Weiwei felt uneasy.
Qi had gone to work that particular morning with a brief mention of an important meeting, but for some reason his words unsettled her. The way he said it, a little distracted, unusually quiet, lingered in her mind, stirring a sense of discomfort she couldn't shake. She had tried to ask him about the details, but his response was too abstract, and she hadn't pressed further.
She started going over her job applications to focus her mind on something else. Surprisingly, there were some interview invitations, and at any other time that'd make Weiwei very happy. But today, everything felt off to her.
Several times she picked up the phone, fighting the urge to message Qi. But each time, she found a reason not to.
What if I'm overthinking it? What if he's in that meeting? I don't want to disturb him more than he already is.
Then, around midday, the phone rang.
"Are you busy?" Qi asked.
"No, what's going on?"
"I've just got a message from Ms. Zhang, my grandpa's maid, that he isn't feeling well," Qi spoke quickly but calmly. "I'm tied up in the office until late in the day. Would you consider looking in on him before that?"
This time it sounds like he's in fact sick.
"Of course!" Weiwei said. "I'll leave right away."
"Please take a taxi," she heard Qi sigh. "Please message me how things are once you're there, if you could."
"Certainly! Don't worry about it."
Weiwei found Grandpa Feng seated in a chair next to his bed. "He insisted," whispered Ms. Zhang to Weiwei in secret at the front door. "He didn't want you to see him bedridden."
Why? I'm here to help him, not pay a social visit.
"Grandfather, how are you feeling?" asked Weiwei.
"I'm okay, I'm fine, really," said the old man, putting on a brave face. "Still, I'm glad to see you, even though it's nothing."
He strained to hold his head high.
"Grandfather, you didn't have to get out of bed, if you're sick," said Weiwei, with a touch of gentle reproach. "I would feel much better if you didn't go through all this trouble for me."
"Who said it's for you?" Grandpa Feng grinned. "I did it for myself."
Weiwei smiled politely. "Even so, please pace yourself."
The old man waved his arms. "I never did that in my entire life, why start now!"
Weiwei picked up the phone and sent a message to Qi: "He seems to be doing better. Take the time that you need."
She spent time talking with Grandpa Feng about the old days, his family, his backyard, and telling him about her hometown.
Qi arrived after dark, looking tired and preoccupied.
"There he is!" exclaimed Grandpa Feng. "Now you, young couple, would want to spend some time together. Go home, I'm tired too. I'll go to bed."
"We can go in a bit," said Qi and paused as if trying to make up his mind. "There is something I wanted to ask you first."
Qi glanced at Weiwei.
It must be business related. I should give them some privacy.
"I'll leave you to it," said Weiwei, getting up.
"You're too polite, Weiwei," the old man said, shaking his head. "I consider you part of the family already."
Weiwei shook her head. "You're too kind, Grandfather, but I don't want to meddle in the business affairs."
Weiwei moved into a corner to let Qi speak with his grandfather. But she couldn't help overhearing Qi repeating an unfamiliar name and the amount of twenty million.
They both look upset about something. I thought everything was back to normal.
Finally, Qi got up and called Weiwei over. "Come say goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye? No, we're not leaving." Weiwei stood up and came closer. "Grandfather," she said, "we're going to stay until you get better."
Grandfather Feng looked genuinely surprised. "Out of the question," he protested. "I don't have people stay over."
Weiwei shook her head. "We're staying until you get better."
The old man blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize she could be stubborn," he said to Qi with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry," said Weiwei. "It's not just simple stubbornness. I keep thinking of my grandma. I wasn't with her when I should've, and she was alone when she…"
What am I saying? I don't want to talk about death right now.
"…got sick," she finished.
She saw a change on Grandfather Feng's face. He swallowed hard. "Suit yourselves," he said, suddenly calming down. He glanced at Qi. "There is your old room, of course, but I don't even know what state it's in. No one's been using it." He pressed Weiwei's hand. "And now, forgive me, I'm tired, I'd like to get some sleep."
"Of course," said Weiwei. "We'll check in on you later."
When they came out, Ms. Zhang took them to the kitchen for some snacks, while she helped Grandfather Feng get back into bed.
"What is the problem you talked about?" asked Weiwei after eating in silence and observing Qi's worried expression for a while.
Qi sighed. "It's the funding agreement I told you about…" he started, reluctantly. "As I was afraid, Ms. Wu decide to block it. She called me today and told me she'll vote against it, after all."
Oh no! That troublemaker!
Weiwei felt deflated. "So what happens now?"
"That puts the entire company on the edge of bankruptcy," said Qi. "No doubt, Ms. Wu has another funding partner on standby, but she will keep it a secret after the shareholder meeting. If she removes the current CEO and appoints someone of her choosing, then she can replace the funding agreement I had signed with another one. This way the company would be stabilized and she would have complete control."
Weiwei's heart sunk. "What will happen to you and your grandfather?"
"We will retain our shares, of course. But she insists on me leaving my role, so we will only vote as investors at shareholder meetings in the future."
"Was that what the 20 million was about?"
"Lawyer Li was able to secretly get an offer from one of the investors to sell a portion of their shares to my grandfather to give him and me enough votes to defend the current agreement. But everything's already been leveraged to make that funding agreement possible – and we won't be able to negotiate a commercial loan on such short notice."
Suddenly, Weiwei knew what she had to do.
How could he forget!
"My coins!" she exclaimed. "Lawyer Li told me they could be used as collateral."
"Maybe, but those are your memories," Qi shook his head. "There is no way I'll let you sell them."
"And I won't let you and you grandpa lose your business." She saw that Qi was still frowning. "I'm proposing we use them as collateral. Once the dust settles, and you find the money, we can pay back the loan and return the coins."
Qi mulled it over. "No, it's too risky. And we don't know if we're going to get the sufficient amount."
"Let's call Lawyer Li and find out." Weiwei pulled out her phone.
"Wait," Qi stopped her. He gently put her hand in the palm of his hand. "Are you sure? I can't let you risk all you have left."
Weiwei smiled. "I want to do it. And I have confidence in you, Vice President Feng."