When Du Yifan arrived at the institute, he remembered it was the weekend and most people were off. He hurried to Han Weicheng's office but found it empty—and calls went unanswered.
Growing anxious, he retraced his steps to the laboratory, knowing the final trial doses were stored in one of the cabinets. Oddly, the lab door was ajar. He pushed it open and stepped inside.
"Professor? Are you here?" Du Yifan called out.
From the inner room, Han Weicheng emerged. "Du Yifan—what are you doing here on a holiday?"
"I—had something to discuss." Du Yifan scratched his head, then noticed the small vial in Han's hand. "What's that? Shouldn't you be resting today?"
Han held up the vial. "Next week we have to submit the manufacturing dossier to the pharmaceutical company. I'm not entirely confident yet, so I came back to re-verify. This is the freshly tested batch."
"If you're free," he continued, "help me stow that in the cabinet, and then I'll run the tests again. These doses will go to patients—I can't be careless."
He handed Du Yifan the vial and retreated into the back room. After only a two-second hesitation, Du Yifan slipped the vial into his pocket. If the professor has tested it so many times, the drug must be safe—it's already finalized product, after all.
Pocketing the bottle, he changed into his lab coat and followed Han into the inner lab. They worked late into the evening before stepping out of the institute together.
Han invited him to dinner. Over the meal, he said, "Du Yifan, I always thought you were the weakest student in my group—especially with your impulsive streak. Frankly, I never imagined you'd amount to much."
"But ever since your family's crisis, you've grown steadier. If our research proves successful, I plan to promote you—unlike Ruoshi, you have a graduate degree. Assist me for a few years, then you'll be ready to lead your own team. No one here will underestimate you again."
Du Yifan was deeply moved. He hadn't expected Han to look out for him even now. If Han isn't a good mentor, who is?he thought.
"Professor, I won't let you down. I'll work harder, focus on the experiments, and strive to become a professor like you."
He patted the hidden vial in his pocket, debating whether to confess.
"A word of advice," Han continued, "don't be like me. I'm no great professor—otherwise Shu Lanzhou wouldn't hold such a grudge. If it weren't for her…" He waved away the thought. "Forget the past. Just remember: research is all you should care about. Your future will outshine hers."
Han forced a bitter laugh. "My students can't be eclipsed by her—or I'll lose all face."
Du Yifan felt a pang of guilt. He knew he was the team's weakest link, which explained Han's worry. He couldn't disappoint his mentor again—especially not by stealing doses. He vowed silently this would be the last time; from now on, he'd only let Han down by working harder, not by deceit. And he'd outpace Shu Lanzhou, so his mentor could never regret choosing him.
He drank too much, and Han sent him off in a taxi. As the car pulled away, Han Weicheng sent a text: "Operation complete. Keep an eye on it over there."
Luo Jialin, on receiving the message, dispatched people to the hospital. President Zhang remained in the ICU, attended by no one—his legal wife and Huang Tiantian had already started battling over his estate the very next day. The wife blamed Huang Tiantian entirely, branding her the cause of the accident.
Huang Tiantian knew she had no leg to stand on—if Zhang's collapse was purely cancer-related, Du Yifan would be cleared; but that would leave nobody to blame for Zhang's fall. She needed a scapegoat, so when Du Yifan offered to "wake him up," she agreed without hesitation—even as a flicker of doubt nagged her: Why the sudden goodwill?
"I'm not doing this for him—I'm doing it for me," Du Yifan said grimly.
Huang Tiantian's once-sweet face had hardened into sharp calculation. He realized how foolish he'd been to think she was kind, obedient, or lovable. She's no better than Shu Lanzhou… he chastised himself, but banished the thought at once. No, they're cut from the same cloth.
"I have one condition," Du Yifan told her. "Once he wakes up, you must withdraw all accusations and drop the case with the police. This stops here."
Huang Tiantian sneered. "Afraid already? You think you've been wronged? Your family's ruin is your own doing. If it weren't Zhang, someone else would have stepped on your fingers first."
"If you can't save the company, that's on you—not me."
She stalked off to consult President Zhang's attending physician. Left alone, Du Yifan ground his teeth. "President Zhang, just you wait—one day I'll bankrupt you and make Huang Tiantian beg me for help!"
Zhang's surgery was scheduled three days later. Du Yifan had thought that timeline workable—but Luo Jialin was losing patience. After learning Mu Side had signed several new contracts, all of Shen City's major hospitals were diverting large orders to Mutian Pharmaceuticals, whose manufacturing lines were now booked into next year. Luo Medical's contracts were being canceled en masse.
He discovered that Mu Side had offered a joint-procurement discount, prompting hospitals to switch suppliers. That despicable Mu Side! Luo Jialin seethed. If things continued this way, Luo Medical would be entirely sidelined.
As top executives pressured Luo Jialin daily, he refused to wait another three days. He called Du Yifan's lawyer, who convinced Huang Tiantian to move the surgery to the afternoon of the same day. The doctors, however, insisted on waiting at least one day for the drug's effect, so the operation was set for the following afternoon.
No one anticipated that President Zhang would go into shock before entering the OR, forcing an emergency resuscitation. Tragically, he never recovered—collapsing on the surgical table.
The OR doors swung open, and Huang Tiantian rushed in like a woman gone mad…