Zhou Yushen did not give way in the slightest.
Seeing the situation escalating, Lin Siwan quickly stepped forward to pull Zhou Yu back, afraid she might really force Shen Nanyue and Zhou Yushen to get married immediately.
“Mom, there are still people watching. Whatever it is, let’s wait until Grandpa comes out before talking about it, okay?”
She was reminding Zhou Yu not to pressure Shen Nanyue outside the operating room.
If word got out, it would sound terrible.
Zhou Yu understood the implication behind Lin Siwan’s words and suppressed the anger in her chest.
She snorted coldly at Zhou Yushen before walking off to the side.
Lin Siwan wanted to use the opportunity to gain some favor with Zhou Yushen.
But Zhou Yushen did not even spare her a glance.
His attention remained solely on comforting Shen Nanyue.
He gently patted Shen Nanyue’s shoulder and softly reassured her:
“Grandpa will be alright.”
Shen Nanyue did not answer.
Instead, her hand quietly gripped the corner of Zhou Yushen’s clothes.
That unconscious dependence made Zhou Yushen pause slightly.
He turned his hand over and wrapped her icy fingers in his palm, trying to warm them with his own body heat.
Shen Nanyue stared fixedly at the bright red operating-room light, her heart crumbling apart.
This morning, before she left the house, her grandfather had stopped her.
He had told her not to go to the Meng family’s banquet.
But she had stubbornly insisted on going anyway to seek revenge for herself.
If only she had not been so determined today…
If only she had obediently stayed home and accompanied her grandfather…
Then perhaps she would have had a little more time with him.
Or perhaps—
Perhaps her grandfather had become so angry with her that he ended up hospitalized.
Tears slipped from her reddened eyes.
Her trembling lips moved softly.
“Grandpa…”
Unable to bear seeing her like this, Zhou Yushen frowned and pulled her gently into his arms, softly patting her back in silent comfort.
Three hours later—
The operating-room light finally went out.
Shen Nanyue immediately rushed to the doors and looked eagerly at the doctor emerging from inside.
The doctor shook his head, his tone heavy.
“We did everything we could. Please prepare for the funeral arrangements.”
“Dad…”
Zhou Yu, who had been following behind, rolled her eyes back and fainted the moment she heard the news.
“Mom! Mom!”
Doctors and nurses quickly rushed over to examine Zhou Yu.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yushen looked worriedly toward Shen Nanyue.
She stood there silently crying, tears falling continuously down her face like broken strings of pearls.
Then the hospital bed was pushed out from the operating room.
Covered completely by a white sheet.
At last, Shen Nanyue completely broke down.
“Grandpa!”
She threw herself beside Old Master Shen’s bed, trembling as she lifted a corner of the white cloth.
Old Master Shen’s face was deathly pale.
The wrinkles on his face had stiffened, while his white hair and beard clung messily to his skin with sweat.
He looked pitiful and fragile.
“Grandpa, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have gone to the Meng family today. I’m sorry…”
She collapsed beside him, sobbing uncontrollably.
Another of the only two family members she had left in this world… was gone.
And he had left with regrets.
The grief in her chest felt unbearably suffocating.
By the end of her crying, she could barely breathe.
Pressing both hands against her chest, her body slowly slid downward.
“Nanyue? Nanyue!”
Zhou Yushen caught her immediately and looked up toward the butler.
“Butler, I didn’t send the car downstairs away. Please trouble yourself to bring Grandpa’s body home first.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he carried Shen Nanyue away.
The butler suppressed his sorrow and quietly arranged for Old Master Shen’s return home.
Shen Nanyue had cried herself into unconsciousness.
Half an hour later, she finally woke up.
The moment she opened her eyes, she realized her head had been resting on Zhou Yushen’s lap.
The two of them were seated in the back of the car, which was still driving steadily forward.
Supporting herself with one hand, Shen Nanyue slowly sat up while Zhou Yushen helped steady her.
“You’re awake?”
She stared blankly at him as fragments of what happened before she fainted resurfaced in her mind.
When she spoke, her voice was hoarse.
