Well then—Shu Lanzhou hadn't even remembered this part. She hadn't planned on being nervous at all, but now, she was starting to get nervous.
Previously, all her energy had been focused on sabotaging Luo Jialin's plan to target Dong Anlan. But now, she had to seriously consider her own situation.
At a high-profile business banquet like this, what should a country girl like her—who knew absolutely nothing about these kinds of formal occasions—be mindful of, so she wouldn't get thrown out before even getting a chance to find Dong Anlan?
Fortunately, ever since they got out of the car, Mu Side had been holding her hand tightly—without the slightest intention of letting go.
As soon as the two of them stepped into the venue, they drew a wave of murmured exclamations.
"Where did this golden couple come from? I don't recall seeing them before."
"Whose juniors are they? Someone introduce them. When did our circle gain such a pair? How have I not seen them around?"
"Tsk tsk, youth is truly enviable!"
"Waiter, hurry and bring drinks for these two!"
Before the waiter could deliver the wine, Mu Side's second uncle had already caught wind of the commotion and walked over.
"You little brat, didn't you say you weren't coming?" Mu Rongxie glared at Mu Side, then turned his eyes to Shu Lanzhou. "And you even roped in our little Shu Lanzhou. Aren't you afraid you'll scare her off?"
Shu Lanzhou quickly explained, "Second Uncle, I'm here to find someone!"
She gave the second uncle a quick scan—evaluating him through the lens of traditional Chinese medicine. Judging by his complexion alone, Mu Rongxie didn't look like a man with any health issues.
Good. That was one less thing to worry about.
She had just come to that conclusion when someone nearby stepped forward with a curious smile. "President Mu, these two… care to introduce them?"
"This is Mu Side, my nephew. He's been helping me at the company recently," Mu Rongxie said, pointing at Mu Side before turning to Shu Lanzhou. "And this is Shu Lanzhou, Mu Side's junior schoolmate—one of our Professor Mu's most talented protégés."
"Oh, so this is the famous Young Master Mu. Heard a lot about you!" The man handed Mu Side a glass of wine, his smile courteous but clearly insincere. "I've heard that you've inherited the full legacy of the Mu family's acupuncture techniques—truly miraculous, I'm told. When will you give me a demonstration?"
Those familiar with the scandal two decades ago all knew that the Mu family's acupuncture was a taboo subject—not something to be brought up lightly. And this man, judging by his age, obviously knew that.
But he brought it up anyway!
Mu Side looked at his second uncle. "Uncle, who is this?"
"This is the third young master of the Luo family—younger brother of the current head of the Luo Group. He oversees several of the Luo Group's hospitals."
Ah. So he was from the Luo family. No wonder.
Mu Side smiled politely. "Oh, the third master of the Luo family? Never heard of you. But since you run several hospitals, are you saying they still can't cure your illness?"
"You—" Luo San Ye (Third Master Luo) was so enraged that he choked on his own words, unable to respond before Shu Lanzhou jumped in.
"If they really can't help, you could always try our Mu Family Traditional Medicine Hospital. The Mu acupuncture method is profound and specializes in difficult and obscure illnesses—especially the kind you seem to have."
"Pale complexion, insomnia, frequent night-time urination, long-term loss of appetite... looks like you'll need quite a few sessions. Might even be a rare, terminal condition! But don't panic."
"Our acupuncture technique is known for tackling terminal illnesses. And really, you wouldn't even need my senior. I'm pretty good myself. Want to give it a try?"
Shu Lanzhou beamed at him with a look of genuine concern, her face pure and harmless as she smiled sweetly.
The third master's face stiffened. Who was this girl? How did she know about his insomnia, his appetite, and those humiliating nocturnal symptoms?
For a moment, Luo San Ye forgot to be angry. But when he regained his composure, his face darkened.
"Hmph… President Mu, your younger generation is certainly talented. But perhaps too young. Forgotten the tragedy from back then, have you? Still dreaming of reviving the Mu acupuncture method? I call that delusional!"
"Don't come crying when it kills someone!" With a cold snort and a couple of twisted chuckles, he sneered, "I'll leave your precious Mu acupuncture to others. I wouldn't dare try it myself."
With a dramatic swing of his arm, Luo San Ye turned and walked off—completely ignoring Shu Lanzhou's smiling face.
Clearly, he had no intention of wasting any more words on an unknown girl like her.
"What a lunatic," Mu Rongxie muttered, clearly accustomed to such provocations. He turned back to reassure the two of them.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. The Mu family's acupuncture method has always been one that saves lives. He's just jealous that our Mu family is superior to theirs and deliberately trying to provoke you!"
"Uncle," Mu Side placed a hand on Mu Rongxie's arm, "you've worked hard all these years. I bet when the Mu family first had trouble, a lot of people targeted you, didn't they?"
"What are you talking about, kid? Who would dare target me? I'm the second master of the Mu family! No one in the Mu clan would let that slide!" Mu Rongxie wore a look of utter nonchalance, as if the past didn't matter anymore.
"But you two—listen to me—live well, and don't let the Mu acupuncture method disappear. It's been over twenty years. It's time we clear its name!"
Until now, Shu Lanzhou had always assumed that the Mu family had voluntarily let their technique fade into obscurity after the scandal. But at this moment, she realized how naive she'd been.
Mu Yanning's fear of the media wasn't baseless. In Shanghai's medical community, there was deep-seated hostility toward the Mu acupuncture method. Too many people didn't want it to make a comeback.
And judging by what Luo San Ye had said—had the old master of the Mu family once accidentally killed someone using the technique?
So, it wasn't that they didn't want to revive it—it was that a sword had been hanging over their heads for two decades. One wrong move, and it would come crashing down, ready to wipe them out completely.
Reclaiming their reputation and earning public trust again wouldn't be easy!
After giving them a few final words of encouragement, Mu Rongxie turned to mingle with the other guests.
Mu Side gently pulled Shu Lanzhou aside. "Are you scared?"
"No," Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "That third master from the Luo family… is he that Luo Jialin's uncle?"
Mu Side nodded. "Yes. He's Luo Jialin's uncle. The Luo family is also in the healthcare business. Back in the day, the Mu family focused on traditional medicine—herb cultivation and sales, drug R&D, running hospitals and such."
"After the incident, the Mu family had to scale back, and only one hospital remained. That's when my second uncle started expanding into other sectors of the healthcare industry. Naturally, that cut into the Luo family's profits. Since then, we've been business rivals."
Mu Rongxie had a sharp business sense, and over the years, he'd built the business into something massive—surpassing the Luo family to become not only the top healthcare group in Shanghai but also one of the leading ones in the country.
And now, just as the Mu family began reviving their traditional acupuncture method, the Luo family had seized the chance to dredge up the past, hoping to bring them down once and for all.
Shu Lanzhou hadn't expected things to be this complicated, and her worry for the future of both the Mu acupuncture method and the Mu Group grew.
In her past life, the Mu Group had eventually been acquired by the Luo Group. Mu Side gave up everything in China and moved his whole family overseas.
No. That couldn't happen again!
The Mu acupuncture method would be accepted by the public once more. The Mu Group would thrive.
She tugged on Mu Side's sleeve. "Brother… if I work hard on my research—if I achieve significant results—will that help the Mu Group grow strong enough to crush the Luo family, bit by bit?"
After all, in her previous life, the Luo Group's rapid rise was powered by research breakthroughs from Han Weicheng's team. Their new drugs and medical discoveries gave them a massive edge.
But this time, if those results ended up in the hands of the Mu Group instead…
Wouldn't that mean they might be the ones acquiring the Luo Group in the end?