Mr. Blake had originally planned not to converse with a goose, but seeing how excited Snowy was, he decided to address it.
"Ahem."
He walked over to Snowy and said, "You must be hungry. William Foster is at the hospital entrance, so you can follow my assistant, Jeehans, downstairs to meet him. He'll take you back to Bay Villa."
Snowy was angry and flapped its wings while glaring with its small eyes: "Honk! I'm not leaving! As long as Grace is here, I'm here too!"
Mr. Blake, not understanding, looked puzzled. After watching Snowy for a moment, he realized, "Oh, you're eager to leave right now? Alright, I'll call Jeehans in."
He turned and walked to the door, opening it and calling, "Jeehans."
"Yes, sir," Jeehans responded.
Mr. Blake pointed to the goose on the sofa, "Take Snowy to find William Foster."
"Okay, sir," Jeehans agreed and walked towards Snowy.
Snowy protested, "Honk! Don't come near me! I don't want to leave!"
Jeehans hesitated, unsure how to handle the situation, and looked to Mr. Blake for guidance.
Mr. Blake explained, "It seems like Snowy is anxious to return to Bay Villa."
Understood, Jeehans approached Snowy without hesitation this time, though he was still nervous about being pecked by the goose.
In another room, Grace Foster, hearing Snowy's persistent calls outside, asked her grandmother, Mrs. Blake, if they could go see what was happening.
Mrs. Blake agreed and carried Grace out to see. They found Mr. Blake instructing Jeehans to take Snowy away.
Grace quickly informed her grandfather that Snowy did not want to leave, contrary to his assumption.
Snowy, meanwhile, continued to protest, "Honk! I'm not excited, I'm angry! I've said it so many times, and no one understands!"
Grace translated Snowy's words for her grandparents, explaining that Snowy wanted to stay with her.
Realizing the misunderstanding, Mr. Blake called Jeehans back, deciding not to force Snowy to leave.
Snowy calmed down after a moment, understanding that it could stay with Grace. The scene returned to normal, and the family resumed their conversations.
Mr. Blake expressed curiosity about how Grace could communicate with Snowy, to which she replied that Snowy was very smart.
Mrs. Blake marvelled at Grace's ability and felt there might be more extraordinary events to come.
Outside, William Foster anticipated the outcome and instructed Jeehans to bring Grace's phone to her in the hospital.
Back inside, Jeehans delivered the phone to Grace, who was happy to receive it. The family continued their interactions, with Snowy staying close to Grace.
Thus, the initial misunderstanding was resolved, and the family dynamics were further explored in this heartwarming tale.
William Foster refused Andrew Hale's proposal and sat in the back seat of the car, taking out his phone and waiting patiently.
Jehans carefully carried a cute and stylish mobile phone, taking the elevator back to the floor where the hospital room was located.
He cautiously knocked on the door twice and heard a "Come in" from Mr. Blake before entering.
In the living room, Mrs. Blake held a little milk dog and sat on the sofa, while Mr. Blake sat on the other side, and a snowy-white dog stood on the ground.
The atmosphere in the sickroom was harmonious and warm, as if a family was chatting.
Jehans, holding the phone, hadn't spoken yet when Grace Foster noticed the phone in his hand.
Her round eyes brightened, and she joyfully said, "Big brother, this phone looks just like Grace's phone!"
Jehans couldn't help but smile and walked towards her, respectfully answering, "Little miss, this is your phone. Mr. Qin asked me to deliver it to you."
"Qin?" Grace Foster looked behind Jehans and saw no one else.
Her little ears listened carefully for footsteps, but heard none.
She was very disappointed and slumped her small shoulders, "Qin didn't come?"
Jehans couldn't answer that question, completed his task, and quietly left the sickroom.
Mr. Blake comfortingly stroked Grace's head and asked, "Grace also has a phone? What's Grace's phone number?"
Grace Foster looked at her phone and shook her little head blankly, "Grace doesn't know."
Mr. Blake asked again, "Then how do you use this phone to contact your dad? Is it by making phone calls?"
Grace Foster explained seriously, "Um... it's video calls. You can see Qin, and Qin can also see Grace."
As soon as she said that, she quickly opened the phone and deftly clicked on the screen.
Mrs. Blake saw this and immediately stood up, placing Grace on the sofa and saying, "Grace, you sit here. I'll go to the room."
She walked into the room.
Mr. Blake looked at her, then at Grace, and decided to stay in the living room with her.
The video call was picked up instantly, and William Foster's face appeared on the screen with a voice full of longing: "Grace."
After several hours of separation, the emotion of reunion made him nearly unable to control his expression.
"Qin!" Grace Foster happily curved her round eyes. She hadn't seen her father for half a day, and suddenly missed him very much.
Her round eyes were teary, and she sniffled, "Qin, Grace misses you~ Grace forgot to bring her phone, so she couldn't call you earlier."
"It's okay, it's not late now." Through the screen, William Foster raised his hand and gently wiped her tears, asking, "Have you had lunch, Grace?"
