Apocalypse: I'm the Landlady of the Refuge

Watching as everyone departed in twos and threes, Ji Wanwan moved her stiff, swollen neck and prepared to stand up and return to her private space with Xia Li to rest.

As she just walked into the building, Ji Wanwan saw Ji Xing, Xu Siming, Zhou Kai, Father Ji, and Mrs. Ji, who had already left earlier, all standing before her.

Ji Wanwan was slightly startled, sensing that something was amiss.

After exchanging a glance with Xia Li, she quickened her pace and approached, "Dad, Mom, Xingxing, what’s...?"

"Grandma..." Pushing through the crowd, Ji Wanwan saw the figure standing in front of everyone.

Under the dim lights, Qi Hao’s Grandma’s silhouette seemed more hunched over than ever, and her melancholic, haggard face made it difficult for anyone to take another step forward.

During the meeting, Ji Wanwan had Xia Li disguise herself and sit in the darkest shadow specifically to avoid being spotted by Qi Hao’s Grandma.

Now that Grandma was standing here, Ji Wanwan didn’t know whether she had recognized Xia Li or if there was another reason.

Ever since the battle at Baize Union, Qi Hao’s coma had been a thorn in everyone’s side; even though they deliberately avoided talking about it, reminders of the young man who drove a saucy purple Porsche with an innocent air would quietly resurface in various details.

Everyone was trying their best to conceal the fact of Qi Hao’s coma, but no act is flawless, especially in front of a grandmother who adored her grandson.

Ji Wanwan knew that this day would eventually come; she only prayed each day that Qi Hao would wake up early, before his Grandma found out the truth. Sadly, oftentimes, things turn out contrary to one’s wishes.

Qi Hao’s Grandma’s cloudy eyes scanned each face before her; she was familiar with all of them, yet none was her grandson.

Supported by her cane, Qi Hao’s Grandma moved her unsteady legs with difficulty and slowly walked towards Ji Wanwan, "Good child, tell Grandma, has something happened to Hao’er?"

Ji Wanwan’s lips moved, "Grandma, Brother Qi Hao is fine, he’s very good..."

Before she could finish, a tear fell from Grandma’s eye, "Child, don’t lie to Grandma. More than a month ago, I felt an emptiness in my heart, as if I had lost a treasure. Since then, I’ve never seen Hao’er again. Tell Grandma, did something happen to him at that time?"

Tears welled up in Ji Wanwan’s eyes as a lump formed in her throat, making it impossible for her to utter a word.

Mrs. Ji, always soft-hearted, couldn’t bear it and turned away, burying her head in Father Ji’s chest and weeping silently.

The expressions on everyone’s faces had already said it all; there was no need for Ji Wanwan to answer the question.

Grandma’s face was tear-stained, her frail body trembling slightly, "Since the first time you lied to me, I knew you weren’t telling the truth, but I still had a glimmer of hope, imagining that maybe one day my dear grandson would suddenly come back, right?

But I waited, and waited...

I waited for so long, watching batch after batch of people coming into the base, but not one of them was my grandson. I knew then that my unrealistic hopes were shattered, and it was time for me to face the reality."

Qi Hao’s Grandma pounded her chest in agony, "I am so useless, I couldn’t even protect the Qi Family’s last bit of bloodline! I’ve failed Hao’er, failed his father, failed his grandfather, and failed the ancestors of the Qi Family!

I’ve lived to such an old age, what use do I have for this old body! Why wasn’t it me who died! Damn heavens! Why take away everyone around me, yet insist on leaving me behind!"

Her hoarse voice was like a saw dragging back and forth over everyone’s hearts, wrenching them with waves of heartache.

Ji Wanwan’s voice trembled, "Grandma..."

Qi Hao’s Grandma choked with sobs, her eyes brimming with sorrow, "Child, can you tell me where Hao’er has been buried? As his grandmother, I should at least see him one last time..."

Ji Wanwan sighed, "Grandma, Brother Qi Hao isn’t dead, he really isn’t dead, please believe me!"

She knew that at this moment, if she didn’t let Grandma see Qi Hao with her own eyes, Grandma might really not make it through.

Ji Wanwan took Grandma’s withered hand and led her step by step toward her private space.

Seeing her grandson lying quietly on the bed like a peaceful painting, Qi Hao’s Grandma muttered in disbelief, "Hao’er... Hao’er... my Hao’er..."

After a moment, she reached out her hand and gently touched Qi Hao’s cheek.

Feeling the warmth and softness at her fingertips, Qi Hao’s Grandma’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

The joy of having something lost and then found made her wail loudly, "Child, why didn’t you bring me to see Hao’er sooner? Do you know how much I’ve missed him..."

Ji Wanwan knew all too well how much Grandma missed Qi Hao, but how could she dare to bring Grandma to see him...

At first, Qi Hao was as pale as a corpse, and she feared that Grandma would faint on the spot if she saw him, which would only make her sin greater.

Ji Wanwan found herself at a loss for words, "Grandma, it’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have made the decision to keep you in the dark, to stop you from seeing Brother Qi Hao.

I was afraid you’d be heartbroken, but I forgot the bond that is thicker than water between relatives, my deliberate concealment was like cutting at your heart."

She bent down to help Grandma sit on the bed, "Grandma, punish me, however you want to, I accept it all!"

But Grandma shook her head, "I don’t blame you, you were well-intentioned."

Once Grandma had calmed down a bit, Ji Wanwan talked to her about Qi Hao’s current condition and the reason why he remained unconscious.

Of course, to avoid making Grandma overly distressed, Ji Wanwan still beautified some of the process.

Learning that her grandson had injured his head in battle, and that was why he remained unconscious, Grandma was heartbroken and cried for a good while holding Qi Hao.

Later, when Ji Wanwan saw that the sky was already turning pale, she worried that Grandma, being elderly, couldn’t endure staying up all night, and she forcefully took her back to the suite to rest.

In order to get Grandma to willingly go back and rest, she also promised the earnest Qi Hao’s Grandma that she could come and see her grandson any time.

Before leaving, Grandma held Ji Wanwan’s hand, "Wanwan, my girl, I thank you on behalf of Hao’er, if it weren’t for you, Hao’er definitely wouldn’t have made it through this ordeal!

You hold Qi Hao in such high regard, and in these circumstances, you didn’t give up on him, I, as his grandmother, have nothing with which to repay you! So I can only give this to you as a thank you!"

Grandma slid off the jade bracelet from her hand and, without hesitation, pulled Ji Wanwan’s hand to put it on her, "This is the Qi Family’s heirloom jade bracelet, it was originally intended for Hao’er’s future wife, but with the world in such chaos now, what future wife, what heirloom, as long as Hao’er is well, it’s better than anything else!"

Upon hearing that this was meant for Qi Hao’s future wife, Ji Wanwan was startled, "Grandma, that’s not proper!"

If Qi Hao were to find a wife in the future, and she saw the jade bracelet on her hand, wouldn’t that make things difficult for Qi Hao?

Qi Hao’s Grandma, however, patted her hand and stopped her from removing it, "Child, I know what you’re thinking, but listen to me..."