Hearing the voices of Tian Hua and the others in the video, Lin Muyao rolled her eyes and turned her back—these idiots, could they seriously still not see through Shu Lanzhou's intentions?
That said, she had to admit she was a little surprised. Who would've thought that a country bumpkin like Shu Lanzhou, who clawed her way into the university from some rural backwater, would actually have the backbone to refuse Professor Han's team?
Could it be that she was taken in by a few sweet words from that guy surnamed Mu and really believed she could go up against them?
Rural-born will always be rural-born—so short-sighted! She couldn't see the direction of medical research in the coming years at all. Studying a niche specialty like that, what was even the point? Who knew if she could even stay in Shanghai after graduation, let alone enter a national-level research center. What, was she planning to return to her village and become a small-town doctor?
But then again, maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. At least now there was no one left to compete with her.
Still, Shu Lanzhou had made her suffer a massive loss this time—if she thought she could just walk away from it all, she was dead wrong. Lin Muyao had prepared a special "gift" for her, just waiting for the perfect moment to deliver it!
She glanced at the faces in the video chat.
"Jialin-ge, seniors… please, don't be upset. This whole mess started because of me. No matter what the consequences are, I'll take full responsibility," she said softly.
"I just didn't expect Shu Lan to be so impulsive. I had already decided that if she came back, I'd go along with whatever she wanted, I wouldn't fight with her anymore…"
"You don't need to bend over backward like that," Luo Jialin said darkly.
"Honestly, it's better she doesn't come back. We've already apologized. Let's put an end to it. No one bring it up again."
"Tian Hua, Ruoshi, especially you two—don't go thinking we wronged her. No matter what her real motive was, everything's gone her way now. She has no right to keep bothering the team!"
The video call ended soon after. Luo Jialin threw his phone aside in frustration.
Originally, he'd been thinking about getting everyone to try one last time to convince Shu Lanzhou to return.
Not because he genuinely wanted her back. No, he just didn't want to lose the bet!
He wasn't stupid—he knew perfectly well the guy clashing with him online was Mu Side. He could lose to anyone, but not to that damn Mu!
But now, it looked like he'd have to cough up the money and eat this bitter loss.
With a crash, he slammed a water glass onto the table—Shu Lanzhou, so you've got backbone, huh? Let's see just how far that backbone takes you. Let's see how long Mu Side stays serious about you!
…
When Shu Lanzhou returned to the dorm, He Sixin wasn't around—she was alone.
After washing up and climbing into bed, she checked her phone and immediately saw a new comment on her post from "Zhang Kuang-ge" (Mad Bro): "A woman with guts has a bright future."
Oh my god, Zhang Kuang-ge is so sweet right now!
Clutching her phone to her chest, Shu Lanzhou drifted off to sleep. That night, her dreams once again dredged up scenes from her past life—the despair, the helplessness, the cold and indifferent faces around her.
In the end, depression had ground her down until she wished for death… and then she got it, by smashing her head into a wall.
She jolted awake, clutching her pounding head and gasping for breath. The sunlight streaming in from the window was harsh. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes, then slowly parted her fingers—and smiled.
She was back. She was no longer that pitiful girl from her past life who let others walk all over her!
She wouldn't beg, wouldn't please anyone anymore. She was going to live with dignity, with self-respect!
She got up to wash, but before she could finish, a call from Zhang He came in, her voice buzzing with excitement:
"You coming back to campus today? You won't wanna miss this drama!"
"What drama?" Shu Lanzhou tapped her forehead.
"It's about you, actually," Zhang He said, voice rising. "After you posted online that you weren't going back to Professor Han's team, people in the comments section started fighting."
"Tsk tsk tsk… and get this—turns out a ton of people placed bets in private! The Political Affairs Office caught a bunch of students first thing this morning."
"You're kidding, right?" Shu Lanzhou blinked. "All that just over a joke online? They actually alarmed the Political Affairs Office?"
