"I didn't do this to help you," Mu Ronghe tapped a few files in front of him. "I did it for the Mu family—and for myself."
"This grudge has dragged on for far too long. It's time to settle it once and for all. I don't want the Zhang family crawling out of the shadows like cockroaches in the future, stirring up disgust every now and then."
"You may not feel ashamed, but we're tired of the trouble. Zhang Chengyou, the Mu family owes your family nothing. It's time for this to stop."
Zhang Chengyou stared at the dashing heir of the Mu family. Even though Mu Ronghe was well past fifty—over a decade older than him—he seemed the younger man between the two now.
"Let it go? Are you saying my father's death should just be forgotten?" Zhang Chengyou let out a bitter laugh.
Mu Ronghe slid the document toward him. "You know very well your family's resentment isn't about your father's death. What you can't accept is that the Zhang family lost."
"Ask yourself honestly—if your father had lived, with the incompetence of your siblings, how many more years could Zhang Enterprises have survived? Everyone knew the old man's health was always poor."
"No, that's not true." Zhang Chengyou shook his head. "Even if my siblings were useless, I'm not. My father had already chosen me as his successor. If he'd had a few more years to guide me, I could've carried the Zhang family forward."
Mu Ronghe chuckled. "You? Carry the Zhang family? If I recall, you were nearly an adult when the accident happened—what, sixteen or seventeen? Old enough to know right from wrong."
"Especially for children from families like ours. By sixteen or seventeen, we're already involved in the business, just waiting to come of age to join officially. Don't tell me your father didn't start preparing you early?"
"Let's be honest. Even if he'd had ten more years to train you, Zhang Enterprises still would've fallen—unless you'd had the guts to cut off ties with your siblings and boot them from the company. But could you have done that?"
"You couldn't. You were dependent on them. So stop fooling yourself—Zhang Chengyou, you were never capable of shouldering the family business."
"And I hate to say it, but even if the old man hadn't died back then, your downfall was inevitable."
Zhang Chengyou's fists clenched tightly, the handcuffs scraping the table with a harsh screech. He bit his lip, wanting desperately to refute every word.
But when his eyes met Mu Ronghe's calm, unyielding gaze, he found himself speechless.
Compared to the Mu family heir, Zhang Chengyou—no matter how much better he was than his siblings—was nothing. He was like an ant crawling across a desk, easily crushed under a fingertip.
Still, he couldn't understand…
With a bitter smirk, he said, "If you look down on us so much, why even come here to negotiate?"
"Isn't the Mu family all-powerful now? You could wipe us out of Shen City with a snap of your fingers. Why waste your breath?"
Mu Ronghe's voice was patient. "Simple. Because the Mu family refuses to stoop to such shady, disgusting tactics. My father's reputation cannot be tarnished—not even by an ant."
"Even an insect has no right to bite at his legacy. Understand?"
"Sign it. Once you sign, our lawyers will push for the lightest sentence possible. Consider this repayment of any favors your father once did for mine."
…
In the end, Zhang Chengyou signed the papers.
"With this contract," Mu Ronghe raised the document, "your family is forbidden from ever mentioning the past again. You will not smear my father's name with false claims of medical malpractice."
"If you do, I won't hesitate to drag every one of you to prison."
Not long after Mu Ronghe left the police station, the counterfeit goods factory was auctioned off.
All proceeds were used to compensate the victims harmed by the fake products—but the amount still fell short.
As a result, Zhang Chengyou's research center was also auctioned, and the equipment Anning had sold off was retrieved by police.
Even with the combined fines and restitution fees, Zhang Chengyou's assets were not enough to pay what he owed. In the end, the Zhang family sold their properties in Shen City to scrape together the remaining funds.
On the day of the trial, the Zhang family was in full attendance. From the Mu side, only legal representatives were present.
Still, word of the outcome spread quickly.
Zhang Chengyou was sentenced to three years in prison. Wu Xiuli fainted in court and, once revived, left the country with her son and the rest of the Zhang family.
Rumor had it they still owned property abroad. Though they had lost their income, at least they still had a roof over their heads.
After Zhang Chengyou's trial, it was Luo Jialin's turn.
His company had ties to the research center, and because the products had such high sales volume—and so many victims—it took months to gather enough evidence and track down affected consumers.
The delays made things even worse for the Luo Corporation over the past six months.
Stock prices plummeted. The company's scale shrank repeatedly. Though the headquarters still stood, their revenue had dropped to dangerous lows.
Even their early efforts to cut ties with Luo Jialin proved ineffective. The market had lost all faith in them.
Luo Jialin's father was removed from the board by vote. His shares were reclaimed by the old chairman and he was ousted from the business.
In short, he lost his shares, his job, and was left with only the payout from the share buyback.
But even that wasn't enough to cover the compensation.
Unlike Zhang Chengyou's falsified research, Luo Jialin's products had far greater reach, harmed more people, and caused more severe consequences. The compensation was exponentially higher.
Even combined, the company's revenue and his personal assets couldn't cover the costs.
The investigation also uncovered the involvement of Han Weicheng and Xiao Anning—both were held jointly responsible along with Zhang Chengyou.
Thus, all their assets were frozen to fund victim compensation.
Xiao Anning and Zhang Chengyou were already in custody, and could be tried alongside Luo Jialin. Han Weicheng, although conscious, had suffered brain damage and multiple physical impairments. He had yet to fully recover.
And due to his role in illegal research, his case required separate prosecution.
The day Luo Jialin's verdict was announced, Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side had just stepped out of a building. They were scouting locations to establish a new acupuncture research team.
As they exited, Shu Lanzhou received a message from Zhao Huanhuan:
"Luo Jialin's been sentenced—three years."
His crimes were actually worse than Guo Jialiang's back in the day—largely due to the sheer number of victims and the immense public impact.
Shu Lanzhou hadn't cared about Luo Jialin in a long time. Yet when she saw the sentencing result, a strange mix of emotions flickered in her chest.
She couldn't help but wonder—what was the once-proud golden boy of the Luo family, who had always looked down on her, thinking now?
"What's wrong?" Mu Side walked over and gently took her hand.
Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "Nothing. Huanhuan told me Luo Jialin got sentenced. I just feel a little... conflicted."
Mu Side raised his hand and tousled her hair. "He brought it on himself. There's nothing to feel for. Don't waste a single drop of emotion or a second of thought on someone like him. He's not worth it."
"You're right. He's not worth it." Shu Lanzhou smiled. "Come on. Let's go home."
Mu Side led her to the car. "What did you think of that building? If you're satisfied, I'll contact the landlord and get the lease signed. Just send me the list of equipment you need—I'll get in touch with Aunt Ke."
"I liked it," Shu Lanzhou nodded. "Go ahead and sign. I'll talk it over with Dad and Auntie when I get back. We'll need their help selecting the team members."
Mu Side nodded. "Did Dad talk to you about the partnership already?"