CHAPTER 271: CHAPTER 271; HE WAS WATCHING HER

Aryana flushed a little but gave a tiny nod, clutching the edge of her sleeve. "Wǒ... wǒ hái zài xué." (I’m still learning.)

The old woman took the fruit with care, her fingers brushing Aryana’s briefly. "Màn màn lái. Méi guānxi," (Take your time. It’s alright,) she said kindly. "You have a good heart. That’s the most important language."

Aryana’s chest eased slightly. She didn’t need to say much more. She now had someone to silently accompany, someone who didn’t mind her quietness, her foreignness, or her accent.

Just presence. That was enough.

From the hallway, Huo Ting Cheng stood still, his figure half-shadowed by the glass panel beside him. His black coat hung crisply from his broad shoulders, the clean lines of his profile sharp against the sterile hospital light.

Beside him, Huo Qi, Huo Wu, and Huo Zheng stood like silent sentinels, each alert but unobtrusive. Making sure he was safe all the time.

Inside the ward, laughter echoed as Feihao teased Grandpa Liu about hiding candy in his drawer again, while Zhihao crouched deep in concentration over the Go board, tapping his lip with a black stone.

Tinghao and Minghao were helping a frail man in a wheelchair near the open window, speaking softly, mature far beyond their age.

But Huo Ting Cheng wasn’t watching the children.

His gaze was fixed on Tang Fei, his wife, and no one else. She was acting well in public, as he had thought she would have a nervous breakdown, but now everything seemed to be going on well.

She moved gracefully through the ward, helping an elderly woman adjust her bed cover, then crouching to hand her a paper fan with a small smile.

Her long hair was tied back in a loose braid, strands falling softly around her face. There was no trace of pretense or self-consciousness in her movements, only quiet care.

"喝点水吧,奶奶." (Hē diǎn shuǐ ba, nǎinai.)

["Have some water, Grandma."]

Her voice was gentle, and her smile, though faint, reached her eyes. She reached to adjust a pillow, her slender fingers brushing across the old woman’s thin wrist, her every action filled with silent grace.

To others, it was just kindness.

But to Huo Ting Cheng, she was his world, and in that moment, as she turned slightly toward the window and the soft sunlight caught her cheek, something in his chest shifted.

A breath he hadn’t realized he was holding slipped out through his nose. She was still his.

And though he didn’t move, his grip around the tablet in his hand tightened slightly, quiet, contained, but possessive.

The quiet atmosphere was broken by the hurried steps of leather shoes.

The hospital director, slightly flushed and flustered, rushed down the hallway upon hearing the news. He slowed when he reached them, smoothing his coat as he gave a low respectful bow.

"Chairman Huo!" he greeted him, a bit too cheerfully. "We weren’t informed of your arrival. I assumed it was an inspection, you usually don’t visit unannounced."

Huo Ting Cheng didn’t glance at him even a bit. His voice, cool and measured, cut through the director’s nervous energy. "It’s not an inspection. Just a small unplanned visit. And a donation."

The director nodded quickly, masking his surprise, this was something new, when did they hear Huo Ting Cheng donating for all these years they have known him. "Ah, understood. Even so, your presence means a lot. If possible, I’d like to speak with you later, regarding some budget reallocations in the pediatric wing, and a few restructuring proposals..."

Without turning his head, Huo Ting Cheng raised one hand slightly, dismissing him. "Not today and then you know who to find for those things, give him a call..." He rarely tended to the hospital needs, and these were all run by Secretary Li.

The Director could tell that there was no room for argument.

The director hesitated, then bowed again. "Of course, I will do that... Another time, then."

He left quickly, understanding he had already overstayed his welcome. Huo Ting Cheng was known for being grumpy, distant, and cold; he could even fire him for no reason, just because he is annoying, and who wants to lose their job?

From beside him, Huo Qi gave a faint chuckle. "Can’t you at least be welcoming, even a little bit? You are always grumpy!" Huo Qi was already used to it, but then, anyway, people had to bow to him and not the other way.

Huo Ting Cheng didn’t respond. His attention was now fixed ahead, on a small figure by the far bed.

From the hallway, Huo Ting Cheng stood motionless, his tall, commanding figure partially concealed by the door frame, though his face remained calm, the storm in his chest was anything but still.

He wasn’t watching the children.

He was watching her.

Tang Fei, bathed in the soft light of the ward, moved gently between beds, her presence warm, and effortless.

She helped Grandpa Liu fix the clasp on his coat, her fingers brushing over his hand. When he chuckled and patted her wrist in thanks, Huo Ting Cheng’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

There was nothing flirtatious in it, just a grateful, old man’s gesture.

But it was her hand.

His gaze immediately darkened.

When another elderly man tugged at her braid playfully as she passed by, "你像我年轻时候的妻子.." ("You remind me of my wife when she was young."), She only smiled softly and adjusted his blanket.

Huo Ting Cheng’s grip around the folder in his hand snapped slightly at the edge, but he didn’t even notice it.

It was subtle, quiet, an ache that never stopped gnawing. She hadn’t looked at him once from the moment she got into the wardroom. Not even in passing. Not even when everyone else noticed the powerful man standing watch outside.

His mood was suddenly plummeting and getting colder and colder.

He noticed everything.

The way her eyes creased gently when she smiled. The curve of her shoulder as she leaned forward.