The officer questioning Zhang Chengyou wasn't in a rush.
"Two months ago, we received a report from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. There was an incident involving a crowd causing a disturbance and injuring others—specifically, Dr. Shu Lanzhou was assaulted."
"That incident led to the exposure of the Mu Group's counterfeit cosmetic products. Dr. Shu chose to forgive the attackers, believing they were victims misled by fake products, so we didn't open a formal case at the time."
"However, as our investigation deepened and the evidence mounted, we discovered that the incident at the hospital was, in fact, a deliberate and organized attempt to slander and frame."
"Just two hours ago, Mr. Mu Side, a shareholder of the hospital and one of the operators of the Mu Group, submitted a formal case filing to the police."
"He also provided key evidence. So, Zhang Chengyou, are you going to come clean now, or do we have to lay out the evidence piece by piece for you?"
"…"
By the time Zhang Chengyou was arrested, Shu Lanzhou had already returned to the hospital from the police station.
Currently, she held outpatient consultations three days a week, spent two days in the lab, and used the remaining two days for study and family—one day visiting the old Mu residence to read medical texts and refine her acupuncture techniques, and the other reserved for time with Mu Side.
No matter how busy work got, time with family was non-negotiable.
That day, as she arrived for clinic hours, she had just stepped through the hospital entrance when Chen Yue ran up to her in a flurry.
"Dr. Shu, could you please help me out? A few of my friends want you to take a look at their faces."
Following Chen Yue's gaze, Shu Lanzhou saw several young women wearing masks. The visible parts of their foreheads were covered in red bumps, just like Chen Yue's had been before.
If they kept their faces covered much longer, their skin might deteriorate beyond repair.
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Bring them up. But I don't have unlimited time. Acupuncture takes a while, and I can't delay the patients who've already made appointments. You'll have to wait a bit."
"No problem, we can wait." Chen Yue waved the others over eagerly.
Shu Lanzhou had a nurse arrange for their intake.
By the time she finished seeing all the patients, it was already 10 PM.
Chen Yue looked apologetic. "I'm really sorry, Dr. Shu, for making you work overtime like this. It's just that they're all like me—victims of the Luoshi whitening cream."
"They didn't trust anyone else. After they saw the post I made online about how you cured me, they messaged me privately. I understood their pain, so I brought them here."
Shu Lanzhou waved it off. "No need to be so formal. It's not like I'm working for free. You're all paying consultation fees."
"It's not the same," Chen Yue said with a shake of her head, smiling. "You're not just a great doctor. You actually care. If it weren't for you, who knows where I'd be now."
"I might've sold my apartment and gone back to my hometown. Or worse… maybe I'd have done something really stupid. But now look at me—my skin's almost fully healed, even better than before."
"And because I spoke up online, I got a new job. Plus… this is just between us—Wu Shan's not as cold to me anymore."
"I feel like if I keep trying, I might actually win him over. And it's all thanks to you reaching out to help me. I really, really mean it."
"You have no idea how grateful I am…"
The more she talked, the more emotional she became, holding onto Shu Lanzhou's hands with sincere, tearful gratitude.
"Alright, alright," Shu Lanzhou said with a gentle smile. "It's getting late. Go home and get some rest. Don't forget what I told you—watch your diet, and apply your meds on time."
She patted Chen Yue's hand lightly. "I'm a doctor. It's my job to heal people. And besides, this incident involved the Mu Group."
"If you really want to thank me, then spread the word. Tell your friends more about traditional Chinese medicine. Give us your trust."
"Oh, you don't even have to ask," Chen Yue said with confidence. "With your skills, if I ever feel the slightest discomfort, you'll be the first person I go to."
"…"
After Chen Yue left, Shu Lanzhou turned around to see Mu Side leaning against the car door, waiting for her.
It was late, so her husband had come to pick her up personally.
She jogged up to him. "You've been waiting a while, huh? I had a few extra patients today, so I got delayed."
"The lawyer representing Chen Yue told me she started an online group called 'Mutual Support Beauty Group,'" Mu Side said as he opened the car door for her. "It's full of people experiencing skin problems after using Luoshi products."
"The group filled up so fast that she had to start a secondary one. Skin issues are popping up more and more among past Luoshi users."
"That means… I might get even more patients soon?" Shu Lanzhou looked genuinely surprised. "Sounds like I need to prepare ahead of time."
The acupuncture clinic at the hospital already had several doctors, many of whom had studied under Mu Yaning in earlier years. They were fully capable of handling standard acupuncture procedures.
As Mu Side drove them home, he continued:
"With Chen Yue's formal report, Luo Jialin's company is now under investigation. Their product sales have almost plummeted to zero, and more victims are speaking out."
"Once the case is fully uncovered, just the compensation claims alone will be enough to sink them."
Shu Lanzhou's expression turned cold. "Serves them right. They wanted fast money and didn't care about people's health. Now let's see how they plan to clean up this mess."
Mu Side hummed in agreement.
"I heard that the profits were funneled into the research center and used by Han Weicheng for his new project. Luo Jialin barely saw any of the money. They might not even have enough to pay the settlements."
"And apparently, the original formula submitted to the factory wasn't the one used in production. The final version was secretly swapped by Xiao Anning."
"I investigated—Han Weicheng was introduced to Zhang Chengyou by Xiao Anning. Originally, Zhang wanted to build a research center in Shen City and partner with the National Hospital."
Shu Lanzhou let out a sigh. "Sounds like Zhang Chengyou was set up by Xiao Anning, and then Han Weicheng dragged Luo Jialin down with him. Now that everything's falling apart, neither of them can escape the fallout."
"Be extra careful going to and from work," Mu Side warned with a frown. "I'm worried they'll lash out. Especially Han Weicheng…"
"This guy's proven he's capable of anything. And don't forget the Zhang family. Some of their convicted members are getting released soon."
"Now that Zhang Chengyou's been arrested, who knows if they'll come looking for trouble."
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Got it. I'll stay alert. But you should be careful too. They're more likely to target you than me."
"…"
Just as Shu Lanzhou had suspected, from that day on her clinic became increasingly busy. Chen Yue brought many more people, and by the time Shu returned home each evening, her arms were sore from overwork.
She kept this pace up for half a month before she finally got a break and managed to get home on time.
But the hard work wasn't for nothing—more and more people online began posting about using acupuncture to treat skin issues.
Shu Lanzhou's acupuncture clinic became something of a sensation. Ironically, Han Weicheng's unethical actions ended up giving her practice some unexpected publicity.
It might not be polite to say, but it was true.
As the number of patients seeking traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture steadily grew, Shu Lanzhou discussed with Mu Yaning the idea of building a specialized acupuncture treatment team.
They even planned to incorporate the acupuncture robots developed by Ke Beichen's company into the clinic.
While they were immersed in these preparations, news finally came in—Chen Yue's case had reached a conclusion.