"You don't know how big the bets were," Zhang He sighed. "Tens of thousands of yuan. Some students lost their entire month's living expenses just like that!"
"…."
What could Shu Lanzhou even say to that?
Were those people innocent?
Not really!
Who told them to wildly speculate about her intentions?
Most of them probably assumed she stirred up all that drama just to force her way back into Professor Han's team.
Little did they know—she was just standing up for herself!
Because of the school's intervention, the whole betting scandal died down quickly, and the online buzz went silent.
Still, she was a bit disappointed she hadn't managed to take Luo Jialin's money.
She was feeling a bit down even as she returned to campus.
But as soon as she walked into the dorm, Ding Yuejiao greeted her with a bombshell: "Guess what? The two guys who made that bet online—they paid up!"
"Like, for real! Tens of thousands of yuan, just like that. No one knows who they are, but man, they must be rich!"
Shu Lanzhou gulped. "The school didn't do anything about it?"
"How could they?" Ding Yuejiao snorted. "The guy blabbed all over the internet about paying if he lost. Now if he doesn't, people will rip him apart."
"Even if the school steps in, they can't stop students from trash-talking him. It's a matter of personal credibility. If he doesn't pay, his account's toast."
"And rumor has it…" Ding Yuejiao leaned in, eyes gleaming, "That account? It's Luo Jialin's alt."
"If word gets out and he refuses to pay, it'll be his face on the line!"
Exactly. Luo Jialin, who cared more about appearances than anything, would never dare default on a bet!
The news instantly brightened Shu Lanzhou's mood—ah, the sweet satisfaction of petty revenge really was a full-body high!
She only regretted not seeing Luo Jialin's pissed-off face in person.
After all, Luo Jialin was used to winning. Losing? That was his kryptonite.
And he didn't even know—this was just the beginning of his losses!
"You all seem way too happy… don't tell me you guys made bets too?" Shu Lanzhou teased.
She hadn't expected all three of her roommates to instantly freeze.
"Don't be mad! We were just so fed up with that jerk's smug attitude that we left a few mean comments under the post. Who knew we'd each get ten grand out of it!"
"…."
Shu Lanzhou burst out laughing. "Don't tell me—one of you each got ten thousand?"
They nodded sheepishly in sync. "Mm-hmm. The money just came through. But if you're upset, we'll send it back right now. We didn't do it for the money…"
"Send it back? Why would you do that? Finders keepers! I expect a feast tonight!" Shu Lanzhou wasn't even a little mad. The idea of her roommates winning Luo Jialin's money? She loved it.
Zhang He patted her chest. "No problem! Not just tonight—your meals are on us for the rest of the month!"
"Totally! Whatever you want, just say the word. Our treat," the other two chimed in.
Laughing and chatting, the four of them headed to the cafeteria together.
"Oh right, Lanzhou," Ding Yuejiao said while eating, "how's your competition project going?"
Shu Lanzhou thought for a moment. "Pretty much done. Just need Professor Mu to review the written report."
"Five days left till the contest. I'm so nervous!" Ding Yuejiao confessed. "My boyfriend said, if we win a prize, we might have a shot at staying in Shanghai."
"Otherwise, we'll probably end up in a long-distance relationship."
Her boyfriend, Wu Cheng, was in his second year of grad school. In just one year, he'd have to start job hunting. If Ding Yuejiao couldn't get into a grad program or stay in the city, then yes—long-distance was inevitable.
In her previous life, their project had won first prize. Wu Cheng had taken the award certificate to apply for internships—only to get overshadowed by Tian Hua, who held a grand prize certificate.
Although both had landed internships, when it came time for official hiring, Wu Cheng had been kicked out.
Shu Lanzhou even remembered a minor conflict erupting afterward—Wu Cheng had almost been sued by the company.
Not long after that, Wu Cheng left Shanghai. Ding Yuejiao fell into a serious slump and eventually didn't even make it into grad school…