Chapter 43 – Not Allowed

Every word from Grandma hit Wen Jialuo’s heart like a tidal wave.

High above the blue sky, she felt as though she was standing at the edge of a vast ocean, with waves incessantly crashing, threatening to break the shoreline’s barrier.

A sliver of sunlight seemed to pierce through the clouds, striking her face with a burning intensity as she sat by the window. Grandma’s inspiring words filled her with anticipation, waiting for her response. But her mind was in turmoil, and her ears buzzed.

“Do you… really not trust Grandma?” Grandma finally sighed in disappointment after waiting for her stubborn granddaughter to speak.

That question was the final wave that broke Wen Jialuo’s defenses. She suddenly felt a sense of relief, realizing that Grandma’s tone had indicated she was mentally prepared to accept any answer. If that was the case, wasn’t this the perfect time?

Xu Shiqi was not by her side. The idea of setting up a perfect future plan was too idealistic; reality was reality. Romance and beauty had no place in revealing their relationship to family.

Yes, Wen Jialuo gritted her teeth, realizing there was only one path left.

“Grandma, you’re right,” she began, looking at her. The plane encountered turbulence, making her words feel as though they were suspended in the air. “But will you truly support me?”

Grandma smiled and gently touched her granddaughter’s neatly tied hair, “Silly child, as long as you are willing to speak, nothing is too difficult.”

“But…” Wen Jialuo’s smile was bitter, “She and I, what we have is against social norms, perhaps worse than you might imagine…”

Wen Jialuo recalled her grandma’s nephew who had twin daughters. They were just under two years old, adorable and loved dearly by her grandparents. Even her grandpa, who was usually indifferent to children, enjoyed holding them. But they were not the Wen family’s children. Grandpa once told her to have such cute children for him to play with.

Grandma had scolded him for being childish, and the relatives laughed, promising it would happen. She, however, knew it was a dream that would never come true.

“Grandma, she and I can never have children for Grandpa…” Wen Jialuo’s voice trembled, “No matter how much you support us, we can never stand in front of our relatives and say we are a couple.”

Hearing this, Grandma froze.

Wen Jialuo thought, what she had just said was akin to pushing a boat into a deep whirlpool. She could see the disbelief in Grandma’s eyes, seemingly understanding everything.

“She didn’t want me to tell you,” Wen Jialuo smiled suddenly, “Afraid it would ruin your New Year. I didn’t want to say it either, but Grandma gave me the courage.”

Grandma’s eyes widened suddenly, “This person… does Grandma know her?”

Wen Jialuo nodded.

Grandma began to ponder deeply. She didn’t ask who it was, as if it were a forbidden topic. She kept her mouth tightly shut, her expression becoming solemn. Shocked by her granddaughter’s words, she started filtering through possible candidates in her mind. After a while, she seemed to realize something, her face turning pale.

Supporting her head, she stared blankly before muttering three words: “Not allowed.”

Wen Jialuo didn’t have time to heal from the wound those words caused. She could only let the blood flow, feeling a deep self-loathing. As expected, no matter how mentally prepared one was, it was still difficult to accept.

Had Grandma guessed who she meant? When Xu Shiqi arrived at the hospital, she hesitated.

Knowing the truth and facing its consequences was unavoidable. Grandma woke up calm, determined to deal with it immediately. Wen Jialuo would accept any punishment, but she hoped to gain Grandma’s support.

Including Xu Shiqi’s share, they needed to be doubly determined to win Grandma over.

Whatever the case, Wen Jialuo was prepared. She wouldn’t separate from Xu Shiqi; she was committed to this path.

That woman had thoughtful plans, but reality wasn’t so accommodating.

Even if Xu Shiqi blamed her later for being rash, it couldn’t be helped.

But maybe it wasn’t so.

Wen Jialuo planned to explain everything to Xu Shiqi after she saw Grandma asleep and then together plead for forgiveness and support. But Grandma, upon seeing Xu Shiqi, showed no such emotions. She merely asked her to step out for a family matter.

Xu Shiqi stiffly turned away, too scared to look at Wen Jialuo. She sensed confusion from Wen Jialuo, uncertain about the secrecy.

As if it had nothing to do with her…

Finally, only two remained in the ward.

Wen Jialuo looked at the elderly woman with a complex expression, who returned the look.

“Jialuo… everything you said on the plane, was it true?” Grandma finally spoke.

Wen Jialuo remained silent, unsure of whom Grandma thought she meant. She felt uncertain despite her previous resolve, especially seeing Grandma’s still pale face, making the wound in her heart ache.

Grandma sighed at the lack of response, “Anyone else is fine, but not him.”

Her words were both an escape and a dead end. Wen Jialuo trembled, unable to speak from the pain.

“Wen Yu… he’s your brother. You can’t be together.”

“What… what…” Wen Jialuo was thunderstruck, coughing violently, almost choking on her own words. “Grandma…” she exclaimed, “What are you saying, Wen Yu? How could I be with him?”

Grandma was also stunned, her face contorted with shock and pain. Seeing her granddaughter’s reaction, she sighed with relief, “Ah… so, it’s not him?”

Siblings being together was against moral norms, and their children would be deformed, right? They couldn’t face their relatives. Given the hints and familiarity, she had thought of Wen Yu, making her nearly faint.

Had she misunderstood?

Wen Jialuo propped herself up against the table beside the hospital bed, one hand on her forehead, trying to steady her breath.

