"Elder Sister, wouldn't Brother Yang object to this?" Hui Lin asked carefully.
Lin Ruoxi's face turned cold. "Would he dare?"
The three of them had heard about Yang Chen and Xiao Zhiqing so they knew how angry Lin Ruoxi must be at this moment. They decided to shake their heads in cooperation.
"Yeah, he's done so many things he needs to apologize for. For once in his life. Also, don't you think Lanlan's just adorable? I think both of us are fated to be together. I love her more than a daughter." Lin Ruoxi's eyes were filled with a mother's warmth.
w.a.n.g Ma chuckled. "You silly child… You haven't given birth to your own daughter yet. How would you know the love for your own daughter?"
"w.a.n.g Ma! Don't laugh!" whined Lin Ruoxi.
w.a.n.g Ma waved it off. "Alright, alright. Since you've made your decision, there's no reason for us to say no. We don't mind having a child in the house. Plus, Minjuan seems like an honest person. I think it'll be good for her to help out around the house. Xuehua has gone back to Beijing, Zhenxiu's working, I don't have enough time to do all the housework in this huge place. Perhaps it's for the best."
"Then we'll have to trouble you to help Minjuan with her luggage for a bit. She only needs to bring the necessities, we can buy the rest later," said Lin Ruoxi.
Minjuan carried Lanlan down from the second floor. Lanlan was as excited as ever. It didn't matter if it was late, that little girl seemed to have a boundless amount of energy.
Even Zhenxiu was impressed. "Sister Ruoxi, if you really have a daughter in the future, would she be as pretty as Lanlan?"
Without waiting for Lin Ruoxi's reply, Lanlan shouted from the stairs. "Mama, don't get me a sister! I want a brother!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment. How did Lanlan hear her from so far away? Zhenxiu was sure that she was whispering!
Lin Ruoxi didn't know how to respond. Having children was not part of her considerations.
Hui Lin furrowed her brows. She was a cultivator so she knew what that meant. "Sister, I think you should talk to Brother Yang about this. Lanlan is extraordinary…"
"Don't speak his name if you don't want to anger me," warned Lin Ruoxi.
Hui Lin could only smile, shaking her head.
Ding dong! Ding dong!
The doorbell rang.
It was already one in the morning. The women of the house all looked at each other, wondering who would come at such an hour.
"Do you think it might be Master?" said w.a.n.g Ma happily.
"It's Grandpa!"
Lanlan suddenly shrieked with glee, jumping out from Minjuan's arms. Her tiny legs sprinted to the door in a second. She then stood on her toes and pulled on the handle!
A middle-aged man clad in a blue-and-white striped s.h.i.+rt with a short haircut stood at the door, looking at Lanlan with a huge smile on his face.
The man was filled with grace. Although he wasn't conventionally handsome, he didn't lack the elegance of masculinity. He had a Buddhist bead bracelet on one wrist, making him look like a devout Buddhist.
"It really is Master?!" yelled Minjuan in surprise.
Although Lin Ruoxi had come across this man once before, this was the first time she saw his face. She couldn't help but stare. What grandfather would look this young? she thought.
Lanlan was already stuck to his leg and giggling. "Grandpa, you're awesome! You found me!"
The man stroked the girl's hair lovingly. "You're always running away. If I can't find you, wouldn't I have lost you a long, long time ago?"
"Lanlan is a good girl. I would never run around," the girl said with a straight face as she lied through her teeth. "Grandpa, you're done with your work?"
The man neither confirmed nor denied the statement. "Sort of."
Lanlan didn't press further. She then went on to tell him her exciting news. "Grandpa, Lanlan found Mama!"
Minjuan quickly rushed forward in a deep bow to try to explain the situation. "Master, what happened was…"
"You don't have to explain. I think I can figure it out." The man cut Minjuan off. He then turned his body to Lin Ruoxi. "You're President Lin of Yu Lei, correct?"
Lin Ruoxi finally came to her senses. She nodded. "You're… Uh… Lanlan's grandpa, you know me?"
"I have my ways. I sort of know what goes on." He smiled sheepishly. "I'm so thankful that you like my granddaughter, President Lin."
Lin Ruoxi relaxed a little after seeing the man be so jovial. She knew he wasn't an ordinary man. He was probably closer to Yang Chen than he was to her. A person with no prominent ident.i.ty but had an underlying current of great power.
