The daughter-in-law smiled, and the gloom between Lanling Yan’s brows finally dissipated a little. He followed suit with a smile, and when his voice came through the phone, it held less coldness and more amusement:

“Don’t worry, it will be fine.” The person he had sent over had already called him back. Madam Ning’s condition was an acute stroke. Although it would certainly leave some sequelae, it was not fatal. Moreover, the time between her collapse and treatment was short; she had fallen against the sofa rather than head-first. Ning Yunhuan and her father hadn’t moved her, so as long as a thorough check-up revealed no other major issues, surgery wouldn't even be necessary. Traditional Chinese Medicine would suffice for recuperation, followed by a period of rehabilitation once she awoke.

Although the sudden collapse of his mother-in-law wasn't entirely unexpected for Lanling Yan, as he had anticipated this possibility when plotting against Ning Yuncheng, he was prepared. While such composure might seem excessively cold-blooded, it was in Lanling Yan's nature; he wasn't particularly close even to Lan Yi. He maintained a degree of respect for Father Ning and Madam Ning, but that didn't stop him from pursuing his objectives. However, his wife had no need to know the finer details of these arrangements.

After Ning Yuncheng returned home to ask for money, Ning Yunhuan started paying much closer attention to his affairs. It was fortunate that this situation kept her occupied; she wasn't as constantly tense about Lin Min’s disdain and nitpicking as before, and even the reluctance concerning her son being taken away had faded considerably.

Madam Ning collapsed that day and woke up the next. Although the doctor stated no surgery was needed, residual effects remained; her speech was slightly slurred, and her reactions much slower.

Seeing her mother in this state naturally caused Ning Yunhuan some worry. Lanling Yan, seeking to vent his mother-in-law’s distress, had been pressuring Ning Yuncheng even harder recently. Under these circumstances, Ning Yunhuan had fully expected to hear news of Ning Yuncheng coming to their father for money. But instead of Ning Yuncheng appearing, the people she had assigned to watch him brought back entirely different intelligence.

Gu Yingxi, having recently borrowed two hundred thousand from Mu Jinyan, naturally planned to use the funds for Gu Xian’s surgery. However, they had the money, but the Gu family had completely overlooked the issue of the kidney source!

If they waited for a voluntary donor, countless people across the entire Huaxia nation were already on the waiting list for kidney sources. Following the queue sequentially, even if Gu Xian waited five years, her turn might not come. Her body had already reached a critical stage of hematuria; if a transplant was urgently required, their only option was to buy one on the black market.

But Gu Yingxi had investigated: purchasing a kidney on the black market would likely cost a minimum of three to five hundred thousand, and given Gu Xian’s desperate need, the price would probably be even higher.

Gu Yingxi was a dutiful daughter, and the most she possessed was the two hundred thousand borrowed from Mu Jinyan—not another cent beyond that. Driven to the brink, the resilient heroine found herself helpless and in agony.

Among her men, Xie Zhuoyin had been taken back to the Xie family, and she hadn't seen him in a long time. At her most painful and helpless moment, Xie Zhuoyin couldn't offer her any assistance. Gu Yingxi completely viewed him as a heartless brute and had stopped harboring any hope in him.

As for Mu Jinyan, while he could lend money, she had already borrowed two hundred thousand from him. Why would he lend her several hundred thousand more for no apparent reason? Furthermore, Mu Jinyan was merely a simpleton; even if he possessed money, it would only be a limited amount. Gu Yingxi wasn't certain he would lend her more, considering how much she already owed him.

With no other recourse, she set her sights on Ning Yuncheng.

The Ning family was wealthy. Although Father and Madam Ning currently disapproved of her, they certainly had hundreds of thousands between them. Gu Yingxi was reluctant to constantly demand money from the man she loved; her feelings for Ning Yuncheng were purely emotional, and she didn't want to insult their bond with financial appeals. But reality was brutally unavoidable, so she finally brought herself to ask Ning Yuncheng.

Regarding Gu Yingxi’s request for a loan, Ning Yuncheng felt an agonizing torment. It wasn't that he felt it wrong for his beloved to ask him for money—he would willingly tear out his heart for Gu Yingxi if she asked!

What tortured him was his own inadequacy, his failure to properly care for Gu Yingxi, to anticipate every need, forcing her to stoop to asking him for funds!

Ning Yuncheng himself had no money. His only recourse was to go home and ask his parents. Because Ning Yunhuan had been forewarned about these possibilities, she was already taking precautions against him. Madam Ning was currently hospitalized due to anger; her recovery wouldn't happen in a day or two, and she certainly wouldn't allow Ning Yuncheng to trouble her at this time!

