When Bo Jingyu received the news of Bo Yanhai's passing, he froze on the spot. The hand holding the phone slipped from his ear.
Shen Ximan, dressed in a hospital gown, stepped out of the elevator.
When she saw him, she didn't spare him a second glance.
"Grandpa's gone."
She stopped in her tracks at the ward door. "Really?"
Bo Jingyu strode forward and grabbed her shoulders, suspicion glinting in his eyes.
"Where did you go just now?"
Shen Ximan sneered and pushed his hand away from her shoulder. "Second Young Master, Grandpa is no longer with us. Instead of getting the funeral arrangements in order, why are you asking about my whereabouts? Have you lost your senses?"
"Is this related to you? I guarded the door all night. How did you manage to get out?"
"Are you trying to frame me again? Trying to make me take the blame?"
Shen Ximan looked at him with a broken heart, feigning strength and calmness.
Ruo Chi rushed over along the corridor. "S - Second Master! The old master... Please come to the hospital with me quickly!"
Bo Jingyu suppressed his indescribable anger and took one last look at her.
"Double the guards and keep a close eye on her. She's not allowed to go anywhere!"
Shen Ximan watched their retreating backs and swayed before fainting.
When she woke up again, it was already afternoon.
Xue Xiaoqi was sitting by the bed, frowning and sobbing softly.
"Water..."
"Sister! You're finally awake. You scared me to death!"
She quickly poured a glass of water. Just as she was about to help Shen Ximan up, Shen Ximan propped herself up with effort. Her eyes were hazy as she spoke weakly.
"Your hand is still not healed."
Xue Xiaoqi's nose felt sour, and her voice was muffled.
"Weren't we supposed to act together? Why did you go on that risky mission alone last night? Do you not consider me your closest family at all? Am I just being self - indulgent?"
"Silly girl, I didn't want to drag you into this."
Shen Ximan lay on the raised hospital bed, gasping for breath.
"Thanks to you, though. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known that Bo Jingming planned to take Grandpa away this afternoon. I should thank you."
Yesterday afternoon, Qian Li called Xue Xiaoqi to ask about her injury and casually mentioned that Bo Yanhai was going to go abroad earlier.
She immediately reported this news to Shen Ximan.
"Qian Li will definitely scold me. He must have discovered your identity," Xue Xiaoqi said, feeling both self - reproach and at a loss.
"He's a capable assistant by Bo Jingyu's side. He'll understand your good intentions. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
After Shen Ximan drank most of the glass of warm water, she finally felt better in her stomach.
"I asked A Kun to transfer Grandpa to Xijiao Sea. Apart from you, me, Qian Li, and Bo Jingming, no one else knows about this. We must keep this news strictly confidential."
Xue Xiaoqi looked at her with heartache as she was exhausted to the point of collapse, her eyes misty with tears.
She had shouldered such a huge responsibility all by herself.
She had risked her life just to ensure that Bo Yanhai wouldn't be poisoned by Shen Shiyu and Bo Siming, and had solved the problem alone.
Now, Shen Ximan was being suspected by Bo Jingyu.
He must think that she was blinded by hatred and had lashed out at others without thinking, just to satisfy her own desires.
"What about the Second Young Master..."
"It's best he hates me."
Shen Ximan was overly calm. One couldn't even tell what was going on in her mind.
"All the signs are pointing at me. I don't intend to defend myself."
She forced out a bitter and haggard smile. "Xiaoqi, only in this way can he not be swayed by emotions and make the right judgment. As long as Bo Siming is alive, our connection won't be severed. Only by destroying the root cause ourselves can we put an end to this."
"You underestimate Jingyu too much!"
Su Minghan walked in with a bouquet of flowers, his face looking rather grim.
"Who let you in?"
The smile on Shen Ximan's face suddenly faded. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke.
"I let myself in. So what?"
He plopped down on the sofa like a rascal, bravely facing the dangerous aura that they were emitting, trying to drive him away.
"Shen Ximan, I'll only ask you one question. Do you know Jingyu?"
"What do you mean?"
Su Minghan chuckled and leaned back on the sofa with his arms outstretched. "I don't mean anything. I just want to tell you that while you were scheming to make Jingyu hate and resent you, guess what he was doing?"
"He was in a hurry to pay his last respects to the old master and still called me to come and take care of you! Do you think he'll back off just because of your tricks? He's trying to love you and win you back in his clumsy way!"
Shen Ximan swallowed hard, and the corners of her eyes felt a bit sore.
"I think he sent you here as a lobbyist. But it's useless on me. If you have nothing else to do, please leave. I need to rest."
In the past, Xue Xiaoqi would definitely have taken her side.
But according to the current situation, she hoped that Shen Ximan could get rid of these hatreds and the shackles that troubled her.
"Sister, what President Su said makes sense."
"Think about it from another perspective. Maybe the Second Young Master doesn't actually resent you for harming Grandpa. He's just worried about you getting hurt?"
Shen Ximan stared blankly at her. "Xiaoqi, what are you talking about?"
"Are you siding with them now? How could he be worried about me getting hurt? He's just a cold - blooded animal!"
"You're so stubborn! Jingyu has bared his heart to you. Why can't you feel how much he loves you? Whether it's your revenge or your act of sabotaging the yacht on your own initiative, have you ever heard him complain about you even once?"
Su Minghan was so angry that his nose was smoking. "How did a brain like yours manage to become the president of A Hairui? You can't even tell love from hate. It's such a waste that Jingyu is so infatuated with you. Think about it yourself!"
He stood up abruptly and angrily opened the door and left.
Recalling Bo Jingyu's gritted - teeth expression just now, Shen Ximan was speechless.
Was she really wrong?
Was he just worried about her safety instead of suspecting her?
"Xiaoqi, help me ask Qian Li how things are going over there."
"Okay, I'll go back and ask right away."
At the same time, in the morgue of Yancheng Hospital, after Qian Li finished explaining the general situation, he hung up the phone and rushed to Bo Jingyu's side.
"Second Master, Miss Shen has gone to rest."
He sighed wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking relieved.
"Grandpa! Wuwuwu, my poor grandpa."
The man lying on the bed in front of them, who could only move half of his body, was crying snot and tears. He looked as "filial" as could be.
Shen Shiyu held Bo Siming's hand and was also crying convincingly.
"What bad luck! Why did you leave us?"
"You haven't fully recovered yet. Why did you come all the way here? Calm down. Don't make your condition worse."
Bo Jingming stood on the side, looking ten years older.