Jehans quickly bought a set of Chinese chess and sent it to the sickroom.
Mr. Blake cheerfully set up the chess pieces, "It's been a long time since I played, Grace. You won the first prize in the competition, so you must let me win this time."
"Okay~" Grace Foster nodded her little head, familiar with this.
At home, she used to play chess with her father, grandparents, and brothers, and after the initial stages, she always let them win.
A game of chess began.
Mr. Blake did not hesitate to make the first move, treating his chess game with Grace seriously.
Grace Foster also looked serious, thinking about how to let her grandpa enjoy the game a bit longer.
Mrs. Blake watched quietly from the side, occasionally smiling meaningfully.
Five minutes later, Mr. Blake started drinking water frequently.
Ten minutes later, Mr. Blake felt the air around him was a bit stuffy, and sweat began to form on his forehead.
Fifteen minutes later...
Mrs. Blake laughed and said, "You might as well admit defeat. I'm tired just watching Grace."
Little Grace was not easy, worried about her grandpa making mistakes, and still had to let him win. She couldn't easily win.
Mr. Blake held out until the eighteenth minute before surrendering, "Grace, I admit defeat."
"But Grandpa didn't lose. He can move here oh!" Grace Foster pointed to a spot on the chessboard that she had intentionally left for her grandpa, "Moving here can continue playing."
Mrs. Blake couldn't help but laugh, "Grace, your grandpa is really bad at chess. You don't need to accommodate him."
Grace Foster puckered her lips, staring at the chessboard as if trying to find some merit in her grandpa's chess skills. "Um..."
Her grandpa was even worse at chess than her little brother, making many mistakes. It was hard for her not to win.
Mr. Blake drank two cups of water intermittently and sighed, "Grace is really amazing."
Grace Foster finally thought of something and sweetly praised him, "Grandpa also tried very hard!"
Mrs. Blake laughed even harder, wiping away tears of laughter. She suggested, "Why not go and ask Mr. Reid to teach you? Then you can play with Grace again in the future."
Otherwise, with his chess skills, she feared Grace would be led astray.
"I was just thinking the same thing," said Mr. Blake, embarrassed.
But Mr. Reid would probably not accept him as a disciple. At best, he might reluctantly agree to teach him chess out of respect for their old friendship.
Outside the sickroom door, Lu Xi listened to the sounds inside. Hearing the old lady's joyful laughter, she felt deeply moved. After the noise inside calmed down a bit, she knocked on the door again: "Old lady, the milk is ready."
"Bring it in."
Upon hearing that Grace mentioned having cows that produce milk at Bay Villa, she had someone bring some of Grace's milk over from there.
Grace Foster's milk bottle was cleaned and disinfected, then filled with fresh, warm milk.
Lu Xi handed the milk bottle to Grace, warning her to be careful of the heat.
"Thank you, big sister~" Grace Foster happily held the milk bottle, took a sip to test the temperature, and then drank it up eagerly once she confirmed it wasn't too hot.
Mrs. Blake saw Grace's eyelids becoming heavier and carried her to the bedroom. She sat by the bed and adjusted Grace's position, helping her hold the milk bottle so she could hold her mother's hand.
Mrs. Blake then kissed Grace's forehead gently and said, "Grace, sleep now."
Grace Foster finished her milk and fell asleep just as the last drop was gone.
Mr. Blake carefully took the milk bottle away and sat beside it.
The couple sat quietly, occasionally glancing at their daughter and grandson, basking in the peaceful atmosphere.
Meanwhile, at Bay Villa, the six brothers who were "invited" home in the morning seemed glued to the living room, never leaving.
Lucas Foster was restless, getting up and moving around too much until his fourth brother, Henry Foster, forcibly kept him seated.
Lucas Foster jingled the "silver handcuffs" on his wrists and said, "I miss Grace."
His second brother, Michael Foster, slapped his back and retorted, "You miss Grace, but what about these handcuffs?"
