Xue Yue said coldly, "You’re something else. This maternal love of yours sure came out of nowhere. The child is young and doesn’t know any better, but you do. If it weren’t for my mother-in-law, who knows where this child would be right now. It’s true that Xiao Yu is your daughter, but she’s also a child of the He Family. I hope you’ll treat her well from now on."

When Gu Yuwei saw that Xue Yue wouldn’t take the money, she placed it on the windowsill. "Of course I’ll be good to my own daughter. You don’t need to worry about that."

Mrs. He strode over, grabbed the money, and threw it right in Gu Yuwei’s face.

"Take your filthy money."

The money scraped Gu Yuwei’s face, leaving a red mark, but she didn’t react. She only glanced at Xiao Yu. Seeing the look of horror on the girl’s face, Gu Yuwei picked her up and headed for the door.

The police officer added, "Aren’t you going to pack the child’s things?"

"That won’t be necessary. I’ll buy my daughter all new things."

Mrs. He chased after them, shouting loudly, "You can’t take her! She’s my granddaughter! Xiao Yu—"

An officer held Mrs. He back. "Ma’am, the child made her own choice, and you agreed to it. You can’t go back on your word now."

Mrs. He was still shouting, her voice breaking into a sob, "That’s my granddaughter! You can’t take her away! Xiao Yu, look at Grandma—"

Watching Xiao Yu leave with Gu Yuwei without a single glance back, Mrs. He gasped, her body went limp, and she lost consciousness.

"Mom—"

Xue Yue cried out, and the two officers panicked when they saw what happened.

Mrs. He was unconscious.

By the time He Lang and Mr. He arrived at the hospital, Mrs. He was already on an IV drip but had yet to regain consciousness.

"How did she suddenly end up in the hospital?" Mr. He asked, frowning as he looked at his unconscious wife.

Xue Yue explained, "Gu Yuwei brought the police to our house today to take the child. Mom refused, so the police let Xiao Yu choose for herself. She chose to go with her mother. Mom got so upset that she fainted."

Mr. He just sighed and sat down by his wife’s bedside.

He Lang’s brow furrowed in anger. "If I’d known it would come to this, we should have given that child away back then. What a piece of work. She’s just like her father and mother."

Xue Yue knew He Lang was just speaking out of anger. There was no way Mr. and Mrs. He would have ever really given away He Ze’s child. It was just that Mrs. He had been so certain Xiao Yu would choose her, but in the end, the girl still chose her mother.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuwei had taken Xiao Yu home to the apartment Kang Youde had provided for her. Kang Youde had other properties in Beijing City; he would come looking for Gu Yuwei when he had certain "needs," but otherwise, he was busy with his own affairs.

Gu Yuwei suspected Kang Youde already had a new lover in Beijing City, but she didn’t care. Her only goal now was to take her daughter, leave this place, and start a good life together, just the two of them.

"Xiao Yu, come look. These are the new clothes Mommy bought for you." Gu Yuwei opened a closet, revealing it was full of new clothes—many of them beautiful little dresses. Xiao Yu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at them, and she reached out to feel the fabric. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Do you like them?"

Xiao Yu nodded vigorously. "I do."

Xiao Yu did have a few dresses that Xue Yue had bought for her, but not nearly as many as Sister Ruanruan. ’Sister Ruanruan has so many pretty clothes,’ she thought. She had always been envious of Ruanruan, and now she had lots of clothes too.

Gu Yuwei hugged Xiao Yu. "I’m glad you like them. From now on, Mommy will buy you lots more beautiful clothes, whatever you like."

"Okay."

Gu Yuwei planned to take Xiao Yu back to Hong Kong, because she had a house there that Kang Youde had given her.

Unfortunately, her hopes were about to be dashed. Kang Youde returned that day.

Upon entering and seeing a child, Kang Youde naturally asked about her. He laughed after Gu Yuwei finished explaining.

"So, from the sound of it, you’re planning to take your daughter and part ways with me?"

Gu Yuwei lowered her gaze and spoke softly, "I suppose so. This shameful relationship of ours should end. I can’t let my daughter know about my status, about the kind of life I’ve been living."

Kang Youde made no attempt to keep her, perhaps because he already had a new lover and no longer cared for her.

"You can leave, but I need to take my things back."

Gu Yuwei asked in confusion, "What things?"

"My house. The one in Hong Kong. It’s not a small sum."

Gu Yuwei became frantic. "But didn’t you give me that house? How can you want it back now? Then what do all these years I’ve spent with you count for? What about the child I lost for you?"

Kang Youde sneered. "You were my mistress. Weren’t you always perfectly clear on your position? It’s not like you’ve been losing out these past few years. I’ve kept you well-fed and well-clothed. Look at the food you eat, the clothes you wear—all of it cost a fortune. I did intend to give you the house, but it’s still in my name; the deed was never transferred to you. I’ll be honest. I can let you live there, but I can’t give it to you. My wife knows about that house. Even if you moved in, if she happened to remember it one day and found you there, it wouldn’t end well for you. You’ve seen what she’s capable of, so I don’t need to elaborate."

Gu Yuwei trembled. "So I get nothing? Was there not even a shred of affection between us?"

Kang Youde laughed. "Rose—oh, wait, your name is Gu... Yuwei, right? Wasn’t our relationship just about mutual benefit? Don’t make yourself sound so pitiful. I have a pretty good idea of how much money you’ve stashed away over the years. If you’re frugal, it should be enough for you and your daughter to live comfortably for a few years. But after that, it’s none of my business."

Gu Yuwei was at a loss for words. She had secretly saved some money, but she never imagined Kang Youde knew about it.

After hesitating, she said, "You can take the house, but you have to give me another 300,000. Consider it compensation for my miscarriage. I lost a child for you and can’t even have children anymore. I can’t be left with nothing."

Kang Youde took out a cigarette and slowly lit it. He squinted at Gu Yuwei through the smoke without saying a word. Only after he finished the cigarette did he avert his gaze and stand up.

He took out his wallet from an inner pocket, pulled out the cash inside, and tossed it carelessly onto the floor.

"Consider this little bit of cash my final gesture of affection for you. A woman shouldn’t be too greedy. Be careful, or all your hopes will come to nothing."

Just before he left, he said over his shoulder, "You can only stay in this apartment until the end of the month. The landlord is taking it back then. Oh, you could always renew the lease, of course, but you’ll have to pay for that yourself."

With that, he swaggered out.

After Kang Youde left, Gu Yuwei sat on the sofa in a daze, unsure whether to lament his cruelty or feel a dazed relief that he had let her go so easily.

Still, she let out a sigh of relief. ’Oh well. Money can be earned again,’ she thought. ’Now I have my daughter, and I’ve escaped my old life.’