“It was my husband who arranged your transfer and surgery.”
The ward fell silent for a few seconds.
The orange segment in Grandma’s hand nearly dropped onto the blanket.
“What did you say?” The elderly woman widened her eyes, her words suddenly speeding up. “Married? You’re only 20! Child, how could you be so foolish!”
“Who did you marry? How old is he? Where is he from? What does he do? Where does he live?”
A barrage of questions came at her, and Lin Nianxi didn’t have time to answer a single one.
“His name is Huo Jingmo. He’s 30.”
“30?!” Grandma’s voice rose sharply as she looked at her with heartache. “He’s a full ten years older than you! Xixi, how could you marry an old man!”
Lin Nianxi was amused by the phrase “old man” and quickly pulled out her phone.
“Grandma, he may be older, but he doesn’t look old at all.”
As she spoke, she opened her browser and searched for Huo Jingmo’s name.
In truth, before encountering the “middle-aged elite” crowd, Lin Nianxi had always thought that middle-aged men were old, greasy, overweight, with beer bellies—basically, the kind of greasy toad-like physique.
But Mr. Huo was nothing like those middle-aged men.
His looks and physique were top-tier, even by entertainment industry standards.
If he were in the domestic entertainment scene, his model-like build would completely overshadow a host of top celebrities.
She opened her browser and searched for Huo Jingmo’s name. The first result that popped up was a cover photo from a financial magazine.
In the photo, the man wore a dark suit, his features deep and sharp, with an air of authority in his gaze. Even through the screen, the intimidating aura that kept others at bay was palpable.
But there was no denying it—he was truly handsome. Excessively so.
Lin Nianxi brought her phone close to Grandma.
Grandma squinted through her reading glasses for a long while, her expression shifting from shock to scrutiny, then from scrutiny to thoughtful contemplation.
“There are advantages to being older,” Grandma’s attitude noticeably softened. “Older men know how to cherish their partners.”
She leaned closer to the screen for another look and nodded. “His face shows he’s blessed.”
Lin Nianxi nodded. “Yes, he’s very blessed.”
“Has he mistreated you?” Grandma suddenly grabbed Lin Nianxi’s hand, looking intently into her eyes. “Is he good to you?”
Lin Nianxi’s voice softened. “He’s very good to me. The new clothes I’m wearing, the new bag—he bought them all for me. Grandma’s surgery and transfer were also arranged by him.”
Grandma fell silent for a few seconds, her aged hand covering Lin Nianxi’s and giving it a gentle pat.
“Then Grandma can rest easy.”
She paused, then took Lin Nianxi’s hand again, her tone turning solemn.
“Xixi, Grandma wants to tell you something from the heart.”
“Mm.”
“His kindness to you is your blessing. But you must never lose yourself because of it.” Grandma spoke slowly, each word carrying weight. “A woman can’t live her life depending on a man. What he gives you, he can take back at any time. Only the knowledge in your mind is something no one can take away.”
“You must study hard and earn your diploma. Even if he’s not around in the future, you’ll be able to support yourself and live well.”
Lin Nianxi’s nose stung fiercely. She blinked hard, forcing back her tears.
“I know, Grandma. I’ll study hard.”
Grandma smiled, the wrinkles on her face smoothing out.
“When you have the chance, bring your husband to meet Grandma.” The elderly woman patted the back of her hand. “Grandma needs to see for herself whether he’s worthy of our Xixi.”
Lin Nianxi’s heart tightened.
After all, theirs was only a marriage of convenience. With Mr. Huo’s demanding schedule, she had no idea whether he would be willing to visit an elderly woman in the hospital.
But she didn’t want to disappoint her grandmother.
“Alright, once he has some free time, I’ll bring him to see you.”
Grandma nodded contentedly, her eyelids gradually drooping as exhaustion set in, and she fell into a deep sleep once more.
Lin Nianxi tucked the blanket snugly around her grandmother and quietly slipped out of the hospital room.
…
The Maybach glided smoothly along the evening streets.
Outside the car window, dusk deepened, and the distant skyline was painted in shades of orange and red by the setting sun.
Lin Nianxi sat in the back seat, the gift box containing the tie clip resting on her lap, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the satin ribbon.
How should she bring up the matter of her grandmother to Mr. Huo…
Mr. Huo was the head of the Huo Group, with countless matters to handle and meetings to attend every day. Today alone, helping her deal with the landlord had already taken up a significant amount of his time.
