CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27: HER TRUST

Xia Mian gently held his hand and slightly lowered her gaze, "Don’t worry, Grandma will be fine."

Xia Mian’s words seemed to have a magical effect, even Lu Zechuan felt a bit relieved.

As soon as Xia Mian finished speaking, the light outside the emergency room went out.

Mrs. Lu was pushed out by the nurse.

"The patient was brought in on time, her life is saved for now. However, you younger ones need to be extra careful in the future; the elderly can’t handle such frequent troubles!" The doctor finished speaking, gave a few more instructions to the Lu Family, and then turned to leave.

The Lu Family quickly gathered around Mrs. Lu’s bed and followed the nurse to send her back to the VIP ward.

Though Mrs. Lu had been saved, her condition was very poor; her complexion was ashen, and she remained unconscious.

Lu Zechuan sat beside her bed, speaking to her softly, "Grandma, I’m here to see you, you’ll be okay."

Wu Mei glanced disdainfully at her own son, only to see Lu Zeming glance at his watch and say, "Since Grandma is alright now, I’ll head back first. There’s an important case at the bureau I need to handle..."

Lu Zhenhua cast a sidelong glance at Lu Zeming, gritting his teeth in frustration, "Your grandmother just got out of danger!"

Lu Zeming appeared innocent, "Yes, and isn’t she out of danger now? Besides, you all are here."

Wu Mei just felt exasperated and waved him off, "Go, go, go! Don’t let me see you again!"

Her disdain was evident.

Lu Zeming slinked away disheartened.

For some reason, he disliked the atmosphere at home; staying at home felt less important than serving the people.

Lu Zhenqing and Lu Zhenhua’s couple sat in the ward for a while, also sensing the discomfort caused by the eldest.

Shen Man tried to strike up a conversation with Lu Zechuan, who ignored her every time.

Eventually, Shen Man, feeling awkward, whispered something to Lu Zhenqing and quietly left.

Lu Zhenhua and Wu Mei stayed a bit longer, saw Mrs. Lu wake up, and helped her drink a hot bowl of bird’s nest soup before leaving.

Having just escaped the clutches of death, Mrs. Lu looked weary but still managed to smile, gripping Xia Mian’s hand, "Mianmian came to see me too... this old lady is really happy..."

Because of the earlier throat swelling, Mrs. Lu’s voice was a bit hoarse.

Xia Mian smiled softly, her voice gentle, "Grandma, you’re still weak, please rest well. I’ll definitely visit you often these days."

The Lu Family is hiding secrets, and she’s unsure who the manipulator is behind the scenes.

To help Lu Zechuan extend his life, she would need to visit the Lu Family frequently.

"Yes, Mianmian is a good girl. Ah Chuan, you better not bully her!" Mrs. Lu murmured, her voice growing fainter as her eyelids began to droop again.

Xia Mian held Mrs. Lu’s hand; these hands were slightly deformed, likely from past years of hard work.

Xia Mian pressed her lips together, pulled a few strands of her own hair, and slowly twisted them between her fingers, focusing intently to weave a delicate bracelet.

She placed this bracelet on Mrs. Lu’s arm, lowered her eyes, and muttered softly.

Lu Zechuan’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

As Xia Mian opened her eyes, the hair bracelet that had been visibly noticeable on Mrs. Lu’s wrist seemed to vanish, becoming invisible to the naked eye.

Lu Zechuan squinted deeply, casting a complex glance at Xia Mian.

"Actually, my mom doesn’t know I can do these things." Xia Mian turned to look at Lu Zechuan, "Can you keep it a secret for me?"

What she learned was all acquired while on missions, and if Song Juan were to ask, she couldn’t explain it.

Lu Zechuan met her star-like black eyes, smiling, "Of course."

He was delighted, as Xia Mian had never hidden anything from him; she treated him as one of her own!

"Come over here." Xia Mian beckoned Lu Zechuan with a wave of her hand.

Lu Zechuan silently walked over to her side, and Xia Mian slipped a lock of her hair into his palm, "Keep this with you at all times for now."

Lu Zechuan glanced at her head, "Aren’t you afraid of going bald with this plucking?"

Xia Mian rolled her eyes at him, about to retort when her phone rang.

Xia Mian glanced at her phone; it was a call from Song Juan, so she quickly answered and went outside the ward to speak.

"Mianmian, why aren’t you home yet? It’s dark out." Song Juan’s voice held concern, "Where are you? Mom will come to pick you up!"

Even though Lu Zechuan had helped them, Mianmian inviting him for a meal would have sufficed. With things the way they were, was that Lu boy thinking of snatching her daughter away?

"I’m coming back now." Xia Mian quickly responded.

After ending the call, Lu Zechuan was standing right behind her, "I’ll have someone take you home."

With the situation involving his grandmother, Lu Zechuan couldn’t leave for the moment, so he asked Uncle Sun to take Xia Mian home.

As soon as she got out of the car, Xia Mian saw Song Juan standing at the villa’s entrance, waiting for her.

It was already autumn, and the nights were cold. Xia Mian didn’t know how long Song Juan had been waiting, and a small pang of guilt arose in her heart, "Mom, you could have waited inside; why did you come out?"

As Xia Mian approached, Song Juan noticed the bruises on Xia Mian’s face, "What happened to your face? Did someone from the Xia Family give you trouble?"

Song Juan’s gaze was tense as she checked Xia Mian up and down.

"No, I just accidentally fell." Xia Mian quickly explained, "Let’s go inside and talk."

"Ah Mian, it’s not that Mom is overthinking, but the Xia Family people are not good sorts. Today we sent Xia Jianguo in, and they won’t take it lying down." Song Juan’s face was worried, sighing deeply.

It was then that Xia Mian noticed the injury on Song Juan’s face, and immediately her eyes turned somber, "Did they give you trouble?"

Song Juan hesitated and refused to say.

Yet, even without her saying, Xia Mian could guess it.

Xia Jianguo had married into the Song Family, and the Xia Family clan relied on the Song Family for their livelihood. Now that Xia Jianguo and Song Juan’s marriage was at an end and Xia Jianguo had been sent to jail, the greedy Xia Family would no longer have access to their wealth. How could they possibly let that go easily?

"I’m going to find them!" Furious, Xia Mian was about to leave just as she reached home.

Song Juan quickly grabbed her hand, "Forget it. I’ve reported them to the police and had them sent away! I have nothing to do with them anymore. If they come to bother me again, I won’t be polite!"

Xia Mian looked back at Song Juan and smiled, "That’s the way it should be!"

"Get yourself ready for bed! You’ve had a hectic day!" Song Juan’s heart ached for her daughter.

If it weren’t for the trouble with Xia Jianguo, her Mianmian wouldn’t need to rush to graduate, rush to grow up, or rush to curry favor with the Lu Family... It was all because she, as a mother, was useless!

***

Xia Mian lay in bed, unable to sleep soundly the entire night.

Though Xia Jianguo was sent away, taking over the Song Group wasn’t as smooth of a process.

After all, the Song Family was now just them, a widow and her child. Anyone could see that they were easy targets.

Initially, Xia Mian thought taking over the Song Group would require some maneuvering, but unexpectedly, the next day, as soon as she opened her eyes, someone proactively came to make amends.