Mo Xiuchen offered a faint smile, his voice calm and unhurried. "I'll make sure Cheng Jia marries Xiao Liu and dutifully bears his children."
"Haha, Xiuchen, isn't that a little too ruthless?"
Luo Haofeng said so with a chuckle, but inwardly, he was quite pleased with Mo Xiuchen's approach. This was no ordinary punishment—it was a lifetime sentence. Cheng Jia, who had yearned to be Mo Xiuchen's woman, would now be wedded to his chauffeur, forced to raise his children while watching Mo Xiuchen and Wen Ran live in bliss.
At that moment, Luo Haofeng silently vowed: of all the people one could afford to offend, Mo Xiuchen was not among them.
But just as this thought surfaced, Mo Xiuchen's phone rang. It was a call from Gu Kai—he reported that the woman had been apprehended.
Mo Xiuchen's eyes suddenly turned cold, landing sharply on Luo Haofeng, whose heart instantly chilled, a foreboding sense creeping over him. He blinked, confused. "Xiuchen, what happened?"
Mo Xiuchen gave him a frosty look and said in a low voice, "Earlier, I asked you and Ah Mu to accompany Ranran to the hospital. You abandoned your post midway for the sake of entertainment. Of course, you wouldn't know what happened afterward."
Luo Haofeng's expression shifted. He turned to Wen Ran, whose face was composed, betraying no sign of fear or distress. A frown tugged at his brows. "Did someone try to harm her?"
Mo Xiuchen let out a cold snort, ignoring him. He turned to Wen Ran and asked, "Ranran, Gu Kai says they've caught the woman. Do you want to go back and take a look? If not, I'll have him handle it and inform the police. We'll wait for the outcome."
"Let's go. I'd like to know who's been targeting me again and again."
Her voice was calm, like a breeze on an autumn night. With Mo Xiuchen beside her, there was no fear left in her heart.
"Someone really tried to hurt Wen Ran?"
Luo Haofeng stared at Mo Xiuchen, stunned. A trace of guilt crept across his features. Tomorrow was the day Xiuchen would officially take over the company. He had been explicitly told to stay with Wen Ran until she returned home.
But he had left, leaving only Qin Mu behind.
Although Gu Kai had returned with them, as a doctor, he could be called away at any time.
"Shut the door," Mo Xiuchen ordered coldly.
Luo Haofeng's face shifted again. He shut the passenger door, opened the back, and climbed in. "I'm going with you. I want to see who dared lay a hand on Wen Ran. I swear I'll make her regret it."
His words, of course, were meant for Mo Xiuchen, a subtle plea for forgiveness.
Sensing the tense air between the two men, Wen Ran instinctively reached for Mo Xiuchen's hand and murmured, "Don't be angry. Anger is bad for your health. If you need to vent, do it on the person responsible later."
"Exactly, exactly! Xiuchen, be generous—don't stoop to my level. You decide how to deal with that wretch, and I'll make sure it's done to your satisfaction."
Luo Haofeng still had no idea who the culprit was, yet he was pledging allegiance with fervor.
A strange glint flickered in Mo Xiuchen's eyes as he replied coolly, "You said it yourself."
With that, he released Wen Ran's hand and started the car.
By the time the three arrived back at the hospital, the woman and her accomplice had confessed.
They claimed Zhou Mingfu had instructed them to bring Wen Ran to him. As for what he intended to do, they professed ignorance.
"Ranran, since Zhou Mingfu's behind this, perhaps you should inform your brother," Mo Xiuchen said softly after hearing their account.
He had initially feared it was orchestrated by Xiao Wenqing. Unexpectedly, the culprit was Zhou Mingfu. Tomorrow, Wen Jin would hold a meeting to expose Zhou's bribery of the herbal suppliers—and now, this added offense would be enough to utterly ruin him.
"There was quite a commotion earlier. I'm sure Wen Jin has already caught wind of it," Gu Kai said, nodding. Wen Jin was no fool—tonight's events had surely reached his ears.
"I'll go upstairs and speak to him. I just don't know if he's asleep yet."
It was past eleven already. Wen Ran figured if her brother was resting, she could wait until morning. After all, she was unharmed.
"I'll come with you," said Mo Xiuchen, standing up. His voice was low and commanding—brooking no refusal. If Wen Jin was to be angry, he'd rather direct that ire at himself than at Wen Ran.
"What about these two? Should we take them to the police station first?" Gu Kai asked lightly as they were about to leave.
Mo Xiuchen turned toward Luo Haofeng, his tone serene. "Since they're willing to be witnesses, no need to send them to the station. Let Haofeng take them home and ensure their safety. Tomorrow, we'll bring them directly to Wen Group Pharmaceuticals."
Luo Haofeng frowned, wanting to object, but when he met Mo Xiuchen's deep and unreadable gaze, the memory of his earlier negligence came flooding back. He bit his lip and forced out a reluctant reply. "Alright, I'll take them."
These two women were far from attractive—one, burly and covered in freckles, bore the mark of Wen Ran's bite; the other was scrawny and dark, resembling a refugee from a distant land.
"Are you willing to stay at his place tonight?" Mo Xiuchen asked.
He really was ruthless—forcing someone as dashing and charming as Luo Haofeng to take home these two... Yet he still had the audacity to ask the women's opinion.
"We're willing!" they replied in unison.
Handsome men were not something they often saw. Tonight, they'd not only encountered some, but were shown leniency by the most powerful among them, and now given the chance to spend the night at the home of a man so attractive, it made them dizzy.
Mo Xiuchen nodded. "As long as you speak the truth tomorrow, I won't pursue your culpability."
"Don't worry, Mr. Mo. We'll tell the truth, every word!" they vowed fervently, heads bobbing. For a chance like this, they'd sell out Zhou Mingfu and confess every secret they knew.
"Ranran, let's go."
With those parting words, Mo Xiuchen took Wen Ran's hand and led her away, disappearing quickly from sight.
Inside the room, Gu Kai and Qin Mu exchanged knowing glances before standing up. Gu Kai turned to the sulking Luo Haofeng with a half-smile. "Haofeng, the show's over. They'll testify tomorrow, so don't dawdle. Take them home, let them rest."
Qin Mu pressed his lips together, face neutral—but if one looked closely, a smile was lurking beneath the surface. Mo Xiuchen and Luo Haofeng had said little, but to him and Gu Kai, the underlying meaning was crystal clear.