When Gu Mingzhu first brought Ni Pingsen home, her grandmother couldn't say she was satisfied. Ni Pingsen's parents had passed away early, and he was from out of town who came to Shanghai to study at university. No matter how good his character was, his family's financial situation was always a burden.
But that day, Grandma noticed that even when he was in front of his parents, he couldn't help but steal glances at Gu Mingzhu.
His gaze kept falling on Gu Mingzhu, and the young man's straightforward and sweet gaze almost moved his grandmother as well.
After that, his grandmother never objected to his relationship with Gu Mingzhu again.
Listening to her grandmother's words, which sounded like her last will and testament, Ni Jingxi shook her head. Her vision blurred again. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry, but tears, like a disobedient child, kept streaming down her face.
Grandma seemed too tired from saying so much in one breath, so she paused for a long time before speaking again.
“This time, Grandma really missed your grandpa and your mom,” the old woman said, her face beaming with happiness. She had been separated from them for so long. “The three of us can finally be reunited.”
Ni Jingxi held her grandmother's hand tightly, as if only in this way could she keep her.
"The only regret is that your father hasn't come back even after Grandma has waited for so long."
Ni Jingxi sniffed and choked up as she said, "Please wait a little longer, he will come back, he will."
"Grandma is tired, so she won't wait any longer."
At this moment, Huo Shenyan was standing behind. He had been watching the whole time, but finally couldn't stand it anymore and turned his head slightly.
But the next moment, Grandma called out, "Be careful what you say."
Upon hearing this, Huo Shenyan immediately stepped forward, bent down, and looked at his grandmother. His grandmother said in a very weak voice, "From now on, Grandma will entrust Jingxi to you."
"I will protect her for the rest of my life and make her safe and happy."
When Grandma heard his words, a happy smile appeared on her face.
Grandma's eyelids slowly closed, as if she was really tired. Ni Jingxi gently held her hand, which was a little rough but still warm, and softly called out, "Grandma."
Suddenly, a sharp sound came from the machine next to her, and Ni Jingxi looked up...
Within seconds, the doctor and nurses re-entered the ward, and Ni Jingxi was led out of the ward by Huo Shenyan. She lay in his arms and shook her head desperately, "No, no."
Half an hour later.
The doctor walked out of the emergency room, his face slightly etched with grief, and said, "Please accept my deepest condolences, Ms. Sang Huanian..."
Ni Jingxi didn't hear the rest of the sentence because she felt like her head was about to explode, and her vision was blurry.
She collapsed into Huo Shenyan's arms and completely lost consciousness.
When Ni Jingxi woke up, all she saw when she opened her eyes was a blanket of white.
When she blinked, she saw the man nestled in the chair next to her. His brows were furrowed, his hair was a little messy, and his thin lips were pressed into a straight line even in his sleep.
Ni Jingxi looked up at the IV drip hanging by the bed, and her thoughts seemed to come back completely.
grandmother.
She tried to sit up, but just as she placed her hands on the edge of the bed to prop herself up, her movement woke the man, who was already a light sleeper. When he saw that Ni Jingxi was awake, he immediately said, "Jingxi, don't move."
Ni Jingxi blinked and looked at him, then asked softly, "My maternal grandmother..."
Fearing she might get too excited, Huo Shenyan leaned over and gently pressed her shoulder, saying in a tender tone, "Jingxi, you got sick from being caught in the rain yesterday and developed a high fever. So the doctor said you can't get too excited."
He gently stroked her shoulder a few times before saying, "I've already had people make preparations for Grandma's funeral."
Ni Jingxi was stunned.
It wasn't a dream after all. Just a moment after waking up, she wished it was all a dream.
After waking from the nightmare, she was still the happy bride-to-be, eagerly anticipating her wedding.
"Is there anything you want to do for your grandmother before you pass away?" Huo Shenyan knew she must be very sad right now, so he hesitated for a long time before asking her.
After a long while, Ni Jingxi looked into his eyes and suddenly smiled.
That sorrowful smile made Huo Shenyan's heart ache terribly.
"Be careful what you say, I have nothing left."
Her words were like a sharp sword, piercing his heart and tearing his flesh apart, leaving him in so much pain that he couldn't utter a single word.
After a long silence, Huo Shenyan said in a low voice, "You still have me."
Ni Jingxi suddenly reached out and hugged his neck, tears streaming down her face and landing on his cheek.
In the quiet ward, the tall man bent over and let her hug him.
This moment is their eternity.
*
Their wedding was completely postponed, and Huo Zhenzhong and Zhong Lan personally called the guests to express their sincere apologies. The reason was understandable to everyone; after all, the bride's grandmother had passed away, making it inappropriate to hold a wedding at this time.
The funeral arrangements were handled by a specialist.
No secrets stay hidden forever. Although their wedding plans hadn't been officially announced, the media was generally aware of it. Now that the news of the cancellation had broken, the internet was in an uproar.
Just as netizens were speculating, someone actually filmed the scene of preparing for the grandmother's funeral.
