"Mom, your leg?"
"Don't worry, Mom's leg is fine."
After comforting Wen Yan'an, Fang Miaomiao tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it, listening to the outside.
Hmm...
She couldn't hear anything.
Just as she was about to turn back, the door was opened from the outside with a "click."
Four eyes met.
Fang Miaomiao coughed a few times, straightened up, and greeted the person approaching, "What a coincidence, we meet again."
Qiu Xi looked at Fang Miaomiao for a while before saying with a half-smile, "I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly and be so energetic."
"Thank you for the compliment?" Fang Miaomiao asked tentatively.
"Let's go, someone wants to see you."
Fang Miaomiao cautiously stepped back, "I think it's quite nice here."
"Is that so?" Qiu Xi sneered, "There are ten corpses under this house."
Fang Miaomiao was unfazed.
"Don't worry, Wen Yan'an will be fine," Qiu Xi said calmly.
"Who knows if you're just trying to trick me."
Qiu Xi stepped forward directly, grabbed Fang Miaomiao by the neck, and dragged her out. He had seen talkative people before, but never someone like Fang Miaomiao.
"Let go of my mom," Wen Yan'an ran over.
Qiu Xi tutted and grabbed Wen Yan'an with his other hand.
Ran Qiu watched Qiu Xi, who was holding them like two little chicks, and smiled, "Why are you suddenly so irritable?"
Qiu Xi put the two people in his hands on the ground and tidied his clothes.
His arms were covered in scratch marks from fingernails, and the other arm bore teeth marks. "If you were in this situation, you'd be just as irritable."
Ran Qiu chuckled, "You've worked hard."
Qiu Xi said nothing and turned to leave.
"Long time no see, Fourth Madam Wen, and An'an."
Fang Miaomiao shielded An'an behind her, "What do you want?"
"What can I do? If nothing unexpected happens, your man has already surrounded the entire area. What can I do?"
Fang Miaomiao looked at Ran Qiu without speaking.
"Such a stubborn one," Ran Qiu sat down and elegantly made himself a cup of tea, as if he weren't in a dilapidated house.
"Why did you capture us?"
Ran Qiu chuckled helplessly, "Didn't you willingly walk into my trap? And then An'an behind you couldn't bear to see you captured alone and followed along."
"An'an is such a smart child, worthy of being that person's child." Ran Qiu's eyes flashed with excitement as he said this, "An'an, why don't you come with me? As long as you come with me, I'll let your mother go. What do you say?"
"Impossible," Wen Yan'an's face scrunched up. "I won't do bad things with you."
"How is this doing bad things? We're helping families who can't afford to raise their children solve their problems. How can that be considered bad?" Ran Qiu was confused. "I take the children away and give them enough money to live on. They're the ones who profit, aren't they?"
Fang Miaomiao: "..."
If she hadn't been educated, she might have actually believed his earnest, righteous words.
Wen Yan'an also frowned, saying unhappily, "Children want to be with their parents. You're making those children leave their parents, and you still have the nerve to talk about it."
"Then let me ask you, is the kindness of raising more important, or the kindness of giving birth more important?" Ran Qiu looked at Wen Yan'an with interest. "If your parents were still alive and wanted you to go back and live with them, would you choose Fang Miaomiao and the other person, or your biological parents?"
"Don't say your parents are dead; this hypothesis doesn't exist," Ran Qiu cut off Wen Yan'an.
"You're so annoying, shut up."
"Actually, I don't want to say that hypothesis doesn't exist," Wen Yan'an's furrowed brow relaxed. "I want to say, why can't I have both sets of parents? I'm very greedy, I want both."
Fang Miaomiao looked at Wen Yan'an in surprise.
Wen Yan'an, like a little adult, held Fang Miaomiao's hand. "Mom, do you want to ask when I knew you and Dad weren't my biological parents?"
Fang Miaomiao didn't speak.
"Mom, you don't need to apologize. I know you kept it from me because you wanted me to live happily and not have to think so much."
But, what did it matter?
Her parents in heaven would be happy to see her living well.
"When did An'an find out?" Ran Qiu asked with a smile.
"When I was little, Wen Lan'ge and his mom were arguing, and I accidentally overheard it."
"So Hong Lu would argue with others," Ran Qiu sighed softly.
"No, what exactly do you want? You're not going to just sit here listening to gossip, are you?"
Ran Qiu paused, then burst into laughter, "Fang Miaomiao, you're much more interesting than before."
Fang Miaomiao said nothing.
Ran Qiu finished his tea and stood up. "Actually, I don't know what I want to do."
After the incident five years ago, the Ran family began to decline. His father had wanted him to stop before he died, but he couldn't stand it. Why was the Wen Corporation getting more and more popular, while their Ran Corporation had to decline?
But in the past five years, even as he reactivated the hidden networks and resumed his old business, he felt a rare sense of confusion.
He, too, didn't know what he wanted.
But that didn't mean he would admit defeat.
"Do you know what I've placed around the island?"
Fang Miaomiao suddenly didn't know how his topic could jump so quickly, and casually said, "You wouldn't have placed bombs, would you."
As soon as she finished speaking, her body stiffened instantly. She met Ran Qiu's smiling gaze with surprise, "I have to say, you are indeed very smart."
Fang Miaomiao: "..."
What the heck, when did she gain such a jinx skill.
"You're so smart. I've planted explosives all around the island. There's only one safe spot. Tell me, will Wen Zhiyan die on the island when he comes up, or will he find the spot without explosives and land safely?"
"Die, your sister," Fang Miaomiao rolled her eyes. "You think you can decide who dies? Who do you think you are?"
"Fang Miaomiao, your mouth is too foul, and it won't do you any good," Ran Qiu's face turned cold.
"Am I afraid of you? Let me tell you the truth, even if the whole world dies, the Wen family will not. And with bombs all around, do you believe that before Wen Zhiyan even lands, your men will have defused all the explosives?" Fang Miaomiao said, straightening her chest.
"Sharp-tongued," Ran Qiu snorted and ordered someone to take the two away.
"Why did you deliberately provoke Ran Qiu?" Qiu Xi asked his inner doubts.
Fang Miaomiao blinked. "Shouldn't it be that he's too sensitive? I only said a few words, and he almost flew into a rage himself."
Qiu Xi: "..."