Chapter 5 — Cut Out of the Will

How do people expect someone to spit out the meat they have already swallowed?

I simply feel this is what I ought to do.

Just like right now, everyone still believes my grandmother’s medical bills should be paid by me.

My eldest uncle fell silent. I could hear murmuring on the other end of the line—arguing, calculating, deliberating.

Nhien, do not be rash.

My eldest uncle finally spoke.

Can we postpone the press conference?

Family matters should be discussed calmly.

Making a huge scene will benefit no one.

Now you remember we are family?

I retorted.

When you were busy plotting with reporters to ruin my reputation, why didn't you think of us as family?

When you humiliated me in public and treated me like an outsider, why didn't you think of us as family?

Uncle, I will make myself crystal clear today.

You will sign the care agreement.

You will pay for the herbal medicine.

Short even a single coin, and tomorrow at nine in the morning, we shall meet in court and at the press conference.

I, Chu Nhien, always stand by my word.

I hung up. Tossed the phone onto the desk. Leaned back in my chair and let out a long, heavy sigh. The twilight cast my shadow long across the floor. They had played every card in their deck. Now, it was my turn to rule the gaming table. My phone rang again. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen. I answered.

Hello, is this Miss Chu Nhien?

A steady, deep male voice came through.

I am Director Liu from the Orthopedics Department of the Municipal People's Hospital.

Hello, Doctor.

It is like this, your grandmother, Mrs. Ly Tu Lan.

This afternoon she became extremely agitated, pulled out her IV lines herself, and insisted on being discharged.

We could not dissuade her.

She said she must go find you.

Swore she would die right on your doorstep.

Chapter 7

Grandmother is truly formidable. My dear grandmother indeed. She knows exactly how to handle me, knowing precisely what I fear most. It is not her death that terrifies me. It is the label of unfiliality that would forever remain branded upon me after her passing. It is the gigantic web of public opinion that would nail me to the pillar of shame. She is using her own life as her final gamble, betting that I do not dare.

Miss Chu? Are you still listening?

Director Liu’s voice came through.

I am.

I understand, Director Liu.

Then… what are your thoughts?

Let her be discharged.

Silence fell on the other end. Director Liu likely thought he had misheard.

Miss Chu, I must remind you, the patient's current condition is extremely unstable.

Her lumbar vertebrae have a hairline fracture and require strict bed rest. Forcing a transfer could worsen her injuries, or even…

I know.

I cut him off.

This is her personal wish, as well as the decision of her family members, correct?

Her son just signed the papers and completed the forced discharge procedures.

Then that is settled.

The hospital has fulfilled its duty of notification and bears no further liability.

Whatever happens next has nothing to do with you all.

Director Liu sighed.

Very well, if the family insists.

We have no other choice.

I hung up. I looked out the window at the sky, which had turned completely dark. The city’s neon lights flickered on one by one. I did not go home. I called my assistant, Xiao Chen.

Help me book a flight to the neighboring city tonight, as early as possible.

Huh? Director Chu, are you going on a business trip?

It is not on the schedule.

It is a personal trip.

Understood.

I will send you the details once booked.

I hung up. I grabbed my car keys and left the office. I did not head to the airport. Instead, I drove to the serviced apartment complex I had looked into earlier. Security was strict; keycards were required to access the upper floors. The front desk was manned around the clock. I used my ID to check in and rented a unit for a long-term stay, paying three months in advance. Once inside, I double-locked the door, drew the curtains, switched my phone to silent mode, and tossed it onto the bed. I kicked off my high heels and sank heavily into the soft sofa. I knew that from this exact moment, I would be temporarily cut off from the world. My family would go mad trying to find me. They would come to my apartment, swarm my office, and blow up my phone with relentless calls. Grandmother might actually be hauled to my doorstep by them, staging a tearful, chaotic scene, screaming about life and death. They would record the spectacle, upload it online, and invite reporters to sob before the cameras over my cold-blooded ruthlessness. They would stop at nothing to paint me as a monster consumed by greed, indifferent even to the life and death of her own grandmother. Then, they would wait for public outrage to boil over, wait for my total ruin, and wait until I had nowhere left to turn, forcing me to crawl back and beg for mercy, handing over my money and my property. This was their master plan. Splendid. I refused to let them have their way. You want to put on a show? Go ahead. But the prerequisite is finding me, the main protagonist. I have vanished. This farce now features only a bunch of clowns jumping around, alongside an old woman lying on a stretcher. I would love to see how long they can perform to empty air. I turned on the television and randomly clicked on a movie. It was a comedy. Yet not a single word registered in my mind. I was simply waiting.