Guoguo was chatting with Han Yi, his face full of smiles. Ever since his daughter started working at Fu Chenxuan’s company, she seldom came home for meals and was always busy with something every day. He wanted his daughter to come back to his own company, but she said it was boring and didn’t showcase her value.

When he talked to Yu Xiaoxuan about it, she just rolled her eyes and added, "Working with Brother Chenxuan is better than being a do-nothing heiress in your company."

Han Yi could only stare blankly. How had his company become a place for idling away? Unfortunately, over the years, Yu Xiaoxuan’s status had only risen, while Han Yi’s seemed to be on a steady decline. If you count the two dogs they kept at home, he ranked sixth.

Today, his daughter was rarely home to spend time with him. Could Han Yi not be happy?

While Guoguo was telling a joke to cheer up her father, she heard the familiar ringtone of her cellphone; it was from Fu Chenxuan.

"Brother Chenxuan." Guoguo was in a good mood.

Fu Chenxuan sounded grave, "Guoguo."

Han Yi heard the name Guoguo called out and his face darkened slightly. What did that boy want with his daughter on a big weekend? He was on guard, not about to let this kid disrupt the rare time his daughter was spending with him. He thought to himself that if Fu Chenxuan asked Guoguo to work overtime on the weekend, he would give him a piece of his mind.

Then he saw his daughter stand up and walk away, "Guoguo, where are you going?"

Guoguo pointed to her phone, "I’m going to take the call."

Han Yi was displeased. What couldn’t be said in front of him that they needed to take her aside to talk?

"Brother Chenxuan, I’m in the yard now. You can speak," Guoguo said, as Fu Chenxuan had asked her to find a quiet place because he had something to tell her. He made it sound so mysterious that naturally, she complied.

"Guoguo, Brother Hao is sick," Fu Chenxuan said in a deep voice.

Guoguo’s complexion changed slightly but she didn’t take it too seriously, thinking it was just a common cold. It’s winter, after all; catching a cold is normal.

"Has he caught a cold? Is it serious? If it’s serious, he should go to the hospital," said Guoguo calmly.

Fu Chenxuan paused briefly before laying out the whole situation. The color drained from Guoguo’s face visibly, she stumbled, nearly collapsing if not for grabbing onto the pot next to her in time. However, the potted plant at her feet toppled over because of her movements.

"Guoguo, what’s wrong?" Fu Chenxuan asked worriedly through the phone after hearing the noise.

Guoguo shook her head, "I’m fine," but the tears fell uncontrollably, "Brother Chenxuan, wait for me. I’ll be right there."

She tried to stand up but found herself utterly drained of strength. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t get up. Desperation gripped her heart; her knuckles whitened from gripping the phone.

"Dad, Daddy!" She called out loudly for Han Yi, needing help now, lacking the strength, but she needed to get to the airport.

Han Yi, inside the house, thought something had happened to his daughter when he heard her frantic calls. Walking out, he found her sitting on the ground looking pale. He hurried over, "Guoguo, what happened to you?" Just moments ago she had been fine, so why was she crying after receiving a call?

Guoguo clutched at Han Yi’s hand desperately, "Daddy, take me to the airport. I need to go to the airport."

"Guoguo, what’s happened? Why do you need to go to the airport?"

Guoguo shook her head, "Daddy, please, take me to the airport now." Her tears frightened Han Yi, "Alright, alright, Daddy will take you to the airport, right now." He helped his daughter up from the ground.

"My passport, my passport," Guoguo remembered her passport even in this rare state of mind, prompting Han Yi to run up and fetch it for her.

Guoguo wept silently, clutching her phone the whole way. Seeing her like this, Han Yi couldn’t feel at ease letting her leave alone, so he bought a plane ticket and flew with her.

There was the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting tomorrow morning. As the chairman, he really shouldn’t be absent, but to him, his daughter was more important.

Fu Chenxuan personally came to pick them up at the airport. He was slightly taken aback to see Han Yi accompanying her, but without a word, he took them straight to the hospital.

