Wen Ran turned her head toward the woman dressed in a nurse's uniform, a faint frown creasing her brow. "Did my brother ask you to call me?"
"Yes," the woman nodded. "I'm a private nurse for Mrs. Zou next door. I passed by Mr. Wen's room just now when he suddenly called out to me, saying you had just left. He asked me to come after you. He seemed quite anxious, Miss Wen. You'd better go up and check on him."
As she spoke, the nurse strode briskly toward her, reaching out as though to take her arm.
Wen Ran's frown deepened. Instinctively, she sidestepped the outstretched hand. Though she was on the first floor, it was still some distance from the main hall, and there was a corner just ahead.
The other patients and families who had descended the elevator with her had already dispersed. Now, she found herself alone in the quiet space.
Her phone connected after two rings, and Qin Mu's voice came through just as she avoided the woman's grasp. Her expression darkened. "What are you doing?"
"I was just afraid Mr. Wen might grow too anxious, Miss Wen."
The woman's expression shifted slightly as she gave a calm explanation. Then she urged once more, "Miss Wen, please head upstairs."
Had she not been so desperate to seize her again, Wen Ran might not have grown suspicious. After all, the woman wore a nurse's uniform and bore a nursing ID pinned to her chest. Wen Ran wasn't about to scrutinize whether the face on the badge matched her own.
But her urgency was unnatural. Not only did she try a second time to grab Wen Ran, her movements were far too precise and trained—not like a nurse at all, but someone well-versed in physical restraint.
"You're not a nurse at all. Don't touch me. I'm not going upstairs with you."
"That's not your choice to make."
Wen Ran turned to flee, but the woman was quick. She caught Wen Ran's wrist with a cold and sudden force that made her heart lurch. Out of the corner of her eye, Wen Ran glimpsed her connected phone and shouted, loud and clear, "Qin Mu, I'm on the first floor!"
As the words left her lips, she let go of her phone. It clattered to the floor. At the same time, she ducked her head and sank her teeth hard into the woman's wrist. The attacker—though clearly trained—was still a woman. The sharp pain made her reflexively let go.
Wen Ran took the chance to wrench herself free and dashed off.
"Damn it!"
The woman cursed viciously, ready to give chase. But her gaze fell to the phone lying on the floor. Hesitation flickered across her face. In the end, she chose not to pursue. Wen Ran was already too far, and the commotion had surely alerted others. If she didn't leave now, she might not get the chance again.
Rounding the corner into the main hall, Wen Ran ran headlong into Mo Xiuchen.
"Ranran, what's wrong?" he asked, frowning sharply at the panic on her face, drawing her into his arms.
Panting, she turned to glance behind her. "Just now, a woman dressed as a nurse tried to take me away. Xiuchen, thank goodness you're here. Let's go check on my brother—quickly!"
Mo Xiuchen's eyes darkened at her words, a chill creeping into his tone. "Where is she now?"
"She came from the stairwell as I was exiting the elevator," Wen Ran explained, tugging him back with her. "I was calling Qin Mu when she stopped me. My phone—"
When they reached the corner, her phone was there on the floor—but the woman was already gone.
Beside her, Mo Xiuchen's gaze swept the stairwell with icy precision. He released her hand and stepped forward, bending to pick up the phone. Just as he straightened, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed—Qin Mu and Gu Kai came rushing down the stairs.
"Ranran, are you alright?"
Seeing her unharmed and with Mo Xiuchen, Gu Kai exhaled deeply in relief.
Qin Mu, still visibly anxious, asked, "I heard your voice on the phone. Ah Kai and I rushed down right away. What happened to that woman? Xiuchen, when did you get here?"
"She's gone," Mo Xiuchen replied coolly. "I ran into Ranran in the lobby. She's worried about her brother—go upstairs and check on Wen Jin."
Gu Kai glanced at Wen Ran, then nodded. "I've already called for the hospital to be sealed off. We'll catch that woman. Ranran, I'll go check on your brother first. You and Xiuchen can wait in my office—or the security room."
"The security room," Wen Ran answered calmly.
She gave Mo Xiuchen a grateful look. He was thoughtful. Returning to her brother's room now would only alarm him. She was safe—there was no need to make him worry even more.
That woman impersonating a nurse was certainly not acting alone. She likely had accomplices. Now that she had fled, they would all be trying to escape as swiftly as possible.
Gu Kai went upstairs while Mo Xiuchen, Wen Ran, and Qin Mu headed to the security room to review the surveillance footage, especially from the elevator corridor.
Throughout the video playback, Mo Xiuchen held Wen Ran's hand tightly, never letting go. When the footage showed the woman seizing Wen Ran, and her instinctual reaction to bite the woman's wrist, his brows drew together in a taut line.
"I'll notify Ah Kai immediately," Qin Mu said gently, unsettled by the cold aura radiating from Mo Xiuchen. "That woman was bitten—if she's still in the hospital, it'll make the search easier."
He took out his phone to call Gu Kai.
Wen Ran looked up at Mo Xiuchen. His brows were still furrowed, eyes clouded with guilt. Her heart clenched at the sight. She reached up to cover his large, calloused hand with her own, speaking softly, "Don't blame yourself. I'm safe now, aren't I?"
Mo Xiuchen's gaze flickered, the remorse in his eyes receding slightly. Yet a storm of emotion surged within him, indescribable and overwhelming.
His grip tightened. Unable to suppress it any longer, he murmured, voice laden with regret, "Ranran… I failed to protect you. Thank heavens you're alright. If anything had happened to you…"
Wen Ran lifted her hand to cover his lips, silencing the rest of his words. A gentle smile bloomed across her face. "It wasn't your fault. You're not omniscient—how could you have foreseen this?"
Seeing him this remorseful stirred a faint ache in her chest. Tonight's events were beyond anyone's expectations—not just Mo Xiuchen's, but everyone's.
After all, this was the Gu family's territory. The audacity of anyone trying to harm her here was staggering.
As she gazed into his eyes, soft and filled with emotion, Mo Xiuchen's heart surged like the tide. Beside them, Qin Mu motioned for the security staff and stepped out of the room.
Inside, only the two of them remained, their eyes locked—oblivious to all else.
It wasn't until Gu Kai's voice rang from the doorway that Wen Ran hurriedly withdrew her hand from Mo Xiuchen's lips. In those few still seconds they had shared, her thoughts had grown inexplicably tangled.
To love someone didn't always require words. Mo Xiuchen had never confessed his love outright—but through his guilt, through the way he clung to her, she could feel the depth of his care.