Shu Lanzhou instinctively tried to follow Officer Yan, but was stopped by a female police officer.
"You can head home now. Leave the rest to us. We'll inform you once the investigation is complete."
"Let's go." Mu Side came out of a nearby room. Seeing that she seemed unwilling to leave, he reached out and tugged her along. "Let the police handle the investigation. There's no need for you to worry about it anymore."
The two of them left the police station together.
Shu Lanzhou turned to him. "Senior, I know everything now."
No wonder when she woke up last night, she had seen him with Mu Yaning. It turned out he'd been looking for her all along.
Mu Side seemed to know what she wanted to say. "It's getting late. Let's grab something to eat. Don't keep my sister waiting."
Left with no choice, Shu Lanzhou got in the car with him.
It wasn't a taxi—it was Mu Side's own car, which had apparently been parked here all along.
"You drove this to the police station yesterday?" Shu Lanzhou opened the door and got in. "Senior Ke came with you, right? You guys hacked into the surveillance of nearby stores?"
Mu Side hadn't planned to bring that up again, but it seemed if he didn't say something, she wasn't going to let it go.
"Here, take this. I've already sterilized it." He handed her a small pouch of silver needles.
It was the needle kit she had dropped during her struggle yesterday.
The set was a gift from Professor Mu. She had used it to defend herself against the mustached man yesterday, but lost it in the process.
"I'm sorry, I didn't keep it safe… Can you not tell Professor Mu?"
Watching her shrink back like a scolded quail, Mu Side couldn't help but laugh and feel a little heartache at the same time.
"Why are you so silly?"
"Professor already knew last night. She didn't blame you. In fact, she said if you could use the needles to save yourself, then the gift wasn't in vain."
"Believe me—compared to your safety, a needle pouch means nothing to her."
Shu Lanzhou stuck out her tongue. "To me, it's a life-saving favor. I'll never forget it. Same goes for you, senior."
"A simple 'thank you' doesn't cut it. If you ever need me, just say the word. As long as it's something I can do, I'll never say no. Don't be polite with me."
"Got it." Mu Side chuckled, clearly in a good mood. "Then I won't be polite with you."
He Sixin had reserved a private room in a hotpot restaurant. When they arrived, the dishes had already been served.
Just before going in, Mu Side stopped Shu Lanzhou.
"My aunt doesn't like being called 'Professor.' Call her 'Teacher' from now on. And my sister—she'll probably ask questions. Think about what you want to say to her."
He Sixin didn't know about the kidnapping yet. It was something that needed to be told, but Shu Lanzhou didn't want to make her worry. She still hadn't decided how to explain it.
After some thought, she decided to tell the truth.
He Sixin had always treated her well—she didn't want to lie.
Once inside, Shu Lanzhou obediently sat beside He Sixin and poured her a cup of tea. Before she could ask, Shu Lanzhou spoke up on her own:
"Senior Sister, I was kidnapped last night. Senior Mu rescued me. The five men who did it have already been arrested. We just came from giving our statements at the police station."
"What?!" He Sixin shot up from her seat in shock.
Even Mu Side, who had just sat down, looked over in surprise.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Shu Lanzhou to be so blunt.
"Are you serious? Something that huge, and not a word to me?" He Sixin paced a few steps, agitated.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Did those bastards hit you? I thought something looked off about your face today—did they hit you?"
"Do you know who they were? Why did they kidnap you?"
As she spoke, He Sixin reached out to grab Shu Lanzhou's wrist and even tried to take her pulse.
"I'm fine, Senior Sister." Shu Lanzhou laughed and cried at once. "I wasn't hurt or scared—just a false alarm, really. Those five just looked fierce, but they didn't have much skill."
"I took them down one by one with needles—they couldn't touch me."
He Sixin gave her a once-over, finally confirming that she really was okay before letting out a breath of relief.
"You're really trying to trick me, huh? One needle each? What are you, a martial arts heroine?"
Then she turned and glared at Mu Side.
"And you. Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Lanzhou must've been terrified. Instead of letting her rest, you brought her back to school for a competition?"
"Is that competition really so important?"
"Senior Sister," Shu Lanzhou quickly pulled her down to sit before she could scold Mu Side further.
"It's not his fault—I insisted on coming back. This was my first on-campus competition since leaving Professor Han's team. I had to participate, no matter what."
"Besides, look—I'm fine. Really. Those bad guys didn't scare me at all!"
He Sixin was both moved and frustrated. "Alright, alright, you're the best. Come on, have a drink to calm your nerves."
She said "drink," but Mu Side poured her a glass of juice instead.
Shu Lanzhou gave him a grateful look and clinked glasses with He Sixin.
The hotpot was delicious.
Shu Lanzhou ate a lot. Though Mu Side didn't talk much, he responded to everything thoughtfully.
Halfway through, they got a call from the school—confirmation that they had advanced in the competition—which made the dinner all the more joyous.
On the way back, Shu Lanzhou's stomach was round and full, her cheeks flushed pink—adorably radiant with a touch of charm.
The siblings walked her all the way to her dormitory building before leaving.
Shu Lanzhou skipped up the stairs, her heart just as warm and satisfied as the hotpot she'd eaten.
She was truly happy today. So incredibly happy.
In contrast to her joy, Lin Muyao was far from pleased.
Lin Muyao took her mother's surname. Her father was unknown. The Lin family held some prestige in Shen City. Her grandfather was a university professor, and her mother was a deputy director at a research institute.
Her mother was an only child, and everything in the Lin family would eventually pass to the two of them.
Lin's mother had been a famous socialite in her youth, courted by many, though none ever caught her eye. Few knew that in private, she lived wildly, with countless boyfriends.
Later, the family sent her abroad to study. When she returned, she brought back a three-year-old daughter and a job at the research institute.
To outsiders, she claimed she had married abroad and divorced before returning.
In truth, she had already been pregnant when she left. Unwilling to marry and unsure who the father was, she used studying abroad as an excuse to go have the child.
She gave the child her surname, and for years, her career soared while her lifestyle remained just as carefree—fiercely independent.
Naturally, her parenting was neglectful. Demanding without being present, focused on results, indifferent to the process. Lin Muyao was given everything materially but was starved emotionally.
She had only one requirement: You must excel—by any means necessary.
As a result, Lin Muyao grew up knowing that meeting her mother's standards required ruthless tactics. Otherwise, she'd face her wrath.
After a tense phone call with her father at school, Lin Muyao, unwilling to face her dorm mates discussing Shu Lanzhou's team advancing, took a cab straight home.
Only to find her mother already there. Before she could say "Mom," a hard slap landed on her face.
"Shameless girl!" Lin's mother spat the words and slapped her again.
"How many times have I told you? Don't contact that man! Don't contact him! Why can't you listen?"
Lin Muyao's heart dropped. "I didn't! I didn't contact him—Mom, please don't hit me, please!"
"He even called me and you're still lying?" Her mother landed another slap.
"What happened at school? Are you going to tell me, or should I ask your teachers myself?"
Lin Muyao's legs gave out and she collapsed onto the sofa. "It's nothing, really… I can handle it. Mom, please believe me—I'll take care of everything. I—"
"What now?" Her mother sneered. "Still planning to get in touch with him?"