Seeing her granddaughter sitting by the bed and peeling an apple for her, the old woman asked with concern, "How are you doing in school recently?"
"Um, it's pretty good." Song Qingcheng raised her head and smiled at her grandmother. Her hands did not stop moving as she said casually, "The final exams are scheduled for the seventh and eighth of next month. Once I'm on holiday, I can come to the hospital frequently to accompany you."
"Your uncle visited me last week," Grandma said suddenly.
Grandma only had one daughter. This 'uncle' referred to Lu Xishan.
"He bought me a lot of food, but I couldn't finish them all. Some of them were taken home by the nurse's aide." Grandma's gaze on her face was filled with both pity and helplessness as she instructed earnestly, "You're living in your uncle's house. After you're done with your homework, do more housework for him."
"Alright," Song Qingcheng agreed obediently and passed the sliced apple to her grandma.
"I've thought about it. Once the weather gets cooler, I'll go through the discharge procedures. My condition can't be treated so I might as well go back to Yu Rao. The hospital over there can treat small issues like fevers and headaches. Staying here is just burning money."
Song Qingcheng's action of wiping down the fruit knife paused for a moment. Then, she immediately rejected her grandmother's suggestion. "That's not the same. Yu Rao is a small county, and South City is a capital city. Those experts on treating illnesses are all here." As she said that, she held the old woman's hand and said in a muffled voice, "You're the only family I have. If you leave South City, why would I stay here?"
The old woman's eyes turned red when she thought about how sick she was and how she could not give her granddaughter good care. She had seen Lu Xishan's wife before. She was a woman with a strong personality. Five years ago, she and Qingcheng—who was then sixteen years old—had been taken to the Lu family by Lu Xishan. Even though Ge Wenjuan did not say anything when she saw them, her condescending indifference was obvious.
The old woman sighed. "I've been a burden to you."
"Nonsense." Song Qingcheng's lips twitched as she tried her best to look cheerful. "I've just asked Dr. Fan, he said that your condition has been very stable recently."
"…" Looking at her sensible granddaughter, the old woman did not know what to say.
Song Qingcheng held the old woman's hand tightly and said solemnly, "Grandma, trust me, it will get better."
...…
At around 9 pm, Song Qingcheng returned to the Lu Family Villa from the hospital. The house was dimly lit and empty.
Today was Saturday, and Lu Xishan and his wife were going to the Ge family's house for dinner.
Ever since Lu Yunxuan got married and went to Switzerland with her husband, Lu Xishan and his wife had more frequent contact with Ge Wenjuan's family. As for the Lu family, Lu Xishan had only one deceased elder brother, and the rest were relatives from the extended family. They would only contact each other during the festive seasons.
When she returned to her room, Song Qingcheng threw herself onto the bed.
She stared at the ceiling as thousands of thoughts filled her mind. She thought about her grandma's illness, her situation, and the money that had to be spent like flowing water…
Just as she was in a daze, her phone rang.
Song Qingcheng pressed the answer button, and Shen Che's voice came from the other end. "Are you not coming to the Imperial Court tonight?"
The Imperial Court was the largest high-end nightclub in South City and included the operations of a bar and a business clubhouse. The business clubhouse was very successful, and famous politicians and big shots in the business world alike chose this place as their first choice for socializing.
She didn't open her eyes and mumbled, "If there's nothing important happening, I'm not going."
"I just went down to the bar. Jack has a cold and can't make a sound. He definitely won't be able to sing tonight. Brother Liang said he's paying a rescue rate of 1,000 yuan for three songs. First come, first served."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Song Qingcheng was instantly wide awake.
Shen Che chuckled.
After hanging up the phone, Song Qingcheng immediately got up and went to the closet. She opened the closet door and pulled out a tightly wrapped paper bag from the top shelf. After making sure that the wig, clothes, and other equipment were all there; she casually took a sling bag from the clothes rack, opened the door, and hurried downstairs.
Twenty minutes later…
Shen Che stood at the entrance of the Imperial Court and looked around. He was wearing the uniform of the clubhouse and had a name tag on his left chest.
Just then, a taxi stopped nearby.
A girl in a sleeveless shirt and jeans pushed open the car door and got down. She had heavy makeup on, and her slender long legs were so pale that they were dazzling in the dark. Shen Che immediately went up to her. "Big shot, I had to sneak out from work. If you had been any later, I'd really have to pay with my life as an apology to Brother Liang!"
As soon as she entered the Imperial Court, Song Qingcheng attracted the attention of a black and white Border Collie in the hall. It was very beautiful and had a khaki-colored leather collar around its neck. Attached to this via a leash was an Imperial Court staff trying to feed it snacks.
The Imperial Court had a no-pet policy. This Border Collie was clearly an exception.
Shen Che also noticed the Border Collie. "The boss of Hengyuan brought it over. You should have seen the brown-nosing manager—he was almost licking the man's boots. If it had been a normal customer, hehe."
"The boss of Hengyuan?" Song Qingcheng turned to look at Shen Che.
"He's playing cards upstairs with some other CEOs. He chose our private room. They didn't want to be disturbed by too many people around. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to sneak out."
They walked to the elevator as they spoke.
Song Qingcheng asked, "Do they play cards here often?"
Shen Che was about to reply when the walkie-talkie attached to his waist went off.
While he was conversing with the supervisor on the other end of the walkie-talkie, Song Qingcheng's eyes turned to the Border Collie. After the dog had eaten its fill, it was waving its glossy tail back and forth.
Sometimes, a human would live a life worse than a dog's.
After listening to the leader's instructions, Shen Che turned off the walkie-talkie and said, "Rich people will always bring trouble. They're asking me to bring the dog upstairs now."