Impressive!
Shu Lanzhou was stunned. She'd thought her words to Han Weicheng were already cutting enough, but to her surprise, someone was even harsher than she was.
This Professor Chen really wasn't afraid of offending Han Weicheng.
Powerful. Too powerful.
Shu Lanzhou pressed her lips together, barely holding back a smile.
"What, did I say something wrong?" Professor Chen planted her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at Han Weicheng, who was pointing at her, rendered speechless.
Han Weicheng's chest heaved with anger, trembling for a long moment before he managed to speak.
"Professor!" Luo Jialin's emotions were complicated at this moment.
On one hand, he wanted the cheating allegations to be cleared up; on the other, he couldn't deny that what Shu Lanzhou and Professor Chen said struck a chord.
After following Han Weicheng all these years, hadn't he experienced firsthand that his mentor only cared about grades? Apart from grades, there was no other way to earn his attention.
And even that so-called attention? It was just more test papers, more research materials—study, study, and more study. That was the entirety of his education.
Things like respect for teachers, moral integrity, character—he couldn't recall Han Weicheng ever emphasizing those. Was it really unnecessary for college students to learn them?
For a brief moment, Luo Jialin felt a flicker of doubt.
Was following this mentor truly the right path?
"I'm not going to argue philosophy with you people," Han Weicheng finally snapped, his tone cold. "I stand by what I said: I don't believe Ke Beichen could have ranked first in the entire school. I demand the administration investigate the authenticity of his results and give Luo Jialin the fairness he deserves."
Shu Lanzhou laughed aloud.
"How ridiculous," she scoffed. "Luo Jialin came in fourth place, and he has the nerve to demand fairness from the person who came in first? He couldn't beat him academically, so he's questioning the validity of the score?"
"What's next? If the school doesn't investigate, it's considered covering up? Should we also investigate the second and third place students while we're at it? Mobilize the whole administration—just because Luo Jialin placed fourth?"
"Tell me, is it because Luo Jialin's face is so valuable, or because Professor Han thinks he can control the school with one hand? That with a single word, he can strip away someone else's hard work, tarnish someone's reputation with accusations of plagiarism and cheating?"
"On what grounds? Who gave you the right?"
Her sharp, escalating questions left the entire room silent.
Professor Chen's eyes reddened.
"Child, you've spoken the words I've buried in my heart all these years," she said hoarsely. "Han Weicheng has monopolized all the best resources in the school. The rest of us? We've always had to make do with his leftovers."
"Just because his so-called 'teaching results' are outstanding, we've all had to yield to him. But why? Why does he get to be so domineering?"
"Director, I refuse to accept this! If Ke Beichen really cheated, I'll resign as professor, but since he didn't, no one's going to smear his name with lies!"
The director rubbed his temples, his headache worsening.
It was clear now: any matter involving Shu Lanzhou and Han Weicheng was destined to erupt into chaos.
No one could even remember when it started—but somehow, the once-revered Professor Han had begun losing his luster.
One incident after another proved he wasn't simply being protective—he was being unreasonable.
And from the school's standpoint, they couldn't afford to side with him.
Especially with Shu Lanzhou standing so boldly, refusing to back down even an inch—and with Mu Yanning quietly supporting her behind the scenes—the administration couldn't even pretend to look the other way anymore.
And really, how could they? This wasn't a trivial matter; it concerned academic integrity.
"This isn't slander," Han Weicheng insisted, steeling his resolve. "Based on Ke Beichen's previous grades, I have every reason to question the validity of last semester's final exam results. I'm requesting a retest—surely that's not an unreasonable demand?"
"This…" The director hesitated. Technically, according to school policy, if a student's grades were flagged as unusual, the administration did have the authority to require a retest.
A cold smirk crossed Han Weicheng's face.
"There. All of you keep asking me 'on what grounds?' Well, I'm telling you: because my students can withstand scrutiny. They've proven themselves time and again. Can yours?"
Professor Chen froze, her brows furrowing deeply.
Honestly speaking, Ke Beichen had always been a laid-back student—smart enough to stay in the top ten or so without much effort.
This time around, he'd shot straight to number one. According to him, it was because he'd gotten his hands on some extremely helpful study materials.
In Chen's heart, she'd attributed it partly to luck.
She was certain Ke Beichen hadn't cheated—but if he was forced to retest, well… she didn't share Han Weicheng's smug confidence.
As the room fell silent, Han Weicheng seemed to bask in his regained control, his voice dripping with superiority.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongues? Or are you too scared to answer?"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Ke Beichen fired back, unfazed. "Fine. I'll retest. But since I've been falsely accused and have to go through this ordeal, I'm not just going to quietly swallow the injustice."
"Oh?" Han Weicheng narrowed his eyes. "And what do you propose?"
Ke Beichen chuckled.
"Simple. If I come out on top again after the retest, I expect two things: First, a public apology. Second, from this day forward, if there's surveillance footage proving exam integrity, no one's allowed to question the grades of those who outperform your students."
"You're a hero, senior!" Shu Lanzhou cheered. "That'll shut certain people up for good!"
"Exactly!" Dong Anlan echoed furiously. "They've already proven he didn't cheat, yet they're still demanding a retest. Who gave them the right? This is outrageous!"
Professor Chen, however, looked worried.
"Beichen…" she said softly.
"Don't worry, Professor." Ke Beichen smiled, utterly relaxed. "I'll do my best."
Shu Lanzhou, though outwardly calm, was quietly holding her breath.
Truth be told, no one was completely confident. Luo Jialin had always ranked among the top; many believed this time was merely a rare misstep.
If they really did retest… the outcome wasn't guaranteed.
And so, the two sat down to retake the exam right there in the administration office.
Everyone else waited outside.
As Shu Lanzhou stepped out, she made up her mind.
Originally, she hadn't intended to clash with Han Weicheng so soon. She was just an ordinary girl, with no family, no power, no influence. If she wanted to take him down, she had to stay low-profile and quietly build herself up.
But ever since leaving his team, they hadn't stopped provoking her.
If they wouldn't let her keep her head down—then fine. Let's face off and see who's stronger.
She pulled out her phone and posted on the campus forum, announcing her bet with Han Weicheng, and declaring she would donate the study materials she'd taken from the team to the school's resource library—making them available to all students and faculty.
Even before the retest ended, Professor Han and his research team were trending on the campus hot topics board.
One post questioned:
"Shu Lanzhou left Professor Han's team a semester ago. Reportedly hasn't attended a single one of his lectures since. Yet she still ranked first. So tell me—what's the point of Professor Han's teaching?"
Another chimed in:
"Serious question: Lin Muyao, who stayed in Professor Han's team and received his 'personal mentorship' all semester, only ranked second—and was over ten points behind Shu. So… is it the teacher's fault, or the student's?"
Yet another summarized:
"Based on this, is it safe to say Professor Han's legendary reputation might be overrated? Maybe the reason his classes are always fully booked is just… hype?"
Soon, more students began posting their own experiences:
"My advisor wasn't as famous as Professor Han, but he was great. When I joined, the students' abilities varied widely. After four years, we were all about the same level. We never ranked first, but we consistently stayed within the top fifty. And he treated every student fairly."