"This whole thing is far too much of a coincidence—I can't help but suspect something's going on." Shu Lanzhou glanced at the time. "I'm going to remove the needle now. Brace yourself. As for what I just said, think it over carefully."
"If you're willing, I can have our team come over shortly to help you draft the statement and begin taking action."
Chen Yue shook her head. "I need more time to think. I may not be famous, but I'm still in the entertainment industry. One wrong move and I'll be ruined. If that happens, my dreams will be completely destroyed."
"Unless my face recovers enough to face the cameras again, I won't step forward."
Pfft… Shu Lanzhou pulled out the needle with a chuckle. "You misunderstood. When I said step forward, I didn't mean you had to face the media or expose them right now. I meant that when the time is right, you'll be willing to speak up."
"As for the rest—online statements, legal action, collecting evidence—we'll handle all of that. But we can't go after the Luo Corporation without a victim's testimony."
She paused. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I get it. You want to use my name to go after Luo Corporation?" Chen Yue, who had read her share of novels and news reports, began to wonder if this was what they called a capital war or corporate battle.
Shu Lanzhou nodded, then shook her head.
"Something like that, but not entirely. Our goal is to expose the real issues with Luo Corporation's products. We don't want them to quietly sweep this under the rug while everyone's distracted by the Mu family's scandal."
Chen Yue thought it over.
"It's not impossible. But we're talking about Luo Corporation here. You'll have to guarantee my safety. And you have to fix my face. If I'm not fully recovered, I won't show up in court."
"Deal." Shu Lanzhou extended her hand decisively, reaching a preliminary agreement with Chen Yue. "I'll have my lawyer and assistant come over soon. You'll need to sign a few authorization documents."
"Also, you'll need to come with me to the hospital. Your face needs a systematic treatment plan."
"…"
Everything was going far more smoothly than Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side had anticipated. Once the lawyers and assistants arrived, Shu Lanzhou handed off the remaining tasks to Mu Side and stopped following up directly.
Chen Yue was surprisingly cooperative. She returned to the hospital twice, and by the third day, the acne on her face had cleared up. The areas that had festered were also healing steadily. She was getting anxious again.
Still, remembering her past mistakes, she diligently came to the hospital for acupuncture and applied her medication without complaint…
When Wu Shan heard about her situation, he sighed deeply, thinking to himself that if he hadn't listened to her and had pursued only efficiency, he might've destroyed someone's face as well.
During those three days of treatment, Mu Side was also busy. With Chen Yue's permission, she published a post about the incident using Chen Yue's personal account.
Major social media marketing accounts that Mu Side had contacted began to share the post. It quickly went viral.
Within three days, Mu Side's legal team had already received private messages from over a hundred victims—all of whom had used Luo Corporation's products.
After three days, accompanied by a lawyer, Chen Yue went to the police station to file a report. The case was officially opened, and the investigation into the safety concerns of Luo Corporation's products began.
Around the same time, the Mu family's counterfeit product case also reached a conclusion.
Thanks to Nan Xi's ongoing investigative coverage, the case drew an unprecedented level of public attention online.
One month after the disturbance at the Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital, the counterfeit product case was officially closed. On the day of the announcement, Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side went to the police station together.
Officer Cai, who had been in charge of the case, handed them the final investigation documents to sign.
"According to our investigation, all users who experienced facial issues after using your product were found to have used counterfeit items."
"The problematic products were all produced and sold by a cosmetics company called 'Baijia Daily Chemicals.'"
"That company has been around for less than a year. Its owner was previously unemployed. He saw an investment opportunity online, contacted the investor, received a sum of funding, and established the business."
"He claims the investor had no involvement in the company's operations and didn't even know what kind of business he was running. They only signed a profit-sharing agreement to receive dividends at the end of the year."
"We've arrested the owner and shut down his illegal factory. The investor has also been summoned for questioning."
"We'll submit the investigation results to the prosecution. The legal proceedings will follow standard procedure. You are entitled to file a series of civil lawsuits against the operator of 'Baijia Daily Chemicals.'"
"Also, we found that the disturbance at the Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital wasn't coincidental. Someone orchestrated it—it was a coordinated smear campaign."
"However, since actual victims were involved, the injuries you sustained, Dr. Shu, are hard to classify. If you want to hold the organizers accountable, it may not be easy."
Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "It was a minor injury—I didn't intend to pursue it. But since you've identified the organizer, shouldn't it be possible to find out their motives?"
Officer Cai nodded.
"According to his statement, he just wanted to extort money from you. He assumed you'd be afraid of bad publicity and would pay for peace. He didn't expect you to pursue it so aggressively."
Shu Lanzhou had a feeling he wasn't telling the whole truth.
And sure enough…
Officer Cai continued: "After further investigation, we discovered a large sum of money had recently been deposited into one of his family member's accounts. The funds came from an offshore account."
"We haven't yet identified the party behind the transfer, so the matter has been handed over to a specialized unit for further investigation. We'll inform you once we have results."
Shu Lanzhou nodded.
"Thank you, Officer Cai. This incident has blown up to such a degree that it's seriously affected our hospital and Mu Corporation's reputation. Could the police issue a public investigation announcement?"
"You have my word," Officer Cai replied.
"Thanks to Journalist Nan's detailed reporting, we'll definitely issue a conclusive announcement to the public—to both clarify the truth and restore your reputations."
Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side exchanged a smile. "Thank you, Officer Cai."
As they were leaving, they ran into Zhang Chengyou being escorted into the police station. His gaze burned with hatred as he glared at the two of them. As they passed each other, he let out a contemptuous snort.
"He was the investor?" Shu Lanzhou turned to Mu Side.
Mu Side nodded. "It was indeed him. I've already submitted all the evidence we gathered to the police. Once the Luo Corporation case is fully investigated, the cases will likely be merged."
"Even if Zhang Chengyou tries to pin everything on the owner of 'Baijia Daily Chemicals,' he won't escape legal consequences."
That very afternoon, the police released an official investigation announcement.
Nan Xi also published a detailed report chronicling the entire investigation process, including footage taken during the inquiry.
Because Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side had requested full coverage from the beginning, and Nan Xi had consistently updated the public with new developments, the Mu family's counterfeit case had remained highly visible.
With the release of the police's investigation results and Nan Xi's comprehensive report, public interest in the case skyrocketed.
Mu Corporation's Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Mu Side's new pharmaceutical company, Mu Corporation as a whole, as well as Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side's names all became trending search topics.
The controversial product was thrust back into the spotlight.
Experts and relevant organizations came forward, stating that Mu Corporation's product was made entirely from natural Chinese herbal ingredients, with no chemical additives whatsoever.
Early adopters even posted self-funded testing reports.
Other users began sharing their personal experiences and results.
Wu Shan was one of them. He uploaded comparison photos showing his progress over one, two, and three months.
His lead inspired more users to share their results.
The general consensus was that the moisturizing cream worked incredibly well, and although the brightening cream took longer to show effects, it was just as effective.
The key point? After using the products, users noticed a significant improvement in skin texture—softer, smoother, and visibly lighter. Even after stopping use, their skin didn't regress. There was no dependency. It was well worth the purchase.
In no time, Mu Side's pharmaceutical skincare company was swamped with orders. Some even suggested that Mu Corporation, which had never before launched a cosmetics line, should consider developing more products given the success of these two.
Just as the Mu Corporation's counterfeit scandal reached a satisfying conclusion…
Han Weicheng's days, on the other hand, were about to get a lot worse…