Chapter 617 - Answered Sincerely (1/2)

In the silent VVIP ward of one of the private hospitals owned by the Guan Family, an old man was leaning against the headboard. His face was blank as his mind ran wild.

A soft knock halted his thoughts.

”What is it?”

The old man had clearly said to his head butler to not disrupt his rest at this moment.

”Headmaster, Third Young Master is here.”

Old Guan frowned. He had already told his head butler to not let any of his grandsons know that he was hospitalized.

His head butler might be worried about him due to the doctor's news, but he had done something unnecessary.

He could not let any of his grandsons know about his current situation. He could not burden them any longer.

Old Guan sighed.

Well, what else could he do? His grandson was already here.

”Let him enter.”

His third grandson who did not resemble any of his two brothers nor him but possessed a very pleasing appearance walked towards Old Guan.

Old Guan spoke hoarsely. ”Did the head butler call you here? He did something he should not have.”

Guan Gao Huan's soft brown eyes smiled with a hint of worry. ”No, I called first. He just told me that you are hospitalized after I asked for you. Head butler is only concerned and worried about you.”

He took out one of the folding chairs and sat beside the bed. ”How are you feeling, Grandpa?”

Old Guan nodded nonchalantly. ”I am fine. My bones are just getting old. Getting hospitalized at my age is nothing uncommon.”

Guan Gao Huan still showed a worried expression. ”You should look after your health, Grandpa. What did the doctor say?”

Old Guan looked away. ”It's nothing serious. I just need to rest more.”

Guan Gao Huan's eyes flashed.

It looked like the old man had no intention of telling any of them about his true situation.

This could be a good thing.

Guan Gao Huan did not push the old man into saying the truth. Instead, he thought of ways on how to open up 'that' conversation and ask for the old man's help.

He silently observed Old Guan. The old man looked dispirited and the dignified air around him was gone. He just looked like a sickly old person.

Seeing that the old man was looking at the window, at the dark blanket of the sky, Guan Gao Huan got an idea.

He stood up.

”Grandpa, you are looking out of the window. Do you wish to see the scenery from here? Since we are on the highest floor, I bet we could see all the city lights. This is close to seeing the city's version of stars.”

Guan Gao Huan walked towards the window and pulled all the curtains of the floor to ceiling windows to let the old man see the view of the dark night and the city lights below. ”When I was hospitalized in another country, my only world was that window. It always sets my mind at ease.”

When his past was mentioned, Old Guan finally looked at Guan Gao Huan. The old man stared at his eyes.

Guan Gao Huan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The old man stared at him, searching through him. The eyes searching him were so intense that Guan Gao Huan doubted if his cover was blown.

The old man opened his mouth.

”...That time... Did you hate me for sending you abroad? Away from your brothers?”

Guan Gao Huan froze. Then his mind suddenly felt relieved. He had thought that this old man discovered that he was a fake.

He shook his head and smiled wearily, like what the true Guan Gao Huan would do.

”I am too young to hate you back then, Grandpa. But when I grew up and became healthy, I always thought of my two brothers and my Grandpa whom I left behind in the country. As well as... my deceased mother.”

Old Guan's heart stirred at the mention of his only daughter. He looked at the dark sky.

When his beloved deceased daughter was mentioned, he could never look at his third grandson in the eyes.

A part of him was still blaming this grandson of his for being the cause of the accident. His daughter was supposed to be with him, enjoying the afternoon in the garden since he only got to reunite with her when she was in the country. But instead, like a normal parent, she chose to go with her son's wish to accompany him to the hospital instead of just sending the butlers only.

This wish was very common and any young child from normal families wanted to be accompanied by their parents, especially when going to the doctor, but....

This resulted to the abrupt loss of her daughter's life.

Old Guan knew that he should not blame an innocent young child for this accident, but the loss of his beloved daughter caused his heart to be frozen with pain.

He could not face nor comfort the youngest grandchild for losing his mother. So when the youngest needed surgery, he sent him abroad alone with the excuse that the technology abroad was more advanced and the change in the environment would help.

In reality, he just did not want to be near to the youngest, or else, he might show his blame to the innocent child.

The Old Guan at that time was still grieving. He just needed some space for a period of time.

However, the young child was weaker than he thought. The little boy suffered under psychological trauma from the accident and did not wake up for a long time after the surgery and spent time in a coma, although the doctor said that there was nothing to worry about.

This made Old Guan extremely worried and at the same time, strangely relieved. With the excuse that the youngest needed to recuperate abroad, he managed to stay away from his youngest for a long time.

Yet this filled him with self-loathing.

He knew that he was lacking and a very cruel grandfather to his third grandson. This was why he toughened his heart and did not favor any of his grandsons, to be fair to the youngest. He did not give any grandfatherly love to any of the three.

He just had to make sure that they lived a good life on their own with his financial support.

But right now... after hearing the grave news from the doctor, hovering between life and death, Old Guan realized that all complicated matters such as the complex feelings and troubling thoughts he had before seemed like a childish tantrum in front of death.

Those things... did not matter anymore.

Old Guan felt like he had been living an empty life all this while.

Why did he live this long? For what reason? He strived to be at the top and maintained the Guan's family's glory in all his life.