Chapter 143: Grandfather is dead. Not passed away, he's dead!

At this moment, a cold wind swept past.

Even in the dead of summer, the breeze caused goosebumps to break out all over Shi Runrun’s skin.

She couldn't help but lower her hands, hugging her tiny, trembling body brought on by the sudden chill.

She couldn't stay here much longer. Having been caught in the rain all day, she was already at risk of catching a cold. If she were to sit out here for the entire night, she would undoubtedly fall ill by tomorrow.

At a juncture like this, she simply couldn't afford to fall sick.

Tomorrow, she still needed to donate a portion of her heart to her grandfather. She was still carrying a child, and she didn't have much money left. She had no room to get sick.

Just as she stood up to leave, the next second, a large hand holding a thick, oversized coat reached out from behind her. Then, the owner of the hand gently draped the garment over her shoulders.

Startled, Shi Runrun turned around. Upon seeing who it had come, her heart softened instantly, and she choked out through her tears, "Brother Qiao..."

...

Half an hour later, Shi Runrun was carried into a hotel in Qiao Yu’s arms.

Being the gentleman he was, he booked a single room for her. After carrying her inside and laying her gently on the bed, he instructed her softly, "Take a hot shower and eat something first. I've also prepared some ginger tea for you. Drink up to keep the cold away. I've booked the room right next door, so just call me if you need anything."

With that, he left her room, thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind him.

Lying on the bed and staring at the bright ceiling fixture, Shi Runrun pressed her lips tightly together.

She sighed inwardly, realizing she owed Brother Qiao far, far too much in this lifetime...

After lying there for a while, she finally picked up the change of clothes he had prepared for her and walked into the bathroom.

Though her heart felt utterly dead, reality remained as harsh as ever.

To avoid falling ill, she had to take a hot shower right now and drink the ginger tea Qiao Yu had prepared.

For the sake of her babies, she had to hold on!

In truth, that was precisely what Shi Runrun did.

Once everything was done, she went next door and called Qiao Yu over.

The two of them sat down by the table in the room. Before either of them could utter a word, *bang!*

A tremendous crash echoed through the air!

The entire room seemed to tremble as the heavily reinforced door was forcefully smashed open from the outside!

Both Shi Runrun and Qiao Yu widened their eyes in shock, turning their gazes toward the entryway. The next moment, Ji Yunan stormed in followed by a throng of bodyguards in tailored suits!

Shortly before, upon seeing her being carried into the hotel in Qiao Yu's arms, Ji Yunan had nearly lost his temper!

With such a monumental crisis unfolding on Xuezheng’s end, yet she was actually...

Still, Ji Yunan managed to rein in the fury boiling within him, waiting a brief moment before coming upstairs to drag her back!

With a dark and handsome expression, abandoning his usual gentlemanly and elegant demeanor, he strode over to them, cast a single glance at both her and Qiao Yu, grabbed her firmly by the wrist, and yanked her to her feet!

"Brother Yunan!"

Feeling a sharp pain in her wrist as she was jerked upward by the force, Shi Runrun cried out, "Brother Yunan! What are you doing?! Xiao Xuezheng and I are through for good in this lifetime! Let go of me! I don't want to go back with you, and I never want to see him again!"

"Don't want to see whom?! Don't want to see Xuezheng?!"

Glaring at her with a grim and chilling gaze, Ji Yunan curved his lips into a cold, derisive smile as his grip tightened viciously around her wrist!

He roared at the top of his lungs, "Do you have any idea what has happened while you were running away from the Xiao family?! I'm asking you, do you fucking know what actually happened?!"

Shi Runrun: "..."

"Grandfather is dead! Old Master Xiao is dead! Not passed away—he is dead! Shi Runrun, you are the one who murdered him with your own hands!"

What...

Shi Runrun’s face turned deathly pale, and her breathing stopped abruptly.

Along with her frantically beating heart.

What did Brother Yunan just say...

Grandfather is dead...

Not passed away... but dead...

What on earth did Brother Yunan mean...

What did it mean to say he didn't pass away, but was dead...

With reddened eyes, Ji Yunan stared fixedly at her, his voice trembling. Unbidden, tears spilled from his bloodshot eyes. "The hospital surveillance footage caught you entering Old Master Xiao's hospital room two hours ago! And after you left... after you left..."

His voice shook, and the tears streamed down faster. "And after you left... Grandfather personally pulled off his own oxygen mask and every single tube connected to his body! Do you have any idea how agonizing that process was?! Do you know how painful it is to tear out the life-sustaining tubes from your own flesh one by one?! Old Master Xiao... he was tortured to death by the pain!"

Shi Runrun: "..."

What was he saying...

What was Brother Yunan saying...

Grandfather... committed suicide...

Why...

Hadn't she already promised him that she would donate her heart to him...

Why would Grandfather seek his own end...

With vacant, hollow eyes wide open, Shi Runrun stood frozen as if struck by lightning, trembling uncontrollably from head to toe.

She parted her lips slightly, her voice shivering as she whispered, "No... that can't be... How could Grandfather..."

Her mind failed to process it; she could not accept such a cruel truth.

Clearly, just moments ago when she went to see him, Grandfather had been fine...

He had still called her his little Run, and though she had uttered some harsh words, why would he give up on himself...

Taking a deep breath, Ji Yunan wiped the tears from the corner of his eye and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the exit. "The hospital is in absolute chaos right now. You are coming with me to the hospital! You are going to face Xuezheng!"

At that moment, Shi Runrun had lost all ability to think. Her mind was consumed by a single, shattering thought: Grandfather was dead.

Walking like a mindless corpse, she allowed herself to be dragged away by Brother Yunan.

After taking a few steps, Qiao Yu sprang forward from behind and blocked their path!

Ji Yunan's handsome face instantly turned glacial!

Keeping one hand clamped tightly around Shi Runrun's wrist, he glared at Qiao Yu and said coldly, "Get the hell out of my way!"

Casting a glance at Ji Yunan, Qiao Yu shifted his gaze to Shi Runrun standing behind him and spoke in a cool, steady voice, "Unless she agrees to go with you of her own accord, I will not let you take her away like this!"

Ji Yunan's jaw tightened, raw hostility flashing across his features. He threw a quick look at Qiao Yu and then signaled the bodyguards beside him with a glance.

Seeing the bodyguards step forward to make a move, Shi Runrun suddenly lunged forward, placing herself squarely between them!

"Enough! Stop fighting!"

She then turned to face Qiao Yu. "Brother Qiao... thank you for looking after me tonight, but now, I need to go to the hospital with Brother Yunan. Don't worry, no one can force me against my will—I am going of my own free will."

Hearing this and catching the shimmer of tears welling in her eyes, Qiao Yu pressed his thin lips together. Finally, with a soft sigh, he stepped aside to clear the path.

Shi Runrun offered him a faint smile before slowly shaking her head. Turning back to Ji Yunan, she said, "Brother Yunan, let's go. We're going to the hospital."