The richest man's parents were kidnapped, and his adorable son captivated the entire family.

"Mengmeng, what do you want to eat today? Auntie will take you out to eat, okay?"

Xie Yumin's voice was so gentle it could melt your heart, but before she could finish speaking, the ward door was pushed open.

Ruolan's smile instantly froze into ice, her gaze like a poisoned arrow, shooting straight at Xie Yumin.

But when she turned to look at Mengmeng, a fake smile appeared on her face, though the disgust in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Auntie, I... I don't want anything to eat." Mengmeng shrank closer to Xie Yumin, her voice timid.

Ruolan's face darkened further. She walked to the bedside and sat down, reaching out to touch Mengmeng's head, but Xie Yumin subtly blocked her way.

"The child just woke up, and his hair is messy, so I'll fix it."

As Xie Yumin spoke, she gently smoothed Mengmeng's hair, her movements natural and affectionate.

Ruolan's hand froze in mid-air. After a moment, she sneered, "Miss Xie is really dedicated. She's almost like a mother."

"But this hospital room isn't your home, it's not appropriate for you to stay here all the time, is it?"

This blatant order to leave caused Xie Yumin to tremble.

"That's what I said."

Xie Yumin looked up to meet her gaze, her smile undiminished: "Mengmeng is still a child after all. I'm just worried that no one will take care of Mengmeng."

"I will leave once she recovers."

"Are you better?"

Ruolan scoffed, "Mengmeng is weak; how could this illness be cured so easily?"

"Besides, with Mr. Gu and I here, how could we possibly wrong her? Miss Xie, you're going to such lengths, could you possibly have another purpose?"

Xie Yumin's heart tightened, but she remained calm on the surface: "What purpose could I have? I just think Mengmeng is cute and want to take extra care of her."

"If you think I'm in your way, I'll leave as soon as Mengmeng's condition stabilizes."

"Leave immediately?"

Ruolan stood up and looked down at Xie Yumin, "Miss Xie, please don't just say that."

"President Gu has been extremely busy lately with Mengmeng's matter. If you keep pestering him like this, it's not a sensible thing to do."

Xie Yumin clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms: "I know my limits, but I'm really worried about Mengmeng until she recovers."

"Are you worried?"

Ruolan suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Xie Yumin, don't think I don't know what you're up to."

"Let me give you a piece of advice: I've been giving you face in front of Mengmeng, so you'd better not push your luck!"

“Mengmeng is a family child, it’s not your place to tell her what to do.”

"Those who know what's good for them should leave quickly, so that things don't turn ugly and things don't get ugly."

Xie Yumin felt a chill run through her body, but forced a smile and said, "Sister Ruolan, you flatter me. I only feel affection for Mengmeng and have no other thoughts."

"Tenderness?"

Ruolan straightened up, sneering repeatedly, "Don't think you're something just because you have a past with President Gu."

"Let me tell you, Mr. Gu's kindness to Mengmeng is beyond anything you can compare to."

"If you keep loitering like this, don't blame me for being impolite."

Just then, Mengmeng suddenly grabbed Xie Yumin's hand: "Auntie, I want to drink water."

Xie Yumin immediately turned around, poured a glass of water and handed it to Mengmeng, gently blew on it to cool it down and then fed it to her.

Seeing this, Ruolan's face grew increasingly ugly. She snorted coldly and turned to leave: "I hope Miss Xie keeps her word and doesn't let me see you bothering Mengmeng again!"

The door slammed shut, and Xie Yumin let out a long sigh of relief, only to realize that her back was already soaked in cold sweat.

Mengmeng looked up at her with a worried expression: "Auntie, don't be angry with Aunt Ruolan. She... she's actually quite nice to me too."

Xie Yumin patted her head and forced a smile, saying, "Auntie isn't angry, she's just worried about you."

"If you feel unwell in the future, you must tell Auntie, okay?"

Mengmeng nodded and leaned against Xie Yumin's chest: "Auntie, will you always stay with me?"

Xie Yumin's nose tingled, and she hugged her tightly: "Yes, Auntie will always be here whenever you need me."

In the days that followed, Xie Yumin and Ruolan clashed more and more frequently.

Whenever Ruolan wanted to spend time alone with Mengmeng, Xie Yumin could always find a reason to interrupt.

When Ruolan brings food, Xie Yumin will taste it first to make sure it's safe.

Ruolan naturally saw all of this. Although she found Xie Yumin really annoying and irritating, she couldn't show it in front of Mengmeng.

As Ruolan's patience gradually wore thin, one afternoon she finally barged into the ward again, her eyes as cold as frost.

"Xie Yumin, let's talk."

Ruolan had already confirmed that Mengmeng was going to the doctor for a check-up today, so she went straight to the point when she came in.

"talk?"

Without Mengmeng around, Xie Yumin was well aware that Ruolan had seen through all her actions during this period, and immediately stopped pretending.

"What do you want to talk about?"

“You’ve been living at the Gu family’s house for a while now, so you know all the rules. Keeping this up won’t do either you or Mengmeng any good.”

Ruolan's tone was stern as she stared intently at Xie Yumin, "It's fine if you like children, but there has to be a limit!"

Xie Yumin put down the book in her hand and said calmly, "I don't understand what Sister Ruolan means."

"Don't play dumb!"

Ruolan slammed her hand on the table. "You think I don't know you're wary of me?"

"Let me tell you, I watched Mengmeng grow up, how could I harm her?"

"But you, with your unknown origins, are suddenly being so nice to Mengmeng. Who knows what your intentions are!"

Xie Yumin gripped the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling: "Sister Ruolan, I don't need to say how adorable Mengmeng is. I'm doing this because I don't want Mengmeng to get hurt again."

"Protect Mengmeng?"

Ruolan sneered, "You're just trying to satisfy your own selfish desires!"

"President Gu kept you at home out of old friendship, but you took advantage of that."

"I'm giving you two choices: either get out of here right now, or I'll talk to President Gu directly and have him personally send you away!"

"I……"

Xie Yumin felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She looked at the adorable photo on the bedside table. The little girl was holding a teddy bear with her eyes wide open and a happy expression on her face.

She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Sister Ruolan, I can leave, but I have one condition."

"Conditions? You dare to make conditions?"

"I know it's not right for me to keep staying here, but I can't rest easy about this child."

Xie Yumin looked directly into Ruolan's eyes and said, "Let me come see Mengmeng every day until she is fully recovered."

"I promise I won't disturb your lives during this time; I just want to confirm her safety."

"You're dreaming!"

Ruolan stared at her for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "I am Mengmeng's mother. Mengmeng's safety is not something for an outsider like you to interfere with!"

"Get out of here right now!"

In the end, Ruolan directly and decisively rebuked Xie Yumin, pointing her finger directly at the door.