Shi Heng gently wrapped Gu Youran in a bath towel and gently carried her to the tatami in the bedroom.
She was so sleepy that she couldn't open her eyes. She murmured softly in a daze: "Shi An..."
Hearing this name, Shi Heng's heart warmed.
This was exactly what he had just said by the hot springs: the name he would give his daughter if he had one in the future. He lay down carefully and held Gu Youran in his arms.
"Go to sleep, my Youbao."
Gu Youran found a comfortable position in his arms, and her breathing gradually became steady.
Shi Heng looked at her peaceful sleeping face, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose.
As the night grew deeper, Shi Heng slowly closed his eyes.
Holding his beloved, he felt extremely safe and soon fell into a deep sleep.
…
At the same time.
The lights in the Mu family's old house were on, and the housekeeper and twelve security guards turned the entire courtyard upside down.
The priceless collections on the mahogany display cabinet were taken down one by one for inspection, but the most precious one was missing.
"Dig three feet underground to find it!"
The painting "Autumn Mountain in Misty Rain" was purchased by the ancestors of the Mu family at a high price from the best painter in Jiangnan.
Mr. Mu's hand, leaning on his cane, trembled constantly. "Without this painting, I won't be able to face my ancestors after I die!"
The servants were silent, no one dared to look up at the old man's sullen face.
Mu Xueruo stood at the door of the study, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She didn't expect that the old man would suddenly want to appreciate the painting, and she didn't expect that the matter would be exposed so quickly.
"Master, the surveillance footage is up." The security supervisor came over, holding a tablet. "Two weeks ago, in the early morning, the second young lady entered the collection room."
All eyes were directed at Mu Xueruo.
"Xue Rou?" The old man stared at her with his cloudy eyes. "Did you touch my painting?"
Mu Xuerou's back was covered in cold sweat. She forced herself to look confused, "Grandpa, how could I..."
"Check her account!" the old man interrupted harshly.
The housekeeper immediately called the bank and confirmed the deposit of 55 million in less than ten minutes.
Mu Xueruo's legs went weak as she watched helplessly as the old man raised his cane and hit her in the face.
"Evil creature! That's a treasure passed down through six generations of our ancestors!"
Mu Xueruo knelt in the study, her ears buzzing, and she could only hear the old man roaring at the top of his lungs, "Punish me according to the family rules."
When the housekeeper brought a three-foot-long cane, she finally broke down and cried, "Grandpa, I was wrong! I was deceived!"
"Take off her coat!" The old man turned a deaf ear to her. "Give her twenty canes and make her kneel in the ancestral hall for three days!"
When the first whip hit her back, Mu Xueruo's scream startled the entire house.
After being beaten twenty times, she was dragged into the ancestral hall like a rag doll and thrown on the cold floor.
At midnight, there was a sudden commotion in the old house.
The old man was so angry that he had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.
In the ancestral hall, Mu Xueruo curled up under the ancestral tablet, her back burning with pain.
The phone suddenly vibrated and an anonymous text message lit up:
[Want to know who Vivian is? She has a crescent-shaped birthmark on her right shoulder, just like your sister Mu Xuewei.]
Mu Xueruo stared at the screen, her pupils contracting violently.
She trembled as she enlarged the attached photo. It showed Vivian's back by the swimming pool, and there was indeed a familiar birthmark on her right shoulder.
"Impossible..." she muttered to herself, "That bitch has been gone for two months."
But more and more details come to mind:
Vivian always adds three sugar cubes to her coffee, just like Mu Xuewei.
The way she habitually twirled her pen when revising a plan, and even the glint of satisfaction in his eyes when he spilled coffee on her hand that day...
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Mu Xueruo's laughter echoed in the empty ancestral hall.
I was laughing when suddenly tears started streaming down my face.
…
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Renault and Lina returned to the capital.
The two went to Kangrui Hospital as soon as possible.
The bodyguard guarding the door stood up straight when he saw them, "Master, Madam, you are back."
Renault asked, "How is Xu Bo?"
The bodyguard shook his head. "It's still the same. The doctor said there's no sign of him waking up for the time being."
Pushing open the door of the ward, Uncle Xu was lying quietly on the bed.
Renault stood at the door, and for a moment he seemed to be back to the scene when he was eight years old.
At that time, he had just been taken back to the Castle of Lesos, and it was this serious man who covered him with the quilt that he had kicked off in countless late nights.
She stood up for him when he was bullied by his family members and taught him how to survive in this complicated family.
He walked to the bed and sat down, gently holding Xu Bo's calloused hand.
These hands had once led him through every corridor of the castle and held the reins tightly when he rode a horse for the first time.
"Uncle Xu, I'm back."
Renault's voice was a little choked. "I have good news to tell you. I have officially become the head of the Leisers family."
"At the family meeting, all the elders voted in favor. You are right. As long as we persist, we will definitely wait for this day."
Lina also stepped forward, "There's even better news, Uncle Xu. Renault and I have already gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate."
She took out two red books from her bag and said, "Look, this is our marriage certificate. Didn't you always say you wanted to see Renault get married?"
Renault took over the conversation, his thumb gently stroking the back of Xu Bo's hand, "We'll have the wedding in five days, with You Ran and the others."
"Uncle Xu, you must get better soon. We're waiting for you to attend the wedding. You have to sit at the head table, just like... just like your father."
The ward was quiet for a while.
Lina looked at her watch and said to Renault, "I'll call Youran and ask her to meet in the evening."
Renault nodded, his eyes never leaving Xu Bo's old face.
"Okay, go ahead. I'll talk to Uncle Xu for a while."
Lina closed the door gently, walked to the corridor outside the ward, called Gu Youran, and made an appointment to meet at the Emperor Club at six o'clock.
…
At exactly six o'clock in the afternoon, Gu Youran appeared at the door of the box with Shi Heng on her arm.
"You've arrived just in time!" Lina immediately stood up to greet them, and affectionately took Gu Youran's arm. "We just ordered the dishes, all of which are your favorites."
Renault stood up and nodded to Shi Heng.
After the four of them sat down, the waiter began to serve the dishes.
Shi Heng said, "Now that you're back, how about we rehearse the wedding ceremony tomorrow?"
"Of course." Renault's expression became serious. "In fact, we have another invitation. According to the tradition of the Leathers family, the heir must get married in the castle."
"So we plan to return to the castle at the end of this month to hold another formal ceremony."
Lina couldn't wait to add, "So I want to formally invite you to go to Lesos Castle with me! Just think of it as an early honeymoon."
She turned to Gu Youran and said, "The castle is stunning in March, and all the tulips in the garden will be in bloom. You're sure to love it."
Gu Youran looked at Shi Heng, who nodded and said, "The timing is fine. I can visit the old man and see how he's recovering."
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