Approaching the hospital doors, Han Yi felt a bad premonition. Who was in the hospital?

Guoguo had regained her strength and followed Fu Chenxuan quietly. Although she seemed calm, her fingertips trembled lightly. The closer she got to the ward, the more her heart raced.

In the ward, only Jiang Chenxi was with Pei Hao; Pei Yinong had been keeping vigil for several days. Fearing she couldn’t take much more, Jiang Chenxi had the doctor give her a sedative. Now, she was sleeping in the adjacent room.

Pei Hao was surprised to see Guoguo and glanced at Fu Chenxuan with a reproachful look. Hadn’t they agreed to keep it a secret from Guoguo?

Fu Chenxuan pretended not to notice; he had given this a lot of thought.

The short distance from the ward’s door to the bed felt like a lifetime to Guoguo. Shuffling forward, her gaze fixed on the face of the patient. By the looks of it, he seemed no different from a healthy person, but how did he come down with such a serious illness—a tumor and blood clots? Hah, this must be a joke.

As if it took an eternity, Guoguo finally reached Pei Hao’s bedside and managed a strained smile, "Brother Pei Hao." With no color in her face, she looked even more like a patient than Pei Hao.

Han Yi had already taken Jiang Chenxi out, and he still hadn’t figured out what was going on.

"Why the long face? It’s just a minor surgery, no one’s going to die." Pei Hao said with a smile, trying to comfort her.

His words were not helpful—rather, the moment he spoke, Guoguo’s tears breached their banks. Pei Hao’s heart ached as he grasped her hand, "Don’t cry." Seeing her tears made his own heart painfully constrict.

Guoguo sobbed, "Brother Pei Hao, don’t hide it from me anymore. Brother Chenxuan has already said it—the surgery this time is very dangerous, and it’s very likely that if you go in, you won’t come back out."

Pei Hao glared at Fu Chenxuan. Why would you scare her?

Fu Chenxuan looked back calmly, having spoken the truth. Knowing the two had things to discuss, Fu Chenxuan tactfully made his exit.

Inside the hospital room, only Guoguo and Pei Hao were left. Guoguo continued to look at Pei Hao with silent tears rolling down her cheeks, without so much as a sob. She had too many words she wanted to say—on her way here, she’d even thought about slapping him hard upon seeing him, to question why he had kept secrets from her. But upon actually seeing him, all these thoughts disappeared—the only thing on her mind was hoping that he would be alright and healthy.

Pei Hao sighed, pulled Guoguo to sit by the bed, and began to wipe away her tears with his hand, "If you keep crying, this place is going to turn into a sea of tears."

Suddenly, Guoguo threw herself onto Pei Hao, fortunately cushioned by a pillow behind him; otherwise, with that force, he probably would have injured his head again.

Pei Hao didn’t push Guoguo away but instead held her tight, "Silly girl, I’m fine right now. Don’t cry."

Guoguo continued to weep, clutching the cloth of his shirt, her shoulders trembling. She didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t even dare to think about Pei Hao’s illness—every time she did, it made her heart ache. She felt the person Fu Chenxuan was talking about couldn’t be Pei Hao.

After what felt like an eternity, Guoguo finally stopped. Without looking, Pei Hao knew his shirt was completely soaked.

"Why did you hide it from me?" Guoguo asked, her voice heavy with nasal congestion from crying.

"I didn’t want you to worry," said Pei Hao quietly. It was true; he really didn’t want Guoguo to worry or be scared for him.

"Pei Hao, what am I to you in your heart? Am I really just a sister?" Guoguo suddenly sat up, looking straight into his eyes.

The question caught him off guard; even Pei Hao was taken aback and stared at her, stunned.

"Tell me, what am I in your heart? Do you really only have brotherly affection for me?" Guoguo’s gaze was fixed, her eyes red and swollen, her nose also red, and her face wet with tears. Despite her disheveled appearance, Pei Hao felt a surge of tenderness; he had always hated seeing her cry ever since they were children, and now he was the one making her cry.