"Lanlan's grandpa, I wanted to talk to you about something…"
"You don't have to." He raised a hand to stop her. "I know what you want but I cannot allow it for now."
She stood in stunned silence. She hadn't expected the man to reject her!
"Wh—why?" Lin Ruoxi's expression hardened. She then fired off a series of questions. "What do you mean by 'for now'? Are there any conditions we have to meet?"
This upset Lanlan. She started to whine, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Lanlan wants Mama!"
The man rubbed her head lovingly. After he did, Lanlan went limp and fell into a deep sleep.
"Lanlan!" shouted Lin Ruoxi in terror.
The man picked Lanlan up and pa.s.sed her to Minjuan.
"You don't have to panic. Lanlan is too energetic. She often goes days without sleep. I just quickened the process a little. Plus, I wouldn't have let her live here no matter how much she begged," explained the man slowly.
Hui Lin, who was also in shock, stepped forward to hold Lin Ruoxi's hand.
"Big sister, don't do anything rash. This elder's cultivation is stronger than he lets on…"
Hui Lin couldn't tell what this man specialized in, but she could feel he had already broken free from the Xiantian realm.
Lin Ruoxi felt her heart ache. Of course, he had to be a man that she couldn't fight.
She felt so wronged. She suddenly wished that a.s.shole Yang Chen was here…
Although he was a mess of a man, if it wasn't for his strengths, she wouldn't have been able to do many things.
"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm." He smiled warmly. "As I said, I'm very grateful that you like Lanlan. However, unless you are willing to divorce your husband Yang Chen and cut off all contact with him, I would never put Lanlan under your care and she will never be part of your family."
The man's words shocked them once again.
This meant… The problem was Yang Chen himself?
Was this man Yang Chen's enemy?
If they were enemies, why was he so nice to them?
The man had no indication of wanting to explain further either. Smiling, he asked, "What do you think? President Lin, are you willing to divorce your husband for Lanlan? From what I know, Yang Chen isn't a very faithful man. Consider my offer."
After a moment of silence, Lin Ruoxi's eyes flashed coldly. "Even if my husband is awful, no one else can call him names! No one can force me to leave him. I alone will decide on it."
Her strong tone surprised w.a.n.g Ma, Zhenxiu and Hui Lin. Wasn't she just cursing him a second ago?
The man laughed. "President Lin, please don't misunderstand my intentions. I'm not here to break up a marriage. I just wanted to let you know."
Lin Ruoxi realized that her words contradicted her actions a second ago. Why was she protecting the jerk now? She would never make this mistake again!
The man continued emotionally, "Since you're not ready to let Yang Chen go, then I can't let you adopt Lanlan. One day, if I really have no other choice, I would let you keep her. a.s.suming that you still like her."
When he finished, the man turned around and gestured for Minjuan to leave with him.
Lin Ruoxi was left frozen like a statue. She watched Lanlan slowly leave in the distance but couldn't do anything to stop them physically. She was very close to banging her head on the wall!
Once the man disappeared into the night with Minjuan and Lanlan, Lin Ruoxi came to her senses and stomped her foot. Very bitter, she cried, "d.a.m.n! I forgot to ask where they lived! What if Lanlan wakes and cries for me?"
w.a.n.g Ma let out a long sigh. She patted Lin Ruoxi's shoulder. "Miss, let it be. Lanlan is a very positive girl. She will allow it to pa.s.s. We should leave this matter first. Why not wait for Young Master to be back and ask him? There's nothing we can do."
"Don't mention him!" Lin Ruoxi bit her lip, her face full of resentment. "This is all because of him! It's not enough for him to p.i.s.s me off, now they took my daughter away because of him?! He should just die out there! He doesn't need to come home!"
When she was done, Lin Ruoxi stomped her foot and rushed into the house in fury. She saw the panda plush next to the steps that Minjuan had left it by, picked it up, then brought it upstairs.
w.a.n.g Ma, Hui Lin, and Zhenxiu looked at each other and sighed.
At the same time, Yang Chen, who'd been chased out by Lin Ruoxi, went to the hospital where it all began.
Yang Chen had to know how this woman found him and why she dragged him into this.
However, when he stepped into the ward, Xiao Zhiqing was nowhere to be found!
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