Lu Wanqing was powerless to resolve the conflict between the Mu and Liang families. After much thought, she returned to the top floor of the Mu family manor, dedicating herself even more intensely to researching 3S mechs.
She wasn't a member of the Mu family, and their troubles shouldn't have concerned her directly. However, the thought of little Mu Lan being a Mu family child, or more accurately, a potential heir to the Mu family in the future, made her unwilling to see the Mu family fall.
Ultimately, she wished for her child to live a happy life, free from the immense pressure of inheriting a troubled Mu family and bearing its responsibilities alone. If the Liang family truly developed a 3S mech, then she would develop one too. With both families possessing 3S mechs, the gap wouldn't be so vast, and the Mu family wouldn't be completely defeated, leaving hope for the future.
She began to study tirelessly, to the point of neglecting food and sleep. Even little Mu Lan noticed his mother's anxiety. After school each day, he obediently attended his online classes on the star network, refraining from disturbing Lu Wanqing.
However, just as Lu Wanqing was engrossed in her 3S mech research, further trouble befell the Mu family. On a remote planet, a mech manufactured by the Mu family suddenly exploded. The incident immediately surged onto the federal hot search, even causing a stir in neighboring empires. The Mu family's predicament had become the biggest gossip across the entire interstellar population.
Mu Sijie found it impossible, as did the rest of the Mu family. Their mechs were absolutely flawless. The atmosphere within the Mu family grew tense, and Mu Sijie became extremely busy. He had less time to spend with little Mu Lan, his days consumed by company matters. The responsibility of caring for their child fell almost entirely on Lu Wanqing.
Meanwhile, little Mu Lan seemed to be having a difficult time at kindergarten. When the teacher contacted her, Lu Wanqing's face instantly changed. Without even changing her clothes, she rushed out to the kindergarten.
Lu Wanqing arrived quickly. "Teacher, what happened to my Lanlan?" she asked anxiously upon seeing the teacher.
The teacher's gaze was complex. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mu Lan's mother, please come inside first."
Lu Wanqing followed the teacher into the kindergarten. Inside, she saw little Mu Lan standing in the lounge area, facing three other children. The parents of these three children were already present, standing by their respective children and glaring at little Mu Lan.
As they saw Lu Wanqing arrive, the hostile gazes of the parents shifted, fixing on her. Lu Wanqing's heart sank, and she hurried over. Seeing his mother, little Mu Lan also scurried to her side, his small hands nervously clutching her skirt.
Lu Wanqing soon noticed an injury on the child's forehead. Her heart tightened. She immediately crouched down, looking at her child with concern. "Lanlan, what happened? How did you get hurt?"
"Heh, what happened? Your Mu Lan hit people. He bullied three children in the class by himself. How capable!" one of the parents snapped angrily.
"Exactly. I never realized before, Mu Lan looks so small, but he's so fierce in a fight. He must apologize to my child for what happened today!" the second parent chimed in, her voice stern.
"Teacher, you must uphold justice for our children. Mu Lan is so aggressive. If we don't get an explanation today, we won't be able to trust this kindergarten in the future!" the third parent added, her demeanor strong and confrontational.
Lu Wanqing glanced at them before turning to Lanlan. The child's innocent, dark eyes were on the verge of tears, glistening droplets welling up. Her heart was in her throat. She tried to soften her voice and asked little Mu Lan carefully, "Lanlan, can you tell Mommy what happened?"
"Your Mu Lan hit our children! Look at how he beat them! Mu Lan's mother, I think you should transfer Mu Lan to another school. We don't dare let our children be classmates with a child like Mu Lan!" one of the parents said aggressively upon hearing Lu Wanqing's words.
"Yes, let Mu Lan transfer. I don't want my child to be classmates with Mu Lan anymore!" the second parent echoed.
Lu Wanqing suppressed her anger, not looking at the other parents. She focused on little Mu Lan. The child was crying now. He had held back before, not crying when they scolded him, but now that his mother was here, hearing her gentle voice, he couldn't control himself. Tears streamed down his face.
"Wuwu, Mommy, they scolded me. They scolded Daddy. They said the mechs made by the Mu family are bad things that kill people!" little Mu Lan cried, tugging at his mother's sleeve, his voice full of grievance.
Lu Wanqing's heart ached. She quickly pulled him into her arms, comforting him. "It's okay, stop crying. It's alright. The Mu family is fine. The Mu family has no problems."
Lu Wanqing wasn't entirely sure if the Mu family's mechs had issues, but she knew that the recent string of incidents involving the Mu family were unlikely to be mere coincidences. The sudden alliance of the Liang and Lu families, and the consecutive troubles they stirred up, made Lu Wanqing suspect that this was a deliberate setup, that the Mu family had been framed. However, this needed investigation and time for everything to be cleared up and the Mu family to be exonerated.
"Mu Lan's mother, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to protect Mu Lan?"
"He hit our children. We called you here for Mu Lan to apologize to our children, not to comfort him!"
The other parents resumed their aggressive stance. Seeing Lu Wanqing's delicate build, they seemed to think she was easy to bully.
Holding her child, Lu Wanqing finally looked up and met the gaze of the three parents. After a brief glance, she turned to the kindergarten teacher and said, "Teacher, could I see today's surveillance footage?" Kindergartens, caring for children, were equipped with 24-hour surveillance. Every child's action was monitored, and all events were clearly recorded.
Upon hearing Lu Wanqing's question, a flicker of unnaturalness crossed the faces of the other three parents, though it lasted only a moment before they resumed their fierce expressions. Given the significant troubles the Mu family had recently faced, and the near-fatal incident involving a Mu family mech, their children hadn't said anything wrong. What difference would it make if Lu Wanqing watched the surveillance video? Mu Lan had initiated the physical altercation, and the child was in the wrong. He had to apologize to their children.