Du Yifan couldn't finish his sentence. He had liked Shu Lanzhou—he had liked her. So how had things gotten to the point where he wished she would just disappear? Why had he hurled such cruel words at her, believed the worst of her, painted her with every vicious and despicable label he could find?
Ji Chuyun took one look at the expression on his face and understood everything.
So it was all because of Lin Muyao.
Thinking carefully, Ji Chuyun realized the truth: Han Weicheng's team had been a group of men, with only Shu Lanzhou as the lone woman. The balance had only been broken when Lin Muyao entered the picture.
And as a woman herself, Ji Chuyun knew exactly what this kind of dynamic meant. Who wouldn't want all the senior students and professors revolving around them? It was no surprise Lin Muyao would target Shu Lanzhou—there wasn't even a question about it.
Shu Lanzhou had to leave so that Lin Muyao could become the center of attention. What a pity…
Ji Chuyun gave a cold, mirthless smile, pushed back her chair, and stood up.
"Du Yifan, I honestly feel sorry for all of you—being toyed around like fools by a single woman!"
"You mean… Lin Muyao lied to us all along? She's been targeting Shu Lanzhou this whole time?" Du Yifan's eyes reddened, clearly unable—or unwilling—to believe it.
Ji Chuyun didn't bother wasting any more words on him. She turned and walked away.
—
Meanwhile, Shu Lanzhou, now back at her dorm, had no idea any of this was happening. After a short rest, she tidied herself up, picked up the itinerary Qin Dongming had given her, and headed out to look for Mu Yaning.
As she neared the teaching building, she noticed a crowd of students gathered ahead, and the sound of a heated argument drifting from the center.
She wasn't the type to watch drama and was about to take a detour when someone suddenly shouted—
"Shu Lanzhou! Look, everyone—Shu Lanzhou's here!"
Then someone pushed through the crowd and rushed toward her—it was Du Yifan.
His face was flushed red, and as soon as he saw her, he reached out both hands as if trying to grab her.
"What do you think you're doing?" Shu Lanzhou instinctively stepped back, her voice cold. "Stay away from me. If you come any closer, don't blame me for being rude!"
Her face was full of guarded anger, cheeks puffed in frustration—she looked adorable even when furious.
Du Yifan quickly stepped back, hands raised in surrender.
"Okay, okay, I won't come closer. Don't be afraid—I swear, I won't hurt you. I just wanted to say… I'm sorry!"
"…What kind of trick are you playing this time?" Shu Lanzhou eyed him warily.
"What do you mean?" she asked flatly.
"I mean it—I want to apologize!" Du Yifan said, his expression painfully sincere.
More students gathered around to watch the scene unfold. Suddenly, someone shoved another figure into the center of the crowd—it was Lin Muyao.
She looked utterly panicked as she turned to Shu Lanzhou.
"Senior Shu, please explain to Du Yifan! I never badmouthed you—I've never tried to hurt you!"
"I don't know where he got these awful ideas, but he suddenly accused me of manipulating him, of turning him against you, and now he's… he even called me a snake… Waaa…"
She burst into tears—real tears—streaming down her face like a faucet turned on full blast.
With her fragile, pitiful beauty and weeping face, she played the part of the innocent victim to perfection.
The crowd started whispering in disapproval.
"Too much! How can he treat a girl like that? What if no one had been around—would he have hit her?"
"Exactly! Whatever she did, she doesn't deserve to be yelled at in public!"
"Maybe it's that Shu Lanzhou again—spreading lies, stirring up trouble. I bet she's the one manipulating things behind the scenes!"
"She's been out of the team for ages—why is she still interfering? Making trouble like this is so petty!"
"Said she left of her own accord, but obviously she's bitter. Now she's trying to turn the team against each other. Pathetic!"
Shu Lanzhou stood there, speechless. What kind of ridiculous misfortune was this?
She was literally just walking by and somehow got dragged into the drama like the universe had personally assigned her the role of scapegoat!
Did she have "designated punching bag" written on her forehead?
Same old tricks from Lin Muyao—just like in their past life. And still just as shamelessly effective!
But this wasn't her past life anymore. She wasn't going to let that white lotus get away with everything.
Shu Lanzhou rolled up her sleeves, her expression chilling instantly.
"How would I know if you talked behind my back?" she said coldly. "Why would I explain anything to him? I wasn't the one who fed him those lies."
Her gaze swept across the crowd, then settled back on Lin Muyao.
"There's nothing between me and Du Yifan. So there's nothing for me to 'stir up.' If you feel wronged, then prove your innocence yourself. Don't expect me to clear your name."
"I owe you nothing."
Then she turned her gaze on Du Yifan.
"I don't know what's gotten into you. But whatever this is, let me remind you—we were done the moment I left that team. I didn't hold grudges over what you did before, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven you."
"If you want to apologize, fine. But I'm not accepting it. Because some things can't just be erased with a simple 'sorry.'"
"I've left the team. I just want to focus on studying, do my best in my new field, and win first place in my year. Can you people just leave me alone?"
"Whether you're fighting or bonding, keep it within your team. Why drag me back into it? Did I ask for this?"
With her cheeks puffed up in righteous fury, she looked like the most wronged and unlucky person in the world—so much so that the onlookers were stunned silent.
Even Lin Muyao froze, forgetting to cry.
Shu Lanzhou shoved Du Yifan away.
"Stay away from me. Don't speak to me again. I'm tired of being labeled petty and jealous, someone who's always sowing discord!"
"I won't carry this blame anymore. If someone has to be the scapegoat, find someone else. Just leave. Me. Out of it!"
And with that, she stormed off, still fuming.
As soon as she disappeared from sight, the crowd buzzed with new energy.
"She was really upset—must've been wrongly accused."
"Who even said she was bitter and unwilling to let go? What nonsense!"
"Seriously, what does she have to be bitter about? She's working with Professor Mu now, winning awards, publishing papers. I even heard she already landed an internship early. That's way better than staying with Han Weicheng!"
"If I were her, I'd never look back either!"
"Why would she return? That old team is already falling apart. There's nothing left."
"Exactly. It's ridiculous to claim she's the one causing trouble—it's already a mess without her."
"Where did Du Yifan even get that garbage? Picking fights with his own junior like this—so tasteless!"
"Typical him. He bullied Shu Lanzhou back then, and now he's targeting the new girl. Blaming everything on someone else like he's some innocent bystander. Gross!"
"…"
"Enough!" Du Yifan roared, his face flushed with rage. "What do you all know? Just shut up and get lost—all of you!"
He was seething. He'd only wanted to apologize—how had everything gotten so messed up?
Why was he the one being blamed by everyone?
He was the one who had been lied to!
He turned to glare at Lin Muyao.
"Well played. A few words from you and now I'm the villain. I bet that's exactly what you did to Shu Lanzhou back then, right?"
"I…" Lin Muyao's eyes welled up again. "I didn't say anything just now…"
Du Yifan almost laughed in disbelief.
What, now she was going to claim Shu Lanzhou manipulated him into becoming like this?
Just then, a stern voice cut through the commotion—
"What on earth is going on here?!"
Tian Hua and Fang Ruoshi pushed through the crowd, having rushed over after hearing the noise.
Fang Ruoshi yanked Du Yifan aside.
"What are you doing? Our team's already a mess. And now you're out here fighting with Lin Muyao? Do you have any shame?"