Hyson woke up early in the morning. Through the windows, the early morning rays of the sun shined inside the room. The early morning breeze made the curtains flutter lightly. He could hear the sound of the machines around him but his eyes were focused on the window in the room.
It took a while for his vision to clear up and only then he shifted his eyes to check his surroundings. Probably he slept for too long since it took him a minute to remember where he was and what he was doing here in the first place.
But just because he recalled the reason for being here didn't mean he was happy to be here. If anything finding himself alone in this hospital room made his heart beat abnormally.
"Are you awake?"
Hearing the gentle but aged voice, Hyson felt his heart relaxing and breathed a sigh of relief. Pulling his lips into a smile, he turned his head and only now found that Xiang Tianyu had been in the room all along.
Hyson parted his dry lips but no sound came out of his mouth. Xiang Tianyu operated his wheelchair and wheeled over to his side. He poured a cup of hot water for Hyson into a cup and put a straw in it before bringing it to Hyson's lips. Hyson immediately took a sip to wet his dry throat that had been itching just now.
Then he faced Xiang Tianyu and asked, "What are you doing here, Tianyu?"
"Keep calling my name so carefreely and one day I'm gonna end up smacking your butt!"
Hyson giggled in response to those words. He knew those were just verbal threats that held no weight at all. But he still decided to behave. "Opa, don't be mad. I'm just feeling bad seeing you here. Shouldn't you be taking care of your health? Why are you here?"
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtXiang Tianyu ruffled his hair gently, "I won't be reassured leaving you here alone. Since both Chenyan and Yue are not around, I have to be the responsible elder here."
"Sorry!" muttered Hyson. "I bothered you so much."
"Stop acting like we are strangers now," said Xiang Tianyu.
After that Hyson didn't bring up this topic. He allowed Xiang Tianyu to take care of him. It was enough for Hyson to have a chatting partner but now that the chatting partner was Xiang Tianyu, he was even happier. He had always loved spending time with this elder.
Hyson had just taken his phone to play with it when he received a call from Mu Chenyan. He had yet to place the phone against his ear but he could clearly hear her voice, "Yue Fai! What am I supposed to do with you? Do you know how worried I was when I learned you had to undergo surgery?"
Hyson laughed foolishly in reply not knowing what to say.
"Oh, shut up! I so want to smack your head right now!"
Hyson instantly pursed his lips and allowed her to lecture him. He didn't mind it. He knew she was worried about him. The love he received from Mu Chenyan and Xiang Tianyu was no less than what he got from his own mother. And he loved them a lot as well. As a family and being the one from the younger generation, it was okay for him to listen to some lectures from the older generation.
"Yanyan, did you tell my mum?" That's all he asked when she was done scolding him for being careless.
"I didn't..." she answered. "Yet. But I can only hold back for a week at most. After that, I'll bring her back and you're on your own."
"That's okay," said Hyson happily. "I'll most likely be discharged from the hospital by then. As long as she doesn't see me on the hospital bed, it'd be fine."
Mu Chenyan didn't know what to say to him. He certainly was lying to his mother and it was wrong to do so. But she knew he had a very good reason for doing so. It really made one wonder if lying was the right thing to do?
"Get well soon. I'll call you later," Mu Chenyan hung up after that.
Hyson stared at his phone in a daze and suddenly thought of something, his eyes lifted up as he gazed at Xiang Tianyu who was looking back at him. Seeing the look in his eyes, Xiang Tianyu inquired, "What is it? Just say what's on your mind. It's a proven fact you'll get a stomachache from keeping it in."
Hyson grinned at him and told him, "I met your grandson."
"What a surprise!" said Xiang Tianyu. "Me too."
"Huh?" Hyson stared at him incredulously. "When did you meet him?"
"Just now," answered Xiang Tianyu.
"Where?" Hyson further asked.
Xiang Tianyu pointed at him and added, "He is right here."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmFiguring out what he meant, Hyson puffed up his cheeks, "Opa, don't do that."
"What? Are you saying you don't want to be my grandson now?"
Hyson shook his head frantically, "No way! I just want one grandfather and that's you. I don't want anyone else." Hyson sincerely meant it and it particularly showed in his bright eyes as well. "Don't try to change the subject. I meant to say I met Ellie's brother."
Xiang Tianyu pressed his lips together before saying, "I heard about that. But I wonder why you're bringing this up now?"
Hyson looked around, acting all mysterious before he said, "It's because I feel like he holds a lot of resemblance with you. Although I saw a hint of Ellie in him, it wasn't that obvious. More obvious was the fact that he looked like a younger version of you."
"Oh," said Xiang Tianyu carelessly.
Hyson tsked at that reaction, "Such a bland reaction would make people think you don't care about your grandson."
"What makes you think I care about him?"
Hyson gave him a look, "Opa, let's be honest here. You love your grandson. Maybe a little less than you love me, but you do love him. Now, don't make me reveal all your secrets."
Xiang Tianyu's eyes flashed with an indescribable emotion before he smiled at Hyson, "My little Prince, why don't you really let it all out today?"
"I can't," replied Hyson. "We are in a hospital and you never know when someone is eavesdropping. So, take the hint."
Xiang Tianyu was amused by Hyson's reaction, to say the least. He lovingly rubbed his head but didn't say anything else to him. What kind of attitude he had towards his other grandchildren aside from Raelle, only he was clear about it. But it seemed Hyson was quite clear about it as well.
But then again, he was Raelle Xiang's best friend. There had to be some shrewdness that rubbed off on him.