Magic City First People's Hospital.
VIP Ward.
After dealing with the various troubles in the corporation...
Lin Xuan and Su Qingge rushed to the hospital without stopping to visit the elderly man who had fallen into a coma.
As soon as she stepped through the door, Su Qingge's eyes turned red.
On the hospital bed.
Su Shengtian lay silently, wearing a ventilator.
His body was connected to various tubes, and his skin had a deathly gray pallor, showing no trace of blood circulation.
His breathing had become extremely weak, relying on the ventilator to sustain his vital signs.
Each exhale made a faint, muffled sound against the medical mask, as if whispering his pain and helplessness.
The air was filled with a pungent medicinal smell, making it slightly suffocating.
At the same time, it evoked a deep sense of despair and powerlessness, as if signaling that his life was nearing its end…
'Grandpa... how did it come to this…'
Seeing her grandfather in such a state with her own eyes, Su Qingge instantly burst into tears.
In her heart.
Su Shengtian had always been a towering and imposing figure, the unshakable pillar supporting the Su family.
No matter the situation, he had always remained unfazed, as if nothing in the world could bring him down…
But now…
Looking at the once-powerful grandfather, now lying weakly in bed, struggling to hold onto life like a frail old man.
Su Qingge finally realized... her grandfather had truly grown old…
If he were like his peers, he would have long retired, enjoying his twilight years with his family.
…..
'It's all my incompetence that forced Grandpa, at his age, to still worry about so many things.'
'If I were strong enough, this wouldn't have happened at all.'
'Grandpa, I'm sorry. From now on, I won't let you worry anymore. I'll take on your responsibilities.'
'Please, you must get better! Don't leave me alone in this world…'
'If even you are gone… then I will truly… have no family left.'
'Even if just for me… Grandpa, I beg you, please wake up…'
…..
Su Qingge was filled with self-blame, deeply hating her own powerlessness.
Her tears, like glistening pearls, silently wet both her cheeks.
She didn't know how many years it had been…
Since she last felt this overwhelming fear of loss and sorrow…
Even when she became a vegetative patient before, all she felt was hatred and anger.
This intense fear of loss had only surfaced the day her parents passed away…
"Don't cry. Grandpa Su will be fine. I promise!"
Just as the girl was drowning in endless sorrow…
Lin Xuan's voice, warm yet firm, rang out, filled with a confidence that instinctively made one trust him.
Then.
A tissue reached her, gently wiping away Su Qingge's tears before she was pulled into a soft embrace.
"Of course, if you still want to cry…"
"My shoulder is here for you. Just let it all out."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret."
Hearing his comforting tone, as if soothing a child, Su Qingge suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of grievance and sorrow.
She seemed to see a glimpse of her father in this young man.
When she was little and sad…
Her father would hold her just like this, smiling as he said she could cry on his shoulder as much as she wanted…
"Good girl~ good girl~~~ cry it out, cry it out~~"
Lin Xuan gently patted the girl's back, softly comforting her as she silently shed tears.
"Once you finish crying, the storm will pass, and everything will get better. I'll always be with you."
"No matter what path you choose in the future, I will walk beside you until the end of time..."
"......"
In the original storyline.
Su Qingge's character had always been portrayed as cold and emotionless.
She had never shown a vulnerable side, let alone cried in front of others.
However, due to Lin Xuan's intervention, the girl overcame the "darkened" phase of her vegetative state with a new, positive mindset.
This made her seem more like a girl who was just pretending to be strong…
Under the blow of an imminent loss, she revealed her fragile, helpless side, crying like an ordinary girl.
But Lin Xuan did not reject this change; in fact, he was quite pleased.
After all, when a woman shows her most helpless side in front of a man…
It means she truly trusts him, or rather… sees him as her support…
"Qingge, I know you're independent. You always want to shoulder everything on your own and never want to trouble those around you."
"But you can't bear everything alone. When emotions are suppressed to the extreme, you will break down."
"I've always been by your side! I hope you can trust me. I hope you can rely on me…"
"No matter what happens, we will face it together."
She didn't know how much time had passed.
Lin Xuan only remembered that he kept talking while the girl silently listened, tears falling without a word.
Until a cold, mechanical voice suddenly sounded…
[I'm fine now. Let me go. Thank you!]
Letting go of the girl in his arms, Lin Xuan realized that her tears had dried, and the determination had returned to her eyes—no longer fragile like before.
As their eyes met, Su Qingge's face flushed, and she awkwardly averted her gaze.
At this moment, she silently scolded herself—why had she lost control of her emotions?!
She actually cried in front of an outsider again…
Hadn't she already decided that she would never cry in front of anyone again?!
But facing Lin Xuan's comfort, her heart was still filled with gratitude.
If he hadn't been there…
How could she have possibly released all her pent-up emotions like this?!
It would have surely remained bottled up inside, turning into overwhelming hatred.
Even she knew that if she continued down that path, her heart would only grow darker and more twisted…
But this was the first time she had shown such weakness in front of Lin Xuan.
She didn't quite know how to face him now…
After all, since he had married into the Su family and become her husband, that meant…
From now on, it would be her responsibility to protect him.
With this crying, fragile little-girl image, how could she ever make Lin Xuan feel safe in the future? How could she convince him that she could take care of him…