President Gao raised his hand and smack! slapped the two report cards right into Han Weicheng's arms.
"See for yourself!"
His face was dark as ink, his body trembling with rage.
He had originally hoped that the retake scores could help Han Weicheng regain control of the situation. Then maybe the school could just turn a blind eye to the online uproar and sweep it under the rug. After all, at this school, a star professor with proven results had always been quietly given priority when choosing students; it was an unspoken rule that no one dared question.
But now?
One mess after another, and on top of it, not even his own student's grades could hold up. President Gao was fuming—just what the hell had Han Weicheng been doing lately?
Han Weicheng flipped over the report card. One glance—and he nearly passed out on the spot.
No… no, this couldn't be! Absolutely impossible!
How… how could this happen? Why did this happen?
Ke Beichen's total score was eleven points higher than Luo Jialin's!
That meant, on average, he'd beaten him by more than two points per subject…
How could Ke Beichen suddenly get so good?
No. No way. It couldn't be that Ke Beichen had improved—it had to be that Luo Jialin had slipped!
Han Weicheng spun around and hurled the report card toward Luo Jialin.
"Look at it yourself!" Han Weicheng's voice was sharp, his throw forceful and angry—nothing like President Gao's earlier gesture. His face twisted with resentment, hand trembling as he pointed at Luo Jialin.
"This is what you call a 'minor mistake'? Luo Jialin, I am deeply disappointed in you!"
Before his words even faded, Professor Chen had already strode over, plucking the report card right out of Luo Jialin's hands. One glance—and a grin bloomed on his face.
"A student's poor performance usually makes them fragile inside. And here you are, instead of helping him analyze the reasons and find solutions, you're blaming him? Honestly, what kind of teacher are you?"
"Your students must have it so hard. Doesn't matter how much—or how little—you've actually taught them. If they do poorly, it's always their fault. Never yours. Of course—it's not your fault. After all, you're the star professor, the pride of the school!"
When it came to cutting sarcasm, Shu Lanzhou had to admit—Professor Chen was a master.
She pressed her lips together, trying her best not to laugh.
Is this what they call a dogfight?
Well, neither of them were exactly saints anyway!
"I'm sorry…" Luo Jialin's face was pale as a sheet. The moment he saw the score, he just wanted to crawl into a hole.
He had never once taken Ke Beichen seriously. How could someone who barely cracked the top ten suddenly beat him—twice in a row?
Could it be that Ke Beichen had never tried his best before? And now, all for the sake of Dong Anlan, he decided to give it his all?
Yes! That had to be it!
Clinging to this explanation, Luo Jialin glared fiercely at Shu Lanzhou.
Since Dong Anlan wasn't directly involved, she hadn't been called into the office. But Luo Jialin hadn't forgotten the humiliation she'd caused him after the last exam—or how Ke Beichen had now handed him such a crushing defeat.
All of it—Dong Anlan's fault. That damn woman was a walking disaster!
If not for her, why would he have suffered such humiliation twice? If not for her, why would Ke Beichen insist on challenging him for the top spot?
It was all Dong Anlan's fault!
But with no way to vent his fury at Dong Anlan, he transferred his hatred onto Shu Lanzhou. After all, they were birds of a feather—both despicable women!
Just as he shot her another glare, Shu Lanzhou let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
"Professor Chen is right—Professor Han isn't just a star professor, he's practically the school's flagship name. Every year, who knows how many top students choose this university just for him."
"Of course he's busy—with research, with academic papers, and still finding time to teach classes. Who could expect him to also supervise students' learning? By grad school, we're not children anymore. If grades slip, it's definitely not the teacher's fault."
"Clearly—it's always the student's responsibility."
Every face in the room shifted.
Ke Beichen pressed his lips together. "Shu Lanzhou's not wrong… but also not entirely right. I'm kind of an exception. I'm not exactly studious, and with my business startup taking up so much time, I didn't really prep seriously for exams."
