Among the group of young men and women dressed in exceptionally trendy attire, there was a girl who appeared to be about ten years old, though her ensemble was markedly different. She wore an ivory-colored shirt with a visible lace mock neck, layered under a loose pink sweater. Her lower half consisted of a milky-white pleated tulle skirt matching the sweater, worn over leggings and a pair of simple brown ankle boots.

Her lightly curled hair, dyed a shade of chocolate, fell in layered wisps around her face, lending her features a sweet and somewhat endearing quality. The blunt bangs just grazed her eyebrows, beneath which lay a pair of bright, captivating eyes. Her face was adorned only with a dusting of light powder and subtle nude makeup, making her stand out remarkably amidst the group of youths who looked every bit like little hoodlums.

For a moment, the girl covered her small mouth in stunned silence. It wasn't until she saw Ning Yunhuan strike Lin Qian across the face again that she seemed to snap back to reality, quickly crying out, "Stop! What are you doing? Qianqian didn't mean it just now; how could you just hit someone?"

Her voice was delicate and timid, and her anxiety flushed her cheeks bright red, making her heart-shaped face appear radiant. The moment she spoke, the other stunned youths snapped out of their daze and began glaring fiercely at Ning Yunhuan. "Who are you? Who dares come here? Do you know this is private property? You hit Second Miss Lin—do you not want to live anymore?"

This group clearly came from affluent backgrounds, spoiled into an ignorant arrogance. Ning Yunhuan rolled her eyes and couldn't help but let out a laugh. "This is my home! I should be the one asking that. This is my residence; who invited you here? You trespass into my house to bully my son—I think you people are the ones who don't want to live!"

"Your home?" The gentle-looking girl from before couldn't help but raise her voice slightly at those words. Though she managed to keep a semblance of a smile, her tone now carried distinct hostility. "Big sister, this is private property belonging to the Lan family. Perhaps you took a wrong turn?"

The girl, speaking in that soft, lilting manner, wasn't sharp or malicious, yet her gentle words caused the others around her to let out suppressed snickers.

Although Ning Yunhuan had given birth, she had done so young and had recuperated exceptionally well afterward. Currently, she looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. Seeing this girl, who wore soft makeup and dressed in such ladylike attire yet clearly looked around twenty years old, Ning Yunhuan couldn't help but laugh as well:

"Big sister? And who might you be? You look several years older than me. Did you forget to check a mirror, thinking you were younger than I am?"

She hadn't intended to engage in a battle of wits, but these people dared to enter her home and harass her son. Ning Yunhuan certainly wouldn't be polite now. Seeing the girl's face turn a mottled white and green from her retort, Ning Yunhuan continued, "Furthermore, you claim to know this is Lan family property, yet you don't even know who belongs to the Lan family well enough to lecture me as if you were the mistress of the house. Tell me, who are you?"

Having said that, Ning Yunhuan spared another glance at the girl, whose face was now burning red and whose eyes darted anxiously in their sockets. She turned, her expression hardening, and fixed a severe look on the nanny. "How are you watching Lan Yi? If you can't manage it, just say so. I will suggest to Mr. Lan that we find replacements."

The nanny was so flustered by Ning Yunhuan's words that she was nearly in tears, stammering out, "Madam, it's not like that. They are relatives of the Old Madam."

Ning Yunhuan let out a cold laugh. She ignored the girl's demeanor, which was more insulting to the girl than being slapped. Though fighting back deep distress, the girl stretched out her hand toward Ning Yunhuan.

"Perhaps we were in the wrong just now. We didn't realize which branch of the Lan family Madam belongs to..."

"Liu Yan, don't talk to her. This bitch is my cousin's..." Lin Qian, whose arms were currently being pinned behind her back, ground her teeth upon seeing the girl reach out to Ning Yunhuan. Her eyes were bloodshot as she started to speak, but the sound of an approaching car interrupted her. They all instinctively turned to look. A vehicle had stopped where Ning Yunhuan had disembarked. After a bodyguard opened the door, Lan Lingyan stepped out, dressed in a perfectly tailored beige suit, one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting his glasses, as he walked toward the group.

The face of the girl who had just reached out to Ning Yunhuan suddenly flushed. She wrung her small hands together at her waist before turning, intending to run toward Lan Lingyan.

The off-white suit emphasized Lan Lingyan’s commanding presence. The slightly attention-grabbing color, instead of making him appear effeminate, perfectly highlighted the scholarly elegance of his temperament.

Watching the girl’s expression and recalling the name Liu Yan that Lin Qian had shouted, Ning Yunhuan remembered the woman Lin Qian had mentioned during her last visit to Lan Lingyan's company. A subtle discomfort flickered within her, though she said nothing.

"Ninth Brother Lan." To Ning Yunhuan’s surprise, the girl named Liu Yan, despite having the same expression as Gu Yingxi when seeing Lan Jiu, did not fixate her gaze on Lan Lingyan. She trotted a few steps closer to him, then lowered her head and called out softly.

