"Using a person to shield oneself from danger is truly despicable." Whenever Madam Ning looked at Gu Yingnuo with disapproval, naturally everything she did seemed wrong. Ning Yunhuan, however, merely smiled, "Mother, if she weren't despicable, then I would be the one disfigured later." Gu Yingnuo was indeed ruthless, but she had seized someone to use as a shield specifically because of herself, and Ning Yunhuan didn't want Madam Ning speaking ill of her behind her back: "Besides, Yingnuo is different from Gu Yingxi. Her boyfriend was also stolen by Gu Yingxi, and her leg was broken because of the trouble those two caused." Having said that, she briefly recounted what Gu Yingxi had told her.

Madam Ning was stunned for a long time, unable to recover. Indeed, the world was vast and full of wonders; Gu Yingxi would even steal her own sister's boyfriend. For some inexplicable reason, Madam Ning felt a pang of sympathy for Gu Yingnuo's predicament. Learning that she had lost a leg only to have her son-in-law set it afterwards, Madam Ning sighed again, shook her head, and said no more.

After failing to get any news about Ning Lianlian from Madam Ning, Ning Yunhuan persuaded her several times to return to the mountain villa together, but Madam Ning refused every time. As they were leaving the Ning residence, Gu Yingnuo's call came through. Gu Yingnuo had been handling the matter of Ning Lianlian recently. Although it felt somewhat unscrupulous, the situation had fortunately been suppressed. The media had buzzed about it for a while, but it hadn't been traced back to Ning Yunhuan; instead, it vaguely suggested that Gu Yingxi was behind the incident, sparking another wave of intense discussion online.

Compared to how appropriately Gu Yingnuo managed those affairs, Ning Lianlian in the hospital proved to be the bigger problem.

Although she wasn't disfigured, she was close. The person had thrown concentrated, undiluted strong acid. Ning Lianlian's chest and neck were severely burned, and the injury to her neck nearly affected her vocal cords. Currently, forget eating, even speaking was a major issue.

Ning Lianlian's family had also rushed to the Imperial Capital. Gu Yingnuo was just about to go and settle her parents when Ning Lianlian's parents made a demand to meet Ning Yunhuan. They stated they wouldn't discuss anything until Ning Yunhuan appeared. Ning Yunhuan and Gu Yingnuo hadn't spent much time together, but she knew Gu Yingnuo's personality. If it weren't an absolute last resort, she would never call her. Therefore, she agreed, instructing the driver to head towards the hospital.

Halfway there, Lan Lingyan called. Without any preamble, he asked directly, "Where are you?"

She dutifully told him she was on her way to the hospital. Just as Ning Yunhuan alighted from the car at the hospital's main entrance, the driver jumped out to hand the keys to the parking attendant, and Lan Jiu followed, exiting the car as well.

"This Ning family branch, they should be from the generation of your great-grandfather's sibling, dating back over seventy years." He explained the relationship that even Madam Ning was unaware of to Ning Yunhuan. Although the era was long past, China's technological development was far superior to the world Ning Yunhuan hadn't time-traveled from. Moreover, the Lan family possessed channels and sources of information others didn't know about. As Lan Lingyan spoke of these matters, Ning Yunhuan showed no curiosity whatsoever.

Ning Lianlian's great-grandfather was likely a brother to Ning Yunhuan's great-grandfather's generation, but the brothers had later divided their assets. Ning Yunhuan's great-grandfather used his share to establish an opera house, which later developed into an entertainment company. Ning Lianlian's great-grandfather, on the other hand, took his money to live as a wealthy idler and married Ning Lianlian's grandmother. Over a lifetime, he achieved nothing significant, and as generations passed, the family naturally became ordinary, lacking any remarkable distinction.

Lan Lingyan rarely spoke idle nonsense; if he mentioned this, there had to be a reason. As Ning Yunhuan linked her arm with his and entered the hospital, Ning Lianlian was staying on the seventeenth floor of the surgical building in the burn unit due to her neck injuries. As the two rode the elevator up, Gu Yingnuo was already waiting outside the lift.

She had shed her usual innocent appearance, now dressed in a black professional suit, wearing high heels, and light makeup, looking energetic and alert.

"Master, Madam, please this way." She bowed slightly and led the way, showing no sign of fatigue. Ning Yunhuan had re-enrolled her in Capital University. In reality, Gu Yingnuo was using her spare time to work for Ning Yunhuan while simultaneously absorbing vast amounts of data from the Lan Ning corporation. The effort required daily was immense, yet Gu Yingnuo hadn't backed down; instead, she appeared highly motivated.

In the ward, Ning Lianlian lay on the bed, eyes closed. Even without makeup, she looked much the same, perhaps only making her large eyes appear a few shades darker against her pale complexion, lending her a look of delicate distress.

Sitting beside her were two unfamiliar middle-aged individuals. The man was around forty, his receding hairline already noticeable, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a dark green suit, exuding a slight scholarly air. The woman beside him was harder to discern, as she was facing away from the door, only showing an orange knitted cardigan.

