Gently bite the jasmine

Chapter 241 Death

At 11 a.m., Lin Xi woke up in Duan Yiheng's arms.

She kicked Duan Yiheng under the covers, which caused a shiver to run down her thigh.

"You scoundrel." Lin Xi spat at his chest.

Duan Yiheng chuckled softly, "I heard someone cursing me first thing this morning."

"It's still early in the morning," Lin Xi said, rubbing her lower back. "It'll probably be afternoon by then."

Duan Yiheng reached for his watch on the bedside table with his long arms. Lin Xi, standing next to him, noticed the time and said, "Why didn't Sister Mei call us?"

Duan Yiheng chuckled: "I'm afraid if I call someone, that person will be extremely embarrassed."

"Get up," Lin Xi said decisively. "I'm hungry."

Duan Yiheng said, "Sister Mei must have prepared. Let's get dressed and wash up first."

Lin Xi was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back. When she went down the stairs, she acted like a spoiled child, clinging to Duan Yiheng's arm.

In the afternoon, the two went to the North Courtyard to play chess with the old man.

The same thing happened the next day. Since Duan Yiheng took over Yin Fan, the three of them, grandfather, grandfather, and grandson, had a rare relaxing weekend.

On Monday, the two of them started another round of busy work at the company.

Regarding Likang's project, she and her team developed a detailed tracking sheet. Likang required speed, and she would communicate the details with him whenever there was progress, clarifying the deliverables for each stage.

Two weeks later, Lin Xi reported to Xu Yu and convened another project progress meeting.

Halfway through the meeting, when the topic of payment calculation systems came up, Lin Xi's phone started vibrating incessantly.

The call was from Uncle Deng. Lin Xi hesitated for only two seconds before getting up to apologize: "Sorry, I'll go out to take this call."

Before even reaching the conference room door, Lin Xi exclaimed in alarm, "I'm coming right away!"

Xu Yu approached and, seeing her pale face, quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"My grandfather fainted and was taken to the hospital," Lin Xi said as she ran.

Xu Yu quickly chased after him: "Wait a minute, I'll have someone take you. Xiao Zhang, Xiao Zhang, come out quickly, we need to take your Manager Lin to the hospital."

A person rushed out of the conference room and squeezed into the elevator at the last minute.

Lin Xi had no idea how she got on the bus.

While driving, Xiao Zhang comforted Lin Xi, who was unaware of the situation at the hospital and simply told him to drive, her face pale.

The phone rang again; this time it was Duan Yiheng.

As soon as Lin Xi answered the phone, tears streamed down her face: "Big brother."

Duan Yiheng's heart tightened, and he lowered his voice: "Don't rush, tell me, where are you now?"

“I’m in the car,” Lin Xi said. “From Uncle Deng’s tone… it doesn’t sound good.”

Duan Yiheng couldn't offer her any comfort over the phone; he had a bad feeling.

After a pause, he said to Lin Xi, "You go to the hospital first, I'll contact Duan Yiheng and Duan Zheng."

Lin Xi's heart sank heavily, as if a stone had been dropped on it.

She was the first to arrive at the hospital. Uncle Deng had completely lost his usual calm demeanor and looked somewhat panicked.

"How is it?" Lin Xi grabbed Uncle Deng's arm. "What exactly happened?"

Uncle Deng said, "After lunch, the doctor monitored the old man's physical data as usual, but half an hour after he fell asleep, the data became abnormal. I rushed into the bedroom and found the old man's body trembling uncontrollably. He was immediately sent to the hospital."

"Then..." Lin Xi didn't dare to ask.

Just then, Duan Yiheng and Duan Mingxuan ran over one after the other.

"Xiao Xi," Duan Mingxuan said before Duan Yiheng, "you sit and wait, Grandpa will be fine."

Lin Xi walked past him and headed towards Duan Yiheng.

Duan Yiheng gripped her shoulder with one hand and tightened his grip: "I didn't want you to go through this, but you're not alone."

Lin Xi lowered her head and pressed it against his chest, leaving a large wet patch on the ground.

Duan Mingxuan glanced sideways, his heart throbbing with aches and pains.

At this moment, personal grudges had to be put aside. Duan Mingxuan asked Duan Yiheng, "Didn't Grandpa sever ties with Dad? Would he be willing to see him?"

Duan Yiheng replied, "Whether or not you want to see him is Grandpa's business, and whether or not you come is Duan Zheng's business."

Duan Mingxuan: "Did you inform him?"

Duan Yiheng hummed in agreement.

When Duan Zheng received the call, his tone was genuinely flustered for a moment.

After hesitating for five or six seconds, he said he would come back immediately.

But he lives far away in Canada, and if the old man doesn't make it through this time, he might not be able to see him.

The operating room lights went out, and Lin Xi subconsciously turned around.

Uncle Deng stood by, waiting for Duan Yiheng to speak.

Duan Yiheng put his arm around Lin Xi and stepped forward, but at that moment, he opened his mouth but couldn't ask the question.

The corridor was eerily quiet. The doctor, his face grave, said slowly, "I'm sorry, we've done our best. The old man's bodily functions have undergone several major surgeries, and they're severely damaged now. I'm afraid his time is running out. The family needs to be prepared."

"Grandpa," Lin Xi murmured, tears blurring everything in front of her.

Duan Yiheng suddenly hugged Lin Xi tightly, his voice hoarse: "How much longer can you hold on?"

The doctor said, "It's hard to say, it varies from person to person. For some it takes a few days, for others it takes several weeks, but it could also be just a few hours. As family members, you should stay with them these days."

Duan Yiheng nodded slightly: "Thank you."

The doctor sighed and left.

When the old man was wheeled out, his body was covered in tubes. He was so weak that he seemed lifeless.

After being taken to the ward, Lin Xi held the old man's hand, with Duan Yiheng and Duan Mingxuan standing behind her.

"Grandpa? Can you hear me?"

The old man blinked slowly and weakly.

At this moment, Lin Xi didn't know what to say, nor did she dare to shed tears. She just gently stroked the old man's withered hand.

The nursing team was already in place, but no one dared to leave the ward.

No one ate dinner that night, but standing there didn't help.

The old man raised his finger, indicating that they should go and rest.

Lin Xi refused to leave no matter what, but Uncle Deng persuaded her, and finally Duan Yiheng helped her to the living room. She leaned against Duan Yiheng, while Duan Mingxuan sat opposite them.

The three of them stared at each other blankly all night.

Lin Xi knew that the old man was on his deathbed, and he had probably held on until now because he was waiting for Duan Zheng.

The next morning, the old man seemed to be in better spirits.

Lin Xi leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Grandpa, are you waiting for Uncle Duan? He's already on his way back."

The old man managed to utter a single, sticky "duan" from his throat.

Lin Xi could no longer hold back her tears, and she turned and rushed into the bathroom, trying to control herself.

She was still young when her parents arrived, and she wasn't at the scene of the accident. But the sight of her father's impending death was a direct and cruel reality.

Duan Yiheng knocked on the bathroom door: "Lin Xi, come out."

Lin Xi sniffed and tilted her head back to force back her tears.

She opened the door and asked first, "Uncle Duan, how much longer?"

Duan Yiheng said, "The earliest it will be is 3 p.m.

Lin Xi raised her hand to wipe away her tears and said, "I'll go keep Grandpa company."

Just then, Duan Mingxuan suddenly called out, "Grandpa."

Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng stumbled and ran over to find the old man struggling to take his last breath.

His chest, which had been rising and falling slightly, returned to calm, his legs trembled, and his eyes closed.

Something seemed to be consuming all his vital energy within his body until he stopped moving...