"You're not as sensible as the child. Don't cry." Ning Tang sat on the sofa and put his arm around Zhang Yuan. "Everyone has a different experience. Just treat it as an indispensable thing on his way to growth."
Ning Tang winked at the maid and gestured for her to carry Cheng Xi away.
Ning Tangxi sat next to her parents with tears streaming down her sad face.
"If Yue Cheng were here, the child wouldn't have to suffer like this."
Zhang Yuan wanted to curse Huo Nanchen, but when she remembered that he was her biological daughter's husband, she could only swallow her words.
"Oh right, where is the culprit who harmed Cheng Xi? Have you found him? I will cut him into a thousand pieces. How could he dare to touch a member of the Ning family!"
Zhang Yuan looked at Ning Tangxi and waited for an answer. Her daughter sobbed as she replied, "Mom, do you know who hurt your grandson? It was Gu Ruochu's friend, Xu Yichen!"
"Ruochu's friend?" Zhang Yuan frowned. "Why would Ruochu have such a friend? I have to keep my daughter away from such a person."
Ning Tangxi stopped crying and looked at Zhang Yuan with a cold smile. "Mother, after Cheng Xi's hand was broken, my good sister protected Xu Yichen because she was afraid that I would sue him. If it weren't for Gu Ruochu's intervention, Nanchen would have helped me throw that man in prison. I've tried to treat Ruochu like a sister. Does she do the same for me?"
Ning Tang scowled when he heard the sarcasm in her voice. "Tangxi..."
The Ning family had approached Gu Ruochu to try and mend their relationship, yet Ning Tangxi was still treating Gu Ruochu like her enemy.
"Ruochu is muddle-headed. It's my fault for letting her grow up without proper guidance. I don't know what kind of friends she has by her side." Zhang Yuan's heart was full of anger and pain. "I can't allow Ruochu to be brainwashed by her irresponsible friends. I have to persuade her to cut ties with them."
"Zhang Yuan, things may not be what you think. Perhaps..."
"Then what is it like? Are you insinuating that Gu Ruochu's friend was not responsible for Cheng Xi's accident?" Ning Tangxi glared at Ning Tang.
"Father, are you now unable to distinguish between right and wrong to protect Ruochu?" Ning Zongxuan could no longer suppress his anger, and he sneered at his father. "Don't tell me that after finding your biological daughter, you want to kick me and Tangxi aside! We've been together for more than twenty years. You can't compare our relationship with that of someone who you've known for just a few months."
"What are you talking about?" The fine lines on Ning Tang's face became even tighter, and his demeanor was more imposing. "Both of you are my children, but we can't jump to conclusions over this matter."
"Dad, why do you insist on protecting Ruochu!"
Ning Tangxi started crying again. Even though her parents changed their attitude towards Gu Ruochu, Ning Tangxi still considered her to be an outsider.
"All right. I'll go and talk to Ruochu. After all, she is the daughter of the Ning family. Blood has always been thicker than water. She will understand our position and help us."
When he heard Zhang Yuan's words, Ning Tang sighed. For some reason, he had an ominous feeling.
Ning Tangxi felt a sense of joy in her heart when she saw that Zhang Yuan had agreed to take her side. It didn't matter if Gu Ruochu was her parent's biological daughter. She would never take Ning Tangxi's place in the Ning family.
The next day, Zhang Yuan visited Gu Ruochu. When Gu Ruochu heard her mother request her to give up Xu Yichen's location, she was stunned for a moment. She looked at Zhang Yuan's elegant face and asked, "Madam Ning, what do you mean?"
"Ruochu, your friend caused Cheng Xi to lose his arm. Don't be deceived by such a vicious person. You should be on our side!"