Chapter 516: Who Is It After All?

Chapter 516: Who Exactly Is It?

Lan Ruolin felt her entire body trembling. She knew it wasn't due to the cold—it was an involuntary reaction.

She looked at Liu Yumin, wanting to speak, but not a single word would come out.

"Ruolin. It's been so long since it all happened. I'm only telling you now because I hope that with the passage of time, you can accept the truth," Liu Yumin said with a sigh.

"Accept? How can I accept it? What you're implying is that my father indirectly caused the death of our entire family?"

Because he couldn't let go of power, couldn't let go of the family’s century-long reputation, he took the risk.

She knew Liu Yumin was telling the truth—her father truly valued the family's glory above all else.

"Uncle Lan’s thinking wasn’t necessarily wrong. It's just that, in the end, he didn't come out on top," Liu Yumin said with a sigh.

"So then? Why did my child end up in your hands in the end?" Lan Ruolin asked again.

This was what she most wanted to know, but Liu Yumin had instead told her the truth about what happened back then.

She didn't know if the man before her was doing it on purpose, but he hadn't addressed the main question at all.

Liu Yumin gave a long look at Lan Ruolin and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Lan Ruolin: [She remained silent.]

"If you have something to say, say it. The kids’ll be out any minute," Lan Ruolin glared at Liu Yumin, wondering how he could still be in the mood for this at a time like this.

If she didn't trust him, would she even be having this conversation with him here?

"Don't worry, the children won't come out and interrupt us," Liu Yumin said with a smile.

His words sounded a little suggestive, and Lan Ruolin felt her ears get hot. Still, she glared angrily at Liu Yumin and said, "Be serious."

"I said, the children won't come out and interrupt our conversation. They have enough sense for that," Liu Yumin said with a smile.

But just then, someone indeed lacked that sense and rushed over, hugging Lan Ruolin's leg.

Looking down, it was Niu Niu, who was holding onto her new grandmother's leg, blinking up at him as she stared at Liu Yumin.

"What's wrong, Niu Niu?" The moment she saw her adorable granddaughter, Lan Ruolin's expression changed completely.

She picked Niu Niu up, stroking her little face, which felt pretty chilly.

Niu Niu, however, kept her eyes fixed on Liu Yumin and asked, "New Grandma, is he bullying you?"

The question left both adults present equal parts amused and annoyed.

"No, he'd never dare bully me," Lan Ruolin replied instinctively.

Only after saying it did she realize something was off—that came out sounding all wrong.

Lan Ruolin couldn't help but shoot a glance at Liu Yumin, only to find him looking at her with an amused glint in his eyes, as if he had already seen through her thoughts.

In an instant, Lan Ruolin's cheeks burned, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at Liu Yumin any longer.

Niu Niu looked from one to the other, feeling that the way New Grandma and this person she didn’t know how to address were interacting was a lot like how her mom and dad were together.

"You're called Niu Niu, right?" Liu Yumin stooped down a little and asked Niu Niu, smiling.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Niu Niu blinked her eyes and asked curiously.

"Your dad mentioned you to me when we were at the border," Liu Yumin said, smiling.

"Since you and my dad are so close, you can't bully new grandma anymore," Niu Niu said in an innocent tone, but Lan Ruolin instantly felt a wave of warmth wash over her.

How could she not love such an adorable granddaughter?

"Don't worry, I like your new grandma way too much to ever bully her," Liu Yumin responded with a laugh.

That statement made Lan Ruolin embarrassed.

She glared at Liu Yumin and said angrily, "What kind of nonsense are you saying in front of the child!"

Niu Niu glanced at both of them and said, "Grandma, let me down. You two talk properly. I'll keep a lookout for you."

This little girl is really clever.

Liu Yumin looked at Niu Niu with a smile, his eyes full of admiration.

Lan Ruolin put Niu Niu down and said with a smile, "No need, go play with your friends. Look, your little friend is still waiting for you."

After saying this, Lan Ruolin looked over at Ya Ya and the other girls not far away.

"Alright, but if he bullies you, you have to tell me," Niu Niu warned Lan Ruolin before leaving.

Watching the little one walking away, Liu Yumin had to chuckle.

The tense mood that had set in after learning the truth instantly dissipated.

"How could I bully you? Do I really look like a bad guy?" Liu Yumin said to Lan Ruolin, grinning.

Lan Ruolin avoided his intense gaze and said, "Just spit it out, stop stalling."

Her impatient attitude seemed like she was trying to hide something.

"Your child ended up with me actually by accident," Liu Yumin suddenly blurted out, out of nowhere.

"An accident?" Lan Ruolin asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, the person who went to steal your child back then was paid by someone. They were people from the underworld—they'd do anything for money.

You know, over the years, traveling north and south, I've met a lot of people and picked up a lot of street gossip.

And as it happened, I had a buddy who knew that group and accidentally found out about their mission.

After you married that guy surnamed Gu, I always paid extra attention to any news about the Gu family.

When I heard someone had taken on the task of snatching a kid from the Gu family, I got suspicious.

For a family like the Gus, snatching a child is actually very difficult.

Big families like that are tight on security, so I always thought those people wouldn't succeed easily. Still, I had my guys keep an eye on them.

But little did I know—"

At this point, Liu Yumin paused, and his gaze toward Lan Ruolin couldn't help but look even more hurt.

"I never expected they'd actually manage to steal the child so easily, right?" Lan Ruolin asked with heavy sarcasm.

"Yeah."

It was too simple—so simple that it felt as if the Gu family had intentionally allowed the child to be taken.

Lan Ruolin had also considered this possibility, and her heart sank completely.

"Someone in the Gu family must be involved, but it's unclear who. To take a child from such a heavily guarded compound without making any noise—there must have been an insider helping," Liu Yumin added.

It's not like the mansion in the capital was a place where one could just walk straight into Lan Ruolin’s courtyard.

If someone hadn’t made arrangements beforehand, even with a map, it would have been impossible for them to locate Lan Ruolin’s courtyard so quickly, steal the child, and escape in such a short amount of time.

Lan Ruolin thought back to every member of the Gu family—each one seemed suspicious.

Even the child’s biological father seemed deeply suspect to her.

Gu Yanzhi had always doubted whether the child was truly his—did he deliberately arrange for the child to be stolen and left to die? she wondered.

But repeatedly afterward, when she accused Gu Yanzhi, all she saw in his eyes was a pained expression.

Gu Yanzhi denied it; no matter how much he doubted, he would never do something like this.

Then who was it? Who hated her and her child so much?