Lucas Foster was unapologetic: "Grace has a pair of silver handcuffs too!"
After all, they were both silver.
Henry Foster glanced at his sixth brother but made no move to unlock the handcuffs.
Upon mentioning the silver handcuffs, Lucas Foster thought about their magic and said, "These silver handcuffs are like Snowy; they've come to life."
He suspected that Grace's ability to leave Bay Villa undetected, despite all the security and surveillance, was aided by those silver handcuffs.
Since science couldn't explain it, Lucas Foster turned to his eldest brother for his opinion: "Big brother, what do you think?"
Alexander Foster sat upright on the sofa, turning a prayer bead in his hand. Without opening his eyes, he replied: "I haven't thought about it."
Alexander Foster guessed that the silver handcuffs were extraordinary. However, neither their father, William Foster, nor anyone in the Qin family had ever encountered such unscientific phenomena. Therefore, the secret of the handcuffs might be clearer to the Ye family.
Ethan Foster seemed to share his thoughts and took out his phone as if he had an urgent matter to attend to. He stood up to leave, prompting Lucas Foster to call out curiously, "Second brother, where are you going?"
Ethan Foster replied without looking back, "To make a phone call."
"Can't you make the call here? Why do you have to hide from us?" Lucas Foster wanted to follow but was stopped by the handcuffs.
He turned to his fourth brother, pleading, "Fourth brother, can you unlock them now?"
Henry Foster shook his head, refusing to comply.
Ethan Foster went to the castle gate and dialed a number: "Zhan Ding, it's me. Do you have Ye San's contact information?"
"Ye San? The third son of the Ye family?" Zhan Ding was a doctor at his hospital.
Ethan Foster recalled that once, in the middle of the night, Ye San, suffering from stomach pain, had come to their hospital under an alias, concealing his identity from his family. Due to the deep enmity between the Ye and Qin families at the time, Ye San refused Ethan Foster's treatment. Zhan Ding ended up handling the case and eventually became friends with Ye San through repeated visits.
Ethan Foster had thought it amusing that Ye San's minor stomach problem didn't warrant his personal attention. Since then, whenever Ye San had any health issues, Zhan Ding would take care of him. Over time, the two became good friends.
Zhan Ding questioned Ethan Foster's sudden interest in Ye San, given their past animosity. Ethan Foster clarified that he needed to contact Ye San urgently.
Zhan Ding agreed to send him Ye San's phone number, which Ethan Foster hoped would help resolve whatever issue he was facing.
After ending the call, Ethan Foster received a phone number from Jem. He did not hesitate much and dialed the number. After three seconds, a stable male voice answered the phone: "Hello, who is this?"
"I am Ethan Foster."
There was a brief silence on the other end before the male voice asked again, "Who?"
"I, Ethan Foster."
"Beep beep beep..."
The other party immediately hung up the phone and blocked his phone number, causing Ethan Foster to hear only busy tones when he tried to call back.
Ethan Foster, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, called Jem again, "Does he have another phone number? Send it to me."
"Oh, the one I gave you was his private number. I have his work number here. You might be able to reach his assistant if you call it," Jem suggested helpfully. "You couldn't get through? Maybe try again later. He might be busy."
Without explaining that he had been blocked, Ethan Foster simply said, "Send me his work number."
"Okay, I'll send it to you right away," Jem replied and quickly sent over another phone number.
Ethan Foster dialed this number and waited for about ten seconds before someone answered.
As expected, it was the assistant who answered. "You have reached our CEO's office. He is currently in a meeting. May I ask who you are and what business you have with him? If it's convenient, please tell me, and I will convey your message to him after the meeting."
"I am Ethan Foster. Tell him to make time for twenty minutes. I'm coming to the Leaf Group now."
Ethan Foster's words elicited a cold laugh from the other end of the line. The CEO himself seemed to be standing nearby listening, mocking, "Hmph, who does he think he is?"
