As soon as Ning Yunhuan spoke, Gu Xian froze completely. She desperately needed money; her illness often required medication. She hadn't held a formal job in her youth, struggling to raise her children by taking odd jobs. Now, in old age, she had no insurance, meaning she had to pay entirely for her prescriptions—money that amounted to perhaps twenty thousand, enough to last several months. She was only human, afraid of death, lacking any spirit of martyrdom, and unwilling to burden her daughter, so naturally, she didn't want to return the money.

But when Ning Yunhuan brought it up, Gu Xian, always adhering to propriety and etiquette on the surface, could only spread the white cloth out again. Before she could say a word, a woman stepped forward and snatched three large bills back:

“Since you’re a fraud, I can’t give you this money anyway. It’s better to genuinely donate it to charity. I’ll take three thousand.” As soon as she spoke, one person after another rushed forward to pick up money. In less than fifteen minutes, the ground was swept clean. Not only was not a single hundred left, but even the receipts and the hospital slips Gu Xian held were completely trampled underfoot.

The mother and two daughters of the Gu family turned pale with anger, trembling all over. Ning Yunhuan, however, merely smiled: “I’m just stating the facts. My father has already done more than enough to help you. Even if people are ungrateful, they shouldn't repay kindness with enmity!”

Her words made Gu Xian’s face turn ashen. Gu Yingnuo supported her mother and instinctively spat out a curse: “You are so vicious, you will surely meet a terrible end!”

“Whether I meet a terrible end is uncertain, but if your curse comes true, you should worry about when you’ll end up walking the same path your older sister took by selling herself!” Ning Yunhuan recalled the date of Gu Yingnuo’s death in her previous life—it was likely two years from now. Her son with Song Qingyun, Song Minran, would probably meet her next year. At this moment, Gu Yingnuo, unaware that she was the one destined for an awful end, was cursing someone else.

Thinking this, Ning Yunhuan didn't bother getting angry; instead, she laughed, “By then, Ms. Gu will have raised three daughters, two of whom will be fallen girls.” As she spoke, Ning Yunhuan chuckled, finally ignoring the three women of the Gu family, and turned to walk into the residential complex.

The Gu mother and daughter were left fuming to the point of nearly vomiting blood. Gu Yingnuo, still just a young girl, flushed bright red. She couldn't help but turn and bury her face in Gu Xian’s embrace, sobbing pitifully.

After dealing with the Gu family’s affairs, Ning Yunhuan returned home to check on Father Ning. His health was declining, and the incident where Ning Yuncheng tricked him into leaving the complex, resulting in Gu Shaotao beating him, had left a certain psychological scar. Therefore, he had only strolled around the complex that morning and wasn't very clear about what had happened outside. Ning Yunhuan considered the matter and decided she still had to tell him.

After all, if she remained silent now, someone in the complex might accidentally let it slip if they ran into Father Ning later. It was better for her to tell him, so she could be there to console him, perhaps helping him remain calmer.

Unexpectedly, Father Ning was extremely composed. He wasn't angry or upset, but remarkably calm. “You’re saying Yuncheng really conspired with that boy from the Gu family to kidnap me for money?” Father Ning asked this with a very steady expression. Ning Yunhuan was momentarily stunned but still nodded: “Yes, Dad. I borrowed some people from Lan Lingyan to keep an eye on them.”

Hearing this, Father Ning was silent for a long time before sighing. He didn’t mention Ning Yuncheng again but tapped his cane on the ground:

“Since you are already married to him, stop calling him by his given name. Lest people say our Ning family lacks proper upbringing.” Father Ning first lectured his daughter, then beckoned toward the smiling Madam Ning: “I think the villa at Lanshan is empty anyway. Huanhuan, just take it. Consider it your dowry for getting married.”

At this moment, Father Ning was deeply disappointed in Ning Yuncheng, but he hadn't entirely given up on this son. Thus, he left a lifeline, not immediately assigning his current residence or all his assets to his daughter, but still granting Ning Yunhuan the Lanshan villa, proving his heart was not as calm as his outward demeanor suggested.

Ning Yunhuan didn't know how to console him. This was only the beginning. As Ning Yuncheng and Gu Yingxi’s entanglement deepened, more trouble would surely follow!

However, in this life, Gu Yingxi was not as smooth-sailing as in the previous one; on the contrary, thanks to Lan Lingyan, she had been publicly disgraced not long ago. Thinking of this, Ning Yunhuan suddenly recalled something.

Although Lan Lingyan’s lesson for Gu Yingxi was mainly for her sake, the bait used was actually Liu Jinjun and the others. She hadn't given these people any thought recently and wondered where they had disappeared to. Considering this, as Ning Yunhuan left the Ning residence, she called Lan Lingyan: “Gu Yingxi was rescued, but where are Liu Jinjun and the others?”

