Chapter 1309 - Passing on... (1/2)

Sun Xiaoxiao shook her head in the face of her mother-in-law’s sharp question. “Mother, don’t say that. I gave birth to Beibei. I want only what’s best for her…”

“Enough, say no more. I don’t want to hear it. You have your own thoughts and I have mine! Leave! Get out of my sight!”

“Mother…”

“Begone!” the old woman shouted.

Sun Xiaoxiao did not want to anger the old woman. If the matter blew up, it would definitely alarm Beibei and Gong Yi, so she acquiesced to her mother’s demand. “Mother, please don’t tell Beibei about this conversation of ours…”

The old woman gripped the handles of her wheelchair tightly. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’ll keep this conversation a secret from Beibei. This is the only thing I will do for you. Think of it how you will. I’m doing this for Beibei. However, if you dare treat Beibei poorly in the future, I won’t let you off – even if I have to come back and haunt you as a ghost.

“Mother, don’t worry. I will treat Beibei well.” Sun Xiaoxiao promised repeatedly.

That night…

Gong Yi couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned in bed, his thoughts consumed by the fire coursing through his veins. He wanted nothing more than to pluck the ripe fruit sleeping next door.

No. He had to control himself. He could not act recklessly – not in her own home.

Getting up, Gong Yi opened the door and strode out. He needed some fresh air.

The moment he stepped out, he saw Beibei’s grandmother seated in her wheelchair.

There was a certain bleakness to the scene he encountered. Not a single light was lit in the large hallway. The only source of illumination came from a high window which allowed shafts of moonlight to filter in. The old woman, whose head of white hair looked like fresh snow, sat quietly in her wheelchair, a vacant look in her eyes. She did not comment on his sudden intrusion. Instead, she continued staring out the window at the bright orb hanging in the sky.

His heart ached. It was as if he was looking at a painting telling the story of the old woman’s life, encompassed in a single moment in time.

“Granny, it’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep?” Gong Yi squatted down beside her and asked softly.

The old woman retracted her gaze, smiling pleasantly at the young man next to her. “Oh, if it isn’t Young Master Gong. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

Gong Yi was too embarrassed to explain his reason for being awake, so he deflected it by asking a question of his own. “Granny, is there something on your mind?”

The old woman shook her head. “No… I used to fear that I would die young, and it often kept me awake. When Beibei was young, I feared that she would die before her time. Now that she has grown up and become such a fine young woman, what else is there to keep me up? No, there is nothing on my mind…”

Gong Yi felt his heart constrict listening to the old woman’s words. “Granny, be at ease. I’ll stay by Beibei’s side now and forever.”

The old woman closed her eyes, gratified. Her daughter had fallen prey to a man. She hoped her granddaughter would not suffer the same fate and that she would find happiness in a man she loved.

Wasn’t this the law of life? Parents brought up their children in wait for the day they are joined with their life’s partner.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” At this moment, Bai Beibei’s soft voice sounded. She had just exited her room when she saw Gong Yi squatting beside her grandmother.

Bai Beibei was dressed plainly in a white evening gown. She looked like a cute angel in those snowy linens.

Upon meeting Gong Yi’s eyes, Bai Beibei could not help but recall the scene that took place by the car. It brought a rosy tint to her cheeks which she tried but failed to hide by looking down.

Love was in the air, and it was plain for all to see.

“What’s going on tonight? It seems like no one is feeling sleepy! Beibei, come, tell Granny what’s on your mind,” the old woman smiled, causing her wrinkles to fade for a time.

Bai Beibei sat beside Gong Yi and cupped the old woman’s hands in hers. “Granny really enjoys teasing me!”

Sleep eluded her, tossing and turning as she did. Sandwiched by thoughts of her mother and Gong Yi, sleep was the last thing on her mind. Gong Yi’s words shuttled in and out of her ears, repeating in an endless loop. Sleep was a luxury denied to her.

“Granny, why are your hands so cold? Let me get you something to wrap them in.”

“There’s no need, I’m fine. Granny doesn’t feel cold.”

The old woman held Beibei’s soft little hands. Her unfocused eyes were filled with love and pity as she looked at the young couple. “You came just in time. There’s something I want to tell you.”