Han Weicheng had long been accustomed to holding this honor, just like he firmly believed his team could effortlessly clinch the grand prize in any competition.
What happened last time had already disgraced him, leaving him simmering with frustration, determined to regain his dignity. But little did he expect…
Not only had the team lost the grand prize, now they'd even lost the top ranking in the department.
Everyone knew that Luo Jialin had always been the most outstanding student in his team. Han Weicheng had never allowed Luo Jialin even the slightest mistake. Yet now…
Han Weicheng was bitterly disappointed.
"Teacher, I…" Luo Jialin took a deep breath. "I don't know… I really don't know!"
All this time, he hadn't slacked off. If anything was different from before, maybe it was…
No, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be because of that. He refused to believe that could be the reason.
Han Weicheng let out a cold snort. "Fourth in the entire department… you've let me down."
Those simple words drained all color from Luo Jialin's face. He could barely stand.
He'd been a prodigy since childhood, never once disappointing anyone. After entering university, he'd thrived even more, always his mentor's pride and joy.
But now, his teacher was telling him—he was a disappointment.
Those words hurt more than any scolding could.
"Professor!" Lin Muyao, seeing Luo Jialin's pale, staggering figure, felt a pang of pain for him. She quickly stepped forward to support him.
"Senior Luo has always been number one—he's never lost! Since I joined the team, I've seen firsthand how hard he works. Every day, he's the last one to leave."
"Every task you've assigned him, he's completed diligently. Every review material, he's memorized inside and out. Under those circumstances, there's no way he should have lost to anyone."
"Unless… unless someone cheated! I looked into it just now—the one who ranked first this time is a student named Ke Beichen. His past grades have never been impressive; he's always been outside the top ten."
"It's the final semester. How could someone like him suddenly surge ahead? I just can't make sense of it!"
Lin Muyao's words brought a heavy silence over the room. Everyone lowered their eyes to their own grades.
Except for Tian Hua and Fang Ruoshi, no one's results were good enough to satisfy Han Weicheng.
Especially Du Yifan—his scores were an utter mess, barely scraping by.
Han Weicheng frowned deeply.
"What you said… isn't entirely unreasonable," he murmured. "This Ke Beichen—I've never heard of him before. I don't even know who his advisor is. For him to suddenly take first place… it is strange."
Hearing that, Luo Jialin's expression softened slightly. He shot Lin Muyao a grateful glance.
He was about to thank her when Han Weicheng's next words slammed down like a hammer:
"Cheating is just speculation. We don't know the facts yet. Even if he did cheat, what about the other two students who ranked above you? Did they cheat too?"
"Falling behind is falling behind. Stop making excuses for yourself, Luo Jialin. Reflect deeply. I won't allow a mistake like this to happen again."
"Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to replace you in the newly approved research project."
"Professor…" Luo Jialin's eyes widened in panic. All along, Han Weicheng had never spoken harshly to him—he'd never imagined that one misstep would bring zero comfort and a threat of replacement.
Was this really the mentor he once so deeply admired? Luo Jialin couldn't help but question it now.
"Enough," Han Weicheng waved his hand impatiently. "I don't want to hear any more pointless talk."
"Some of you—I won't name names—should reflect on yourselves. But of course, not everyone here is disappointing. This time, Lin Muyao's grades were excellent."
"She just joined the team and already ranked second in the entire year. Given time, I believe she'll achieve even more outstanding results. Some of you would do well to learn from her."
With a final cold snort, he turned and walked into his office.
The remaining students exchanged uneasy glances. No one dared to speak.
After all, Luo Jialin had been the one publicly reprimanded. Who'd dare open their mouth now?
"Professor was clearly talking about me…" Du Yifan sighed, clutching his head.
"Have you guys noticed something?" he said suddenly. "Ever since Shu Lanzhou left the team, it feels like we've been cursed."
"Senior Guo dropped out. Now even Luo Jialin, always number one, somehow fell to fourth. And me—my grades have never been this bad. It's like everything's falling apart!"
Lin Muyao rolled her eyes.
"What does this have to do with Shu Lanzhou? If anything, it's because you couldn't let it go—you wasted so much time on her, that's why your studies suffered."
"True," Tian Hua nodded. "Last year, we really spent too much energy on her. It's no surprise our academics took a hit. Luo Jialin, I know you're worried, but the professor's just worried about you too. Don't take his words too hard."
He was trying to give Luo Jialin an out, a way to save a bit of face. Just as Luo Jialin was about to accept it, the lab door was knocked.
"Professor Han, I'm here to collect on our bet!"
It was Shu Lanzhou's voice from outside.
She hadn't come alone. Behind her were Mu Side, He Sixin, Ding Yuejiao, Dong Anlan, and Ke Beichen.
They had come armed with piles of documents—so many that it took a small crowd to carry them all.
A bet?
Inside the lab, the students' initial irritation at hearing her voice gave way to confusion.
Du Yifan couldn't hold it in. He rushed to yank open the door.
"Shu Lanzhou, how much longer are you planning to stir up trouble? You quit the team! This isn't your place anymore. Get out!"
"And who made you the guard dog here?" Shu Lanzhou sneered. "Your master hasn't even spoken yet. Who gave you the right?"
"I'm here to see Professor Han. Either get out of the way, or go tell him I'm here. If he doesn't come out, I'll have to take this to the department head and the dean."
With that, she pulled out her phone and played a recording—the recording of Han Weicheng making the bet with her.
Everyone heard it. And everyone fell silent.
Du Yifan, standing like a gatekeeper at the door, stayed stubbornly rooted.
"You're still blocking me?" Shu Lanzhou raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to go to the dean?"
A deep crease formed between Du Yifan's brows. There it was again—the one look he hated most in the world.
That disdainful, mocking, faintly challenging gaze. It made him want to hit something.
"Shu Lanzhou, with grades like yours—barely scraping a pass—you've got the nerve to come here flaunting? You must be desperate for our materials!" Du Yifan growled through clenched teeth.
Shu Lanzhou sighed. "You really are pathetic. First of all, the materials I'm taking are the ones I personally organized while I was on the team. I'm not taking a single word of yours."
"Secondly—" she slapped a sheet of paper onto his chest "—here's my transcript from last semester. Unless you're blind, take a look for yourself. Or if you are blind, you can have them read it to you."
She brushed past him, pushing him aside as she led her group into the lab.
The others glanced at her transcript—and froze in disbelief.
Shu Lanzhou's average score in acupuncture studies was over 90?
How could that be? She'd only just switched majors, hadn't even studied a full semester!
Luo Jialin's face darkened, especially when he spotted Ke Beichen trailing behind her. His expression turned downright ugly.
"Shu Lanzhou… what are you trying to do?" he demanded.
"Didn't hear me the first time?" Shu Lanzhou said impatiently. "Fine, I'll repeat it. Professor Han lost a bet with me. I'm here to collect my materials."
"I've been in this team for years. The materials I compiled are mine. If you don't trust me, feel free to double-check them—one by one."
Just as she finished speaking, Han Weicheng emerged from his office…