"Guoguo..." His lips were dry.

"Pei Hao, I want the truth from you. Do you only see me as a sister? If you dare lie, then I wish myself a life without happiness, to die alone, and to lead a miserable life."

Pei Hao’s eyes shifted slightly, and his expression gradually sobered. Guoguo was not intimidated; she kept her gaze firmly on him, determined to get an answer today.

"Guoguo, I..." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Pei Hao, tell the truth." Guoguo reminded him, think of the vow I’ve made, I’ll suffer the consequences if you lie.

A faint sense of helplessness rose in Pei Hao’s heart; this girl knew exactly how to hit where it hurt. Even though he knew that vows weren’t likely to come true, he still couldn’t risk her wellbeing.

"I love you," he said. "Just like my dad loved my mom."

He said he loved her.

Guoguo stared at Pei Hao, her expression stunned. It wasn’t a brother’s love for a sister, but a man’s love for a woman, the very love she had been longing for—the man she loved also loved her.

Seeing Guoguo’s unresponsive state, the usually calm and composed Pei Hao began to feel anxious—had she been scared stiff by his declaration?

Guoguo’s eyes focused on his face, and she pinched herself unconsciously. Yes, it hurt, which meant it wasn’t a dream—Pei Hao really did love her.

She snapped out of it, and then, to the shock of Pei Hao, she suddenly kissed his lips, which were soft and carried his warmth.

Pei Hao’s eyes widened in astonishment, completely taken by surprise by Guoguo’s move, and his body froze.

Guoguo pulled away from his lips, her head bowed, her face flushed red. It was the first time she’d done something like this, and it had been out of pure impulse, following her heart’s truest desire.

"Why have you never told me? Is it because of your illness?" Guoguo’s voice was very soft, barely audible in the stillness of the room.

Pei Hao came back to reality, looking steadily at the head that was nearly bowed to her chest. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, but remembering the upcoming surgery, the curve of his smile slowly fell away, returning to stillness, "Guoguo, you shouldn’t have come."

Guoguo abruptly looked up, "What do you mean I shouldn’t have come? When should I have come then? After your surgery fails, after you never wake up from the operating table?"

Fire seemed to burn in her eyes, like a volcano waiting to erupt. Pei Hao had never seen Guoguo like this; she was always lively, with a smile on her face, even when angry she wouldn’t be like this.

He thought his secrecy had ultimately hurt her. Chenxuan was right; what he thought was for her good was just what he thought.

"Guoguo, I’m sorry."

Guoguo’s just-stopped tears fell once again. "Brother Pei Hao, have you never thought that I might hate you?" Keeping this secret from herself, if he hadn’t survived, she truly would have hated him for a lifetime.

Pei Hao pursed his lips. Of course, he had thought about it, but with emotions, no matter how painful they once were, they gradually fade over time, or after starting a new relationship, one moves on.

This is how it often is with men and women in the world. Guoguo was no exception, but he had forgotten that Guoguo, while cheerful, was also sensitive.

"Guoguo, I wanted to wait until after the surgery to tell you." As long as the surgery was successful, then he would confess his feelings to the girl before him. Whether she hated or resented him, he would strive for her forgiveness and then stay by her side for a lifetime, never leaving.

"What if you never come back?" Guoguo asked him with tears in her eyes.

Pei Hao fell silent. If he didn’t come back, then Guoguo would never have to know that there was someone who deeply loved her.

"Pei Hao, you’re just a selfish ghost. What gives you the right to make decisions for me? Who do you think you are to me?" Furious, Guoguo raised her hand and struck Pei Hao. Pei Hao didn’t dodge, letting her hit him.

Guoguo stopped after a few hits, leaning into Pei Hao’s embrace and crying hysteric. Unlike the silent tears from before, these were wild sobs that even Han Yi heard from outside the ward. Just as he was about to enter, Fu Chenxuan stopped him, "Godfather, there’s something I want to talk to you about. Come with me." He took Han Yi by the shoulder and forcefully led him away.

