Shu Lanzhou felt a wave of nausea rising and couldn't help but silently scold herself—
Why did she just look up?
If she hadn't looked up, she wouldn't have seen that fake, pretentious face of Luo Jialin!
Was he trying to greet her? More like showing off with a smug, condescending glare!
"What's wrong?" He Sixin mistook her disgusted expression for something else. "Did a fly fly into your mouth or something? Want to rinse it out with water?"
Shu Lanzhou was successfully amused. "No, just got overwhelmed by someone's performance."
"Luo Jialin?" He Sixin chuckled. "Yeah, he's pretty extra. But still not as bad as Mu Side!"
She gave Shu Lanzhou a playful wink.
True enough, Senior Mu was definitely a bit much in his own way. Clearly not cold and aloof at all. Sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. Smart, handsome, and wealthy, yet so low-key he was almost invisible.
The whole school knew his name, but rarely saw him in person. Now that was peak pretense!
Soon, Wu Cheng and Ding Yuejiao's group went on stage. Ding Yuejiao was the lead speaker, and the demonstration was handled by Wu Cheng and another male classmate.
The paper being presented had been written by Wu Cheng. Shu Lanzhou had only heard Ding Yuejiao mention it once or twice in passing and hadn't paid much attention before.
But now, listening to it with full focus, she was surprised—compared to the award-winning project they did in her past life, which she had written, this version was not only more rigorous and complete, it also had a depth that her previous paper simply couldn't match!
Shu Lanzhou's eyes lit up—Wu Cheng really was talented!
It seemed more and more necessary to recommend him for an internship with Professor Mu's research institute.
If they could win the grand prize this time, it might just be the perfect opportunity to put in a good word!
"Your roommate's team is impressive," He Sixin said with a slight frown. "But isn't their concept really similar to Luo Jialin's group?"
"Still, their approach is broader and more comprehensive. Of course, that also makes execution way more difficult. But…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Mu Side, sitting next to them, picked up where she left off. "But if their written proposal accounts for those execution challenges, they can totally beat Luo Jialin."
Totally beat him?
Shu Lanzhou froze for a moment, her heart skipping a beat.
Sure, in her past life this project had won the grand prize—but back then, Luo Jialin's group hadn't developed such a focused and competitive innovation.
If the judges were strict about feasibility and precision, the outcome might not be so clear-cut.
Just as her thoughts were racing—
"They covered it."
"Yeah, they did! That issue Mu Side mentioned about execution—they addressed it completely in their paper. So that means…"
"A complete win??"
"Then what about Luo Jialin's group?"
"..."
The discussion around them grew louder. Even a few of the judges at the front could be seen leaning in, whispering among themselves.
Shu Lanzhou looked up at the stage just in time to meet Ding Yuejiao's smiling gaze.
Their group had finished their presentation and was preparing to leave the stage.
Shu Lanzhou exhaled softly. Whether it was a full victory or not, she couldn't say. But judging from the crowd's reaction, they definitely shouldn't lose to Luo Jialin!
Soon, the final group—Shu Lanzhou's team—was called up.
As she carried her laptop to the podium, the room filled with an undercurrent of excitement.
"Why have I never seen this adorable junior before?"
"Which professor's students are they? None of them look familiar."
"Maybe they've never participated in school competitions before? I've never seen them either."
"You're so out of the loop! That guy is Mu Side—I saw his photo on the school heartthrob wall once, but he looks even better in person!"
"You lovestruck fool… So that means this is the group that stirred up drama recently? The one that switched majors from Professor Han's department?"
"Must be them."
"The ones from that super obscure major?"
"I heard Professor Mu only has two students—her own daughter and her nephew. They weren't even eligible to participate in competitions before."
"So they should be thanking this cute junior for the chance?"
"Thanking her? You serious? They're obviously just here to make up the numbers. What kind of team lets a freshman girl be the main speaker at a big competition like this?"
"Exactly. Look at Luo Jialin's group—he presented it himself."
"Bet this project is nothing special. They won't even make it past the second round."
"..."
But as the presentation began, those mocking voices grew quieter and quieter.
Someone finally whispered, a little stunned—
"Didn't expect this girl to actually know her stuff!"
"Right? She's not just cute—what she's saying is genuinely interesting!"
"So what if it's a niche field? Still innovative. No wonder she's under Professor Mu."
"..."
Lin Muyao, meanwhile, was practically green with envy from the moment Shu Lanzhou stepped on stage.
Why? Why did she get to stand in the spotlight like that, so confidently?
Had Mu Side lost his mind? Letting some clueless country bumpkin lead such an important presentation?
They must really be here just to pad the numbers. Shu Lanzhou, you idiot, just wait—you're going to embarrass yourself!
There's no way the three of you could've come up with anything remotely innovative in such a short time!
But soon, Lin Muyao's jealousy curdled into disbelief.
No way…
How was Shu Lanzhou so articulate?
"Jialin, did you see this coming?" Tian Hua, sitting in front of Lin Muyao, whispered. "Because I didn't. Sure, clothes and attitude can change, but smarts? That's something you either have or don't. I think we seriously underestimated her."
Luo Jialin's brow furrowed. He really didn't like this. Not one bit.
"How do you know she's not just reading from a script? That kind of rigorous paper—give her ten brains and she still couldn't have written it."
Tian Hua pressed his lips together. "Even if she's reading, she has to understand all those technical terms to explain them like that. And she clearly added her own interpretation."
"The judges asked some tricky questions," Fang Ruoshi added. "She answered every one."
Luo Jialin's frustration was palpable. "So you're saying she was hiding her true ability when she was on our team?"
"Or are you saying she's gotten smarter in less than a month, just because Professor Mu took her in?"
Du Yifan let out a mocking snort. "No way. She was clearly hiding her skills before. Probably afraid we'd be jealous of her talent!"
"Then why isn't she afraid Mu Side or He Sixin would be jealous?" Tian Hua said coldly.
The group fell into a heavy silence.
Lin Muyao was shaking with suppressed rage—Damn you, Shu Lanzhou. Why don't you just go die?!
"Jialin-ge…" Lin Muyao turned to Luo Jialin with teary eyes. "Maybe it's just me, but this whole thing reminds me of that time with the published paper…"
"She's clearly targeting me. I must've dragged you all down with me. Professor Mu is only hyping her up to embarrass Professor Han."
"It's all my fault—I shouldn't have competed with her. Now I've humiliated you all too… I'm so, so sorry…"
The others were stunned by her sudden outburst.
What did Shu Lanzhou's performance have to do with Professor Mu?
Did she somehow script the entire presentation for her?
That just didn't add up.
They didn't know about Professor Han's prior attempt to publish a paper for Lin Muyao—but Luo Jialin knew the whole story very well.