Disorder in marriage

"You can't even take care of a child! What are you good for?!"

"What are you thinking about all day?! You can't even take care of other people's children properly, how can you expect to take care of your own?!"

In front of everyone, Old Mrs. Gu scolded Yan Zhi without any politeness.

Upon entering, without even asking for the reason, they simply assumed it was Yan Zhi's fault.

Xia Linglong stepped forward and said, "Grandma, this is not Xiaozhi's fault. Xiaozhi was sleeping in the room at the time. It was my fault for not watching Niannian properly."

"Sleep? How dare she sleep! We asked her to take care of a child, and she just let the child get lost at home! Idiot! How could our Gu family have married such an irresponsible woman!"

"I can't listen to this anymore." Zhou Zheng pulled Xia Linglong behind him. "Do you know what happened to Xiao Zhi yesterday? Do you think we wanted to see the baby gone? Xiao Zhi is already feeling so guilty. Even if you blame her, will the baby come back?"

"Zhou Zheng"

Gu Yunmo coldly reminded Zhou Zheng to be careful what he said to the old man. Zhou Zheng scoffed and walked to the window with a gloomy expression.

Grandma Gu looked left and right, "Last night? What happened last night? What happened?"

Gu Yunmo kept Ah Long and Chen Sihai's affair very secret, and with Ke Anyu's help in covering it up, the matter didn't become big news.

The more people involved, the greater the risk of them finding out, so Gu Yunmo didn't plan to tell the old lady about it.

"It's nothing."

Gu Yunmo helped Yan Zhi up. "This isn't Xiao Zhi's fault. I'll take her back to her room to talk. Let me know if there's any news."

Yan Zhi's emotions were in a desperate situation, and she couldn't get out of it on her own.

When she was alone with Gu Yunmo, she was filled with deep self-blame.

"I'm such a useless mother, I can't even take good care of Niannian."

She gave a bitter smile, and a tear silently rolled down her cheek. "Luckily, our daughter didn't survive, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been able to raise her well."

Gu Yunmo went to the bathroom and got a towel to dry her hair.

"Don't think about it anymore, it's not your fault."

"It was my fault."

Yan Zhi was calm but lifeless. "Wei Dinglian is right, I am a jinx. My parents died unexpectedly not long after I was born."

"My existence thwarted my uncle's family's plan to inherit my parents' property. My existence also ruined you and Yan Fei, and the retribution has fallen on my own child."

"I've made you get a blood on your hands. If Brother Long dies, Chen Sihai won't let you off the hook."

Yan Zhi raised her head: "Now that Niannian is lost, the Zhou family will definitely come knocking on our door."

She didn't give Gu Yunmo a chance to interrupt, and immediately made a decision after saying all that.

"Gu Yunmo, let's get a divorce after Niannian is found."

Gu Yunmo could see from her eyes that she was very clear-headed, and that these words were spoken after careful consideration.

"Do you think I can't handle these things?"

Yan Zhi shook her head wearily. "I don't want you to cover for me anymore."

Gu Yunmo held her hand and looked at her solemnly: "Xiao Zhi, we are husband and wife."

Yan Zhi slowly withdrew her hand. "We are not."

Gu Yunmo became inexplicably nervous. He frowned and took in all her reactions.

"You're just someone I'm forcing into marriage with."

......

The day after Niannian disappeared, the police received information from a private hospital.

A girl whose appearance and age match Nian Nian's is currently in the hospital receiving emergency treatment.

Gu Yunmo and Yan Zhi rushed over immediately, and the person lying on the hospital bed receiving an IV drip was indeed Nian Nian.

But no matter how they called, Nian Nian showed no signs of waking up.

"Are you this little girl's guardians?"

Yan Zhi nodded. "Yes, I am her guardian! What happened to her?"

The doctor took off his mask and shook his head at them. "The situation is not optimistic. You should be prepared."

Yan Zhi's gaze never left him. "What...what happened to her?"

The doctor said regretfully, "She had a high fever when she was brought in, and the treatment was delayed for too long. It's likely that her brain has been damaged."

Yan Zhi was stunned.

The doctor continued, "She probably experienced some kind of shock before she fell ill, which caused her to have constant convulsions during her fever. Because she didn't receive timely treatment, her condition worsened. Whether she recovers is up to fate."

Yan Zhi almost fainted when she heard this.

Gu Yunmo held Yan Zhi tightly. He rarely asked for favors, but this time he immediately pleaded with the doctor, "Please, please think of something! She's only five years old!"

"We are also very sorry. To be honest, it's a miracle that she was found and brought here, given how badly she was burned."

Gu Yunmo asked, "Who brought her here?"

"That person did good deeds anonymously and was unwilling to reveal his name."

Gu Yunmo didn't ask any more questions.

That day, Grandma Gu, Xia Linglong, and others arrived at the hospital one after another, and Ling Xiao also came.

When Grandma Gu heard that Niannian might suffer brain damage, she was heartbroken and burst into tears.

"This tiny baby, I wonder how long she walked in the rain to get here! If only I had raised her with me back then, she wouldn't have ended up like this!"

She looked at Gu Yunmo and said, "I've already contacted the Zhou family. If anything happens to the child, our Gu family will support her for life. They'll be coming to the capital in a couple of days, so please make preparations in advance."

"Um."

Gu Yunmo asked Jiang Jin to take her home.

No one spoke in the ward; everyone's face was solemn. Only Zhou Zheng spoke up with a puzzled expression.

"Why would Niannian suddenly leave home and run here?"

Xia Linglong explained, "Niannian took a suitcase with her when she left. The direction she went was probably the airport. She also drew a picture of the Shenzhen Tower, so she probably wanted to go back to Shenzhen."

Zhou Zheng then asked, "Why didn't she just say so? What child would even think of going to the airport alone?"

At this point, everyone fell silent.

Ling Xiao said coldly, "When what happened to Xiao Zhi, we adults all looked grim. It's normal for her to want to go home. The reason we didn't tell Xiao Zhi was probably because of someone's face. After all, she's not Xiao Zhi's biological daughter."

Gu Yunmo looked up and met his gaze. "Are you talking about me?"

"You and your husband are using her as a substitute, thinking she's too young to tell? Children understand everything!"

Yan Zhi immediately retorted, "Senior, we've never used him as a substitute! Don't say things like that again!"

Having known each other for many years, this was the first time Yan Zhi had argued with Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao had no choice but to swallow his anger.

"Never mind." Xia Linglong gently pulled the blanket up for Niannian. "As long as she's alright, that's all that matters."

A glint of light flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes as he asked, "Didn't the doctor say she wouldn't recover?"