At this juncture, Ning Yunhuan couldn't help but marvel at the immense hold Gu Yingxi had over Ning Yuncheng. Even with someone else involved—and with her own interference—Ning Yuncheng remained as devoted and protective of Gu Yingxi as he had been in their previous life.

As Ning Yunhuan mused on the unbreakable bond between the male and female protagonists, Ning Yuncheng was simultaneously drowning in misery. The people pursuing his debts had tightened their noose even further recently. Madam Ning refused to see him, and Father Ning proved mercilessly cruel—not only refusing to help but balking even at lending him one hundred thousand!

Not only was he unable to secure the money to pay off Gu Shaotao's gambling debt, but he was also powerless against Gu Yingxi’s tearful pleas. With the creditors pressing him harder, after being blocked again by the complex security guards who informed him Father Ning did not wish to see him, a torrent of hatred surged through Ning Yuncheng.

When Ning Yunhuan left the hospital and headed to the Ning residence to check on Father Ning, she witnessed the scene at the community entrance: Ning Yuncheng behaving like a desperate vagrant, refusing to leave. He was loudly cursing while frantically trying to call his father, but Ning Yunhuan had already anticipated Father Ning might soften, so she had used Lanling Yan to have Ning Yuncheng’s number blocked within the family home.

She was certain Ning Yuncheng wouldn't dare change his phone number. He was so destitute now that he relied on the Gu family even for daily sustenance. His phone number had been set up by Father Ning, meaning he wasn't even paying the monthly fees yet. If he changed the number, he likely wouldn't even be able to afford airtime!

After failing to reach his father through multiple attempts, Ning Yuncheng’s shouting escalated:

“Father, I am your son too! How can you stand by and watch me suffer? You are so cruel; you might as well never have brought me into this world!” By the end, he had started loudly denouncing Ning Yunhuan as well.

Listening from the car for quite some time, the bodyguard driving didn't wait for Ning Yunhuan’s instruction but immediately called Lanling Yan. After venting his fury, as Ning Yuncheng was heading home, he ran into men from the gambling house demanding their money.

Ning Yuncheng had nothing to give. The gamblers brutally roughhoused him, threatening to return the next day. Ning Yuncheng breathed a sigh of relief, then, a mixture of fear and panic overcoming him, he collapsed onto the deserted street and finally couldn't hold back, breaking into pitiful sobs.

He was supposed to be a high-spirited noble son, living a life surrounded by companions, indulging in youthful pleasures. Upon meeting his destined love, he had turned over a new leaf, meant to stay devoted to Gu Yingxi until old age. He had pictured their wedding more than once.

But now, everything had changed. Father and Madam Ning seemed bewitched, ignoring him. He was their flesh and blood, yet they were so heartless! All of this was Ning Yunhuan’s fault!

Recalling how Ning Yunhuan had stopped clinging to him over the past year, instead creating obstacles at every turn, Ning Yuncheng’s resentment intensified. If it weren't for Ning Yunhuan, if Father Ning hadn't been so blatantly partial, handing over the Ning family company that rightfully belonged to him to Ning Yunhuan—if he had the company now, he could sell it, pay off the debt, and Gu Yingxi wouldn't have to beg him for money. He could have fully covered the expenses for Gu Xian’s mother’s illness, avoiding this current predicament!

When Gu Shaotao had initially proposed kidnapping and raping Ning Yunhuan before killing her, he had still retained a shred of fraternal affection and tried to persuade Shaotao to spare her life. But now, seeing her ruthlessness and her complete disregard for her own brother, he regretted stopping Gu Shaotao in the first place.

If Ning Yunhuan were dead, he wouldn’t be in this miserable state. Father and Madam Ning would have only him as their son, the Ning company would fall to him, and he wouldn’t be bankrupt now!

These thoughts fueled waves of remorse in Ning Yuncheng. The idea that he could have wealth without Ning Yunhuan took root, causing him to grow increasingly agitated the more he considered it.

Meanwhile, in the Gu household, Gu Yingxi was waiting anxiously for Ning Yuncheng's return. He had gone to borrow money from his father. Gu Xian was currently hospitalized, and the borrowed two hundred thousand had already depleted by twenty or thirty thousand. If he failed to secure more funds, this remaining amount wouldn't be enough. Her entire hope now rested on Ning Yuncheng.

But after waiting an entire day, when she saw Ning Yuncheng return at night, covered in wounds, Gu Yingxi completely broke down!

