Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1648: Chapter 1632: Talking Back

Zhao Hongru shouted at the group of students, long gone was his former confident demeanor when he first opened the laboratory.

The reason he was so furious was because he had invested his own money and that of several investors into this endeavor.

To successfully start the laboratory, he even mortgaged several of his properties to take out a loan. If this research fails, he’d truly be on the verge of bankruptcy, left with nothing.

However, heaven did not seem to be on his side. No matter how much he pleaded and prayed, his research continued to fail time and time again.

Countless precious herbs were wasted; even the students showed looks of distress, not to mention Zhao Hongru who had funded the project.

“Timing, haven’t I told you to pay attention to timing? I’ve taught you for so long, and you let it go in one ear and out the other, right?”

Seeing jar after jar of samples being wasted, Zhao Hongru could no longer hold his composure; his face contorted, and he rushed up to a student responsible for handling the flame, yelling furiously at him.

The student’s name was Shi Kunlin, and he came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Originally, Shi Kunlin could have inherited his family’s business, but admiring Zhao Hongru’s reputation in clinical medicine, he insisted on studying Western medicine under Zhao Hongru, against his family’s wishes.

Yet he hadn’t learned much about Western medicine but was instead assigned to maintain the fire under the boiler.

When Zhao Hongru said they would be conducting research, Shi Kunlin thought he had finally been recognized and valued by his mentor, so they were being brought in to study a Western medicine project.

However, upon arriving at the laboratory, Shi Kunlin discovered that his teacher, for some unknown reason, decided to delve into traditional Chinese pharmacology, and required them to prepare decoctions.

This left Shi Kunlin feeling both disappointed and increasingly doubtful of the teacher he had admired for so long, and as time passed, his dissatisfaction grew.

Now, in front of so many students, with Zhao Hongru yelling at him indiscriminately, Shi Kunlin, being in his twenties, certainly had self-respect. Being scolded by Zhao Hongru and enduring the mocking or sympathetic looks from other students made Shi Kunlin feel like he was burning up inside, and anger flared in his eyes.

He tore off the white gloves he was wearing and threw them on the ground, raising his head to stare directly at Zhao Hongru:

“Professor Zhao, I regarded you as my life mentor and worked very hard to get accepted by you. I came to learn principles of Western medicine and clinical experience, not to be an errand boy stoking your fires!”

“You! Do you know what you’re saying? How dare you talk back to me? Do you not want to continue?”

Zhao Hongru hadn’t expected Shi Kunlin to have such nerve, to actually talk back to him. He was livid: “Do you believe me when I say that with just one word from me, you won’t graduate smoothly as a postgraduate?”

This was why the other students feared Zhao Hongru and dared not speak out—because he controlled the issuance of their graduation certificates, essentially holding their futures hostage.

However, the other students’ fear of Zhao Hongru didn’t mean Shi Kunlin was afraid of him too.

He had his family business to fall back on. Even if Zhao Hongru expelled him, he could pack up and go home to inherit his family’s Chinese medicine business and never starve.

So upon hearing Zhao Hongru’s words, Shi Kunlin couldn’t help but smirk:

“Professor Zhao, what do you take us for, as your servants to order around as you please? We spent so much money to come here, not to dabble with these things for you. If we truly wanted to study traditional Chinese medicine, there are countless masters here in the Imperial Capital, so why would we come to you?”

“Now that I’ve dared to confront you today, I’m not afraid of you revoking any degree. I’m not participating in your research! Find someone else if you’d like!”

Saying this, Shi Kunlin took off his lab coat, making it clear he was quitting.

Shi Kunlin’s attitude instantly enraged Professor Zhao, who couldn’t help but curse at Shi Kunlin:

“You little brat, is this how your parents taught you? Once a teacher, always a father; you can’t even handle such a small task without losing your temper. Do you really think I’m worth nothing in this Imperial Capital? Let me tell you, once you walk out of this door today, I’ll find a way to make sure you never make it in the medical field!”

Not making it in the medical field? Upon hearing this, Shi Kunlin burst into laughter:

“Professor, you dare speak such words? Aren’t you afraid of biting your tongue? I believe you might have some connections in the Imperial Capital, but can you reach Yun Province? No matter what you say, you don’t have that kind of power, right? If you did, you wouldn’t be at this point, still in this state. Am I wrong?”

Zhao Hongru was nearly exploding with anger as Shi Kunlin’s words hit him right where it hurt. Especially after he had stubbornly resigned from Yulong Mountain and faced obstacles in his research, Zhao Hongru had already begun to feel regret, thinking that leaving to pursue this miracle drug was a mistake.

However, for the sake of pride, he wasn’t willing to admit his mistake. Instead, he became more bullheaded, insisting on sticking to this experiment, determined to develop that drug and not be underestimated by others!

But being confronted by Shi Kunlin angered Zhao Hongru, especially since Shi Kunlin’s disdainful gaze made Zhao Hongru feel unprecedented humiliation. He picked up a medicine jar beside him and smashed it on the ground, shouting:

“Get out, get out! Shi Kunlin, I’m telling you, you’re expelled. From today, you are no longer my student. You better pray we never cross paths again!”

Shi Kunlin couldn’t care less about Zhao Hongru’s words. He shrugged, smiled, and said:

“You don’t need to say it, I didn’t plan to continue learning from you anyway. Better to go back and study on my own than waste time here.”

Shi Kunlin picked up his things and headed for the door. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, turned around, and gave Zhao Hongru a mischievous look, saying with a half-smile:

“Oh, right, Professor Zhao, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

“The Shi family back in Yun Province is also a well-known family of traditional Chinese medicine. I’ve been immersed in it since childhood and have a certain understanding and study of Chinese pharmacology.”

“Although I don’t know what exactly you’re trying to develop, let me tell you this: following this recipe, I guarantee you won’t brew what you want even if you make ten thousand jars!”