Dong Anlan's mouth dropped open, as if she'd stuffed a whole egg inside. "How do you know? Did he tell you? That freak—what the hell is he up to?"
"Anlan, I'm heading out," Shu Lanzhou slung her backpack over one shoulder and made for the door.
"Don't you dare soften toward Luo Jialin. He doesn't deserve you—Senior Ke is the one who really suits you!"
Before Dong Anlan could even reply, Shu Lanzhou had already dashed out the door.
It wasn't until she stepped outside the dorm that she realized how impulsively she'd acted. She quickly pulled out her phone and called Yi Ming in advance.
Lin Muyao's published paper had reminded her of something crucial from her past life—something that involved Yi Ming. She had to see him immediately.
They agreed to meet at a café near the research institute.
When she arrived, Yi Ming had already ordered the coffee.
"Thanks," Shu Lanzhou said as she sat down, picking up her cup and taking a sip. Her years of intense research in her past life had made coffee an inseparable habit—by now, it was more like water to her, no longer having much of an effect.
The espresso's mild bitterness was adorned with a delicate heart-shaped latte art—but Shu Lanzhou didn't notice at all. She downed the drink and jumped straight to the point.
"Sorry for barging in like this," she began. "I got a little worked up after seeing the paper. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Yi Ming's gaze lingered on the half-empty cup in her hands. The latte art had long since dissolved into shapeless swirls, and for some reason, that made him feel oddly disappointed.
But then again, Shu Lanzhou's whirlwind personality—how she always threw herself headfirst into research and never seemed to care about anything else—was just… kind of adorable.
She was the kind of girl who seemed a little oblivious to the world around her, especially when it came to people. She rarely noticed the subtle ways others treated her, good or bad.
But she was also the type to give her heart away in an instant—fierce on the outside, soft on the inside.
And while she could be careless, she was also sensitive in the strangest ways—picking up on negative emotions and other people's sadness with uncanny speed and empathy.
He really had no idea what this girl had been through in her life.
She was like a rabbit… or maybe a fox… or even a little hedgehog.
And he couldn't help himself—he liked every single side of her.
Just then, Shu Lanzhou pulled out her phone and brought up Lin Muyao's paper. She glanced up and noticed Yi Ming zoning out.
"Senior? Hello?" She waved a hand in front of his face.
Yi Ming reflexively reached out and caught her hand. "It's nothing. You're not interrupting me—I'm really happy you came. Do you want some cake with your coffee?"
"No, thanks. I actually wanted to talk to you about something important." Shu Lanzhou quickly pulled her hand back, her fingers twitching slightly.
She wasn't sure why, but she didn't like the feeling of Yi Ming holding her fingers.
It wasn't disgust or aversion—just a sense that it wasn't appropriate. After all, propriety between men and women still mattered.
Even though it was barely even a touch—his grip wasn't even firm—it had already made her uncomfortable.
Yi Ming sensed her reaction and immediately regretted the impulsiveness.
Would she think he was being presumptuous or overly familiar?
He composed himself and put on a serious face. "What is it? Go ahead."
"You've seen this paper, right?" Shu Lanzhou handed him her phone. "What do you think?"
She remembered that in her past life, after this paper was published, Yi Ming had written a critical commentary highlighting several flaws in the research. His critique had spurred Lin Muyao to revise her experiments, and when the updated paper was published, it propelled her into the spotlight.
That was the moment Lin Muyao started making a name for herself, rising step by step until she stood at the pinnacle of the medical world.
"I've got quite a few thoughts," Yi Ming said, narrowing his eyes. "There are actually a lot of holes in this paper. I think people are going easy on her because she's just a senior undergrad. Either that, or it's because she's Han Weicheng's student, and her mom is Vice Director Lin—nobody wants to call her out."
"Well, I don't coddle people like her. I was already planning to write a critique."
Just as she thought!
Even though she'd lived this life over again, the chain of events hadn't changed. Maybe only the outcome would be different—because she wouldn't give Lin Muyao another chance to shine.
Shu Lanzhou smothered the resentment in her heart. "So how do you plan to write it? What angles are you going to focus on? Can you tell me?"
"Of course," Yi Ming replied without hesitation. He laid everything out in detail, not holding back a single idea—completely open with her, as if she were family.
Shu Lanzhou felt a pang of emotion. Compared to the other seniors, who were always wary and afraid she'd steal their credit, Yi Ming was so much more straightforward.
Someone like this… how could she let him become someone else's stepping stone?
She took out a pen and began jotting down Yi Ming's main arguments, circling a few points.
"Senior Yi, take a look at this. Based on your critiques and the research direction mentioned in her paper—do you think it's possible to take the study in this direction instead?"
She wrote out a new research hypothesis on the paper. "If we pursue this line of investigation, and use your critiques as a springboard, what kind of results do you think we'd get?"
"You mean…" Yi Ming raised an eyebrow. "You're suggesting I don't criticize her, but conduct my own study instead?"
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Next semester I'll be in the fifth year of my undergrad—less coursework, more time for side projects. I need a small research topic for my thesis. Would you be willing to help me?"
The "small project" was just a pretense. She already had a finished thesis from her past life, and another one in acupuncture to fulfill her program requirements. She didn't need another topic.
What she needed was an excuse—to give Yi Ming a reason to begin this research.
She knew exactly what this study would lead to. In her past life, it had become a major breakthrough in the medical world, pushing the field of cellular medicine forward.
It wouldn't be easy, of course—but she had memories from her previous life. The results of that research team? She could reproduce them.
"I'd be glad to!" Yi Ming said almost instantly. "If it's for you, I'll do anything. Just say the word—I'll help however I can."
Honestly, he was eager for Shu Lanzhou to ask him for help—it gave him more time with her, more chances to show her how he felt.
He had no interest in criticizing Lin Muyao anymore. He couldn't wait to dive into this new topic.
Research at the institute had moved into more advanced phases, meaning senior researchers were taking over. Interns like him had fewer tasks, which freed up time for side projects.
They just needed to submit a proposal to the institute.
"I'll go back this afternoon and write the application, get it on file with Professor He!" Yi Ming said, visibly excited.
He'd never imagined Shu Lanzhou would come to him for help—did that mean she'd been thinking about him all along?
Shu Lanzhou had no idea what was going on in his head. She was only thinking about one thing: helping Yi Ming reclaim everything that had been stolen from him in her past life.
The research achievements credited to Han Weicheng's team had been built off the backs of many people—and it was time to take them all back.
She didn't need these accolades to build her career. What she wanted was to restore Mu-style medicine to glory.
Even if she could've done this research more efficiently on her own, it never truly belonged to her. She wouldn't keep what was never hers.
One by one, she would take back every stolen project and hand them to the people who truly deserved them—who knew, they might even surpass what had been achieved in her past life.
Like the study Wu Cheng had just reclaimed from Tian Hua.
Shu Lanzhou was genuinely looking forward to it.