The receptionist took Dongmei to the VIP elevator without saying anything. Dongmei, the girl who had never been outside before could see the elevator in real life. She knew what it was and the credit goes to the dramas she had been watching.
She touched the elevator's metallic surface like it was a treasure. The receptionist found it strange and could not help but ask the girl who was reluctant to come inside, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Dongmei shook her head and slowly moved her right toe and dragged herself inside as she remembered the scene of getting stuck in this huge machine box and a character almost dying because of it.
Her eyes were shut closed as she prayed in her heart, "Please get me there to my father alive."
"OH! I should have taken the stairs," she said aloud, this scared the woman beside her who was scrolling through her phone.
"Why? Do you have claustrophobia?"
"You should have told me."
The receptionist grew concerned, if something happened to the girl, she will be held liable.
Dongmei hurriedly explained, "It's just that I have never..."
'No, I can't tell people that I have never been outside.'
'They might take advantage of my weakness.'
"What never?" She asked.
"I have never been feeling this nervous." She said trembling. She nodded and asked after realizing something was off, "Hey, why are you nervous though? Why do you want to meet the patient on VVIP floor 12?"
Dongmei spoke without showing her hesitancy, "That man! I owe him one. I just came here to visit him but got admitted to the hospital instead." she gave out an embarrassed laugh.
"OH! I see." she again started scrolling through the phone.
"Woah! Holy cow!!!!!" The receptionist screamed her heart out in the elevator, making Dongmei's soul separate from her.
She could not help but melt down on the floor covering her ears as her lips fluttered like ice in a mixer.
"What happened?" she stuttered, looking up to the woman who looked overly excited.
The receptionist looked at Dongmei and immediately picked her up, "Sorry! Sorry! I did not mean to scare you." she felt guilty for her action.
'Ding...'
The elevator opened and the floor looked like an entirely different planet. Dongmei hurriedly came out as fast as she could.
"Wait...Young lady."
"Don't jump around. Your hands." the receptionist followed her out.
Dongmei turned to her after calming herself down, "Woman??? What made you scream like that in my ears?"
The receptionist knew she was wrong and to reason her action, she showed an article from a popular website. Dongmei was curious and read the headline.
"Qian Ying thanks Qian Jin for taking care of his son."
"Just nonsense! You acted like you got the atom bomb's blueprint or hit a jackpot." Dongmei spoke as annoyance covered her face.
"I would rather not get any of it."
"This news in itself is a jackpot to me." She said as stars started appearing in her eyes.
Dongmei's brows furrowed as she read through it again, "Qian Ying thanks Qian Jin for taking care of his son."
'I read it right.'
'I am not wrong.' she confirmed, but the reaction of the woman in front of her made her confused. So, she rubbed her big eyes and read it again.
'Qian Ying thanks Qian Jin for taking care of his son.'
Now that she confirmed it, she spoke furiously, "Don't you think it's just a person thanking another person for taking care of his son."
"I wonder who writes articles about such a useless thing."
"I never got to read such lame articles before," she said about to head towards the empty lobby which was covered with translucent glasses, this kind of creeped her out.
"Oh! Wait, the room is in this direction." The receptionist pointed to the left side which was opposite where Dongmei was going.
She started marching towards the room which had a label on it 'VVIP 12'. The receptionist followed her and said, "I came with you to lead the way....." she uttered in a low tone.
"It means that the handsome Qian Jin does not have an illegitimate son."
"I guess you don't know him."
"I was eating with my boyfriend when I got the news of him having an illegitimate son."
"I sprayed my drink on my poor man."
"When my night shift started, I was feeling so low. That I had to take my happy pills."
"Dramas!" She spoke continuously until they reached the room. Dongmei was so lost in her thoughts and worries that she did not even bother to make the speaking machine silent.
Her hands slowly approached the handle of the door but she turned to take a check of the lobby. Her gazes moved around inspecting the walls and windows.
'Something is off." She whispered.
The receptionist was smart enough to read the atmosphere and spoke in a low murmuring voice, "There is no one here guarding the VVIP patient."
"Which is unusual for an important person like him. Isn't it?"
Dongmei nodded as she was assured that the receptionist was no dumbhead chatterbox.
After waiting for a while, they heard someone opening the door from inside. She showed quick reflexes and pulled Dongmei to a corner and they sat down, hiding away from the figure who walked out with an echoing thud of a walking cane.
Dongmei covered her mouth with her bandaged palm as her eyes widened to look at the man, who was her cruel grandfather crying.
His red eyes showed that he has been crying for a long time. He walked up to the nearest couch which was kept there instead of a steel bench.
He sat down as his big figure looked smaller than before in the lonely night all alone in the lobby. He was whining as he said, "I should have taken care of son more attentively. He is in a coma now."
"Son, wake up! You have to open your eyes." He said as tears soaked his handkerchief. Dongmei also started shedding tears and trying to control her voice to reach her grandfather's ears.
She was remembering the time when her grandfather stayed up all night beside her when she was suffering from fever at a young age. He did not let anyone come near her as he was afraid that they might carry some other disease that may affect her.
He was a loving grandfather, which made his sudden change of personality a mystery for Dongmei. She looked up at the old man again and found him to be fast asleep after crying for over an hour.
The receptionist beside her was also dozing off, Dongmei found the opportunity to sneak in. She walked with feathery steps and carefully opened the door which surprisingly made no sound. She walked in like a cat and finally saw her father behind a glass.
No matter how much she tried, the lock on the entrance did not allow her to go out. After several attempts, she gave up as tears and panic had made a home on her face.
"Father!!! Are you okay?"
"Why did you faint all of a sudden?"
"You also should have kicked him like a grandfather."
"Why must you take it to your heart?"
"Father! I am alone."
"They are abandoning me."
"Nobody but my family."
"Please come and save me."
"I will never go against you all."
"Please explain this to grandfather."
"Mother had told me secretly before the ceremony that we need help from the Lin Family."
"It is a big favor so they wanted me to marry Lin Xie."
"However, they were not serious to marry me. Weren't they?"
"That must be because of Lin Bao's mother."
"I was also unwilling. Can't they be more reasonable?"
"Father, I won't upset you anymore."
"Please wake up!" She crouched down as the tears did not stop streaming down.
A moment later, a big wrinkled hand grabbed her wrist. Dongmei was startled to look up and her eyes met the red numb old pair of eyes of her grandfather.
"Grandfather!!!" Her heart sank as she knew she was about to be thrown out.
He dragged her out and made her seat on the couch and settled himself down beside her.
Tension and panic had stiffened the atmosphere. No one was speaking or crying. Dongmei's heart was preparing itself to be broken again by the harsh words of her grandfather.
"Did you sleepwalk?" He broke the ice by asking her in an emotionless tone.
Dongmei nodded and then shook it in disagreement. The old wrinkled face sniggered at the young lady. He inspected her and said, "You have suffered."
Dongmei raised her eyes to look up at her grandfather in amazement. A strand of joy ran through her blood. "Don't think I will let you come back," he spoke as he noticed the change in her expression.
He succeeded, Dongmei withered before she could bloom. "Why?" She cried.
"Because you are a taboo."
"You have caused many disasters unknowingly."
"I wonder how evil you will become when you do things knowingly."
"Grandfather, how come you are sure of it?" she asked to reason his statement.
But the old Bai zipped his mouth and closed his eyes to avoid the girl who grew up on his palm. She had been the source of joy for years. Her sweet presence was what the Bai Family treasured the most.