Chapter 403: Chapter 403: Don’t Morally Kidnap
At this moment, Hu Yunqin didn’t even want to speak to her.
She had always been bossy and unreasonable, and Hu Yunqin usually didn’t say much about it.
But she had told her countless times not to provoke Lan Yan, and yet, she just refused to listen.
All for a man she hadn’t even met—how irrational. It truly made her angry.
Still, she swallowed her frustration.
Hu Yunqin closed her eyes briefly.
She raised her hand to rub her temples and said, “There’s no way anything will come of this between you two.”
Dong Xiaoxiao asked, “Why? Neither of us has even tried. Mom, how can you be so certain that nothing good would come of it?”
Hu Yunqin wasn’t sure whether to laugh at her naivety or her foolishness.
She had been listening in the hospital room for so long and still hadn’t grasped any of the implications.
Forget Xiao Si being uninterested in her—even if he were, Liang Yun would never allow her to set foot in the Xiao Family’s house.
As for Lan Yan, that remained uncertain.
If Liang Yun found out Lan Yan was her daughter, that would probably be a dead end too.
“There’s no ‘why.’ When I say impossible, I mean impossible. Let it go,” Hu Yunqin said firmly.
Dong Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
For the first time, Hu Yunqin refused to help her. In the past, whatever she wanted to do, she did. Hu Yunqin always yielded to her.
“I knew it! You’re biased toward her because I’m not your biological daughter!”
Dong Xiaoxiao exclaimed angrily.
Hu Yunqin: “…”
“Stop the car! I want to get out!”
Dong Xiaoxiao suddenly shouted.
The driver was startled.
He glanced at the rearview mirror, his voice uneasy, “Miss, stopping here is not allowed.”
Dong Xiaoxiao couldn’t care less.
“I said stop!”
The driver had no choice but to call out to Hu Yunqin, “Madam, this…”
Hu Yunqin spoke sternly, “Xiaoxiao, stop making trouble!”
“I’m not making trouble!”
Dong Xiaoxiao started kicking the driver’s seat.
Her actions terrified Hu Yunqin.
The driver was equally frightened. This was in the middle of a busy road with heavy traffic.
Hu Yunqin, furious, grabbed her by the arm and shouted, “Dong Xiaoxiao, are you crazy? We’re in a car—if you want to die, don’t drag us down with you!”
Dong Xiaoxiao was taken aback by Hu Yunqin’s intensity because, in her memory, Hu Yunqin had never treated her like this before.
For a moment, she froze, then started to cry.
Hu Yunqin let out a deep sigh, rubbing her brow irritably.
Crying was better than interfering with the driver.
…
That evening, Lan Yan received a call from Hu Yunqin.
At that time, she was having dinner with Xiao Si.
“Hello? What’s up?”
Her tone was aloof, devoid of any emotion.
In contrast, Hu Yunqin’s tone was consistently gentle.
“Yanyan, are you free now?”
“I’m eating. If you have something to say, go ahead.”
Upon hearing this, Hu Yunqin asked, “Are you with Xiao Xiao?”
Lan Yan responded with an affirmative hum.
“Then I won’t disturb your date. Mom will contact you tomorrow—what time are you free?”
Lan Yan didn’t feel pressured to discuss it now. “Noon.”
“Alright, I’ll pick you up at the research institute tomorrow at noon.”
“No need—just send me the address.”
“Sure, I’ll text you the details later. Enjoy your meal with Xiao Xiao.”
“Mm.”
Lan Yan promptly hung up the phone.
Xiao Si placed the sliced steak in front of her, switching her plate with his own unsliced portion.
“Eat up,” he said.
Lan Yan glanced at the neatly cut steak and paused for a few seconds.
She looked up at him, “Thank you.”
Xiao Si replied, “Don’t thank me. Otherwise, I’ll feel upset—it’s what your future husband should do.”
Lan Yan: “…”
She didn’t even bother correcting him this time because she knew he had a way of rendering her speechless.
“Was it her just now?” Xiao Si cut his steak while asking.
“Mm.”
“What’s it about?”
“She didn’t say, just arranged to meet tomorrow at noon.”
“Do you need me to go with you?”
Lan Yan shook her head, “No, I can handle it myself.”
Xiao Si hummed in agreement, paused for a few seconds, then added, “Even though she’s your biological mother, you should still stay cautious.”
He didn’t spell things out explicitly, but Lan Yan understood his point.
She nodded, “Mm, I know.”
“Have you thought about investigating who your biological father is?” Xiao Si asked.
Since her reunion with Hu Yunqin, she hadn’t brought it up.
Lan Yan’s hand holding the utensils hesitated slightly.
“Hu Yunqin said he’s deceased,” she replied.
Xiao Si’s expression shifted briefly, “Sorry, I didn’t know.”
Lan Yan responded indifferently, “You don’t need to apologize. I never had any expectations, so I feel nothing about it.”
