Shu Lanzhou found it odd—Ni Sheng had no real background to speak of and was often treated like a stepping stone in the research institute.
He had endured years of quiet hardship just to climb to the position of team leader. By all logic, he shouldn't be risking open conflict with Lin Jiayi now of all times!
So this was the root of it!
Ni Sheng scratched his head in embarrassment, waving his hands quickly. "No, no, it's not that fast… Right now, we've only identified the drug's target and biological marker. There's still a lot more research needed."
"To be honest, this discovery—and being able to pinpoint the target so quickly—owes a great deal to Shu Lanzhou. Professor Mu, I actually have an idea—"
"You want to propose a joint research effort?" Mu Yanning cut him off. "Let's not. This is your discovery, so it should stay with your team—your experimental team."
"But the process will be long and full of complications. It may take years before there are meaningful results, and approval for market release won't come quickly. You need to be mentally prepared, Team Leader Ni."
Of course Ni Sheng understood it wouldn't be easy. He turned again to Shu Lanzhou. "Shu Lanzhou, you—"
"I'll follow my teacher's lead," Shu Lanzhou said with a gentle smile. "Team Leader Ni, your drug discovery really has little to do with me. What I said before was pure chance, part of our current research."
"That you were able to identify a new compound during the experiment is entirely the result of your team's dedication and effort."
"..."
How should he put it? Ni Sheng's feelings were incredibly mixed. He also felt a little embarrassed—he'd been overly suspicious.
If it had been Lin Jiayi, she would've snatched the results outright, pulled all the follow-up research under her control, and by the time the drug hit the market, he'd have nothing to do with it!
It was exactly because he feared that scenario that he had rushed to flatter Mu Yanning, even at the cost of offending Lin Jiayi, just to test her attitude.
But the result… was completely unexpected!
Mu Yanning and her team didn't even care about his discovery. They hadn't even asked for details!
"I'll make sure to conduct thorough research and push for this drug's approval as soon as possible!" Ni Sheng's voice was thick with emotion.
"Professor Mu, I—"
Mu Yanning raised her hand, signaling him to pause.
"I understand what you're worried about. But rest assured, the ultimate goal of this joint research is to integrate acupuncture into the surgical treatment of cellular diseases."
"By incorporating nanobots in the process—whether it's nanobots assisting surgery or acupuncture aiding surgery—there are countless possibilities during the research."
"Surgical techniques, new procedures, drug applications… Any discovery belongs to the individual research group that made it, not our overall team."
"So relax, Team Leader Ni. Just focus on your research. Don't worry about anything else."
"And there's no need to worry about funding either," Mu Side added.
"When Mu Corporation signed the agreement with the institute, it included a clause ensuring that the right to implement any branch discoveries made during this project belongs to Mu Corporation. So we'll be funding this until the very end."
"You'll have no reason to worry, Team Leader Ni."
"..."
Damn. This was angel investment in the truest sense. No heartless profit-seeking, no selfish credit-hoarding. The leadership wasn't abandoning others just to shine themselves.
Absolute fairness.
Ni Sheng was so moved he was on the verge of tears. A man in his forties, nearly bawling on the spot!
Why hadn't he followed He Xin earlier? Why had he listened to the internal gossip and boarded Lin Jiayi's sinking ship?
He truly regretted it—regretted it with everything he had.
"I…" Just as Ni Sheng was about to express his gratitude, He Xin walked in with his team.
"What's going on here?" He Xin gave Ni Sheng a puzzled look. "You're not this emotional just because the experiment succeeded, right? Or did you lose that bet with Shu Lanzhou and now you're embarrassed?"
Ni Sheng turned his back and wiped at the corner of his eye. "Screw off. I'm not a sore loser. I promised Shu Lanzhou she could join the experiments, and I'll honor that. She's welcome anytime."
"Look at you bragging!" He Xin chuckled and gestured for everyone to sit as he opened the meeting.
The first acupuncture-assisted surgery experiment was about to begin… But with Shu Lanzhou's current skill level, she wasn't yet qualified to perform the acupuncture herself. She could only observe from the sidelines.
The experiment dragged on for three months without any sign of success. Everyone was feeling the weight of fatigue.
But that's the nature of medical research—failing again and again, yet persisting through repetition until, at last, a breakthrough is achieved.
Summer break was nearly over. Shu Lanzhou was about to enter her fifth and final year of undergraduate study.
The first batch of nanobots from Ke Beichen's company had already been deployed in the experiments.
But the research was stuck in a bottleneck, and progress remained stalled.
Even though she wasn't directly involved in the later stages of experimentation, Shu Lanzhou still felt anxious.
During this period, journalist Nan Xi came to interview her for the fifth segment of the Mu Family Medical Advancement Chronicle.
With permission from the Mu family, Shu Lanzhou shared the story of becoming a disciple, a tale that would normally stir excitement in their academic circle. But once again, her spotlight was overshadowed by Lin Muyao.
Lin Muyao had just published her third paper.
The three-month gap between this one and her previous work surprised Shu Lanzhou. Given Lin Muyao's impatient and overachieving mindset, she hadn't expected her to wait this long.
It was likely Han Weicheng—or someone else—had warned her.
If they were going to craft the image of Lin Muyao as a medical prodigy, they couldn't make it too unrealistic. After all, research papers require extensive validation through experimentation, and that takes time.
When Shu Lanzhou returned to the dorm and stood there staring blankly at Lin Muyao's paper, the others began to worry.
"Shu Lanzhou, are you okay?" Dong Anlan reached out and gently patted her shoulder.
Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the upcoming student recruitment. Our professor's research is progressing well—we'll need new students."
"There's still a few days before school starts, why the rush? Professors never choose students right at the start anyway," Zhang He said, stretching lazily.
"If you ask me, we should go shopping. You've all been busy with experiments and internships—when's the last time we actually hung out together?"
"Let's go treat ourselves today: shop, eat, and relax! How's that sound?"
Everyone instantly agreed. The four girls dressed up and headed out for a day of fun.
But when they arrived at the mall, Shu Lanzhou was a little stunned—it was a Ke family shopping center.
"Apparently this one's new," Zhang He said excitedly. "Basement level is the supermarket. The floors above are jewelry, cosmetics, shoes, clothes, food, and even a cinema!"
"Here's the plan: we eat first, then see a movie, and then shop for clothes. That way we don't have to lug our bags into the theater."
That was a great plan. Everyone nodded in agreement and followed Zhang He to the fifth floor—food and drink.
They skipped the elevator and took the escalator instead. Zhang He said it was a good way to scout out the layout as they went up.
But before they even reached the dining level, they saw two people struggling on the escalator ahead—arguing, pulling, refusing to let go.
A young man and woman were shouting at each other, completely ignoring their own safety and the people around them.
"Du Yifan, are you even a man? We broke up ages ago! Can't you stop harassing me already?" the pretty girl snapped as she yanked her arm away and stormed off the escalator.
"You came after me! And now that you've used me and gotten what you wanted, you want to leave? Not a chance! Huang Tiantian, you want to break up? Fine—pay me back the money I gave you first!"
The man chased after her and shoved her hard. The girl stumbled forward and fell—landing right in front of Shu Lanzhou and the others.