"Does your father need you to remind him what to do?" Mu Mingli said, casting a sidelong glance at Father Lan. Seeing him offer a gentle, refined smile, yet with eyes as black as ink and lips curving into a faint smirk, she felt a chill run through her. She glared at her daughter again. "You're married now; don't meddle in family affairs!"

"Mom, it's just that some people are tactless enough to hit Jin Yan, and now they dare cause this kind of trouble. She’s a complete troublemaker. I don't know if Lan Lingyan’s eyes are blind to fall for such a woman!"

Lin Min, humiliated and scolded by Mu Mingli in front of everyone while furious, felt both resentful and indignant. She glared fiercely at Ning Yunhuan, clearly blaming her for not pleading on Lin Qian's behalf, and already harboring intense hatred for her.

"My eyes are blind?" Lan Lingyan let out a laugh, his gaze turning dangerous. "Mother, are you perhaps confused?" He knew Lin Min had never been close to him, and Lan Lingyan never expected her to always side with him, but on a matter like this, she was being obtuse and blaming others instead. It was no wonder that while Lin Min seemed endlessly favored now, Lan Lingyan couldn't imagine what she truly possessed besides Father Lan's affection.

She was decades old, yet still couldn't see the current reality clearly.

Hearing her son call her confused sent Lin Min into an even greater rage. She was about to retort when Father Lan’s arm slipped around her waist, his lips affectionately brushing against her hair. He murmured, "Minmin, you should rest." Without waiting for her to speak further, he drew Lin Min aside. Lin Min, who had just been about to plead for her niece, dared not say another word after Father Lan spoke, though she was deeply displeased. She let out a cold snort, fixing Ning Yunhuan with a cold, sharp gaze before falling silent.

An awkward silence descended upon the gathering. Lin Qian had just been escorted away, and Ye Ci's family members dared not step forward to intercede, freezing in place.

Seeing her son spitting blood, Tian Yuxin’s eyes filled with tears of distress. She glared venomously at Ning Yunhuan. "Miss Ning, didn't you go too far? Jin Yan was thoughtless, but should you be thoughtless too?"

"Does Madam Mu mean that because he was thoughtless, I, being thoughtful, should stand still and let him hit me?" Ning Yunhuan shot a cold look at the furious Tian Yuxin, then continued, "Furthermore, disciplining Young Master Mu should not be my responsibility. Eldest Young Master Mu was present and couldn't stop him; does Madam Mu think I could?"

Originally, Ning Yunhuan had a good impression of Mu Jinzhi, but tonight, his fiercely protective behavior left her feeling utterly sickened. While Mu Jinzhi protecting his younger brother was a noble sentiment, she, the person who had been schemed against, felt deeply uneasy. She couldn't help but deliver a sharp retort to the Mu family. As Tian Yuxin's face turned ashen, Mu Shaohua, his expression somewhat grim, finally spoke up:

"Uncle, the young ones are just immature. With this outburst today, Jin Yan isn't feeling well, so I need to take him down the mountain to check on him. We won't be staying."

Mu Shaohua was certainly furious inside, but he maintained his composure in his speech. No matter how the evening had unfolded, Mu Jinyan had been struck hard enough to lose a tooth—even if he was considered simple-minded, this incident was an affront to the entire Mu family.

Lin Maoshan understood that it was not wise for the Mu family to linger, so seeing Mu Shaohua finding an exit gracefully, he nodded in satisfaction, holding Lin Yi close. "It was Lin Qian who was immature. Lin Chen should accompany Shaohua down the mountain as well; losing a tooth isn't a small matter; he needs to be properly examined."

Tian Yuxin was displeased. A lost tooth wasn't a small matter, yet the woman who caused it seemed completely unharmed? She was extremely unhappy, but Lin Maoshan had spoken, and Tian Yuxin, still retaining some reason, had to swallow her anger, no matter how much she hated the situation. The Mu family had taken note of this debt, intending to repay it slowly in the future.

With such an unpleasant event marring the New Year celebration, and although Lin Qian, the instigator, had been cast out of the Lin family, Lin Maoshan was clearly still irate. No one felt like staying any longer. Lan Lingyan first took Ning Yunhuan’s hand to bid farewell. Once they were in the car, Lan Lingyan’s expression darkened considerably:

"Mu Jinzhi is exceptionally outstanding? What kind of pathetic creature is he to deserve you saying that?"

Ning Yunhuan had expected him to comment on her disrupting the Lin family gathering, but he immediately brought up old grievances. She instinctively shrank into the corner of the car, weakly defending herself, "I was just saying it casually..."

