Xiao Anning must've been brainwashed by Han Weicheng to think the Mu family abandoned him back then.
Very quickly, even Xiao Anning's voice faded out of earshot. He hadn't been taken into the interrogation room, and soon his figure disappeared from Shi Lanzhou and Mu Side's sight.
Shi Lanzhou shook her head. "Why does everyone keep telling me I'm just a tool of the Mu family?"
"Are you scared?" Mu Side turned his head to look at her.
Shi Lanzhou smiled faintly. "Are you going to toss me aside like a rag, or sacrifice me the moment something happens to the Mu Corporation?"
"No." Mu Side shook his head.
"You've boarded the Mu family's ship. That means we share the same fate now. Whether we sail forward with the wind or sink to the bottom, you'll be on board with me."
He wasn't like his aunt. He couldn't let Shi Lanzhou go. Truly loving someone means sharing both glory and disgrace.
Shi Lanzhou chuckled. "Don't worry. Wherever you are, I'll be there too. I won't leave you. And the Mu family's ship isn't that easy to sink. I'm not afraid."
The two of them returned home after leaving the police station.
Mu Side gestured for her to rest.
"No rush. The situation online has escalated enough. It's time to clarify things. I'm just afraid that if we delay any longer, it might affect Mu Corp's stock price once the market opens," Shi Lanzhou said, clearly more anxious than Mu Side.
Mu Side took her hand. "Leave this to me. Go get some rest. Don't you still have to go to the hospital this afternoon?"
"Fine then, I'll take a nap. If anything comes up, call me." Shi Lanzhou didn't argue with him. She got up, took a shower, and headed to the bedroom.
After she fell asleep, Mu Side sat down in the living room and opened his laptop.
On the trending pages of several major news platforms, Xiao Anning's post was still at the top. Comments had surpassed a hundred thousand. Mu Side picked up his phone—both the missed calls and unread messages were overflowing.
The entire internet was demanding an explanation from the Mu Corporation, while keyboard warriors hurled insults at the Mu family.
Mu Medical and the Mu family's acupuncture techniques had reached an unprecedented level of attention—now everyone knew about them.
Mu Side hadn't expected to receive that many missed calls.
From classmates, colleagues, and family members to business partners with vested interests—everyone was calling to ask what was going on.
Mu Corporation was now involved with far too many enterprises. If anything happened to Mu Corp, those affiliated companies would suffer as well.
Unlike twenty years ago, when Mu Corp only ran a single affiliated traditional hospital, under Mu Rongxie's leadership, their ventures had greatly expanded.
Mu Side called them back one by one, calming them down. Then, he issued an official statement through Mu Corp's website.
In addition to the website announcement, he also contacted He Xin, Long Xingyue, and Ke Beichen.
After doing everything that needed to be done, Mu Side shut his laptop and went to shower.
When he got into bed, Shi Lanzhou rolled over and snuggled right into his arms.
Mu Side smiled softly, kissed her forehead, pulled her closer, and tugged the covers over them before closing his eyes.
They slept deeply. Before going to bed, Mu Side had turned off both of their phones and forwarded all calls to Mu Rongxie.
Mu Ershu spent the whole morning answering calls and didn't have time to check stock prices or read online updates—his only source of information was the flood of phone calls.
By the time he finally finished a morning full of meetings and thought to call Mu Side for an update, it was already noon.
At that moment, Shi Lanzhou and Mu Side were just waking up, their stomachs growling in hunger. They'd caught up on sleep—but now it was time to eat.
Shi Lanzhou still had to perform acupuncture on Han Weicheng at the national hospital that afternoon, so waking up when she did was perfect timing.
After a meal, they headed to the hospital. As soon as they entered, they were swarmed by familiar nurses.
"Dr. Shi, you're amazing!"
"Seriously, that kind of villain got exactly what he deserved."
"Right? As doctors, we're always too passive. One complaint and we're in trouble, even when we're being wronged!"
"I'll say this—the Mu family's confidence comes from real skill. After all these years, it was time to speak up. If they hadn't clarified things, they'd have kept being scapegoated!"
Shi Lanzhou was confused. "What are you all talking about?"
"You don't know yet? The internet is practically celebrating New Year's—and you, of all people, don't know?"
That's when Shi Lanzhou remembered what Mu Side said before she took her nap. She smiled. "Haven't had time to check the news. I'll take a look in a bit."
Waving the nurses off, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through the updates as she walked to Han Weicheng's ward.
She hadn't even reached the room when Zhao Huanhuan came flying down the hall.
"Senior! Big news! That Zhang family mother and son are causing a ruckus in the inpatient ward. Mrs. Zhang insisted her son's been injured and claims it was your doing!"
"Young Master Zhang won't admit it and is demanding to be discharged. Their bickering disturbed other patients. During the hospital's attempt to de-escalate, Mrs. Zhang actually injured a nurse and has just been taken away by the police."
Zhao Huanhuan clicked her tongue. "That woman is unbelievable. Her son literally said he fainted and that you saved him, and she still insists he was hurt."
"I mean—if one tiny acupuncture needle could knock out a grown man, why even study medicine? We should be learning martial arts. A needle in hand, fear no one across the land!"
"Whoever wrongs me, I'll stab 'em! Right, Senior?"
Shi Lanzhou was surprised. She didn't expect Young Master Zhang to admit he'd fainted on his own. Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for a peaceful resolution between the Mu and Zhang families.
But what they needed wasn't temporary peace—it was a final, once-and-for-all resolution, so the Zhang family would never bring up the past again.
She patted Zhao Huanhuan on the arm. "Have they left already? I'll go take a look."
"They've gone. No point in checking. Let's go give Han Weicheng his acupuncture." Zhao Huanhuan pulled Shi Lanzhou along.
Two hours earlier.
After waking up, Zhang Zhe scrolled through his phone and burst into a bitter laugh.
"So this is their solution? Utter stupidity." He handed the phone to Wu Xiuli. "Look, didn't I tell you? The Mu family isn't afraid of us kicking up a fuss."
"They've got the confidence. Even if the past is dug up, they face it head-on. Mom, we've lost. Let's go through the discharge process."
Wu Xiuli read the news online. Beneath Xiao Anning's post was a response from Mu Corp's official account, along with a link.
Clicking the link brought up a screenshot of a police investigation report.
It stated: years ago, when Old Master Zhang fell gravely ill, Old Master Mu used Mu-style acupuncture to try and save him. The technique was extremely aggressive, and the Zhang family had signed an informed consent form beforehand.
Later, during the procedure, Old Master Zhang passed away. The Zhang family filed a report, believing it to be a medical accident, and requested a police investigation, hoping to hold Old Master Mu accountable.
The investigation concluded that there was no negligence on Old Master Mu's part. The Zhang family had acknowledged the risk beforehand, and thus the incident did not constitute a medical accident.
Old Master Mu bore no liability.
There was another link at the bottom, which apparently led to the Mu Corporation's official site.
Wu Xiuli clicked it and saw a prominent section detailing the history between the Mu and Zhang families.
It explained that after Old Master Zhang's death, Old Master Mu, burdened by guilt for not being able to save his old friend, voluntarily resigned and stopped practicing medicine altogether. In other words, he quit being a doctor.
At least, he no longer treated patients publicly.
But the Zhang family harbored resentment. Leveraging their social status and political connections at the time—especially considering Old Master Zhang's identity—they launched an all-out assault on the Mu family.