Hu Yunqin, her deceased biological father—none of them held any presence in her life.
Whether they existed or not made no difference to her.
Xiao Si’s gaze lingered on her with affection. He said, “It’s okay. You’ll always have me. With me, that’s enough. Actually, in the future, there’ll be more—our children, a family of three or four together.”
He spoke with sincerity and seriousness.
Lan Yan opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
The slightly somber atmosphere was abruptly dispelled by his words.
“Doctor Xiao, let’s just eat,” she said.
What she really meant: “You can stop talking now.”
——
The next noon.
Lan Yan arrived at the restaurant where Hu Yunqin had arranged to meet her.
Just as she was about to push the door open to enter, a shadow suddenly lunged at her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed someone holding a bottle, prompting her to immediately step aside.
Otherwise, the contents of that bottle would have spilled all over her.
The person attempting to splash her wasn’t anyone else—it was Dong Xiaoxiao.
Lan Yan’s brows furrowed slightly, “Dong Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?”
Dong Xiaoxiao’s face twisted with rage as she glared at her, “I want to kill you!”
Lan Yan: “…”
Saying this, Dong Xiaoxiao rushed toward her.
Lan Yan deftly dodged her attack.
Dong Xiaoxiao lunged and missed, crashing to the ground.
Passersby stopped to watch.
“What happened here?”
“Who knows?”
Dong Xiaoxiao looked up at Lan Yan with eyes full of loathing, “It’s all because of you! Lan Yan, I hate you!”
Lan Yan gazed at her, her expression indifferent.
“Dong Xiaoxiao, if you’re sick, go to the hospital. Don’t cause a scene here!”
The manager of the restaurant approached.
“Ladies, what’s going on here?” he asked. “Do you need assistance?”
The question was directed at Lan Yan.
Since the incident happened outside the restaurant, he felt obliged to intervene.
Lan Yan glanced at the water spilled on the ground, her gaze deep and inscrutable. She couldn’t tell if it was ordinary water or something tampered with.
She said, “Please call the police for me.”
The manager replied, “Oh, alright.”
Just as the manager finished speaking, Hu Yunqin appeared.
She looked at Lan Yan and asked, “Yanyan, what happened?”
Lan Yan didn’t respond to her. Instead, she looked down at Dong Xiaoxiao sprawled on the ground.
Hu Yunqin followed her gaze.
The next second, her brows knitted tightly, “Xiaoxiao, why are you here?”
She stepped forward, intending to help her up.
But just as she touched her, Dong Xiaoxiao forcefully shook her hand away.
“Get lost!”
“I don’t need your help!”
Hu Yunqin stumbled and almost fell. Thankfully, the manager was quick to catch her.
Just then, a passerby recognized Hu Yunqin.
“Hey, isn’t that famous actress Hu Yunqin?”
“Yeah, it’s really her.”
The crowd buzzed as one person after another chimed in, drawing more attention.
Meanwhile, Dong Xiaoxiao screamed sharply, “Lan Yan, it’s either me or you today!”
Saying this, she scrambled to her feet and lunged at Lan Yan again.
This time, Lan Yan didn’t dodge.
Just as she was about to fend her off, someone moved faster.
Dong Xiaoxiao was kicked squarely in the abdomen, sending her flying.
The next moment, Lan Yan fell into a warm embrace.
Familiar scents surrounded her, along with the shrill cries echoing beside her ear.
“Xiaoxiao!”
Hu Yunqin yelled.
Lan Yan glanced at the airborne Dong Xiaoxiao and then lifted her gaze to the man holding her.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
Xiao Si didn’t even spare a glance at the person he’d kicked.
He lowered his gaze to meet Lan Yan’s, “If I said I was passing by, would you believe me?”
Lan Yan: “… Do you think I would?”
Coincidences like this don’t just happen.
Most so-called coincidences are either premeditated or deliberate.
“Fine, I admit it—I came on purpose,” he said.
She already knew he had seen the address Hu Yunqin sent her last night.
“If I didn’t come, you’d probably have been pushed to the ground by her.”
“…”
Dong Xiaoxiao couldn’t even touch her, to be honest.
Forget it—seeing as he did save her, she decided to let it slide.
She pushed away from him.
After being kicked, Dong Xiaoxiao’s hat and wig fell off, revealing her bald head.
Lan Yan froze briefly at the sight.
Dong Xiaoxiao had shaved her head because she couldn’t stand looking at her hair, which resembled a chewed-up mess. She had been wearing a wig hat since then.
Honestly, with a shaved head, Dong Xiaoxiao looked a lot like a tomboy.
The onlookers didn’t know what to say.
Some continued to film videos, while others remained silent spectators—none stepped forward to intervene.
“Xiaoxiao, are you alright?”
Hu Yunqin asked with a mix of worry and concern.