"Casually? Then why have I never heard you casually say how outstanding your husband is?" They had been together for quite some time now, yet Ning Yunhuan had never uttered a word of affection for him, nor had she ever praised him. Their relationship had initially begun somewhat forcefully on Lan Lingyan's part, and given his dominant personality, he hadn't thought much of it. But hearing Ning Yunhuan praise Mu Jinzhi today made him incredibly uncomfortable.

"Say it—say your husband is heroic and majestic, and say you love me." Lan Lingyan, growing increasingly vexed, moved toward her as he spoke. Just as Ning Yunhuan tried to struggle, he gripped both her hands and pressed them onto the leather seat, spreading her legs and pinning them against the seat so she couldn't move at all. Terrifyingly, one of Lan Lingyan's free hands rested lightly, yet firmly, on her waist.

This sensation—like being tickled but unable to escape—was the most unbearable. Ning Yunhuan initially tried to suppress her laughter but eventually burst into uncontrollable giggles, kicking her legs frantically even though she knew it was useless.

"Mercy, you are heroic and majestic... Hahaha..."

"And you still haven't said you love me!" Lan Lingyan insisted, his actions not ceasing. "And you won't praise others again, right?"

"I won't, I won't..." Ning Yunhuan laughed until her stomach ached, tears streaming down her face as she kicked her legs, nearly weeping.

"You still haven't said you love me." As he said this, Lan Lingyan moved the hand tickling her waist, slipping it gently beneath the hem of her top, and swallowed the words of surrender Ning Yunhuan was about to utter whole into his mouth.

The New Year had just passed, and the start of the semester was approaching. Father Lan, having spent the New Year in Huaxia, was preparing to depart.

He was a very busy man. Although he valued his influence in Huaxia, a man like him couldn't stay in one place for too long, so once February passed, he planned to leave.

Lan Lingyan was summoned by Father Lan early that morning. With his departure imminent, Father Lan certainly wouldn't relinquish the lucrative territory of Huaxia, so there were many matters he needed to entrust to his son.

The Imperial Capital University had an early holiday break, meaning their semester started half a month sooner than many other universities. Registration was required a few days in advance. Shortly after Lan Lingyan left, Ning Yunhuan woke up, packed her things, and headed to school. While the bodyguard went to handle her registration, Li Panpan entered the classroom clutching her bag.

Ning Yunhuan hadn't heard any news of Li Panpan over the break. When the Lin family hosted their banquet, General Li, being a subordinate of Lin Maoshan, also brought his sons and daughters-in-law. However, Ning Yunhuan hadn't seen her. Now, upon meeting, Li Panpan unhesitatingly walked toward Ning Yunhuan with her bag.

"Huanhuan, I haven't seen you in ages. Let's have lunch together today." Li Panpan appeared thinner; her captivating eyes seemed larger, and her small, pointed chin on her delicate face couldn't entirely hide a look of fatigue.

"Big Brother Qin is back. He knows your boyfriend's identity now and wants to apologize to you," Li Panpan said, glancing at Ning Yunhuan with a hint of guilt.

They weren't close friends, yet Li Panpan's tone was suddenly very intimate. Ning Yunhuan considered it for a moment and shook her head.

"For your sake, I'll let the matter of Qin Yi go." After all, Lan Lingyan had beaten Qin Yi, and the Qin family had sent a one-hundred-million settlement gift. She had accepted the money, so she certainly wouldn't pursue it further; this was a good opportunity to save face for Li Panpan.

"But we don't need to have lunch..." As soon as Ning Yunhuan finished speaking, Li Panpan offered a wry smile. "It's truly hard to arrange a meeting with you. Regarding Fu Yuan, I did thank you for the timely warning back then, but since you know her character, you should stop associating with her."

Ning Yunhuan certainly knew what kind of person Fu Yuan was; she wouldn't associate with her now even without Li Panpan’s reminder. However, she acknowledged Li Panpan’s good intentions, keeping the favor in mind. Thus, she offered a gentle hint in return. "Since you understand some things in your heart, you should seriously reconsider the engagement with Qin Yi."

Li Panpan nodded, her eyes softening tenderly. "Huanhuan, you truly are a good girl. I know you mean well for me, but I'm not resigned to it. I'm already his woman; I have over ten years of history with him—I refuse to believe it can't withstand Fu Yuan!"

