Without thinking, he pushed through the crowd, ignoring the whispers and the eyes on him. All that mattered was the elderly woman now crumpled on the ground, her fragile frame dwarfed by the broken pieces of her once-proud stall.
He dropped to his knees beside her, his usual arrogant façade stripped away in an instant as gently lifted her up. She had fallen on her side, and the strength in her frail body had drained away. If not for his arm cradling her head, she would not have been able to move. "Are you alright?" His voice was hoarse with worry as he gently moved her into a sitting position. Her face was pale, her hands trembling as she tried to wave him off, a weak smile on her lips.
"I'm... I'm fine, dear," Grandmama murmured, though her voice was barely audible. Her hands shook as she reached up to touch his face, her warmth still present despite the fall. "Don't worry yourself. It's just a little tumble."
Li Tian's pulse pounded in his ears as he knelt beside her, his chest tightening with guilt. The crowd's murmurs, Meilin's voice in his ear, all faded into background noise, his focus solely on the frail figure before him. He had never been in such a situation before, never felt these emotions crashing down on him with such intensity—fear, anger, regret. His throat tightened as he struggled to find words, his voice trembling, barely a whisper. "Grandmama, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen..."
She smiled up at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I know. You're a good boy, you know," she said, her voice gentle despite everything. "I'm okay..."
But the wet warmth on his cheek told him otherwise. Li Tian's heart dropped as he realized it wasn't just her touch—there was blood smeared on his face, trickling down her arm, staining her cream-colored dress. The gash was deep, and the sight of her trying to smile through the pain made something snap inside him.
"Meilin..." His voice cracked, barely keeping it together. "Call an ambulance."
"What? What happened?" Meilin's voice rang through his phone, but he didn't have time to explain. He cut the line in his ear abruptly.
Beep.
The blood reflected in his eyes like a beast, a crimson haze fueling the storm of rage that flooded his emotions non-stop. It clawed at him, desperate to break free, to find a way to dispel the overwhelming fury surging through him. His chest heaved as the crowd around him gasped, more people gathering to see what had caused the commotion.
"Oh my god, we didn't—" One of the schoolgirls started to speak, her face pale as she saw the blood.
"We didn't mean to..." the other stammered, her voice shaking, yet they still tried to downplay their involvement.
"Y-yeah, she was being a nuisa—"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Li Tian's roar cut through the noise like a thunderclap. His rage was uncontrollable now, boiling over. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN TRYING TO DO? CORNERING AN OLD LADY LIKE THAT?!"
The girls froze, but their adrenaline-fueled panic made them lash out.
"We weren't cornering her! She was getting in our way!" one protested, her voice louder than her courage.
"Yeah, she insulted us!" added the other, attempting to justify their actions.
Someone from the crowd shouted, "What's she to you, anyway?"
"Yeah! She's just some old hag from the street market! What's your relationship?"
Li Tian's vision blurred, not from tears, but from the overwhelming rage that clouded his mind. They didn't care about Grandmama, didn't even care about what they'd done to her. All they wanted was to satisfy their curiosity about his identity.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT? FINDING OUT WHO I AM?!"
The crowd stirred, eager to hear the answer, fueling their morbid curiosity.
"I AM NOT WHOEVER THE FUCK YOU THINK I AM!" he bellowed, his voice breaking. He could feel the weight of Grandmama's frail body in his arms, her blood seeping through his shirt. If he revealed who he really was, it would only make things worse. He couldn't do that to her. Not now.
"Then who are you?" someone yelled.
"And who's she?" another voice rang out.
"Yeah, tell us who you are if not Li Tian," the schoolgirl closest accused, her voice sharp.
Li Tian glared at the girl menacingly, his gaze enough to make her fall silent. They clearly knew who he was—was there even a way to change their damn minds? The wailing siren of an approaching ambulance grew louder. He shifted his attention back to the trembling, injured woman in his arms, noting the confusion on her face as she processed the name Li Tian.
She had heard of him before, he realized with a wince. No... he didn't want to be that man. He wasn't Li Tian, not now, not here.
"I am NOT Li Tian," he ground out through clenched teeth.
A flash of grandmama's words echoed in his mind moments before.
"You don't need to become a lone wolf."
Wolf...
"I am Lang…" He hesitated, the name choking in his throat before he finally screamed, "I am Xiaolang!"
The crowd buzzed in confusion.
"And this," he lifted Grandmama in his arms as he stood up, her weight lighter than he ever imagined, "this is my Grandmother. NOW MOVE THE FUCK ASIDE!"
His voice thundered with an intensity that made the crowd stumble backward, creating a path as he marched forward, cradling Grandmama close to his chest. The distant wail of an ambulance grew louder and it finally stopped close by, but his focus was locked on getting her to safety.
As he approached the ambulance, men in red scarves surrounded the area, blending in with the crowd. Their presence was subtle but unmistakable. One of them, wearing a small badge pinned to his chest to indicate his rank, locked eyes with Li Tian as he passed. Li Tian's glare immediately fixed on the man with the badge, his eyes burning with a fury so cold and intense that the man froze, too terrified to move.
"Pick up every single steamed bun and bring them back," Li Tian ordered, his voice ice-cold.
The man shivered, swallowing hard before nodding. "Y-yes, young master." He quickly relayed an instruction through his earpiece, and the rest of the undercover personnel dispersed according to their orders.
