Seeing Zhu Yao looking travel-worn, the woman gritted her teeth and lunged at her, as if she wanted to strangle her: "You vicious, unfilial bastard! It's all your fault for making the master sick!"
Swear words poured out like they were free, and vicious language filled the corridor outside the ward. A young nurse stood helplessly by, wanting to stop them but not knowing how, and could only look at Zhu Yao with pleading eyes.
Hearing her insult Zhu Yao, Yu Nan was very displeased: "How could you say that? Can't you be reasonable...?"
Zhu Yao interrupted Yu Nan, released Yu Nan's hand, stepped forward and helped up the shrewish noblewoman who was kneeling on the ground cursing loudly. She whispered in Yu Nan's ear in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "You better pray that Zhu Guorong has made a will. But do you think he will include you in his will?"
The woman screamed and lunged forward, trying to strangle Zhu Yao, but Zhu Yao stepped back and dodged.
So she fell straight down to the floor, her arms outstretched, in a "thud" motion.
The screams grew louder, probably because she was in pain from the fall. The lady finally burst into tears, as if she had a deep affection for the people in the ward.
Zhu Yao turned to the bodyguard standing at the door and said, "Take Madam to rest quickly. If she keeps crying like this, she might disturb the master."
The two bodyguards exchanged a glance and nodded.
On one side is Zhu Guorong's concubine, whom he hasn't even registered his marriage with yet, and on the other side is the legitimate second young lady. Since the master has fallen, the second young lady's words naturally take precedence.
The wealthy woman was still unwilling to give up. She rolled her eyes and tried to grab Zhu Yao's hair, but was taken away by a strong bodyguard.
Finally, the corridor returned to silence.
Zhu Yao sat motionless on a bench outside the ward, like a statue. Yu Nan sat with her on the bench, not daring to speak.
The attending physician came several times, and Zhu Yao got up and said something to him. Yu Nan couldn't hear what he said clearly, but she could understand the doctor's shaking head and sighing.
Zhu Yao's face was very pale, as if she was suppressing something, and she politely saw the doctor off.
Yu Nan was a little worried, so she stepped forward, took Zhu Yao's hand, and led her back to sit on the bench.
Qingdao is also a coastal city. The sea breeze at night brings a chill, and it's almost winter. The hospital corridors are very cold late at night.
That chill seeped into your very bones.
Zhu Yao's hands were very cold, and Yu Nan could feel Zhu Yao's body trembling slightly.
The older sister was looking down, her expression hidden in the shadows against the light. Yu Nan saw a few tears fall, landing on Zhu Yao's camel-colored skirt, leaving a circular wet patch.
"elder sister?"
Yu Nan turned to the side, leaned her head down, and looked up to meet Yu Nan's gaze.
She finally saw Zhu Yao's face clearly.
Zhu Yao is smiling.
…
The bodyguard at the gate didn't miss the momentary look of surprise on Yu Nan's face, but didn't think much of it.
Even tough guys have a soft side. The bodyguard, who had been keeping a cold face, took out a pack of tissues and handed it to Yu Nan, indicating that she should comfort Zhu Yao.
With mixed feelings, Yu Nan pulled out a piece of paper, but didn't know where to start.
Do you want me to wipe my sister's face?
Is my sister crying? Or is she crying tears of joy?
Zhu Yao suddenly reached out and firmly grasped Yu Nan's arm that was holding the paper. Her hand climbed up Yu Nan's arm and finally found the paper.
The next second, Zhu Yao took a tissue, wiped her eyes, and looked up at Yu Nan and the bodyguard with a tear-streaked smile.
Zhu Yao's voice was slightly hoarse: "Thank you, I'm fine."
No matter how you looked at it, that smile was a forced one, a smile that the strong second young lady had forced after losing her father. The bodyguard turned his head away, unable to bear watching this scene, and retreated back to the door to act as a doorman.
Yu Nan: ...That smile is from being too excited, it's uncontrollable.
The two of them stayed outside the ward all night, staring at the bodyguard all night long.
The next morning, the sound of footsteps approached, and a tall, slender woman with a large frame walked over in high heels.
She wore a red dress and heavy makeup, looking like she was attending a wedding, which was very festive.
"Is that old geezer dead?"
Her voice was rough, like a man's voice, yet it also had a touch of femininity and sharpness.
Zhu Yao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uh... not yet..."
The woman in the red dress clicked her tongue and sat down next to Zhu Yao in a nonchalant manner: "How come that old bastard is so lucky? If you ask me, let's just unplug his oxygen supply so he won't go around harming people."
The bodyguard's gaze instantly turned wary as he looked at the woman in the red dress.
"I suspect that my mother was killed by this old man from humble beginnings. Now he's finally getting his comeuppance, hahaha."
The bodyguard looked to Zhu Yao for help—by all accounts, the second young lady who had silently shed tears outside her father's hospital room and stayed up all night was more reliable.
In comparison, the young master... uh, the young lady (?) seems too vulgar.
Yu Nan's inner thoughts: Well, midnight is when we're both awake. Americans even think about the sleep schedule of the underworld.
Zhu Yao didn't continue the topic, but instead asked, "When I came here yesterday, there was a person at the door who claimed to be Zhu Guorong's wife..."