She wasn't referring to Fu Yuan, but rather Gu Yingxi, with whom Qin Yi hadn't yet consummated their relationship. But since nothing physical had actually happened between Qin Yi and Gu Yingxi yet, Ning Yunhuan knew Li Panpan likely wouldn't believe her if she mentioned it now. Ning Yunhuan could only offer a wry smile and nod, saying no more.

"You should..." Just as she was about to remind Li Panpan to be wary of Qin Yi, her phone rang from inside her bag. She pulled out her phone and saw a string of asterisks. Only confidential numbers not saved in her phone displayed like this when receiving a call. Ning Yunhuan recalled the last time Tian Yuxin had called and felt a reluctance to answer, but when the call ended only to ring again immediately, she finally picked up with a touch of impatience.

"How dare you hang up on me!" Lin Min's voice roared through the receiver, irate and hysterical. She commanded directly, "I have something to say to you; come to the Lin residence now."

After speaking, a heavy thud indicated she had thrown down the phone, followed by the sharp dial tone.

"Was that your boyfriend calling?" Li Panpan, standing nearby, had heard the sound of the phone being slammed down. Though she hadn't clearly heard who it was, she made a guess.

Ning Yunhuan shook her head, her expression turning cold. "It was my boyfriend's mother!"

Li Panpan shot her a look of sympathy. Having dealt with Qin Yi’s mother herself, Li Panpan understood the situation well enough and said nothing upon learning the caller's identity.

After a dry laugh, Ning Yunhuan called the bodyguard and prepared to leave campus. Seeing her actions, Li Panpan decided to accompany her. "I'll go out with you; my business here is done anyway."

Ning Yunhuan didn't reply, only nodding. Since she had to wait for the two bodyguards to return, the two walked slowly. Even at a slow pace, half an hour later they reached the campus exit. A car was parked across the street. Just as the traffic light turned red, one of the bodyguards waiting in the car saw Ning Yunhuan approaching and quickly got out, preparing to cross once the light changed. Unexpectedly, a white figure suddenly lunged toward Ning Yunhuan from the side of the gate.

Startled, Ning Yunhuan instinctively stuck out her leg to kick, causing the figure to grunt in pain. Ning Yunhuan felt something soft meet the sole of her foot, and the outstretched leg was immediately grabbed.

"Junior classmate Ning, I beg you..." The sudden development startled both Ning Yunhuan and Li Panpan. Before they could react, a black SUV approaching from a distance slowed down. Several men in black leaped out, grabbing Gu Yingxi and Ning Yunhuan and dragging them into the vehicle. Li Panpan, standing beside them, was about to scream when she too was snatched inside.

The bodyguard beside her snapped back to attention and tried to pursue, but the car accelerated, speeding away.

Ning Yunhuan had her mouth covered and was pressed against the seat. Through the gap in the seats, she saw her bodyguard in the rearview mirror talking rapidly into his phone while running toward the car. After a series of sharp turns, the sound of a collision echoed, followed by a car speeding in pursuit.

Gu Yingxi was about to scream when the man clamped something over her mouth, and she quickly slumped, unconscious. Then Li Panpan was dealt with in the same manner. As for Ning Yunhuan, she lost consciousness in the blink of an eye.

Before passing out, she had the grim thought that running into a jinx like Gu Yingxi never boded well. While dreaming chaotic nightmares, she woke up later to find herself in total darkness. Her limbs felt numb, likely bound, and having been deprived of circulation for so long, her entire body was intensely cold.

The moment she moved, Li Panpan’s groan sounded nearby. "Mmm..."

"Where are we?" A faint, timid voice echoed slightly throughout the space. Ning Yunhuan recognized Gu Yingxi’s voice and deduced they were likely in a large, empty room.

The sound of Gu Yingxi’s voice made Ning Yunhuan—whose head still felt groggy—begin to tremble uncontrollably.

After cursing inwardly, Ning Yunhuan forced herself to calm down. The surroundings were deathly quiet. It seemed the three of them—herself, Li Panpan, and Gu Yingxi—were locked together without hearing anyone else. She didn't know where they were or who had seized them.

Her bodyguard must have called Lan Lingyan before she lost consciousness. She wondered when he would come to rescue her.

Being the insignificant cannon fodder, lumped in misfortune with Li Panpan, a supporting female character, and the actual female protagonist, was a terrible fate. Based on the experiences of her past and present lives, Ning Yunhuan knew that whenever Gu Yingxi encountered danger, she miraculously had the male lead show up to save her, often falling in love with her at first sight. Meanwhile, the women accompanying her would either become substitutes for her torment or end up unjustly killed on her behalf!