Chapter 520: The Illegitimate Child is Kidnapped

Chapter 520: The Bastard Child is Taken

"Do you think I'm doing this out of sympathy or guilt?" Ji Ming growled, his emotions seemingly calming in an instant.

Yi Yanran could only nod, unable to say anything else.

Ji Ming was baffled. "Didn’t you hear what I just said? I was proposing to you. Would I really offer marriage as compensation just because I feel guilty or sympathetic?"

"Isn’t that the case?" Yi Yanran looked at him. "Ji Ming, we both know where your heart really lies. You don’t need to pay such a high price to compensate me just because I took a knife for you."

Ji Ming raked a hand through his blond hair. "Listen, Yi Yanran—I’ll say this just once. I admit I loved Amu before, but this proposal is my choice—the right one. And that choice is you, Yi Yanran. Not out of guilt, not out of sympathy, but simply because I think you’re the one I should cherish right now! Do you understand now?"

Yi Yanran gazed at him, stunned, and finally shook her head.

"I like you, I want to marry you. Isn’t that simple enough? Isn’t that clear enough?"

His confession burned with raw sincerity.

For a moment, Yi Yanran was on the verge of tears.

Gazing into Ji Ming’s blue eyes, she struggled to voice the words stuck in her throat. In the end, she only managed to say, "We’re not suited for each other. I’m tired. You should go."

His blue eyes darkened with frustration. "Yi Yanran, are you serious?"

Yi Yanran slowly closed her eyes, refusing to look at him any longer.

Ji Ming nodded stiffly. "Fine. Your loss!"

Just as he turned to leave, his phone rang.

"Young Master, that woman got away!" his subordinate reported.

Ji Ming’s rage finally erupted. "You couldn’t even catch a single woman? What the hell are you all doing? Go find her! If you fail, fall on your swords!"

Hearing this, Yi Yanran realized Liu Ling had escaped. Recalling Liu Ling’s earlier words, her blood ran cold.

Forgetting that she had just rejected Ji Ming’s proposal, she seized his sleeve urgently. "We can’t let Liu Ling escape! She must be found!"

Ji Ming glanced at her hand and sneered. "Why should I help you? What are we now?"

"You promised me you’d deal with Liu Ling!" Yi Yanran said anxiously. "She can’t be allowed to run—she took Chu Min with her!"

"Took who?"

"That illegitimate child!" Yi Yanran clarified.

Ji Ming instantly understood—Liu Ling’s plotting something!

At the same moment, Yi Yanran’s phone also rang.

"Yanran, something’s happened!"

As soon as Yi Yanran answered, Madam Yi’s voice was frantic. "The Yi family’s in an uproar! Several elders from the clan have joined forces to surround our home, demanding you hand over your father’s family head’s seal!"

"What?!" Yi Yanran cried out, momentarily forgetting her injuries as she tried to sit up, only to jolt her wound, hissing in pain.

"Yanran, what’s wrong? Where are you? Why haven’t you come home for so long?"

The news of Yi Yanran’s injury had been suppressed, so Madam Yi was unaware that she had been hospitalized from complications after losing the baby.

Ji Ming stepped forward to support her. Feeling the warmth from the man's palm, Yi Yanran looked up at him.

With just one glance, she felt the panic in her heart diminish by more than half.

Steadying her emotions, she raised the phone again. "Mom, I'm handling something outside. Stay calm—just buy some time. I’ll get security over to you. Don’t be afraid!"

"As a woman, they wouldn’t dare harm me. I’m worried about you. They’re now saying you’re the one who put your dad in a coma, and... that illegitimate child seems to be in their hands." Madam Yi lowered her voice. "Yanran, tell me—is that kid still with you?"

Yi Yanran closed her eyes briefly.

After Yun Mu handed Yi Chu Min over to her, she had hesitated, unsure how to deal with the illegitimate child. Seeing that he was well-behaved and showed no intention of fighting for his status, she went easy on him, sending him to boarding school but keeping tabs on him.

Yet in the end, that snake Liu Ling had seized the opportunity!

She figured Liu Ling had spilled the beans about the kid to other Yi family members, allowing them to take control of him.

Hearing no response from Yi Yanran, Madam Yi grew even more frantic.

"Yanran, has that kid already been taken? Has he? I told you before—finish what you started! Now see what a mess we’re in!" Madam Yi snapped.

"Mom, I’ll handle this. Don’t worry about it for now."

Yi Yanran hung up.

Ji Ming, standing close by, had caught every word.

"Look, we might not be close, and your affairs aren’t my concern, but I still have to remind you—you’re at a serious disadvantage." While Yi Yanran was on the phone, Ji Ming had already messaged his subordinates and grasped the Yi family’s situation.

Though rumors about Yi Hou’s illegitimate child had circulated before, they were always unsubstantiated, with no real proof.

Now that the Yi elders had laid eyes on the kid, they would undoubtedly prefer him as the successor.

Using the puppet to control the game—who wouldn’t want that?

Moreover, Yi Yanran’s performance since taking power had been unimpressive, alienating many. Plenty were itching to take her down.

This illegitimate child was now the perfect excuse.

Yi Yanran’s face went from pale to ice-cold.

Just then, Yun Mu’s call came through.

"Yi Yanran, what’s your situation? Yunzhe says your family’s already cutting deals with him—offering the next year’s new drug project to the Yun family if they help oust you."

They were already lining up allies to kick her out!

Seeing Yi Yanran’s weakened state, Ji Ming couldn’t help but soften. He briefly replied for her, "Liu Ling was just here—she nearly smothered her! She’s in bad shape. They snatched the kid, and they’re framing her for Yi Hou’s attack."

Yun Mu paused, seemingly surprised that Ji Ming was with Yi Yanran.

"That Liu Ling again!" Yun Mu fumed. After a moment, she said to Ji Ming, "Then stick with her at the hospital. I’ll handle Liu Ling."

"Alright, be careful."

After a quick back-and-forth with Yun Mu, Ji Ming returned the phone to Yi Yanran. Noticing her poor condition, he called the doctor in for a checkup. He only relaxed once the doctor gave the all-clear.