Lan Lingyan did not pause his steps, nor did he glance in her direction. He walked swiftly past her side.

Liu Yan’s small hands, previously clasped at her waist, stiffened suddenly. Ning Yunhuan saw her back grow rigid, but just as quickly, she relaxed. Looking up again, her face adopted a look of gentle charm, completely devoid of the embarrassment or hurt of being ignored. Instead, she wore an expression of cultured propriety.

"What's wrong?" Lan Lingyan, who had been thrilled to hear Ning Yunhuan call him 'husband' for the first time and had rushed back dropping everything, saw the unexpected crowd gathered at his home and noticed his wife looked rather unhappy.

"Lin Qian was playing piggy nose with my son, pushing Lan Yi's nose until it turned red!" As Ning Yunhuan spoke, an unnamable anger surged through her, making her wish she could turn and slap Lin Qian twice more. Her face looked grim. "I gave her a beating."

Liu Yan, standing nearby, heard Lan Lingyan speak to Ning Yunhuan first. The smile on her face quickly faltered. She put her hands behind her back, clenching them into tight fists, only relaxing when the tips of her fingers dug into her flesh, causing a sharp pain that brought her back to composure.

She took a deep breath and smiled at Lan Lingyan. "Ninth Brother Lan, we didn't know this child was this lady's son. You know Qianqian's temperament, Brother Jiu; she acts like a child. She really didn't mean it..." Her tone remained gentle as she tried to defend Lin Qian. Before she could say more, Lan Lingyan reached out and took Lan Yi from the bodyguard. Liu Yan’s smile froze. She quickly inhaled sharply before continuing, "Ninth Brother..."

"What else did she do?" Lan Lingyan's tone sounded casual, but his eyes narrowed dangerously. He hadn't truly registered what Liu Yan was saying. Ning Yunhuan saw the look on Liu Yan’s face—as if she were about to cry—and lowered her eyelids, coldly chuckling to herself. "I don't know. I just got back and saw Lan Yi being pushed on the nose by her."

"Cousin..." Lin Qian understood Lan Lingyan's character better than the others. Hearing his tone, she knew she was in trouble. Reporting that Ning Yunhuan had hit her was impossible. She decided to find a way to extract herself first and then seek help from her aunt. With this thought, Lin Qian gave up on pressing charges against Ning Yunhuan, explaining instead, "I didn't know that little thing was your son, Cousin. Besides..." When she revealed that Lan Yi was Lan Lingyan's son, the elegantly dressed Liu Yan looked utterly stunned, her smile freezing stiffly. Ning Yunhuan watched her body tremble as if shaken by a gust of wind.

It was already November, and the weather in the capital was naturally cold. They ran the heating in the house at night. Ning Yunhuan herself was wearing a down jacket and still felt her hands were cold. Yet, this girl was wearing only a shirt under a thin, breezy sweater. It looked beautiful, certainly, but she must have been freezing. Ning Yunhuan had noticed her pale complexion at first glance, giving an impression of frailty, but beneath the foundation, Ning Yunhuan could see a slightly bluish undertone to her skin and the involuntary goosebumps rising on her arms, confirming she was deeply chilled.

"You didn't know he was my son? Then I don't know you either," Lan Lingyan said, frowning down at his son in his arms, who was sobbing uncontrollably. After covering the child's face with the cotton blanket draped over him, he held the boy horizontally against his chest, patting him while his gaze sharpened. "Take Miss Cousin away, and keep her suitably entertained."

His voice was low, but it terrified Lin Qian. Just as Liu Yan was about to speak, Lin Qian was already being gagged and led away.

"Hold on. Hand over the key." To enter the villa on the Lan family mountain, one needed at least one special key to get past the gate below. Moreover, bypassing certain security scans, the key also served as identification. Lan Lingyan knew that he and Ning Yunhuan had keys, but he couldn't imagine who else besides his parents would have a key to this specific location.

Lin Qian’s eyes darted around in panic. Lan Lingyan’s face darkened. "Hand it over. Don't force me to search you."

"I..." Just as Lin Qian hesitated, Lan Lingyan had no patience to waste on her. He commanded coldly, "Hand it over!"

ps: First update~~ I should have two or three updates today... but I wonder if you dedicated readers still have any little pink tickets left for me... Recommending Old Bai's work: Gui Ning Xie Shuning died. She perished with her young son in the third month of spring. Yet, when she opened her eyes, she had returned to the time she first entered the capital with her mother. Fine snow drifted from the sky, blanketing the road in white. Her younger self, chubby and round like a steamed bun, was flanked by her mother, who had died of sorrow in her past life, and her brother, who died prematurely. The carriage beneath them swayed precariously, carrying them toward the nightmare of her former life... But this time, would her life turn out differently? RO