Luo Jialin's face darkened. "Enough from all of you. Arguing over someone irrelevant? How disgraceful."
With that, he turned and walked toward their team's seating area.
The others exchanged glances, then silently followed behind him. Fang Ruoshi couldn't help but cast one more look in the direction Shu Lanzhou had disappeared.
He still couldn't believe it—was that really Shu Lanzhou?
The Shu Lanzhou he remembered had always been dull and dim, the kind of person you'd overlook in a crowd.
It couldn't just be the clothes, could it?
No, it felt like she had changed entirely.
Yes, her face was the same, but it looked brighter somehow. Her whole being seemed to glow. Her eyes—there was life in them now.
The Shu Lanzhou of the past had always looked like she was dragging herself through life. Her eyes were lifeless, always darting away from people, and in front of them, she was always timid and cautious.
But just now, she was like a lively bird that fluttered right past them.
Her fair little face beamed with a joyful smile, her eyes sparkling as she looked around.
And she'd even smiled at Mu Side—such a beautiful smile!
She had never smiled at them like that. Never!
Why?
Why was she treating them like this now?
Was that Mu Side really that special?
Fang Ruoshi was baffled. He couldn't make sense of it—how could Shu Lanzhou change so drastically after being gone for not even a month?
After Luo Jialin and the others had gone ahead, Lin Muyao hesitated for a moment before following, visibly uneasy.
She had clearly instructed her people—no matter what, Shu Lanzhou wasn't supposed to come back to campus today. So how was she here?
And not only had she returned, but she'd also had the audacity to steal everyone's attention right in front of her. Outrageous!
At that moment, Lin Muyao's hatred toward Shu Lanzhou reached its peak.
Once she figured out what had gone wrong, she would make sure Shu Lanzhou paid. There was no way that girl could dodge misfortune forever—next time, she'd ruin her for good!
"Don't be upset, Muyao," Guo Jialiang said as he walked beside her, attempting to comfort her. "Shu Lanzhou never used to care about her appearance. It's no wonder people were surprised by the change today."
"But she's just a country girl. No matter how much she dresses up, she can't outshine you. You're the belle of the department—the whole school agrees you're the most beautiful. She's not even worthy of a strand of your hair."
Lin Muyao's mood visibly improved.
"Senior Guo, don't say that. Shu Lanzhou is actually quite pretty. I'm not upset, just a bit worried about her. That look in Senior Mu's eyes just now… it gave me a bad feeling."
She paused, letting her words trail off with concern.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking. A girl like her—without parents, yet still managing to get into college—must've found some way to make money, right?"
Guo Jialiang's eyes flickered.
"What way could she possibly have? For the past few years, hasn't she been riding on our team's coattails, winning prize money? Otherwise, she probably wouldn't even have enough to pay tuition."
"Honestly, I've always wondered—she's an orphan with no family. Where did the money come from for her to go to school, all the way up to college?"
Lin Muyao laughed it off. "The government's been generous with grants lately. Maybe someone sponsored her. Let's not jump to conclusions."
To outsiders, the conversation seemed casual, even well-meaning. But Guo Jialiang had already taken the words to heart.
Soon, the competition began.
As it was the first round, each team had to go onstage to present their project and give a paper summary.
"Later, Mu Side will demo the product's animated features, and I'll handle the explanation. This part involves a lot of technical details from our major, so for the final thesis summary… we'll leave that to you," He Sixin said with a smile, turning to Shu Lanzhou.
"Senior, I…" Shu Lanzhou was a little nervous. The paper had been written by He Sixin herself, so it seemed most fitting for her to present it.
As for the product explanation, Mu Side could easily handle that while doing the demo. There was no real need for all three of them to go onstage.
But Shu Lanzhou understood—this was their way of making sure she had a presence. They weren't trying to downplay her; in fact, they were doing the opposite. They were making sure she stood in the spotlight.
Even though she had just been rejected by Professor Han's team, even though everyone was saying she had chosen the wrong path, they were still standing behind her—pushing her forward, letting her shine.
Shu Lanzhou's eyes welled up again. "Thank you, Senior. I'll do my best. I won't let the team down!"
"Let's go over the paper again. Professor Mu made some last-minute edits last night—I'll walk you through the changes," He Sixin said, opening the file on her laptop.
She had been hospitalized last night, and Mu Yanning had stayed by her side. So how had she managed to revise the paper?
Guilt swelled in Shu Lanzhou's chest. After leaving the hospital, Mu Yanning must've worked through the night. No wonder He Sixin looked so tired today—she must've stayed up preparing too.
In the end, she was the only one who got a good night's sleep.
A warmth bloomed in her heart—bittersweet and humbling. She knew that restful night had been bought at the cost of all three of them working tirelessly.
She was still new to the team. She hadn't contributed anything yet, but they were already treating her with such sincerity.
How had she gotten so lucky? What had she done to deserve this?
Once again, Shu Lanzhou reminded herself to stay grounded—work hard, stay grateful, and repay their kindness.
In her previous life, she hadn't thought much of Professor Mu. But she remembered clearly—after Han Weicheng's status rose, Mu Yanning faded from the university's spotlight, until eventually, no one even mentioned her.
As for the Mu family behind Mu Side, after the old man passed away, they began a steep decline. Eventually, all their medical companies were bought out by none other than Luo Jialin.
She remembered—it even made the news. Luo Jialin had gifted the acquisition to Lin Muyao as a wedding anniversary present.
Lin Muyao had come flaunting the shareholder allocation right in front of her, at a time when she was barely above the status of a janitor at the research institute.
With Lin Muyao leading the charge, everyone had taken turns stepping on her, humiliating her.
And she had internalized it all—thinking it was her fault for not being good enough. That she deserved the disrespect.
Never once had she considered—it wasn't her. It was them. They had never treated her fairly from the beginning.
"Hey, space cadet. What are you daydreaming about?" He Sixin snapped her fingers in front of Shu Lanzhou's face. "Focus."
Shu Lanzhou straightened up and looked at the screen. "This part here, and this section—could you explain them again, Senior?"
…
Mu Side returned with the results of the draw. "We're going last. You two can take your time going over everything."
"What luck," He Sixin chuckled, then turned to Shu Lanzhou. "Did you remember what I just explained? Want to go over it yourself once to see if anything's unclear?"
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Sure."
…
Time ticked by, and one team after another went onstage. Ding Yuejiao's team was scheduled later, but Luo Jialin's team was among the first.
As expected, Luo Jialin was the lead presenter, with Tian Hua and Du Yifan assisting.
It was the same setup as in the previous life.
Tian Hua didn't talk much but had strong practical skills. After getting enough stage time, people began to remember him.
Du Yifan, being energetic and lively, occasionally stumbled in his explanations but usually smoothed things over with humor—more people remembered him than Tian Hua.
But the real star was always Luo Jialin.
He was impeccably put together, both in looks and demeanor. His tone was steady and authoritative, and his summary statements often won thunderous applause.
This time was no different. From the moment he stepped onstage, all eyes were on him. When he walked off, he was composed and confident, as if all this glory was just routine.
He even turned deliberately in Shu Lanzhou's direction and gave her a subtle, seemingly courteous nod—like an actor playing polite for the camera.