Shi Nuan paused before saying, “I’ll sit over there.” She pointed at the seat beside Su Yumin. Su Yumin, who was already exhausted by the series of events, waved to her when he heard the woman’s words. “Nuan, come to Grandpa.”
Shi Nuan smiled and walked over. “Grandpa.”
Su Yumin froze for a moment before coming back to his senses. He looked at his surroundings and then at Shi Nuan, it was as though he was making sure it was not a dream. When he saw Shi Nuan’s smile, his tears spilled. “Nuan.”
Shi Nuan’s change stunned Su Huainan and the other two Su family members. They, too, turned to look at Shi Nuan, who did not seem to have any difference in expression. In other words, it seemed like Shi Nuan had accepted the Su family.
Fu Chengyan’s bright eyes landed on Shi Nuan and the Su family members before he smiled. He then reached out to stroke his fingers through Shi Nuan’s hair. “Are you tired?” His voice was soft as a feather when he spoke.
Shi Nuan shook her head. “No.”
“All right.”
The surgery continued for another two hours before the surgeon came out. When he saw Su Shaoqing, he exclaimed, “Director, why are you here?”
“The patient in there is my uncle. How is he?”
“He’s been stabilized, but he can’t go through any more shock. Otherwise, the condition of his heart will worsen, and it’ll be difficult to deal with.” The surgeon answered truthfully. “He’s still in a coma, and he’ll be sent to the ICU.”
“Okay.”
Su Shaoqing nodded. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. He’ll be fine after a day.”
After the surgeon left, Su Shaoqing turned to look at the rest of his family. “Since Uncle Huaibei’s fine, everyone can go home to rest first. I’ll inform you of any updates about his condition.”
“Qing.” Su Yumin reached out to pat Su Shaoqing’s shoulder. “Get someone to watch over your Uncle Huaibei. I’ll send someone to take care of him tomorrow.”
“Of course.” Su Shaoqing nodded. “Grandpa, why don’t you head back with the rest of the family first?”
Su Yumin glanced at Shi Nuan. “Nuan, Grandpa’s old. I won’t be able to stay up all night.”
“Rest early, Grandpa.” Shi Nuan smiled at him. “We’ll visit you when we’re free.”
“Nuan, do you mean what you say?” Upon hearing her words, Su Yumin grabbed her hands excitedly. “You’re not lying to me, are you? Will you really visit me?”
Looking at Su Yumin’s tearful eyes, Shi Nuan nodded. “Yes. Yan and I will pick a day to visit you.”
“All right. Okay. Grandpa’s free all day. I’m retired and staying at home all the time. If you’re uncomfortable with your stay at the Fu family’s, you can visit me anytime.” Su Yumin was so delighted by Shi Nuan’s words that for a moment, he forgot his son was still in the ICU.
“Dad, let’s go home.” Both Su Yunwan and Su Yunqing were amused by their father’s reaction as they dragged him toward the exit.
After they left, Shi Nuan turned to look at Fu Chengyan. “You won’t blame me, will you?” Her cautious demeanor made Fu Chengyan’s heart softened. He reached out to gently rub Shi Nuan’s temple. “How can I? I told you before that I’ll respect your decision.”
“Hey, hey. Can the two of you stop having your PDA moment everywhere you go?” Su Shaoqing shot a scornful look at them. “Do you know where you are?”
Shi Nuan froze for a second. When she saw Shu Qing, who was still on the ground, she mouthed to Su Shaoqing, “What’s going on?”
“I’m guessing nothing important,” Su Shaoqing said dismissively. He could not muster any good thoughts when facing Shu Qing. He then patted Fu Chengyan’s shoulder. “Let’s have a talk.”
Fu Chengyan nodded. “I’ll look for you in a bit.”
“All right. I have something to attend to right now anyway.”
After Su Shaoqing left, Shi Nuan and Fu Chengyan shared a look. Fu Chengyan reached out to squeeze Shi Nuan’s hands, and she gave him a relaxed smile before stepping forward to look at Shu Qing.
As if she did not see Shi Nuan, her eyes continued to stare blearily at the spot in front of her.
Shi Nuan could see Shu Qing’s mouth opening and closing, but she did not know what the other woman was mumbling under her breath.
Shi Nuan then crouched down to look into Shu Qing’s eyes. At that moment, Shu Qing’s eyes widened as if she saw something horrifying. She quickly moved backward before staring at Shi Nuan, terrified. “Don’t come any closer.”
Shi Nuan’s brows knitted. “Shu Qing?”
Shu Qing froze. In the next moment, she came back to her senses, although her gaze still seemed unfocused, there was recognition in her eyes when she looked at Shi Nuan. An image flashed across her mind, and she glared at Shi Nuan. “Why are you here?”
Shi Nuan raised a brow. She could not help but feel amused at how quickly Shu Qing had changed her expressions. “It looks like being an actress is the perfect career for you.”
Shu Qing frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Shi Nuan sensed something was amiss about Shu Qing tonight, and she lost her interest in continuing the topic. Instead, she glanced at Shu Qing before smiling at her. “You’re a popular Hollywood actress. If someone were to take a photo of you like this in the hospital, it would be a piece of sensational news.”
Still frowning, Shu Qing lowered her head to look at herself before she hurriedly stood up. Perhaps she had been in the same position for too long, she stumbled when she rose. Luckily for her, Shi Nuan was there and the woman reached out to support her in time. “Are you okay?”
