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

Xie Yumin's cheeks burned with pain, blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and she stared intently at the phone in Ruolan's hand.

That number, which Mengmeng had memorized tremblingly, now became a weapon used by the other party to humiliate her.

"Ruolan... I really didn't expect this."

Xie Yumin wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth, her lips trembling, "I just wanted to see Mengmeng, I never expected you to become so shameless!"

Throughout, Xie Yumin felt that her constant presence by Mengmeng's side was indeed causing trouble for Ruolan and Gu Yinshen...

But children are children, and this isn't really a problem!

But Ruolan couldn't even accept this small request of hers!

"That's shameless. Since you've said that, I might as well be shameless this once too!"

Ruolan tossed her phone into her bag, the sound of her high heels hitting the floor particularly jarring. "Let me tell you, if you dare contact Mengmeng privately even once more, believe me, I'll make sure you never see that child again for the rest of your life!"

These words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere, leaving Xie Yumin stunned for a moment.

What do you mean?

"What do you want to do to Mengmeng?!"

"Let me make this clear from the start: if you still have designs on Mengmeng and want to meet with her in private, I'll immediately tell President Gu to make Mengmeng disappear completely."

Ruolan was clearly quite satisfied with Xie Yumin's expression, her eyes full of sarcasm. "I have Gu Yinshen standing behind me. He likes this child, so he will definitely give me a lot... But look at yourself now."

"With a limp, no income, no status, you'll never find her again in your lifetime!"

Xie Yumin dug her nails into her palms. As the emergency light flickered, Ruolan's shadow twisted on the wall like a demon.

The image of Mengmeng's pale face and her tearful pleas for help on the phone kept flashing through her mind, and a metallic taste rose in her throat.

"Please! Don't take her away. I promise I'll never show up again!"

Xie Yumin's voice was so hoarse that she could barely support her body, and her legs could barely support her weight.

Ruolan took a half step back, her face full of disgust: "Xie Yumin! Where's the energy you had for fighting with Gu Yinshen back then? Now you're fighting over a bastard—"

"Shut up! Don't talk about Mengmeng like that!"

Xie Yumin was trembling all over.

"Gu Yinshen is just pitying you. Do you really think you're Mengmeng's mother?"

Ruolan suddenly grabbed her wrist, "Let me tell you, even if Mengmeng isn't your daughter, and even with Gu Yinshen around now, you can forget about it..."

"enough!"

Xie Yumin shook off her hand and slammed her back heavily against the fire hydrant.

Now is not the time to pursue the truth. If Ruolan takes Mengmeng away, she will truly lose her chance.

"I'm leaving! But you must promise me you'll treat Mengmeng well!"

Having dealt with Ruolan for so long, Xie Yumin naturally knew what kind of temper this woman had...

"I'll agree to anything you say, as long as you don't do anything to harm Mengmeng, I don't care if I never see him again!"

"Stop pretending to be a saint! Get out of here right now! If you dare show your face again, I'll tell Mengmeng that you abandoned her for money!"

Ruolan grabbed the thermos and smashed it on the ground, splashing soup all over Xie Yumin's trouser leg.

Xie Yumin turned and leaned against the wall. The green light of the emergency exit looked just like the nightlight in Mengmeng's hospital room. Behind her came Ruolan's mocking words: "You shameless wretch!"

Back in her rented apartment, Xie Yumin repeatedly deleted and restored "Mengmeng's" number in her contacts.

At 3 a.m., an anonymous text message popped up:

Watch your mouth, or else —

The accompanying picture shows Mengmeng fast asleep, and the photo was taken from the head of the bed.

Xie Yumin stared at the photo of Mengmeng sleeping soundly on her phone screen, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

In the photo, the little girl is curled up in a tiny ball, with tear stains still clinging to her eyelashes.

Seeing this, Xie Yumin's fingers trembled as she replied to a message:

I will keep my promise.

The moment Xie Yumin pressed the send button, she felt as if a dull knife was gouging out her heart.

Ruolan sat in the luxurious living room of the Gu residence, her hand holding the phone trembling slightly.

"This guy, he's actually being so obedient?"

Xie Yumin's reply relieved her, but recalling the other person's almost frantic appearance in the stairwell, a chill ran down her spine.

The way Xie Yumin looked at Mengmeng didn't seem like simple affection.

And because of this child who suddenly appeared, Xie Yumin shouldn't...

"wrong……"

Realizing something, Ruolan suddenly stood up, the light from the crystal chandelier making her dizzy.

"We cannot leave any future troubles."

Ruolan muttered to herself, hesitated for a while, then took out her phone again and quickly found a number.

"Hello? It's me. I need you to do something for me..."

Ruolan paused slightly, "I'll send you a photo in a bit. Find a few reliable people to get rid of the people in the photo, the farther the better."

After hanging up the phone, Ruolan walked to the liquor cabinet, poured herself a glass of whiskey, and drank it all in one gulp.

The alcohol burned her throat, but it couldn't suppress the unease in her heart.

At this moment, Xie Yumin was huddled in a corner of the rented room.

I looked at the photos on my phone over and over again until the screen automatically turned off.

She knew she had to stay away from Mengmeng to ensure the child's safety.

But whenever Xie Yumin thinks of the phone call Mengmeng made to her a couple of days ago, she feels as if her heart is being pierced by countless needles.

For the next few days, Xie Yumin continued to recuperate in her room. Although the wound on her leg had healed, she still felt a little uneasy.

During the day, she wore a hat and mask and lingered at a distance near the hospital, afraid of being discovered by Ruolan.

At night, she lay in bed, listening to the cute voice messages saved on her phone, over and over again...

"Why...is it?"

Xie Yumin forced herself to turn off her phone, suppressing her frustration.

Although Mengmeng is cute, she's still just a child at heart...

I've seen plenty of children, but why am I going to so much trouble for her?

That evening, Xie Yumin prepared to go to the supermarket to buy some instant noodles, as usual.

Just as she stepped out of the residential compound, a black van suddenly braked sharply beside her.

Before she could react, several masked men rushed down, covered her mouth, and dragged her into the car.

"Ugh... Let me go!"

Xie Yumin struggled desperately, but was held down hard.

Inside the van, a man sneered, "Miss Xie, don't waste your energy."

"Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. Someone just paid us a high price to send you away."

"Once we arrive, Miss Xie can go wherever she wants, just don't go back."

Xie Yumin's heart sank to the bottom.

She knew this must be Ruolan's doing.

But she was unwilling to give up. She hadn't confirmed Mengmeng's safety yet, and she couldn't let her be sent away like this!

The car sped through the night, and with a jolt, Xie Yumin opened her eyes again to find herself abandoned in a remote warehouse.

It was pitch black all around, with only a dilapidated light bulb flickering overhead.

"let me out!"

Xie Yumin pounded on the iron gate, the sound echoing in the empty warehouse.