Han Weicheng looked at Lin Muyao.
"I know you're soft-hearted and can't bear to see Guo Jialiang's future ruined like this. But people must pay the price for their actions."
"As for how this matter will end, I have my own plan. You don't need to get involved—go back to class! In the end, this really has nothing to do with you."
Lin Muyao wanted to persuade him further, but when she met Han Weicheng's questioning gaze, fear crept into her heart. If she said one word too many, she might draw suspicion onto herself.
Troubled and anxious, she left the faculty building. She hadn't even figured out how to talk to Guo Jialiang when she spotted him striding toward her.
He wore a long black down coat, with a hat pulled low and a mask over his face. If it weren't for his familiar coat, Lin Muyao would've had trouble recognizing him.
"Let's talk." Guo Jialiang grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the campus gate.
"Senior Guo, calm down! Let's talk this through. No need to drag me—I'll come on my own!"
"You'd better talk properly," Guo Jialiang growled at her through gritted teeth. "Or I won't mind dragging you down with me."
They left campus and found a small, secluded restaurant in a nearby alley. Lin Muyao picked a private booth on the second floor. As soon as they sat down, she poured him a glass of water.
"Senior, you can't put all the blame on me. If you hadn't dragged Professor He into it, the school wouldn't have started a full investigation."
"Don't bring up Professor He!" Guo Jialiang kicked over a chair, his expression twisted with fury. "You were the one who leaked everything behind my back, making sure the whole campus knew. That's what pushed the school to expel me."
His eyes were cold and vicious.
"Don't think I don't know what you're after, Lin Muyao. From the moment you joined the team, you've been targeting Shu Lanzhou. You're jealous of her—jealous and resentful."
"She's smarter than you, she learns faster, and she's spent more time with Luo Jialin. You couldn't stand it. You wanted her gone. You tried to frame her for plagiarism and set her up over and over."
"No one else might see through you, but I do. You did all this to ruin her—so she'd never have a chance to rise again."
Lin Muyao slammed her glass on the table.
"So what if I did? I am jealous of her! A country bumpkin like her, how dare she join Professor Han's team and get Luo Jialin's special attention? I won't accept it!"
"She was stupid enough to fall into my traps. I wanted to destroy her. I wanted to see all of you stop treating her like your precious little junior."
"But don't act like you're better than me. You've been using her too. Without her, you never would've made it in the team. And now that things have blown up, you're turning on me?"
Guo Jialiang yanked at his collar, his eyes glinting with menace.
"If it weren't for you, I never would've written that report in the first place. Everything that's happened to me now is because of you. And let me be clear—if I get expelled, I'll make sure you go down with me."
The words sent a chill through Lin Muyao. If her mother found out she'd caused another mess at school, she'd skin her alive.
No—she couldn't let things escalate. Her mother could never know.
Her eyes welled with tears, and her tone softened. She reached out and tugged at Guo Jialiang's sleeve.
"Senior, there's no need to make things so ugly. I told you, I'll help you. Professor Han already talked to Shu Lanzhou—he's doing everything he can to help you stay."
"Just admit to sending the messages. If I go down with a disciplinary mark, so be it. But you'll still get expelled."
"Don't forget—my mother is a deputy director at the Research Institute. Even if you're expelled, you're still a med school grad. I can talk to her and find you a decent job."
"But if you drag me into this, you'll get nothing."
Guo Jialiang paled. Fear flickered in his eyes.
He knew she was right. Crossing her would get him nowhere. But admitting to everything? That would definitely get him expelled.
He'd worked so hard to get into grad school—he was so close to graduating. How could he accept being expelled now?
Trembling with panic, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Muyao by the throat.
"How do I know you're not lying? What if you trick me? Then I really end up with nothing!"
Lin Muyao's face turned bright red. She could barely breathe.
"I—I won't lie! I'll call right now and lock in the job for you!"
"Really?" His grip loosened slightly.
"Really!" she swore.
"Then make the call." He let go.
Lin Muyao finally breathed again, heart pounding with fear. She really thought he'd lose control and hurt her.
Arranging a job for Guo Jialiang wasn't too difficult. As long as the expulsion hadn't been made official, she could still use her mother's connections to squeeze him into the institute.
But what happened after that… who knew?
Once the call was made, Guo Jialiang looked at her with a bit more warmth.
"I know you look down on me. I know I'm not as capable as Tian Hua or Fang Ruoshi. I don't have the family background of Luo Jialin or Du Yifan. In the team, aside from Shu Lanzhou, I couldn't outshine anyone."
"But then I realized—she was even more brilliant than I thought. She had an amazing memory, learned fast, and worked efficiently. Everyone looked after her when she first joined."
"In just a year, she caught up to us. Everything Professor Han taught, she absorbed quickly. She made me feel threatened like never before."
"You got lucky, Lin Muyao. You were born into the Lin family. If you'd had my background, you wouldn't have made it this far."
"Just wait—someday, she'll uncover everything you've done to her. She'll crush you underfoot. You may think you're better than me now, but when that day comes, you won't even be my equal."
He laughed bitterly, mocking and tearful all at once.
Lin Muyao shoved him away.
"You're insane. What good does it do you to curse me? If you don't want things to get worse, you'd better treat me better. Don't forget, she hates your guts now. Your only chance is to stand with me—help me deal with her. That's your best shot."
Guo Jialiang stared at her for a long moment, then grabbed his bag and turned to leave.
"Hey—what do you mean by that?" Lin Muyao grabbed his sleeve.
He stood still.
"Don't worry. Shu Lanzhou and I are already enemies. As long as you keep your word, I'll be on your side from now on."
Lin Muyao finally let out a breath of relief.
"Good. Don't forget to take the fall for the text messages. The school can't be allowed to keep digging."
Maybe it was the delicious meat bun she'd had that morning, but Shu Lanzhou didn't find the exam as terrifying as she'd imagined. In fact, some parts even felt easy.
She breezed through to the final question before slowing down slightly.
When she stepped out of the exam room, she was still in a daze.
Was that real? Did I just dream that whole test?
Before she could wrap her head around it, someone blocked her path.
A man dressed in all black, face hidden behind a mask—he looked downright menacing!