"I'm hungry." Meng Qiqi looked at Xia Lan with a wronged expression, her eyes accusing Qin Yu of not feeding her.

“But didn’t you say you didn’t want to eat?” Xia Lan blinked and said to Meng Qiqi.

"...No, I just said it didn't taste good, I didn't say I wouldn't eat it." Meng Qiqi immediately tried to salvage the situation.

"Really? Then we misunderstood you!" Xia Lan smiled slightly and looked at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu went to the kitchen and made Meng Qiqi a bowl of plain porridge, placing it in front of him.

"Don't force yourself if you don't want to eat." Qin Yu's words startled Meng Qiqi, and she immediately picked up her bowl and took a sip.

“Look, I ate it,” Meng Qiqi tried to prove herself.

Xia Lan and Qin Yu exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

Meng Qiqi took two sips and couldn't help but lick her lips. She had never known that plain porridge could taste so good.

Xia Lan sipped her fragrant, thick congee and smiled smugly. "Now you know that congee can taste really good in Brother Yu's hands, right?"

"Delicious!" Meng Qiqi nodded her little head very seriously, wishing she could bury her whole face in the bowl.

After finishing a large bowl of white porridge, Meng Qiqi's little belly swelled up, looking chubby and adorable.

Meng Qiqi had just finished her porridge when a sharp, piercing screech of brakes came from outside the gate.

Immediately afterwards, someone started banging on the door.

"Who is it!" Xia Lan glanced at Meng Qiqi, who must be here to beat up the little guy, and slowly stepped forward to open the door.

She saw a graceful and beautiful woman standing in front of her house, with a cold and expressionless man beside her.

"...You...hello, I...I am Qiqi's mother, my name is Lin Xiuxiu..." Lin Xiuxiu looked at Xia Lan, nervously trying to express her purpose.

But I was too nervous to say anything.

"Excuse me, my wife is a little nervous. This is my wife, Lin Xiuxiu. I am Meng Jianguo, and we are Meng Qiqi's parents. We heard from the police that you rescued my child. May we see him/her?"

The cold-blooded man stepped forward, explained their purpose to Xia Lan, and asked sincerely.

Xia Lan looked at the two people in front of her.

Like Beauty and the Beast, they are clearly two different types of people, but when they stand together, they look like a perfect match.

Especially when a man with a blank expression looks at a beautiful woman, the coldness in his eyes immediately disappears, and he looks at her gently, stroking her head with one hand to soothe her nervous emotions.

"He's in his room, come in!" Xia Lan stepped aside to let them in, and then she saw Du Qiang behind them.

"Sister-in-law!" Du Qiang said to Xia Lan with a smile.

“They arrived just as dawn was breaking. I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so I waited until daylight to bring them to you.”

Xia Lan looked at Du Qiang and nodded. "Thanks."

After Xia Lan led them into the house, she deliberately came in a little later. As a result, she and Du Qiang stood outside the door for a few seconds, but they did not hear any excited crying from inside; there was only silence.

Qin Yu finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen. He and Xia Lan walked into the hall, but only saw Meng Jianguo and Lin Xiuxiu. Meng Qiqi was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Qiqi?" Xia Lan asked, puzzled.

Lin Xiuxiu looked around the room with worry, then glanced helplessly at Meng Jianguo. "He's angry with us."

The two men, father and son, looked like enemies when they met.

"Qiqi?" Xia Lan walked into the room and saw a small bulge under the covers, obviously Meng Qiqi was hiding under the covers.

"Auntie." Hearing Xia Lan's voice, Meng Qiqi pulled back the covers and threw herself into Xia Lan's arms, feeling wronged.

"You're wrong, Dad doesn't like me at all." Meng Qiqi couldn't hold back her tears any longer and they fell onto Xia Lan's shoulder.

Like a child who has suffered all kinds of grievances, needing Xia Lan's comfort.

“How could that be? I heard from the police that your father drove all night just to see you as soon as possible. When he arrived here, it was still dark. He waited until dawn to come and find you. He didn’t sleep all night. Do you know how tired he was?” Xia Lan said earnestly to Meng Qiqi.

"Really?" Meng Qiqi looked at Xia Lan with a pitiful expression. Seeing Xia Lan nod, Meng Qiqi wiped away her tears.

"How about I carry you to them now? They must be very worried about you. They'll be sad if you don't see them," Xia Lan said to Meng Qiqi.

Hearing that her parents would be sad, Meng Qiqi finally let go of Xia Lan and looked outside with worried eyes.

Seeing this, Xia Lan picked up Meng Qiqi and carried her to the living room.

When Meng Jianguo and Lin Xiuxiu saw that their son, who was usually not close to his family, was being held in Xia Lan's arms, they looked at each other with surprise.

"Qiqi." Lin Xiuxiu couldn't help but cry when she saw her unharmed son.

"Mom." Hearing Lin Xiuxiu's voice, Meng Qiqi could no longer hold back and reached out her hand from Xia Lan's arms to Lin Xiuxiu.

Lin Xiuxiu immediately hugged Meng Qiqi and burst into tears while holding her son.

"You scared your mother to death! I almost thought I'd never see you again!"

"I was kidnapped by a bad uncle. I didn't mean to run away," Meng Qiqi explained, crying, and hugged her mother tightly.

"I know, thank goodness you're alright." Lin Xiuxiu hugged her son tightly, and the two cried for a while before their emotions calmed down.

Qin Yu walked in, stood next to Xia Lan, and addressed Du Qiang and Meng Jianguo.

"Qiqi said he was arrested by people wearing police uniforms."

"What?" Du Qiang asked in disbelief. "Where did such a scoundrel come from?"

"Thank you, I will investigate this matter thoroughly!" Meng Jianguo nodded to Qin Yu.

"If you need anything in the future, just come to me. You saved Qiqi, so you are my and Xiuxiu's benefactors."

"No need, no need. We just happened to run into them. They wanted to move quickly and didn't change Qiqi's clothes, which is why they were exposed." Xia Lan quickly waved her hand.

They rescued Meng Qiqi not for any personal gain, but because they couldn't bear to watch their child being abducted by human traffickers; their conscience wouldn't allow it.

"That's not how it works! If you hadn't intervened, it's possible that no one else would have discovered that woman was a human trafficker!"

Lin Xiuxiu didn't think so. It took a lot of courage to notice the woman's strange behavior so carefully and to expose her.

Most people would choose to avoid trouble.

If a misunderstanding occurs, wouldn't it become a laughing stock?

“Most importantly, even if they discover it, they might not necessarily choose to do anything about it.” Meng Jianguo glanced at Xia Lan; he shared the same thought as Lin Xiuxiu.

Everyone is capable of doing what is right, but few people would do it when faced with uncertainty.

"Thank you for saving our Qiqi." Meng Jianguo and Lin Xiuxiu bowed sincerely to Xia Lan and Qin Yu in gratitude.

"It's good that the child is alright! Really." Xia Lan quickly helped them up. As long as the child was safe, they were content.