In the car, Sheng Jiaoyang appeared to be a little dejected.

Shen Zhining held her hand and comforted her, "Everyone"s life is predestined."

Sheng Jiaoyang laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "If my mother hadn"t made such a choice then, would everything be different now?"

"Things are how they are, there"s no point in overthinking it."

Sheng Jiaoyang sighed, her mind still consumed by the doctor"s words. The doctor said that Sheng Xun"s wasn"t doing very well, and that using the word "bad" to describe his condition would be an understatement.

What she couldn"t get over the most was the following words from the doctor: "The most crucial thing is the patient is not cooperating. He doesn"t have the conscious will to live on."

She thought of the lonesome figure she saw when she was leaving the cemetery, and then she thought of the sight of Sheng Xun, lying on the bed as though he would never come around again. Sheng Jiaoyang suddenly felt a suffocation in her heart.

"I want to come and visit him more often," Sheng Jiaoyang opened her eyes and said.

Shen Zhining turned to look at her, "Okay, I will accompany you."

"It"s okay, I can come alone. You already took a month off work, you have many things to settle too," Sheng Jiaoyang rejected him.

Shen Zhining stared at her for a few moments before he agreed to it.

The next day, Sheng Jiaoyang arrived at the hospital early in the morning. She wore a mask and had two bodyguards behind her as she headed towards Sheng Xun"s ward.

At this time, there was only a caretaker in the ward. Sheng Yi and Sheng s.h.i.+yun were nowhere to be seen.

Sheng Jiaoyang was relieved that she didn"t have to engage in a battle of words. While the caretaker was saying, "The patient is resting, please visit again at a later time," Sheng Jiaoyang had already walked to the bedside and looked at Sheng Xun, whose oxygen mask had been taken off.

Almost like there was some sort of telepathy, Sheng Xun actually opened his eyes and saw Sheng Jiaoyang.

Sheng Xun was stunned. He seemed to be in disbelief and looked as though he was thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Jiaojiao—"Sheng Xun lifted his hand feebly.

"I know about your condition," Sheng Jiaoyang said indifferently. Her gaze landed on his lifted hand, but she didn"t reach out to hold it.

Seeing her nonchalant att.i.tude, a glimmer of disappointment flickered across Sheng Xun"s eyes, but he still tried to force a smile and said, "We all have to die eventually. Sorry for worrying you."

Sheng Jiaoyang"s expression turned colder. "Which part of me is sending you the message that I am worried? I"m just here to see how pitiful you are."

Sheng Xun was not the least bit bothered by her words. Being here in person already meant that she cared for him, and this was enough to make him happy.

Sheng Xun looked towards the caretaker by the side and asked him to take a stroll outside.

The caretaker took a look at the both of them. Since his employer had given the orders, he naturally wouldn"t go against it. He exited the room, only to be startled by the two men standing outside the door.

Only the father and daughter were left in the ward.

"Jiaojiao, take a seat," Sheng Xun tried to sit up, but couldn"t muster the strength to.

Sheng Jiaoyang could feel her eyes twitching as she watched Sheng Xun struggle. Without any hesitation, she had already bent down to help him up, and she had also placed a pillow behind his bed so that it would be more comfortable for him to lean against.

Sheng Xun"s eyes were filled with a tender and loving smile as he silently watched.

Sheng Jiaoyang met his gaze, and suddenly felt a stuffiness in her nose. She immediately avoided his gaze by turning away. Then, she went to fetch a chair for herself, while taking the opportunity to adjust her emotions.

"Why are you unwilling to undergo chemotherapy?" Sheng Jiaoyang asked.

She already heard of the truth from the doctor yesterday. Sheng Xun didn"t suffer a stroke. Instead, he had liver cancer, and the cancer cells had already started to spread. If he refused to undergo treatment, he could falter to the disease at any time, but there would be a chance of survival if he accepted the treatment.

"It"s good to be relieved earlier," said Sheng Xun.

Sheng Jiaoyang stared at him. She wanted to ask questions like: Isn"t there anything worth living for, is he going to just forsake the business that he built up so painstakingly, and is he not going to care about his parents too?

She had many questions that she wanted to ask, but couldn"t ask a single one.

Sheng Xun stared at Sheng Jiaoyang, and he was reminded of the adorable and lovely Little Sun from his memories. On their deathbeds, humans would usually start to reminisce about the good memories from the past.

"Jiaojiao, do you still remember the times when you were a kid? Every day, when I came home from work, you would be the first to run and welcome me. You would even ma.s.sage my legs and ask if I was exhausted from work. You even said that when you grow up, you wouldn"t let me work, and I was to just stay at home to enjoy life. Everyday, you would be the first to greet me good morning, send me to the door, and ask me to come home earlier…"

Sheng Xun started reminiscing about his life.

Many things had not been forgotten; they were just suppressed at the deepest depths of the human brain until the memories were invoked once again.

At that time, he truly felt that Little Sun was the most considerate and thoughtful daughter in the whole world. He wanted his precious daughter to have the best things in life, and hence, he worked diligently so that, through his abilities, he could allow her to become a little princess who would not need to worry about daily necessities.

Sheng Jiaoyang heard his words and remained silent while staring at the floor. Although she was young at that time, she could remember many things from her childhood. And it was because she could clearly remember how well Sheng Xun had treated her, which explained why she held so many grievances against him when his att.i.tude changed. At the time, she had already taken his love for granted.

"Jiaojiao," Sheng Xun returned to reality after reminiscing and asked cautiously, "Did your mother leave any last words for you?"

