Ever since the incident, Guo Jialiang hadn't seen Han Weicheng. This was the first time the two of them had come face-to-face since Han's decision regarding his case was made.
The moment Han Weicheng saw Guo Jialiang, his brows instinctively knitted into a deep frown.
"So you do know how to find me—following me all the way here, no less. But tell me, where were you earlier? Why'd you wait until the verdict was out before coming to see me? I'm telling you—it's too late now."
After the incident, he'd sent Lin Muyao to deliver word twice, asking Guo Jialiang to come find him. But Guo hadn't shown up even once.
Guo Jialiang's face flushed with shame. Truth be told, the person he least wanted to see after everything was Han Weicheng.
He couldn't bear the disappointment in Han's gaze, nor the deep-seated disdain that flickered beneath his eyes. That quiet contempt cut deeper than any insults hurled by a crowd—it hurt him to the core.
Every glance from Han Weicheng felt like a knife slicing him open, slow and deliberate, leaving him in utter agony.
Guo Jialiang stepped aside to clear the doorway. "You misunderstood, Professor Han… I wasn't here to see you."
He lowered his head, not daring to meet Han's eyes, silently praying the professor would just leave so he could get on with signing his employment papers.
If the research institute caught wind of his expulsion, there was no telling whether they'd still let him in.
"Not here to see me?" Han Weicheng looked genuinely surprised. He turned toward the institute's interior. "Then what are you here for?"
Guo Jialiang steeled himself, speaking quietly, "Just… some personal business, Professor Han. Don't let me hold you up."
Afraid Han would press him further, he turned and headed straight upstairs toward the HR office, moving as if fleeing the scene.
Watching him rush off, Han Weicheng's eyes darkened with disgust. But then again… Guo Jialiang had been expelled—what other reason could he have for coming here but to look for a job?
Yet with his record…
A thought struck Han Weicheng. He turned and went off to find Lin Jiayi.
That evening, Lin Jiayi stormed into her home and shouted the moment she crossed the threshold:
"Lin Muyao! Get out here this instant!"
Lin Muyao had been on edge these past few days, worried that the institute might learn the truth about Guo Jialiang's expulsion and revoke his employment offer.
And worse—terrified her mother would find out she'd tried and failed to frame Shu Lanzhou, nearly dragging herself down in the process.
She'd been coming home early every day just to avoid more entanglements with Guo Jialiang. Thankfully, his onboarding seemed to be going smoothly—he was supposed to finalize it today.
Or so she thought…
Carefully stepping out of her room, she asked, "What's wrong, Mom?"
"You dare ask me what's wrong?" Lin Jiayi snapped, swinging a whip down hard across her back.
"You stupid girl! Who told you to go begging Auntie Zhou to get Guo Jialiang into the institute?!"
"Did you not know he got expelled and can't even get his graduate diploma? How could you put a worthless failure like that under my name? Tell me—where am I supposed to hide my face now?"
Each word came with another vicious strike of the whip. Before long, blood seeped through Lin Muyao's back.
"But he's Professor Han's student! How could he disgrace you? This whole thing was Shu Lanzhou's trap! He's already suffered so much—how could I just stand by and do nothing?" Lin Muyao cried as she dodged the blows.
"Think about it, Mom—Professor Han's team isn't made up of nobodies. Guo Jialiang earned his place, stayed for years, won countless awards. Doesn't that prove he has real talent?"
"I helped him this time; he'll be loyal to you, I swear! Haven't you always said you don't have enough trusted people in the institute? Didn't you work so hard to get where you are?"
"I did this… all for you!"
She sobbed, her voice hoarse, as if she'd been grievously wronged.
Lin Jiayi paused, the whip dropping slack in her hand. She'd lost influence in the institute ever since her project had failed to win top prize.
Right now, all she had was a third-place project. If she wanted to achieve anything, she would need more capable researchers.
And Guo Jialiang had been part of the project team from the start. Bringing him onboard might not be such a bad idea… but…
Her mind drifted back to Han Weicheng's earlier warnings. She couldn't help but doubt Guo's true abilities.
"How can you prove he's genuinely talented and not just bluffing his way into Professor Han's team?" Lin Jiayi slumped into the sofa, exhausted.
Lin Muyao wiped her tears and stepped forward, clutching her mother's sleeve.
"That's easy. Once he's in, assign him critical tasks. If he handles them well, that proves his skill. If not, you can just fire him—no one will question it."
"Hmm." Lin Jiayi mulled it over. "Fine. I'll observe him closely. If he proves himself, then fine—you'll have done onething right. But if not… you'll wish you'd never been born."
She stood up, giving Lin Muyao a sidelong glance. "Go treat those wounds. There's an event in a few days—you're coming with me."
"Got it." Lin Muyao lowered her head, hatred surging within her.
All her life, she hadn't been a daughter to Lin Jiayi—just a tool for her ambition.
When pleased, Lin Jiayi would dote on her. When displeased, the whip would fall. From a young age, she'd learned that the only way to avoid pain was to become someone her mother could proudly show off.
At least… this time had gone mostly according to plan. Since getting into university, she hadn't been whipped in years—until Shu Lanzhou.
Time and again, Shu Lanzhou had ruined her schemes, humiliated her, left her bloody and broken.
Shu Lanzhou… just you wait. Every lash I suffered tonight—I swear, I'll return them to you one by one.
Back in her room, Lin Muyao hadn't even treated her wounds when her phone rang. It was Guo Jialiang.
"I've finalized the paperwork," his voice was low, weary. "Wanted to invite you to dinner… I'll be heading back home tomorrow. They said I should wait till after the New Year to start work."
Lin Muyao didn't want to go out. But feeling the stinging welts across her back, she clenched her teeth.
"Okay. Send me the address. I'll be there soon."
—
Shu Lanzhou left the lab around seven in the evening. Stretching her neck, she packed up her bag while mentally debating what to eat.
"I've booked a table. Let's eat together," Mu Side appeared to help her gather her things. "My aunt said since everyone's here today, we should have a meal together."
"Sounds good," Shu Lanzhou readily agreed. One less thing to worry about.
She'd only learned after arriving at the lab that Yi Ming, Su Mo, and the others were also here. Their experiments were originally supposed to take place at the main research institute, but since the labs were fully booked, they'd been temporarily assigned to the hospital.
But the hospital's equipment couldn't compare. Even after just one day of experimentation, Shu Lanzhou realized this was going to be a problem. She'd have to bring it up with her seniors and Professor He. Otherwise, it would definitely slow their progress.
Mu Side had picked a restaurant near the institute so He Xin could join later after his late meeting.
As they walked into the restaurant, they unexpectedly crossed paths with a familiar group—it was Luo Jialin and his team.
Seeing Shu Lanzhou, Luo Jialin's steps faltered slightly in surprise.
"Shu Lanzhou?" His gaze swept over her face. Somehow… she looked even prettier than before.
But when his eyes shifted to Mu Side beside her, his brows drew into a subtle frown.
"School's already out. Why haven't you gone home yet?"