Gu Qichen's fingers paused slightly as he was typing on his tablet.
"Why do you say that?"
Qin He narrowed her eyes. "A black commercial car has been appearing around me recently, but coincidentally, whenever Mr. Gu is around, that car disappears."
Perhaps feeling that she had already appeared in Gu Qichen's sight, it had stopped following her.
Gu Qichen's lips curved upwards for a moment. "Your current situation is not very safe. I am considering the safety of my business partner, which is part of my responsibility."
Qin He frowned. Had he also discovered the post by Ling Dian Mei Gui at Qing Yan Mansion?
She glanced at Gu Qichen, unsure if this man was genuinely concerned for his partner's safety or if he was monitoring her.
"You'd better withdraw your people," Qin He warned in a low voice. "I will take responsibility for my own safety; I don't need a business partner to worry about me."
Gu Qichen remained noncommittal.
By the time the car reached the old Gu residence, it was already two in the afternoon.
Qin He and Gu Qichen entered the house, and the butler went to call for Old Mrs. Gu.
Old Mrs. Gu had just woken from her nap and was very surprised to see Qin He. "He'er, you're here."
Then, seeing Gu Qichen beside her, her brow furrowed. "Who are you, and why are you with my granddaughter-in-law?"
The butler sighed helplessly. "It seems the old madam is having another episode."
Old Mrs. Gu's episodes had been frequent lately, but Alzheimer's disease was irreversible. Qin He held Old Mrs. Gu's warm hand, her heart aching.
Grandma Gu was so ill that she couldn't even recognize her own grandson, yet she still remembered her.
Grandma Gu held Qin He's hand, her memories seemingly returning to when Qin He and Gu Qichen were not yet divorced.
She earnestly advised Qin He, "He'er, don't worry. If Qichen bullies you again in the future, just tell Grandma."
Qin He glanced at Gu Qichen, who was sitting far away at a separate table in the living room.
It seemed he had been neglecting her quite a bit.
As she spoke, Grandma Gu's gaze fell upon Qin He's stomach.
"He'er, your stomach… are you pregnant?"
Qin He caressed her lower abdomen and chuckled nervously, lying, "I just ate too much for lunch."
But Grandma Gu, in her current state, had significantly reduced comprehension. She reached out with surprise and gently placed her hand on Qin He's belly.
"Is there my great-grandchild, or great-granddaughter, inside?"
Qin He pursed her lips, her hand secretly clenching.
Grandma Gu had hit the mark by chance. The butler beside her signaled to her, trying to get her to go along with the elder.
Qin He smiled weakly and, feeling guilty, changed her words. "Yes, but we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet."
Not far away, Gu Qichen glanced over indifferently.
Qin He turned her face away.
"Whether it's a boy or a girl is fine! Now Qichen will become a father too," Grandma Gu said with great joy. "It looks like I need to start preparing some baby clothes."
"We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, Grandma. No need to rush now," Qin He comforted her.
Grandma Gu was beaming with a smile and chattered with Qin He all afternoon, even ordering a lot of pastries to be made for her.
Qin He's heart grew heavier. Grandma Gu's episodes were becoming longer, which was not a good sign.
Perhaps one day in the future, Grandma Gu would remain like this forever, unable to recognize anyone, never regaining her clarity.
Her chest felt a pang of sadness.
By the afternoon, Grandma Gu was also tired. A maid was about to help her to her room, but Grandma Gu refused, insisting that Qin He stay with her.
Qin He, along with the maid, helped the elder upstairs. After coaxing Grandma Gu to sleep, she quietly closed the door and prepared to leave.
As she passed through the hallway and reached the spiral staircase, Qin He heard a loud thud.
She turned to look at the door of the room closest to the hallway. Although she had been to the old Gu residence many times, she was not familiar with the layout of the second floor.
Hearing no further sounds from inside, she went downstairs.
On the first floor, the butler was speaking with a maid.
"Has the madam's medication been sent up?"
As Qin He descended the stairs, she overheard the maid reply, "It was sent up ten minutes ago. The madam said she wanted to rest after taking her medication, so she sent us down."
Qin He stopped abruptly, her senses piqued.
She turned to look at the maid. "What medication?"
The maid remained silent. The butler smiled. "The madam has always had high blood pressure, so she has been taking medication to lower it."
Qin He frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss.
Recalling the loud thud she had heard earlier at the turn of the spiral staircase, an ominous premonition filled her heart.
However, Mrs. Gu had always disliked her. After a few moments of hesitation, and realizing that lives were at stake, she turned and walked upstairs.
Grandma Gu had said that Qin He could move freely in the old Gu residence, so the butler and others did not stop her.
Returning to the second floor, Qin He stopped in front of the room at the corner.
She first gently knocked on the door. "Is anyone in there?"
Silence emanated from the room. The ominous feeling intensified, and Qin He tried the doorknob.
The doorknob clicked softly, and the door opened.
Qin He pushed the door open. It was a small suite with a private living room outside.
"Mrs. Gu?" Qin He frowned.
Then, as she walked to the center of the living room, she saw the person lying on the floor through the carved wooden moon gate draped with bead curtains.
Mrs. Gu's face was deathly pale. She had fainted!
Without time to think, Qin He strode forward and helped her up!
She felt for Mrs. Gu's pulse and listened to her heartbeat. It was very weak!
Qin He raised her voice to call for help, and as she looked up, she met the eyes of the person at the doorway.
"Song Nuan? What are you doing here?"
Song Nuan stood at the doorway, her face taut and pale. After a few seconds, she shrieked, "Qin He, what did you do to Auntie!"
This scream was loud enough for those downstairs to hear.
Qin He, holding Mrs. Gu, her expression turned cold.
Footsteps approached, and soon Gu Qichen and the butler appeared in the small living room.
Seeing Mrs. Gu lying on the floor, the butler cried out in alarm, "Quick, call a doctor!"
Mrs. Gu had collapsed and was breathing weakly. The Gu household descended into chaos.
Except for Old Mrs. Gu, who was sleeping soundly, everyone else was busy.
The Gu family's doctor arrived quickly. After measuring her blood pressure, he found that Mrs. Gu's blood pressure had reached a life-threatening level.
"Take her to the hospital immediately!" the doctor commanded after measuring her blood pressure.
The driver of the old residence was already waiting by the gate. The group immediately headed for the hospital.
Before getting into the car, Qin He saw Song Nuan walking back.
Frowning deeply, she turned to the butler. "Why is Song Nuan here?"
The butler dared not mention Song Nuan's pregnancy. Seeing Gu Qichen listening to the question, he also looked over.
"Yes, Madam invited her back, but she wasn't supposed to come near the main house. I didn't notice when she came in."
Qin He felt that something was not quite right, but there was no time to think deeply about it now. She simply instructed the butler, "Take Song Nuan to the hospital as well."