The moment the words left his mouth, Tian Hua regretted it.
Compared to Lin Muyao, who didn't know Shu Lanzhou well and whose suspicion could at least be excused, they were different. They had been by her side for years. They had seen her efforts, her talent—every bit of it with their own eyes.
Accusing her of being Professor Mu's undercover mole? The very idea was absurd. If it hadn't been for the plagiarism incident, she wouldn't have left the team at all. And as long as she had stayed, there was nothing she could have done to benefit Professor Mu.
Besides, she was right. Over the past few years, she had devoted herself completely to the team, barely having time to focus on her own major—how could she possibly have the bandwidth to secretly study another discipline?
Whatever anyone else might think, in that moment, Tian Hua believed Shu Lanzhou.
Still, her decisive attitude left a sour taste in his mouth.
"Even if everything you said is true, that doesn't mean you had to cut ties with us so cleanly. Are we really so meaningless to you?"
Shu Lanzhou gave a short laugh. "If the so-called meaning you speak of depends on whether I'll lend you money or not, then sorry—not interested."
"Shu Lanzhou!!" Tian Hua's face paled. Sure, he believed she was innocent now, but deep down, he still thought she was nothing compared to Lin Muyao—too timid, too plain, not generous, not rich, not beautiful enough.
But now, facing the cold, unbending figure before him, he suddenly felt like something important had slipped through his fingers. And the hollow ache in his chest grew deeper by the second.
Shu Lanzhou, unbothered, pulled out her phone. She opened up their chat history, deleted it in front of him, and—without hesitation—blocked him.
The entire process was clean, swift, and absolutely merciless.
Tian Hua's expression darkened. "You really hate me that much?"
Shu Lanzhou looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "Not just you!"
Then, under his very eyes, she proceeded to block all five of them—every single one of her former teammates.
"There," she said, stepping aside. "Feel better now?"
"I owe you nothing. So next time, before accusing me of being a spy, try using your brain. All you're doing is proving how stupid you are—and dragging Professor Han's reputation down with you."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Tian Hua alone in the cold wind, utterly disoriented.
What a ruthless little junior.
How had she become so ruthless?
She used to be afraid of even raising her voice around them, always worried she might upset someone. How had she become this?
Tian Hua returned to the lab, listless.
"What did she say?" Du Yifan rushed over to ask.
"She tore into me," Tian Hua said. "Said I accused her of being a mole, which makes me look dumb and insults Professor Han. Said she was constantly working for the team, had no time to learn anything else. She's right. We really did misjudge her."
"And she blocked us all. Completely cut ties."
He sighed, his chest still tight.
"She…" Du Yifan hesitated. "When did she get so bold?"
Guo Jialiang snorted, "You didn't tell her Lin Muyao hasn't been at school for three days?"
"What does that have to do with her?" Fang Ruoshi snapped. "If you have so much time to interrogate Shu Lanzhou, maybe go call Lin Muyao instead."
Guo Jialiang kicked over a stool in frustration. "You think I haven't called? She's not answering. I'm telling you, Lin Muyao's depression is back. It's Shu Lanzhou's fault!"
"If she hadn't stolen the spotlight in the competition—"
"Enough," Luo Jialin's voice cut through as he entered the room. "Lin Muyao isn't that petty. If Shu Lanzhou won recognition, she earned it. We should congratulate her."
"Don't let me hear that kind of talk again. Just because you're narrow-minded doesn't mean the whole team is. And Professor Han? He's not the type to resent someone just for doing well."
"Now get back to work. Lanzhou doesn't need us anymore—so let's not get in her way."
"And as for Lin Muyao, don't worry. She'll be back tomorrow. She had an accident on the way home, that's all. It has nothing to do with Shu Lanzhou."
"Understood?"
Everyone nodded. "Understood."
After the others scattered, Luo Jialin called Tian Hua over. "Come with me."
Inside the office.
Luo Jialin looked at him. "What exactly did Shu Lanzhou say?"
Tian Hua repeated it all. "I've seen her pulling all-nighters in the library just to catch up on her major courses. Thinking about it now, she really didn't have time to secretly study acupuncture. We were wrong."
Luo Jialin didn't want to admit it, but Tian Hua was right—Shu Lanzhou couldn't have been Mu's mole.
But admitting that she had somehow mastered acupuncture in just a month? That he couldn't believe. Couldn't accept.
He didn't believe she was that smart. Smarter than him? Impossible.
Sure, Professor Mu helped her. But whether it was her thesis or her technical knowledge—she had too much of an unfair advantage. It couldn't be allowed to continue.
"I know you still care about her," Luo Jialin said. "But there are things you don't understand. You'll see who Shu Lanzhou really is soon enough. You can go."
Though puzzled by what that meant, Tian Hua still felt compelled to say something:
"About Lin Muyao… maybe try talking to her. I don't think Shu Lanzhou really means her any harm. She's just misunderstanding things."
"…"
Tian Hua left the office rubbing his temple. He didn't know if Luo Jialin would talk to Lin Muyao, but one thing was clear—whatever Shu Lanzhou was like now, she wasn't someone to provoke.
And Lin Muyao? She was his wallet.
He couldn't afford to have that fall apart.
Meanwhile, after Tian Hua left, Luo Jialin headed for the faculty building.
Inside Professor Han Weicheng's office—
"Here are the documents you asked for, sir." Luo Jialin handed over a thick folder. "These cover all of Shu Lanzhou's work over the past two years in the team. I checked—before she left, she never completed a single experiment on her own."
"She did write a lot of papers, but none were ever published."
Han Weicheng nodded. "Got it. Leave them there."
Seeing that Han didn't even look interested in reading them, Luo Jialin hesitated. Then he said:
"Sir, do we really have to go this far? Shu Lanzhou didn't do anything wrong. If anyone's in the wrong, it's Professor Mu. She's the one who should be facing consequences, not Lanzhou. It's not fair."