Shulan Zhou watched as Han Weicheng swaggered out of the university gates. Not even a trace of regret crossed his face after being expelled. On the contrary, he seemed to believe that it wasn't his fault—but the university's loss.
From his attitude alone, Shulan Zhou could tell—he must've already found a new backer.
"What are you looking at?" Mu Yaning stepped out of her office behind her.
Shulan Zhou lifted her chin slightly. "Professor Han. He doesn't seem the least bit upset. No sadness, no sense of loss."
Mu Yaning's brows drew together.
"I've known him for years. Every step he's taken has been smooth and calculated. I don't think he's ever looked back with regret. I doubt he'll start now."
Shulan Zhou's eyes darkened slightly.
Would Han Weicheng really feel no regret?
Then if…
She didn't let her thoughts go too far—some things were still uncertain. But one thing was clear: letting someone like Han Weicheng remain in the industry would become a threat sooner or later.
Just as she suspected, Han Weicheng had already secured his next move.
That very afternoon, the university had only just released its expulsion notice when the official website of the Luo Corporation posted a hiring announcement.
The Luo Medical Research Project was appointing Han Weicheng as the Chief Researcher, giving him full responsibility over its collaborative projects with the institute.
Soon after, Xiao Anning issued a personal statement.
He acknowledged that as a university professor, Han Weicheng had indeed neglected his duties, and the university was justified in expelling him.
But this wasn't murder or arson—it wasn't an unforgivable crime. With his academic achievements, Han still had the potential to contribute greatly to the medical field.
As a teacher, he had been far too busy to dedicate himself fully to research. Now that he could pour his entire focus into it, Xiao Anning believed Han Weicheng would surely achieve promising results.
He even ended the article with well wishes for Han's success and his breakthrough beyond personal limitations.
With those two statements released, Han's former supporters immediately sprang into action to do damage control.
Very quickly, the university's announcement was drowned in a sea of public opinion, and few paid attention to it anymore.
More voices chimed in with sentiments like, "Everyone makes mistakes," "He didn't break the law or moral boundaries," and "No irreparable harm was done."
A professor of his caliber shouldn't be cast out for one mistake. Many hoped he'd learn from the incident, dedicate the rest of his life to research, and produce real results for the betterment of the nation's medical progress.
They even called on others to give him a second chance—believing he would go on to make groundbreaking contributions to the medical world.
It had to be said—people are kind by nature. And Han Weicheng, ever the shrewd one, published a formal apology and self-reflection statement.
In it, he promised to devote the rest of his life to medicine, to conduct research with diligence and integrity, and to contribute wholeheartedly to medical advancement.
What a shameless old bastard.
Looks like he'd slipped through the net—for now. But forcing him out of the academic world was already a win. And as far as Shulan Zhou was concerned, this was only the beginning of their true battle.
Shulan Zhou made a decision.
"I want to apply to join the research institute's lab and assist Team Leader Ni with the acupuncture research project."
Mu Yaning looked at the application form in her hand. "Are you doing this because of Han Weicheng?"
"Yes—and no," Shulan replied calmly. "Teacher, honestly… what do you think of my current level in medicine and my practical skills?"
Mu Yaning thought it over carefully. "You're certainly beyond the average first-year graduate student. You're quick-thinking, you learn fast, and more importantly—you're always steady and composed."
"I promise," Shulan Zhou nodded, "I'll be just as steady as ever."
But Mu Yaning shook her head. "That's exactly what worries me. I know you haven't let go of what happened with Han Weicheng."
"But that's precisely why I mustn't forget my original intention—or lose sight of what I'm doing now and in the future. We can't let someone like him influence our decisions. Do you understand?"
Shulan Zhou smiled and shook her head. "I know what you're worried about. You think I want to join the research institute just to compete with Han Weicheng. That I want to get results before he does."
"You're afraid I'll let hatred cloud my judgment and cut corners to surpass him—and in doing so, neglect the research itself."
"I'm glad you understand. So this application…" Mu Yaning picked up her pen.
But Shulan Zhou reached out and covered the form with her hand.
"Teacher, I admit—I do have feelings about what Han Weicheng did. But they won't control me. The real reason I want to join the institute is…"
She pulled out a rough diagram of a simulated experiment.
"This is something I sketched after my last visit to the lab. It's been almost two years, and ever since Team Leader Ni's experiment succeeded, we've made little progress."
"I spoke with Professor He. The new drug trials and interventions are all sound. The problem lies in our acupuncture techniques—we just can't seem to achieve the ideal results."
She pointed to a spot on the diagram. "Teacher, a while back when I was reading medical texts in the attic, I came across a needle technique—Nine Needle Meridian Puncture…"
"No." Mu Yaning shot up from her chair. "That technique is far too dangerous. Even I haven't mastered it fully. You—"
But Shulan Zhou took out her needles.
Half an hour later, she walked out of Mu Yaning's office holding an application form with her teacher's signature of approval.
She smiled and headed straight to the research institute to report in.
What Mu Yaning didn't know was that the lack of progress wasn't only due to issues with the acupuncture technique. There were also flaws in the cellular experiments.
In her past life, it had taken three years of trials to find the breakthrough. In the end, it was Shulan Zhou who had pointed it out to Han Weicheng. He'd brought in Luo Jialin and Tian Hua to conduct the experiment themselves—and they'd finally succeeded.
At that point, Luo Jialin and Tian Hua had already completed their PhDs. From where they were now, that would still be two years away. Add three more years for the experiment—this meant the research wouldn't succeed until five years later.
But this time around, everything had changed. Luo Jialin and Tian Hua hadn't pursued their doctorates, nor did they have much clinical research experience. It wouldn't be so easy for Han Weicheng to succeed in a short time.
Still, Shulan Zhou couldn't let her guard down. After all, the National Hospital had now stepped in, and with people like Xiao Anning and other talented experts involved, a breakthrough might come sooner than expected.
Which meant—she had to get into the lab as soon as possible.
What she didn't know was that after she left, Mu Yaning slumped into her chair, utterly dejected.
No wonder her father once said she wasn't cut out to inherit the Mu family's acupuncture legacy. If it weren't absolutely necessary, the family wouldn't have passed it down to her.
All those medical books in the attic had gone to waste—Shulan Zhou, her student…
Mu Yaning smiled bitterly—equal parts proud and disheartened.
She was starting to feel like she'd been outdone by her own student.