Sanatorium.
VIP ward.
Lin Changyan sat in a wheelchair, looking at Lin Qinghan across from him, who was cutting an apple with her head down, and asked, "I heard you sent your aunt to England?"
"Yep," Lin Qinghan's voice was very light. As the apple peels fell into the trash can, he passed the apple he had peeled to Lin Changyan, "She's been getting more and more out of hand. Several times she reached into the group, which is not good for the market here."
"Oh?"
Lin Changyan took the apple, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Not for Xiaoruan?" Seeing Lin Qinghan's face change slightly, he put the apple down on the nearby cabinet, and then angrily picked up the crutch next to him and hit Lin Qinghan, scolding, "What did I tell you before, to treat Xiaoruan well and not let her down?"
"Do you regret it now? What did you do before?!"
Lin Qinghan was busy with work and rarely visited the sanatorium. Their personalities were such that they were not the type to sit down and have a good chat, which is why this was the first time Lin Qinghan and Wen Ruan had spoken about these things since their divorce.
Lin Changyan was genuinely angry.
He had a deep bond with Wen Ruan's grandfather, and even saw Wen Ruan's father grow up. At first, he had wanted to betroth his daughter to Wen Xu, but unfortunately, his daughter was too capricious and rejected Wen Xu for being too mild-tempered, finding a boyfriend on her own.
He felt too guilty towards the Wen family.
Later, the Wen family's troubles came too fast. At that time, the Lin family was not as prosperous, and he was abroad, and when he learned about it and returned, both Wen Xu and his wife had already died, and Wen Ruan was also missing.
He didn't know how much effort it took to find that child.
Bringing the child home, taking good care of her, Wen Ruan was a tender and affectionate girl, her lively personality and good temper filled the void of missing family in his life.
Instead of saying that Wen Ruan was his granddaughter-in-law, it was more accurate to say that she was his granddaughter.
Now, his granddaughter had suffered so much that she was distressed enough to divorce. How could he not be angry?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He exerted even more force with the crutch in his hand.
Lin Changyan had served in the army when he was young, and even though he was older now, he still had a lot of strength. He mercilessly hit Lin Qinghan without holding back. Lin Qinghan also had a tough nature, so he didn't dodge the beatings, bearing them without avoidance, only giving a deep grunt when the strikes were particularly heavy.
After who knows how many strikes, Lin Qinghan's straight back gradually became hunched, and Lin Changyan also began to pant, and even his hands trembled involuntarily, and the crutch fell to the ground with a heavy thud, but no one picked it up.
The room returned to its original tranquility.
Lin Changyan leaned on both sides of the wheelchair, and after catching his breath, he looked at the silent Lin Qinghan and said, "What do you plan to do now?"
Lin Qinghan didn't speak. He pursed his thin lips, lowered his head, and the raven-feather-like eyelashes covered his eyes, so his emotions were hard to discern. After an indiscernible amount of time, he finally spoke, his voice low and heavy, "I don't know."
"I want to win her back, to have her return to my side, but she said she was tired."
"She said—"
Lin Qinghan's voice trailed off, remembering Wen Ruan's words that day, "From now on, I just want to live my own life. As for you, whether you really like me and want to pursue me, or it's just a passing fancy, I don't care anymore."
His throat became choked, and a look of painful and bewildered expression appeared on his face. Unsure whether to hold on tightly or let go, he said, "She said she doesn't care anymore, whether I like her or not, whether my feelings are fickle, she doesn't care anymore."
It wasn't a joke.
It wasn't a calculated strategy.
It wasn't just a hasty retort.
She genuinely didn't care anymore, and she really didn't want him.
Lin Qinghan, who had never shown any weakness outside, at this moment, looked like a child who had done something wrong and had been abandoned. He buried his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he was repressing immense pain, and said, "Grandfather, what should I do?"
Seeing Lin Qinghan like this, Lin Changyan was also moved. He knew his grandson better than anyone else. From childhood to adulthood, when had he ever seen this look of weakness from him? Now, he looked as if he had lost his soul.
Wanting to scold him.
Wanting to say it serves him right.
But his dry lips moved, yet no words came out. After what seemed like a long time, he finally spoke, asking a question unrelated to the previous conversation, "Do you know about me and your grandmother?"
Lin Qinghan was taken aback. He lifted his face and shook his head.
Before he was born, his grandmother had already passed away. Someone he had never seen since childhood, how could he possibly remember the affairs of his elders? If there was one impression of his grandmother, it was only during her memorial day, seeing his grandfather with red eyes, holding her photo as he sat in the study.
"I had an arranged marriage with your grandmother."
"Your grandmother was a gentle woman. After marrying me, she took care of the family and raised our children. At that time, I was still in the military and rarely came home. She never complained. Whenever I returned, she would prepare meals for me and make clothes that fit me."
"I considered her as my wife, thinking that as long as I gave her money, a decent lifestyle, and status, it would be enough."
"But later—" he suddenly choked up, then stopped.
Listening to these words, Lin Qinghan felt as if he was seeing his own past softness. His large palm unconsciously pressed against his knee as he hoarsely asked, "What happened later?"
"Later, your grandmother fell seriously ill."
