"I've got some gossip for you," Yi Ming whispered. "You've met Deputy Director Lin, right? Lin Muyao's mother? She's been suspended!"
Shu Lanzhou looked genuinely surprised. "When did that happen?"
"Two days before Professor Han came to the institute." Yi Ming's brows furrowed slightly. "I heard Deputy Director Lin was against Han Weicheng's return. Their project team originally wanted Professor Shi to lead instead."
"Turns out both Tian Hua and Fang Ruoshi are now working under Professor Shi. But the National Hospital didn't approve. From what I heard, since they're all Han Weicheng's students, they believed he'd be a better choice to lead."
"This matter stirred up quite the storm within the institute. Elder Lin even stepped in personally, but it was no use. Elder Xiang wouldn't budge, and the institute was left with no options."
"After all, the project was a three-party collaboration, and the investors were from the Luo family. Luo Jialin himself supported Professor Han's return. So Lin Jiayi got suspended."
Shu Lanzhou was taken aback. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it? Even if the National Hospital and the Luo family are backing it, the Lin family still holds considerable weight in Shencheng. Would they really disregard Elder Lin's reputation like that?"
Yi Ming shook his head.
"Word is, the Lin family hasn't been doing well for a while. Elder Lin's been retired for years—his old network has long gone cold. And Deputy Director Lin isn't exactly the easiest person to work with."
"Her reputation at the institute has always been shaky, not to mention her standing outside. Even Director Zhou, who used to be on good terms with her, sided with Han Weicheng this time. What could she possibly do?"
They say when someone falls from power, the tea they once sipped turns cold—truer words have never been spoken.
After Elder Lin stepped down, there wasn't a single capable successor in the Lin family. Lin Jiayi once seemed promising—young, ambitious, and already a deputy director at the institute.
Her daughter got into the top medical university, and plenty of people tried to cozy up to them.
But Lin Jiayi had always been arrogant, never taking others seriously. She remained single, raising her daughter alone. As long as she didn't do anything outrageous and her daughter graduated smoothly, she could've easily paved her way into the institute.
Out of respect for Elder Lin, most people tolerated her attitude. But she just had to pick Han Weicheng to latch onto—thinking she could use his reputation to climb even higher.
She even tried to push her daughter into the spotlight early!
Who could've expected her usual playbook to fail so miserably with Lin Muyao? And at the critical moment, Han Weicheng completely abandoned them.
What a terrible misjudgment—falling for someone like Han Weicheng!
It's the classic tale of overreaching ambition—seeking a position far beyond one's capabilities will only lead to a harder fall. Any shortcut not earned by your own steps is nothing but a fleeting illusion.
In the end, it all turns to nothing.
Shu Lanzhou felt not the slightest bit of sympathy for Lin Jiayi and her daughter. Compared to the pain they brought her in her past life, this was only the beginning of their hardships.
"What are you thinking about? I'm talking to you—are you listening?" Yi Ming nudged her.
Shu Lanzhou snapped out of her thoughts. "I heard you. Thanks, senior. I'll be careful. I won't let them hurt me."
"As long as you're aware," Yi Ming said with concern. "She may be suspended now, but Deputy Director Lin will come back eventually. That's when things might get tricky. You'll be seeing her a lot. I'm just afraid she'll make life hard for you."
"And Lin Muyao too. I bet she hates your guts!" Yi Ming clicked his tongue.
Shu Lanzhou smiled faintly. "But you're the one who wrote the paper. It's her and Han Weicheng who cheated. What did I even do to deserve their hatred?"
"…Huh. That's true," Yi Ming muttered. "Wait a second—shouldn't I be the one they're after?"
Oh no. What if Lin Jiayi comes back and decides to take it out on him?
Yi Ming's face went pale at the thought.
"Haha…" Shu Lanzhou chuckled. "Relax, I'm teasing. Look at you, scared stiff. Don't worry—we did nothing wrong. Even if she wants to make trouble, she won't be able to."
"And if she does try something to hurt us, wouldn't that be perfect? We could send all of them away in one go, once and for all!"
Right! Why didn't he think of that? Yi Ming let out a relieved laugh. He was just overthinking!
Watching Shu Lanzhou walk away with a smile, Yi Ming shook his head in helpless amusement.
Was this what they called "being blinded by concern"?
At the Lin residence.
Lin Jiayi had just brought Lin Muyao back from the detention center.
Her release should've come days ago, but the idiot just had to get into a fight inside, so she was only let out now.
Thanks to her, the Lin family's reputation was utterly ruined.
Fuming, Lin Jiayi stormed into the house and immediately grabbed a whip, lashing out at Lin Muyao without hesitation.
She had lived a life of privilege and ease, especially in her youth. Smart and beautiful, she'd sailed into the institute and advanced with her father's backing, facing no setbacks.
If it hadn't been for the accidental pregnancy with Lin Muyao, she wouldn't have gone abroad for years, missed promotion opportunities, and fallen behind—still not a director to this day!
She'd thought Lin Muyao could mirror her path perfectly. After all, the Lin family never produced fools or useless trash.
But this girl turned out to be nothing but an idiot. Could it be that night...?
After giving birth to Lin Muyao, Lin Jiayi never sought out the girl's biological father. Back then, there had been quite a few men around her.
But the only one she hadn't used protection with… was Han Weicheng.
That was exactly why she decided to keep the child—she knew all too well the value of Han Weicheng.
After returning to China, her life gradually returned to normal. She didn't approach Han Weicheng again because she felt the timing wasn't right.
Then that bastard He Chengdong appeared, claiming in private that Lin Muyao was his daughter.
Naturally, Lin Jiayi didn't believe him and forbade any contact between them. Forget a paternity test—she didn't even let them meet.
But thinking about it now… if Lin Muyao was this stupid, maybe she was He Chengdong's daughter after all!
Just the thought made Lin Jiayi tremble with rage.
"You idiot! You useless thing! How could I have given birth to a disgrace like you? If I had known you'd turn out like this, I'd never have had you!"
Whip after whip lashed down on Lin Muyao. At first, she tried to dodge, cried out, even begged for mercy. In the end, she could only curl into a ball on the floor, silently enduring her mother's fury.
The pain was unbearable. Her senses dulled. Her tears had dried up. Her voice was gone. Lin Muyao felt like she was dying.
And maybe, she thought, that wouldn't be so bad.
At least she'd never have to live in fear again. Never have to bow and scrape to anyone. Never be beaten again.
Her consciousness faded, and she finally blacked out.
Exhausted from the beating, Lin Jiayi collapsed onto the sofa, panting. She took a sip of water, then kicked her daughter's limp body.
"Stop playing dead! Get up!"
No response. Not even a twitch.
Frowning, Lin Jiayi kicked her again. "Still not getting up? You want me to keep going? Try me!"
She reached for the whip again, but the girl didn't move.
Panic began to set in. Lin Jiayi bent down to check on her.
Just as her hand reached toward Lin Muyao's nose, the door burst open.
"It's the middle of the day—why's the door shut?" An elderly man in his sixties or seventies walked in from outside. "I heard Muyao was back. Where is she? I want to see her."
Lin Jiayi turned pale as a sheet when she saw him.
"Dad… You—why are you here? Muyao, she… she…"
"What happened to her?" Elder Lin's eyes narrowed. He followed her line of sight—and saw the girl crumpled behind the coffee table on the floor…