I stepped out into the hallway and saw Grandma, her face a picture of worry. Her two bodyguards hurriedly walked away, leaving one behind to speak with her.
“Find my granddaughter. She wouldn’t wander off in this state,” Grandma’s voice trembled with concern, “Call anyone who can help.”
“Yes, Madame!” the bodyguard responded immediately.
Just as he was about to call someone, I stepped forward. My room wasn’t far from the boy’s, and I didn’t want to make her worry further.
“Grandma,” I called, my voice soft but clear.
The tall man, his attention momentarily distracted, heard the word “Grandma.”
His curiosity seemed to pull him in, and he turned back, looking at me, his gaze full of surprise and wonder.
“Zhi?” Grandma’s voice broke with a mix of relief and lingering anxiety.
The bodyguard, still standing near her, looked at her with shock, his face pale.
“Miss Lingzhi!” he exclaimed, rushing toward me.
“Are you okay, Miss Zhi?” His voice was filled with concern, and I could feel his genuine care.
“Yes, don’t worry. I’m fine, Chen. Sorry for causing you all this trouble,” I said, offering him a reassuring smile.
“It’s no problem, Miss Zhi. Madame has been worried ever since we arrived. She’s been searching for you,” Chen said, his words tinged with worry.
I sighed, trying to ease the tension in the air. “I’ll handle Grandma. You can return to your post now.”
“Yes, Miss Zhi,” Chen said with a nod, before turning to Grandma to explain that he would leave. After he left, I walked up to Grandma and wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tightly.
“I’m sorry, Grandma. Are you angry with me?” I asked softly, my voice tinged with guilt.
Grandma looked at me with tears in her eyes, a deep sadness in her gaze. The tall man, who had been quietly watching us from the doorway, blinked in surprise. He quickly closed the door and returned to his position, but I could feel his curiosity growing. Who was I to the woman he had just met? He couldn’t understand the weight of our connection.
“Grandma?” he muttered to himself.
“She’s the granddaughter of the CEO of the Children’s Hospital?” He paused, piecing things together. “I thought she was someone important’s daughter... but she’s just a granddaughter. That explains a lot.”
“Where did you go? Do you have any idea how worried I was? What if something happened to you?” Grandma’s voice broke as she spoke, the weight of her concern filling the room.
“Grandma, I’m fine,” I reassured her gently. “Why did you come here? I thought you had a meeting.”
She sighed, a soft, weary sound. “I was worried. I haven’t been able to visit you in a while. I was afraid... afraid that you might hurt yourself again.”
I chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood. “Grandma, you worry too much. I’m still here, still breathing.”
She reached out and lightly slapped my arm, making me wince. “Don’t change the subject. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Her words hit me harder than I expected. The pain of my past, the scars I had buried so deeply, surged to the surface. Yes, I had hurt myself before. And I would never forget it. It was the darkest time of my life, the moment when I believed the pain would swallow me whole. I didn’t want to live anymore, thinking that death would finally bring me peace. But death didn’t come. The pain only deepened, and I couldn’t escape it.
I remembered that moment clearly: I had been unconscious, my body battered and bruised, when one of the staff members at the Children’s Center found me. She immediately called for help, and before I knew it, doctors were tending to my wounds. Grandma came to the center, her face full of fear and love. She stayed by my side for three days, visiting me every single day until I was no longer physically sick. But that wasn’t why she came. She was afraid. Afraid that I might hurt myself again, that I might fall into that dark place once more.
And as I stood there with Grandma in my arms, I realized that the love she had for me was stronger than anything else in this world. I wasn’t alone anymore. I didn’t have to fight my battles by myself. And I wasn’t going to fall into the same darkness again.
I pouted. “Grandma, I’m sorry. I won’t make you worry again, okay?”
“Hmph! You’d better not. I want great-grandchildren, at least one,” she said, giving me a teasing but pointed look.
“Grandma? What are you talking about? I don’t even have a boyfriend yet, let alone a husband,” I replied, looping my arm around hers with a laugh.
“How can you find one when you refuse all the men I suggest?” she said as we walked into my hospital room.
