"Getting anxious, are we, Vice Dean Lin?" Shu Lanzhou stood up, her voice calm and unflinching. "You know very well everything I said is the truth."
"Han Weicheng was ready to abandon Lin Muyao without hesitation to protect his reputation, even when he still believed she was his daughter. Now that she's not, what makes you think he'd treat her any better?"
"Have you ever considered how simple this could've been to resolve? If only Han Weicheng had just come clean. Admit that he had reviewed the paper, and that the mistake was due to his own misjudgment based on theoretical assumptions."
"He could've said he mistakenly believed Lin Muyao had actually conducted the experiments, leading to this absurd situation. Sure, the research project wasn't groundbreaking, and the experiments weren't particularly complex—but it was still a graduate-level study."
"Given Lin Muyao's current academic level, even being able to draft such a complex paper—even if it's flawed—is quite remarkable."
"If he had sincerely praised her a little and taken the blame himself, not only would the internet not criticize Lin Muyao, they wouldn't even go after him."
"On the contrary, he might've preserved some of Lin Muyao's reputation, and his own credibility wouldn't have taken a hit. People would've seen him as responsible, a mentor who defends his student."
"But no—Han Weicheng, selfish as ever, was so eager to protect his polished public image that he threw Lin Muyao under the bus without a second thought."
"And now, unless Luo Jialin retracts his accusations—and knowing how fiercely his mother defends her son—this could escalate into a full-blown lawsuit. Lin Muyao might even end up with a criminal record."
"Is that the outcome you really want, Vice Dean Lin? To sacrifice everything for a man so selfish he wouldn't blink before throwing you under the bus next?"
Lin Jiayi, selfish and calculating herself, could hardly deny the truth in Shu Lanzhou's words. Her resolve wavered—but pride wouldn't let her give in.
"How do you know he would sacrifice me?" she shot back.
Shu Lanzhou let out a low, cold laugh.
"When the Mu family fell, he didn't hesitate to throw their heiress under the bus. So tell me, what makes you think he'll spare you—an aging Miss Lin from a crumbling family?"
"You—!" Lin Jiayi was livid, hand raised and finger trembling in rage. "You insolent brat with no manners! Get out! I don't need your preaching!"
Shu Lanzhou turned and walked out calmly. "Think it over. I'm an orphan, sure—maybe I wasn't raised with manners. But Lin Muyao is your carefully groomed heir. If she's destroyed like this, how are you going to explain yourself to the Lin family?"
"GET OUT!" Lin Jiayi screamed, kicking the tea table over in fury.
Shu Lanzhou simply smiled, took Mu Side's hand, and walked out of the Lin residence.
Back in the car, Mu Side glanced at her, confusion in his eyes. "How did you know Lin Muyao wasn't Han Weicheng's daughter? Or rather—how did you even know the truth was in doubt?"
"Remember when I got kidnapped?" Shu Lanzhou nodded toward the window. "At the time, I suspected Lin Muyao and gave the police some leads. They investigated He Chengdong's connection to the Lin women—turned up nothing."
"But I wasn't satisfied, so I hired a private investigator. Had him look into Lin Jiayi and, more importantly, Lin Muyao's biological father."
"I've seen He Chengdong—he's got soft, almost feminine features, and he does resemble Lin Muyao a bit."
"Given his age and his position in Shanghai more than twenty years ago, it's entirely plausible he had dealings with Lin Jiayi."
"I also know Han Weicheng well. He's extremely selfish—toward me, toward Luo Jialin, toward everyone. Why would he treat Lin Muyao any differently—unless…"
She trailed off, but Mu Side had already caught on.
"Unless he truly saw Lin Muyao as his daughter," Mu Side said grimly. "And going by her age… that would've been right when the Mu family collapsed."
"Han Weicheng… how dare he."
Shu Lanzhou squeezed his hand. "It's been so long, and the investigator couldn't dig up concrete proof. So everything's half-truth, half-guesswork."
"But that's enough to test Lin Jiayi. If she has even a shred of sense left, she'll know what to do. Unless, of course, she's really cold enough to let Lin Muyao be destroyed."
Shu Lanzhou rubbed her face, sighing. "And there's something else I have to do. Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight."
"I'll stay up with you," Mu Side said, starting the car.
As soon as they got home, Mu Side dropped to one knee with an old velvet box in his hand.
"I originally planned to do this the first night I brought you here. But that night… well, you were so drunk."
"The cake, the balloons, the flowers—none of it went to plan. And then the days just kept slipping by. Shu Shu, I'm not good at grand gestures."
"But I mean this from the bottom of my heart—I want to marry you. Will you be my wife?"
Tears welled in Shu Lanzhou's eyes as she remembered what He Sixin once told her.
He'd been thinking of marriage ever since he asked to live with her.
"Yes!" she reached out her hand, nodding. "I will!"
Mu Side slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her. "This is a Mu family heirloom. My mom just mailed it to me a few days ago. The design's a bit old-fashioned."
"Keep it for now. We'll pick out a new one when the wedding comes."
"No rush on the wedding." Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "Let's wait until I finish grad school, okay?"
Mu Side kissed her forehead. "Whatever you want. But how about we get the marriage certificate first?"
"You're more impatient than me," Shu Lanzhou chuckled through her tears. "Fine, we'll do it your way."
Mu Side helped her out of her shoes and led her inside. "I was hoping to propose the night before, then get the certificate first thing the next morning. We'd have spent the whole day just wrapped up in each other."
That night had ended up being their wedding night in a sense. But he hadn't gotten to propose properly—until now.
Shu Lanzhou laughed. "Well, aside from the proposal and the certificate, everything else did go according to plan, didn't it?"
"Don't tell me you regret sleeping with me before marriage? What century are you from? Do you really think a piece of paper determines your sense of responsibility?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Mu Side gave her a playful glare. "I just didn't want any small slip to make you feel insecure. I don't care what others do—but with you, I want to make you feel completely safe."
Shu Lanzhou smiled. "I don't know about others, but with you, I've never felt unsafe."
"This past year, being with you… I've felt nothing but secure."
Mu Side opened the study door and tapped her nose affectionately. "Silly girl. Don't worry, I'll never betray your trust."
"Go do what you need to do. I'll make us a snack. I've got some work too—we'll pull an all-nighter together."
Shu Lanzhou stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "You're the best, gege."
As Mu Side stood there momentarily stunned, Shu Lanzhou dashed to the computer, set up her phone to record both herself and the screen, then launched a livestream.
"Hi everyone, my name is Shu Lanzhou. Starting now, I'll be livestreaming my paper writing process. I hope you all can witness this with me!"