No one seemed to notice the tense interaction, except for one person—grandmama, lying in Li Tian's arms.
Li Tian ignored everything around him as he moved swiftly toward the ambulance, his focus solely on Grandmama's safety. The paramedics had already exited the vehicle and were preparing a stretcher. When they noticed the crowd parting for him, the sight of blood staining the old lady's clothes immediately caught their attention. Without hesitation, they rushed to lift her from his arms and onto the stretcher.
"What happened, young man?" a paramedic asked hurriedly as they hastened toward the ambulance.
Before Li Tian could respond, Grandmama's weak voice, still managing a smile, interrupted.
"This clumsy old me just took a wrong step," she said softly, downplaying the severity of her injury. "Silly me, I cut myself when I fell."
"Grandmama…" Li Tian's voice cracked with disbelief. That's not what happened at all!
"It's alright, dear," she said, squeezing his hand as if to reassure him. "I'm old now. These things happen."
Old.
The word stung. Li Tian clenched his jaw. She had previously called herself "just a young woman with grandchildren," and now twice she was admitting to being old. He could barely stand it.
As the paramedics placed her into the ambulance, one of them asked him, "I'm sorry, but could you please clarify your relationship with the patient? We just need to confirm your identity before you can accompany her."
Li Tian shot a glare over his shoulder, feeling the eyes of the crowd still lingering. He could feel the weight of their stares, waiting for his answer. "I'm Xiaolang… her grandson."
---
Later, at the Hospital…
Knock. Knock.
Meilin entered the hospital suite quietly, her eyes scanning the room. Grandmama lay asleep in the bed, her frail body covered with hospital blankets, while Li Tian sat on a nearby sofa, staring blankly ahead. His clothes were stained with blood and dirt, and he didn't seem to notice her approach yet. He held a half-finished coffee can in his hand, his thoughts elsewhere.
"Tian?" Meilin whispered, approaching him cautiously.
Unsurprised by her arrival, he stood up slowly, motioning for her to follow him out into the hallway. He brought the coffee with him, which was a small, yet telling sign of how troubled he was.
After all, Li Tian hated coffee.
Once they were alone in the quiet corridor, she looked at him, worry etched across her face. "Tian, are you alright? You've got a little blood on your fa—"
"I'm fine," he interrupted, his voice deadpan. "I'm not the one lying in a hospital bed."
"I see..." Meilin understood that he was in distress, so she tried to press on gently. "Who is she? I heard bits and pieces, but I need to hear it from you."
"She's…" He hesitated, guilt gnawing at him. His mind replayed the scene over and over, torturing him with what he should have done differently. "She gave me a steamed bun... She helped me… and now she's hurt because of me."
"How did it happen?" Meilin asked softly. She wasn't entirely sure who the old lady was, but she had overheard a bit of their conversation through the earpiece earlier. The woman seemed kind, but a lot was still unclear, especially since Meilin hadn't been able to see what was happening. She only knew that Li Tian had cut the transmission right after demanding an ambulance. Thankfully, she'd acted quickly and called one right away. But she still needed the full picture from him.
"I was recognized," Li Tian said bitterly, his grip tightening on the coffee can. "She tried to calm the crowd, but they turned on her. Next thing I knew, she was on the ground..."
"That's terrible…" Meilin whispered, her heart aching at the thought. Some people just go too overboard. "How is she?"
"They just brought her out of surgery. They haven't told me anything so I don't know yet."
Suddenly, a doctor appeared from around the corner. Spotting them, he gave a brief, surprised look, as if their presence was unexpected. He quickly masked his surprise but couldn't entirely hide his curiosity. He turned to address Li Tian.
"You're Mister Xiaolang, Mrs. Kong's grandson?" the doctor asked, his tone a bit more cautious than usual.
"Yes, I am," Xiaolang replied, his voice steady.
Meilin, though confused by the interaction, wisely chose to remain silent, trying to make sense of what her cousin was trying to do. Plus, the fact that the doctor seemed so suspiciously taken aback only added to her curiosity.
"I'm Dr. Marin, Mrs. Kong's doctor," he said, flipping through a folder in his hands. "I must admit, this is a bit surprising. Mrs. Kong usually comes in alone... It's the first time she's ever had anyone with her, let alone two of you."
Li Tian's brows furrowed, and unease spread through him. "What do you mean?"
Dr. Marin paused, his eyes flicking to Li Tian before he looked down at the file, clearly wrestling with how much to say. "I'm sorry… Did she not tell you?"
"Tell me 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵, doctor?" Li Tian's voice became more strained, the grip on his coffee can tightening painfully. "Please… I'm her grandson."
Dr. Marin let out a long, almost reluctant sigh. Lowering the file, he glanced between the two of them before speaking softly. "Mrs. Kong Shuyao has been coming in and out of the hospital for the past two years... She has late-stage ovarian cancer. She stopped treatment a few months ago."
Meilin's eyes widened at the revelation, her mind racing with implications. Could this be what she thought it was? She glanced at Li Tian, but his face remained obscured. The only sign of his reaction was the growing tension in his grip on the can.
The doctor hesitated before continuing, his tone shifting with a mix of professionalism and compassion. "I'm terribly sorry... but she doesn't have much time left."
CRACK.
Coffee and blood spilled onto the hospital floor.
-----