Chapter 077: She Really Is So Useless!

Shi Runrun immediately grabbed Xiao Xuezheng’s arm and shook her head at him desperately.

Can they really say it?

Can they truly tell Grandpa and Grandma that the child is gone? Grandpa’s health is so frail, the doctors warned them he mustn’t be agitated—what if...

But Xiao Xuezheng seemed resolute, determined to lay bare the truth today.

He gently shook off her hand, turned, and faced his grandparents, his voice grave and unwavering: “Grandpa, Grandma, Runrun lost the baby over a month ago. She was in a car accident, and she never had the chance to explain it to you. First, we worried about your health, and second, we feared you wouldn’t be able to bear the news.”

Grandpa Xiao, lying in bed, trembled at his grandson’s words. His aged eyes widened in shock.

If he hadn’t been confined to his sickbed, Runrun feared he might have collapsed altogether.

Grandma Xiao, seated nearby, couldn’t contain herself. She burst into tears again and raised her voice at Runrun: “Runrun! Is what Xuezheng said true?! Is the child really gone?! Don’t just sit there in silence—say something!”

Her voice rose, becoming sharp and fierce.

Runrun had never seen Grandma Xiao, usually so gentle, show this side of herself. In that moment, tears poured from Runrun’s reddened eyes.

“Grandma, I…”

Her voice trembled along with her body, unable to utter a single word.

She truly didn’t know how to pass such cruel news to elders who had so longed for a great-grandchild.

The next moment, Grandpa Xiao struggled upright from his bed and came before her, gripping her arm so tightly it felt as though he’d crush it, his voice rising: “Runrun, tell me once more—has the child really gone? Speak! I want to hear it from your own lips!”

Runrun pressed her damp lips together, sobbing as she finally nodded, murmuring a faint “yes.”

Grandpa Xiao’s large frame shook violently, tottering, about to fall!

Thankfully, Xiao Xuezheng caught him in time.

The hospital room plunged into absolute silence and stillness.

No one dared to speak.

Only Runrun and Grandma Xiao’s quiet sobbing remained.

After nearly five minutes, Grandpa Xiao shoved away his grandson’s hand, steadied his trembling body, and swept his gaze around the room, finally locking eyes with Xiao Xuezheng and Runrun. He laughed, a bitter, mocking sound.

“Good! Good! The two of you! Well done! My beloved grandson and granddaughter-in-law! Such a terrible thing happens, and you hide it from me! Do you take this old fool for a simpleton?!”

Grandpa Xiao roared, his wrinkled face flushing with anger, veins standing out. He snatched up his cane, pushed open the door, and staggered out.

Grandma Xiao hurried after him, wiping her tears as she called, “Old man! Your health isn’t good, you mustn’t walk around!”

She chased after him in a flurry of worry.

With the elders gone, only Runrun, Xiao Xuezheng, and Aunt Xiao Shujing remained in the room.

Aunt Xiao Shujing sighed, coming forward and settling her gaze on Runrun, her voice heavy: “I told you, you couldn’t keep this from them forever.”

With that, she too left.

The door closed, leaving just Runrun and Xiao Xuezheng in the cold, empty room.

Runrun was overwhelmed by her tears, rubbing her swollen eyes, her voice trembling: “It’s all my fault… All my fault…”

Xiao Xuezheng approached, sighed, and pulled her into his arms to comfort her: “It’s not your fault… Runrun, don’t dwell on it, the child has been gone for so long already.”

Runrun: “…”

She had accepted it for so long, but now that the truth was out, her heart ached more than ever.

Crying, she looked up at Xiao Xuezheng and asked, voice shaking, “Why tell them now? Couldn’t we have waited a bit longer?”

“It can’t be hidden any longer. Grandpa is shrewd—he called us here and asked us so directly, it’s obvious he knew something. Better to face the pain now than let it drag on. At least we won’t have to keep weaving lies.”

Runrun wiped her tears, recalling the disappointed looks Grandpa and Grandma had just given her. The memory stabbed at her heart.

Since marrying into the Xiao family, Grandpa and Grandma had been the kindest to her, after Xiao Xuezheng himself. Yet she had let them down so deeply...

Suddenly, the door was shoved open from outside!

Aunt Xiao Shujing rushed in, breathless: “Xuezheng! Something’s wrong! Grandpa collapsed in the corridor!”

What…

Runrun’s eyes widened in shock.

Xiao Xuezheng released her and dashed out with Aunt Xiao Shujing.

“What’s happening now?! Has the doctor arrived?!”

“He’s been taken into the operating room already. The doctor says it’s likely another heart attack! Surgery must begin immediately!”

Xiao Xuezheng hurried after her toward the operating room, leaving Runrun alone in the chilly hospital room, lost and helpless.

…

Grandpa’s condition was dire.

His heart, already weak, had barely recovered after days of rest. The news of Runrun’s lost child struck him like a sledgehammer, pounding his heart mercilessly.

The doctors said his heart was failing rapidly—his prospects were bleak.

Runrun was stunned. She hadn’t realized Grandpa cared so deeply about her child.

The loss had brought him such overwhelming pain.

Everyone waited anxiously outside the operating room.

By eight in the evening, the surgery had not ended. The red light above the operating room glowed fiercely, tugging at countless hearts.

Runrun sat on the bench in the corridor, leaning on Xiao Xuezheng’s shoulder, her face pale, her eyes swollen and bloodshot.

She could no longer cry, only kept apologizing—to Grandma, to Aunt, and to Xiao Xuezheng.

Yet Grandma seemed disappointed in her now, refusing her apology, ignoring her, watching only the tightly shut doors of the operating room.

It was Aunt, who had never liked her much, who now comforted her, insisting it would be all right.

And Xiao Xuezheng, of course, kept comforting her, holding her close.

But even so, Runrun knew she had made a terrible mistake.

As a mother, she had failed, unable to protect her child. Her guilt was boundless.

She felt utterly ashamed, wishing for a hole to open beneath her feet so she could disappear.

She truly felt she had let Grandpa and Grandma down…

She prayed silently, begging heaven to grant Grandpa health, to bring him safely through the surgery…