Yue Ling murmurs to herself as a wave of confusion wash inside her.

Could it be that she misses her fur baby too much that her mind is playing tricks on her?

"Miss Angel, are you alright?"

Jianan heard her voice due to how close he stood next to her. However, he wasn't able to listen to her words correctly.

He sees that she is looking at the long hallway, so he pokes his head out to see too.

When he saw that it was empty, he confusingly pouted his lips.

"Did you see something? Should we go check?"

Yue Ling's eyes remained on the empty hallway. Her expression turned to one on alert, and her eyes scanned the area.

However, a few seconds go by, and she pushes any thoughts to the back of her head.

She looks back at Jianan and smiles.

"I'm alright. Let's go that way. The waiting room is over there."

Her words fell, and she guided Jianan in the opposite direction of where she was looking.

Inu is staying with her grandfather and Ji Jingxu. There's no possible way her fur baby would be here since the hospital also prohibits pets in the building.

"Oh, Yue Ling. You're here."

The second Yue Ling and Jianan arrived at the waiting area, Doctor Dong ran into them.

The elderly man looked disheveled and was breathing like he had finished a marathon.

One could even see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Yue Ling arches an eyebrow at his appearance. However, she doesn't pry into detail about why he looked the way he did.

"I hope we didn't arrive too early."

Doctor Dong smiles without wiping his forehead free of sweat.

"Not at all. I ran here when I heard you had arrived."

He glances a few times behind Yue Ling before moving his attention to the little boy.

His eyebrows raised in bewilderment.

"Eh, who is this kid?"

Yue Ling took notice of the glances he made but didn't put too much thought over it. He might have just glanced at an employee or patient walking past.

"This is my friend. The one I set an appointment for with you."

She smiles down at Jianan and nods her head.

"Jianan, this is Doctor Dong. Say hello to him."

Jianan grew nervous the moment he saw Doctor Dong. However, observing the way Yue Ling and the elderly man spoke to one another, he can conclude that they are friends.

He slowly bows his head and greets the elderly man.

"Hello, I'm Liu Jianan."

Doctor Dong softens at the sight of Jianan's politeness. He smiles, a smile that reaches his eyes as he doesn't want to scare the boy.

He pats the boy's head but frowns when he notices Jianan's shoulders suddenly quiver a little when he stretches his hand.

He shot a glance at Yue Ling and saw her slightly shake her head.

Even without words, he knew what her head gesture meant.

He doesn't pat the boy's head and lowers his hand.

"Liu Jianan, I know the hospital can be a scary and depressing place, but you are in good hands."

His hand gestures in the direction he had come from, and he smiles at Yue Ling and Jianan.

"Let's head over to the room for the check-up."

Yue Ling takes a step forward but catches a glimpse of the elderly man glancing behind her again. Her eyebrows crease with suspicion, and she looks back.

What seems to be catching Doctor Dong's attention so much?

"Aiya!!"

Before she could turn her head, Doctor Dong suddenly lets out a cry. Her attention shifts to him, and she frowns at the man.

"Are you alright?"

Doctor Dong heaved a sigh of relief but quickly replaced it with a chuckle. He hits his forehead, making it look like he had suddenly remembered something.

"I almost forgot. Did you fill out the new patient's form for Liu Jianan?"

Yue Ling pondered for a second and shook her head no.

"I'll fill it out during the check-up."

Seeing that his distraction worked, he sighs again in relief. He ushers Yue Ling towards the check-up room.

"Alright. Let's not wait and go to the room. I'll have a nurse bring the form up for you."

As Yue Ling and Jianan walked away, Doctor Dong followed along with them. However, he places one hand behind his back and fans it as if to signal someone to go.

Far away on the other side of the hallway, Grandfather Ji's head could be spotted poking out from the corner. He wasn't standing but on his knees.

He sees Doctor Dong's hand signal but doesn't move away.

Once he confirmed that the coast was clear, he exhaled and looked away.

"That was a close call."

His back press against the wall, and his body slumps onto the floor like a deflatted balloon.

He had been couped up in his room too so long and decided to take Inu out on a walk. Doctor Dong forbade him from going outside in case any mishap were to happen.

So, his only option left was to stay inside.

He also hasn't announced his illness, so he needed to be cautious about the people he might run into in the hospital. It was already bad enough that the Lu family found out sooner than expected.

As he and Inu walked around the hospital, the Samoyed, who was usually calm and never runs off suddenly ran off.

He didn't know why, but he needed to chase Inu.

Something inside him was telling him that trouble would come to him if he didn't.

And it was precise as his feeling anticipated.

Inu had caught the scent of the person he had not prepared himself to meet.

His granddaughter.

He opened his mouth to call the little guy back, but a sharp pain penetrated his heart. It felt as if he was being pierced by thousands of needles.

His breathing became rapid, and he lost his balance. He was unable to steady him and would have hit his head on the wall if it weren't for Inu returning to him.

The Samoyed had sensed his pain and jumped into action. He (Inu) used his body to block him (Grandfather Ji) from hitting the wall.

Despite the intense pain he was experiencing, when he saw that Yue Ling was turning in their direction, he forced his body to move. He grabbed Inu and rolled behind the wall.

He held onto Inu and whispered pleading words for the little guy not to reveal that they were here.

Luckily, Inu was an intelligent dog and didn't move or make a sound.

"I'm sorry, Inu."

Grandfather Ji came back from reliving the flashback. His head lowers to the side, and he looks at the fluffy Samoyed.

"I know you miss her, but please bear with me."

He trembles a smile and reaches a hand to give Inu a pat on the

head.

"I miss her too..."

His voice cracked and almost caught in his throat.

Never has he had to hide from his granddaughter or keep anything from her.

A wave of sadness mixed with guilt formed inside him, making it hard to shake off. He clutch his chest and clenched tightly.

"Please... just a bit more time..."

His eyes gradually grew moist, and he closed his eyes to force back any tears. However, a single tear ignored his intentions and slid down his cheek.

Eventually, he stops trying, and his head drops down as he quietly sobs.

"I will tell her... I will tell her when I leave here."

Inu lets out a small, sad whimper as he had never once seen the old man cry. He slowly lay on the floor and put his head on Grandfather Ji's lap.

He can only hope that his presence can help comfort his second favorite hooman in the world.

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