Shen Mo furrowed his brows slightly—he had indeed worried before that Shu Lanzhou might be using Yi Ming. After all, he had heard some of the rumors circulating around campus.
Although he didn't believe Shu Lanzhou to be the type who would leverage her seniors' achievements for personal gain, it still raised some eyebrows. After all, she was just a freshman, only recently enrolled, and yet had already joined Han Weicheng's research team—there was bound to be suspicion.
Shen Mo admitted to having judged her unfairly. But from her conversation with Yi Ming just now, it was clear she hadn't been trying to deceive him.
If any of Yi Ming's achievements ended up in Shu Lanzhou's hands, it would likely be because he had offered them willingly.
With a helpless shake of his head, Shen Mo strode off to catch up with Shu Lanzhou.
He didn't have to search long—he soon spotted her exiting the office, trailed by He Xin.
He Xin wore a serious expression.
"I understand what you said. I'll speak to the dean and make sure Yi Ming can focus on his experiments without distraction. Don't worry about the rest—I'll take care of it."
Shu Lanzhou smiled and nodded.
"Professor, would it be possible for me to take a look inside the main research lab? My advisor mentioned that after the second phase of the experiment, we'll be starting the first round of acupuncture intervention trials…"
"Shen Mo, you're just in time," He Xin interrupted, spotting him nearby. "Take Shu Lanzhou on a tour of the lab. Let her see whatever she wants."
Shen Mo had come looking for Shu Lanzhou anyway, and was more than happy to oblige.
The two changed into lab coats and entered the laboratory.
Thanks to state-of-the-art equipment, the progress of their research was far ahead of what it had been in her past life.
Shu Lanzhou had insisted on coming because she remembered how bumpy the process had been in her previous life. They had encountered countless obstacles, repeated experiments again and again, and only after much effort did they finally obtain accurate data.
She immediately went over to review the lab's experiment logs and checked the progress indicators on the machines.
Shen Mo looked surprised. "You're a pro, huh, junior? You're only reviewing the key data—what exactly are you looking for?"
"Errors," Shu Lanzhou replied with a serious tone. "Have you ever heard the saying—'Those in the game are blind, while onlookers see clearly'? I recently read a foreign medical paper."
"In it, the author mentioned that when conducting cytological experiments, it's very easy to fall into a trap—leading to completely inaccurate data. It doesn't show at first, but it can seriously affect the next stage of the research."
Shen Mo was skeptical. "You can tell there's a problem just by looking?"
"Of course not!" Shu Lanzhou pulled out her phone.
"This is a simulation software I downloaded from a foreign site. It can project the next phase of an experiment based on current data."
"Although it's only a reference—the final results still need manual experimentation to confirm—it's more than sufficient to detect flaws."
"I consulted Saiwen, and he told me that many foreign research institutes use this software for verification purposes, to avoid taking wrong turns during the research process."
It was true that Shu Lanzhou had gotten the software through Saiwen, but it hadn't been easy. In fact, both the Ke family and the Mu Corporation had backed Saiwen in order to help him enter the domestic market.
Of course, that was under Saiwen's conditions. Shu Lanzhou hadn't originally wanted to trouble the Ke family, but when Ke Ling learned about the matter during her negotiations with Saiwen, she personally sought out Shu Lanzhou.
She had straightforwardly told her that Shu Lanzhou had done her a huge favor and given her the upper hand in the cooperation talks. As for the Mu Corporation—it went without saying.
Helping Saiwen enter the domestic market had expanded their commercial reach, benefiting the Mu Corporation's development. It also brought the Ke and Mu families even closer together.
Initially, Shen Mo hadn't believed in Shu Lanzhou's so-called verification software—until she really did find an error.
"I need to talk to Professor He. Are you coming with me?" Shu Lanzhou frowned at a set of experimental data.
Seeing the numbers, Shen Mo was utterly shocked. "I—I'll come. But tell me, what's wrong with this data set?"
"The experiment is progressing in the wrong direction," Shu Lanzhou said, recalling the relevant trials from her past life. "If I'm not mistaken, the problem lies in the experiment procedure and the solution ratios."
"I'll need to recalculate the details."
Shu Lanzhou already knew exactly what the issue was—but she couldn't say so outright. This was a mid-level experiment, conducted by official researchers in the institute.
Given her current academic level and student status, there was no way she should be able to identify such a problem. Even if she did, no one would believe her—much less accept her suggestions.
As expected…
When He Xin gathered the members of the relevant team for a meeting, the group's lead researcher shot Shu Lanzhou a dismissive look.
"She's not even in this field—how could she possibly know there's a problem with our data? I'll admit our team has hit a bottleneck, and we haven't been able to generate accurate results…"
He turned to Professor He, his tone full of resentment.
"But Professor, that's no reason to question our competence. Even if someone else raised doubts, I might be able to accept it. But her? A senior undergrad?"
"How are we supposed to take her word seriously?"
He Xin's expression darkened. He knew this whole thing was a bit unorthodox, but the team had run the same experiment several times with no success.
At this rate, it was starting to hold up the entire project. He was open to trying a new approach.
He'd heard a bit about Shu Lanzhou's reputation on campus, and knew she had substantial hands-on experience. Perhaps she could indeed identify the problem.
But he hadn't expected such hostility from the team lead. Was he really pulling the elitism card now? As if a degree alone determined a person's value?
Han Weicheng's graduate students weren't necessarily any more capable than this undergrad.
He Xin's face turned cold. He threw the documents down on the table. "This is her first time stepping into the intermediate lab, and in just half an hour, she spotted an issue you've overlooked. Doesn't that tell you something?"
"You didn't even let her finish speaking before questioning her abilities. Is that your leadership style? Is that how you approach your work?"
"Besides, she's not questioning your data—she's stating outright that it's flawed. Shu Lanzhou, explain where the problem lies."
Shu Lanzhou hadn't wanted to create conflict. She had hoped to bring up the issue gradually. But now, it was clear that if she played it slow, she'd only invite more skepticism.
She stood up, walked to the blackboard, and wrote down several experimental formulas. Then, using the experiment's progress as a basis, she derived a set of corresponding data.
"If I'm not wrong, these are the formulas you used in your failed trials, right?"
Without waiting for a reply, she wrote out a brand-new formula.
"This is a revised formula I reverse-engineered from your existing results. Barring any surprises, it should succeed and provide the accurate data we need."
"How bold of you!" the lead researcher snapped, visibly irritated. He had been shocked when she correctly listed their previous formulas, but then he realized she must've read their lab logs.
"And you say it will work just like that? How can you guarantee it?"
Shu Lanzhou shook her head calmly. "I can't guarantee anything. But you've already failed this many times—one more trial won't hurt."
"If I remember correctly, the duration for this experiment is seven days."
"Until you come up with a better formula yourselves, why not give mine a try?"