Wei Yumeng's tears traced paths down her cheeks, landing on the back of her hand as she clutched the quilt tightly.
The warmth of the tears almost felt scorching.
Zhan Mohan walked over, sat by the bed, and gently cupped her face, wiping away her tears.
"No, none of this is your fault."
Zhan Mohan's voice was also strained; despite his efforts to control it, his breathing was uneven.
As he spoke, he pulled Wei Yumeng into his arms. "It's alright. If you want children, we can have more. Besides, we still have Shi Yi and Jin Zhi, don't we?"
He then lightly kissed Wei Yumeng's forehead. "If you still want children, we can try again."
Wei Yumeng, however, buried her face in Zhan Mohan's embrace, her sobs the only thing she could manage.
"But Mohan, I thought... I thought I could truly protect him... I've failed him... Everything could have been avoided..."
Wei Yumeng couldn't help but let out a few more choked sobs.
Zhan Mohan's heart ached terribly. He had already braced himself for this possibility after hearing from the doctor about Wei Yumeng's condition.
Yet, even so, the situation was incredibly cruel for him, let alone for Wei Yumeng.
Mu Linjing and Zhan Yichen watched them, their own emotions stirred, on the verge of tears.
If they could, neither of them would wish for such a tragedy to occur.
They remembered how eagerly Zhan Mohan and Wei Yumeng had anticipated this child, even preparing all the baby's supplies.
Why did such a thing have to happen to them?
Seeing her distress, Zhan Yichen could only hold her, patting her back in comfort.
"It's okay, don't be too sad. I believe sister-in-law and brother can handle this."
Mu Linjing nodded but still asked, "Why did this have to happen to them? They love each other so much."
But how could Zhan Yichen answer that question?
Only after Wei Yumeng cried herself out and finally fell asleep did they leave the ward.
Zhan Yichen took a deep breath. "Since sister-in-law is alright, let's go check on Grandpa when we have time, shall we?"
Mu Linjing nodded. "Mm."
As they spoke, they looked towards Zhan Mohan. He took a deep breath, seemingly forcing himself to control his emotions, and finally said, "Let's go."
"Brother, if you're still feeling down, we can go alone," Zhan Yichen said, still concerned.
Zhan Mohan shook his head. "I'm fine."
Zhan Yichen sighed and accompanied them to Grandpa Zhan's ward.
"The old man suddenly fell ill, but after emergency treatment, he's out of danger now," the doctor was telling Zhan Yangyi.
Zhan Yangyi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great."
Chen Yutong looked at Zhan Yangyi. "I was still worried about Yumeng. I'll go check on her now..."
But before she could finish, Mu Linjing interrupted. "Yumeng just fell asleep. Let's go see her later."
Zhan Yichen asked, "How is Grandpa doing?"
"Grandpa has been rescued," Zhan Yangyi said with a relieved tone. "They said although he had a sudden onset, he was discovered in time, which saved his life."
With that, Zhan Yangyi and the others entered the ward.
"You're here," Grandpa Zhan said weakly from his bed, looking at the others.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa. We weren't by your side when you fell ill," Zhan Yichen said, his face filled with self-reproach.
Grandpa Zhan waved his hand. "How can you be blamed? You can't be with me all the time. But if it weren't for Old Ren discovering it in time, I wouldn't be seeing you now."
Chen Yutong poured Grandpa Zhan a glass of water and personally fed him.
After drinking the water, Grandpa Zhan felt a sense of warmth; at least his family was with him now.
But as he thought this, he suddenly realized, "Right, where's Yumeng? Is she alright?"
Hearing this, the atmosphere immediately grew heavy. Only Zhan Yangyi and Chen Yutong were unaware of what had happened.
Chen Yutong also asked, "How is Yumeng doing?"
Mu Linjing hesitated and said, "Yumeng... she..."
She didn't know how to utter the news. She knew it would deeply upset Grandpa Zhan, yet she couldn't lie to them.
Seeing her demeanor, Grandpa Zhan grew even more anxious. "What is it?"
"Grandpa, please don't ask," Zhan Yichen said, his tone revealing how much he didn't want to speak of it.
Finally, Grandpa Zhan's gaze fell on Zhan Mohan. "Mohan, you tell me."
Zhan Mohan frowned. He had remained silent because he feared losing control of his emotions.
But now Grandpa Zhan was directly asking him.
He took a deep breath and even turned his head away, seemingly unwilling to speak.
This greatly angered Grandpa Zhan. "What is going on with all of you? What are you trying to hide from me now? I merely asked about Yumeng's condition, and you're still hiding it?"
Zhan Yangyi quickly tried to smooth things over. "Grandpa, please don't get angry. Perhaps there's another reason."
At this point, Zhan Yangyi and Chen Yutong had basically guessed that something had happened to Wei Yumeng.
But Grandpa Zhan refused to back down. "Don't think that just because I'm like this, I can't manage you. As long as I'm still in this family, you will all listen to me."
Finally, Grandpa Zhan looked at Mu Linjing. "You stay here. I want to ask you alone. Everyone else, get out!"
No one could defy the old man, so they all left the ward. However, before Zhan Yichen left, he gave Mu Linjing a meaningful look before exiting.
Now, only Mu Linjing and Grandpa Zhan remained in the ward.
Grandpa Zhan had his reasons for keeping Mu Linjing behind.
Not only did he believe Mu Linjing was easier to extract information from, but also because Mu Linjing and Wei Yumeng were close friends and would naturally side with Wei Yumeng.
"Linjing, they've all left. Can't you tell me now?"
Mu Linjing took a deep breath and forced a smile at Grandpa Zhan. "Grandpa, you're thinking too much. Yumeng now... now..."
Her smile didn't last long before she couldn't help but feel sad again.
"Linjing, do you really think of Grandpa as such an unreasonable person? I admit I haven't always been close to you, but you are my granddaughter-in-law, a member of the Zhan family. What can't you tell me?" Grandpa Zhan's voice was stern, fully adopting an elder's demeanor. "And even for Yumeng's sake, you should tell me if something has happened to her."
Mu Linjing gritted her teeth and finally looked at Grandpa Zhan...