"You're crazy." Luo Jialin shoved Fang Ruoshi aside. "I've always treated her like a sister. Don't make up nonsense."
"Sister, my ass," Tian Hua snapped. "Would you forget your sister's birthday? Would you not even know what your sister likes to eat?"
"Would your sister walk right past you like she never saw you?"
Luo Jialin grabbed him by the collar. "And you're any better? Spouting all this crap—are you looking for a fight?"
"Enough, all of you! That's enough!" Guo Jialiang finally looked away. "Shu Lanzhou is long gone. Who are you putting on this show for?"
"She stopped caring about us a long time ago. We've been cut off completely. When will you finally admit it?"
He turned to leave. "I'm not going back to school. If you still want to, go ahead. What's past is past. There's no point clinging to it anymore."
"Oh, how convenient for you," Tian Hua sneered, yanking Guo Jialiang back. His eyes were cold and sober now, all signs of drunkenness gone. "Easy for you to say—you're the son-in-law of the Lin family now. Once Elder Lin's gone, the whole Lin family will be yours to command, won't it…"
"Bastard!" Guo Jialiang threw a punch that landed squarely on Tian Hua's face. "You can look down on me all you want. Say I'm spineless for marrying a madwoman. But don't you dare question my sincerity."
"I never wanted to control the Lin family. I... I did all this because I love Lin Muyao. I want to be good to her, to spoil her."
Tian Hua let out a humorless laugh.
"Don't kid yourself. You love no one but yourself. If you really didn't want to control the Lin family, if you really wanted Lin Muyao to have a good life, then why wouldn't you work with us?"
"Why didn't you agree to help us? With Lin family resources, we could've built a research lab together, made our dreams come true. Why did you refuse to invest? Why?"
"You just want to sit back and reap the rewards, inherit everything without lifting a finger."
Luo Jialin and Fang Ruoshi stood red-eyed, glaring at Guo Jialiang.
It was as if his decisions had been a betrayal to their team. But none of them wanted to admit the truth: their so-called "team" had long since fallen apart, shattered beyond repair.
"Heh…" Guo Jialiang gave a bitter chuckle, beyond any desire to argue. "The reason I refused to help build a new research team with you is simple—I don't want to go up against Shu Lanzhou again."
"Don't think I don't know. You all say you were wrong, that you want her forgiveness. But deep down, not a single one of you has let go of the urge to beat her."
"You look down on her, always have. Just a girl from the countryside, right? You don't actually believe she's better than you—you just think she got lucky marrying into the Mu family."
"You want to beat her, outdo her in research, live better than she does. Some of you even dream that if you surpass her, the Mu family will regret everything..."
"You can hide it all you want, but that filth in your hearts? It stinks."
"I've seen it all in the year I spent with you."
"I'm afraid of losing. I'm afraid of going to prison again. All I want now is to live a quiet, steady life with Lin Muyao."
"I've already paid back everything I owed Shu Lanzhou. From now on, I don't want anything to do with her—let alone become her enemy again. Think what you want. Say I'm weak. I don't care."
He shook off Tian Hua's grip. "That's all I have to say. Do whatever you want. Just leave me out of it."
With those final words, he turned and left without another glance.
The rest of them sobered up, standing in awkward silence. None of them felt like returning to the school anymore.
Luo Jialin patted Tian Hua on the shoulder. "He's right. We're just sore losers. Let's go home. At the end of the day, we've got to fight for our own pride."
Whether they succeeded or failed would depend on their own ability.
Luo Jialin didn't believe Shu Lanzhou was unbeatable—and he certainly didn't believe he'd lose to Mu Side.
He wasn't Guo Jialiang. He wasn't that cowardly.
He wanted to make something of himself. He wanted to become the young master of the Luo family once again—so that Shu Lanzhou would return to being that obedient, devoted underclassman who used to follow them without question.
Back at home, Shu Lanzhou was getting ready for a shower.
Mu Side pulled her to the sofa. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Tian Hua has officially left the institute. He's joined Han Weicheng's research center. With Luo Jialin, Xiao Anning, and him, Han Weicheng's new research team is fully assembled."
Shu Lanzhou's gaze dimmed.
"So in the end, he still chose to help Han Weicheng."
Mu Side held her hand. "From what I heard, Luo Jialin originally wanted to break away from Han Weicheng after changing the company's legal representative. He tried to start his own team."
"He reached out to Tian Hua, Fang Ruoshi, and Guo Jialiang."
"But Fang Ruoshi was already under contract with Han Weicheng. Tian Hua had racked up huge gambling debts—Zhang Chengyou paid them off for him."
"And Guo Jialiang flat-out refused to join. Luo Jialin even tried hiring professional researchers at high salaries."
"But one, his funds were limited; and two, once people found out his surname was Luo and he was tied to the Luo Corporation, they declined."
"Add to that interference from Han Weicheng and Xiao Anning... In the end, he had no choice but to keep working with Han's research center."
"If all goes as expected, their first batch of products will be on the market by year-end."
Shu Lanzhou showed little emotion. "The research center's backed by the Zhang family. Their motive is clear. Has Uncle made any plans to counter them?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Mu Side said with a smile. "What do you think of the herbal oil we use for skincare?"
Shu Lanzhou smiled faintly. "You mean the one we use on our faces? If you want to turn that into a commercial product, isn't the cost a bit too high?"
The Mu family's herbal skincare products—used for hands, hair, and skin—were all made from dozens, even hundreds, of medicinal herbs.
Some were rare and extremely expensive.
"Medical aesthetic products fall into just a few categories," Mu Side explained. "We're planning to launch a few targeted items—adjusting the herbal formulas for mass-market appeal."
He laid out his plan:
"I've discussed it with Uncle. We're not trying to stop Zhang Chengyou from making money. If their products are legitimate, they'll stand the test of the market."
"But we can't just do nothing and let them think we're powerless. They're using the Luo brand—so we'll use the Mu brand."
"We need a comparison to push them forward."
Shu Lanzhou narrowed her eyes. "Let me guess—you're planning to lead this new business line yourself? Be honest: is this Uncle's strategy to counter the Zhang family?"
"Or is it your own challenge to Luo Jialin? New business, new products—success will depend not just on quality, but also your marketing strategy, right?"
Mu Side laughed. "I knew I couldn't fool you." He pulled her into his arms. "Luo Jialin's taken shots at you again and again. I can't just sit back and do nothing."
"Besides, he's caused no end of trouble for Ke Beichen. Ke's eager to teach him a lesson too—to show him who really calls the shots in this business world."
Shu Lanzhou couldn't help but laugh. "So you and Senior Ke want to co-invest in a new company, specifically to counter Luo Jialin's? And your products will all be based on traditional Chinese medicine?"