Du Yifan chuckled.
"Oh, that's it? No problem. I'll dig it up for you tomorrow, but I can't promise I'll find it. You know me—my place is always a mess."
Fang Ruoshi's heart skipped a beat.
Within the team, Du Yifan had never thought highly of him. Back then, it was Shu Lanzhou who brought him in. It wasn't until his academic performance started to rival Tian Hua's that Du Yifan's attitude began to soften.
Now that Shu Lanzhou had left and publicly humiliated him, he couldn't help but worry—if he remembered correctly, Du Yifan had once tried to pursue Shu Lanzhou when she first joined the team.
Even though Du Yifan swore he no longer cared about her, who knew if he'd use this as an excuse to make things difficult for him?
Cold sweat broke out on Fang Ruoshi's back, sobering him up halfway.
"Then… then please do your best to look for it, Brother Fan. You know how important the grad school entrance exam is to me."
"Well," Du Yifan withdrew his arm and glanced at him, "even if I gave you my notes, they might not be much help. They're from last year, after all."
"As far as I know, Medical University's exam content changes every year. Instead of relying on outdated material, why not ask Lin Muyao? Get her to organize a new set for you."
"She's clearly smarter than Shu Lanzhou—after all, she's the one who came up with the innovative medical idea this time. Anything she puts together won't be worse than what Lanzhou did for me."
Right! Why hadn't he thought of that?
Fang Ruoshi's eyes lit up. "Then I'll ask Muyao tomorrow. But she just joined the team. Wouldn't it seem pushy for me to ask her to do something already?"
"What's wrong with that?" Du Yifan scoffed. "You didn't hesitate to make Lanzhou do all the grunt work. You didn't feel bad back then, did you?"
"Besides, isn't that why she joined the team? To help us out? You really think Professor Han brought in a girl for any reason other than convenience? For her looks, maybe?"
"..."
Only Du Yifan would dare to say something like that out loud.
Even though that was the unspoken truth within the team… you just couldn't say it!
Fang Ruoshi's lips twitched, but he didn't argue.
Everyone returned to their dorms, each harboring their own thoughts.
The next day, Fang Ruoshi didn't hesitate long before seeking out Lin Muyao.
She had been expecting this—after all, she was now the team's intern assistant, the lowest-ranked member, which was basically a glorified errand-runner.
Her job was to organize materials, assist with experiments, and clean up equipment.
Only someone like Shu Lanzhou, that naive girl, would've done all this so willingly. Lin Muyao wasn't here to be anyone's maid—she was here to polish her resume, expand her academic record, and climb the social ladder.
But of course, she couldn't turn him down outright.
With a sweet smile, Lin Muyao nodded. "Sure! Leave it to me—I'll make sure everything's sorted properly."
Fang Ruoshi was surprised by her quick agreement and beamed. "Thanks, junior. I'll treat you to milk tea sometime."
After he left, Lin Muyao pouted.
Milk tea? Broke boy. Who wants your milk tea?
She had absolutely no intention of organizing the materials herself.
Instead, she went straight to Du Yifan. She'd heard that Shu Lanzhou had once compiled all that study material for him. If she played her cards right and acted cute, she was confident she'd get her hands on it.
A week had passed since Old Master Mu's funeral. He Sixin and Mu Side had finally returned to school.
During that week, Shu Lanzhou hadn't gone to the hospital. She'd been stuck in her dorm self-studying, occasionally going to a couple of elective classes.
Honestly, skipping them didn't really hurt her—after all, in her previous life, she'd earned a Ph.D. in cell biology. She had mastered the core material, so missing a few lectures wouldn't affect her exams.
The trickier part was acupuncture.
After a week, she had accumulated a mountain of questions, just waiting for He Sixin and Mu Side to come back so she could ask them.
But before she could go looking, the two were already waiting downstairs at her dorm.
"Senior!" Shu Lanzhou lit up and jogged over, glancing at Mu Side as well. "Senior Mu, you're back!"
He Sixin reached out and flicked her forehead. "What's with the grin? Missed us?"
"Of course!" Shu Lanzhou blushed, slightly embarrassed but choosing honesty.
They hadn't known each other long, but their sincere kindness had already made her miss them dearly.
He Sixin laughed heartily. "Good, at least you've got a conscience. Come on, we applied for a lab from the school—we're taking you to see it!"
The lab building was behind the classroom buildings. Only senior professors were allowed to lead teams and apply for personal labs.
Professor Han's lab was on the top floor of the building.
"Ours is on the first floor, right by the entrance," He Sixin explained as they walked. "Mu Side chose it—it's closer, saves time."
She thought Shu Lanzhou might compare it to Professor Han's fancy setup and added, "It's not as luxurious, but it's practical."
"It's thoughtful of Senior Mu," Shu Lanzhou replied with a smile. "First floor's great—we can even get to the cafeteria faster!"
He Sixin burst out laughing. "Girl, you still thinking about food?"
Shu Lanzhou scratched her cheek shyly. "I'm skinny… I want to eat more. If I go late, all the good food's gone!"
"You poor thing." He Sixin pinched her waist playfully. "You are skinny. From now on, follow me—I'll make sure you eat well and live well. You'll be gaining it back in no time."
"Look at all this chub on me—I couldn't lose it if I tried!"
Shu Lanzhou giggled. "That's not true! You're just right, Senior—you're what they call perfectly proportioned."
"Aww, you sweet-talking little thing." He Sixin beamed. "Finally, someone who appreciates me! Way better than looking at Mu Side's grumpy face all day."
She shot Mu Side a look before dragging Shu Lanzhou inside.
"The room's still a bit messy—we haven't had time to organize. We're planning to get some lab equipment, put it over there. That corner will be a cabinet for materials, and that's where the desks will go."
She pointed around, giving Shu Lanzhou the tour. "What kind of chair do you like? I'll get one for you."
"You can do that?" Shu Lanzhou looked surprised. She thought school had strict guidelines—you couldn't just customize things.
After all, back in Professor Han's lab, she had once bought a colorful file organizer she liked—and got scolded for it.
She'd been told it disrupted the office's 'visual harmony,' that it was too flashy, unprofessional, un-academic.
It was just a file rack—how did that ruin anything? And what did it have to do with being an academic?
To this day, she still didn't understand.
He Sixin nodded as she walked. "Why not? We'll be using this space long-term. Of course it should feel comfortable. Otherwise, it affects our mood."
Mu Side scanned the room and pulled out his phone. "I'll call someone to come clean and set up the furniture. Equipment will be delivered this afternoon. You two handle the decorations and chairs."
"Got it," He Sixin said. She pulled Shu Lanzhou down to sit with her and started browsing chairs on her phone. "Come, pick one you like."
Shu Lanzhou hesitated and pulled out her own phone. "Maybe I should just buy it myself?"
"That works too." He Sixin shrugged. "Just remember to give me the receipt. I'll reimburse you."
Shu Lanzhou blinked. "You can get reimbursed?"
"Of course. This comes out of our team's research funds—Professor Mu applied for them. We didn't have many expenses before since the team was small, so we've got quite a bit saved up."
As she spoke, she paused and looked at Shu Lanzhou.
"Wait… when you were with Professor Han's team, don't tell me you never got reimbursed?"
What a joke.
Back then, in Professor Han's team, whenever something was needed, she'd be the one told to go buy it—often out of her own pocket. No one ever told her she could claim it back.
Coming from the countryside, she didn't know any better. She thought all team expenses were funded by Professor Han himself, and she respected him deeply for it. She'd often scrimp and save, just to help out.
Looking back now, how foolish she had been.