Inside Operation

There was no fateful encounter between them. On Feili's first day of university, she met the teaching assistant, Dimi'er, and immediately took a liking to the young man who shared her hair color. His modesty, his brilliance, his radiant presence, his gentle kindness... It wasn't that Feili had never met exceptional peers before, but none held such a strange, magnetic pull over her as Dimi'er did. Still, plenty of people liked Dimi'er. On her very first day at university, Feili had overheard no fewer than five people declare their intention to pursue him, and not all of them were women. Yet whenever she was in front of him, she became terribly nervous, stammering under her breath. Even though Dimi'er would listen to her gently, she still felt overwhelmingly embarrassed. Normally, she didn't dare approach him, doing no more than gazing at this campus idol from afar. At this moment, Feili suddenly remembered something and asked, "Senior Dimi'er won an award?" "Most likely." Senior Liya replied, "I saw on the school's online announcement of award-winning projects that there's 'Single Crystal of a New Carbon Allotrope.' That's a project Dimi'er and his team researched for ages; it couldn't be anyone else. Even on the University Cup's overall roster of winners, it's one of the most prestigious projects." Feili nodded, only half understanding. The University Cup was a competition held by the Jiashi University League, best known for its lavish cash prizes and widespread attention across various sectors. Barring especially niche fields, most winning projects received heavy investment or were even commercialized, making it a shortcut for university students to reach the pinnacle in a single bound. Even the Ministry of Education used University Cup award metrics to assess the performance of higher education institutions. Put simply, the more awards a university won, the larger its government funding for the following year. So it was no wonder Nebula University made such a grand spectacle of this award ceremony. After all, reporters were gathered nearby with their battery of cameras, and on top of that, the lab building explosion mess had happened just two days prior—what better way to wash away the bad luck than with a flurry of celebrations? Feili had also entered the University Cup's "Fashion Design Category," but strictly for the sake of participating and bagging some easy credits; she had zero chance of winning. As the chimes sounded, the students' chatter gradually subsided. A professor took the stage and announced in a clear, resonant voice: "Distinguished leaders, students, faculty, and guests from all walks of life, good morning. With the successful conclusion of the University Cup, our university is honored to have received eight award nominations..." "Eight?" "Weren't there only seven?" Forget the students—even the reporters who had prepared their drafts in advance were somewhat confused. The professor continued, "...Seven of them are regular nominations, and one is a special nomination added at the last minute. Because a project presented by a student of our university was so outstanding that it earned the strong endorsement of the University Cup Committee's Special Advisor, the committee has decided, in recognition of our student's exceptional achievements..." Feili didn't hear what followed. The opening remarks would last at least a few minutes, so she took the opportunity to slip away to the restroom. Just as she finished taking care of her business, she suddenly heard the footsteps of leather shoes outside. And the sound of men talking. "Did you see his face?" "Saw it. Freaking hilarious." Why were men talking in the women's restroom? Unless... Feili looked around. Among the "cheating services" and "exam leak" ads scribbled in the corner, she spotted a flier: "Meet Naughty Underclasswomen." Evidently, the target demographic for "naughty underclasswomen" did not include actual female underclassmen. This was her first time using the auditorium's restroom, and without paying close attention to the sign outside, she had accidentally walked into the wrong one... "That's what happens when someone snatches years of your hard work. Who told him to be so careless? Aside from running experiments, he didn't pay any attention to getting the paper published." "I can't believe he even showed up. If I were him, I'd have holed up in my room and shut everyone out, let alone come here to watch someone else take the award." Eh? Feili pricked up her ears, marveling that walking into the wrong restroom could yield such juicy gossip. Someone's University Cup winning project had actually been stolen by someone else? "Serves him right. Plenty of people in the school can't stand him. You think he's really that popular?" "Still, I find it a bit weird. Isn't his father a hospital director? He ought to have some social clout. Aren't Wulusi and the others afraid of..." "His father went missing over a month ago, right around the evaluation stage for the University Cup. My guess is Wulusi and the others only dared make a move because they knew about it. Otherwise, they'd have had some reservations." As the sound of urination ceased, the two men's conversation faded into the distance. Feili thought to herself: *They didn't even wash their hands... Wait, no, could the person they were talking about be Senior Dimi'er?