If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, Shu Lanzhou would have burst out laughing.
Who said Professor He was dull and inarticulate? He simply couldn't be bothered to argue with someone like Lin Jiayi. But now that his opponent had switched to Han Weicheng—look at this verbal onslaught!
His style? You're arrogant, I'll ignore you. You stab me with a peachwood sword, I'll shoot you full of arrows!
Not only did he leave the other party speechless, he even used Lin Jiayi's mocking words against her verbatim—what a beautiful counter!
Shu Lanzhou stood up and handed He Xin a glass of water. "Professor, have some water. You're not used to talking this much normally, must be tiring, right?"
"Sigh, it is a bit exhausting!" He Xin gave the dean a resentful glance.
"I'm not young anymore. Is it so much to ask for a good night's sleep? And I have to be woken up in the middle of the night like this? Truly, what grave sin have I committed in a past life?"
He's the one committing sins here!
The dean looked like he was about to tear his hair out.
He owed a favor to the Lin family's old patriarch in his younger years, so he'd always extended some protection to Lin Jiayi—but only within his limited authority. This time, regarding the project approval, he hadn't fully taken her side.
Originally, he thought today's issue was just a coincidence—that both project teams had accidentally used similar research methods. As long as they sat down and talked, things would be fine.
Who would've guessed Han Weicheng would act like the other side had stolen his research approach? It left a sour taste.
Thankfully, He Xin had stood his ground today and didn't indulge Han's bad temper. And this student of his—Shu Lanzhou—knew exactly how to set the stage for He Xin to unleash his fury!
He's an old man, sleep-deprived—can't he have a little temper?
"He Xin, calm down," the dean, ever the diplomat, smoothed things over. "Let's hear what Professor Han has to say."
"Professor Han, could you answer the question Professor He just asked?"
Han Weicheng's face turned green with anger. That was his question originally—why did he now have to answer it?
But what could he say? The other side already had tangible research results. How could they have stolen a method Han's team had only discovered days ago?
They had no results, no verification, and discovered it late—this round, they'd lost. Their only hope now lay in patent rights.
"Professor He, no need to get defensive. We're not accusing you of theft," Han Weicheng said with a faux magnanimity. "Both teams just happened to discover similar techniques. I just want to clarify things to avoid complications later."
What a selfish thief!
He Xin was too upright and honest to grasp Han Weicheng's shameless ploy. In He Xin's view, the research method belonged to them. What complications could there be?
But Shu Lanzhou saw right through it and nearly laughed. The moment Han saw their paper, he must've hatched this scheme—to snatch the patent.
He would definitely stop at nothing to get it.
Unfortunately for him…
"This matter can't be clarified with Professor He? Then how about you, Dean?" Lin Jiayi's voice interrupted Shu Lanzhou's thoughts.
"Both teams discovered the method. Timing doesn't matter. We're already applying for the patent. You can't just hand it to them because they published a paper first, right?"
Shameless! Just blatantly trying to steal it!
Shu Lanzhou pursed her lips and glanced at He Xin, who looked back at her with a furrowed brow and a trace of worry.
Suddenly, Shu Lanzhou smiled and gave a subtle, encouraging nod.
"What's your opinion, He Xin?" the dean clearly didn't want to offend either side.
He Xin forced a smile. "This research method was discovered by my student, Wu Cheng. Whether it's about the patent or anything else, I'll need to ask him."
He pulled out his phone and dialed Wu Cheng.
"Then let's wait for Wu before continuing," the dean leaned back. "In the meantime, take a look at this."
He handed Han Weicheng's patent application file to He Xin.
He Xin barely glanced at it before passing it to Shu Lanzhou.
"You read it too. I remember Wu Cheng said you inspired him to develop the method—so you should be quite familiar."
As soon as Shu Lanzhou read it, she almost burst out laughing. How typical! She had thought that after Wu Cheng and Tian Hua had parted ways, Tian wouldn't be able to steal his methods again.
When Han Weicheng said they were applying for a patent, she was worried for a moment—maybe Tian Hua had developed something similar independently this time.
But it turned out their so-called patent was just Wu Cheng's initial concept! No wonder they'd said the methods were merely "similar" after seeing the paper.
Of course they were "similar"—not identical—because the version they used was a crude, early-stage draft. Wu Cheng had refined and upgraded the technique later, integrating it with their new equipment to create a more advanced and precise methodology.
In other words, Han's team was working off Wu Cheng's original, unsophisticated concept—and their summary of the method was even word for word!
Shu Lanzhou couldn't help but grin. She looked up at He Xin, who gave a subtle shake of the head: Wait for Wu Cheng to arrive.
Thankfully, they didn't wait long. Within minutes, Wu Cheng rushed in, drenched in sweat.
"Sorry I'm late," he nodded at the dean and Professor He. "I had to pick up a delivery."
"At a time like this, you're running errands?" Lin Jiayi scolded impatiently. "Don't you know everyone's waiting on you?"
Wu Cheng laughed cheerfully. "You're right, Vice Dean Lin. I shouldn't have kept you waiting. But this delivery was very important because…"
He opened it in front of everyone.
No way—it couldn't be… could it?
If it was, then it was brilliant!
Shu Lanzhou's eyes lit up, glued to his hands as he unwrapped the package.
The bold title "Utility Model Patent Certificate" blazed in front of everyone's eyes.
"Pfft…" Shu Lanzhou couldn't help it—she laughed out loud.
Blame it on her youth—too immature to contain her excitement.
"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh," she said, turning her head. Only to see He Xin's shoulders trembling as he held back his own laughter.
At least he managed to suppress it—for the sake of not humiliating Han Weicheng and company too badly.
No one was more relieved than the dean. Now he no longer had to play referee. The matter was settled—there was no room for debate over who held the patent.
The most dramatic reaction came from Lin Jiayi, who practically leapt from her chair.
At her age, that was quite a feat.
"When… When did you apply for the patent?" She snatched the certificate and flipped through it frantically.
"It's fake. It must be fake. Even under ideal conditions, getting a patent certificate takes at least three months, with rounds of validation and documentation. How did you even have time to prepare all that?"
Shu Lanzhou curled her lip. "You guys discovered the method and thought of applying for a patent right away. You think we wouldn't do the same? Besides, we already wrote a full research paper—think we wouldn't have documentation?"
"All our validation files and data are legitimate and complete. If you don't believe it, Vice Dean Lin, feel free to verify with the issuing authority!"
"Oh—and one more thing—we ran multiple rounds of validation experiments before applying, all thanks to our high-efficiency, cutting-edge equipment. Super helpful!"
We're not just trying to frustrate you—we're absolutely here to make you fume!
Shu Lanzhou lifted her chin, high-fived Wu Cheng with delight, and—before turning back—snatched the patent certificate right back from Lin Jiayi's hands.