"How dare he!!" Xiao Anning fumed, turning back to bang on the door, but Xiang Hua yanked her away.
"Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"
Xiang Hua dragged Xiao Anning into the car.
"The Long family is a renowned name in medicine—where did you get the guts to mock Long Xingyue to his face? How many times have I told you to control your temper?!"
"I just couldn't hold it in!" Xiao Anning said through gritted teeth. "Teacher, you don't need to worry so much. You're the dean now—even the Long family can't do anything to you!"
"And Long Xingyue is just an empty figure. Without Elder Long backing him, he's nothing. The old man stepped down, and Xingyue used that as an excuse to transfer to the research institute. Isn't it just a move to polish his reputation?"
"But has he thought about this? When the research stalls and he fails to make any breakthroughs, does he think he can just stay there forever?"
Xiao Anning had been waiting for Long Xingyue to be kicked out. When that happened, the director's position would be his!
"Enough about their research. I told you to keep an eye on Han Weicheng—what's the update? It's been two months and still no results?" A flicker of impatience flashed through Xiang Hua's eyes.
Xiao Anning shook his head. "I heard they've only come up with a general concept, and it wasn't even Han Weicheng himself—it was one of his students. I skimmed through it. Not bad. I think we'll be hearing good news soon."
"Keep a close eye on that. The moment they get results, don't hesitate with resources. The higher Han Weicheng rises, the more it benefits us." Xiang Hua closed his eyes slightly, hiding the scheming glint in them.
The Long Family
Mu Yaning withdrew the acupuncture needles.
"No need to do it so frequently anymore. Two to three times a month should suffice. If you trust me, I can prescribe some nourishing herbal decoctions for you to drink."
"I trust you, of course I do. Just go ahead." Elder Long waved his hand. "Are you not coming next time? You're sending this girl in your place?"
Mu Yaning smiled and nodded. "That's the plan. She's learned almost everything. This simple set of acupuncture techniques won't be a problem for her. If you're comfortable, let her give it a try."
"No problem at all. Young people need opportunities. I'm old—I don't mind being her practice subject." Elder Long chuckled kindly.
Shu Lanzhou pouted. "I'm not treating you as a practice dummy! I've practiced this technique diligently and I'm good at it now. I promise it won't hurt!"
"Haha... good, good! Lanzhou's amazing. You're nearly ready to graduate!" Elder Long patted her hand affectionately.
Shu Lanzhou turned and hugged Mu Yaning's arm. "Still a long way to go before I can graduate!"
"Don't be cheeky. Stand properly." Mu Yaning tapped her on the forehead. "Take out your thesis and show it to Elder Long."
Shu Lanzhou's thesis was still in its early stages. After discussing it with Wu Cheng and the others last night, she'd decided on the direction and outline, but hadn't written anything in detail yet.
"It's just an outline. I'm afraid it's not ready for others to see." Shu Lanzhou pouted but still pulled out her notes—her laptop, handwritten notebook, and meeting memos all together—afraid Mu Yaning would scold her for not writing anything overnight.
Mu Yaning took the memo notes. "So, you and Wu Cheng discussed this. Are you planning to write it individually or collaboratively?"
"Collaboratively," Shu Lanzhou answered without hesitation.
"Our research is a collective project. Though our subtopics differ, our final conclusions are interconnected. We need rigorous data correlation to support our overall findings."
Elder Long took the notebook from Mu Yaning.
"Let me take a look."
Just as Long Xingyue walked in, Elder Long was flipping through the thesis outline.
"This young lady's got potential. Her thinking is clear. I bet this thesis will cause quite a stir!"
Mu Yaning smiled. "If Elder Long were willing to write a foreword for the young one, it'd definitely make waves!"
"Heh... so this is what you were aiming for!" Elder Long laughed. "I'll write it, but not for free—I have a condition!"
Mu Yaning raised an eyebrow. "Please, speak freely."
"I'm afraid you might not agree. Maybe you should think it over?"
Mu Yaning shook her head. "If I can't agree, I'll write the foreword myself."
"..."
Elder Long sighed heavily. "Fine. Listen closely. You know Long Xingyue has a younger sister, right? That girl studied cellular biology. Back in the day, she was your mother's student."
"Unfortunately, after the Mu family's incident, your mother changed jobs and stopped taking students. That became the girl's lifelong regret. All these years, she's hoped to study under your mother again."
Shu Lanzhou's heart skipped a beat.
She vaguely remembered hearing about this in her past life—how a young daughter from a medical family never married, her deepest wish being to once again become a student of her beloved mentor.
Could that scandal years ago in the media have been about the Long family's daughter?
"This involves my mother. I'll have to ask her first," Mu Yaning said, visibly hesitant. "If she agrees, Miss Long is welcome at the Mu residence anytime."
Elder Long nodded. "Make me a backup of this girl's thesis materials. Whether your mother agrees or not, as long as you ask her, I'll write the foreword."
"Thank you, Elder Long!" Mu Yaning tugged Shu Lanzhou along to thank him together.
On Their Way Out
Shu Lanzhou still couldn't quite grasp Elder Long's intent.
Not until they were in the car did she speak up.
"Teacher, it's really fine if Elder Long doesn't write a foreword for me. I'm just an intern. My thesis doesn't deserve such a legendary figure's endorsement."
"I say it does, so it does." Mu Yaning waved her hand to stop her from overthinking.
"This is the first thesis you're writing as my student, and it's about traditional Chinese medicine. I kept a low profile in the past and didn't build much of a name in the field."
"If we want our work to be recognized by the world, we need not only solid, rigorous content but also the endorsement of an authoritative figure in the industry. Elder Long is that person."
She patted Shu Lanzhou's hand.
"I don't like hype or the media, but your words last time made me realize something. If we want traditional Chinese medicine to gain more influence in people's minds, we do need to leverage celebrity power."
"I understand!" Shu Lanzhou nodded obediently. "I'll write this thesis well—I won't bring shame to you, and I'll be worthy of Elder Long's foreword."
Mu Yaning smiled. "And don't let it weigh on you. He's not reluctant to write it."
"He's just using this as a way to ease tensions between the Mu and Long families."
That part, Shu Lanzhou didn't quite get. Easing tensions? Did the two families have past conflicts? A falling-out? Something else?
She didn't dare ask.
Back in the Long Household
After they left, Long Xingyue stared at his father, puzzled.
"Dad, why go to such lengths? My little sister's probably long forgotten that whole thing."
"Hmph!" Elder Long snorted.
"If she'd really forgotten, she wouldn't have stayed overseas for years, refused to come back, and even now—still unmarried. You really think she's forgotten? Her heart is still with that boy!"
"I've got one foot in the grave. If I don't try something now, how else am I going to keep her in the country?"
"But the Mu family…" Long Xingyue hesitated, uneasy.
Elder Long waved it off.
"She just wants to study under the old matriarch again. You know how much that old lady liked her. If she truly wasn't willing, Yaning would've rejected me on the spot."
"She didn't—so there's still hope. And besides, if that boy had really moved on, he would've married years ago. He must have his reasons—reasons no one knows, not even the Mu matriarch or Yaning herself."
"I wonder what that reason could be..."
"..."