Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The moment Lu Xia heard Huo Yao’s name, her eyes subconsciously froze for a moment.
But without a change in her voice, she said, “Doesn’t she know that Granny is hospitalized? Why would she turn up at the apartment? Did she go there to fetch something for Granny?”
He Xiaoman shook her head and replied with a frown. “She wasn’t there to pick up anything. The nanny said Huo Yao asked her whether your grandmother was home. When the nanny told her that she wasn’t there, Huo Yao left immediately.”
A quizzical look surfaced on Lu Xia’s face as well. “What is she up to?”
After contemplating for a few seconds, Lu Xia said, “Mom, it seems awfully strange. Why don’t we call Granny and find out?”
“I was also thinking the same,” said He Xiaoman with a nod. She retrieved her phone and quickly dialled the old lady’s number.
But soon, He Xiaoman’s confused expression changed into a frown as she hung up and said, “Her phone is off.”
“Erm… Is her phone off? Could something have happened to her?” asked Lu Xia in a worried tone suddenly.
He Xiaoman’s eyelids twitched. She stood up and said, “Let me find the hospital’s number to call them and ask about it.”
She walked over to a cabinet and found a doctor’s name card. She dialed the number without hesitation.
“Hello… What? My Mom has already been discharged?” said He Xiaoman in utter shock.
Lu Xia had already walked up to He Xiaoman. She heard her speak on the phone and asked. “Did Granny get discharged? Didn’t she tell you about it?”
He Xiaoman’s mind was starting to go blank as she said, “No, she hasn’t. I was so angry with her last night that I didn’t visit her at the hospital today.”
Lu Xia’s expression became even more grave. She said, “Why would she discharge herself without saying a word to anyone? She’s an elderly woman in an unfamiliar environment. She didn’t even go back to the apartment. Where else could she have gone?”
He Xiaoman pressed her throbbing temples. Then a thought crossed her mind, and her face sank. She gritted her teeth and said, “You’re right. Your Granny doesn’t know better. So why would she discharge herself unless someone convinced her to?”
After pausing for a couple of seconds, He Xiaoman continued speaking with a look of confidence. “It must be Huo Yao who took your Granny. It could only be her!”
Lu Xia lowered her gaze. She shook her head and said, “It probably wasn’t Huo Yao. Didn’t the nanny just say she’s looking for Granny as well?”
He Xiaoman laughed coldly and scoffed. “She’s just a thief shouting “thief”. How can you believe her?”
“But…” continued Lu Xia, only to be cut off by He Xiaoman.
She said, “Enough. Don’t be stupid. I don’t want to hear my daughter defend an outsider.”
Then He Xiaoman picked up her phone to locate Huo Yao’s number angrily before dialling her.
**
After Huo Yao reached down the building, she did not leave her grandmother’s estate right away and sat on a public bench in the garden instead.
The old lady’s phone remained off.
The nanny did not appear to be putting up an act. Also, judging from Huo Yao’s understanding of He Xiaoman, it was unlikely that she took away the old lady without a word. So the only possibility was that her grandmother left on her own accord.
Huo Yao pressed her forehead with her fingers. She held her phone and briefly thought about the possibilities before she tapped on an unknown app icon on her phone. Just as she was about to sign in, an unfamiliar number appeared on her phone screen.
Huo Yao paused momentarily before answering the phone.
“Hello… Okay. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Thanks.”
After hanging up the phone, Huo Yao stood up. Right then, her phone rang once again. When she lowered her eyes to glance at the screen, she rejected the call without any hesitation.
She put her phone in her pocket before quickly walking out of the estate.
