"Try it?" The team leader gave a cold laugh. "Why should I waste my time trying anything? Girl, where exactly do you get the nerve to point fingers at me?"
"Don't think that just because you published one paper, you're someone important. Let me tell you, you haven't even graduated college. You're not qualified to be my research assistant, let alone tell me how to do my job!"
"Professor He, I don't care what your intentions are. I won't accept any suggestions from this girl. If you think I'm not good enough, feel free to replace me."
"I don't need to be humiliated by some little girl!"
Shu Lanzhou furrowed her brows. Before anyone else could speak, she stepped forward and said clearly:
"Team Leader Ni, ever since you joined the project team, Professor He has entrusted the most important and complex parts of the experiment to you. That alone proves his trust and recognition of your abilities."
"You've worked with Professor He for ten years. You should know what kind of person he is. If he truly wanted to humiliate you, he would never have agreed to let you join this project in the first place."
"After all, you used to work under Vice Director Lin!"
Shu Lanzhou enunciated every word, her voice firm:
"I know you don't believe me, but I can assure you that I'm not speaking recklessly, nor am I raising concerns without a solid foundation."
"I may only be a senior undergraduate student, but to keep up with Professor Han's graduate-level coursework, I've already self-studied the entire three-year postgraduate curriculum in cell biology!"
As she finished speaking, she turned and began writing molecular formulas on the blackboard.
"Based on my calculations, your previous experimental procedures likely followed this general process… The data generated from the test runs may look similar, but it significantly deviates from the expected values required by the project."
"Take a look at these groups of methods. These are traditional techniques we commonly use in cellular biology. Under normal assumptions, there's nothing wrong with these experiments. However—"
"I've studied under Professor Han for years. He likes to employ non-conventional thinking. That is, when all your procedures seem correct, but the results still don't match expectations—"
Shu Lanzhou explained calmly and methodically. At the end, she wrote down a brand new experimental formula on the blackboard.
"From that alternative perspective, it becomes much easier to derive this new formula."
"Team Leader Ni, I may be young and not good with words. If I've offended you, I sincerely apologize. But please believe me—just try this new method I'm proposing."
"If it still doesn't meet our experimental requirements and fails to produce accurate data, you can punish me however you like. I won't argue."
She paused for a moment.
After reviewing the experimental derivation she had written, and hearing her mention Professor Han as well as the fact she had finished postgraduate coursework, Team Leader Ni's attitude softened.
"But, if your formula proves useful," he said, "not only will I apologize, but from now on, I'll welcome you to correct and guide my experiments at any time!"
For a seasoned researcher, to say "guide" was the highest form of acknowledgment he could give Shu Lanzhou.
Shu Lanzhou relaxed slightly, a smile rising to her face.
"I wouldn't dare claim to guide you. I'm already happy if you're willing to give my formula a shot."
Team Leader Ni turned his head away proudly. "Hmph. You'd better pray it works, or else—"
He then glanced at He Xin. "Professor He, I may have been too harsh earlier. Don't take it personally. I'm just frustrated that our experiments haven't yielded the expected results for so long."
He Xin, looking visibly exhausted, waved it off. "It's fine. We both know each other well. Go on, don't let it weigh on you. I believe you can do it."
After Ni Sheng left, He Xin turned to Shu Lanzhou and said, "It seems I underestimated you. No wonder my wife, who hasn't taken on a student in years, saw something special in you."
"Shen Mo, take her back. And don't breathe a word about what happened today."
Shen Mo was still stunned by the formulas on the blackboard and hadn't looked away from them.
"Got it, Professor!" he said, snapping back to reality and gesturing for Shu Lanzhou to follow him out.
As the two of them walked out of the lab together—
"Those formulas… You didn't just come up with them in a few seconds. How did you write everything out so quickly?" Shen Mo couldn't help asking. "And you figured all that out based only on one set of data, without even reading our lab notes or participating in any experiments?"
"You're amazing, Shu Lanzhou!"
He suddenly wondered if even Yi Ming had been fooled by her. With the level of knowledge she had mastered, she probably didn't need any small research project to pad her résumé.
If she wanted to prove herself, she could do it any time.
Shu Lanzhou smiled lightly. "I'm not that amazing. Don't forget the software just now—I just have a good memory. I memorized it all."
"…Really?"
Shen Mo wasn't convinced.
"Alright, senior. No need to walk me further. I'm heading back to school—you should go too." Shu Lanzhou waved him off.
As she turned around, a hint of gloom flickered in her eyes.
She hated the fact that she had to use Han Weicheng's name and reputation just to get Ni Sheng to trust her!
She was still too weak. Proving herself would take a long time. And until then, Han Weicheng would continue to look down on her from above.
If she made a single wrong move, all her efforts could go to waste.
So she couldn't afford to rush. She had to proceed step by step—forcing Han Weicheng to reveal his true colors, piece by piece.
As Shu Lanzhou walked farther away, Shen Mo suddenly remembered why he had come to find her in the first place.
"By the way, Shu Lanzhou, do you know what He Sixin has been up to lately? She hasn't come to the lab in a while."
Given that she was about to graduate from her master's program, this should've been the busiest time for gaining work experience.
"She passed her PhD entrance exam earlier this year," Shu Lanzhou said, blinking. "She's working on her thesis now, but she'll probably be back at the institute soon."
"And here's a bonus: she's actually a dual-degree student! Her true passion is clinical medicine, which just happens to be Professor He Xin's main focus. She'll be spending a lot more time at the institute in the future."
Shen Mo's face lit up. "Thanks, Shu Lanzhou. I'll buy you something good to eat next time!"
"Don't even think about bribing me! I'm firmly on He Sixin's side!" Shu Lanzhou huffed, playfully turning to leave—
Only to run right into Lin Jiayi and Han Weicheng.
They were here to discuss the new project.
After the previous project was scrapped and the Du Corporation withdrew their investment, the two sides had had a falling out. Fortunately, Luo Jialin's funding had already been secured, and as long as the finances with Du Corporation were settled, the new project could start immediately.
Han Weicheng needed a first-class research team that could produce commercial results quickly. Only by helping the Luo Group turn a profit could he boost his own reputation.
That way, he could attract more students, talent, and investment.
He was determined to use the Luo Group to crush the Mu family. Neither the Mu family nor Mu Medical could surpass him!
When he saw Shu Lanzhou, a flash of visible disgust flickered in his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Lin Jiayi said, clearly annoyed. "You're not even an intern at the research institute. Stop hanging around. Just because you're backed by the Mu family doesn't mean you can barge in whenever you want!"
"The research institute isn't owned by the Mu family, nor does He Xin have the final say. Shu Lanzhou, put away your little schemes—showing up here all the time won't help!"