Chapter 223: A Harsh Lesson
Han Weicheng finally understood what Luo Jialin meant. "You want me to resign from my university professor position and focus solely on research? But I'm not even affiliated with the research institute!"
"Who says you have to be part of the institute to conduct research there?" Luo Jialin gave a faint smile.
"As long as you agree, starting today, you'll be the lead project researcher for the Luo Corporation. Externally, you'll still be known as Professor Han. How about it?"
"How about—no way!" Han Weicheng gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with anger.
"If I resign now, doesn't that make me look guilty? Isn't that admitting to all of Shu Lanzhou's accusations? That's absolutely out of the question!"
Luo Jialin's patience wore thin. "And what exactly did she accuse you of? Incompetence, using flashy but hollow papers to build your reputation, making no real medical contributions?"
"She said all that—but are any of those accusations false? What's the point of clinging to your position at the university? You think the school's going to stand up for you? Criticize Shu Lanzhou for fabricating things?"
"Don't kid yourself, Han Weicheng. If you really want to prove her wrong, there's only one way: produce actual, meaningful research results. Only then can you prove that you're not just an empty title."
"You—" Han Weicheng's face turned pale with rage. "Whose side are you on? Why are you helping that damn girl go against me? What do you gain from me losing everything?"
"Don't be so ungrateful!" Luo Jialin stood up, his tone sharp. "If I really wanted to help Shu Lanzhou, I wouldn't be talking to you—I'd be using my connections to reach out to your former students."
"I'm sure Shu Lanzhou isn't the only underprivileged student you exploited for labor. If they come forward with testimonies, your reputation will be truly destroyed."
"Whether it's the university, the research institute, or the National Hospital, once public pressure builds, they'll have no choice but to respond. Dismissal. Expulsion. Contract termination."
"Forget your reputation—you might not even keep your job. Lin Jiayi won't spare you either. You can kiss your career in Shen City goodbye!"
"Professor Han, is that the ending you want?"
Han Weicheng let out a cold snort. "Don't try to scare me. Go ahead and find them. See if any of those people will come forward to accuse me."
"My students are all over the country now. Many of them benefited from my reputation. Their achievements today are thanks to me!"
"You think they'll risk everything to do this? And don't forget—Old Master Xiang at the National Hospital came up from nothing just like you. But now Shu Lanzhou has the Mu and Long families behind her!"
"If this thing blows up, public opinion might not necessarily favor her. She may look smart, pretending to be some poor, brave girl standing up against oppression."
"But she's still too naive. If she weren't Mu Yaning's student, if she hadn't been taken in by the Mu family, she might've won completely. But now that the Mu family is involved…"
"Heh… It's the Mu family that's really wielding power to oppress a powerless, innocent, and underprivileged professor like me!"
Seeing the confident smirk on his face, Luo Jialin couldn't help but feel a little pity.
"Oh? Is that so?" Luo Jialin sneered. "Then what if Mu Yaning doesn't care about a scandal and insists on involving the authorities? What if they thoroughly investigate everything between you and Shu Lanzhou?"
"What if they dig into everything you've done in the past?"
He leaned closer, his voice cold: "Professor Han, the Mu family dares. But do you? Can you withstand that kind of scrutiny?"
At that, Han Weicheng's face turned a sickly white.
"Mu Corporation has grown so large—I don't believe they'd come through unscathed either. If this investigation goes all the way, who knows who will come out worse in the end? I don't believe they'd actually dare."
"Willing to bet on that?" Luo Jialin's smile deepened. "I've got nothing to lose. Frankly, I'd be thrilled to see you go head-to-head with Mu Corporation."
"I'm curious too—just how clean is the Mu Corporation? And how clean are you, Han Weicheng?"
With that, Luo Jialin turned and left the hospital room, leaving Han Weicheng pale and at a loss.
For all his tough talk, Han Weicheng didn't dare to openly go against the Mu family. Whether or not the Mu Corporation could withstand an investigation was uncertain—but he certainly couldn't.
But was he really supposed to give up the university position he'd held for over twenty years?
Han Weicheng clenched his fists. He wasn't willing!
Outside the hospital room.
Luo Jialin hadn't gone far before running into Xiao Anning.
"How did it go?" Xiao Anning glanced toward the hospital room. "Did he agree?"
Luo Jialin shook his head. "Still stubborn. If he really doesn't want to leave the university, or if he's really just all talk… should we even continue with our research?"
"What are you talking about?" Xiao Anning slapped him on the shoulder. "He's your teacher. You know better than anyone whether he's the real deal."
"Even if his reputation is a bit overblown, Elder Mu once picked him—he couldn't have been that bad."
"Let's not forget, when He Xin went to the Mu family, Elder Mu didn't even look at him."
Luo Jialin looked skeptical. "How do you know all this?"
After all, Xiao Anning wasn't much older than him.
"My teacher told me. Back in the day, the Mu family recruiting disciples was a huge deal in the industry!" Xiao Anning gave a cold laugh.
"Not anymore, though. Apart from the old guard, who even remembers the Mu school of medicine?"
Luo Jialin didn't disagree.
"Maybe people forgot their medical skills," he said. "But the Mu Corporation is still a force to be reckoned with. If He Xin's research succeeds, it'll hit both you and me hard."
Xiao Anning nodded. "Exactly. That's why you need to convince your teacher. He's better than He Xin. With him on board, our research has a solid foundation—and he absolutely hates the Mu family."
"I believe if he returns to research with full focus, He Xin won't stand a chance. That benefits both of us."
"What's wrong?" Luo Jialin smiled. "Your teacher still worried about Long Xingyue?"
"He's nothing," Xiao Anning said dismissively.
"Elder Long has retired. The rest of the Long family are useless—they're no match for my teacher. But if the Mu school rises again, Long Xingyue's status will skyrocket."
"With the Mu family backing him, the situation could change completely."
Luo Jialin frowned slightly. "I heard from my dad that the young lady of the Long family went to the Mu family. If the Long and Mu families really form an alliance, that's a threat to both of us."
"Highly unlikely." Xiao Anning smiled mysteriously. "But what about the Lin family's young lady? What are you planning to do with her?"
Luo Jialin was already walking toward the hospital exit. "No rush. Let her stay in there a few more days. Let her learn a hard lesson—maybe she won't be so arrogant next time."
The Next Day.
Shu Lanzhou returned to the Mu residence with Mu Side.
Everyone from the Mu family in Shen City was present, all looking at Shu Lanzhou with worried expressions.
Even Long Xingyu looked at her with a complicated gaze.
Shu Lanzhou greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm fine—really."
"Who's worried about you?" He Sixin rolled her eyes at her.
"It's your three papers! Do you have any idea how many people are asking about you right now? You'd better come clean. What else are you hiding from us?"
"I actually studied those papers—took me a while to get through them. They're full of content that second- and third-year graduate students learn. You're just a first-year grad student, right? Focusing mainly on acupuncture, no less!"
"Where did you find the time to study other fields so thoroughly and deeply that even I, a PhD student, feel inferior?"