Lan Jiu had scarcely finished speaking when Ning Yunhuan's voice flared with wounded pride: "You don't need to keep track of what I do or don't do! The facts are clear enough. We were discussing someone else entirely, not this novel-reading nonsense. Besides, you weren't even nearby when I was reading - I've been watching carefully every single day!" Her voice rose an octave as if trying to drown out her own guilt. Lan Linyan's lips curved in a knowing smile as she nodded slowly: "Mm, I see."

"I'm just saying I don't believe for a second that his man would turn against him from within," Ning Yunhuan added more softly now, though Lan Linyan still shook her head at the sentiment without engaging further. "We'll know soon enough if he does."

When Lan Jiu finished speaking, Ning Yunhuan flared again with wounded pride: "You don't need to keep track of what I do or don't do! The facts are clear enough. We were discussing someone else entirely, not this novel-reading nonsense. Besides, you weren't even nearby when I was reading - I've been watching carefully every single day!" Her voice rose an octave as if trying to drown out her own guilt. Lan Linyan's lips curved in a knowing smile as she nodded slowly: "Mm, I see."

"I'm just saying I don't believe for a second that his man would turn against him from within," Ning Yunhuan added more softly now, though Lan Linyan still shook her head at the sentiment without engaging further. "We'll know soon enough if he does."

Lan Jiu paid no mind to Ning Yunhuan's earlier outburst while she was still stewing over snapping at Gu Yingxi for no good reason - the thought of it made her cheeks burn with embarrassment now. She wasn't one to cling stubbornly to pride, so after apologizing to Lan Linyan she dropped the whole matter entirely and changed subjects.

Though she felt conflicted about Lin Min's attempt to insert herself into things, Ning Yunhuan ultimately didn't care too much for it. With her own position as a Lin family member and the added protection of the Lan clan behind her, even if Gu Yingxi managed to outmaneuver Lin Min there would be no need for her to interfere further - it was truly emperor's trouble, not eunuch's business.

Gu Yingxi remained blissfully unaware that her situation had caused Ning Yunhuan and her secret crush to argue. Just as she was beginning to feel a new wave of turmoil, Bru Green had forcefully taken her after that fateful encounter before returning immediately to England. Though his passion for her seemed endless given her rare talents, he wasn't the type to lose all reason from carnal delight. This visit alone had cost him an entire year's worth of family profits through the chaos he'd stirred up in China - now back home he needed to pacify the old patriarchs first and foremost before finding some way to cover up what happened.

Under these circumstances, bringing Gu Yingxi along with him seemed unwise at best. His decision to provoke the Lan clan had been impulsive, driven largely by a desire to get revenge for Gu Yingxi - though he'd succeeded in neither. The elder members of his family might already be forming opinions against her because of it. Though Bru Green no longer adored her with the same intensity as before, he still wanted to protect her from potential dangers that might arise in England.

So he left her behind at his villa in Ditu while returning alone to Britain. At first Gu Yingxi remained ignorant of everything until a few days later when she found most of the servants gone - only necessary cleaning staff remained. It was then she began suspecting something was wrong.

No matter how thick-headed she might be, it didn't take long for her to realize she'd been abandoned. After two days of crying alone in that huge villa without money or support while far from home, she finally remembered Gu Xian's possible fear and hurriedly returned to the Gu household with what little belongings she could gather.

Given how Gu Yingxi had previously disappeared only to be found in the Mu clan's care, the family no longer worried quite so much this time around. Gu Xian looked up at her return in pure relief when she saw her daughter safe and sound.

Though Bru Green had grown distant with her during their stay, he'd still been generous enough to buy several pieces of jewelry along with new clothes. Not being greedy by nature, she only packed a few wearable items for herself while leaving the rest behind at the villa - even from her jewelry collection she kept only two bracelets, one necklace and earrings plus a diamond hair clip.

