C28 Do It Horizontally or Vertically

Shang Yuvyuv waved her hand dismissively, "You could even take a rocket for all I care."

Naturally, Ye Tian was reluctant to take a taxi. The only time she would resort to that was when visiting the desolate Jinghao. But now, she was headed to the Whole Horn Building, the city's central landmark with connections in every direction. She could easily get there by subway or bus, so why waste money on a taxi?

Yet, no sooner had she stepped onto the subway than her phone rang with a call from the hospital.

"Miss Ye? Your grandfather's oxygen..."

A cold shiver ran through Ye Tian, her ears ringing so loudly that she couldn't make out the rest of the nurse's words.

Her phone clattered to the ground, drawing the gaze of several subway passengers.

Grandfather.

He couldn't be in trouble.

Ye Tian stepped out of the subway and hastily hailed a cab to the hospital.

"Gu Qinian, my grandfather's had an accident. What do I do? What do I do?"

Her mind was a blur as she dialed the only person she could think of—Gu Qinian.

"Don't panic, head to the hospital first," Qinian advised without further consolation, before hanging up and making his own way there.

"Director Gu, where are you off to?" Who could possibly have the clout to leave Director Gu abandoning a room full of puzzled executives?

Upon arriving at the hospital, Ye Tian was immediately intercepted by a nurse. "Miss Ye, please stay calm. The patient is already in emergency surgery."

"What's happened to my grandpa? What's going on? Why is he in emergency surgery?" Tears brimmed in Ye Tian's eyes.

The nurse hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. It was, after all, a reflection of their negligence. "Someone disconnected Old Mr. Ye's oxygen. And there's been a mix-up with the dietary provisions."

What the nurse left unsaid was that the oxygen had been disconnected for nearly ten minutes. If it weren't for the old man's resilience, it might have been too late.

"Who disconnected the oxygen?" Ye Tian asked, her voice eerily calm, sending a shiver down the nurse's spine.

Stuttering, the nurse replied, "Well, Miss Ye Ziyan was here this morning, and then there were the other nurses and attendants..."

Ye Ziyan.

Ye Ziyan!

Ye Tian made her way toward the hospital ward, finding Ye Ziyan standing just outside.

With swift steps and reddened eyes, Ye Tian confronted her. "It's you!"

Ye Ziyan had been seated on a bench, but rose to meet Ye Tian's approach.

Ye Tian's confrontational stance drew the attention of many onlookers, particularly with a celebrity like Ye Ziyan present. Wearing a look of innocence, Ziyan asked, "What have I done? Why do you look so angry, sister?"

She then leaned in close to Ye Tian and whispered so only they could hear, "The oxygen mask—I unplugged it. How about that?"

Ye Tian, furious, couldn't help but laugh. The next moment, she landed a firm slap across Ye Ziyan's face.

"You dare to hit me?!" Ye Ziyan, fuming, clutched her cheek, her face contorted with rage.

"If you dare harm Grandfather, I swear, it's you I'll hit! And let me tell you, if Grandfather doesn't walk out of here on his own today, you'll be leaving this hospital horizontally." Ye Tian's words were chilling, and Ye Ziyan felt a flicker of fear at the sight of her icy gaze.

She knew Ye Tian meant every word.

But the flash of panic was quickly masked by Ye Ziyan's composed facade.

With many bystanders now recording the altercation, Ye Ziyan noticed someone approaching and sneered inwardly. She whispered to Ye Tian, "Oh? Let's see whose life is longer—yours or mine."

Ye Tian, seething with rage, raised her hand to strike again, but Ziyan was ready to dodge.

"Enough!" Gu Qinian intervened, grabbing Ye Tian's wrist and casting a cold glance at the onlookers. He addressed Ye Tian, "It wasn't Ziyan. She informed me this morning of her intention to visit, and I gave her permission."

"So you think Ye Ziyan is incapable of such a thing? You gave permission? By what right? Who do you think you are?" Ye Tian yelled, breaking free from Qinian's grasp. She fixed a fierce stare on Ziyan and declared, "I will not spare anyone who harms my grandfather."

"Qinian, I truly didn't..." Ye Ziyan protested with feigned innocence. Gu Qinian frowned but remained silent.

The surgery took a grueling eight hours. Ye Tian was crouched outside the operating room, her face buried in her knees.

"Surgery's done!" Someone called out, and Ye Tian immediately pressed herself against the operating room door.

A nurse intercepted Ye Ziyan to complete an emergency contact form for family members before allowing her to enter.

"Fortunately, we caught it in time. However, the surgery merely saved Old Master Ye's life." The implication was clear: there was no miraculous awakening for the old man.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much," Ye Tian sobbed, tears streaming down her face. As long as her grandfather was alive, that was all that mattered; she couldn't afford to hope for more.

Watching her grandfather being wheeled back to his room, Ye Tian felt a weight lift from her chest.

"Ye Tian! What are you up to, sis? Did you stand up the Kawase Group? Don't you want to make money anymore? Don't you want to gather the funds for Grandpa's surgery?" Shang Yuvyuv's call came with a barrage of questions, and God knows how many apologies Ye Tian had already offered.

"Yuvyuv," Ye Tian tried to apologize, but as she uttered Shang Yuvyuv's name, tears spilled over.

"What's the matter? What's happened, honey?" Shang Yuvyuv could hear the crying through the phone and became frantic. Had she been too harsh?

"Grandpa, I... Grandpa, he almost left me," Ye Tian cried uncontrollably.

Shang Yuvyuv paused, suddenly understanding.

Old Master Ye was Ye Tian's everything.

"It's okay now, sweetie. Where are you? Still at the hospital? Stay put, I'm on my way."

...

When Shang Yuvyuv arrived, she brought food with her. Watching Ye Tian devour her meal, Shang Yuvyuv gently stroked her head, realizing she hadn't eaten all day.

"What happened to Grandpa all of a sudden?"

"It was Ye Ziyan."

Shang Yuvyuv was taken aback. She had already seen the trending topic online.

Ye Tian had slapped Ye Ziyan, and there was both photographic evidence and a video. The comment section was a chorus of condemnation.

Shang Yuvyuv couldn't pretend she wasn't worried. She really didn't want to burden Ye Tian with the online backlash, but she felt compelled to bring it up.

Ye Tian scrolled through the messages from start to finish and set her phone down with a nonchalant shrug. "I know Ye Ziyan is trying to rile me up, but I don't regret hitting her. My only regret is that I didn't hit her harder."

Shang Yuvyuv remained silent, sensing that Ye Tian had calmed down. She tidied up the lunch box and handed Ye Tian a napkin, asking, "What's our next move?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Ye Tian replied coolly.

Seeing that Ye Tian had a strategy in mind, Shang Yuvyuv's worries dissipated.

"I can cover for you at work for the next few days. You should focus on taking care of Grandpa in the hospital."

Ye Tian shook her head. "There's no need. This incident has made it clear that Grandpa's surgery needs to be scheduled as soon as possible."

She knew that only by diligently saving money could her grandfather have his surgery sooner.

Despite her efforts to keep Gu Qinian out of her thoughts, the more she tried to avoid him, the more he filled her mind.