Han Weicheng had never been scolded like this before—let alone by a girl barely in her twenties. His face turned a deep shade of purple, livid with rage.
Before he could snap back, Shu Lanzhou wasn't done.
"I'm not opposing you out of spite. I'm standing against you because you're shameless. People like you don't deserve to be in the medical field."
"You talk about scheming—am I the one scheming? Honestly, I regret ever being your student. Since you hate me so much, then don't you dare tell anyone you ever taught me. I won't acknowledge it anyway…"
"You—Where is your sense of decorum? Who gave you the nerve to speak like this? Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Han Weicheng's lips trembled with fury.
Mu Side slipped his arm around Shu Lanzhou's waist and calmly asked, "Is the Mu family's support not enough?"
"If not, there's always the Ke family," Ke Beichen drawled lazily. As everyone turned to him, he gave a nonchalant shrug. "That Luo Jialin—isn't he your student? Lately he's been on my tail like a mad dog. I figure it's only fair to make things difficult for his mentor."
No one thought it was unfair—in fact, most people were dumbstruck by what they were witnessing.
Shu Lanzhou giggled. "I told you not to mess with me. Didn't I say someone would back me up? Now do you believe me? Hmph!"
"Listen up—Yi Ming isn't some outsider. I'll stand by him in the future too. There's no way he'll follow you."
"Exactly," Yi Ming chimed in. "I've always had a mentor. Back in school, and even now. His name is He Xin. If I have any questions, I'll turn to him."
"Professor Han, I suggest you stop contacting me. Don't say things that might cause misunderstandings. I don't care about empty accolades—I prefer doing honest work in the lab."
His words struck like a slap across Han Weicheng's face, each sentence more damning than the last. He stood there, humiliated and breathless, as if the air had been sucked from his lungs.
"Move aside, move aside!" Shu Lanzhou waved at Ke Beichen and Mu Side to step aside. "Let him leave, quick! If he dies of anger right here, we might have to take responsibility. That'd be so not worth it!"
Despite her gentle appearance, Shu Lanzhou's sharp tongue was no less lethal than her wit.
The few sober onlookers exchanged glances.
"She fights like this when she's drunk?"
"Maybe it's not just the alcohol—maybe Han bullied her too much over the years. She's just venting now."
"Still, Shu Lanzhou's been through a lot…"
"Well, she's got the Mu family backing her now. Life should get easier."
"True, but it's also because she's capable. What happened with Yi Ming had nothing to do with the Mus."
"Right, right—she's impressive on her own."
Shu Lanzhou, formidable as ever, was eventually carried off in Mu Side's arms. Curled up in his embrace, she gave off soft snores.
Meanwhile, Lin Muyao was still in the private room, anxiously waiting for Han Weicheng.
Han, however, had been so rattled by Shu Lanzhou's tirade that he'd completely forgotten Lin Muyao. Seated in his car, cigarette in hand, he grew increasingly agitated the more he smoked.
Shu Lanzhou… Had he underestimated her? Could she really stir up a storm?
Fine. He was willing to see just how far she could go.
He scrolled through his phone, hesitated over Xiang Hua's number, then dialed Xiao Anning instead.
It was time to talk seriously with Xiang Hua's people. He Xin's research breakthrough posed a threat—not just to him, but potentially to many others.
Long Xingyue was also on He Xin's team. If her reputation and status rose—and with the Long family's backing—then Xiang Hua might soon find himself edged out of the National Hospital altogether.
Things had changed. Once, Xiang Hua had opposed his research. Now, he might be desperate to join forces.
But Xiao Anning didn't pick up.
Just then, Lin Muyao's call came through.
"Professor, where are you? If you don't come soon, Shu Lanzhou's dinner will be over!" Lin's voice was full of urgency.
This idiot. Had she not heard the commotion just now?
For a moment, Han Weicheng wondered—could she really be his daughter? She was so stupid, it made him want to order a DNA test.
"Come where? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Get out here now. I'm in the parking lot!" he snapped, then hung up without waiting for her reply.
Lin Muyao froze. A chill ran down her spine.
She had followed Han Weicheng for years, and he had always treated her gently—never raising his voice, let alone cursing her.
What on earth had happened?
She rushed out of the room and caught a glimpse of the neighboring suite. The staff were already clearing the table—Shu Lanzhou and the others were long gone.
When had they left? Why hadn't she heard anything?
Damn that soundproofing!
Furious, Lin Muyao let out a frustrated cry. The waitstaff looked at her, puzzled. Mortified, she fled the room.
As she headed downstairs, she consoled herself: At least Shu Lanzhou was gone. If they'd bumped into each other, where would she have hidden her face?
Anyway, if she hadn't heard the noise from their suite, that meant Shu Lanzhou wouldn't have heard hers either. Thinking this gave her some confidence.
As long as Shu Lanzhou didn't know no one had actually come to celebrate her birthday, Lin Muyao could still pretend they had.
She straightened her spine and walked out of the restaurant with feigned pride.
In the parking lot, she spotted Han Weicheng smoking in his car.
The moment he saw her, his gaze turned icy. "Get in. I've got questions for you."
Lin Muyao had never seen him like this. The usually composed scholar now looked like… a gangster?
She must be mistaken. There was no way Professor Han had such an aura.
Nervously, she got in the car. "Professor, what's going on? Why didn't anyone show up tonight? Did someone target us on purpose?"
"Don't lump me in with you. They're targeting you," Han Weicheng said coldly, looking at her blank face with sudden disgust.
"Tell me honestly—who gave you those papers? Did you verify the data yourself after receiving them?"
"W-What do you mean? I wrote them myself…" Lin Muyao faltered. She knew Han Weicheng must have suspected the truth, but he'd never asked directly before. Why now?
Did he find out? Had someone exposed her? Was that why no one showed up?
Was it Tian Hua? She'd been pressing him hard lately—maybe he ratted her out?
Han's voice turned colder. "Enough lies. You and I both know you couldn't have written such a logically cohesive series of papers."
"I was willing to boost your reputation. I turned a blind eye to the authorship. But when I asked whether you'd personally conducted the experiments—you lied."
"I'm extremely disappointed in you, Lin Muyao." He shoved his phone at her.
"See for yourself. These are the real lab results. And this is just the first paper. It's already enough to make people avoid you like the plague. What do you think will happen once the rest of the data is published?"
"Have you even considered the consequences?"
His voice was heavy. "For your mother's sake, I lent you my name and gave you a platform. And how do you repay me?"
"You're not some promising talent. You're lazy and stupid. If I keep helping you, I'll ruin my own reputation."
"I'm taking you home. After this, let your mother figure it out. I've already done more than enough. And before Yi Ming's next papers come out, I'm cutting all ties."
"You'd better lay low. If you pull any more stunts that drag me down with you—don't expect me to remember our 'teacher-student bond.'"