Su Zhan’s heart skipped a beat. I can’t send Grandma to the hospital; that would reveal that everything was a trick! Especially since Qin Ya is so suspicious already!
Just as he was debating on what to do next, Grandma Su suddenly felt an agonizing pain shoot through her head. Her body began to convulse uncontrollably.
Thinking that she was still pretending, Su Zhan did not worry about her. His mind was preoccupied with thinking about how he could stop Qin Ya from leaving. “So you’ll believe me if I send Grandma to the hospital?”
Qin Ya was absolutely speechless at the man.
The old woman’s convulsions were getting worse, while her breathing grew erratic. One corner of her lips drooped lower than the other side and she was barely able to stutter out, “S-S-Su Zhan…”
Sensing something was truly wrong, Qin Ya urged, “Quick, send Grandma to the hospital. I don’t think that she’s pretending anymore!”
It was only then that Su Zhan detected the tremors running through his grandmother’s body. Tensing, he swiftly gathered her into his arms and strode outside.
“She’s not wearing suitable clothing!” The old woman was only clad in a thin nightgown, an article of clothing that was in no way able to protect her from the cold outside. Dropping her suitcase, Qin Ya ran back into the house to fetch the elder’s mink coat before rushing back to Su Zhan’s side.
He placed his grandmother down in the backseat of the car, whereupon Qin Ya draped the coat on top of her. “Go drive. I’ll look after her.”
Su Zhan stared at her, his emotions coiling inside of him. “Qin Ya, I-”
“Drive!” she snapped. It was obvious that something was severely wrong with the old woman as she was foaming at the mouth.
Panicking at the sight, he slipped into the driver’s seat and sped off towards the direction of the hospital.
In the backseat, Qin Ya was holding Grandma Su in her arms. The elderly woman’s consciousness was fading and she did not react when Qin Ya called out to her.
In his desperation to get to the hospital as swiftly as he could, Su Zhan ran several red lights and came close to having a traffic accident a few times as well.
What should have been a twenty-minute journey took them only ten.
Su Zhan carried the old woman into the hospital and headed straight for the emergency room with Qin Ya hot on his heels.
In no time at all, the old woman was whisked away by the doctors. Su Zhan demanded, “What’s wrong with my Grandma?”
Instructing the nurses to wheel Grandma Su into the operating theater, the doctor replied, “Primary diagnosis suggests that she’s suffering from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Please wait out here.” He then shut the doors to the operating theater.
For a long while, Su Zhan was stunned. Cerebral hemorrhage? That’s something very serious, isn’t it? She could die from that!
He had thought that she was acting at first, which was why he had not thought much of it at the time. Now, he was wondering if his neglect would affect the efficacy of her treatment. Furious at himself, he punched the wall in frustration.
The thud his fist made sent shudders down Qin Ya’s spine.
A nurse approached them, asking, “Are any of you her family members?”
Since Su Zhan was lost in his self-blame and worry, Qin Ya neared the nurse and stated, “I am.”
The other woman handed her a bill. “Here’s the bill. Please pay it downstairs.”
Accepting the piece of paper, she answered, “I’ll do it right away.”
She, too, was worried about delaying Grandma Su’s treatment. With the mink coat still in hand, she rushed downstairs to pay the bill.
Once she was at the payment counter on the first floor, she used her own card to pay.
Returning to the operating theater, she saw that Su Zhan was sitting on one of the chairs lining the corridor, with his head buried in his hands. His knuckles were bleeding from his earlier punch.
She went to his side to inspect the wounds better. As she had thought, he had split the skin of his knuckles and it was now bleeding heavily.
“You should get that looked at. Grandma will worry if she comes out and sees that you’re injured.”
At the sound of her voice, Su Zhan lifted his head to stare at her with red-rimmed eyes. “She’s raised me ever since I was young and she’s my only family left in this world. If anything happens to her-”
“Stop that. Nothing will happen to her,” she interrupted in a firm tone.
