Shu Lanzhou was too sleepy to keep her eyes open. She didn't bother going back to school and ended up spending the night at the Mu residence.
She woke up again from hunger—it was already one in the afternoon.
Thank goodness there were no classes today!
After taking a few moments to gather herself, she washed up and went downstairs.
As she reached the top of the staircase, she heard voices from the living room below.
"Grandma, do you think I made a mistake by giving up acupuncture studies at this point?" That was He Sixin's voice.
The old lady let out a sigh. "There's no absolute right or wrong in life choices. What matters is a clear conscience. Ask yourself, would you regret not changing your major? Do you really love acupuncture?"
"Are you willing to devote your entire life to a niche subject with little hope for recognition?"
"He Sixin, you know in the whole Mu family, only your mother was that stubborn. You don't have to follow in her footsteps. Just choose what you like. Understand?"
He Sixin nodded, half comprehending.
"Grandma's right," added another voice, "It doesn't matter what you study. Your mom doesn't pin everything on you anymore. You don't need to carry that weight on your shoulders."
He Xin came out of a side room. "Mom, is there any food? I'll grab a bite and then head over to the institute."
"You worked all night and still want to go in today? Can't you just take a day off?" The old lady gave him a reproachful look, then turned to the housekeeper and told them to prepare some food.
He Xin added, "Make more. He Sixin, go see if Shu Lanzhou's awake. If she is, call her down to eat something. She's coming with me to the institute."
"No idea what's going on, but the director insists I go over in person."
He Sixin brightened up. "Could it be about the paper? I noticed today that once your two papers were published, they were immediately highly praised. A lot of experts are weighing in—it's going to be a big deal!"
"Whether it gets popular or not doesn't matter," the old lady waved her hand. "What matters is whether it advances TCM research and helps treat illnesses. That's what's important."
"He Sixin, go check on that girl. If she's awake, tell her to come eat. If not, let her sleep. The institute can do without her for today."
He Xin nodded. "Sure."
"Grandma, Professor He." Shu Lanzhou had already come downstairs. "Sis, I'm awake. I'll go to the institute with Professor He!"
"Perfect. Saves me from waking your teacher. Let her rest more," He Xin clearly looked relieved.
Our dear Professor He may seem stiff, but in the details, he's absolutely a devoted husband, his love for Professor Mu subtle but everywhere.
No wonder he raised such a warm and kind daughter like He Sixin. Shu Lanzhou couldn't help feeling a little envious—of this kind of home, this kind of love.
She really liked the Mu family. Really, really liked them.
After a quick meal, Shu Lanzhou followed He Xin to the research institute.
They had just arrived at the director's office when they ran into Lin Jiayi and her entourage.
"Professor He, when did you get your results? You went ahead and published your papers without saying a word. Afraid we'd steal your thunder? So sneaky."
Shu Lanzhou's brow furrowed. "Vice Director Lin, if you can't tell the difference between being discreet and being sneaky, I'd suggest consulting a dictionary. Professor, let's go. Ignore her."
"Heh…" He Xin chuckled as if humored by a child. "Don't mind her, Vice Director Lin. The kid's young and only knows how to speak the unvarnished truth!"
"You—" Lin Jiayi, who usually had the upper hand mocking He Xin, found herself silenced for the first time, her chest tight with anger.
But He Xin had already walked into the director's office, leaving her with nowhere to vent her fury.
And once again, that country bumpkin Shu Lanzhou was right there in the middle of it!
When she remembered seeing the paper earlier—with Shu Lanzhou's name listed as the lead author—Lin Jiayi felt even more stifled. How could that girl be so lucky?
It hadn't even been that long, and she already had results, a paper published with none other than Elder Long writing the foreword. A girl that age receiving such accolades—it was outrageous!
Face dark with anger, Lin Jiayi stormed into the office.
Inside, Han Weicheng was already there with Luo Jia and Tian Hua, waiting.
He Xin yawned as he entered. "Director, I pulled an all-nighter last night. What's so urgent that you had to drag me over today?"
Couldn't it wait just one more day?
"You were doing experiments all night?" The director looked confused.
"You're not a young man anymore—why push yourself like that? Can't the new interns oversee the trials?"
He Xin waved a hand. "Not experiments—papers. I've been busy lately, so I didn't have time to supervise them. Last night, I squeezed in some time to revise their paper."
"By the way, Director, you saw the paper, right? Not bad, huh? I told you, Wu Cheng's a promising kid. And our Shu Lanzhou—definitely a rising star in the medical world!"
"Hmph!" Han Weicheng couldn't take it anymore. "Professor He, don't you think you're overhyping these students? Two beginner-level research papers, and you think that warrants forewords from Elder Long and Professor Gu? Aren't you afraid it'll blow up in their faces and embarrass our seniors?"
He Xin's expression turned dark. "So what if they're beginner-level? It's still an achievement for the kids. If anyone's going to be embarrassed, we'll gladly take the hit. If you want to be embarrassed, go ahead and try! Too bad…"
Too bad you don't even have early-stage results.
Shu Lanzhou almost burst out laughing. He Xin might normally be rigid and serious, but when he threw shade, he did it so subtly and sharply it was devastating.
He shut Han Weicheng right up. The man's face was turning purple, but he couldn't get a word out.
"Han Weicheng, stop bickering. Talk about the research method," Lin Jiayi cut in, realizing they were losing ground in this argument.
Han Weicheng finally remembered why they were there. "Let's put aside the question of whether your paper's findings are valid. What I want to know is how exactly you discovered and applied the research method mentioned in your paper."
And who exactly are you to interrogate us?
Shu Lanzhou was boiling inside. She really wanted to snap at him.
"Director, who is this again?" He Xin acted like he had memory loss.
The director, ever the peacemaker, smiled. "Professor Han Weicheng, from the university's collaborative research faculty. You've met, haven't you?"
"Oh, Professor Han," He Xin adjusted his glasses. "I thought he was someone from the authorities, investigating us for fraud!"
In other words—who are you, and what gives you the right to question me?
When it came to burning someone with words, Professor He was unmatched. Shu Lanzhou couldn't hold in her laugh, her shoulders twitching slightly.
Han Weicheng was just used to being flattered at the university. But this wasn't campus, and He Xin outranked him. Where did he get the nerve to act so superior?
"Of course not!" The director's lips twitched into a smile. "It's just that Professor Han and his team also submitted a patent application for a research method, which seems rather similar to yours, so…"
"So what?" He Xin took the cue and smiled wryly. "Are you suggesting we plagiarized their method?"
"What a joke. Our method was developed at the beginning of the year. The success of our experiment and the resulting paper hinged entirely on it."
"So I'd like to ask—when did Professor Han's team discover their method? And they're in such a rush to file a patent—has it been verified?"
"Can they prove that it's functional and can achieve concrete research results? If so, their research must've succeeded too, huh? Funny, I haven't heard a word about that."
"Professor Lin, aren't you being a little sneaky?"