There's a saying—"the crowd is the best detective"—and it couldn't be more true. No one needed to do any deep digging; all it took was a mention of Han Weicheng's recent activities, and someone had already figured out he was lying.
Soon, even more shocking details began circulating online.
For instance, when Lin Muyao's third research paper was published, Han Weicheng had actually shared and recommended it. Although the post was quickly deleted, someone had taken a screenshot.
That was enough to prove he had known about Lin Muyao's papers all along.
Less than two hours after the livestream ended, overwhelmed by the mounting online pressure, the exclusive interview where Han Weicheng tried to publicly distance himself from Lin Muyao was removed. It was nowhere to be found on the internet.
Nan Xi felt incredibly satisfied. She even called Shu Lanzhou to thank her personally.
She declared that if there were ever another chance to take down scumbags, Shu Lanzhou should count her in. It was exhilarating—not only did they expose the filth, but they also brought down a powerful rival. What a thrill!
Shu Lanzhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She didn't share Nan Xi's optimism. Han Weicheng had built his reputation for years—it wouldn't be so easy to topple him.
And sure enough, by the evening, the tide had started to turn. Not because of public opinion alone, but because of a police report—and footage of Luo Jialin and Han Weicheng being taken to the hospital together.
The news claimed that after learning something was wrong with Lin Muyao's papers, Han Weicheng had immediately gone to her to confirm whether she had written them herself.
Lin Muyao denied it but couldn't produce further experimental data, so she finally confessed. That's where Luo Jialin came into the picture.
When the mentor and student duo confronted Luo Jialin, tensions flared. Apparently, Luo Jialin had shown the paper to Shu Lanzhou before giving it to Lin Muyao.
Lin Muyao felt that Luo Jialin had teamed up with Shu Lanzhou to set her up. Furious, she assaulted Luo Jialin.
Luo Jialin called the police, Lin Muyao was arrested, and Han Weicheng got injured trying to break up the fight...
Han Weicheng then posted a long statement apologizing to the public. He admitted that he had promoted Lin Muyao's paper and acknowledged that his lack of oversight led to the fraud going unnoticed.
To take responsibility for the impact, he announced he would resign from his post as a university professor…
This sparked a massive backlash from Han Weicheng's supporters.
Some cursed Lin Muyao for being an idiot—lacking ability yet trying to climb the ladder by using Luo Jialin's work. No integrity, no brains—and she even dragged Han Weicheng down with her.
Others said it was all Lin Muyao's fault. She tried to exploit her senior, not realizing he was no good either and ended up getting played herself.
None of it, they claimed, had anything to do with Han Weicheng. He was a good professor!
He was simply too busy to supervise properly!
Even if he did know about the paper, she must have tricked him!
Then there were those cursing Luo Jialin and Shu Lanzhou, accusing them of working together to sabotage a younger student. Despicable!
They also dragged up old controversies involving Shu Lanzhou's former team, claiming she was bitter about leaving Han Weicheng's lab, so she started stirring trouble behind the scenes.
They accused her of shady dealings. Why else, they said, would bad things keep happening to the team after she left?
If she was really that talented, why hadn't she produced anything significant in the past year besides that one paper?
They insisted the only reason this whole mess started was because she wanted to ruin Han Weicheng, a respected scholar who had made great contributions to the medical field. What she did was despicable!
Han Weicheng had been cursed with the worst kind of student!
…
Reading the comments, Shu Lanzhou could only laugh in exasperation. The public might be blind, but Han Weicheng—he was manipulative.
On the surface, he seemed to have done nothing wrong. In reality, that seemingly sincere apology had shifted all public sympathy to his side, while dumping all the blame on Lin Muyao.
He appeared completely innocent. After all, it was his student who committed the fraud, and she did it behind his back. Why should he be held accountable?
Just because his name was listed as the advisor?
He was the real victim here!
"How are you planning to handle this?" Mu Side gently held Shu Lanzhou's hand. "If you haven't decided yet, we could…"
"No, I've already made up my mind." Shu Lanzhou cut him off. "I need to find someone. But first, I have something to say online."
She registered an official account under her real name on social media, then posed a pointed question:
Has everyone forgotten? This morning, Professor Han completely denied having any connection to Lin Muyao's papers!
Now that his lie has been exposed, are we really going to forgive him just because he apologized?
Why?
Because he's famous?
Because he's made great contributions to medicine?
Then tell me—what exactly has he contributed to the medical field?
A bunch of flashy but hollow papers?
Shu Lanzhou wasn't holding back.
Unsurprisingly, her blunt challenge drew a flood of abuse—but it also prompted some rational voices to start looking into what actual contributions Han Weicheng had made over the years.
Ignoring the growing noise online, Shu Lanzhou, accompanied by Mu Side, set off to find Lin Jiayi before nightfall.
They found Lin Jiayi desperately trying to call Han Weicheng.
When the news broke about Lin Muyao, she hadn't gone to see her daughter. Instead, she had done nothing but try to reach Han Weicheng.
Who knew what was going through her mind?
"What are you doing here?" Lin Jiayi, dressed in loungewear and looking haggard, stared at Shu Lanzhou. "Here to laugh at me? Isn't it a bit early for that? You really think you've won?"
Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "We don't know each other well, and this isn't a game. I'm not here to win or lose. I came to stop you from becoming Han Weicheng's stepping stone."
"You think I'll believe you suddenly grew a conscience?" Lin Jiayi looked at her skeptically.
Shu Lanzhou shook her head again. "Of course not. I'm here because I'm going after Han Weicheng. You and Lin Muyao are just collateral damage."
"Hah… Such arrogance." Lin Jiayi sneered. "If someone like Mu Yaning or He Xin said that, I might buy it. But you? You're nothing. Who do you think you are?"
"Don't think a little online backlash means you've taken him down. Those voices don't matter. They're just noise from irrelevant people."
"Once this blows over, he'll go back to teaching, back to doing research. He's been in this field for over twenty years. You think you, a little girl, can take him down?"
"He's not some celebrity with fans to lose."
Shu Lanzhou smiled calmly.
"You're absolutely right. As long as the university doesn't punish him, as long as the research institute keeps him, this scandal will only tarnish his reputation—nothing more."
"But what about Lin Muyao? She's the only heir of the Lin family. Her life? It's over. Are you really okay with that? Are you really willing to let your daughter become his scapegoat?"
"Even let yourself be one too?"
Lin Jiayi said nothing, only stared at Shu Lanzhou with a mocking smile.
"I know what you're thinking," Shu Lanzhou said with another faint smile. "You believe Lin Muyao is still young. If Han Weicheng can be protected, you can change her name, rebuild her reputation, and she'll have another shot."
"But what if… Han Weicheng finds out Lin Muyao was never his daughter to begin with? Do you think he'll still protect her?"
"Shu Lanzhou, what the hell are you talking about?" Lin Jiayi jumped to her feet. "Don't you dare spout nonsense in front of me. Get out. Get out now!"