"You owe me fifty-five million, don't even think about getting out of it!" Ning Yunhuan stressed to Gu Yingxi before finally standing up.

Gu Yingxi finally panicked slightly and quickly stammered, "What fifty-five million? I don't understand..."

"The phone, and the bag," Ning Yunhuan gestured to the things on the ground, then sneered, "You're not trying to default on the debt, are you?"

"I'm not that kind of person!" Gu Yingxi shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her cheeks, shattering and splashing anew with the motion, "But, but why? Why so much money..."

"Got a problem?" Lan Lingyan didn't want to bother with Gu Yingxi, but seeing her whiny demeanor, and sensing Ning Yunhuan might press for the money again, he forced himself to suppress the urge to stab her twice, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The sight of him instantly muddled Gu Yingxi's mind. She shook her head desperately. Su Ying, seeing this, quickly had someone fetch paper, a brush, and an ink pad, handing them to Gu Yingxi to sign first, then press her fingerprint, before handing the paper over to Ning Yunhuan, essentially giving her leave to write whatever she pleased.

Once this was done, Lan Lingyan pulled Ning Yunhuan away, saying, "Lan Huang and Lan Lu will escort that Qin family waste back, and tell that old man Qin that if he doesn't keep a tight leash on the dog he raised, he risks having it taken away and eaten one day."

Su Ying clicked his tongue in astonishment, "He was the deputy under the Li family back then, and the Li family always held your maternal grandfather in high regard. Shouldn't you show him a bit of face?"

Lan Lingyan didn't even spare him a glance, dragging Ning Yunhuan as they left.

The surrounding students instinctively parted to create a path for him. Many of the boys murmured under their breath, "So badass..." Beating the Qin family's crown prince and then forcing them to escort the victim home to further humiliate them—this action earned Lan Lingyan the admiration of many male students, while the girls envied Ning Yunhuan.

Li Panpan covered her mouth, looking at Qin Yi, who was collapsed in a shapeless heap under the tree, and said with some alarm, "Wait a moment..."

Out of consideration for the fact that she had lent her phone earlier, and based on what she remembered from her past life and what she had just witnessed, Ning Yunhuan couldn't resist warning the innocent girl, "Li Panpan, you should be careful about your so-called best friend. I think I saw Fu Yuan meeting with your fiancé in secret."

She hadn't actually seen it with her own eyes, but seeing the flirtatious glances exchanged between Fu Yuan and Qin Yi just now, Ning Yunhuan guessed that even if there was no affair now, they would certainly end up entangled. Moreover, even if Qin Yi wasn't involved with Fu Yuan now, he would eventually end up with Gu Yingxi anyway; it was clear from how Gu Yingxi ended up entwined with Ning Yuncheng regardless of which man she was with before. What was fated to happen would happen eventually.

Ning Yunhuan held some affection for this innocent girl from the Li family, so she gave her the hint. Seeing the dazed look on Li Panpan’s face, she turned and followed Lan Lingyan away.

When Lan Lingyan pulled her into the car, the two sturdy men who had followed them all the way from the school gates handed over some ointment from the front. Lan Lingyan twisted off the cap, dabbed some onto his fingers, and gently began to rub it onto her slightly reddened cheek. Then, noticing how she was holding her arm, he pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression severe:

"Bear with it!" Having said this, Lan Lingyan used one hand to support her limply hanging palm and gave a firm upward lift. Ning Yunhuan felt a slight click in her bone, and a wave of intense pain washed over her, causing her to break out in a cold sweat and collapse into Lan Lingyan's embrace, biting her lip and letting out a muffled groan.

"The Qin family," Lan Lingyan murmured the words "Qin family" with icy hatred on his face while gently stroking her wrist. Then he closed his eyes, rested his chin on the top of her head, and fell silent.

After making a phone call to confirm the hospital where Father Ning was staying under the care of the people attached to the Ning family, the car headed directly in that direction.

Because of the commotion at school, it was already more than three hours later when they arrived at the hospital. Ning Yunhuan had intended to see her father first, but Lan Lingyan would not agree. He insisted on taking her to have the bone set first. Although the bone in her wrist had just been relocated by him, it was still injured and required splinting for some time to prevent future dislocations.

Since he was insistent, Ning Yunhuan could only comply reluctantly. The orthopedic doctor treating her this time turned out to be Old Man Tang, the same one who had taken her pulse previously. Considering the tone Lan Lingyan had adopted during the calls he made in the car, Ning Yunhuan wasn't surprised at all.

"Try not to let the wound get wet or strained these past two days. It needs to be immobilized to prevent easy dislocation later." Old Man Tang personally wrapped her hand with a splint. Since the weather was hot, he didn't use too many layers, just fixed it properly and gave her a sling to wear across her chest before nodding in satisfaction and snipping the gauze. "All done."

Lan Lingyan nodded and instructed those behind him, "You two stay behind, take notes of any precautions, and Old Man Tang, prescribe me a few dietary regimens."

Old Man Tang readily agreed, smiling, "Of course. You went abroad last time; you must have had the child by now, right? The last time the pregnancy was still early, so it was impossible to tell if it was a boy or a girl; your maternal grandfather was so secretive, he wouldn't spill the beans."