No matter what, she was still part of the Dong Family.
Dong Xiaoxiao clutched her stomach, writhing on the ground in pain.
Xiao Si hadn’t held back at all. He didn’t show her any mercy just because she was a woman.
Her pain was inevitable.
Hu Yunqin reached out to support her shoulders, helping her onto her feet.
“Come on, let’s get up.”
When Dong Xiaoxiao raised her head, she saw Xiao Si—whom she hadn’t noticed earlier—and instantly panicked.
So, the man who had kicked her was him.
At that moment, she felt like her heart had been torn apart. It hurt, and she was furious.
Still, she didn’t dare act aggressive toward the man right in front of her.
All her anger transformed into helplessness.
Never had she imagined this man would actually lay hands on her.
Seeing her tears streaming down, Hu Yunqin said gently, “Xiaoxiao, be good. Let’s go home.”
Right then, Luo Jian arrived.
Hu Yunqin exchanged a glance with him before stepping forward to pull Dong Xiaoxiao.
“Miss, let’s head back,” Luo Jian said.
“Hold on a moment.”
Lan Yan spoke up.
She stepped forward, stopping right in front of Dong Xiaoxiao.
Her gaze was icy and inscrutable, like a bottomless abyss.
Dong Xiaoxiao shivered under the weight of her stare.
“Yanyan, we can talk about this once we’re home, alright?” Hu Yunqin gently pulled her hand.
Lan Yan looked at her briefly before turning her focus back to Dong Xiaoxiao. “Miss Dong, what was in that bottle you tried to splash on me?” she asked.
Hu Yunqin hadn’t been aware of what had occurred before.
“Xiaoxiao, what did you splash?” Hu Yunqin asked.
Dong Xiaoxiao’s gaze flickered nervously. “Nothing—just mineral water.”
Lan Yan narrowed her eyes, “Are you certain?”
Dong Xiaoxiao’s eyes began darting around, “I’m sure.”
Just then, a police car pulled up by the curb.
“Madam, it seems the police are here,” Luo Jian murmured to Hu Yunqin.
Hu Yunqin’s expression darkened instantly.
She turned to Lan Yan, intending to speak, but Xiao Si cut her off.
“Aunt Hu, I called the police. Don’t thank me,” Xiao Si said calmly.
Hu Yunqin: “…”
A police officer approached, “Who made the call?”
Xiao Si raised his hand slightly, “Me.”
The officer turned toward him, glanced at the group, and asked, “What’s the situation?”
In a cooperative tone, Xiao Si explained, “I suspect the contents of that bottle were tampered with—potentially acid—intended to harm my fiancée.”
His gaze shifted toward Dong Xiaoxiao.
The officer glanced at Dong Xiaoxiao before instructing someone to collect the bottle from the ground for testing.
“Miss, we’ll need you to come and cooperate with our investigation,” the officer said to Dong Xiaoxiao.
Frightened, Dong Xiaoxiao ducked behind Hu Yunqin, “Mom, I don’t want to go!”
The officer’s tone became stern, “Miss, we require your cooperation. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to take enforcement measures.”
Hu Yunqin’s expression turned sour, but she had no alternative when faced with the police.
She could only say, “Xiaoxiao, be good. Go cooperate with their investigation. Your father and I will think of a way.”
Dong Xiaoxiao’s behavior made it clear she had tampered with the bottle’s contents.
On this point, Hu Yunqin knew her well.
No matter the circumstances, Dong Xiaoxiao was someone she had nurtured.
If there had been nothing added to the bottle, Dong Xiaoxiao wouldn’t be this scared.
Ultimately, Dong Xiaoxiao was taken away.
Next, the officer turned toward Xiao Si and Lan Yan, saying, “We’ll need both of you to come with us as well.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Hu Yunqin hadn’t expected the matter to escalate to the police station.
Half an hour later.
The test results were in.
The officer holding the report approached the group and said, “The results are out. The bottle’s contents do contain traces of acid.”
Hu Yunqin’s face drained of color.
She hadn’t anticipated that Dong Xiaoxiao would go to such extreme measures.
It was one thing for her to act arrogant and unruly—but to attempt an acid attack!
Hu Yunqin took a moment to compose herself before turning to Lan Yan and saying, “Yanyan, Xiaoxiao is still your sister. Since you weren’t hurt, how about…”
Before she could finish, Xiao Si interrupted.
“Aunt Hu, what you’re saying isn’t right. Even blood relatives need boundaries, let alone Lan Yan and Miss Dong, who share no familial ties. Aunt Hu, if you insist on partiality, you should set a limit. We don’t have saintly compassion, and we certainly won’t submit to moral coercion!”
Lan Yan said nothing—Xiao Si’s words mirrored her thoughts exactly.
Faced with Xiao Si’s bluntness, the words that Hu Yunqin wanted to say stuck in her throat, neither going up nor down.