“My sister doesn’t suffer grievances.” Yan Ruijing lowered his gaze to look at Shiyao, his voice cold. “Miss Shiyao, please give it back to me.”

The others exchanged glances, and the hospital room became excruciatingly awkward.

Shiyao’s face stiffened. She hadn’t expected Yan Ruijing to be so shameless — coming to visit her in the hospital, only to demand the red envelope back.

Who visits a patient like this?

Afraid the situation might escalate, Mu Heng picked up his phone and sent a message to Xuan Yanyu.

“Miss Shi, not planning to return it?” Yan Ruijing was running out of patience.

“Ah… my stomach hurts so much… the baby…” Shiyao suddenly clutched her abdomen, biting down hard on her lip.

Everyone in the room except Yan Yunning and Yan Ruijing went pale. Shiyu hastily pressed the call button at the bedside.

“Jiejie, Jiejie.” Shiyu grabbed Shiyao’s hand, so anxious she burst into tears.

Why wasn’t her brother-in-law here yet, letting Jiejie be bullied like this?

The doctors and nurses arrived quickly and wheeled Shiyao off to the operating room.

“Ruijing, what were you doing? Does Yanyu Brother lack that little bit of money? If anything happens to Miss Shi’s unborn child, how are you going to explain yourself?” Mu Heng’s face was icy.

“My brother only wanted his own things back — what does it have to do with my brother if something happened to her?” Yan Yunning stepped in front of Yan Ruijing, meeting Mu Heng’s anxious stare head-on.

Mu Heng kicked the visitor’s stool. “I won’t argue with you. Just watch — if Miss Shi loses the child in her womb, see whether Yanyu Brother spares you.”

Yan Yunning’s eyes dimmed. She thought of the baby inside her that she hadn’t gotten to meet, and then thought of Shiyao and the baby in her womb.

Yan Yunning suppressed the wave of nausea rising in her stomach.

“Ningning, you and Ruijing head back first. I’ll let you know if there’s any news.” Nan Chu took Yan Yunning’s slightly cold hand and cupped it in his palm to warm it.

“Mm.” The young woman forced out a small smile.

“What happened?” The ward door was pushed open, and a stern voice broke through the oppressive room.

“Where is Miss Shi?” Ye Chen, right behind him, didn’t see Shiyao and frowned as he asked.

They happened to be nearby when they received the message from Young Master Xuan and rushed right over.

Yan Yunning’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Ye Jian and Ye Chen had come — did that mean he had come too…

“Didn’t Yanyu Brother come?” Mu Heng glanced toward the door.

Ye Jian answered simply. “No. Young Master Xuan is very busy.”

“Understood.” Mu Heng nodded.

After learning the full circumstances, Ye Jian and Ye Chen’s gazes landed on Yan Yunning in silent unison.

Sensing their eyes on her, Yan Yunning raised her gaze openly, meeting the two men’s scrutinizing looks without the slightest evasion. Two seconds later, Ye Jian and Ye Chen both looked away at the same moment.

Yan Yunning: “…”

The subtle tension hung in the air for a moment before the doctors and nurses wheeled Shiyao back to the ward.

“Is she alright?” Ye Jian, not forgetting the reason they’d come to the hospital, looked toward the attending physician.

The attending physician shook Ye Jian’s hand with a smile. “Please set Young Master Xuan’s mind at ease — Miss Shi is fine, and she can be discharged normally tomorrow.”

“Good.” Ye Jian said a few more words to the physician, then left the ward with Ye Chen.

Since Shiyao was still unconscious, the others didn’t linger either. After a few brief exchanges, everyone left the ward.

——

The Xuan Residence.

Xu Mochen held a fruit skewer, spearing a piece of cut apple to feed to the man lying sprawled on the sofa scrolling through his phone.

“Uncle, is it good?” The little one pressed himself against Xuan Yanyu’s chest, asking in a soft, squishy voice.

Xuan Yanyu let out a lazy “Mm.”

The little one burrowed his head between Xuan Yanyu’s arms, blinking as he watched the phone screen, and asked innocently, “Uncle, is the jiejie pretty?”

“Pfft.” Xuan Zhaoyang choked on a mouthful of water. She pulled out a tissue and wiped the corner of her mouth, then kicked off her shoes and nudged Xuan Yanyu’s shin with her foot. “Go look in your room.”

Xuan Yanyu turned off his phone and flicked a glance at her.

