appearance."
"Well, that's true. I heard Shu Lanzhou is participating too. Do you think she's overestimating herself?"
"Probably unwilling to admit defeat. Maybe she wants to prove she can shine even without Professor Han's team. But let's be honest, did she ever shine with them?"
"If not for that plagiarism drama, I wouldn't have even known someone like her was on Professor Han's team. Was she just hanging around to mooch trophies?"
"Actually, yeah. I heard Han's team wins something every year in the school competitions, and every team member gets credited. She's probably got quite a few awards under her belt by now."
"Well, not to be unfair, I did read her recent paper. It was well written. I heard it was even published in the country's top medical journal. She's not completely talentless."
"Sure, otherwise she wouldn't have made it into Han's team. But she's not on the same level as her seniors—or Lin Muyao."
"Let's not jump to conclusions. Let's wait for the results of the competition."
"No need to guess—Luo-senpai's team is definitely taking first place. That Shu Lanzhou might not even make it past prelims!"
"Exactly. Her major's too niche—what innovation could it possibly have?"
"True, but don't forget Mu Sida is in her group. That guy's a legend, supposedly the only one who can rival Luo Jialin."
"Right! Even though Mu Sida keeps a low profile, his name always shows up on the school's ranking boards. Freshmen might not have seen him, but everyone knows the name!"
"Still, niche is niche. No way they can beat Professor Han's all-star team. They're no match for Luo Jialin!"
"Yeah, I bet Mu Sida's team won't even get past round two. They're just filler!"
"…"
Hearing these comments, Lin Muyao's face lit up with pride.
Shu Lanzhou probably wouldn't make it back in time to compete. After all, she'd received the gift Lin Muyao had sent. Hopefully, her pride would carry her all the way to the police station—if she didn't break down first.
If she did something extreme, that would be even better.
Lin Muyao smiled coldly. Without Shu Lanzhou's team, there was no competition, and Mu Sida wouldn't get the chance to steal Luo Jialin's spotlight.
She wouldn't allow it.
The man she liked had to shine. No one else was allowed to outdo him.
Even if Mu Sida wasn't a real threat, she wouldn't allow the slightest possibility of an upset. Anyone could make it into the second round—except Shu Lanzhou and her team!
"Senpai! Senpai! You're here!"
A bright, cheerful voice rang out from the back of the crowd.
It was loud, filled with joy and excitement—clearly from someone in an excellent mood.
And the voice—it was clear, sweet, and way too pleasant to the ears.
Instinctively, everyone turned around and saw a cute, fresh-faced girl jogging toward a tall, eye-catching pair.
That pair was none other than Mu Sida and He Sixin.
He Sixin had the graceful presence of a Northern beauty—tall, long-legged, with a mature, composed style that screamed elegance.
Mu Sida, meanwhile, had changed into a long black coat layered over a gray hoodie, paired with black Martin boots.
The one calling out to them? Shu Lanzhou.
As she ran up, both Mu Sida and He Sixin couldn't help smiling indulgently.
"Shu Lanzhou, you look gorgeous today," He Sixin reached up to pinch her cheek affectionately, then took her hand. "Come on, let's sit up front."
Mu Sida didn't follow right away. Instead, he looked up and cast a cool, unreadable glance toward Luo Jialin—then finally let his eyes settle on Lin Muyao.
No way…
That one glance from Mu Sida sent a shiver down Lin Muyao's spine. Her knees nearly gave out under the sudden wave of fear—it felt like a beast had just locked eyes on her.
She instinctively stepped back, her face going pale in an instant.
"What's wrong?" Guo Jialiang, standing behind her, reached out to steady her.
Snapping out of it, Lin Muyao quickly stood upright and forced a smile. "It's nothing, I just… didn't expect Shu Lanzhou to look so different today."
"She has changed quite a bit," Luo Jialin said, clenching his hand in his coat pocket. "She used to be all about research—never had time to care about her appearance."
She's become frivolous, he thought, a flicker of disdain crossing his heart.
Tian Hua narrowed his eyes. "Honestly? This version of Shu Lanzhou… kinda hot."
"Hot or not, she's still a hick from the countryside," Guo Jialiang adjusted his glasses. "She can't hold a candle to our Muyao's poise and presence. Don't be fooled by a pretty face."
Du Yifan had been silently following Shu Lanzhou with his eyes. "How did I never realize she was this pretty before…"
"You're one to talk—you were chasing after her!" Fang Ruoshi snapped. "I thought you knew all along!"
Du Yifan shot him a look. "I liked her because she was hardworking, obedient, and a great student—a grounded girl with solid values. You think I'm shallow enough to care just about looks?"
"Besides, now that she's like this, I don't even like her anymore."
Lin Muyao pursed her lips—Men. So hypocritical. Never reliable.
"Who would've thought, even after Shu Lanzhou left our team, she'd still be the center of conversation for all the upperclassmen?" Lin Muyao smiled faintly.
"Guess she used to be pretty close with everyone, huh?"