"I know everyone is curious as to why our god and goddess's wedding was canceled. I have some secret information. It turns out that our goddess Ni's grandmother has passed away. Here, I would like to express my condolences to goddess Ni."
Some oblivious streamer actually broadcast the whole thing online.
"Holy crap, this is inhumane! You're filming someone's funeral."
"Come on, let's report them! They're such scumbags."
"Do you people who do live streaming even know what respect is?"
When Tang Mian told Huo Shenyan about this, Huo Shenyan was at home with Ni Jingxi. Ni Jingxi hadn't been feeling well since last night, and he hadn't even gone to the company.
Ni Jingxi had just fallen asleep when he quietly got up and went outside.
After listening to Tang Mian's words, he said in a low voice, "I don't want to see any more news about my grandmother in the media. She is not a public figure."
“I understand, Mr. Huo,” Tang Mian said.
Before hanging up the phone, Tang Mian said softly, "Mr. Huo, please accept my condolences and take care of yourselves."
"Thank you," Huo Shenyan said softly.
In fact, Ni Jingxi didn't sleep for long; she woke up about half an hour later.
After she got up, she went to the closet and found a black suit. While she was changing into the shirt and suit pants, Huo Shenyan walked in from outside.
"Why are you up?"
Ni Jingxi draped the suit jacket over her shoulders. She was already thin, and had been working out to be in better shape for her wedding. Wearing a black suit made her waist look even more slender.
Ni Jingxi said softly, "I want to keep vigil for my grandmother."
Huo Shenyan did not refuse but nodded: "I'll go with you."
He then found a completely black suit in his closet, including a black shirt, and after changing, he personally drove Ni Jingxi to the funeral.
In fact, everything was arranged very properly. Tang Mian found the most professional people in Shanghai to ensure that it was solemn and dignified.
At this moment, Ni Jingxi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly said, "Grandma's grave..."
Huo Shenyan immediately reassured her, "Don't worry, I've already had someone check it and made preparations."
Ni Jingxi turned to look at him with a surprised expression.
It was only then that Ni Jingxi realized that Huo Shenyan had already sent someone to select a burial site six months ago.
In families with elderly members, these things are prepared in advance. However, these are usually done by the children. Ni Jingxi doesn't understand these things, but Huo Shenyan, having experienced his grandmother's death, knows that important matters like cemetery preparations should begin well in advance.
Ni Jingxi remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "Thank you."
Huo Shenyan frowned, not liking to hear such polite words as "thank you" from her. He reached out and patted her head, saying in a deep voice, "Silly girl, why are you thanking me?"
Ni Jingxi originally thought that not many people would come to her grandmother's funeral, but to her surprise, not only did many people send wreaths, but even some elderly people from the nursing home came.
Ni Jingxi knew that many people didn't know her grandmother; they were only there because of Huo Shenyan.
But my grandmother loved lively gatherings all her life. Now that she's gone, so many people have come to see her off. It's quite a grand and dignified occasion, isn't it?
After Tang Mi and Hua Zheng arrived, they each hugged Ni Jingxi.
Tang Mi looked at Ni Jingxi, whose face was calm and solemn. When she came in earlier, she saw the guests who came with Ni Jingxi bowing and thanking her one by one. She did not wail or shed tears. Although she was still sad, she had become exceptionally strong.
But seeing her like this only made Tang Mi feel more distressed.
Because she knew better than anyone else here about Ni Jingxi's relationship with her grandmother, and knew how they had relied on each other for so many years.
"If you feel unwell and want to drink with someone, just give me a call anytime," Tang Mi said softly.
Hua Zheng nodded, "I can too."
Ni Jingxi nodded slightly: "Okay."
Huo Shenyan did everything perfectly. The private cemetery he arranged for his grandmother was a rare and beautiful place, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. Although it was Ni Jingxi's first time visiting the burial site, she felt that it was truly wonderful.
May is the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers, although the weather was gloomy and a light rain was falling that day.
However, the surrounding area is filled with trees, and the high steps of the cemetery stretch upwards as far as the eye can see. The surrounding shrubs are lush and green, and occasionally flower buds bloom.
“I plan to move your grandfather’s and your mother’s graves here.”
There were indeed two empty tombstones next to it at that moment.
Ni Jingxi looked quietly at the three tombstones nestled together. Now her loved ones were laid to rest here. She thought she would run out of tears, but she couldn't help but let them fall.
She turned to look at Huo Shenyan and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Huo Shenyan was slightly taken aback.
Ni Jingxi: "I shouldn't have asked you that question that night, asking if you married me because you loved me."
She had always wanted to say "I'm sorry" to him, but never had the chance.
Now there was no one else around, only the two of them.
"I believe you want to marry me because you love me, just as I know I only marry you because I love you. I know that, I've always known. I spoke without thinking that day, I was wrong."
Huo Shenyan threw away his umbrella, reached out and hugged her, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Xingxing, I should have told you in person."
Actually, he should have said "I'm sorry" to the person in question.
He had always known she was Ni Pingsen's daughter, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. Ever since he learned she had come to Israel to find her father, he had been unable to speak.
Later, he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, but he kept backing down.