“The doctor already said your condition can’t handle anger right now. Old Master, please calm down!” an anxious voice came from inside the room.
“I think that brat doesn’t treat me as his grandfather at all! Something this big, and he didn’t even tell me. If I hadn’t seen the news, would I only find out after I’m in the coffin?” another aged voice snapped.
He spoke so agitatedly that the moment he finished, he broke into a fit of relentless coughing.
A trace of urgency appeared in Nangong He’s usually calm expression. He quickly stepped forward and pushed open the hospital room door.
“Grandpa, I brought her here.”
He kept one hand behind his back, his long, well-defined fingers reaching toward Qiao Xi.
Instantly, Qiao Xi summoned all her acting skills. She intimately clasped Nangong He’s hand and stood beside him with a bright smile.
“Hello, Grandpa. My name is Qiao Xi. I’m Ah He’s wife.”
Old Master Nangong was pressing a hand to his chest on the hospital bed, struggling through another wave of coughing.
Hearing their voices, he raised his head and scrutinized Qiao Xi several times.
After seeing her clearly, obvious dissatisfaction flickered through the old man’s eyes.
But after all, he came from a wealthy and powerful family—his bearing and authority remained intact.
He gave a perfunctory nod and said to the person beside him, “Butler Gao, what are you standing there for? Hurry and let them in.”
Butler Gao quickly stepped forward and lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear.
“Please persuade the old master. He’s been so angry he nearly had a heart attack.”
Nangong He and Qiao Xi interlocked their fingers tightly, looking every bit like an affectionate newlywed couple.
“What does your family do? Run a company, or…” Old Master Nangong swept his gaze over Qiao Xi and asked sternly.
Even though he was elderly and in poor health, he still radiated an overwhelming aura, like dark storm clouds pressing down over a city.
Qiao Xi paused briefly to think. She had already completely severed ties with the Qiao family, and their company had nothing to do with her anymore.
So she answered honestly, “I don’t really have a formal occupation right now. I’m an independent designer specializing in jewelry design.”
“And your parents?” the old master continued.
“She came to visit you, not to fill out a household registration form,” Nangong He interrupted calmly. “Didn’t you insist on meeting my newlywed wife? Well, I brought her here.”
“I hoped you would settle down early because I wanted you to find a gentle and considerate wife—someone who could also support your career,” the old master sighed softly.
Although he didn’t say it outright, the implication toward Qiao Xi was obvious.
In the end, he simply looked down on her lack of family background and ability.
While quietly cleaning up the mess on the nearby table, Qiao Xi spoke softly, “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I know I’m not outstanding enough, but I’ll work hard until one day I’m worthy of standing beside him.”
She spoke neither arrogantly nor humbly, and her movements while tidying up were so natural that it almost seemed as though she truly wanted to blend into their family.
But the old master remained unmoved. He sighed mournfully.
“Back then, Xiao Yin used to call you Ah He too… You two were so good together then. How did you just suddenly break up?”
“I still remember her holding my hand and calling me Grandpa. She said she would come into our family properly and honorably one day…”
Qiao Xi perked up her little gossip-loving ears. While continuing to tidy the table, she listened attentively as the old master talked about Xiao Chuyin.
Before this, she had only heard that Xiao Chuyin and Nangong He had once been very close, and that their families were old friends.
She was curious too. They had seemed like a match made in heaven—how had they suddenly fallen apart?
Before Nangong He could speak, Butler Gao coughed lightly and interrupted.
“Old Master, that’s all in the past now. Since the young master is already married, we should respect his decision.”
But the old master merely closed his eyes slightly as if he hadn’t heard a thing, continuing to mutter to himself:
“She said that once she won the international dance championship, she would marry you carrying all her glory with her… I’ve been waiting for that all this time…”