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

"You bastard!"

Ruolan suddenly turned around and grabbed Gu Yinshen's arm. "Gu Yinshen, are you just going to let her slander me like this?"

"You know perfectly well that I..."

"enough."

Gu Yinshen's voice was like ice.

He stared at Xie Yumin's resolute expression as she protected the child, his temples throbbing.

The woman who was always gentle and kind in his memory was now covered in thorns for the sake of the child in her arms.

He took a deep breath and pried open Ruolan's fingers.

"Apologize."

"What did you say?!"

Ruolan's scream almost lifted the ceiling. She looked at Gu Yinshen in disbelief, "I've done so much for you, and now you want me to apologize to a woman who's nothing?!"

I said, "Apologize."

Gu Yinshen's jawline tightened into a sharp line. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mengmeng burying her face in Xie Yumin's neck, her small shoulders still trembling.

"Ruolan, the child is innocent."

Gu Yinshen's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "We are all adults, and we can talk about anything openly and honestly."

"But one thing: don't involve your personal grudges in your children."

"Personal matters?"

Ruolan sneered, her manicured nails almost poking Gu Yinshen's chest. "Who was it that said Xie Yumin would pay the price? Now it's my fault?"

She suddenly turned around, grabbed a vase from the side, and shook it in her hand. "Fine, Gu Yinshen, you want me to apologize? Then I'll apologize today..."

"enough!"

Gu Yinshen suddenly grabbed her wrist, and the vase crashed onto the carpet with a loud bang, shards of porcelain scattering at Xie Yumin's feet.

He lowered his voice, a warning swirling in his eyes.

"Don't forget, once your kidnapping of Xie Yumin is exposed, if my old folks find out, not only will our engagement be ruined, but the Gu family's cooperative projects will also go down the drain."

At this point, a shadow crossed Gu Yinshen's eyes. "Since you want to be Mrs. Gu, then do as I say!"

boom!

Ruolan froze, Gu Yinshen's words were like a bolt from the blue for her, even her carefully drawn eyebrows twisted with hatred.

"well!"

She stared at Gu Yinshen's tense jawline, her nails digging deep into her palms: "So, in your heart, interests are more important than me."

She swallowed hard, and when she turned back, tears welled up in Ruolan's eyes.

But the next second, she forced him back.

As Ruolan turned to stare at Xie Yumin, she squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

"sorry."

"I don't need your apology."

Xie Yumin shielded Mengmeng behind her, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the child's trembling back. "The one you should apologize to is Mengmeng."

As she spoke, she met Ruolan's fiery gaze, her tone as cold as ice, "Insulting and hitting in front of the child, is this Mrs. Gu's upbringing?"

"Xie Yumin! Don't push your luck!"

Ruolan suddenly lunged forward, but Gu Yinshen grabbed her. She struggled and screamed, "Even at a time like this, you're still putting on an act! What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for!"

These words caused an instant deathly silence in the ward.

Xie Yumin's face turned pale instantly, and Mengmeng in her arms burst into tears.

"Ruolan!"

Gu Yinshen's face was terribly gloomy, and he covered Ruolan's mouth with his hand.

If we don't shut her up now, who knows what else she might say?!

He growled at the stunned nanny, "Take her out!"

He only let go of her hand after the door was slammed shut.

Ruolan stumbled and bumped into the wall, her makeup ruined, making her look like a madwoman.

"Don't be afraid, Mengmeng."

Xie Yumin knelt down and wiped the child's tears with her sleeve. "The bad guy is gone."

She looked up at Gu Yinshen, her gaze like a poisoned arrow: "Mr. Gu, keep an eye on your fiancée."

"If there's a next time, I won't give anyone face again."

Gu Yinshen straightened his rumpled tie and let out a cold laugh: "Xie Yumin, did you enjoy this whole ordeal?"

Xie Yumin squatted on the ground, holding the trembling Mengmeng in her arms, her fingertips gently stroking the child's back.

Hearing this, she looked up, her gaze sweeping over Gu Yinshen's taut jawline: "I don't have time to mess around."

The tone was flat, even though it was about a trivial matter.

"Then what's the point of all this trouble?"

Gu Yinshen frowned. He looked at the woman's pale yet stubborn face and felt that there was something more to her words.

"I don't believe you're just doing this to get revenge for Mengmeng!"

Before she could finish speaking, Xie Yumin suddenly chuckled softly.

"Gu Yinshen, so many years have passed, but you haven't changed at all."

"What do you mean?"

Gu Yinshen subconsciously asked a question, but a strange unease rose in his heart.

"For business, for profit, for that stinking money,"

Xie Yumin slowly stood up, her lower back aching from the wound, but she straightened her back and looked at him. "Let me guess, when you were talking to Ruolan privately just now, you must have used something to persuade her, right?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the blackmail is either about her status as a prospective wife of a family man, or the business you mentioned."

Xie Yumin said with utter sarcasm, "You're the kind of person who, when you want to force someone to bow down, you resort to using business as leverage. You haven't come up with any new tricks after all this time."

"President Gu, you really have some tricks up your sleeve. You're even willing to sacrifice your bedmate to protect your interests."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the uncollected shards of porcelain on the ground. "The phrase 'ruthless' is perfectly suited to describe you."

Gu Yinshen's pupils contracted slightly as those deliberately buried memories from back then suddenly surged up.

“I don’t see anything wrong with using other people’s weaknesses to achieve my goals.”

He cleared his throat, trying to hide his feelings: "Besides, I just don't want the kids to get involved in our adult affairs."

"Should I thank you for your generosity, Mr. Gu?"

Xie Yumin sneered, bent down and picked up Mengmeng, the child's little hands tightly wrapped around her neck, "Don't forget, who started this conflict."

"I hope Mr. Gu remembers that some debts will not expire no matter how long they are left."

She carried the child to the hospital bed, leaving Gu Yinshen standing there, his heart pounding erratically beneath his suit.

Gu Yinshen's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced a cold, hard tone and said, "I just don't want to make a big fuss and create more trouble for no reason."

He said with a hint of impatience, "Making a public spectacle of personal grudges won't do you or Mengmeng any good."

Xie Yumin tightened her grip on Mengmeng's hand, a mocking smile creeping into her eyes: "President Gu certainly knows how to make selfishness sound so noble."

She lowered her head to comfort the sobbing child in her arms, her voice gentle yet each word sharp as a knife.

"Don't want trouble? When you let Ruolan hire someone to kidnap me, why didn't you think this day would come?"