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

Si Yehan's body froze. The wound on his left arm suddenly felt excruciatingly painful. He recalled the terrifying minutes before the explosion—the darkness after the power outage, the cold gleam of the pistol in Nangong Xuan's hand, the fight between them in the corridor, the moment the bullet pierced his arm...

"She..." Si Yehan's throat tightened, and the rain flowed into his eyes, blurring his vision.

He didn't know how to tell Gu Wan that her mother might have died in the fire, and that he was the one who indirectly caused it.

Gu Wan's expression shifted from anticipation to panic. She grabbed Si Yehan's arm, her nails digging into his flesh. "Yehan, what happened? Speak! What happened to my mother?"

"She..." Si Yehan closed his eyes in pain. "I don't know..." The image of the main building exploding flashed through his mind.

He had just broken free from Nangong Xuan and ran out when the entire building collapsed behind him and flames shot up into the sky.

Gu Wan's face turned pale instantly, his lips trembled and he couldn't speak.

At this moment, a chaotic sound of footsteps and shouting came from not far away. Liang Heng rushed over with a dozen bodyguards, his black raincoat fluttering in the rain.

"Wanwan!" Liang Heng's voice pierced through the rain. "Master was blown to pieces and her life is hanging by a thread!"

Gu Wan's body lurched violently, and Si Yehan quickly held her steady. He felt his wife in his arms instantly lose all her strength, like a hollow shell.

"Come back with me!" Liang Heng shouted sternly, rain dripping down his chin, and a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

Gu Wan turned to look at Nian Nian. The little girl was sobbing, frightened by the sudden change, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her mother's clothes. She looked up at Si Yehan again, her eyes, which had just been firm and resolute, now filled with pain and struggle.

"Take Nian Nian back first." Gu Wan's voice was so soft that it was almost drowned out by the sound of rain.

Si Yehan tightened his grip: "Aren't you coming with us?"

"I have to go back. I have to make sure she's okay." Gu Wan broke free from his embrace. The rain wet her eyelashes, like silent tears.

"Wanwan..." Si Yehan tried to grab her hand, but she gently dodged him.

Gu Wan walked towards Liang Heng, his back resolute. Liang Heng curled his lips into a cold smile and waved his hand to his men: "Catch them, don't let any of them go!"

The bodyguards immediately rushed forward. Si Yehan instinctively protected Nian Nian behind him. His right hand reached for his waist, but he found that his pistol had been lost during the fight.

"Wait!" Gu Wan suddenly turned around, her movements as fast as lightning. She snatched the pistol from Liang Heng's waist, put it to her chin, and said lightly: "Let them go..."

"Gu Wan!" Si Yehan's heart nearly stopped. The rain blurred his vision, but he could clearly see Gu Wan's finger on the trigger trembling slightly.

Liang Heng's face turned pale: "Are you crazy? Is it worth it for an enemy?"

"'Release' or 'Don't release'?!" Gu Wan's voice suddenly rose, and the muzzle of the gun pressed harder against his throat, leaving a red mark on his skin.

The rain intensified, and the world seemed reduced to a curtain of water. Si Yehan watched Gu Wan stand beside his rival, threatening his life just to protect him and his daughter. The wound on his left arm was numb with pain, but the pain in his chest was even worse, as if someone had gouged a piece out of him alive.

"Okay, okay..." Liang Heng raised his hands unwillingly, "Let them go!"

The bodyguards reluctantly made way. Si Yehan picked up the sobbing Nian Nian, his eyes meeting Gu Wan's. A thousand words choked in his throat, ultimately morphing into a silent, "Wait for me."

Gu Wan nodded imperceptibly, the resoluteness in her eyes piercing Si Yehan's heart. He knew she would be in grave danger if she returned. But at that moment, with his left arm injured and his young daughter in tow, he was powerless to resist.

"Let's go!" Gu Wan suddenly shouted, his voice tearing through the rain.

Si Yehan gritted his teeth, hugged Nian Nian, turned around, got into the car, and disappeared into the rain. Liang Heng's angry roar could be heard from behind, but it was gradually drowned out by the sound of the rain.

"Dad, won't Mom go with us?" Nian Nian asked sobbingly, her little hands tightly hugging his neck.

Si Yehan didn't answer, but simply hugged his daughter tighter.

He knew that this battle was far from over. The Nangong family's feud, and his separation from Gu Wan, would all come to an end one day in the future.

And now, he must protect their daughter, wait for the opportunity, and return to the Nangong family, which is full of conspiracy and danger.

In the rain, Si Yehan's car had long since disappeared, but Gu Wan still stood there, looking in the direction they had disappeared, the gun still pressed against his chin, a determined glint in his eyes.

The hospital corridor was lit palely, casting a veil over Gu Wan's pale face. Standing outside the intensive care unit, she peered through the glass at her mother, Nangong Wan, who was plugged into tubes. Her fingers unconsciously scratched her palms, leaving red marks.

"Miss Gu, your mother's condition is not optimistic." The attending doctor pushed his glasses and lowered his voice. "The internal damage caused by the explosion is more serious than we expected. Coupled with her existing heart problems... I'm afraid... she only has three months at most."

Gu Wan's eyelashes trembled, and a tear silently fell. The sudden explosion three days ago was still vivid in her mind—the main building of the Nangong old house was reduced to ruins with a deafening roar.

"Wanwan..." Nangong Xuan's weak voice came from the ward, her breath barely ebbing.

Gu Wan quickly wiped away her tears and walked in, kneeling beside the bed and holding her mother's skinny hand. The hand was still bandaged and faintly blood was seeping out.

"Mom, please don't talk and have a good rest..."

Nangong Xuan shook her head stubbornly, a gleam of light flashed in her turbid eyes: "I... I'm afraid I can't hold on for much longer... The only regret is that I can't see you and Liang Heng get married..." She coughed violently, and the numbers on the monitor fluctuated violently.

"Don't say that! You will get better!" Gu Wan's voice choked.

"Liang Heng...that kid has always liked you..." Nangong Xuan said with difficulty, and suddenly grabbed Gu Wan's hand, "Promise mom...to marry Liang Heng...in a week...mom wants to see it with her own eyes..."

Gu Wan froze as if struck by lightning. Liang Heng was her mother's most prized student and her mentor, holding a high position within the Nangong Group. But she felt only a sense of master-disciple affection for him. Si Yehan's face involuntarily surfaced in her mind—the man her mother accused of being behind the explosion.

“Mom, I…”

"Are you going to let me...die with regrets?" Nangong Xuan suddenly became agitated, and the monitor began to emit a shrill alarm. "It was him...Si Yehan...who wanted to kill me...Are you still going to protect him?"

Medical staff rushed in and pushed Gu Wan aside. In the chaos, she saw her mother's face twisted in pain and heard the doctor shout "critical condition." In that moment, all her perseverance collapsed.

"Mom, I promise you!" Gu Wan cried, her voice broken.

Outside the ward, Liang Heng leaned against the wall, a barely perceptible smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He pulled out his phone and quickly sent a message: "All goes well."