* Someone who was both an award contender and the son of a hospital director—that could only be Senior Dimi'er. His father had gone missing a month ago? But how could an esteemed hospital director suddenly vanish? And the project Senior had researched for years had been completely stolen from him due to a moment of carelessness? Even knowing this, he had still forced himself to attend the ceremony, watching someone else claim his honor? Mulling this over, Feili pushed open the stall door. At the exact same time, the stall next to hers swung open as well. The blonde girl thought: *I'm done for. What if they mistake me for one of those naughty underclasswomen? Please don't let it be some thug. If he gets any bad ideas, whether I can beat him up or not, the rumor of me brawling with a guy in the men's restroom will haunt me for the rest of my college years.* When she turned her head, however, she saw hair as brilliantly golden as her own. Yet if she had a choice, she would rather have faced a bald, ferocious brute. "Miss Feili?" Dimi'er started, then chuckled. "You must have walked into the wrong restroom." "Senior Dimi'er," Feili murmured blankly, "did you... just now..." "Mm, I know." Dimi'er nodded. "Hurry on out. Lingering in the men's room isn't good for a lady's reputation." Feili lowered her head and gave a slight nod. She went over to wash her hands, pulled out some paper towels to dry them, and paused just before leaving. Summoning her courage, she looked at him. "Senior... are you all right?" "Thank you for your concern." Dimi'er gave a faint smile. "I'm fine." Feili said nothing more, keeping her head down the entire way back to her seat. Senior Liya glanced at her. "What took you so long? I thought bad students had dragged you off into the grove. I was just praying you'd find the courage to fight back." "Watch fewer of those videos, Senior," Feili said gloomily. "Though you can keep praying." Before long, as one award recipient stepped down, the professor on the rostrum announced loudly: "The next award is for the project that has won the University Cup Chemistry Award, 'Single Crystal of a New Carbon Allotrope'! Let us applaud and congratulate the two winning students—Wulusi Kamixie'er and Lasikasi Walunting!" The hall broke into an uproar. Many people turned their heads toward Dimi'er in the back. As a prominent figure at Nebula University, many naturally knew that the lead researcher for this project was Dimi'er Vosloda. Had it really been brazenly usurped in broad daylight? "Wulusi and Lasikasi?" Senior Liya was taken aback, then came to a sudden realization. "No wonder..." Feili asked, "No wonder what?" "Wulusi is the university president's nephew, and Lasikasi is the dean of students' son. Only people like them would dare rob Dimi'er of his project," Senior Liya said calmly. "Especially with Dimi'er having some family trouble lately... Though even if nothing had happened, with the stakes of the University Cup being so high, they probably would have made a move anyway. It's not like a hospital can reach its hands into a university." "Quiet, quiet." The professor began clapping of his own accord. "Will the two students please come forward to give their acceptance speech." "Anyone who makes another sound will be thrown out!" the dean of students stood up and snapped harshly. "And slapped with a major disciplinary violation!" Plenty of students knew the background of Wulusi and Lasikasi. With the dean of students putting his foot down like this, the crowd quickly fell silent. Causing trouble could actually earn you a major violation or even get you expelled. Furthermore, those truly close to Dimi'er were few. Even if they were his friends, who would risk ruining their own academic future to seek justice for him? Besides, their opponents were university leadership; for Wulusi and Lasikasi to dare walk onto the stage meant everything had already been arranged. Would speaking out do any good anyway? "It is a tremendous honor to receive this award," Wulusi said unabashedly on stage. "'Single Crystal of a New Carbon Isomorph' is a project Lasikasi and I researched for a long time..." The professor beside him suddenly corrected, "It's 'Single Crystal of a New Carbon Allotrope.'" "Right, right, basically the same thing," Wulusi continued. "Day in and day out, we buried ourselves in the lab, braving the elements, forgetting food and sleep. But the facts prove that sweat and diligence never go to waste. In earning this award, we relied on nothing other than talent and hard work..." Inside the auditorium, hardly anyone cared to listen to Wulusi's rubbish. Everyone was quietly watching Dimi'er in the back, as though expecting a hero to draw his sword and rise, or a madman to roar for vengeance... But