CHAPTER 224: CHAPTER 222 KNEELING DOWN

Su Qingning hated hospitals. Her father had passed away in one, holding her hand as he took his last breath. He had kept apologizing, regretting that he couldn’t personally give her away at her wedding. Su Qingning had remembered those words for three years, and every time she thought of them, it felt as if a knife were twisting in her heart. Later, when her mother fell ill, Su Qingning spent nearly half a year rushing between bars and the hospital. Consequently, her memories of hospitals were all excruciatingly painful. Each visit felt as somber as attending a funeral.

But for some reason, having Lin Xiao by her side today made her mood feel less heavy.

Su Qingning’s grandfather was already out of critical condition and had been moved to a regular ward. The one accompanying the old man was none other than Su Qingning’s mother.

Standing at the doorway of the hospital room, Su Qingning suddenly said, "If my mom says something unpleasant later, Lin Xiao, don’t take it to heart!"

Lin Xiao smiled. "Honey, come on. Am I really that petty?"

When Madam Su saw Su Qingning and Lin Xiao, she was somewhat surprised.

"Didn’t I ask you to go to your uncle’s and see if you could help?" she asked.

Su Qingning’s gaze shifted slightly as she replied in a low voice, "Mom, we just came from Uncle’s house. They’ve already found someone to help plead their case!"

She’s still too kind, Lin Xiao thought. She didn’t tell her mother about her aunt’s attitude.

Madam Su’s face lit up. "Who did they find?" she asked quickly.

"Someone from the He Family. He’s the butler of the Hidden Dragon Villa and works for the young lady of the Shao Family!"

Madam Su breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s wonderful, just wonderful!"

"How is Grandpa?" Su Qingning asked.

"He’s fine now. The doctor said he just needs to rest. After two days of observation here, he can be discharged."

Su Qingning nodded.

Madam Su glanced at Lin Xiao, then suddenly said, "Qing Ning, Mom wants to talk to you alone. Is that okay?"

Su Qingning looked puzzled but nodded anyway. As the mother and daughter were about to get up and leave the room, Lin Xiao spoke.

"Just talk in here," he said with a smile. "I’ll wait outside!"

Su Qingning shot him a grateful look. Lin Xiao simply smiled back, turned, and left the room.

The spacious hospital room instantly fell silent.

"Mom, what did you want to talk about?"

Madam Su looked at her daughter with a complex expression. "Qing Ning," she said solemnly, "I think you should end things with Lin Xiao."

Su Qingning’s expression darkened. She never imagined that her mother wanting to talk alone was about this.

"Mom, why?" Su Qingning asked, suppressing her unhappiness.

Madam Su took a deep breath and said bluntly, "Because he isn’t worthy of you. Because Lin Xiao can’t give you the life you want. Qing Ning, I know saying this will upset you, but what happened to your cousin today genuinely scared me. I’m not asking you to divorce him so you can marry someone incredibly powerful. I just want you to be with someone who can at least protect you when you run into trouble."

Su Qingning knew her mother meant well, so she contained her anger. "But Mom, Lin Xiao can protect me, too. Just recently..."

Before she could finish, Madam Su cut her off.

"Qing Ning, you’ve always been kind, cool on the outside but warm on the inside. At your core, you’re a very traditional woman of Jiuzhou, believing that once a woman marries, she must remain faithful for life. But Qing Ning, forgive me for being blunt, but Lin Xiao is a beggar. How could he possibly protect you?"

The word "beggar" infuriated Su Qingning. She hated it most when people called Lin Xiao that.

"Mom, Lin Xiao is not a beggar!" Su Qingning’s voice rose sharply.

Madam Su was taken aback, and a flash of anger appeared in her eyes. "Qing Ning, I know my words are harsh, but the truth is right in front of you! Even if he isn’t a beggar, can he protect you? When you face real problems, can he actually solve them for you?"

Her words were thick with hostility.

Sitting on the bench outside, Lin Xiao smirked. His hearing was exceptional, and with Madam Su’s voice being both loud and laced with anger, it was impossible not to overhear.

Su Qingning’s face was pale, her body trembling slightly as she stared deeply at her mother.

"Mom, Lin Xiao may not have many skills, but whenever I’ve faced a problem, he has never once backed down. No matter how powerful the other person is, Lin Xiao will bravely step forward to defend and support me!" Su Qingning argued passionately.

"But what’s the use of that? Qing Ning, right now you’re a coveted prize! Do you have any idea how many people in Jinling City have their eyes on you? If you weren’t so beautiful, I would never try to break you two apart. I don’t have anything against Lin Xiao, it’s just that his background and status mean you two are not from the same world!"

Madam Su’s voice began to crack with sobs. It was clear that saying all this was causing her extreme emotional pain.

At some point, Su Qingning’s eyes had turned red. Honestly, she was not one to cry. She had endured so many hardships over the years without shedding a single tear. But for some reason, these past few days, she felt she had become incredibly fragile. She was especially sensitive when it came to anything involving Lin Xiao.

Suppressing the grief in her heart, she forced a smile and asked, "Mom, what does ’from the same world’ even mean? Does it require a powerful background? Or does it mean having wealth that could rival a nation?"

Madam Su stared at Su Qingning, a sudden wave of disappointment washing over her.

"Qing Ning, you’ve never once made me worry your entire life. But this time, I can’t let you continue to debase yourself like this. You don’t have to take back the Su Corporation, and you don’t have to make a lot of money, but I need you to be safe. I’ve already lost your father; I can’t lose you too. And I absolutely cannot let you suffer any humiliation. So, divorce Lin Xiao. This is not a negotiation!"

Her tone suddenly became unyielding.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao couldn’t help but grin even wider. He leaned in, eager to hear Su Qingning’s response.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hospital corridor.

Lin Xiao instinctively turned to look and saw Su Qingning’s uncle and aunt.

The moment Qiu Jianping and his wife spotted Lin Xiao, their eyes lit up. Su Qingning’s aunt, in particular, broke into a jog and rushed toward him.

"Uncle, Aunt, what brings you here?" Lin Xiao asked with a hollow smile.

He knew exactly why the couple was there. To put it bluntly, they had come to beg him for help. Yes, I said that on purpose, he thought. The goal, of course, was to humiliate them. It was payback for how they had looked down on him and for their cold indifference toward Su Qingning.

Inside the room, Su Qingning and her mother heard Lin Xiao’s voice and stopped their conversation. Madam Su opened the door.

But at that very moment, Su Qingning’s aunt suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Lin Xiao.

With tears streaming down her face, she pleaded, "Lin Xiao, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have been so cold to you earlier! I’m apologizing to you now. I’ll even kowtow if you want! Please, I’m begging you, save Feng’er!"