Tian Hua smiled slightly.
"Oh, is that all? Just editing a paper? Send me the file—I'll revise it for you. There's no way we'll let Shu Lanzhou outshine you. We can't lose face like that!"
"Thank you, Senior!" Lin Muyao's heart lifted with joy. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Tian Hua's, rubbing her soft cheek affectionately against his arm.
"Senior, have you had your eye on any study materials lately? I'll buy them for you—as a thank-you gift."
Tian Hua felt a tingling numbness shoot through his arm, and before he could gather his thoughts, her words hit him like a pie falling from the sky.
He cleared his throat and tried to sound proper and reserved.
"Well, there is a rather authoritative set I've been eyeing… but it's too expensive. Never mind, I'll figure something out."
"Don't worry about the price," Lin Muyao said, smiling more sweetly, winking at him. "I'll buy it for you. A senior this kind to me deserves a reward."
Tian Hua was delighted. He felt like he was floating. Now this was how things should be—unlike Shu Lanzhou, who made him track every penny, always insisting on paying things back. So annoying!
Forget just editing—he'd write the whole paper for her if she kept this generosity coming.
A new path to easy money… Tian Hua's mind started spinning.
By the time Luo Jialin delivered Han Weicheng's message to Lin Muyao, she already had the revised paper from Tian Hua in hand.
She thought to herself, Good thing I was prepared. Otherwise, I'd have had nothing to show Han Weicheng!
"I understand, Brother Jialin. I'll send the paper to the professor a little later today."
She pursed her lips, looking a bit guilty as she glanced up at him.
"Brother Jialin, did I cause you all trouble? I never thought things would escalate like this. I'm sorry—it's all my fault!"
Luo Jialin had his doubts at first, but seeing how quickly she agreed to fix the paper and how sincerely she apologized, some of his suspicion faded.
"Don't overthink it. Just focus on your studies and prepare well for the competition. This was just a bump in the road. Next time, beat her—then she won't get another chance to strike. Understand?"
Lin Muyao nodded hard. "I understand, Brother Jialin. I'll study hard and do my best!"
With her tear-stained eyes and determined little expression, she looked both pitiful and resilient—enough to tug at Luo Jialin's heartstrings and spark a strange flutter.
He'd never felt this way before.
"Alright, go fix the paper." Luo Jialin turned away abruptly. He disliked this feeling. He'd always put academics first and never been interested in women. He would not allow anyone to shake his resolve.
Lin Muyao pouted slightly as he walked away like she had the plague.
Luo Jialin really is the toughest nut to crack. But it's fine. I've got time. He'll fall for me eventually—he won't be able to help it!
Meanwhile, Shu Lanzhou knew nothing of all this.
Until the next day, when she received a call from the editorial department of a renowned medical journal.
They told her that her paper had passed peer review and was accepted for publication. Her royalties would be wired to her electronically.
They just needed her banking and identification details, and a contact number.
Shu Lanzhou wasn't surprised. In her previous life, this exact paper had been published—but under Lin Muyao's name.
Back then, Lin Muyao had stolen her draft, reworked it, and—under the guidance of Professor Han—gotten it approved.
Shu Lanzhou had read it after publication. Some of the arguments couldn't withstand close scrutiny, but considering Lin Muyao's background, getting published at all was a feat.
But now, the version Shu Lanzhou submitted had been carefully revised and enriched with her knowledge from her previous life. There was no reason it wouldn't pass review.
She had also chosen the editor deliberately, knowing which one would push her paper through promptly.
A smile tugged at her lips.
The moment her paper was published, it would not only crush Lin Muyao's chances of using the same research—it would also earn her a decent payout.
If all went well, she'd make at least five thousand.
After submitting her info, she grabbed her backpack and headed to the lab, planning to swing by the cafeteria to pick up some of her senior's favorite snacks—an early celebration.
The competition was entering the preliminary stage soon. No one could afford to relax.
As far as she was concerned, the plagiarism incident was done and buried. Lin Muyao hadn't paid the full price, perhaps, but the result was still satisfying.
Not everyone felt the same way, though. Han Weicheng, for one.
"What? You're saying a similar paper was already published? And mine not only has traces of plagiarism but is also less innovative?"
Han Weicheng had never been questioned like this before. He shot to his feet, trembling as he gripped the phone.
"Editor Li, we've known each other for years. This isn't a funny joke. Yes, the paper is by one of my students, but I guarantee she didn't plagiarize anyone!"
He took a calming breath.
The editor chuckled on the other end. "What a coincidence—turns out the person who submitted the other paper is also from your university. I believe her advisor is Mu Yanning? You know her, right?"
"…."
Han Weicheng sank back into his chair, mouth opening but no words coming.
It felt like someone had slapped him—hard.
He had thought that with his backing, once the paper was published, Lin Muyao would have the upper hand over Shu Lanzhou. But he hadn't expected—
Shu Lanzhou!!!
That backwater scholarship student—there's no way she pulled this off alone. It had to be Mu Yanning's doing.
Mu Yanning… of course she still resented him. She'd kept quiet all these years, but now she was striking back, using Shu Lanzhou to humiliate him.
Fine.
Han Weicheng's competitive fire was fully lit. It had been a long time since he felt this way.
"Editor Li, I won't push the issue. If the paper won't be published, so be it. Just send me the journal issue number—I want to read the other paper."
"Sure thing. I'll send it over shortly," the editor replied before hanging up.
No wonder the submission came through the chief editor's private inbox, he thought. Looks like this whole thing involves Professor Han?
He had always thought workplace drama was messy—but clearly, university politics were just as tangled.
How interesting!
Three days later, Han Weicheng read Shu Lanzhou's published paper. The methodology and arguments were clearly superior to those in Lin Muyao's version.
Some of the techniques were especially advanced—far beyond what he thought Shu Lanzhou capable of.
He was now convinced: the paper had been polished by Mu Yanning. A petty move meant to disgrace him.
Her father had just passed away, and she was already engaging in such underhanded tactics. Shameless. He looked down on people like her.
In that moment, Han Weicheng was even more grateful he had never married into the Mu family. Otherwise, his reputation would've been ruined long ago.
He called Luo Jialin.
"Stop stalling. Apologize to Shu Lanzhou. We lost this round."
"Did Editor Li reject the paper?" Luo Jialin asked, still bitter. "Should I try another approach?"
He'd been planning to gloat after the paper's publication, then swoop in with an apology to seem magnanimous—using the moment to subtly warn Shu Lanzhou.
He never imagined… the paper wouldn't get published at all.
And that stung.