Old Mrs. Gu looked up and stared at Qin He for a while before recognizing her.
"He'er, you're finally back. Come here and let Grandma hug you. And you, who is it, bring Lele over for He'er to see."
Qin He glanced at Mrs. Gu beside her. Mrs. Gu nodded at her, "Alzheimer's disease is just like this. The old lady will forget people more and more. In a while, she might even forget you, but it's strange, she remembers Lele very clearly now."
Gu Ranran, standing nearby, said, "This is probably what they call grandparental affection."
The nanny quickly brought Lele out.
Qin He had been held captive by Shen Yicong for over a month and then stayed in the US for a hundred days. Counting it, she hadn't seen her son for nearly five months.
Five months was a significant growth period for an infant.
Lele's entire little face seemed to have opened up more. His eyes had Gu Qishen's depth, and his eye shape resembled Qin He's.
Originally, both parents' appearances were outstanding, with no flaws to pick. Lele seemed to have inherited all their best features. Even as a little one, it was evident he would grow up to be a handsome young man.
Qin He held back her tears, "Did Lele miss Mommy?"
Lele reached out his little hand towards Qin He's face. Qin He lowered her head, and Lele's small hands gently patted her face a few times.
"Mama—"
A clear call came out. Qin He's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked up at Mrs. Gu.
Mrs. Gu smiled, and Gu Ranran said from the side, "My mother taught him. Lele is almost a year old now, and he can call not only Mom but also Dad, Grandma, and Aunt."
As she spoke, Gu Ranran chuckled, "He just can't call Grandma, because it's two syllables."
Qin He also smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, Auntie."
Mrs. Gu looked at Qin He and smiled, "He's my grandson, after all. What trouble is there for me? The one who went through trouble is you, who gave birth to him."
After holding and coaxing Lele for a while, Qin He did not forget that the main purpose of her visit today was to accompany Grandma Gu.
She chatted with Grandma Gu for a while. Breakfast was also ready. After coaxing Grandma Gu to eat breakfast, she accompanied her to watch Lele for a bit.
Grandma Gu then seemed to be a bit weak.
The old butler walked over, "Miss Qin, I'll help the old lady back to her room to rest. You sit here."
Qin He felt a pang of sympathy for Grandma Gu, but even though she was Professor Harlan, diseases like Alzheimer's and late-stage gastric cancer were beyond her current human capabilities.
Only with technological advancements, medical equipment development, and then generations of extensive research could there be hope in conquering these incurable diseases.
As Qin He was feeling melancholic, she suddenly heard Gu Ranran speak from across the table.
"Mom, since Grandma has gone back, let's have Qin He mediate for me."
Qin He pursed her lips and looked at Gu Qishen.
Mrs. Gu let out a cold laugh, "Alright, then you tell your sister-in-law—tell He'er, what kind of man did you find? Even if you searched through a trash heap, it would be hard to find someone like him!"
Qin He gave a wry smile and tried to smooth things over.
"Auntie, don't be anxious yet. Let me listen to Ranran first."
Gu Ranran's expression turned serious, "Qin He, this man saved my life. Isn't it too much to offer yourself in return for saving a life? And we are also in love! But my mother just won't let me be with him because of family reasons!"
Mrs. Gu immediately stood up, pointing at Gu Ranran, furious, and began to scold, "Gu Ranran, clarify yourself! Is it because of family reasons?
Even if you found someone from an ordinary family, it's fine. You were raised in wealth, and for my daughter's happiness, I wouldn't mind enriching another family.
But this man? He's been to prison three times. What were you thinking?"
Qin He was startled by Mrs. Gu's words and turned to look at Gu Qishen, finally understanding why he had called Gu Ranran's choice a scoundrel.
In today's legal system, wrongful convictions are extremely rare.
Having been to prison three times, it was even less likely to be a case of wrongful accusation, but rather a truly incorrigible person.
Gu Ranran also became angry, "But he's changed now, hasn't he? Why do you always have to bring up people's past mistakes?"
Mrs. Gu let out a cold laugh, "In short, if you see him again, I'll make him leave Qingcheng! Let alone get married. Unless I die, you'll never marry him!"
Qin He frowned, "Ranran, you're still young, you shouldn't be thinking about marriage yet, should you?"
Gu Ranran's small face turned stern, "My birthday is next month. After my birthday, I'll be of legal age for marriage. The country's law stipulates that marriage is a personal freedom. Even if you are my mother, you can't stop me!"
Qin He looked at the mother and daughter confronting each other, feeling a headache.
In fact, Gu Ranran's temper was very similar to Mrs. Gu's, but they rarely argued.
Now, Gu Ranran had likely encountered a love she couldn't back down from.
Qin He took a deep breath, "Ranran, sit down first. Let me ask you, what were the reasons your boyfriend went to prison the first three times?"
Gu Ranran's expression changed slightly, "Qin He, why are you bringing this up too? This is all in the past. Why do you always have to look at people with old eyes?"
Gu Qishen, standing nearby, his gaze turned cold, "Sit down, and speak properly!"
His tone was extremely stern.
Gu Ranran was most afraid of her brother.
She gritted her teeth and sat down.
Gu Qishen looked at Qin He, "It was for theft twice and indecent assault once."
Qin He's face suddenly changed!
Mrs. Gu opposite sneered, "Someone like that, no one would want him even if thrown into a garbage heap. You, the dignified eldest daughter of the Gu family, actually treasure him."
Gu Ranran bit her lower lip, "He said that the theft was true, but he did it to go to school. As for the indecent assault, it was completely a false accusation by that woman. That woman had a crush on him for a long time and couldn't get him, so she accused him of indecent assault to get revenge!"
Qin He took a deep breath, "Ranran, indecent assault isn't a crime that can be judged casually—"
Before Qin He could finish speaking, Gu Ranran angrily stood up.
"Qin He, why don't you believe me? If we also looked at people with old eyes, could you and my brother get back together? You were also deeply harmed back then."
Qin He's lips twitched slightly, "But I didn't break the law. It's different."
Qin He could see that Gu Ranran was blindly trusting that man. In this situation, the more Mrs. Gu wanted to break them up, the harder it would be.
It would be better to try a different approach: "Ranran, why don't you tell me about the life-saving grace he showed you?"
Gu Ranran looked a little shy, "It was when it was still cold a while ago. I was walking by the river when a child bumped into me, and I fell into the river. He saved me. He himself isn't a great swimmer, yet he saved someone. Brother Hao's heart is inherently very kind."