nothing happened. The golden-haired young man sat quietly in his seat, staring down at his knees like a heap of burnt-out embers. No one was surprised by this outcome. Dimi'er was brilliant, came from a good family, and carried himself impeccably in every regard. He had only one flaw—he was too soft. To put it more bluntly, he was too cowardly. He never fought or scrambled, never made a fuss or threw a fit. He was like a wad of cotton to be beaten at will; even if someone stepped on his face, the thought of resisting would never cross his mind. Wulusi and Lasikasi surely understood what kind of person Dimi'er was, which was why they had targeted him. Out of the seven awards, they had deliberately chosen to steal Dimi'er's—they had clearly come prepared. "...Finally, I want to thank my family, my fellow students, and the school leadership for their support," Wulusi said with deep emotion. "Without you, I wouldn't have received this award—" "Indeed. Without them, how could you have stolen this award?" A voice rang through the auditorium. The crowd froze, heads snapping toward the golden-haired young man in the back. But they quickly realized their mistake—the voice was distinctly female. The one speaking was another splash of gold. The entire auditorium grew so quiet that dropping a Lalafell would have sounded like thunder. Everyone stared at Feili, who had risen to her feet, as if looking at a monster. Senior Liya stared blankly at Feili and rubbed her eyes. Feili didn't know why she had stood up either. She had never been such a brave, decisive person. Yet when she heard those two talking so maliciously about Dimi'er, when she saw Dimi'er forcing a hollow smile, when she watched those two shameless thieves parading on stage after robbing someone else's achievement, while Dimi'er sat below as humble as dirt... a massive surge of fury erupted within her. It shouldn't be like this. It couldn't be like this. She wouldn't allow it to be like this! Dimi'er had barely interacted with her—they hadn't exchanged ten sentences in two years, hadn't even traded phone numbers... but she was still determined to stick her neck out for him! Wulusi's face darkened so severely that even the stage lights couldn't mask it. The dean of students rose and barked, "State your major, student ID, and name! To cause trouble at an important event like this—do you have any idea what you're doing?!" "Fashion Design, ID 680435, Feili Lena!" Feili shouted back, "I know exactly what I'm doing! I am openly reporting that the University Cup award evaluations are rigged behind the scenes—someone who shouldn't have won received an award!" "Presumptuous! The University Cup is judged by the committee with absolute fairness and impartiality! How dare a mere student question it!" The dean of students was furious. "Where is her counselor? Escort her out!" The professor: "Um..." Dimi'er suddenly stood up and bowed deeply toward Feili. "Thank you very much for speaking out on my behalf, Miss Feili, but I don't want to drag you into this." Turning around, he declared loudly, "This has nothing to do with Miss Feili. The one questioning the University Cup evaluations for foul play is me, Dimi'er Vosloda! I am now openly reporting Wulusi and Lasikasi for usurping my research findings!" "Throw them out!" the dean of students yelled in fury. "If you have questions or complaints, follow the official channels instead of making a scene here! Students these days have no sense of propriety!" The professor: "Um..." Senior Liya suddenly rose as well. "I want to report them too! What the hell do those two idiots Wulusi and Lasikasi know about chemistry? Can they even explain the chemical properties of carbon?!" The dean of students waved his arm forcefully. "Security! Get all these troublemakers—" *Bzzzz—* A piercing feedback screech echoed from the loudspeakers across the entire auditorium. Once the noise died down and everyone fell silent, the professor on stage finally said with satisfaction, "My apologies, Professor Anbide. Feili Lena cannot leave." The dean of students was taken aback. "Why can't she?" "Because she must come on stage next to accept her award." The professor cleared his throat. "The next award is for the project that has won the University Cup Special Fashion Award, 'Myth of the Stars and Moon'! Let us congratulate the winning student—Feili Lena!" Liya was stunned. The dean of students was dumbfounded. The entire hall fell into an eerie silence—*Special Fashion Award?* Naturally, the most bewildered of all was Feili. She knew her own capabilities; how could an entry she had slapped together in three hours possibly win an award? "In order to specially commend Student Feili's outstanding work, the Special Advisor of the University Cup Committee has come in person to present her award." The professor extended a hand toward the wings. "Now, please welcome our guest presenter—" "Mr. Yaxiu Heath." When Yaxiu appeared on the rostrum and waved at her with a smile, Feili came to a crystal-clear realization: The University Cup was, indeed, rigged.