Because I Cannot Hurt You

An Yueqin warmly smiled. She took out her glasses and patted her head. "How did you recognize me?"

Chyou was proud. "Grandma is very pretty! Grandpa said he can also know it's you from anywhere! Because Grandma is beautiful like Mama!"

She coughed.

Is that why he could recognize me outside Grandeur that day even though I wore a scarf?

"That…" she tried to smile, "I am not your Grandma. Your Grandpa is misunderstanding things."

Chyou pouted. "How can you not my Grandma? You and Mama are same. Pretty and sparkling! And and very kind!"

She smiled. "What about Grandpa?"

Chyou pursed her lips. "Grandpa is good and plays with me sometimes. But…"

She narrowed her eyes. "But?"

Chyou lowered her head. "Grandpa is busy now a lot. Mama is with Dada and I am alone at home. Grandpa not play anymore with Chyou…" tears threatened to fill her eyes.

An Yueqin froze. "W-What do you mean? Guo-...I mean your Grandpa doesn't take care of you?"

"Grandpa…busy…" she tugged her dress and widened her watery eyes. "Am I a bad girl?"

"Of course not! Chyou is the best! It's your Grandpa who is bad!" She gritted her teeth.

That man…what is he thinking by leaving her alone!?

"Then…then will Pretty Aunty play with me?" Chyou hopefully asked.

An Yueqin was in a dilemma. No doubt she wanted to help Chyou but her current situation wasn't ideal.

Chyou's shoulders drooped. "Pretty Aunty does not want to play with me too…"

"No, no! I will play with you!" She quickly said. "B-But we cannot let your Grandpa or Mama know about this, okay?"

Chyou brightened. "Okay!"

"Let's see…how about we play in the park after school?"

That way she could drop her to the school gate after their playtime is over and An Guoting or Caihong wouldn't come to know.

She sparkled. "Play!"

An Yueqin nodded.

Chyou hugged her and mumbled. "Pretty Aunty, why are you not my Grandma?"

She stiffened.

"If you are my Grandma, then we can play everyday! Then Chyou won't be alone."

She felt as if somebody squeezed her heart. She bent on her knee and brushed her palm along her head. "You can…you can treat me as your Grandma. I will do everything that I can do for you."

Chyou beamed. "Then can I call you Grandma?"

She hesitated. "...Sure."

She took out a small bag wrapped with a cute ribbon. It had five chocolates in it. "Here. I brought this for you."

Chyou was over the moon. "Thank you Grandma!"

An Yueqin blinked.

Grandma…

It felt so warm and fluffy in her chest that she had an urge to cry.

"En."

—

Just after An Yueqin left, Chyou ran inside and went to the staffroom. "Teacher, I wanna call Grandpa!"

The teacher was concerned. "Is there any problem dear? Is anybody bullying you?"

She was, after all, the daughter of the wealthy Zhu Xiaosi and her grandfather was An Guoting. It would be a mess if Chyou was in any trouble.

"No. Nobody bullying me. I want to talk to Grandpa. Very important!"

"Are you sick?"

"No."

She was relieved. "Alright then."

The teacher dialed An Guoting's number and handed her the receiver. Chyou blinked at her. "Teacher, it's a super secret talk! You cannot hear!"

She laughed. "So cute. Alright, alright, I will leave."

Chyou nodded.

An Guoting's voice came, "Hello?"

"Grandpa!" She still whispered as a precaution. "I am Chyou!"

"Chyou dear! What happened? Is anybody bullying you? Who should Grandpa punish? Tell me?"

Chyou's mouth twitched.

"Nobody bullying me! Grandma came to school!"

"...What!?"

"En!"

She told everything that had happened.

"My dear granddaughter, you are the best! You did it perfectly! She fell for your acting. I am so proud of you!"

Chyou rubbed the tip of her nose, feeling shy.

"This means…this proves that she remembers everything! She just isn't confessing it!" His voice was trembling from the other end.

Chyou frowned. "Why will Grandma lie? Mama say it's bad to lie."

An Guoting sighed. "Indeed. It's a bad thing to lie. But adults…sometimes are in a difficult situation. They cannot tell the truth."

She gasped. "It's like the villain in movies! The villain troubles the hero and the hero has to lie to protect the world!"

He chuckled. "Yeah something like that."

"Then Grandma will not say the truth?"

"Not so quickly. But if you keep doing what you are, then she will definitely slip out the truth one day. You just have to keep telling her how I am a terrible grandfather."

Chyou was saddened. "I don't want to lie. Grandpa is the best! Grandpa loves me a lot!"

"Aishh…" f𝑟e𝒆𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗oѵ𝐞𝗹.c૦𝑚

An Guoting felt an arrow shoot straight through his heart.

My Chyou is so precious, he sniffled.

"Why Grandpa is crying?" She pouted.

"Because you are my dearest granddaughter."

She felt shy.

"Grandma gave me chocolates too!"

"Oohhh! Haha, she totally fell for it! Good, good. She said she would take you to the park after school, right?"

"En."

"So let's see…you usually wait for ten to fifteen minutes for the driver to pick you up. Then I won't send the driver at all, hahaha! Let's force her into dropping you home herself."

Chyou giggled. "Grandpa, you sound evil."

"Really? Maybe I can get a villain's role in a movie," he touched his chin.

"I won't do it suddenly. I will keep on increasing the time. First, I will be twenty minutes late, then thirty and then slowly make it an hour. She won't become suspicious then. Then your Grandma won't have any choice but to take you home herself."

Chyou nodded in anticipation.

"You have to keep acting pitiful, okay? That your Grandpa is slowly forgetting about you and doesn't care about you."

"En! I will do my best!"

"Yes, yes! If Grandma confesses it one day and we win, Grandpa will give you a big treat!"

Chyou's excitement skyrocketed to the next level. "Treat, treat!"

"Yes. We will finally…enjoy as a complete family," he slightly choked as tears rimmed in his eyes.

"Will Dada be there too?"

He paused for a moment. "Of course! Xiaosi will be totally awake by then! Everybody means everybody! That brat has slept for long enough now. It's time he wakes up."

----

In the hospital amidst the pin drop silence in the ward, a certain hand ever so slightly moved. He gasped as his eyelashes fluttered.

Gradually, softly, gently... Xiaosi opened his eyes.