On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

Gu Wan's face was slightly hot. Under her daughter's expectant gaze, she whispered, "Good night, Ye Han."

"Good night, Wanwan." Si Yehan's voice was much softer than usual.

Gu Nian closed his eyes contentedly, holding the corner of his father's clothes with one hand and holding his mother's fingers with the other, and soon his breathing became even and long.

Si Yehan turned off the lights, leaving only a dim nightlight on. In the darkness, he could hear his wife's gentle breathing and his daughter's occasional sleep talk.

The rain was still hitting the windows, but now it seemed like the most soothing white noise.

"Thank you." Gu Wan suddenly said softly.

Si Yehan turned to her, only able to make out her outline in the dim light. "Why are you thanking me?"

"For all this." Gu Wan's voice was choked with sobs, "For Nian Nian to have a father, for... so that we can still be like a family."

Si Yehan reached over his daughter and gently grasped his wife's hand. "I should thank you for bringing her back to me."

Gu Wan did not pull his hand back, and the two of them remained connected quietly in the darkness, separated by their sleeping daughter.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Wan also fell asleep. Si Yehan, however, remained awake, his thoughts racing. Nangong Xuan—Gu Wan's mother, and now the de facto ruler of the Nangong Family—would never give up her fight for Gu Wan and Gu Nian so easily.

That strong woman always believed that the Si family was the culprit who killed her father, Nangong Jue.

Six years ago, it was she who faked her own death and separated him and Gu Wan, causing him to miss his daughter's early years of growth.

Now, Nangong Xuan, who pretended to be dead, appeared in front of Gu Wan again, and tried every means to take away her daughter and granddaughter.

Si Yehan couldn't attack her directly, not only because she was Gu Wan's mother, but also because there was a complicated mystery between the two families that had yet to be solved.

Therefore, he could only choose to hide temporarily and hide in this unknown villa with his wife and daughter.

As she was lost in thought, the piercing ring of her cell phone suddenly shattered the night's tranquility. Si Yehan immediately felt Gu Wan's body tremble as she fumbled for the phone on the bedside table.

"Hello?" Gu Wan's voice was still sleepy, but soon she became sober. "Mom? It's so late..."

Si Yehan immediately became alert and half-raised himself. Gu Nian frowned in her sleep, her small hands clutching her father's pajamas.

"What? Hospital?" Gu Wan's voice suddenly rose, then quickly lowered, "Which hospital are you in now? ...What are your symptoms? ...Okay, I understand, I'll immediately..."

Si Yehan grabbed her wrist and shook his head silently. Gu Wan looked at him, her eyes full of struggle.

"Mom, don't worry. I'll be there soon." Gu Wan said into the phone, gently breaking free from Si Yehan's hand. "Okay, you rest first. I'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Wan sat up and got out of bed quietly.

"She's faking it," Si Yehan whispered, careful not to wake his daughter. "You know it's a trap."

Gu Wan bit her lower lip and took out her coat from the closet: "What if it's true? She is my mother after all..."

"Wanwan," Si Yehan said, suppressing the anxiety in his voice. "Although the Nangong family has fallen on hard times, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The Nangong family's private medical team is better than any hospital. If she's truly ill, there's no need to go to a public hospital."

Gu Wan's hand paused for a moment, then continued to put on her clothes: "I know... but I can't take the risk. If she really has something wrong, and I didn't go because of suspicion..." Her voice choked.

"I'll go with you." Si Yehan said as he was about to get out of bed.

"No, I'll be back soon. Nian Nian can't be alone."

Si Yehan tried to stand up to stop her, but Gu Nian turned over in her sleep and hugged his arm. In that delay, Gu Wan had already tiptoed out of the bedroom.

Outside, the rain intensified, bean-sized raindrops hitting the glass with a crackling sound. Si Yehan listened to his wife's footsteps as she descended the stairs, the sound of the front door opening and closing, and then the fading sound of a car engine starting up.

He gently pulled his daughter's arm free and walked to the window, just in time to see Gu Wan's car taillights disappear in the rain. An ominous premonition gripped his heart.

"Wanwan..." He called softly, but no one responded.

Si Yehan returned to the bed and gently embraced his daughter. Gu Nian snuggled into her father's arms in her sleep, her little face filled with pure innocence and trust.

He kissed his daughter's hair and decided to give Gu Wan some space, but he still secretly sent someone to follow her. Maybe, just maybe, Gu Wan would come back safely and tell him that it was all just a false alarm.

The night was as dark as ink and the rain was pouring down.

Although Gu Wan knew that this was more likely a trap, she had already experienced the pain of losing her mother six years ago. She didn't want to go through it again, and she didn't want to leave any regrets for herself.

Gu Wan's fingers gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly, and the rain formed twisted streaks on the windshield, just like her uneasy mood at the moment.

The midnight weather forecast was playing on the car radio, and the sweet voice of the female anchor was intermittent amid the thunder.

"There will be heavy to torrential rain tonight, please refrain from going out..."

Gu Wan bit her lower lip and pressed the accelerator a little deeper. The black Mercedes-Benz sped through the empty streets, splashing water as high as a person.

Gu Wan's nails were almost digging into the leather covering of the steering wheel. Reason told her that this might be a trap, but what if her mother was really sick?

When did the strong and perfect Nangong Xuan ever speak in such a weak voice?

"The emergency department of the city center hospital..." Gu Wan murmured the address his mother had given him on the phone and turned into the hospital gate.

The rain intensified. Gu Wan hurriedly parked the car, grabbed her jacket from the passenger seat, and sprinted toward the emergency room. She had barely taken two steps when four blinding headlights suddenly lit up from both sides, enveloping her in a glare.

"Ms. Gu, please come with us." Four bodyguards in black had surrounded her at some point, and the leading man's voice was respectful but unyielding.

Gu Wan's heart instantly sank to the bottom. "Are you from the Nangong family?" Her voice trembled in the rain. "My mother is not sick at all, right?"

The bodyguard didn't answer, merely gestured "please." Gu Wan turned to run, but two men, one on each side, grabbed her arms. She tried to scream, but a sweet-smelling handkerchief was already covering her mouth and nose.

In the last moment before he lost consciousness, Gu Wan saw his mother Nangong Xuan sipping coffee elegantly and watching everything coldly behind the glass door of the emergency department.

The people sent by Si Yehan were also ambushed by a group of people on the way.

When Gu Wan woke up again, she had a splitting headache. She blinked, adjusting to the dim light—it was a luxuriously decorated bedroom, but the windows were sealed with special security windows, and the door was clearly reinforced. Her phone, bag, and coat were all gone.