Han Yi didn’t want to go but couldn’t match Fu Chenxuan’s strength.

Jiang Chenxi stood quietly outside, leaning against the wall. Pei Hao’s fondness for Guoguo was something he had recently started to sense, sparked by an incident when he had passed by Pei Hao’s study in the middle of the night and saw him on a call with Guoguo, his gaze tender, a look Jiang Chenxi was all too familiar with. That’s how he looked at Pei Yinong.

It had been just a guess, but today it was confirmed.

Pei Yinong, coming from the next ward, headed straight for her son’s room but was stopped by Jiang Chenxi who stood at the door. Jiang Chenxi shook his head, and Pei Yinong quickly comprehended, leaving the entrance of the ward.

Guoguo soon stopped crying. Her emotions were nearly spent, and she had calmed down.

Her voice hoarse, she spoke, "Brother Pei Hao, when your surgery is successful, I’ll tell my dad I want to marry you. If you fail, I’ll just grab some guy off the streets to marry, or maybe join a convent and become a nun, living out my life in isolation." She sounded calm, but Pei Hao knew she wasn’t joking.

He reached out to stroke her hair, his gaze tender. "Alright, I will do my best to survive." He would fight to survive, if only for the girl in his arms.

At that moment, Pei Hao’s desire to live was stronger than ever.

The next day, Pei Hao was wheeled into the operating room early in the morning. Lights on, a crowd anxiously waited outside the OR doors.

Guoguo sat in a chair, leaning on Fu Chenxuan, eyes fixed on the red light, her expression numb. She didn’t know who she was, where she was, or what she was doing. Her soul had followed Pei Hao into the operating room.

Fu Chenxuan held her hand, trying to give her strength. Her hand was ice-cold, as if just retrieved from an ice box. Fu Chenxuan didn’t utter words of comfort; any verbal reassurance now was useless. All they could do was wait.

Pei Yinong sat on the other side, also silent and staring blankly at the firmly shut OR doors. Over the past few days, all the arrangements in the hospital had been managed by Shen Qinglan alone, her mind too distraught to handle anything else.

Jiang Chenxi’s phone vibrated; it was a call from Pei Yinong’s and his son. It dawned on him then, he had forgotten to inform his son about Pei Hao’s illness. His concern for Pei Hao and Pei Yinong had occupied his every thought, leaving no room for anything else.

He didn’t answer, instead sending a message to his son saying that he and Pei Yinong were on vacation abroad. Then his phone went silent.

The wait was excruciating; every minute and every second felt like a century. From morning to noon, then afternoon until nine in the evening, the OR doors finally opened slowly. Peter emerged, his face weary. Thankfully, they had invited Eden to join the surgery; otherwise, if it were only up to him, it surely would have been a failure.

Halfway through the surgery, they realized that Pei Hao’s condition was more complex than they had diagnosed, and the procedure took much longer than anticipated. They faced several critical moments during the surgery, but let’s not get into that.

Seeing Peter come out, Shen Qinglan looked at him. Peter nodded, and Shen Qinglan finally released the breath she had been holding in—one less thing to worry about.

Pei Yinong virtually collapsed at that moment, gripping Jiang Chenxi tightly, a remarkable brightness in her eyes.

"He’s going to be alright," Guoguo murmured softly, tears falling like they were free.

Shortly after, Pei Hao was wheeled out. He was unconscious, his head wrapped in bandages, and his face was much paler than when he had entered.

Guoguo ran over and took Pei Hao’s hand, whispering in his ear, "Pei Hao, thank you for surviving."

Eden was the lead surgeon this time, with Peter as his assistant, both utterly exhausted by the ordeal. When they emerged from the OR, their backs were drenched with sweat from the perilous surgery that had nearly ended in failure.

"Thank you for your hard work," Shen Qinglan spoke.

Eden waved his hand, "An, I need to rest now, I’m off. I’ll come back after I’ve recovered some."

