Lan Yu Xi, recalling the words Xin Mo Li had told her, felt a degree of dislike towards this woman. However, reminding herself that everyone had their unspoken hardships, she suppressed her displeasure and said calmly, "Hello, Auntie. Please sit."
Ming Ying, sobbing, sat down. "I just arrived too. I haven't seen the doctor yet. I hope Mo Li hasn't developed any lingering issues?"
"Rest assured, with me here, Mo Li will be fine."
"You're a doctor too?"
"I'm a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. I'm better at conditioning the body than Western medicine."
"That's good, that's good..." Ming Ying's anxious heart eased slightly, but her hands remained clasped nervously.
Lan Yu Xi glanced at her. "Auntie, you clearly care about Mo Li. Then why haven't you contacted her all these years? Do you know how much she missed you?"
Ming Ying's tears began to fall. "I didn't dare to contact her. I was afraid her father would find me."
"With Island Master Xin's capabilities, if he wanted to find you, do you think you could have lived peacefully for so many years?"
Ming Ying's body stiffened abruptly, and then sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Don't worry, Island Master Xin won't trouble you." Lan Yu Xi poured her a glass of water. Seeing that she was less tense, she continued, "Auntie, I am also a mother, so I can understand you as a mother. If you didn't have hardships, you wouldn't have abandoned Mo Li for so many years, neglecting her."
Ming Ying wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Thank you for your understanding. I'm not as good as you say. Because I hated her father, I couldn't bring myself to like her either. But after I truly escaped that suffocating place, I regretted it. I should have taken her with me. I shouldn't have left her behind. But I also know that under those circumstances, my escape was a fluke. If I had taken her, both of us would have been caught."
Ming Ying closed her eyes in pain, tears streaming down her face.
"I am an irresponsible mother. I am ashamed to see her. I thought if I didn't contact her, she would gradually forget me, and perhaps she would be better off if she forgot me. But it wasn't until Mr. Shu found me and told me about her situation that I learned she hadn't forgotten me at all, and had instead lived in pain because of me. I felt even more self-reproachful."
Lan Yu Xi frowned slightly. She understood everything Ming Ying was saying.
It was like those girls trafficked into impoverished mountain areas. If they finally had a chance to escape, they would definitely choose to flee by themselves first. As for the child born, it was a product of her difficult life, and not taking the child was understandable.
As for not contacting her, one reason was fear of Island Master Xin finding her. Another, perhaps, was her fear that her husband would not accept this child.
Lan Yu Xi suddenly thought of something and asked, "Auntie, where is my fifth brother?"
Ming Ying's gaze flickered slightly, but she had to tell the truth.
"My husband feared it was a trap and wouldn't let me come. Mr. Shu proactively offered to stay there, and he would return after I came back."
Lan Yu Xi's lips twitched. Her fifth brother willingly offered to be a hostage for Xin Mo Li. If anyone said he didn't have Xin Mo Li in his heart, even ghosts wouldn't believe it.
Alas, good things were always delayed! If it were like her second brother, who just married the person directly, there wouldn't be so many troubles.
With a loud "bang," the door was shoved open. Xin Mo Li, her face deathly pale, roared, "Leave! Let Lan Mu Shu come back!"
Ming Ying's face was even paler than Xin Mo Li's at this moment. She stood up with trembling hands. "Mo Li, you're awake..."
"Don't talk to me!" Xin Mo Li leaned against the door, pointing outside. "Leave!"
Ming Ying looked at her precarious state and reached out as if to support her, but fearing she would anger her, she finally let her hand fall powerlessly.
"Mo Li, don't be angry. I'll call him right now and ask him to let Mr. Shu return."
Lan Yu Xi quickly walked up to Xin Mo Li and pulled her into her arms, allowing most of Xin Mo Li's weight to transfer to her.
"Auntie, there's no need to let my fifth brother come back. If my fifth brother wants to return, no one can stop him. However, if you want to make a call, it's fine. You can inform your family that you're safe, and please tell him there's no trap here. You can go back anytime."
After saying what she needed to say, Lan Yu Xi helped Xin Mo Li back to the hospital bed.
Xin Mo Li was trembling with anger all over her body. Lan Yu Xi could only firmly press her shoulders.
"Mo Li, look at me. Auntie is here, which proves she cares about you. And as for my fifth brother, you don't need to worry about him, because unless he wants to, no one can hold him back."
Xin Mo Li asked uncertainly, "Will Lan Mu Shu really be alright?"
Lan Yu Xi smiled and nodded. "Yes. When have I ever lied to you? When our Lan family travels, besides bodyguards, we also have hidden guards. If their master encounters danger, they will protect them with their lives. Besides, you know how skilled my fifth brother is. Even without those bodyguards and hidden guards, he can protect himself."
Lan Yu Xi's words were also for Ming Ying's benefit. She wanted Ming Ying to tell her husband that daring to touch her fifth brother was seeking death!
"But when I captured him and brought him to the island, he didn't resist at all."
Lan Yu Xi smiled. "He didn't resist because he wanted to protect the people behind him, and because he believed you wouldn't really hurt him. This means that even though you hurt him twice, he still believes in you. What does this show? It shows he loves you. The reason he spoke coldly to you was because of his poor self-esteem. Men are all like this. After losing face twice, they need to regain it."
Xin Mo Li's face flushed slightly. "You know? Did he tell you?"
"With his strong self-esteem, how could he tell me? I heard it from someone else."
Xin Mo Li's face turned even redder. "Who told you? Don't say it yet..."
Xin Mo Li caught sight of Ming Ying appearing at the door of the attendant's room and promptly stopped Lan Yu Xi.
"Let her go back. I've long since come to terms with it. Clinging to the past is not as good as looking to the future."
Hearing her say this, Ming Ying dragged her heavy legs back to the attendant's room and considerately closed the door behind them.
Lan Yu Xi pursed her lips tightly, pushed aside the quilt, and got into bed. "Since you can't sleep anyway, why don't I tell you a story?"
Xin Mo Li shifted to the side, making room for her.
Lan Yu Xi tucked the corner of the quilt around her and said in a deep voice, "This is a true story. The protagonist is a patient of mine. In her fourth year of university, she was trafficked to a poor mountainous area. She was very brave. Whenever she had a chance, she desperately tried to escape. In the end, her legs were broken, and she also gave birth to a child."
Xin Mo Li's hand subconsciously tightened its grip on Lan Yu Xi's arm. "And then?"