After Shui Anluo had woken up, the doctor examined her once again. There were no other major issues but she had to refrain from eating spicy food for a while.

Shui Anluo was filled with regret. Was this similar to the metaphor of 'trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it'? Why was she the one who ended up being admitted to the hospital when her scheme had been directed at Chu Ningyi?

"What about my mother?" Shui Anluo quickly asked after she had recovered slightly. It was only right that he fulfilled his promise to her.

"We'll talk when you're better." Chu Ningyi replied calmly. As he had not received any news regarding Long Manyin, he would not allow Shui Anluo to visit her yet. After all, he did not like to do anything without confirmation.

"Hey, you..." Shui Anluo suddenly rose to her feet and aggravated her painful stomach. She could not help but cry out before gasping.

Chu Ningyi's expression remained the same as he stood next to her bed and stared dominantly down at her. There was not even the slightest sign of heartache in his gaze.

"Keep moving, you can try. If you don't get discharged from the hospital, you can't go anywhere." Chu Ningyi then left the ward after he had spoken.

Shui Anluo began to nag him under her breath. Indeed, she could not expect too much from this man.

Chu Ningyi stepped out of the ward and his butler, Uncle Chu, was waiting for him. The butler held a lunchbox in his hand.

Chu Ningyi lowered his head and opened the lunchbox. He looked at the food in the box before saying, "Change the dishes to porridge straightaway. I want you to stay here and watch her."

"Yes," Uncle Chu replied but he could see that the young master still cared about the young madam. Otherwise, he would not have personally inspected her food.

Chu Ningyi had a meeting at the company in the afternoon so he needed to leave. This was why he had left Uncle Chu to watch over Shui Anluo. However, after Chu Ningyi had taken several steps forward, he suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Uncle Chu. "No one is to see Shui Anluo before my return, especially the members of the Shui family. If they have any questions, tell them to ask me personally."

Uncle Chu was shaken. Chu Ningyi took his leave as Uncle Chu tried to process the situation.

One year ago, the Shui family had made things difficult and the young master had been absent. His heart ached for the young madam but he could not say it. Now, however, the young master had said this before leaving and had given him the power to keep the Shui family away. What does that mean? The young master obviously still cared about the young madam.

"Ningyi?"

As Chu Ningyi was leaving the hospital, he heard Lin Qianchen call out to him.

Chu Ningyi turned around. Lin Qianchen was dressed in a white lab coat with her hands in her pockets. She stared at him curiously. 

"What are you doing at the hospital?" Lin Qianchen asked as she looked at him with concern. "Are you not well?"

"No, Luoluo is unwell." Chu Ningyi had a friendly relations.h.i.+p with Lin Qianchen. Lin Qianchen was unlike most other women and did not have feelings for him so Chu Ningyi has a pretty amicable relations.h.i.+p with her.

"Luoluo? What's wrong with her?" Lin Qianchen asked with concern.

"It's just acute gastroenteritis. I have some matters to attend to in the company, excuse me," said Chu Ningyi and he nodded as he left the hospital.

Lin Qianchen watched Chu Ningyi and the smile on her face slowly faded. ' Since when had he started to address Shui Anluo in such an intimate manner?'

Shui Anluo felt uncomfortable and only managed to eat a bit of the porridge that Uncle Chu had brought for her.

"Uncle Chu, I'm feeling alright now. Help me to arrange to be discharged." Shui Anluo stared at Uncle Chu pitifully. This was no facade, she was indeed pitiful after she endured such a severe bout of illness.

Uncle Chu had been very nice to her since a year ago. In contrast to her relations.h.i.+p with Chu Ningyi, she was much closer to Uncle Chu because Uncle Chu had loved her like an elder.

"Young Madam, the Young Master has instructed for you to rest well," replied Uncle Chu as he smiled.

"I'm not someone's Young Madam," Shui Anluo retaliated. ' We've been divorced a long time ago, alright? I'm certainly not a Young Madam.'

Uncle Chu smiled but did not reply.

"Uncle Chu, can you lend me your phone? I want to call my mother." Shui Anluo reached out and tugged Uncle Chu's arm as she begged him.

Uncle Chu looked at her. He had gone to Shui Anluo's home but no one was there so perhaps Madam Shui had left as well.

"Young Madam, you'd best recuperate. Once you're all better, you can go to see Madam Shui..." Uncle Chu shook for a moment as he said this before he changed his tone and said, "Only when you see your mother will she feel more a.s.sured."

"But..."

"No 'buts', Young Madam. The best way is to get well first," said Uncle Chu with a smile as he put the unfinished porridge away.

Shui Anluo knew that if Uncle Chu had still remained steadfast after she complained to him for so long, there was no hope.

Shui Anluo lay down and stared at the ceiling. She could not understand why Chu Ningyi had done this. They were no longer related so why must he take her away from her mother?

Only when Shui Anluo and the little darling had fallen asleep did Uncle Chu put the bowl and chopsticks away.

Chu Ningyi was still in his meeting when he received a call from his mother. Frankly speaking, he had expected the call sooner.

Chu Ningyi waved his hand and asked his subordinates to leave. He then stood up and went to the window to pick up the call.

"You've brought her back?"

The question was straight to the point as Chu Ningyi had expected. She was his mother after all.

"She's Luoning's mother."

"Luoning?" The woman on the other end was shaken.

"Mm, he's our son." Chu Ningyi replied calmly.

"Have you done a DNA test?"

"What do you mean, Mother?" Chu Ningyi furrowed his brows, clearly annoyed with his mother's questions.

"Don't forget her origins, it's hard to say if he's really your child."

"Mother, I'll know better than you whether he's my son or not. As for the events during that year, we had been merely outsiders," Chu Ningyi replied, he judged the matter based on facts. "Besides, she's now Luoning's mother and I won't brush her aside."

Chu Ningyi was that type of person, he would protect anyone who belonged to him to the very end. He did not care about anyone who does not belong to him. Even if they died, it would not concern him at all.

"Ningyi, you..."

"Mother, if you're simply calling me to talk about this matter, there's no need. I believe her."

"I'll be coming back to the country with your father. Bring her over to meet us."

"Mother, are you so idle that you want to meet my ex-wife? She's not even related to you." Chu Ningyi said before he hung up the call.

Madam Chu, He Xiaoran, who was far away in the United States could not understand her son's reaction. He wanted to protect Shui Anluo yet he called her his ex-wife. What on earth did that mean?

"What does your son mean by that?" He Xiaoran asked as she looked at her husband in confusion.

The Chairman of the Chu Group, Chu Mobai, was standing at the window as he stared at the lake. He drummed his fingers against the railing. Chu Mobai was more than fifty years old but the years did not show on his body. He was remarkably similar in appearance to Chu Ningyi but due to the years of experience, Chu Mobai seemed to have more charisma.

"You still don't know your own son? Shui Anluo has already been dragged into his circle of protection," said Chu Mobai as he turned to look at his wife. "That child, Anluo, isn't all that bad."

"She's not bad but her mother..." This was the main issue that He Xiaoran had been worried about. "No, I won't let my son end up with her. I want to go back," said He Xiaoran before she turned around to leave the room.