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

Xie Yumin struggled in the chaos, her consciousness enveloped by darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, the pungent smell of disinfectant pierced my nostrils, and a dull pain in my waist wound followed.

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, the light from the incandescent bulb stinging her eyes.

The regular ticking of the monitor filled my ears, and the cold IV tubing pressed against my skin.

"Where am I...?"

Xie Yumin leaned weakly against the pillow, stroking the marks on her wrists.

"This happened during the kidnapping..."

Suddenly, a sharp pain deep in her mind made Xie Yumin frown.

Just as her thoughts were in turmoil, the ward door was pushed open again.

"Miss Xie, you're awake."

"You are……"

Xie Yumin narrowed her eyes slightly, and it took her a while to recognize the person who had just arrived. "Gu Yinshen's assistant?"

The assistant, dressed in a sharp suit, held documents in his hands and looked somewhat reserved.

"Hello, Ms. Xie."

The assistant nodded slightly, his voice carrying a professional respect, "President Gu asked me to inform you of some matters."

He paused, glanced at Xie Yumin, who was pale on the hospital bed, and continued, "Regarding your treatment costs, Mr. Gu will pay in advance, but you will need to sign the relevant agreement later."

Advance payment?

That's definitely the style of a businessman!

Xie Yumin sneered, struggling to sit up. The pain from her wound made her frown. "Your CEO Gu really knows how to plan things out..."

"Don't worry, I'll give him every penny of this money as soon as I have it!"

She stared at her assistant, her eyes full of mockery. "Is there anything else?"

"Um……"

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then pulled a piece of paper from the documents and handed it to the table beside the hospital bed: "This is the recuperation agreement drafted by President Gu."

"During your hospitalization, you will need to cooperate with the hospital's treatment and may not leave without permission. Also..."

The assistant's voice turned somewhat low, "Regarding Miss Mengmeng, Mr. Gu hopes that you will refrain from contacting her for the time being."

"what?"

Xie Yumin sat up abruptly, aggravating her wound and causing her face to turn deathly pale, but the anger in her eyes remained undiminished.

"why?"

"Mengmeng is just a child. Now that I have some health problems, you won't even let me see her?"

Xie Yumin's anger surged, and she shouted, "What exactly do you want to do?"

She didn't understand why Gu Yinshen was so vigilant when she had only taken extra care of the child.

"Well... I don't know either, it was arranged by President Gu at the last minute."

The assistant was startled by Xie Yumin's expression and then somewhat nervously gestured for Xie Yumin to calm down.

"Miss Xie, you know that I'm just an employee."

"I will convey whatever arrangements President Gu makes. I believe President Gu has his own considerations."

The air in the ward seemed to freeze for a moment, when Xie Yumin suddenly reached out and grabbed her assistant's sleeve tightly.

For a moment, the IV tube in my hand swayed with the movement.

"Let me see Mengmeng just once, just once."

Xie Yumin's voice was hoarse but firm enough to leave no room for refusal, "I can't quite remember how many days I've been in the hospital, but I know what kind of temper this child has!"

"If you just let me see my child once, I promise I will cooperate with the treatment and sign all your documents."

"This……"

The assistant was clearly startled by her sudden movement, taking a half step back before regaining her composure: "Ms. Xie, Mr. Gu has his reasons for making this decision."

"As for your request, I will convey it to President Gu, but please calm down first."

"Whether I can recover my health depends on whether I can see Mengmeng!"

Xie Yumin raised her voice, "Go tell Gu Yinshen that it's the child's freedom to see whomever he wants! Do you think I'd go and snatch his child away?"

"Did he consider the child's feelings when he did this?"

Xie Yumin leaned back against the pillow, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her anger: "Go back and tell Gu Yinshen not to go too far."

She opened her eyes, her gaze resolute and icy. "He knows who I am. He pushed me too far..."

"I'm capable of anything."

“Well… Miss Xie, Mengmeng should still be resting. If she wakes up, I will of course ask her if she would like to see you.”

The assistant bowed slightly: "As for your request, I will convey it to you truthfully."

"Ms. Xie, please get some rest. If you need anything, please feel free to contact me anytime."

After saying that, he turned and left the ward, gently closing the door behind him.

Silence fell in the ward again, broken only by the steady ticking of the monitor and the sound of rain outside the window.

Xie Yumin stared at the tightly closed ward door; the rhythmic beeping of the monitor sounded particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

She slowly lay back down on the hospital bed, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

Gu Yinshen's forceful obstruction and Ruolan's overwhelming hostility far exceeded her understanding of ordinary relationships.

She and Mengmeng met by chance, so why did these two go to such lengths to prevent her from seeing Mengmeng?

"How many things have they been hiding from me?"

Xie Yumin muttered to herself, her fingers unconsciously stroking the bed sheet.

In her memory, the dependent and affectionate look in Mengmeng's eyes when she looked at her, and the natural and heartwarming scenes of their time together, kept flashing through her mind.

Can that kind of close, almost blood-related feeling really be built up in such a short time?

But apart from these feelings, she couldn't find any substantial evidence, which left her both confused and anxious.

Meanwhile, in the presidential suite of a luxury hotel in the city center, Mengmeng finally slowly opened her eyes.

"I"

She sat up groggily, looked around, but didn't see that familiar figure. "Auntie..."

She called out softly, her voice filled with deep grievance.

"Mengmeng, you're awake?"

Hearing the noise inside, the nanny immediately pushed open the door.

Realizing that Xie Yumin wasn't there, Mengmeng's eyes instantly reddened. She jumped off the bed and ran barefoot towards the door.

"I need to go find Auntie!"

Mengmeng cried and pounded on the door.

The nanny who was taking care of her rushed forward to stop her, but she broke free.

"Let me see my aunt! Why won't you let me see my aunt!"

Mengmeng cried and shouted, her little face turning bright red.

Left with no other option, the nanny dialed Gu Yinshen's number, her voice filled with anxiety and distress.

"Mr. Gu, as soon as Miss woke up, she kept asking to see Miss Xie, and nothing we did could soothe her. What do you think..."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, so long that the nanny thought the call had ended, before Gu Yinshen's slightly tired voice came through.

"Take her to the hospital, and remember to cover it up so that Ruolan doesn't find out beforehand."

Gu Yinshen slammed his phone down on the table, the leather chair creaking loudly.

"Being caught in the middle, I've finally had my day!"

He rubbed his throbbing temples in frustration.