The assistant maintained professionalism and politely responded, "I apologize, Mr. Foster, but our CEO's schedule is very tight and he cannot spare the time."
Ethan Foster found this strange. The man's reaction seemed as if he hadn't seen Grace yet. So Ethan Foster asked, "Your CEO hasn't gone to the hospital today?"
The assistant glanced at his boss and cautiously replied, "I apologize, Mr. Foster, but our CEO's itinerary is private information, so I cannot disclose it."
"Okay, never mind." Ethan Foster didn't wait for a response and hung up. He walked briskly towards the garage.
In the living room, upon hearing the engine sound, everyone looked at each other.
Michael Foster: "Is that Brother Number Two's car?"
Lucas Foster: "Where is Brother Number Two going suddenly?"
Henry Foster: "It doesn't seem like there's an emergency at the hospital."
Meanwhile, at the Leaf Group headquarters, in the CEO's office:
Owen Blake, the third son of the Leaf family and the current CEO of the Leaf Group, stood with a menacing expression. At just twenty-one years old, he inherited the advantageous looks of Mr. Blake and Mrs. Blake, making him very attractive to women. His silver-gray suit accentuated his tall figure, exuding an intimidating aura that commanded respect.
Owen Blake's face was dark as he stared at the phone with his work number. His assistant was nervous and didn't dare to speak.
Everyone knew that the Leaf family and the Qin family were not on good terms, yet today, the second son of the Qin family had called Owen Blake out of the blue, without even stating his purpose clearly.
After a moment of deliberation, the assistant quietly asked, "CEO, should we call back to clarify?"
"Who does he think he is, expecting me to call back?" Owen Blake sneered. "Block his number."
"Okay, CEO!" The assistant swiftly added Ethan Foster's number to the blacklist.
Owen Blake's mood improved slightly. He had the worst temperament among the Leaf brothers and was difficult to deal with. Ironically, despite his bad temper, he had held the CEO position steadily for almost four years. His foul mood seemed to deter others from messing with him, which unintentionally stabilized his position.
Owen Blake often complained to his brothers: "The Leaf Group will eventually be ruined by me."
Yet, the Leaf Group had been thriving in recent years.
"Crap," Owen Blake swore, feeling out of practice. "What's wrong with that Ethan Foster? He's a doctor, isn't he? Doesn't he know to see a doctor if he's sick?"
The assistant remained silent, expressionless, letting Owen Blake's complaints wash over him. Clearly, such situations were common.
Feeling better after ranting about Ethan Foster, Owen Blake focused on the earlier comment. "He mentioned the hospital... Does he know something about the hospital?"
Suddenly, Owen Blake remembered that he had seen his father speeding towards the hospital earlier. He had specifically instructed the medical staff responsible for his sister Evelyn Blake to notify him immediately of any changes in her condition.
When he called the medical staff after seeing his father rush to the hospital, they confirmed that Evelyn was fine. So why was Ethan Foster asking about the hospital?
Owen Blake turned to his assistant and asked, "What happened at the hospital? Is something wrong?"
The assistant responded meticulously, "CEO, the Qin CEO and his sons visited the hospital earlier but have since left. Only the young miss is still there."
"Who?!" Owen Blake was shocked. "Who is still in the hospital?"
The assistant repeated clearly, "The young miss, your niece, Grace Foster."
"Grace?!" Owen Blake was taken aback, almost losing his balance. "Are you sure it's Grace?"
He knew that the Qins had found Grace and even held a grand banquet to celebrate. However, he also knew that the Qins had tightened security around Grace's residence, making it impossible for him to sneak in. If he visited openly, news might reach his mother, potentially destabilizing her emotions.
To learn now that Grace was in their own hospital was shocking. "Are you certain?" he pressed.
The assistant nodded affirmatively. "Yes, CEO."
"Get the car ready." Owen Blake strode out of his office without a moment's delay.