Sitting in a corner peeling apples, Ruan Yufeng and Yan Shudan exchanged glances; even the heavens were helping them!
"Getting married?" Yan Shudan feigned surprise.
Madam Yan did not spare Yan Shudan a glance. Instead, her grip on Yan Yiren's hand tightened. "Yiren, your mother isn't around anymore. Grandma would like to hand you over to a man who will be able to take care of you for a lifetime. It's too bad an old hag like me is no longer of any use..."
"Grandma, don't say those things." Yan Yiren pulled a face, looking very serious.
Yan Shudan lowered her head, admiring her fresh manicure. "Grandma, I'm afraid that that's a prophecy."
Madam Yan was surprised. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Yiren is already seeing someone. So a wedding may be on the horizon. It's good to start preparations early. Otherwise, the bride-to-be might be on the losing end." Yan Shudan put up a respectful face before asking, "Grandma, don't you agree?"
"Yiren, is this all true?" Madam Yan's cloudy eyes glimmered in excitement.
Yan Yiren looked at Yan Shudan, pursing her lips as she hesitated...
"Aiya, I think I got it wrong." Hitting her lips softly, Yan Shudan exclaimed, "Grandma, I was just spouting nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."
From Yan Shudan's caginess, the old lady knew something was up.
"What is happening, Shudan. Please explain yourself."
Yan Shudan acted as if she had been put in a spot. She looked over to Ruan Yufeng in an attempt to ask for her help. The latter patted her shoulder, reassuringly. "Dandan, tell us all that you know. We're doing this for Yiren's good. We don't want her to go down the wrong path."
Yan Yiren snickered. "Go down the wrong path?
When did she go down the wrong path?
"I mean, I've only heard it from my friend, who heard it from her friend. She said that Yiren….. Yiren..."
Madam Yan's face fell. She took a look at Yan Yiren, who remained silent, before taking a look at Yan Shudan and her mother. "Say it!"
"Yiren is having an affair with the president of her company, a married man. This is not a secret in their company."
"You, you..." The old lady only managed to get out these two words, clearly in a rage.
Her eyes rolled over as she collapsed.
"Grandma! Grandma!" Yan Yiren shouted.
Yan Shudan and Ruan Yufeng jumped to their feet and pretended to be concerned as they rushed to the old lady's side.
"Get out, both of you!" Without knowing where her strength came from, Yan Yiren pushed the two of them away.
Ruan Yufeng staggered backward, her back hitting the chair. Pain overwhelmed her.
After breaking out of her stupor, she gave her a tight slap. "The audacity you have!"
With red-rimmed eyes, Yan Yiren stared fiercely at the mother-daughter duo. Forcing the words out from her teeth, she said, "If anything happens to grandma, I'll kill you both."
Those words, coming from someone they considered inferior, made Ruan Yufeng and Yan Shudan retreat. Yan Yiren shocked the two of them by baring her fangs.
"Tell the driver to get the car ready. We're going to the hospital immediately."
Yan Yiren had no time to deal with them. She called for people frantically, calling for them to take grandma to the hospital.
...
At the hospital, the old lady was administered first aid before being sent into a ward.
Once Yan Ningkang got the news, he rushed to the hospital from work. At the sight of the ailing old lady, he blew his top, "What happened? She was just fine this morning. Why was she rushed into the emergency room all of a sudden?"
Yan Shudan rushed to speak, "It's all because of Yan Yiren. She's hooking up with a married man, her company's president. The rumors had reached my ears, and I accidentally let it slip. Once grandma heard that, she got so angry she fainted."
"You!" Yan Ningkang pointed a trembling finger at Yan Shudan. He was so angry he could hardly speak.
"Father, I didn't do it on purpose. If you want to blame someone, blame Yan Yiren."