Just out of the restaurant, Fu Hengyi let go of Shen Qinglan. "I'm sorry." Although he had meant to help her, it was an offence as well.
Shen Qinglan shook her head, "I should thank you, Mr. Fu, the major…" She swallowed the last word, general, when she saw Yu Xiaoxuan come out.
Fu Hengyi was not surprised that she knew him. After all, the Fu and Shen family had been friends for generations. Their grandfather and the Shen's enjoyed a lifelong friendship. Shen Junyu, the son, however, had not inherited his father's career; they had indeed grown up together when they were young, so they were naturally familiar with each other.
"Since you are Jun Yu's younger sister, when your brother is not around, I am supposed to take care of you." With a faint look, Fu Heng noticed the red mark on Shen Qinglan's wrist, which had obviously been left by Wei Lin. Since her skin was white, the mark looked even more red. Fu Hengyi's eyes were dark and deep, and no one could see through his thoughts.
Shen Qinglan nodded. Seeing Yu Xiaoxuan come over, she added, "I have something else to do, so I won't delay you. Goodbye."
Fu Hengyi didn't open his mouth and simply turned aside to make way.
Yu Xiaoxuan caught up, cast a glance at Fu Hengyi in a hurry, and offered him a brilliant smile. That man had helped Qinglan out of trouble. He was really a good man.
If Shen Qinglan had heard Yu Xiaoxuan's inner thoughts, she would have been speechless. Was he a good person simply because he had helped her out? How had she reached that conclusion?
"Qinglan, who is that handsome guy? Do you know him?" Yu Xiaoxuan followed Shen Qinglan, chirping constantly.
"He is really handsome. He is super fit as a boyfriend," she said obsessively. "Qinglan, do you have that handsome man's phone number? You can get in touch with him more. You two are a perfect match."
With Yu Xiaoxuan's chit chat in her ears, Shen Qinglan still looked calm, but her eyes showed deep helplessness.
"Aren't you thinking of how to tell your mother about what happened today?" Shen Qinglan's voice instantly reminded Yu Xiaoxuan of what she had forgotten.
She slapped her head heavily, "Poor me! I screwed up the blind date. My mother will not let go of me. No, Qinglan, you need to help me. My mother likes you best."
Yu Xiaoxuan put her hands together, making a pitiful gesture.
"As long as you tell the truth, Auntie won't embarrass you." Shen Qinglan spoke lightly, ignoring Yu Xiaoxuan's pathetic behavior.
She was telling the truth. That Wei Lin was obviously not a good person. As long as Yu Xiaoxuan was honest, her mother certainly wouldn't blame her—on the contrary, she was very likely to find fault with the guy.
Yu Xiaoxuan was Shen Qinglan's little fan sister. Whatever Shen Qinglan said, she would regard it as correct and follow her words. Hearing her saying so, she finally felt kind of relieved.
"By the way, Qinglan, are we going back to school? There's no class this afternoon, let's have fun! I heard that there's a new bar on West Street. Let's go and have a look!"
Shen Qinglan shook her head, "I have something to do in the afternoon and won't go back to school. You'd better not go to the bar alone. The final exam is coming soon, go home and have a good review."
Yu Xiaoxuan responded with a disappointed "fine" and got on the bus back home under Shen Qinglan's watch.
Shen Qinglan hailed a taxi directly and went to the Jing's No. 1 Hospital.
At the entrance of the geriatric ward of the hospital, just as Shen Qinglan was about to open the door, the doctor in charge came out. Seeing Shen Qinglan, he said, "Hi, Miss Shen."
Shen Qinglan took a look inside the ward, "Dr. Zhu, how is my grandmother?"
"The lady is in a good condition today. She just took some medicine and she has fallen asleep now."
"Okay. Thank you, Dr Zhu."
Shen Qinglan walked into the ward with great caution not to make any noise. On the bed was an old woman with white hair; her eyes were closed tightly and her breath was even: she was clearly asleep. Shen Qinglan quietly stared at her sleeping face for a while, then picked up the clothes that had not been washed and walked into the bathroom.
In reality, she didn't need to do that—the family had hired special nurses to take care of grandma Shen. However, Shen Qinglan always wanted to do something to express her gratitude toward the old lady who loved her immensely.
Grandma Shen didn't sleep very long. Just as Shen Qinglan had finished washing the clothes, she woke up.
"Lan Lan is here. Why didn't you wake me up?" Grandma Shen's eyes were full of love when she looked at Shen Qinglan.
"I hate to wake you up when I see you sleeping soundly." Although Shen Qinglan's tone was always plain and calm, it was much gentler than normal—it was obvious that she was very close to the old woman.
After arranging the clothes in her hand, she went over and carefully helped grandma Shen sit up.
Grandma Shen had late-stage liver cancer. Although she had the best doctor and was given the best treatment, she still could not be cured. She did not have much time left.
Grandma Shen held her granddaughter's hands, which were cool even in the summer, and said, "No class in the afternoon?"
"No class. I came to stay with you."
"I'm an old woman. What's the point of staying with me? You need to go out and have fun with friends more when you are free."
Her granddaughter was too quiet and had no friends, except for the two girls named Yu Xiaoxuan and Fang Tong.
"You have not seen me for a day and you don't miss me anymore?" Shen Qinglan made a joke, which she actually seldom did.
Grandma Shen smiled, "I couldn't love you more, why would I want to drive you away? It's just that…you should get along with friends more when you are young. Your grandfather even said yesterday that you are more of a little old man than he is."
The corner of Shen Qinglan's mouth rose lightly, which, in a subtle way, did lighten up her whole face instantly.
"He just worries too much. Is Grandpa back home today?" Whenever she came to the hospital, Grandpa Shen was usually there in his wife's company.
"I made him go back to rest. It's pointless for him to be here."
While the grandma and granddaughter were talking, Shen Qinglan's cell phone rang. She took it and had a look. Slightly stunned, she answered.
"Mom?"
"Well, I see. I'll be home on time this evening." Saying so, Shen Qinglan hung up.
Looking at Shen Qinglan's calm face, Grandma Shen asked, "A call from your mother?"
Shen Qinglan nodded lightly, explaining, "Shen Xitong is back. The whole family is holding a homecoming party for her. Mom is asking me to go back for dinner."
Grandma Shen's look calmed a little. Although she didn't say anything, she held her granddaughter's hands even tighter.
Shen Qinglan patted her hand gently, "Grandma, don't worry, I'm fine."
Watching Shen Qinglan's lonely back as she left, Grandma Shen gave a long sigh. She didn't have much time left—though she could still protect the child, what about when she would die?
When Shen Qinglan left the hospital, the sun was already setting in the west, and the cell phone in her pocket rang again. She took a faint look at the caller but didn't answer.