Shen Qinglan nodded, noticing Eden’s unsteady footsteps, offered him a hand, "Are you okay?"

Eden shook his head, "I’m fine, let go of me."

Peter had already followed them to the ward; he needed to confirm the situation.

Guoguo had also gone to the ward. If Han Yi couldn’t deduce something from this, he wouldn’t be Han Yi. It was just that now, with Pei Hao lying on the hospital bed, he wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything else.

Pei Hao woke up two days later. During those two days, Eden occasionally came to check on him. As for Peter, once he confirmed Pei Hao was in no danger on the day of the surgery, he left. The rest could be handled by Eden; Peter wasn’t needed.

When Pei Hao awoke, Eden was conducting a physical check-up. Seeing that Pei Hao was awake, he asked, "How do you feel?"

Pei Hao opened his mouth, "Not bad." His voice was hoarse.

"Any discomfort?"

"My head hurts."

Having just had brain surgery, how could it not hurt?

"Anything else?"

"No."

Eden nodded, it seemed the situation wasn’t too bad, "The headache will last for a while. If it’s unbearable, take painkillers, but my recommendation is to try to avoid them if possible."

"Okay."

Pei Hao responded and glanced around, only to see Guoguo and his mother standing vigil by the hospital bed. Shen Qinglan was there initially, but after all, this time they had troubled Peter, so a visit to express gratitude was in order. Thus, she went to find Peter with Fu Chenxuan.

Guoguo’s gaze had been fixed on Pei Hao. Upon seeing him awake, her eyes filled with tears, yet none fell. Pei Hao disliked seeing her cry.

After Eden finished the check-up, he left, and Pei Yinong followed. Now that she knew her son’s surgery was successful, she reverted to her composed self.

Pei Hao quietly watched Guoguo. He was actually very tired, but he beckoned to Guoguo. She sat down beside the hospital bed, "Brother Pei Hao."

Pei Hao gave a faint smile, "I kept my promise to come back."

Guoguo smiled too, leaned forward, and gently kissed Pei Hao’s lips, "Mhm, I’ve always known you’re a man of your word."

She leaned against Pei Hao’s chest, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly—thank goodness, he was okay.

When Han Yi entered, he saw exactly this scene. His face immediately turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. Guoguo got up in a panic, but then remembered that this matter would have to be addressed sooner or later, so she regained her composure, "Daddy."

Han Yi grunted, his tone less than pleasant, looking at Pei Hao and after a pause, he asked, "Feeling better?"

"Thank you, Uncle Han. I’m feeling much better."

Han Yi nodded, "Guoguo, come with me for a moment; I have something to tell you."

"Oh."

Guoguo glanced at Pei Hao, assuring him with her eyes, and then followed Han Yi out of the ward. Pei Hao watched her go, feeling helpless; actually, it should have been him dealing with these issues.

Han Yi strode swiftly ahead, with Guoguo struggling to keep up behind him in silence, until they reached a quiet corner of the hospital. Only then did Han Yi stop.

He stared steadily at his daughter’s face, full of distress. When had the treasure he cradled in his hands been snatched away by a wolf?

"Guoguo," Han Yi started.

"Daddy, I like Brother Pei Hao, and I want to marry him." Guoguo spoke up almost at the same time.

Han Yi froze, "Guoguo, you’re still young, don’t rush into marriage." His daughter was only twenty-four, it was too early for her to marry.

"I’m not young anymore; Mom had me when she was my age," Guoguo replied calmly.

Han Yi’s face darkened. How could that be the same?

"Guoguo, marriage is the grave of love. You have plenty of youth, why enter the grave so soon? You should experience the beauty of being in love," he said.

Guoguo knew Han Yi would react this way; smilingly, she replied, "Daddy, then is it okay if I just date Brother Pei Hao for now?"

Han Yi scowled, feeling like he had been set up. He thought his daughter had been led astray, and as for who was to blame, was there any doubt? It must be Pei Hao’s bad influence. In his heart, he thought he’d definitely need to deal firmly with that rascal once he was discharged!