Gu Yingnuo first knocked lightly, then pushed the door open and entered. The people inside heard the movement and quickly turned to look. Upon seeing Gu Yingnuo, the middle-aged woman stood up. She wore a floral maxi dress, and traces of her youthful appearance could still be discerned. Pointing at Gu Yingnuo, she angrily exclaimed, "What are you doing coming in here? Haven't you made our daughter miserable enough already?"

After the incident, Ning Lianlian's injuries were not concealed from her parents. Consequently, this couple had not been very polite to Gu Yingnuo since their arrival.

"Mr. Ning, Madam Ning, these are my employers," Gu Yingnuo ignored the middle-aged woman's tirade and calmly pointed to Lan Lingyan and Ning Yunhuan to introduce them. Her composed demeanor only fueled the woman's rage further. The seemingly calmer man pulled her back, first glancing at Lan Lingyan. Seeing his indifferent expression, he quickly looked away, fixing his gaze instead on Ning Yunhuan. He stared for a long moment, only breaking his scrutiny when Lan Lingyan started showing impatience, then cautiously asked for confirmation:

"Your surname is Ning?"

Ning Yunhuan nodded. She had already thought things through on the way there. Although Madam Ning now hoped to find one or two relatives in the Ning family for future interaction, she had no intention of truly acknowledging this branch, even if Ning Lianlian truly had some connection to her.

"My surname is also Ning. I recall my great-grandfather once mentioning that his ancestral home was originally in the capital. Perhaps there is some connection between our ancestors." This middle-aged man didn't know much himself; he vaguely found Ning Yunhuan's appearance somewhat familiar but dared not hastily claim kinship. However, the look in his eyes suggested he might have his own calculations running.

"Perhaps, but my father passed away just over half a month ago, and my mother said there are no relatives in the Ning family." Ning Yunhuan smiled as she gently deflected the middle-aged man's suggestion. He froze, a flicker of regret flashing in his eyes, before extending his hand: "I am Ning Zhizhong, and this is my wife. Ning Lianlian is our daughter." He was Ning Zhizhong, while the recently deceased father was Ning Zhimin. Ning Yunhuan frowned slightly, deciding to wait and see what these people's true motives were first.

"How does Miss Ning plan to resolve my daughter's matter?" Seeing that he couldn't establish a connection with Ning Yunhuan, Ning Zhizhong immediately brought up the issue that the middle-aged woman beside him was most concerned about. Up until this point, Ning Lianlian had been staying in the best VIP room in the hospital, attended by professors, with daily expenses exceeding tens of thousands. Although she was signed under Lan Ning, she wasn't a top-tier celebrity. While the benefits Lan Ning provided included some medication, since Ning Lianlian was using only the finest imported drugs, and the expert attending physicians were not covered by Chinese benefits, they had to be paid out of pocket, amounting to tens of thousands daily.

"How does Mr. Ning wish to resolve this?" Ning Yunhuan countered. The middle-aged woman beside Ning Zhizhong could no longer contain herself: "We absolutely cannot agree to use 'work injury' as an excuse, because many people saw that day that our daughter was not injured on the job, but rather this Miss Gu seized her to block a calamity intended for Miss Ning."

"I understand, that's why I'm asking Madam how she intends to resolve it?" Ning Yunhuan asked again. The middle-aged woman exchanged a look with her daughter in the bed, then glanced at Ning Zhizhong before gritting her teeth and stating, "My daughter suffered such severe harm. First, aside from her physical recovery, skin grafting and cosmetic surgery are essential. I demand she receives the absolute best surgery so that not a single trace remains."

"Agreed." Gu Yingnuo saw Ning Yunhuan give a slight nod, then pulled out a folder and made a note.

The middle-aged woman was surprised that Ning Yunhuan had agreed so readily. After hesitating slightly, she continued, "I also hope that besides the current medical expenses, Lan Ning can provide an additional five hundred thousand as compensation for Lianlian's physical injuries." Hearing this, the girl in the bed frowned and looked at her mother, her mouth forming the shape of 'Mom.' Seeing that her mother completely ignored her, she could only offer an apologetic smile to Lan Lingyan and Ning Yunhuan, looking rather embarrassed.

"Done." Ning Yunhuan also agreed; five hundred thousand was no issue for her now. Seeing that she had consented, the middle-aged woman relaxed and managed a small smile: "I also require Miss Ning to hold a press conference to clarify that this incident was not an act of intentional revenge against our Lianlian. This has greatly affected her reputation." Upon hearing this, Ning Yunhuan's brow furrowed slightly, but she nodded in agreement. In any case, these matters wouldn't require her personal appearance; at most, she would let Lan Biao handle it. She originally thought this Ning family's demands would end there, but unexpectedly, the middle-aged woman pressed on: "Finally, Lianlian mentioned that Miss Ning's company is planning to film a drama. Given that she was injured for Miss Ning's sake, could she be given the role of the female lead?"