“What do you mean by ridding one of them?” Li Yang stared at the old woman. 

A sudden silence overtook the room.

Behind him, Bao and the rest of the Observers watching from their own distinctive realms could have been said to be at the edge of their seats. Not only metaphorically, as some may have actually been lounging on ethereal lounge chairs of divine fluff and cotton, with some celestial popped corn to nibble on—but they were actually looking forward to this part.

The older woman’s lips curled into a startling cruel smile. 

“Easy. Getting them out of your life to prevent distractions. Your father failed in that aspect and brought the two of you into this world despite my arrangements—and if it weren’t for him being my only son, I would have disowned him. So what else do you think I had to do?”

“What. Did. You. Do. Grandmother.”

“I’ve left the ones I hired to take care of your ridiculous distraction to be creative with it.” She shrugged and finally returned back to her bed, sitting down and allowing her caretaker to assist her in resting her back against her bedrest. 

Li Yang was ice cold. 

His grandmother folded her hands and gave him a dull look. “Did you really think I’d waste my precious time for a nobody? I do not understand what it is that had you bewitched by her.”

There was only a singular person that came into Li Yang’s mind during his college days. 

It was simply someone who had made his life a bit better when he met her, she was a good friend, no distinguished background—and she was the one who he personally wanted to see during the anniversary party of the company.

Naturally, it didn’t happen as things went down with him and Luo Ju Di. But after that time, he simply heard of her leaving the university without much of a word or trace and because she never said goodbye to him…

He thought it didn’t matter.

The concern he had with her was nothing more but a one-sided path that led him to disappointment. It was foolish. He was foolish and he vowed to forget it as nothing more than a crush which was useless—but it never crossed his mind that the chances of interference were high.

He never showed an ounce of interest, any confession or whatsoever from the start—but now he wondered the plausibility of this old woman interfering in that. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions about Huiwen’s disappearance and she was alright.

Out of his life, mind and sight… but hopefully okay.

He didn’t know what to think anymore. Li Yang didn’t think that he’d think of her name again as he pushed it out of his mind already, but he looked at his grandmother and asked. “Did you meddle with the life of Huiwen Xiaochun?”

“I don’t remember her name.” She shrugged once again. “That might be it.”

Whether it was a wave of disappointment or something else unexplainable that ebbed within him—he couldn’t tell. The man only sighed. There was no use shouting over it and even getting upset… it was already over.

Whatever might have happened was surely to have long passed him. 

Forgetting about it and trying to distance from it was the only plausible choice if he wanted to step out of the room without trying to lay a hand on the woman that easily ruined other’s lives. Was Huiwen killed? Li Yang didn’t want to know.

Whether or not the old lady was lying about her not knowing what exactly happened—much less considering who the woman’s name was made it a fruitless endeavor to confront her. He just felt sick in the stomach.

There was nothing that could placate him.

But it was finished.

“So what did you plan to tell me?” His grandmother insisted as she received a cup of tea and then sipped the hot beverage. “Do not tell me that you’ve impregnated another person when you left the country? I’ve left your current family untouched, but if you do have another child coming—I hope it’s a son this time.”

Li Yang didn’t want to say it any longer. 

“I do not think it concerns you anymore.” He replied with a smile of his own as he nodded his head at the caretaker as he made his way to the door. Despite it all, the older woman simply called out to him.

“It will still come my way, whether or not you say anything at all.”

The man should have cut his ties long ago with this family.

.

.

.

There was no sense of glory, profoundness or even relish at the confrontation—it would have been much better that he never came here at all. If his life was some kind of reality show that the Heavens watched, then this was nothing close to something that would rake in views and support the network.

On the contrary, it was all very much gloomy and depressive.

Emotionally draining.

This was better cut.

Removed and not shown.

It was not something Li Yang wished for anyone to see and as he raised his gaze to meet the Panda’s eyes. For the first time since the arrival of the rather bitter and spiteful creature somehow only made to torment and capture whatever happened to him… it clicked its tongue and looked away.

“What kind of goddamn family do you have?” Bao asked and then answered its own question. “A fucking soap opera that’s what.”

Li Yang snickered. “There is a hint of truth to almost everything in life. Some exaggerated to be far larger than what they are and others diminished and almost invisible to the naked eye. Let’s just go.”

Before Bao or anyone could say a word through the Universal Chat, the man walked away and left them behind to their musings. He still had far more things to do than to stay here and sulk around.

Everyone only had twenty-four hours per day.

At least until time dilation occurred.

—-—-

Author’s Note: I’m not good at balancing all the aspects of the ‘title’ of this story. Some may even say it’s a half-assed attempt at best and as I go about my other two part time jobs, I realize that it’s never going to be a work of art. What can you realistically expect from a writer who’s expected to upload daily and crank out thousands of words? (Key word: expected) 

There are days where quality diminishes and hopefully finer chapters where some aspect shines. Sometimes, even a writing software like Prowritingaid or Grammarly can only do so much. It must be hard going through and sloughing through the chapter bit by bit or skimming, and hoping that there are little nuggets of worth something in the text.

All I can do is continue to push forward and arrive at the ending I have in my mind. (That’s usually the part that you need to plan first.) With at least enough people to justify the time and cost. I’m probably not the first author to talk about this here lol.. Thank you.