Li Xuan was patiently waiting outside of the room when he received a notification. He glanced down at his phone and felt his mood dampen. In his boss’s rush to leave the office, the two forgot there was an important meeting with a CEO from a foreign country coming up soon. They wanted to build a hotel in Qiaofu, a city who was rapidly growing because of a sharp increase in tourism. This meeting was crucial, for this was the day the final proposal contracts were to be signed and the transfer of funds was to commence.

He paced for a few seconds, debating what he should do. In his line of work as a secretary, he was supposed to separate his emotions from his duties. But at this moment, he was more worried about the young woman who was once notorious for her unstable behavior and temper.

She was very unpredictable, thus, he was worried about what might happen to her if she were left alone. However, he also had to take into account the importance of this meeting.

Li Xuan sighed. It was time to place business over emotions. He knocked on the door and opened it slowly. Zhao Moyao turned his head to Li Xuan with a disapproving scowl. "What is it?!" He impatiently asked, displeased at the interruption.

"Sir, the meeting regarding the hotel in Qiaofu is about to start soon. We have to head back now." Li Xuan worriedly looked at Zhao Lifei. Even from the door, he could see her body completely wrapped in a blanket up to her head. Every few seconds, he could hear a sniffle. Was she crying? Was thunder this scary? He looked out the window and was unfazed by the heavy rain.

BOOM!

Neither of the men jumped, but Zhao Lifei did. She let out a terrified shriek, the sound desperate and defeated.

Zhao Moyao was faced with a dilemma. He couldn’t leave her here unattended like this, nor could he miss the meeting. An idea came into his mind. It was rash, but it was the only thing he could do in this case. If he couldn’t remain here and comfort her, there were people in the Main Mansion who could, starting from Old Butler Tang.

"Have her escorted to the Main Mansion." He looked around the hospital room, his nose wrinkling. The smell of the eucalyptus essential oil was too strong and when mixed with the slightest smell of chemicals, made him nauseated. This room, despite its size, was stuffy and uncomfortable.

"But what about her wounds—"

"When the storm dies down, call for Doctor Song." Doctor Song had taken care of Zhao Lifei ever since she was a child. He was the one who treated her for the smallest paper cuts to high fevers and was also one of the few selected people she allowed to get close to her when she was younger.

- - - -

On their way back to the office, Li Xuan glanced at his boss from the rearview mirror.

Zhao Moyao was lost in thought as he stared out the window, his eyes unclear and filled with worry. He didn’t want her to leave the hospital this soon, especially since she had just awoken, but the environment was not good for her.

If there was one thing that her therapist had told him, it was the fact that she was easily triggered. Her mental state had immensely improved within these past two years of her treatment, but it was still very easy for her to revert back to her old self if she was faced with the slightest trauma. The thunder, combined with her irrational fear of hospitals, was a dangerous concoction and a risk he was not willing to take.

"Sir, I hate to pry, but will Miss Lifei be sent back to the hospital for further treatment?"

"Not unless it’s absolutely necessary. I will send her there for check-ups, but she will not reside there." Zhao Moyao already knew he had made a mistake when he didn’t have her leave the hospital earlier. He had already heard of her crazy attempt of forcibly leaving the hospital room. He already knew the reason for her behavior.

While Zhao Moyao was lost in his thoughts, his phone rang. He glanced at the flat device with disdain. Yang Feng was calling him. That brute had probably heard of his plan of moving her out of the hospital. He picked up the phone. "What is it, boy?"

"Why did you let her leave the hospital?" Yang Feng’s voice was lifeless, but Zhao Moyao heard the destructive anger within this placid man’s tone.

"She’s my granddaughter. I don’t have to give you any reason for my decision."

"She needs the treatment. The First Hospital offers the best that this country has ever seen—"

"For the last time, she is my granddaughter. I’ve taken care of her for an enormous fraction of her life, and I will continue to do so." Zhao Moyao could not believe how gutsy this man was, but he should’ve expected it. All this young man cared about was his granddaughter and her well-being. Everything else must’ve been a blur to him.

"She’s stubborn when it comes to her own health. Taking her out of the very place that can provide it to her is a dangerous gamble just because she dislikes the room—"

"It seems you don’t know her as well as you originally thought you did." Zhao Moyao’s words were like a slap and rude awakening to Yang Feng whose irritable presence could even be felt over the phone. His voice, deep and rough, was demanding.

Zhao Moyao was not surprised to see why Elder Yang had decided to pick this boy as his successor to the Underworld. His aura, his behavior, everything about this boy was unfathomably perfect with the right amount of authority. Too bad this boy was too damn stubborn — just like his granddaughter. How can two hard-headed people even enter into a relationship without fiercely clashing? It was certainly one way of having sparks fly.

"Xiao Fei is fearful of the hospital. It ties back to her past, something she desperately wants to forget. Keeping her there might be good for her physical well being, but her brain will deteriorate in that room." He thought back to her escape. "You’ve seen it too, I assume. She has always been stubborn, but when you conversed with her in that hospital room, did you realize how irrational she had become?"

Yang Feng scowled. Irrational? She has always been that way. He didn’t pick up drastic changes except for her sudden shift in emotions that changed too quickly for it to be normal. One minute she was calm, the next she was at his throat.

"I will not disclose much of her history, for I already know you will dig into. The only thing I can tell you is to continue being patient with her." He was worried about their relationship. This man was already displaying very possessive behavior over her. The outcome would not be pleasant if it continued.

"There are some things she does that are unexplainable. I’m sure you want answers to them, but you must not force it from her. If she doesn’t want to open up, don’t force her to do so, for she will just clamp down harder than before." Zhao Moyao knew how dense this man was. He could only hope his words would get through Yang Feng.

"I know you have been patient with her for a while. You may feel like you take one step forward, but two steps backward when arguing with her, but that’s not the real case."

The car had arrived at Zhao Corporation, so he knew he needed to end the conversation soon. "This is a very selfish request from me, but I recommend that you continue your patience. When the time is right, she will open up to you."

Zhao Moyao wondered if his granddaughter would finally place her ego aside and open up to him. "If she reaches out to you, see it as a sign that she is changing." Zhao Moyao hung up the phone and stepped out of the car.

Yang Feng wordlessly listened to the words of this elder. There were times he wanted to comment and argue, but he remained respectful, for this man knew her the best.

Just then, his phone dinged, which made him glance down and see it was a message from his mother. But his brows furrowed upon reading it.

’Don’t be mad at Feifei anymore, Feng-ge. Just return her calls. Listen to what she has to say.’ -Yang Ruqin

He scowled upon seeing she had used his mother’s phone just to contact him. How could she be this persistent? It was no wonder Zhao Lifei was so protective of his younger sister, their loyalty for each other was commendable.