Ten minutes later, Li Qiao arrived at the defense site in the main academic building.
In classroom 307, a few students from her defense group were already seated sporadically—and among them was none other than Jiang Yi.
Li Qiao was seventh in the defense order, with the formal session starting at 9:00 a.m.
The committee professors hadn't arrived yet, and the other students already seated reacted with mixed expressions when they saw her.
Jiang Yi sat at the second desk in the front row, shooting Li Qiao a glance filled with haughty disdain.
Noticing the thesis material in Li Qiao's hand, she sneered and asked with a mocking smile, "How's your thesis coming along? Think you'll pass?"
Li Qiao casually placed her thesis on the desk, pulled out the chair with her knee, and sat down while looking straight ahead. Her tone was indifferent: "That's something the committee will decide."
Jiang Yi choked for a second, then awkwardly smoothed her wavy hair and said, "I was just being considerate!"
Hearing that, Li Qiao slowly turned her head to meet Jiang Yi's flickering gaze. A trace of irony flashed in her doe-like eyes. "Should I thank you?"
Jiang Yi's smile froze. She looked down and began fiddling with her manicured nails, putting on airs. "No need for thanks. After all, we've been dormmates for years—no need to be so formal."
Li Qiao didn't respond, though her lips curved faintly with meaning.
…
Soon, the defense began.
Right on time, four committee professors arrived and seated themselves behind the long desk at the front of the classroom. Students were called up in order to present their defenses.
Due to the demanding nature of bio-cellular engineering—both in knowledge and practical application—the committee reviewed the theses with extreme rigor.
What's more, Nanyang Medical University's bio-cell engineering program was among the best in the country and had a nationally funded genetic cell lab. Given such a prestigious background, the graduation thesis for this major was notoriously difficult.
About fifteen minutes later, the first student completed their defense. The atmosphere on the podium was tense.
It seemed there was some disagreement among the professors, and after a round of discussion, they didn't give a verdict immediately. Instead, they asked the student to wait offstage and called the second student.
Jiang Yi was third in line.
Sitting next to Li Qiao, she occasionally glanced at her with a confident air.
At that moment, several students in the back row began whispering to each other.
Apparently too shocked, their voices gradually grew louder.
"I didn't think she was that kind of person. So she framed Li Qiao on purpose?"
"That's disgusting—accusing someone of what you actually did. If I were Li Qiao, I'd sue her for defamation and damaging her reputation!"
As the whispers spread, more students joined in.
Jiang Yi frowned and glanced behind her, puzzled.
To her surprise, those students were staring directly at her—with unmistakable contempt in their eyes.
Jiang Yi: "?"
A wave of dread swept over her.
The next second, she quickly averted her gaze, trying to stay composed.
Just as Jiang Yi pulled out her phone, the second student finished their defense—it was her turn.
With no choice, Jiang Yi had to abandon the idea of logging into the forum. She figured it had been down for days; it couldn't possibly have come back online right on the day of the thesis defense.
Unfortunately for her, the murmurs from her classmates only intensified as she walked up to the podium.
"Quiet," one of the assistant professors on the committee sternly warned, and the room quickly fell silent again.
Jiang Yi took a moment to compose herself and began her self-introduction.
Everything proceeded by the book—until she was about to begin presenting her thesis.
Suddenly, a shrill, piercing shout echoed from the hallway outside Room 307, disrupting the entire session.
"Where's Li Qiao? That shameless campus belle Li Qiao—is she in this room?"