When Zhu Yao left the Zhu family, Zhu Qiong's mother was still alive.
Although she wasn't good to Zhu Yao as a "stepmother," they only maintained a peaceful coexistence like strangers.
"I guess she's his new mistress, hoping to have a son and then take his place."
The two tacitly refrained from mentioning it again.
Zhu Qiong chased away the two women who had been keeping watch all night, urging them to go to sleep: "Don't worry, I'll call you when the old man breathes his last."
Seeing that Zhu Yao was about to leave, the bodyguard stared at Zhu Qiong as if facing a formidable enemy.
Zhu Qiong lay down on the bench and started playing on her phone without any regard for her image. Her bright red fingernails dangled in the air.
She would occasionally wink at her bodyguard, scaring him so much that he would obediently look ahead and not dare to meet her gaze.
After leaving the hospital, Yu Nan asked, "Was that... your previous brother?"
Zhu Qiong just called her "sister-in-law"!
"It's my older sister, isn't it? She doesn't like people thinking she's a man."
Yu Nan nodded obediently, indicating that she understood.
Staying at the hospital was exhausting, and the two quickly fell asleep upon arriving at the hotel. But this sleep was not comforting, as Zhu Qiong called.
Zhu Yao's first words were: "Is Zhu Guorong finally dead?"
Hearing Zhu Yao's bluntness, Zhu Qiong on the other end of the phone paused for a second before managing to stammer, "Not yet."
"But there's a bit of trouble. Yesterday you got rid of that one, and now they insist she's pregnant with Zhu Guorong's son."
"If you ask me, it's not certain whether he's Zhu Guorong's son or not. Besides, how could she dare to say it was her son before opening the blind box?"
Zhu Qiong felt nauseous thinking about Zhu Guorong, an old man who was almost seventy and still vigorous.
Chapter 65 Bastard
Zhu Yao was speechless, after all, her mother was also a mistress. At this moment, even if she wanted to say "the child is innocent" to Zhu Qiong, she couldn't find the words.
The relationship between Zhu Guorong and Zhu Qiong improved because it was revealed that she was a lesbian, abandoned by Zhu Guorong, and considered a disgrace by the Zhu family.
That's why Zhu Qiong treated her as a real sister and started discussing things with her—how to rebel against Zhu Guorong.
More than sisters, they were comrades-in-arms, like mercenaries forced together to cooperate.
"We can't just accept whatever she says, and we can't let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry come and claim kinship with us."
Zhu Qiong's tone was cold, showing no regard for Zhu Guorong in the ward; she probably thought he was already dead.
"If you ask me, I wish Leslie Cheung would just die soon, because if he's burned to ashes, there won't be any way to do a paternity test."
Zhu Qiong's tone carried a hint of ruthlessness: "Zhu Yao, what are you thinking?"
Zhu Yao slowly spoke: "Do you hate him that much?"
After all, Zhu Guorong truly loved Zhu Qiong as his son when he was young.
Zhu Qiong laughed loudly, and a hint of madness could be heard in her voice over the phone: "Before severing ties, Zhu Guorong wanted to kill me. He even hired someone to shoot me in the back abroad."
"Do you know? Zhu Guorong was only targeting you; he wanted to use you as a pawn in a political marriage. But he really wanted me dead."
The once kind and loving father would rather his son die "accidentally" than have him undergo gender reassignment surgery and become an alien.
Zhu Yao fell silent; she had never heard of this absurd situation.
"You're not going to speak up for Zhu Guorong, are you?"
"No..." Zhu Yao sighed, "I'm just a little puzzled as to why you hate him so much. I thought there was some hidden story behind your mother's death."
Zhu Qiong's hatred intensified: "You guessed right, there's more to the story."
Zhu Yao fell completely silent.
"He's just a lucky, slightly smarter man from a poor background who has achieved success in his hometown. He's narrow-minded, extreme, stubborn, and selfish. He likes to push things to the extreme. After confirming that my mother couldn't give him a son, he was afraid of my maternal grandfather's power and didn't dare to divorce her. So he drove my mother to a mental breakdown."
Later, Zhu Yao's stepmother died in a car accident.
Zhu Yao strongly agreed with Zhu Qiong's assessment of Zhu Guorong.
Both she and Zhu Qiong were influenced by Zhu Guorong to some extent.
In Zhu Yao's view, Zhu Qiong's stubbornness was no less than Zhu Guorong's, but at least her sister did not have the problem of being lenient with herself but strict with others.
…
Upon arriving at the hospital, Zhu Yao saw Zhu Qiong arguing with the wealthy woman from yesterday. Zhu Qiong stood with her arms crossed, a mocking expression on her face, cursing the wealthy woman until her face turned pale and then red, and she looked like she was about to faint.
The wealthy woman gritted her teeth and forced out a sentence: "You damned transvestite..."
This sentence seemed to flip a switch, instantly making Zhu Qiong furious, her eyes practically spitting fire.
"Stop arguing!"
Zhu Qiong snorted coldly: "You're just too fragile, which is why Zhu Guorong has been able to manipulate you all this time."
“You’re just too stubborn. You know perfectly well that I mean you no harm.” Zhu Yao looked directly into Zhu Qiong’s eyes: “At least let’s not argue for now.”
Zhu Qiong opened her mouth, but in the end, she kept it closed.