Dressed in designer clothing and adorned with expensive accessories, Gu Yingxi's usually plain features suddenly looked much more refined. The youngest daughter Gu Yingyu gasped as she took in her sister: "Sis! You're back! You look so beautiful!"

Beside them, Gu Xian beamed with pride as she studied her eldest daughter.

Song Minran wheeled Gu Yinnuo out at this moment just to see how radiant Gu Yingxi had become compared to his own current state of exhaustion.

"Yingxi is home," he said softly while adjusting Gu Yinnuo's hair, "Nuo Nuo, are you happy to see her?" Gu Yinnuo turned away with a cold snort in her heart - she'd have preferred if thiswoman had died overseas entirely rather than returning now. But Song Minran's eyes practically gleamed at the sight.

"Sis where did you go? Don't you know how worried we all were! Why didn't you call from wherever you were?" Gu Yinnuo's outburst made everyone freeze - even Gu Xian felt a pang of disappointment toward her eldest daughter. "Yingxi," she hurriedly intervened, "you're the older sister now. When you go places, at least give us a call so we won't worry about you."

Gu Yingxi immediately apologized though she still felt ashamed to look at Song Minran's face as she half-kneeled before Gu Yinnuo: "Nuo Nuo, it was all my fault. I brought you some gifts - see if you like them." She quickly removed both her bracelet and necklace placing everything in her sister's hands.

Gu Yinnuo wanted nothing more than to slap those presents out of her hand but instead accepted the gifts with forced politeness while eyeing the hair clip still pinned to Gu Yingxi's head. Promptly, Gu Yingxi obeyed by removing it as well before handing over all items - in no time at all she'd transformed from radiant to utterly dull.

Gu Yingyu watched this exchange with growing resentment when she noticed nothing was given for her own sake - tears welled dangerously in her eyes even as Gu Yinnuo observed the whole thing silently.

The entire Gu family spent the day celebrating Gu Yingxi's return though Song Minran had already begun eyeing her repeatedly. Recently, after Gu Yinnuo's accident changed her personality so drastically, his adult hormones were constantly at war with his conscience - several times he'd nearly given in entirely but always stopped himself before seeing those icy expressions on her face.

Meanwhile Gu Xian seemed to be pushing for grandchildren lately possibly fearing Song Minran might leave Gu Yinnuo. She'd been force-feeding him all sorts of tonics meant to enhance vitality, making Song Minran's stomach churn while still refusing to seek relief elsewhere. Now that Gu Yingxi was back in the house, his eyes lit up instantly with new possibilities.

That night after dinner Song Minran found an excuse to leave his room just as Gu Yinnuo pretended not to notice what was happening. Sure enough she saw him sneak toward her old bedroom where he'd once stayed - it still had a key hidden under the bed which she retrieved quietly before slipping inside. Their muffled cries soon turned into heavy panting from within.

Gu Yinnuo's eyes burned with madness as she listened for several minutes in the darkness, her expression twisting into pure hatred.

The heavens had blessed Gu Yingxi not only with an exquisite body but also extraordinary luck - no matter how many surgeries or irregular cycles she endured, her chances of conception remained triple that of ordinary women. Just days after returning from Bru Green's villa and engaging in half a month's worth of relations with Song Minran (not to mention several encounters with Ning Yuncheng), she found herself pregnant once again though couldn't determine whose child it was.

Given the disastrous outcomes from her previous two pregnancies, neither Gu Xian nor Ning Yuncheng reacted with their usual enthusiasm. As they discussed this new development, Ning Yuncheng simply shrugged: "Who knows where she went during that time? For all I know it could be any of them. But I don't think it's mine."

His feelings for Gu Yingxi had already faded significantly since his parents stopped interfering in his life. With so many other men surrounding her and no real competition to stir up the old passions (especially without Xie Zuoyin's presence), Ning Yuncheng now found himself indifferent despite Gu Yingxi's still attractive body. After donating a kidney he simply lacked the physical stamina required for such pursuits anymore, making the whole experience less appealing overall.