Lan Lingyan’s lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile, but he remained silent. Old Man Tang could do nothing about him and shook his head with a smile, not pressing further. Ning Yunhuan, however, flushed crimson, feeling too embarrassed to lift her head.

After settling all this, the group proceeded directly to the ward where Father Ning was housed.

This hospital was the largest in Imperial Capital City. Father Ning’s room was in the building closest to the main entrance service hall. After getting off the elevator on the seventeenth floor, a turn at the corner brought them to the door. Father Ning currently occupied a single room; Madam Ning was bent over, tidying some things. Someone was lying down, facing the window with their profile turned away, so their face was hidden from the doorway.

"Dad," Ning Yunhuan knocked gently. Both people inside turned their heads simultaneously. Madam Ning, upon seeing her daughter, hastily tossed the item in her hands over and beckoned her in. Ning Yunhuan found it a bit inconvenient to turn the doorknob with one hand. Lan Lingyan reached out to turn it for her, giving the impression that he intended to go in with her. Ning Yunhuan felt that since he had just helped her, backing out now would be a bit quick. Furthermore, once Lan Jiu set his mind on something, it wasn't easily changed by her refusal, so she reluctantly accepted his action of opening the door for her.

Father Ning's face showed surprise when he saw the man standing next to Ning Yunhuan. Even Madam Ning looked momentarily stunned. He quickly rose and walked to the door, chuckling awkwardly:

"Huanhuan, who is this..."

Fearing that Lan Lingyan would introduce himself and reveal the true nature of their relationship, Ning Yunhuan quickly interjected, "Dad, Mom, this is my boyfriend, Lan Lingyan."

Feeling Lan Lingyan's gaze settle on the top of her head, Ning Yunhuan tensed up and looked up at him pleadingly. Seeing that Lan Lingyan did not speak up, she finally let out a breath of relief.

"Boyfriend?" Madam Ning glanced at her daughter with surprise. She hadn't expected her quiet and obedient daughter to have a boyfriend. Father Ning immediately recalled the 'Brother Lan Jiu' that Gu Yingxi had mentioned earlier, his expression turning rather grim: "What happened to your hand?"

When Ning Yunhuan brought her boyfriend in, Madam Ning was so preoccupied with shock that she forgot to ask about her hand. Hearing Father Ning speak, she quickly moved forward, and upon seeing the splint on her hand, she dared not touch it, only asking worriedly:

"Yes, what happened to your hand?"

"It's nothing, I just fell. We already had it checked. Oh, Dad, why are you in the hospital this time?" Ning Yunhuan avoided mentioning the hand again, afraid that hearing she had been beaten would cause her father to die of anger. Seeing that he asked about her hand instead of Lan Lingyan, she knew he cared for her and felt a warmth in her heart before walking over to Father Ning and sitting in the chair beside him.

"It's all because of your eldest brother," Madam Ning began, fury bubbling up, but upon noticing Lan Lingyan beside them, she forcibly suppressed the curse forming on her lips and said with a smile, "Mr. Lan, please have a seat. Forgive our lack of decorum."

Although Madam Ning was surprised that her daughter had a boyfriend without their knowledge, she wasn't overly angry. Neither she nor Father Ning were rigidly old-fashioned people. While they hoped Ning Yunhuan would marry well, it mainly depended on her own preference; if she liked someone, even if they weren't exceptional, it wouldn't matter much. After all, while the Ning family wasn't extravagantly wealthy, they had enough money, and even split in half between the children, it was sufficient for them to live an ordinary life.

Thus, Madam Ning's expression wasn't too bad, and her attitude was polite, though not overly familiar. Lan Lingyan’s expression didn't change. Since Ning Yunhuan was his now—they even had the marriage certificate and a child—she definitely wasn't going anywhere. His mother-in-law didn't seem the nagging, sharp-tongued type either, so getting them to accept him wouldn't be difficult.

"Ning Yuncheng? What about him?" Ning Yunhuan momentarily forgot her worry about bringing Lan Lingyan before her parents; she was instead surprised to hear Ning Yuncheng's name, "I ran into Gu Yingxi just as I was leaving school; she stopped me for a while, otherwise I would have been here sooner."

Fearing that Father and Madam Ning would be manipulated by Ning Yuncheng again into accepting Gu Yingxi, Ning Yunhuan promptly lodged another complaint against Gu Yingxi. Indeed, Father Ning's face changed upon hearing it. As a man of such seriousness and decorum, he rarely lost his temper, but hearing Gu Yingxi’s name, he displayed distaste on his face for the first time: "Did she push you? That beast, Ning Yuncheng, what kind of woman couldn't he find, but he had to pick her!"

"Alright, alright, your blood pressure just stabilized. Don't get angry again," Madam Ning quickly placated her husband, seeing his face turn red, "We can talk slowly. If you get sick from anger, what will become of us?"

The Ning family currently relied on Father Ning to hold things together; if he fell, the entire household would suffer the consequences.

ps: An extra chapter for 30 pink ticket votes~~ If you want to see the extra chapter for 45 pink tickets today, leave a comment in the message area! There are no featured chapters this week, so look forward to next week's additions! RP