“My grandpa… he…”
A trace of heartache flashed through Zhou Yushen’s eyes.
He gently rubbed her head before taking a voice recorder out of his pocket.
“The butler gave this to me. It contains Grandpa’s final words for you.”
His slender fingers held out the black recorder toward her.
Shen Nanyue accepted it with trembling hands.
Fear and resistance filled her heart, making her afraid to press play.
As though the moment she listened to it… her grandfather would truly be gone forever.
She closed her eyes and spent several seconds gathering courage before finally pressing the button.
Old Master Shen’s aged, cloudy voice slowly emerged from the recorder.
“Yueyue… Grandpa doesn’t think he can hold on much longer…”
The moment her grandfather spoke, Shen Nanyue immediately choked on a sob.
“This morning, when I woke up, I suddenly felt especially refreshed. That’s when I knew my time had come. Being able to go see your grandmother and your father sooner… Grandpa is happy about that.”
“But Grandpa is also worried. I’m afraid of leaving you all alone in this world, afraid there’ll be no one to care for you or keep you company.”
“Grandpa has always dreamed that one day you would find someone who truly loves and cherishes you. If I could entrust the rest of your life to such a person, I’d finally feel at ease. It’s a pity… Grandpa won’t live to see that day.”
“After I’m gone, you must take good care of yourself. You’re such a stubborn child. Don’t keep everything bottled inside. Talk properly with your mother—there are no overnight grudges between parent and child.”
“When people grow old, they become talkative. Yueyue… Xiao Zhou is a rare and precious young man. Grandpa likes him very much.”
“I hope you won’t let your parents’ marriage influence you too deeply. Every relationship is different, and the end of marriage is not always sorrow.”
“Grandpa hopes you can find happiness.”
“Goodbye, my precious granddaughter.”
Shen Nanyue’s tears poured endlessly like a flood as she listened to her grandfather’s strained voice.
“If I hadn’t gone to the Meng family today… Grandpa wouldn’t have had to leave all alone. It’s all my fault…”
She cried uncontrollably in the car while Zhou Yushen stayed by her side the entire time, worried she might cry herself unconscious again.
Fortunately, aside from crying, nothing else happened.
By the time they arrived at the Shen residence, she had already stopped crying.
It was as if she had forcefully adjusted her emotions.
Before getting out of the car, her eyes were still swollen red, but her tears had long since dried.
“Zhou Yushen… can you… stay?”
She held onto his hand tightly.
Her reddened eyes, usually cold and proud, now carried a rare trace of pleading.
Zhou Yushen clasped her hand in return and comforted her softly:
“I’m not leaving.”
Only then did Shen Nanyue get out of the car and bring Zhou Yushen back into the Shen residence.
The funeral lasted five days.
Throughout the entire process, Zhou Yushen stayed by Shen Nanyue’s side.
Whenever members of the Shen family tried to make things difficult for him, Shen Nanyue always stood in front of him protectively.
“Zhou Yushen is my fiancé, and also the only grandson-in-law Grandpa ever acknowledged. What’s wrong with him accompanying Grandpa on his final journey?”
Every time she coldly said those words, the Shen family members could only back down.
She remained strong throughout those few days.
But after her grandfather was finally buried, she suddenly collapsed and came down with a severe fever.
Half-conscious in her feverish haze, she heard her grandfather’s voice.
She heard her father’s voice.
She even heard An’an’s voice.
None of the voices felt clear or real.
The only voice she could truly hear was Zhou Yushen’s gentle, worried voice, arriving like a breeze through the darkness.
“Nanyue, it’s time to take your medicine.”
“Nanyue, if you keep sleeping, you’ll really turn into a little pig.”
“Nanyue, I’ll help you find An’an.”
“…”
“Our Yueyue finally has someone by her side who truly cares for her now.”
In the end, her grandfather’s voice lingered in her mind before gradually fading away as she slowly opened her eyes.
“You’re awake?”
It was Zhou Yushen’s deep, affectionate voice.
Shen Nanyue turned her head slightly.
The very first thing she said was:
“Zhou Yushen… let’s get married.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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