Asking him to visit the hospital and chat with an elderly woman he had never met… wouldn’t that be too much?
And after all, theirs was only a marriage of convenience.
He had already gone above and beyond by arranging her transfer to another hospital and assembling a team of specialists.
Lin Nianxi hugged the gift box a little tighter. She didn’t want to disappoint her grandmother.
Well, she might as well try asking.
If he didn’t want to go, she could simply tell her grandmother that Mr. Huo was too busy to find the time.
…
Huo Group, CEO’s Office.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyline of the capital city was enveloped in twilight, as the lights of countless homes gradually flickered to life.
Huo Jingmo closed the last file in his hand, his slender fingers signing his name in the annotation section. He raised his wrist, his deep, dark eyes glancing at the Patek Philippe watch.
Six-thirty.
The man stood up and strode toward the office door.
Chen Ming was just walking in with a stack of files when he saw Huo Jingmo heading out, momentarily taken aback.
“Mr. Huo, you’re…”
“Leaving work.” Huo Jingmo replied succinctly.
Chen Ming glanced at his watch, then at the sky outside the window.
It was only six-thirty—was Mr. Huo really leaving work already?!
In the eight years since Huo Jingmo had taken over the Huo Group, he had never left the office before ten at night. Working late into the night was the norm, and pulling all-nighters was a regular occurrence.
Everyone in the company knew that the light in the CEO’s office was the last to go out in the entire building.
“Leave the files on the desk.” Huo Jingmo’s tall, straight figure strode out.
Chen Ming followed with the files in his arms, tentatively asking, “Mr. Huo, but the video conference with Southeast Asia is scheduled for nine tonight…”
Huo Jingmo, “Move it to tomorrow morning.”
Chen Ming opened his mouth slightly, “Mr. Huo, has something happened?”
Huo Jingmo turned his head, a faint, almost imperceptible softness in his deep eyes, “Going home to spend time with my wife.”
Chen Ming: …
Why did he have to be fed a mouthful of dog food out of nowhere?
The elevator doors closed.
Chen Ming stood in place, holding the files, and took a deep breath.
Married men really are different.
Even becoming homebodies now.
He turned and walked back, passing by the secretarial area where several secretaries were craning their necks to peek toward the CEO’s office.
“Assistant Chen, has Mr. Huo left?” a young secretary whispered.
Chen Ming, “He’s gone.”
“Leaving at just six-thirty?”
“Is President Huo not feeling well?”
“No,” another secretary leaned in, “Could President Huo have been abducted by aliens? How could he leave work at this hour?”
Chen Ming adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, ignoring them, and walked straight back to his workstation to sit down.
The whispers behind him grew louder.
“I bet President Huo is definitely up to something.”
“What kind of something?”
“What else? The kind of something that involves romance!”
“Impossible, right? Isn’t President Huo known as the number one iceberg in the Beijing circle?”
“That’s exactly why it’s suspicious! Think about it—he smiled while checking his phone during the meeting today, and now he’s leaving early. Put those two things together, and it’s undeniable proof!”
The office area erupted into chatter.
Chen Ming put on his noise-canceling headphones and turned on his computer.
A bunch of people who’ve never seen the world.
If they found out President Huo just got his marriage certificate today, the entire Huo Group’s intranet would probably crash.
…
The Maybach drove along the road back to the Hillside Manor.
Huo Jingmo leaned back in the rear seat and dialed the butler’s phone.
“Is Madam back yet?”
The butler replied respectfully, “Not yet, sir. I just asked the driver—Madam has left the hospital and should be back in about ten more minutes.”
“Have the nutritionist prepare tonight’s medicinal meal in advance,” Huo Jingmo said. “Follow the customized recipe based on Madam’s health report.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let the soup simmer a bit longer. She’s anemic, so add more blood-nourishing ingredients.”
The butler responded repeatedly on the other end of the line.
After hanging up, Huo Jingmo opened WeChat and scrolled to his chat history with Lin Nianxi.
The last message was the selfie she sent in the afternoon.
Her pink Hello Kitty avatar sat quietly at the top of the chat window, with no new messages.
Huo Jingmo’s slender fingers tapped to open Lin Nianxi’s Moments.
A new post had been updated—a photo of a table full of desserts.
The caption read: “The little cakes I’ve been dreaming of—my dear friends on Moments, you get to see them first.”
Dear friends?
Does she have many dear friends?
Huo Jingmo frowned slightly.
A sudden sense of discomfort stirred within him.