Chapter 5: He’s the Legitimate One
Huo Qingyan figured Jiang Su should be up by now, so he made the call.
Thinking about misunderstanding Jiang Su following him, he planned to go home early tonight to have dinner with Jiang Su.
But now, Jiang Su was going to his grandmother’s house.
Dinner at home was probably out of the question.
Not hearing a response from Huo Qingyan, Jiang Su felt uneasy and softly called his name, “Huo Qingyan?”
“Mm,” Huo Qingyan responded, “I’ll see Grandma after work.”
Jiang Su suspected he was hallucinating and silently pinched his leg. It hurt, and he hissed in pain.
Huo Qingyan heard the sound and asked, “What are you doing?”
“It’s a bit cold in the car, tonight…”
Huo Qingyan interrupted, his tone cold, “Are you driving and answering the phone?”
His tone was a bit harsh, but Jiang Su couldn’t help but be happy, “No, I took a taxi.”
Huo Qingyan still cared about him.
Huo Qingyan’s tone softened, “Mm.”
“Then… see you tonight.”
Even after hanging up, Jiang Su still felt unreal.
Huo Qingyan would actually take the initiative to say he would go see his grandmother.
…
Jiang Su had a smile on his face all the way to his grandmother’s house.
Aunt Zhao stood at the door and, seeing Jiang Su, happily greeted him, “Young Master.”
Jiang Su pulled up his scarf, “It’s so cold, you don’t have to wait for me at the door.”
“If I didn’t wait for you at the door, Grandma would be waiting for you at the door,” Aunt Zhao said as she walked inside.
Jiang Su’s mother passed away five years ago, and his grandfather even earlier, leaving only his grandmother.
Jiang Su had lived at his grandmother’s house for a few years when he was a child, and they had a deep bond. He originally wanted to take his grandmother to live with him, but his stubborn grandmother refused.
Jiang Su had been very young when Aunt Zhao started working for the family. Having her take care of his grandmother made Jiang Su much more at ease, and he was genuinely grateful to her.
“Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Zhao.”
“Young Master, what are you saying…”
Aunt Zhao started chattering.
At the entrance to the living room, before Jiang Su saw his grandmother, he heard her calling him, “Xiaoqi.”
“Grandma,” Jiang Su quickened his pace.
His grandmother was eighty years old. She was usually sharp and energetic.
His grandmother still seemed energetic, but a closer look revealed that she was forcing herself to be cheerful, her illness evident.
Jiang Su felt a tightness in his chest, realizing his grandmother’s condition was more serious than just a cold, but he didn’t show it.
His grandmother happily pulled him into the house and told Aunt Zhao to prepare dinner.
After chatting for a while, his grandmother suddenly asked about him and Huo Qingyan, “Is he treating you well?”
“Very well, he said he’ll come to see you after work,” Jiang Su smiled.
His grandmother nodded, seeming somewhat dubious, “That’s good.”
…
Aunt Zhao’s culinary skills were excellent, and she prepared a large table of dishes.
In the evening, they waited and waited, but Huo Qingyan didn’t appear.
Perhaps sensing Jiang Su’s anxiety, his grandmother said, “Don’t worry, he might be delayed by work.”
At home, Jiang Su often waited for Huo Qingyan until late at night, but he couldn’t make his grandmother wait with him.
“I’ll call him,” Jiang Su took out his phone and got up to leave.
The call connected quickly, but no one answered until it automatically disconnected.
Just as Jiang Su was about to call again, Huo Qingyan sent a text message: “Something came up, but I’ll be there later.”
Laconic, not saying a single word more; it was Huo Qingyan’s usual style.
Although Jiang Su felt disappointed, he was already satisfied that Huo Qingyan was willing to explain.
He quickly replied to Huo Qingyan, “Okay, no matter how busy you are, remember to eat dinner.”
Although he knew Huo Qingyan wouldn’t reply, he still waited with his phone for a moment.
A scream suddenly came from the dining room.
“Young Master! Grandma fainted!”
Jiang Su’s face changed, and he ran towards the dining room.
…
At the hospital…
“Older people have various illnesses coming and going, and their body functions decline year by year…”
The doctor explained his grandmother’s condition to Jiang Su. At the end, he looked deeply at Jiang Su, “Be prepared.”
Meaning his grandmother could leave at any time.
Jiang Su’s eyes were red, and his voice sounded as if it had been rubbed against sandpaper, “Thank you.”
Jiang Su walked out of the doctor’s office in a daze, leaning against the wall, covering his eyes with his hand before adjusting his emotions.
Just as he was about to return to the ward, he stopped because of a familiar voice.
“Qingyan, thank you so much today. Otherwise, my father would have had to wait a long time for a ward.” It was Lin Siyue.
And the person standing next to Lin Siyue was none other than Huo Qingyan.
It turned out that the “something” Huo Qingyan had was Lin Siyue’s matter.
“Don’t be so polite,” Huo Qingyan’s voice was much gentler than when he spoke to Jiang Su.
Huo Qingyan was very perceptive and quickly sensed someone looking at him. He turned his head towards Jiang Su, but Jiang Su, noticing his intention, quickly ducked around the corner where Huo Qingyan couldn’t see him.
After hiding, Jiang Su couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
Even though he was the legitimate one, he was hiding like a clandestine lover.
After a while, making sure Huo Qingyan and Lin Siyue had gone far away, Jiang Su returned to his grandmother’s ward.
His grandmother had woken up and smiled upon seeing him, “Xiaoqi is back.”
“Grandma,” Jiang Su hurried over.
“You haven’t eaten yet,” his grandmother held Jiang Su’s hand, “Go and eat something.”
Jiang Su nodded, “I’ll go now.”
His grandmother was sick herself but still worried about him not having dinner.
At that moment, the ward door was pushed open again.
Aunt Zhao called out first, “Eldest Young Master!”
Jiang Su turned around and saw Jiang Zhaoyu, who had already entered.
Jiang Zhaoyu was Jiang Su’s older brother and the eldest son of the Jiang family.
Jiang Su hadn’t seen Jiang Zhaoyu for a long time and was stunned before reacting, “Big Brother.”
As the eldest son of the Jiang family, Jiang Zhaoyu had fully taken over the family business. He had a similar calmness to Huo Qingyan, but his temperament was gentler.
He looked at Jiang Su with a complicated expression before going to the bedside, “Grandma.”
“It’s just my old ailment, you don’t need to make a special trip,” Grandma knew Jiang Zhaoyu was busy and didn’t want him to run around.
Jiang Zhaoyu smiled and coaxed his grandmother, “I’m not busy.”
Jiang Zhaoyu chatted with his grandmother for a while, making her smile happily, and then his grandmother urged him to take Jiang Su to eat.
Out of the ward, the gentle smile on Jiang Zhaoyu’s face faded.
“What’s going on between you and Huo Qingyan?” Jiang Zhaoyu’s tone wasn’t harsh, but he had an air of authority.