“Grandma,” she shook her head, feeling utterly exhausted, “you really do have a vivid imagination.”

But, the direction of your thoughts is completely off. Or perhaps, it could be said that your imagination isn’t vivid enough; at least you haven’t crossed the gender gap.

The heavy stone that had been pressing down on Grandma’s heart suddenly vanished, and she felt an immense sense of relief. Her headache faded, and her fatigue lessened. “That’s good, Grandma was really overthinking.” She didn’t worry about herself and quickly asked, “So who is the person you were talking about?”

Wen Jialuo lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and tucked in the blanket that had slipped down in Grandma’s excitement. “Don’t think about this for now, focus on recovering your health.”

“Jialuo…” Grandma called out, but her granddaughter had already withdrawn into her shell, showing no desire to confide further. Grandma sighed deeply, feeling frustrated and dejected. It seemed she had scared her granddaughter, who probably wouldn’t share her thoughts with her again anytime soon.

“Jialuo,” Grandma reached out with her free hand and grabbed her granddaughter’s arm, “I won’t tell anyone about this for now. The high blood pressure is all the plane’s fault. So, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk now, but Grandma hopes that one day you’ll put aside your burdens and tell me.”

Wen Jialuo didn’t nod or shake her head; she simply looked at her, gently holding her frail hand. “You should rest.”

Grandma looked at her granddaughter in disappointment. Her tone was full of perfunctory reassurance. Grandma had no choice but to emphasize again, “Really, this time I mean it. No matter who it is, Grandma will support you.”

“Mm.” Wen Jialuo smiled and gently patted her chest.

Inside the hospital room, Wen Jialuo experienced a mix of emotions after her internal struggle, while outside, Xu Shiqi was filled with unease.

The old man had gone downstairs alone, leaving her to sit outside the hospital room.

This floor seemed to be full of private rooms and was very quiet, though occasionally punctuated by faint crying sounds coming from who knows where. Even though it was cold outside, she took off her hat and gloves. The hat and gloves were gifts from Wen Jialuo, and wearing them in front of Grandma might seem particularly conspicuous. Even though she had already sensed that the conversation between grandmother and granddaughter had nothing to do with her, she couldn’t help but think about it.

The door to the hospital room was tightly closed, and if she pressed her ear against it, she might catch a few fragments of the conversation. But Xu Shiqi had no intention of doing so. She just sat quietly, her cold hand repeatedly stroking the fluffy pompom on the hat.

If Wen Jialuo had already told Grandma about their relationship, what should she do?

If Grandma had high blood pressure because of their relationship, what should she do?

If the whole Wen family found out about their relationship, what should she do?

If her own family also found out because of this, what should she do?

If this matter had to be laid out in the open to decide their future?

If one of them couldn’t withstand the pressure from all sides?

Too many “what ifs” crowded her mind, making Xu Shiqi feel like it was all tangled together like the yarn pompom on her hat. She couldn’t tell which strand was insignificant and which was the critical one that, if pulled, would unravel everything.

Suddenly, Wen Jialuo’s voice rose inside the room. Though Xu Shiqi couldn’t make out the words, it sounded like an argument. She stood up abruptly, her hair practically standing on end.

Grandma had just experienced high blood pressure—Wen Jialuo wouldn’t have said something to upset her again, would she? Thinking this, Xu Shiqi turned and grabbed the door handle, but then she stopped herself. If they were really discussing something unavoidable about her, Wen Jialuo wouldn’t leave her out. If they weren’t discussing her and Wen Jialuo’s relationship, then barging in would be inappropriate.

As she hesitated, she heard Wen Baohua’s voice.

It turned out that Wen Baohua had experienced complications during her pregnancy and had gone for a check-up today. The family had just informed her about Grandma being in the hospital, so she hurried over with Xiabang driving her. She was surprised to see her classmate there.

“Are you here to see Grandma?” Wen Baohua knocked on the door, surprised to see her, “Shiqi… Are you not feeling well? You look so pale.”

As she spoke, the door opened, and Wen Jialuo happened to hear this, immediately turning her eyes to Xu Shiqi. Xu Shiqi’s face was almost as white as a sheet, her eyes flickering like a candle in the wind. She must have been overthinking things while alone outside, making herself look so pitiful. Wen Jialuo stood there, feeling she had caused distress inside the room and now outside as well…

“No, maybe I’ve just been playing too late recently and didn’t get enough rest,” Xu Shiqi explained hastily, speaking to Baohua but clearly meant for Wen Jialuo, who seemed deeply downcast. Xu Shiqi herself was also feeling low, making her tone a bit stiff.

Wen Baohua pushed past Wen Jialuo, sneaking into the room. As soon as she entered, she saw Grandma looking at her and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked to the bedside, bending down with some difficulty to cuddle up to Grandma and softly said, “Grandma, you scared your great-grandson.”

Grandma couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out to touch Wen Baohua’s belly, but then she thought of her granddaughter’s despairing words and the smile faded from her face.

Seeing that Grandma was still troubled, Wen Baohua directed Xiabang to peel some fruit, then told Wen Jialuo to go rest.

Xu Shiqi followed suit, quickly saying, “Grandma, I’ll come visit you next time.”

Grandma nodded. When she saw them turn and walk out together in unison, she felt a slight pang in her heart, though the thought quickly slipped away.

It wasn’t a matter of “impossible”; it was simply “not possible.”