Chapter 1294: Chapter 1285: Farewell (3)
Xia Youbiao rushed to the hospital, even running through two red lights on the way because he was so anxious.
At the hospital, the old man’s face was ruddy. He was surrounded by people, and the doctor was still taking measurements for him.
Seeing the old man’s condition, Xia Youbiao breathed a sigh of relief and then asked the doctor about the situation. After all, the old man was indeed diagnosed with cancer. Although it was only at stage two when found, and had been well-controlled, who knew if there might be a chance of relapse.
The doctor glanced at the old man and chose his words carefully: "It’s his high blood pressure acting up. Given his advanced age, it’s fortunate that it was discovered in time. If it had been a bit later, there might have been a risk of stroke. Moreover, he has other underlying conditions..."
Only then did Xia Youbiao relax. The old man ignored him and just said indifferently, "You don’t need to come here. You’re busy with important matters, always running around outside. I, with my old bones, don’t need you to wait on me."
"Dad." Xia Youbiao himself felt caught between two worlds.
He is a dutiful son; his parents have always raised him with the best education and life, respecting him in everything but his marriage. For one, the old man doesn’t like the entertainment industry, thinking it’s a mess. Second, those kinds of photos do make it hard for them to hold their heads up high. Even though he knows she was the victim, in the old man’s mindset, it’s just unacceptable. Even if he were to find another well-reputed artist, it might not have been this outcome, but they cannot bear their daughter-in-law being photographed in such a way, which would attract ridicule.
These two views are fundamentally irreconcilable. Besides, his father is getting on in years; what else can he do? Forcing an old man to accept a daughter-in-law with her private photos flying everywhere is just unrealistic.
But he couldn’t divorce Wen Qunxiao, nor could he give up his daughter. He indeed... wants everything, unwilling to let go of either side. But his father doesn’t have much time left, and he hasn’t been able to make his wife suffer for many years.
Xia Youbiao stayed by his father’s side for three days. Even though there was a nurse at night, he stayed there the whole time. He was absent-minded these days and didn’t have work during the day, so he took this opportunity to catch up on what he had missed.
But after he stabilized his father’s condition and got him discharged, he went to the hotel, only to find it deserted. He was a bit puzzled. Upon returning home, he found the house had been emptied, leaving only a broken bank card on the floor and nothing else.
He got a little anxious; calling again, but no one answered. Even if he wanted to go to N University to find Xia Siyu, she usually didn’t live on campus, and going through the department would disturb her studies.
On her family’s side, Wen’s parents had only this one daughter, and in recent years they had passed away one after another.
No relatives, no contact information. Even if he called her divorce lawyer, the lawyer only politely asked him to quickly complete the formalities and wouldn’t disclose her location. He even ran back to Sicily, only to find it empty as well.
He originally thought it was a moment of anger, and once she calmed down, she would meet him once. Even if she was angry, she would at least have to collect the divorce certificate, right?
He never expected that what he thought was a moment of anger was actually a permanent farewell. In fact, that was the last time they would meet.
**
Wen Qunxiao did not pass away that day; in fact, she lived for another year and a half afterwards.