"Yes, I ate lunch with my grandma. I finished all the milk, bread, and cookies in my backpack!" She blinked her round eyes and cheerfully replied, then hurriedly asked, "Did Qin eat lunch?"
William Foster, sitting in the car, silently looked at the cold lunch in the front seat and lied, "Yes, I did."
Grace Foster mentioned her mother, who was in the room resting, and William Foster responded with a troubled breath.
"And did Qin visit Mommy in the hospital?" she asked.
William Foster hesitated and finally replied, "I'm busy with work. Maybe next time."
Grace Foster wasn't surprised by his answer but felt a bit disappointed.
William Foster tried to change the subject and noticed it was quiet on her end, with only Grace's voice.
He asked, "Grace, are you alone in the sickroom?"
"No," Grace Foster shook her little head. "Grandma is in the room with Mommy, Grandpa is here with Grace, and Snowy is here too."
She turned the camera towards her grandfather.
Mr. Blake and William Foster made brief eye contact through the screen.
William Foster calmly greeted, "Dad."
Mr. Blake responded with a terse "Hmm."
Grace Foster looked between her grandfather and her father on the screen, not understanding the subtle tension between them.
Mr. Blake then handed the camera back to Grace and let her continue talking to her father.
William Foster asked, "Grace, does Snowy need to eat? Should I come pick you and Snowy up now?"
Mr. Blake secretly rolled his eyes at this tactic.
Grace Foster looked at Snowy and translated its words: "Qin, Snowy says it's not hungry."
William Foster, trying to maintain his composure, gripped the phone tightly.
For some reason, he felt Grace didn't want to go home right now.
"Qin is in the car, going to work?" Grace Foster recognized his background as his car.
William Foster paused before answering, feeling a mix of fear and anxiety about Grace's safety.
Grace Foster saw he was silent and asked, "Qin?"
"I'm here, Grace," William Foster reassured her, forcing a smile. "Yes, I'm on my way to the company."
"Well..." Grace Foster didn't want to hang up yet. "Can Grace keep talking until Qin gets to the company?"
"Of course," William Foster agreed, not wanting to end the call either.
Andrew Hale turned around and gestured silently, asking if they should head to the company now.
William Foster nodded lightly.
The car that had been parked at the hospital for several hours finally started moving towards the Qin Group.
Shortly after the car left, Mr. Blake received a message from Hans, informing him of the departure of the President of Qin Group.
Upon seeing the message, Mr. Blake was visibly relieved and pleased that their granddaughter would stay with them for the next few hours.
His eyes softened as he watched Grace Foster, who was still on a video call with her father.
Only the sweet sound of her voice filled the living room, causing Mr. Blake's lips to curl up slightly.
The distance between the hospital and the Qin Group was not far, and traffic was light at that time of day.
William Foster glanced at the front seat, his eyes showing a hint of displeasure at how quickly they had arrived at the company.
As the car stopped in front of the Qin Group's main entrance, Andrew Hale got out of the car and went around to open the rear door.
When he met the cold gaze of the President, Andrew quickly realized his mistake and closed the door gently.
He stood by the car, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
Inside the car, William Foster continued to talk softly with Grace, listening to her recount the special note she left in the castle's living room, how she sneaked out of the castle, and how brave she was when she went to the hospital to find her mother.
William found it both impressive and worrying that his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter had managed to leave the castle with a backpack and a goose.
He had to be serious and tell her, "Grace, from now on, you must always tell your dad where you're going and what you're doing. You're still small and can't go out by yourself."
Grace lowered her head, "Daddy is angry?"
"Yes, I'm angry because you could have been in danger," William said, trying to maintain his sternness. "But you should also know that I'm worried about you."
Grace promised not to leave alone again, and William felt a mix of relief and regret for being so strict with her.
Mr. Blake, seeing Grace wipe her tears, felt a pang in his heart and wished to scold William. But he knew he couldn't interfere, as Grace's actions had indeed been dangerous.
He decided to change the subject and mentioned that they should have reached the Qin Group by now.
Grace looked at the screen and saw that her dad wasn't moving, indicating that they had indeed arrived.
She told her dad to go and work, looking forward to when she could earn enough money to let him retire.
William ended the call reluctantly, thinking that at least he could pick her up later.
—-
Mr. Blake comforted Grace, wiping her tears with a handkerchief and asking if she was sad.
Grace shook her head, saying she understood why she shouldn't go out alone.
Mr. Blake asked about the competition she mentioned, and Grace excitedly told him about her recent win in an chess tournament.
Mr. Blake was surprised and impressed, especially since she had learned from someone named "Mr. Reid," whom he vaguely remembered as an old classmate who was passionate about chess.
Mrs. Blake joined the conversation, confirming that Grace had indeed learned from Mr. Reid.
Mr. Blake asked if Mr. Reid had offered to take her as his apprentice, and Grace mentioned that she already had a master.
When asked who, Grace hesitated but couldn't give a clear answer.
Mrs. Blake suggested they drop the topic and praised Grace for her skills.
Mr. Blake decided to buy a chess set so he could play with Grace, feeling proud of her accomplishments.