Sister Hua was a bit afraid to lift her head to look at Shi Che, her lips quivered and her voice trembled, "Young Master, what do you want me to say?"
Shi Che didn’t speak anymore, his dark eyes heavy, staring at her steadily. His gaze was not sharp, yet it still emitted an extreme sense of oppression. Cold sweat slowly seeped out from Sister Hua’s forehead, but she still insisted, "Young Master, I really don’t know what you want to say."
The corners of Shi Che’s lips curved up slightly, but his smile was cold. His voice was unhurried, "It seems, Sister Hua, you are getting old and can’t remember things. It might be time to consider retirement."
Such words made Sister Hua shake her head vigorously, her eyes widened, filled with fear, "Young Master, don’t send me away, I, I... Madam told me not to tell you."
The light in Shi Che’s eyes flowed slowly, his voice deepened, "Do you think you can still keep it hidden now?"
Sister Hua’s spine was dripping with cold sweat, soaking her clothes. She sighed inwardly, knowing by now, some things could no longer be kept secret.
Sister Hua lifted her eyes, looked at Shi Che, her expression extremely solemn, and slowly began to speak, "About half a year ago, Madam suddenly felt unwell. At first, Madam didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was just old age, her body deteriorating. But unexpectedly, one time Madam suddenly fainted. After the doctor came, they found out... Madam was diagnosed with... liver cancer."
As the last two words came out, Shi Che’s dark eyes narrowed, a quick flash of shock crossed his eyes, and beside him, Ling Yunshu couldn’t help exclaiming, "What? Madam is... " She quickly covered her lips, her pretty delicate face unable to hide the shock.
Sister Hua looked at Shi Che again, her hands slightly clenched, "This disease is not very noticeable in the early stages. Even after the onset, there are no symptoms for a long time. So when Madam discovered it, the situation was already very bad. Madam felt that she might not live much longer, so... that’s why she has been so anxious about the child’s matter. She just hoped that before she closed her eyes forever, she could see her grandson."
The night was growing deep, the atmosphere in the hospital room eerily silent.
Mrs. Shi lay quietly in bed, Shi Che sat beside her, his dark eyes slowly landing on Mrs. Shi’s face. He didn’t remember how long it had been since he looked at his mother so intently—only now noticing, stripped of her imposing demeanor and her delicate makeup, his mother’s temples had turned grey, her cheeks hollowed, making her cheekbones prominent, her eye sockets sunken.
Always a strong mother, always an uncompromising woman, now due to the illness, could only lie so weakly on the hospital bed.
Shi Che’s brow furrowed deeply, as if something stirred deep within his eyes. His hand slowly reached out, grasping one of Mrs. Shi’s hands.
Her hand was very cold, touching his palm, that chillness seemed to reach straight to his heart. Shi Che’s hand involuntarily tightened, tightly clasping her hand in his palm, trying to transfer the warmth from his palm to hers.
She was always precise, teaching him all the rules, all about being the heir of the Shi Family. He was different from others; his every word and deed had to match the status of an heir, nothing could be arbitrary.
His emotions had grown thin from being overly suppressed since childhood. He respected his mother, loved his mother, yet only, he didn’t know how to be close to her.