"Honestly, if Professor Chen hadn't been constantly pushing me, I wouldn't have accidentally landed the top spot."
Professor Chen laughed. "I'm no star or flagship. I've got no big research, no groundbreaking academic work. I've just got more free time. As a mentor, it's only natural to keep an eye on you guys."
"…"
One line from each of them. On the surface, all compliments. But underneath—every sentence dug into both the teacher and the student.
President Gao and the academic affairs director couldn't stop their eyelids from twitching.
Han Weicheng… what kind of disaster did you bring on yourself, to earn this level of simmering resentment?
"Alright, alright, that's enough, everyone." President Gao waved a hand.
"Han Weicheng, the scores are out. The facts speak for themselves—Ke Beichen didn't cheat. Don't you think it's time you…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the academic affairs director knew exactly what he meant. Ke Beichen had made a demand before agreeing to the retake. Now it was time for Han Weicheng to honor it.
But even now, Han Weicheng kept up appearances. The jabs and sarcasm flying around the room—he acted like he hadn't heard a word.
"Ke Beichen," Han Weicheng said stiffly, "I sincerely apologize for doubting your score. The facts have proven that there was nothing abnormal about your result. The problem lies with my own student's decline. That's on me. I'm sorry."
"President Gao, Director—I assure you, if anything like this happens again, I won't immediately suspect other students. I'll start by examining my own."
"I've wasted everyone's time—my apologies. As Professor Chen pointed out, I do have a lot on my plate: research, academic papers… I won't hold you up any longer."
With that, he turned and strode out—shoulders squared, head held high, utterly ignoring President Gao's presence.
That kind of arrogant shamelessness… really took talent!
"He's unbelievable!" the academic director fumed, face dark with anger as he pointed at Han Weicheng's retreating figure.
Before President Gao could reply, Professor Chen muttered under her breath:
"I heard last year's special award-winning project was led by you, Ya Ning. Han Weicheng only bagged a third prize. And you never once complained about being busy. What's he even pretending for?"
She paused, then frowned. "Unless… it's not pretending. Maybe he really can't handle it. If a third-prize project's already got him drowning, no wonder he hasn't produced anything noteworthy."
"…"
Was that really something you were supposed to say aloud?
Shu Lanzhou nearly burst out laughing.
If nothing unexpected happened, the first wave of research results should be announced in a month—well, that was in her past life.
This time, since Han Weicheng hadn't secured the award-winning project, whether his team could even produce results was a big question mark.
But on Professor Mu Ya Ning's side, there was no doubt. Her project would succeed—and would finish half a month ahead of schedule.
"Professor Chen, maybe let's leave it there…" President Gao looked like he was on the verge of pulling his hair out.
"Since the scores are clear, let's not drag this out. The school will issue an official statement to clarify Ke Beichen's record. And Shu Lanzhou, the forum post's run its course—you can take it down."
"The school will also issue a notice to ensure your reputations remain untarnished."
Seeing his sincere expression, the professors didn't push further.
Shu Lanzhou never expected to completely ruin Han Weicheng in one move. Since the school had explicitly promised not to cover for him, she was satisfied.
She agreed to take down the post.
The next day, the school released an announcement officially confirming Ke Beichen's position as the top scorer for the year.
But not a single word was mentioned about Luo Jialin.
It was as if he'd been completely forgotten—no one seemed to remember the former number one anymore.
Then came the statement about Shu Lanzhou: first, congratulating her on excelling in both majors; then, explicitly banning teachers from abusing authority or making personal bets with students.
Though Han Weicheng's name wasn't mentioned, anyone who had followed the posts knew exactly who it was about. And even those who hadn't—one quick question around campus, and they'd know too.
For many, it felt like the school's first open criticism of Han Weicheng.
The reputation of the school's "number one academic professor" had taken an unprecedented hit.
In the eyes of faculty and students alike, his lofty pedestal… had cracked.
At least, not as high and untouchable as it once seemed.
Rumor had it…