Xuan Zhaoyang glared at him in warning. “Xuan Xixi, don’t you dare corrupt my son.”

The man let out a contemptuous chuckle, his large hand ruffling the little one’s hair. His eyes tilted up slightly. “Xuan Zhaoyang, you need to clear your head.”

“Xuan Xixi, Dad isn’t home today, so no one’s here to cover for you.” Xuan Zhaoyang smiled faintly.

“Young Madam, I’m still here.” Ye’an stepped forward with a gentle smile.

Xuan Yanyu’s lips curved with amusement. “Go pick a fight with Xuan Zhaoyang.”

Ye’an: “…”

He didn’t have the nerve.

“Jiejie.” Xuan Zhaoран stepped in as peacemaker, smiling sweetly as she changed the subject. “How many days is Dad away on his business trip?”

Xuan Zhaoyang kicked Xuan Yanyu again. “When is Dad coming home?”

“Want to know?” Xuan Yanyu propped his temple with one hand, took a bite of the strawberry the little one was holding out to his mouth, and glanced at Xuan Zhaoyang from the corner of his eye. “Call and ask him yourself.”

“…” Xuan Zhaoyang took a breath to steady herself.

Xuan Yanyu lazily raised an eyebrow, looped one arm around the little one’s waist, buried his head against the small belly, and spoke in a low murmur. “Momo, next time you come to Uncle’s house, come by yourself. Don’t bring your mom again.”

“Xuan Yanyu! You…”

“Jiejie.” Shiyao walked in from the doorway, one hand resting on her abdomen, looking timidly at Xuan Zhaoyang who had raised her hand.

“Why is Shiyao back?” Xuan Zhaoyang was slightly surprised.

“Jiejie, the doctor said I’m fine, so I had Ye Jian and Ye Chen handle my discharge and came home. I didn’t want to spend the night at the hospital.” Shiyao smiled as she walked to the sofa and sat down, waving at Xu Mochen.

After Yan Yunning and the others had left, she had called Ye Jian, asking them to come back and handle the discharge and bring her home to the Xuan Residence.

“Oh, good that you’re alright.” Xuan Zhaoyang said, her tone flat.

Shiyao bit her lip, composed herself, and looked toward Xuan Zhaoran. “Ranran, when did you get back?”

Xuan Zhaoran pinched a potato chip, chewing it leisurely. Only after finishing did she seem to remember to reply. She smiled lightly. “Just got back.”

Shiyao nodded.

“Shiyao, where are you staying now? Still in the servants’ quarters?” Xuan Zhaoyang asked with a smile.

Six months ago, when Shiyao was brought home by Xuan Xixi, Dad hadn’t been very pleased, but he’d still arranged a room for her on the second floor guest wing.

But who could have imagined that a month later, Xuan Xixi would get into a car accident because of her? Dad had looked into something and had Shiyao moved in the middle of the night to the servants’ quarters on the first floor.

Now that Xuan Xixi was awake, had she been moved to the third floor or second floor?

“Jiejie, I feel fine staying anywhere. The servants’ quarters here are far more luxurious than my own room back at my family’s house.”

Shiyao was speaking the truth — the servants’ quarters at the Xuan Residence were indeed better appointed than her own room at home.

No matter how nice, how luxurious, it was still ultimately the servants’ quarters. But since no one brought it up, she could only keep staying there.

Even the second-floor guest room, Uncle Xuan forbade her from using. The third floor was the wing of Xuan Yanyu and his two sisters, and since she and Yanyu had no formal relationship — apart from the one time right after he woke up — she’d had no occasion to go there.

Higher still, the fourth floor was Uncle Xuan and Auntie Xuan’s rooms. She had no standing to go there at all.

The floors above that would certainly never be open to her either.

“That’s true.” Xuan Zhaoyang smiled lightly.

Shiyao wanted to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. She didn’t know whether Xuan Zhaoyang’s “That’s true” was a jab at her, looking down on her family.

Watching as the three Xuan siblings resumed their conversation, she alone felt out of place. Shiyao said softly, “Yanyu, today Mu Heng, Xie Yan, Nan Chu, Pei Qingyan, Yan Zhiyi, Ruijing, and Ningning all came to the hospital to see me.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Xuan Yanyu’s eyes. He automatically filtered out everyone else — his ears only caught the two syllables: “Ningning.”

——

【Two more days until the meeting~】