Lin Changyan calmed his breathing and continued, "When I returned, she was barely hanging on. She was happy to see me, and she said she was glad to be my wife in this lifetime. But if she could do it over again, she wouldn't marry me."
Like being suddenly stabbed in the heart, Lin Qinghan looked at Lin Changyan with a pale face.
"I later learned that just giving her money, a stable life, and status was not enough. Since I married her, I should have treated her better."
"Emotions are mutual."
"In a relationship where only one side is making an effort, that relationship will not go far."
"Qinghan—" Lin Changyan called out to him, noticing his look of confusion. He sighed quietly, "I have regretted my whole life, regretted why I didn't treat her better, but I can't turn back now."
"You are different."
"If you truly love Xiaoruan, then go after her properly."
"Remember how Xiaoruan treated you in the beginning, empathize with her and use your genuine feelings to win back her heart."
Taking these words to heart, Lin Qinghan pondered them. Before he could respond, a familiar knock was heard. He composed his emotions, and when the door opened, he heard an extremely familiar voice—
"Grandpa!"
His spine stiffened.
Lin Qinghan seemed unable to believe it, turning his stiff neck to see. Then he saw Wenruan wearing a baseball cap, walking in from outside with a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fruit, her face adorned with a brilliant smile.
She hadn't seen him yet.
Indeed, Wenruan hadn't noticed Lin Qinghan. Her gaze fell on the elderly man in the wheelchair, smiling and saying, "Grandpa, I bought you lilies, grandma's favorite flower, and also..." Before she could finish, her eyes caught sight of Lin Qinghan.
Her smile froze, and even her steps halted.
How could Lin Qinghan be here?
"Xiaoruan, why are you here?" Lin Changyan was the first to break the silence. He wheeled himself over, chiding, "You haven't visited grandpa in a long time."
Since Wenruan entered the entertainment industry, her schedule had become increasingly packed. Naturally, she hadn't had much time to visit the nursing home. Lin Changyan didn't mind Wenruan's pursuits. In fact, he even asked her if she wanted him to set up a team for her to avoid being mistreated. She politely declined his offer.
"You've lost weight, have you been tired recently?" he asked with a hint of concern, observing the creases in her face.
Upon hearing these words, Wenruan regained her composure. She didn't glance toward Lin Qinghan, whether he was there or not, it was irrelevant to her. She smiled and replied to Lin Changyan, "Oh, grandpa always says I'm thin. I'm actually a bit heavier now." She placed the fruit on the counter and took the vase next to it. "Grandpa, I'll go change the flowers first."
Before she could head to the restroom, Lin Qinghan, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up and said, "Let me do it."
Wenruan was taken aback.
"Xiaoruan, let him do it," Lin Changyan spoke up, "You just stay and talk with grandpa."
Wenruan didn't say anything more, just nodded and softly agreed. She handed the bouquet of lilies and the vase to him, even reminding him, "Don't put too much water, just enough to cover the stems."
Lin Qinghan, who usually never did such things, now acted like a young bride. He obediently followed her instructions and replied, "Okay."
After Lin Qinghan went to the restroom, Wenruan resumed her radiant smile and led Lin Changyan to soak up some sun by the window, asking, "Grandpa, have you been eating well and exercising lately?"
Seeing her not glancing toward the restroom, Lin Changyan's heart sank.
Back when these two children were together, Wenruan's gaze always followed Qinghan. Even when talking to him, she still gazed at Qinghan, but he didn't say anything; matters of the heart were not for others to interfere with.
He had said what he could say, and done what he could do.
Whether it would succeed depended on his silly grandson.
The two of them chatted and laughed. When Lin Qinghan came out, he saw Wenruan sitting in front of his grandfather, talking about recent events. "The acting class has been quite interesting. The teacher assigns scenes for us to interpret. At first, I was afraid of embarrassing myself, but the teacher and my classmates were really nice."
Listening to her words, Lin Changyan smiled and said, "Does Xiaoruan plan to pursue acting in the future?"
"If given the opportunity, I wouldn't mind giving it a try."
Wenruan smiled and said, "But recently, I joined a travel variety show. We'll start filming soon." Just in case he didn't understand, she clarified, "It's the travel variety show you and I watched before, where a few people travel abroad together."
Lin Changyan frowned when he heard this, "Is it the kind of situation where they give you a little money and then expect you to solve accommodation and food on your own, and if the money is not enough you have to perform to make ends meet?" He had watched such variety shows with Wen Ruan before and found them quite interesting at the time.
But thinking that his beloved granddaughter would have to endure such hardship, he was not pleased.
"Which company is it? Should I help you contact the director and improve your treatment?" Lin Changyan worriedly tried to think of a solution.
Wen Ruan, however, smiled awkwardly, "Please don't do that, people will think I used my connections to get into the group, and they won't want to associate with me anymore." Seeing that he still looked worried, she smiled, linked her arm with him, leaned her head over, and coquettishly said, "Nothing will happen."
"If something really happens, I'll call grandpa and have him support me." Lin Qinghan stood outside the bathroom, watching the grandfather and granddaughter talking intimately as if no one else was around, feeling somewhat absent-minded and a little envious. He also hoped that Wen Ruan could treat him in the same way, linking her arm with him and acting coquettishly.