When Gu Yingxi had called earlier today, her caller ID had been blocked, which only solidified Ning Yunhuan’s certainty that Gu Yingxi had been saved.

“How do you know she was rescued?” Lan Lingyan’s voice drifted through the phone, carrying a hint of languor and sweetness. The sound of his breathing near the receiver created an almost suggestive atmosphere. Even without seeing him, Ning Yunhuan’s ears felt warm, and she had almost forgotten what she was asking.

Sensing the silence on the other end, Lan Lingyan was almost certain she must be looking adorably flustered. He couldn't help but chuckle again, blowing a soft kiss through the phone before directly saying: “She was rescued, and she’s actually staying over there right now.”

Hearing this, Ning Yunhuan felt her suspicion confirmed and blurted out instinctively: “Was she saved by someone surnamed Mu?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was amiss. If she was wrong, why would she suddenly blurt out the surname Mu? Why would she agree to anything involving someone surnamed Mu with a person like Gu Yingxi? And if she was right, the situation was even harder to explain. The people she had were borrowed from Lan Lingyan. Lan Lingyan surely knew clearly that she wasn't tracking Gu Yingxi’s movements right now. Moreover, even if she wanted to investigate the Mu family, given their current status, it would be difficult for her with her current capabilities. How could she know that someone surnamed Mu saved Gu Yingxi? It was hard to justify.

Lan Lingyan, holding the phone, had his expression harden slightly, his eyes showing a playful glint. However, he didn't press the topic. A seasoned hunter like him never revealed his true interest immediately. He had plenty of patience to slowly figure out what was going on. If he questioned her now, Lan Lingyan was certain he wouldn't get any answers, and Ning Yunhuan would instead be scared away.

Having finally managed to warm her a little closer to him, he wouldn't commit the act of scaring her back to square one. Therefore, he pretended not to hear what Ning Yunhuan had just said, though the smile on his face grew even darker: “That fool from the Mu family saved her, Mu Jinyan of the Mu family.”

With that confirmation, a weight lifted from Ning Yunhuan’s heart. She then thought about her slip of the tongue and felt a pang of anxiety. She didn't know if Lan Lingyan had heard or not. If he had, he was certainly pretending not to have heard. Regardless, the fact that he hadn’t pressed her, giving her plenty of face, evoked a flicker of gratitude in Ning Yunhuan.

“I see that young master Mu has some intentions. You don’t need to worry about that Ms. Gu; leave it to me!” Although Lan Lingyan enjoyed seeing Ning Yunhuan’s animated expression when she spoke of Gu Yingxi, considering what he had investigated about Mu Jinyan lately, he felt this man was too dangerous for Ning Yunhuan to handle herself.

But Gu Yingxi was a demon to Ning Yunhuan. In the book, she couldn't escape the entanglement with Gu Yingxi, and in her past life, she had died at Gu Yingxi's hands. In this life, she wanted to sever ties with these people, yet unexpectedly, things circled back, and she was still being accounted for by Gu Yingxi because of Lan Lingyan.

“I know you will help me with Mu Jinyan, but Gu Yingxi, no.” Her knot of resentment needed to be untied by her own hand. At the very least, even if she didn't wish for Gu Yingxi’s death, she still needed to vent some of her frustration.

Lan Lingyan frowned slightly, about to speak, when Ning Yunhuan’s soft voice came through the phone: “You will definitely protect me, I know, right, darling?”

Upon hearing these words, and hearing what she called him, Lan Lingyan instantly lost all temper. Even without noticing it himself, a gentle smile appeared on his face. The slight displeasure that had surfaced in his heart quickly dissipated, leaving only complete delight. He couldn't control the upward curve of his lips. The words he had intended to say were replaced by a tone brimming with appeasement and doting affection:

“Mu Jinyan is that one from the Mu family who pretends to be slow. He is very calculating and has some influence of his own. But protecting my Huanhuan is certainly my responsibility as your husband. Don't worry, have fun. Before you get tired of playing, she certainly won't die!” As for whether Gu Yingxi would die after she grew tired of playing, Lan Lingyan didn't explicitly state, and Ning Yunhuan pretended not to notice.

She hadn't anticipated that simply by casually calling him ‘darling’ after hearing Father Ning’s words, his reaction would exceed her expectations. She never thought that Lan Lingyan, whom she remembered as impossibly arrogant and ruthless, would one day coax her with such a tone. She knew she was special to Lan Lingyan; she could feel it too. Although she had always been somewhat distant toward him these past few days, she had assumed it was because she was somewhat afraid of him. But if it weren't for his indulgence, she wouldn't be growing more and more at ease in front of him, even calling him first when she felt danger from Qin Yi last time!