The two stood intimately close, yet neither spoke a word, the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward.
Wen Zhan appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was stirred with ripples of emotion.
When he arrived, Mu Wanqing had been standing at the corner.
Just as he wondered what she was doing there, he faintly overheard Aunt and Third Aunt conversing, and then watched as this woman shot out like an arrow, confronting both of them single-handedly to defend his reputation.
He was utterly astonished.
In their usual interactions, she never had a kind word to say, and these past few days, she had even insisted on separate rooms.
Since they weren’t sleeping together, and she was still asleep when he left for work in the morning, they hadn’t even seen each other for days.
Yet, against all expectations, despite the tension between them, she had rushed out without hesitation upon hearing others slander and defame him.
Aunt and Third Aunt were family elders, yet she dared to stand up to them, arguing firmly and logically—it truly opened his eyes.
Indeed, her gentle and pure demeanor was merely a protective facade; the real her, deep down, was far more captivating than this pleasing exterior.
As they walked in silence nearing the hospital room, Wen Zhan couldn’t hold back any longer and broke the awkwardness first: “Do you realize that if I hadn’t shown up in time just now, you might have gotten slapped?”
“Huh?” The sudden question startled her, and she abruptly turned to look at him.
Seeing his calm eyes and relaxed expression, their bodies still pressed close, she could even catch the fresh scent of his cologne—the mental defenses she had just built instantly crumbled a little, and her cheeks flushed red.
“Well… so what if I did? They’re elders, I couldn’t hit back. I just didn’t want them to spill the soup in my pot.” Mu Wanqing avoided his gaze, responding with an indifferent attitude.
Soup?
Wen Zhan glanced at the insulated pot in her hand, both amused and exasperated by her reply.
Her way of thinking was truly one of a kind.
Suddenly feeling an urge to engage with her more, the man smiled and asked again, “How did you know they were slandering me? To be honest, Grandpa does favor me a bit, which is why they’re dissatisfied.”
“Favoring you is Grandpa’s choice, not your fault. Your elder cousin is in politics with a bright future, and your second cousin aims to travel the world, with no interest in the company—it’s plain as day that you were forced into this position, yet they insist you schemed your way into it. Anyone would find it hard to listen to.”
Mu Wanqing lowered her voice, muttering under her breath.
Wen Zhan listened, momentarily unsure how to assess her.
He had always thought of her as naive and simple, but it turned out she had quietly grasped many things clearly.
There was a hint of wisdom in her apparent foolishness.
For some inexplicable reason, he curved his lips into a smile, wanting to praise her, but the thought felt too strange as soon as it arose.
Given their relationship, it was better for each to stick to their roles and not cross boundaries.
The hospital room door opened, and Wen Zhan looked toward the bed. “Grandpa, we’re here.”
Old Mr. Wen was awake, and a caregiver was massaging his legs.
Seeing the young couple arrive together, the old man’s face lit up with joy. He smiled and asked, “How did you two end up coming together? Didn’t you go to work today?”
Wen Zhan walked over, took off his suit jacket and set it aside, then rolled up his sleeves and took over from the caregiver, continuing to massage his grandfather’s legs. “I did go to work today. Qingqing said she’d brought soup from home for you at noon, so I asked when she was coming and joined her.”
Mu Wanqing: “…”
His ability to lie was truly… in one word, masterful!
While mentally complaining, she still had to force a smile on her face.
“Grandpa, this soup is really good. Drink it while it’s hot.”
“Alright, I’ll drink it now…” Grandpa shifted, trying to sit up. Wen Zhan immediately stepped forward to support him, pulling a pillow to prop behind the elderly man.
“Let me take the soup.” He reached out to take the tonic soup from his wife’s hands and sat down by the hospital bed.
He performed all these actions with practiced ease, showing no signs of pretense.
As Mu Wanqing handed him the soup bowl, she thought to herself that even if this man had countless flaws, at least he had the virtue of filial piety.
Grandpa asked, “Have you two had lunch yet?”
“Yes, we have.”
“No…”
Mu Wanqing and Wen Zhan answered simultaneously, but their responses were completely opposite.
The old man raised his eyebrows and looked at his grandson. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
“I just came from the company and haven’t had time,” Wen Zhan replied, continuing to feed the elderly man the soup.
Grandpa immediately waved his hand. “Enough, don’t stay here with me. Go eat quickly. Xiaoqing, you go with him. After you eat, have him take you home before he goes back to work.”
Clearly, the old man wasn’t missing any opportunity to bring the two of them together.
“No rush, we’ll wait until you finish the soup…” Wen Zhan said.
“No need, no need. Go quickly. I have doctors, nurses, and caregivers here – all more useful than you. What can you do just sitting here? When you have time, spend more of it with Xiaoqing and the children. Don’t miss out on their growing up years.”
The old man kept urging them to leave. Wen Zhan had no choice but to look at the woman. “Then… let’s go for now.”
Mu Wanqing nodded. “Grandpa, make sure you rest after finishing the soup. If you want anything to eat, have the caregiver call me. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
“Alright, don’t worry about me.”
The two turned to leave.
After the hospital room door closed, the old man who had seemed fairly well moments before suddenly showed pain on his face and could no longer swallow the soup in his mouth.
Seeing his reaction, the caregiver immediately understood, quickly setting down the soup bowl and grabbing the wastebasket.
“Pfft—” The old man leaned forward and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
The caregiver was terrified and wanted to call for a doctor, but the old man pressed down on their arm.
“Don’t… don’t alert the doctors… wait for them… to go… further away…” The old man barely managed to say these words before weakly collapsing against the headboard, breathing with difficulty.
In the elevator, Wen Zhan watched the descending floor numbers and suddenly said out of nowhere, “Grandpa must be suffering terribly right now.”
Mu Wanqing was confused by this abrupt statement and turned to raise her eyebrows at him. “What do you mean?”
Wen Zhan’s expression darkened, his brow clouded with gloom, his tone heavy and low: “The old man rushed us out not because I hadn’t eaten, but because he couldn’t hold on any longer. He didn’t want us to see him suffering from his illness, so he could only urge us to leave quickly.”
So Wen Zhan had already seen through the old man’s intentions and respected his approach.
If Grandpa didn’t want them to know, then he would pretend not to know.
“What?” Mu Wanqing was stunned, pausing for two seconds before asking, “Are you saying Grandpa’s condition is very serious? But just a couple of days ago, didn’t they say… his condition had stabilized and he could be discharged in a few days?”
“Cancer isn’t that easy to stabilize. Once it recurs, the condition becomes uncontrollable. The doctors said the cancer cells have already metastasized. Grandpa has been strong his entire life and doesn’t want to lose his dignity in front of others, so he endures the suffering no matter how painful it gets.”
Mu Wanqing stood frozen, as if doused with a bucket of cold water, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
The elevator doors opened, having reached the first floor. She watched as Wen Zhan stepped out first, only then snapping out of her daze and hurrying to follow.
“So how much longer can Grandpa hold on? Is there really no way to save him?”