Wu Cheng was from another province and had no background in Shen City. His only chance to stay depended entirely on his own strength. Though his abilities were on par with Tian Hua's, he wasn't hired by the internship institution for two main reasons.
First, in all the competitions held within the university, his results never surpassed Tian Hua's. Second, after Tian Hua completed his internship, Lin Muyao happened to return home for a visit.
In her past life, Shu Lanzhou hadn't known about Lin Muyao's family background and had always assumed Tian Hua had stayed on due to merit. It wasn't until later that she discovered Lin Muyao had a hand in it.
Lin Muyao's mother was the deputy director of a prestigious national research institute. She had always hoped Lin Muyao would follow in her footsteps and become the leading figure in domestic cell medicine research.
However, Lin Muyao wasn't nearly as outstanding as her mother believed. Fearing her mother's disappointment, she did everything she could—by fair means or foul—to climb her way up. Tian Hua was her insurance policy to secure a job after graduation.
And not just Tian Hua. Later, Guo Jialiang, Du Yifan, and Fang Ruoshi all made it into that same research institute, thanks in no small part to Lin Muyao's influence.
Even Shu Lanzhou herself—it had appeared as though Luo Jialin had helped her get into the institute, but in truth, that too had been orchestrated by Lin Muyao.
Everyone seemed to enter the top research team in the country in a blaze of glory. But behind the scenes, each of them paid a price they could barely afford.
And among them, Shu Lanzhou paid with her life.
"Lanzhou, are you okay?" Ding Yuejiao clasped Shu Lanzhou's slightly trembling hand, worry written all over her face. "Are you nervous because of the upcoming competition?"
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "A little. You mentioned your boyfriend just now—it reminded me, isn't Senior Wu about to start his internship?"
"Yeah. He's been working really hard. He might be able to start interning early next semester," Ding Yuejiao sighed. "He's been looking into several hospitals, but after thinking it over, he still wants to go to a research institute. His grades are great, and he's spent the past two years holed up in the lab with his advisor."
"But research institutes are so hard to get into—especially the high-level research centers in Shen City. People like us don't stand a chance."
Dong Anlan looked up. "Too bad no one in my family has connections at a research institute, or I could've asked around for you."
Dong Anlan's words sparked an idea in Shu Lanzhou's mind. Maybe she could ask Professor Mu. She remembered how skilled Wu Cheng was. If given the opportunity, he might just surpass Tian Hua!
In her past life, Tian Hua, who was more of a playboy, had gained recognition in the medical field just by leveraging the equipment and resources at the institute. If he could do it, why not Wu Cheng?
Shu Lanzhou decided she'd give it a shot.
Although many things had changed since her rebirth, Lin Muyao's goal remained the same—they were destined to be adversaries.
Their team had six members. Currently, Professor Mu only had Mu Side, He Sixin, and her—that made three. Clearly, it wasn't enough.
She needed more talent on her side.
But she didn't say anything for now, afraid that if things didn't work out, she'd end up disappointing Ding Yuejiao.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed. Shu Lanzhou was constantly running between the hospital and the school.
According to Mu Yanning, she'd passed the preliminary assessment—her foundation in acupuncture was solid. The next phase of study would begin after the school competition.
So for now, her focus should be on that.
That evening, she returned to the hospital dormitory to gather her things, planning to stay on campus for the night. After all, the competition was the next day.
It was already completely dark even though it was only a bit past six in the evening—typical for the northern region in October.
Pulling her coat tighter around herself, Shu Lanzhou turned into the alley beside the hospital—a necessary shortcut to the dorms.
Only after stepping into the alley did she realize the streetlights were out. The twenty-meter-long alleyway was so dark it was frightening.
She'd barely walked a few steps before she changed her mind and decided to take a different route.
But just as she turned around, her head slammed into something solid—no, someone.
A wall of people.
Startled, she let out a gasp, but before she could react, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck—and everything went black.
When she came to, she was in a rundown warehouse.
She tried moving her limbs and quickly realized her wrists and ankles were tied down in a spread-eagle position on an old, stained mattress.
Turning her head, she saw shadows not far away—one, two, three… five adult men.
The five men were drinking and eating around a square table, none of them noticing that she had woken up.
Shu Lanzhou's mind buzzed—why had they kidnapped her?
If it was just for money, they'd have robbed her and left. If it was for something worse, they wouldn't have tied her up and left her unattended. Besides, she wasn't particularly pretty, and her figure wasn't worth ogling.
There was only one explanation—revenge.
In two lifetimes, she had only ever truly offended one person: Lin Muyao. Especially now, after what had just happened—she'd caused Lin Muyao a major embarrassment, and even Professor Han's entire team had apologized to her.
Knowing Lin Muyao, she wouldn't take that lying down.
After all, Lin Muyao had once destroyed Dong Anlan's life just because she accidentally called out "Luo Jialin" in passing. For someone like Shu Lanzhou—whom she hated with every fiber of her being—there was no telling what she'd do.
Wait a second.
A terrifying realization struck Shu Lanzhou—there had been five men involved in the attack on Dong Anlan in her past life, too. Five men—just like now.
Could it be the same group?
The thought chilled her to the bone. Her face turned deathly pale, and her heart pounded violently.
What should she do?
Wait for them to finish eating and then—
She didn't dare imagine what Dong Anlan had endured that night. But she was determined—she would not share the same fate.
She wriggled her limbs a little. Though the ropes weren't too tight, they were still out of reach for her to chew through.
Escape on her own? Impossible.
With a steely resolve, she suddenly shouted, "Hey… I need to use the bathroom!"
The men at the table exchanged glances. One of them, a skinny guy with a mustache, stood and walked over.
"Damn, you're full of it," he muttered as he crouched down to untie her, his eyes sizing her up.
"Boss, come take a look. This girl may be skinny, but she's pretty decent. And she's got guts—she's not even crying. She's barking orders at me!"
He yanked Shu Lanzhou off the mattress, pulling her close to get a better look.
She could smell the strong mix of cigarettes and body odor clinging to him.
It was already getting cold, yet the stench of sweat clung to him like a second skin. Who knew how long it had been since he'd bathed?
When Shu Lanzhou instinctively recoiled in disgust, the man scowled and yanked her closer by the rope.
"Disgusted by me, huh? You'll be the first to serve me later."
"Third!" another man, rough-faced and burly, shouted. "Why are you wasting time talking? Take her and clean her up—she'll need to be in good shape for us later."
Mustache Man didn't dare delay any longer. Still muttering curses under his breath, he dragged Shu Lanzhou toward the back of the warehouse.
It was pitch dark in the back, with debris piled everywhere. Shu Lanzhou quietly slipped her hand into her pocket.
Inside her coat's inner lining was a small packet of silver needles—Professor Mu had just given them to her that afternoon as a reward for passing her first-stage exam.
Apparently, these men were so confident they hadn't even bothered to search her.
She let out a silent breath of relief and discreetly palmed two needles.
When they reached the bathroom, the man shoved open the door. "Hurry up. Don't make me come in there."
Shu Lanzhou stepped inside and shut the door.
But with her hands and feet still bound and the ropes extending outside, the door didn't close fully—he was watching her through the gap, a lecherous grin on his face…