“Yuncheng, Yuncheng, what happened to you? How did you get this way?” Gu Yingxi’s tears streamed down as she saw the blood trickling from the corner of Ning Yuncheng’s mouth. “Who did this? Who did this?”

Aside from the two sisters Gu Yingnuo who were currently at the hospital watching over Gu Xian, Gu Shaotao, wearing a dark expression, also came home. Seeing Ning Yuncheng’s state, his eyes flickered, and he walked over.

“It’s nothing,” Ning Yuncheng said determinedly, wiping the blood from his mouth with a grim look. “One day, everything will be as it should be, Xi’er, you just rest assured!”

Of course, Gu Yingxi trusted her lover. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly asked Gu Shaotao to fetch iodine and other supplies to clean Ning Yuncheng’s wounds. Although asking her lover for money right after he was injured seemed inappropriate, her mother’s condition was more urgent. So, she cautiously brought up the topic:

“Yuncheng, did you see Uncle Ning when you went back? The doctor told me again today that Mother needs surgery soon…”

The moment the subject of money arose, even the resolute Ning Yuncheng couldn't hold back. Gazing into his beloved’s tear-filled eyes, he felt a stabbing pain in his chest, as if someone were gouging it with a knife. Despite his guilt, he grit his teeth:

“I didn’t see my father. He only listens to Ning Yunhuan now. I’ll try him again tomorrow!”

Upon hearing that he hadn't secured the money, Gu Yingxi’s expression immediately fell into despair. She covered her face, her shoulders trembling as she wept weakly: “Then what do we do? Mother is getting worse. The doctor said if she doesn't get the transplant soon, she… she won’t have long to live…”

Hearing this, Ning Yuncheng became extremely anxious. Harming Ning Yunhuan required time, which he didn't have immediately. He currently had no interaction with Ning Yunhuan and couldn't even get an audience with Father Ning. He had no way to trick her into an encounter.

He had planned to corner Ning Yunhuan at school after the semester began, but now, hearing Gu Yingxi say Gu Xian was out of time—Gu Xian was his mother-in-law. Thinking of Gu Yingxi’s deep devotion to him, and remembering Gu Xian had raised Gu Yingxi, Gu Yingxi’s tears felt like burning embers injected into his heart, making his whole body tremble. Without a second thought, he declared:

“Xi’er, don’t say another word! I’ll go get tested for blood type tomorrow. I—I will donate a kidney to Mother Gu!”

Ning Yuncheng’s words jolted both Gu Yingxi and Gu Shaotao! Gu Yingxi could hardly believe her ears. She hadn't imagined, truly hadn't expected, that Yuncheng would be willing to donate a kidney to her mother!

She was stunned by the depth of Yuncheng’s love for her!

Gu Shaotao was equally shocked. He knew Ning Yuncheng had always loved Gu Yingxi, but he hadn't anticipated his love would run so deep that he would offer a kidney for Gu Xian!

He understood what losing a kidney meant for a man. Even if he was immature and hadn't yet experienced intimacy with a woman, he grasped the significance!

“Brother Ning, you… you really mean to donate a kidney to my mother?”

Gu Shaotao’s incredulous question brought Ning Yuncheng back to reality, making him realize what he had just blurted out! It had been an impulsive offer born of emotion, but now that the words were spoken, seeing Gu Yingxi’s tear-moistened face, Ning Yuncheng felt everything was worth it. Thus, when Gu Shaotao asked, he nodded firmly:

“Yes. I love Xi’er. As long as she is happy and willing to be with me, I am willing to give everything!”

Gu Yingxi collapsed into Ning Yuncheng’s embrace, feeling as blissfully happy as a little bird, her tears flowing uncontrollably!

The couple naturally spent that night in a passionate embrace! In the morning, Gu Yingxi rose trembling. She and Ning Yuncheng had reveled until dawn. Recalling Yuncheng’s fervor the night before, the petals between her thighs tightened, a warm current surging, followed by a feeling of emptiness!

Her body had been thoroughly ravaged by several men, and though she was exhausted from a night of relentless lovemaking, the aroused body still throbbed with the memory of last night’s excitement, making patience difficult!

Yuncheng’s devotion was genuine, and she was moved by his love, but she couldn't allow her lover to make such a sacrifice for her! As long as he held that love for her in his heart, she was already content!

Ning Yuncheng had visibly grown haggard recently from the stress of borrowing money. She couldn't be so selfish! Thinking this, Gu Yingxi’s gaze hardened, and a firm resolution formed in her mind!