Lu Jiaojiao looked at the crowd. "Everyone, please get back to work."
Without so much as a glance at Rong Yu, she lifted her chin, brushed past Rong Yu's shoulder, and walked into her office.
Rong Yu smiled. "Mo, forget it if she doesn't want to retract the paper. There's no need to force her."
Ji Mohan understood what Great-Grandma meant.
He carried Rong Yu's bag, escorted her into the lab, and then strode into Lu Jiaojiao's office.
Lu Jiaojiao sat in her swivel chair, idly playing with the senior researcher badge in her hands. Her eyes traveled upward from beneath her glasses, calmly meeting Ji Mohan's gaze. "Have you come to demand justice for Rong Yu?"
"So, you know perfectly well what you're doing is wrong, but you're going ahead with it anyway?" Ji Mohan braced his hands on the desk. "Let's not discuss anything else for now. This paper's experiments aren't even finished. Senior Researcher Lu, I'm asking you to retract this paper immediately."
"Those few unfinished control group experiments don't affect the core findings," Lu Jiaojiao pushed her glasses up. "Do you know how the field is evaluating this paper? They're calling it groundbreaking research. Do you know why Professor Li was so eager for me to publish? Because the Materials Institute has gone too long without any innovative research. This paper can restore the Institute's prestige... and it can help me become an associate professor in the shortest possible time."
She continued slowly, "You're the second author. This will be a shining entry on your resume too. Or do you intend to stay in the junior researcher position forever?"
"As for Rong Yu," her voice turned icy, "she doesn't even have a professional rank. How could I possibly add her name? It would make us a laughingstock."
Ji Mohan laughed, a sound born of extreme anger. "Suit yourself."
The key points of this experiment hadn't even been cracked, yet she couldn't wait to publish first and claim the first authorship.
Fine. Let's see if she can handle the consequences.
Ji Mohan turned and left without another word.
It was the first time Lu Jiaojiao had seen such an expression on Ji Mohan's face.
Her own face tightened involuntarily.
What if Ji Mohan, for Rong Yu's sake, started spreading word about her past? She would definitely face scrutiny from all sides.
Forget it. Consider it giving Ji Mohan some face.
After all, he had genuinely helped her a lot these past few years. No need to ruin things over this.
She took out her phone and made a call. "...I'm sorry, about the paper I sent yesterday, we're missing a third author's name. Is it still possible to add it now?"
The person on the other end was very accommodating. "Of course. Please provide the third author's name, professional rank... and a personal photo."
Lu Jiaojiao found a photo of Rong Yu online and sent it over.
Rong Yu and Ji Mohan worked in the lab until late at night, finally completing the control experiments. Rong Yu analyzed the data, Ji Mohan compiled the report. They worked together seamlessly, quickly finishing up and starting to clean the lab.
"Mo, come here for a moment."
Professor Li suddenly appeared at the lab door, knocking with a very stern expression.
Ji Mohan put down his things and walked over.
The moment he entered the office, Professor Li picked up a stack of documents from his desk and threw them at Ji Mohan's head, his face furious. "I heard from Jiaojiao that you insisted she add Rong Yu's name as the third author. Is that true?"
Ji Mohan frowned. "How could that be? I..."
It was an immature research paper. He wished he could remove his own name as second author. Why would he ever ask Lu Jiaojiao to add Great-Grandma's name?
"Look at the mess online!" Professor Li's face was livid with anger. "They're saying our Institute is corrupted by capital, guilty of academic misconduct. They're not just attacking Rong Yu, they're dragging the entire Materials Institute through the mud..."
Ji Mohan leaned in to look at the computer screen.
After Lu Jiaojiao published the paper, it caused a significant stir within the academic circle, but it was just news within that community, unrelated to the entertainment world.
Until 3 PM, when the paper editors retracted and re-published it, this time with an added third author: Rong Yu. The news page listed the three authors in order.
First author: Lu Jiaojiao.
Second author: Ji Mohan.
Both were from the Materials Institute and had previously published significant papers, so netizens didn't find that odd.
But the third author: Rong Yu.
An excessively beautiful photo stood out glaringly on the page introducing this scientific achievement.
The internet exploded.
"This is the most authoritative domestic platform for publishing papers. A celebrity's name actually appears as the third author?"
"Holy crap, isn't this Rong Yu, the one who starred in the milestone Chinese aerospace promotional film? What, playing a researcher on screen wasn't enough, she has to play one off-screen too?"
"A celebrity doing scientific research? Don't make me laugh. She probably can't even tell the difference between quantum mechanics and cosmetic ingredients."
"Pay attention, everyone. The official platform retracted the paper first, then added Rong Yu's name. Did capital buy its way in?"
"Hah, researchers work their fingers to the bone, and she just waltzes in to pick the fruit? Does she think the research community is the entertainment industry?"
"..."
Since the end of the talent show, among the nine who debuted, only Rong Yu, due to two national promotional films, had gained massive exposure, secretly making countless enemies.
Once this public opinion emerged, rival fans eagerly took the chance to kick her while she was down.
Even the Materials Institute was affected.
"This is a major academic achievement, and a celebrity can still latch onto it? All I can say is the Materials Institute's integrity is probably compromised."
"I heard she has powerful backing. This forced inclusion of her name on the paper is just to gild her resume and maintain her 'scholar' persona."
"Her fans are still bragging in her fan community about how 'big sister is bringing glory to the country.' Hilarious. So researchers go bald from hard work, but it's the celebrity who gets the credit for posing in a promo?"
"The Materials Institute is rotten to the core, letting a celebrity meddle in academia. They should be thoroughly investigated..."
Professor Li slammed the table. "If you hadn't forced Lu Jiaojiao to add Rong Yu's name, our Institute wouldn't have become public enemy number one. Tell me, how should we handle this?"
Ji Mohan looked up, his voice low and serious. "For this project, Rong Yu was the initiator and the principal lead. The experiments weren't even finished before Lu Jiaojiao rushed to publish the paper. I believe, Professor Li, you should first hold Lu Jiaojiao accountable."
Professor Li let out a short laugh. "You're telling me a celebrity, a high school student without any professional rank, is the lead on a major project?"
Ji Mohan's voice was heavy. "Professor Li, perhaps you should consider this: if Rong Yu had no capability, why would the Fourth Aerospace Institute trust her so completely, letting her shoulder such a major responsibility alone?"
"Because she has capital backing her," Professor Li said coldly. "She's from the Fourth Aerospace Institute, so it's not convenient for me to take direct action against her. You go tell her that since the paper is already published, this project is hereby terminated. She doesn't need to come in tomorrow."
A wave of anger surged through Ji Mohan.
But he quickly let it go.
His emotions settled into calm. "Fine. Let it be so."
He returned to the lab and saw Rong Yu still tidying the equipment. She carefully put every device back in its place, as if handling precious treasures.
This Great-Grandma of his was being subjected to all kinds of insults.
For some reason, a pang of sourness hit his nose, and his eyes instantly reddened.