“Really?”
He was feeling so lost and empty. All he wanted presently was for someone to give him a definite answer.
She assured him, “Really.”
Standing up, he pulled her into a hug. When he spoke, his voice came out hoarse, “Thank you.”
Although she tensed up at the unexpected action, she did not push him away. “There’s no need to thank me. It’s not like we’re strangers. Besides, Grandma has been really good to me too.”
Su Zhan remained silent, merely tightening his hold around her. The only time he felt alive was when he was hugging her like this. Just having her in his arms sent warmth suffusing him.
How long had it been since he had felt like this?
For the life of him, he could not remember. All he knew was that it had been way too long.
He spoke up lowly, “Liu Feifei was my first love. We had met when I was in my second year at university. Right before I graduated, she left me without any warning. Because of that, I was absolutely devastated for a time. Things got so bad that it was only because of Shen Peichuan and Jinghao that I’d managed to survive. I admit that I used to love her a lot. However, she abandoned me for ten years. Whatever feelings that I had for her have long since faded into nothing.”
Qin Ya’s body was stiff, while she listened to his story. By the end, she was almost moved by his words. The feeling did not last long as she swiftly squished it.
She could not lower her limits just because he was honest. The fact of the matter was that he had not returned home for an entire night. The fact that Liu Feifei was his first love was also true.
Everyone was always saying that the first love was the hardest to let go of. After all, there were only so many firsts that one could have. The first kiss, the first touch, all of these were usually offered up to the first love.
All the first times were unforgettable experiences, of that she believed. No matter how much time had passed, those experiences would always leave their mark on a person.
He had told her that Liu Feifei kept pestering him. Why could he not have told her about it then? Why did he have to wait till after the fact before he tried to explain things?
“Su Zhan, you don’t have to tell me all this; I’ve already made up my mind. You can’t give me the stability nor sense of security that I want. We’re not suited for each other at all. It’s not too late to discover that fact now. We’re both still young so there’s still time to find the one who’s more suited for us.”
His eyes widened and he clutched her shoulders desperately. “Are you really so determined to do this? You’re not going to consider what we have at all?”
She laughed hollowly. “And what do we have?”
“What do you mean?” Su Zhan stared at her with surprise.
“How long have we known each other? Two, maybe three months? What feelings could we possibly have for each other in that short amount of time? In fact, what kind of good feelings could possibly come from a one-night stand? If you really insist on talking about feelings, then it should be the ones between you and Ms. Liu. Technically, my leaving would give you the chance to rekindle your relationship. You should be thanking me.”
For several long beats, Su Zhan was unable to find his voice. At last, he managed to croak out, “We may not have known each other for long, but time should not be a measurement for our feelings!”
“Then what should we use?” she retorted.
At that moment, the doors to the operating theater opened, cutting off their bickering. Su Zhan and Qin Ya hastily made their way over to the doctor, who was still dressed in surgical scrubs. Taking off his mask, he reported, “The patient suffered from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, more commonly known as a stroke. Thankfully, you managed to send her here in time. For now, she’s out of the danger zone. However, she’ll need to remain hospitalized for a while to recover from this.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” What was most important to Su Zhan was that his grandmother was out of danger.
“The nurses will be wheeling her out shortly. Due to her advanced age, I suggest a round-the-clock care for her,” the doctor continued.
“I understand.” Su Zhan was already planning on taking care of her personally.
He was quite wealthy now and he no longer needed to spend so much time and energy on earning a living. His law firm was also coming along nicely. Even if he did not go in for work, it would operate as usual and he would still have income.
Shortly after, the nurses pushed Grandma Su out, on a bed. Although she was no longer in danger of dying, one side of her mouth was still drooping lower than the other.
Su Zhan was well aware of how vain his grandmother was. He was sure that she would be unable to accept her new appearance once she woke up and saw it.
“Doctor, can anything be done for my grandmother’s mouth?”