Before Sheng Jiaoyang could reply, Sheng Xun had a wry smile and answered himself, "You were only eight then, how could you remember what she said? I"m so… sigh!"

"She said she will be going to a faraway place and asked me to take good care of myself," Sheng Jiaoyang said.

"Did she mention anything about me?" Sheng Xun asked carefully.

"Yes."

Sheng Xun"s eyes brightened, and he anxiously grabbed Sheng Jiaoyang"s hand by the bed and pestered, "What did she say?"

Sheng Jiaoyang extracted her hand from his grasp, and a complicated expression appeared on her face. Seeing his face full of expectation, she enunciated slowly, "She told me to never let you know about our illness."

Sheng Xun was dejected, "She wanted me to hate her."

Sheng Jiaoyang watched Sheng Xun as the latter was in a daze, complex emotions swirling in his eyes. Until now, she couldn"t understand the love between her parents. Neither could she understand why her mother didn"t tell her father about her medical history. Why was her mother willing to adopt a cold and distant att.i.tude towards the person she loved, rather than spending the remaining years of her life in bliss?

If it was me, I would tell the person that I love right from the start that I have a family history of heart disease…

Sheng Jiaoyang was suddenly stunned. I have told Lin Yan about my medical history before. Though he clearly harboured feelings for me, he has been hot and cold towards me and has never confessed his feelings towards me. Could this be the reason why?

She seemed to somewhat understand her mother"s consideration. Just like how even Grandfather Shen, who is so close to Grandfather, didn"t want me to live in Aureate Manor when he knew of my heart disease.

*People like us who are born with a defect yearn to live like a normal person and don"t wish for others to see us differently. Even though Mother is born with a silver spoon, she would hold back when she was with the person she loved."

"Both of you were together for so long, and yet you have never realised anything weird?" Sheng Jiaoyang couldn"t help but ask.

Sheng Xun"s face turned a shade darker, and a pained expression crept up his face.

If only I found out earlier. If I did, then will it…

Sheng Xun clutched his stomach as his face paled instantly. Beads of sweat started to roll down his forehead.

Sheng Jiaoyang stood up in a rush and hurriedly used the pager at the head of the bed to call for a doctor.

"The doctor will be here soon," Sheng Jiaoyang said anxiously as she looked at Sheng Xun who appeared to be in a very bad condition.

Sheng Xun was in so much pain that it blurred his consciousness. He heard Sheng Jiaoyang"s voice, and with the last bit of his consciousness, he stretched his hand out in an attempt to grab hold of Sheng Jiaoyang. After grabbing hold of Sheng Jiaoyang"s stretched out hand, Sheng Xun said in pained breaths, "Jiao… Jiao… can I… hear you… call… me… daddy… once more…"

Sheng Jiaoyang parted her lips, hesitation apparent on her face. When she parted her lips again in the hopes of addressing him, rapid footsteps could be heard from outside the ward, before the doctor and the nurses rushed in.

After a swift check, the doctor hurriedly instructed the nurses to push the patient to the emergency room.

Sheng Jiaoyang could only stand by the side and watch as they pushed Sheng Xun away. She followed them out of the ward, but could only watch their backs helplessly.

"Sheng Xun! What"s happening to our Xiao Xun?" A party that was approaching happened to see the face of the patient who was being pushed past them swiftly. The party was headed by Sheng Xun"s parents, while Liang Xiaohui and Sheng s.h.i.+yun were holding onto the two elders.

"Xu Jiaojiao, why is it you again!" Sheng s.h.i.+yun questioned Sheng Jiaoyang the instant she saw the latter.

The two elders" attention was instantly diverted onto Sheng Jiaoyang. To the two of them, Xu Jiaojiao was a calamity. Ever since she came to their house, she had not only broken up their son"s family, Sheng Xun also aged rapidly after that, till he looked neither like a human nor a ghost. Now, she stood before them again, and Sheng Xun was being wheeled away for emergency resuscitation.

"You, you… get lost!" Grandmother Sheng pointed at Sheng Jiaoyang, anger radiating from her eyes, "Haven"t you done enough damage to our family? What kind of grudges do you have against us?

Sheng Jiaoyang remained silent, her eyes fixed on the direction in which the doctors and nurses had pushed Sheng Xun to.

"Xiaohui, quickly call the security and chase her away. She must be the reason for Sheng Xun"s decline!" Grandmother Sheng said to Liang Xiaohui who was holding onto her.

A sly glint flashed across Liang Xiaohui"s eyes as she said, "I think we should call the police. I heard from s.h.i.+yun yesterday that Sheng Xun has an illegitimate daughter. She is here to scheme for the Sheng Family"s inheritance."

"What? Illegitimate daughter?" The two elders were dumbstruck.

"Yes, Grandpa, Grandma. She must be Father"s illegitimate daughter from an outside affair. Otherwise, why would she harbour so much hatred towards us, and demand Father to chase us out of the house?" Sheng s.h.i.+yun accused her firmly.

"Darn it!" Grandfather Sheng slammed his walking stick on the ground, an apparent indicator that he had believed Sheng s.h.i.+yun"s allegations.

Sheng Jiaoyang turned her eyes onto the few of them but inadvertently saw an ordinary-looking person from afar, with his camera pointed towards where they were. She furrowed her brows and walked towards him, but the latter immediately turned and dashed off when he saw her approaching. His speed was as fast as a professional sprinter, and he was so fast that even the bodyguards could not catch up with him.Previous ChapterNext Chapter