Feeling as if she had touched something dirty, Shu Qing shook off Shi Nuan’s hand and spat, “I don’t need your fake sympathy.”
Shi Nuan’s hand froze in midair. A dim look flitted across her eyes, but she was quick to hide it away. Shi Nuan dropped her hand before retracting her arm. By now, a look of indifference had returned to her face. “I’m afraid Ms. Shu has mistaken something. Even if it were a stranger in your place, I’d have helped them.”
“You…” Shu Qing paled.
Shi Nuan chuckled, “Since Ms. Shu is fine, please leave. After all, a famous celebrity like you in a place like this is eye-catching.”
“What I do is none of your business!”
“Well, I don’t want to have anything to do with you, too,” Shi Nuan uttered in a frigid tone. She paused before continuing, “But since you’ve made your choice, please don’t’ appear in the Su family’s home anymore. Don’t appear before Su- my father again.”
Shu Qing’s back was facing Shi Nuan when the latter said her piece. When she heard Shi Nuan’s words, she stiffened.
With her arms hanging by her side, Shu Qing realized that even a step forward was a step too difficult for her. “Do you think that’s what I want? If it weren’t for Su Huaibei forcing me to stay, I wouldn’t have even spend a day by his side,” Shu Qing grounded out.
“Good. I hope you’ll be able to do what you say,” Shi Nuan voiced. “As for my grandfather’s place, I hope Ms. Shu won’t go there anymore too.”
“On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that my Grandpa said he only has one daughter.”
Shu Qing’s heart clenched as she trembled. Shi Nuan continued, “If Ms. Shu wants to leave, no one can stop you. If you found that you can’t, my husband can help you with that. He’ll make sure no one can find you.”
At that, Shu Qing left in a hurry.
She had to admit that when she was faced with Shi Nuan, she found herself at a loss on what to do.
In comparison with Shen Qianan, Shi Nuan was someone who could steel her heart; Shi Nuan was someone who could draw the line between her emotions and rationality.
Shu Qing stumbled her way to the road after exiting the hospital. She did not know where she wanted to go and where she could go. She felt that in this big world, there was no place she belonged.
Just then, a car stopped in front of Shu Qing. The man in the car stared at her, who was still wandering aimlessly.
“Mr. Shen?”
Shen Shixiu stared at Shu Qing as the corner of his lips turned upward. “Stop the car.”
The car quickly stopped around a hundred meters away in front of Shu Qing. The car door swung open, and the man stepped out of the car.
Shen Shixiu tidied his suit before his eyes landed on the nearby Shu Qing. Behind him, Jiang Zhan had also alighted from the car. “Mr. Shen, the president said that the plane will reach Jiang City tonight. Please take a look.”
Shen Shixiu smirked. “Sounds fun.” Then, he strode toward Shu Qing.
Meanwhile, Shu Qing felt like she had been walking for centuries. She knew nothing about where she had walked to. It wasn’t until a shadow enveloped the front of her path that she raised her head. When she saw the man’s face, she stiffened. “It’s you.”
Shen Shixiu flashed her a faint smile. “What an honor that Ms. Jiang still remembers me.”
Shu Qing took a few abrupt steps back and gulped. “You… You’re Shen Feng’s son?” The sky was getting dark, and Shu Qing was unsure.
On the day of the press conference, she had not seen Shen Shixiu’s face clearly amid her panic.
However, the shape of Shen Shixiu’s face looked similar to Shen Feng’s. That was why Shu Qing thought the man in front of her might be Shen Shixiu.
With a mysterious smile, Shen Shixiu responded, “Ms. Jiang, you’ve walked down this dark path for quite a while now. Are you afraid of meeting a ghost of your past?”
Shu Qing shuddered from shock. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so? I thought a woman as smart as you will understand what I’m talking about.” Shen Shixiu approached her slowly. “It’s been a long time. Let me think. How long has it been since we’ve met the last time? Was it twenty-three or twenty-four years ago?”
“Shen Shixiu, what do you want?”
“I don’t want anything. My father will be reaching Jiang City today, and I’m sure you haven’t seen him for quite a while. I was thinking of inviting Ms. Jiang to meet with my father. That’s all,” Shen Shixiu replied as he looked at Jiang Zhan from the corner of his eyes.
Instantly, Jiang Zhan walked over. “This way, please, Ms. Jiang.”
“I don’t know who this Ms. Jiang is, and I won’t follow you,” Shu Qing rejected as she turned to leave. However, Jiang Zhan stood in her way and stopped her. “Ms. Jiang, Mr. Shen is inviting you to board the car.”
With a scowl on her face, she snarled, “Shen Shixiu, is this how you treat your elders?”
“Of course not. If Ms. Jiang isn’t interested in meeting my father, what about your daughter, Shen Qianan then?” Shen Shixiu smiled again, looking like a harmless man. “By the way, Qianan gave birth to a child named Yu. Congratulations, Ms. Jiang, you’re now someone’s grandmother.”
Shu Qing’s face turned ashen. “What did you say?”
“I said, Ms. Jiang, you’re a lucky woman. Qianan has given birth to a son, and you’re a grandmother now.” Shen Shixiu’s sly eyes landed on Shu Qing. “Say, if the public found out that the famous Shu Qing not only has an illegitimate daughter, but her illegitimate daughter also has an illegitimate son…”
“That’s enough, Shen Shixiu. What do you want? Do you want me to go with you? Fine. I’ll do just that!”
