Andrew rushed back to the Zhou family estate, his heart filled with anxiety. He was practically speeding the whole way.
The moment he stepped through the gates, the silence that greeted him only deepened his unease.
He didn't dare waste a second. He quickly made his way straight to Old Master Zhou's bedroom.
He shoved the door open, and the first thing he saw was the family doctor at the bedside, performing a series of routine checks. The faint beeping and hum of the medical equipment felt jarringly loud in the tense atmosphere.
Andrew didn't even bother to steady his breathing. In just a few steps, he was at the bedside, his voice anxious and low as he asked, "How is he? Is my grandfather okay?"
The doctor looked up and gave a polite nod when he saw Andrew. "Young Master, Old Master Zhou had a sudden spike in blood pressure due to emotional stress. Please don't worry too much."
"I've already given him medication to bring it down. If things go normally, his blood pressure will stabilize soon."
"Alright."
Andrew's gaze shifted to his grandfather lying in bed. From the moment he walked in, Old Master Zhou hadn't even glanced at him once.
His lips were tightly pressed together, his face cold and stern, clearly showing how angry he was.
Once the doctor finished packing up and quietly left the room, Andrew turned to Butler Li, confusion on his face. He tried to sound calm and composed. "Uncle Lin, Grandpa's always been in good health. What made his blood pressure spike all of a sudden?"
Before Butler Li could answer, Old Master Zhou suddenly snapped, "Why do you think? You really don't know what you did? You don't know why I'd be this angry?"
Andrew froze, completely confused. He quickly searched his memory, trying to figure out what he could've done to upset his grandfather this badly. But he came up with nothing.
Helplessly, he could only face Old Master Zhou with a puzzled look. "Grandpa, what did I do? Just tell me."
Old Master Zhou's chest heaved with anger, and even his hands were trembling. His eyes were fierce. "Did you divorce Katherine?"
Andrew stiffened instantly. The expression on his face froze. After a brief pause, he slowly looked down.
It took a while before he finally looked back up at his grandfather. "Grandpa, who told you that?"
His voice was low, tired, and carried a hint of guilt and avoidance.
Seeing his reaction, Old Master Zhou grew even more furious. He pointed at Andrew, his hand shaking uncontrollably. "You're asking me who told me? I can't believe you'd hide something like this from me."
"Katherine is such a good girl. She's well-educated, kind-hearted. When you weren't around these past two years, she was the one taking care of me. She treated you with such sincerity, and you just divorced her like that?"
"Do you even respect me anymore? Do you care about the rules of our Zhou family?"
Andrew frowned tightly, a bitter taste filling his mouth. She treated him sincerely?
If she really had, she wouldn't have been so eager to finalize the divorce the moment he came back.
That night, she didn't even push him away—just so they could end it quickly.
After some thought, Andrew finally spoke. "Grandpa, it's not as simple as you think."
"Marriage isn't something outsiders can fully understand. Katherine and I… maybe we're just not right for each other."
Old Master Zhou snorted coldly. "You and Katherine aren't right for each other? But you think you're right for Charlotte?"
"If you had treated Katherine the way you treat Charlotte, do you think Katherine would've suffered so much these past two years?"
"You two got your marriage certificate, and she never once used her identity to gain anything. Not once did she mention your relationship to get special treatment in her job or her life."
"But that Charlotte—she can't wait for the world to know she's close to you. Can't you see the difference?"
Andrew's silence only fueled Old Master Zhou's anger.
"Andrew, what exactly did Charlotte do for you to make you care so much about her? Did she save your life? Did she feed you?"
"You'll regret divorcing Katherine someday."
Andrew pressed his lips tightly together, not knowing what to say.
He felt conflicted.
In truth, his attention to Charlotte had always been limited to professional support. During those two years abroad, he had only gone because she had been diagnosed with depression.
Why did he do it? Because her mother once saved his life.
But he didn't want to bring that up again. That car accident had always been a dark shadow in his heart, because he lost both of his parents in it.
The only reason he survived was because a woman had saved him.
That woman was Charlotte's mother.
If she hadn't saved him, Charlotte would still have had a complete family.
Because of this, Andrew had always felt guilty toward her.
Andrew looked at Old Master Zhou, whose chest was rising and falling with anger. After a moment of silence, he softened his voice to try to calm him down.
"Grandpa, please don't be angry. Maybe Katherine and I... we just weren't meant to be."
Old Master Zhou was already full of rage from the sudden news of the divorce. Hearing this only made him more furious. He said harshly,
"Not meant to be with Katherine, but you are with Charlotte, right?"
"Hmph. I think you're so blinded by that Charlotte that you pushed away a good wife from this family!"
"Enough! I don't want to see you right now. Get out!"
Andrew was afraid his grandfather would get too worked up and have another spike in blood pressure. He swallowed back the explanation he was about to give and turned to Butler Li.
"Butler Li, please stay with Grandpa. If anything seems wrong, call the doctor immediately."
With that, Andrew turned and walked out, his steps heavy.
As he gently closed the door behind him, he felt like all the strength had drained from his body. He leaned against the door for a few seconds, then dragged his feet toward the balcony at the end of the hallway.
Standing on the balcony, he reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette box. His fingers trembled slightly as he pulled one out, then took out his lighter.
With a click, the flame lit up, casting a glow on his tired and lonely face.
He used to dislike the harsh, choking smell of nicotine. He thought smoking was a bad habit and avoided it completely.
But who would've thought that after his divorce from Katherine, during all those sleepless, lonely nights, the only thing that brought him even a little comfort was the thin smoke from a burning cigarette.
Before he realized it, he had become dependent on it.
He brought the cigarette to his lips, took a deep drag, and let the sharp taste spread through his lungs. After a moment, he slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.
As the smoke curled in the air, the heavy sadness between his brows became even more obvious. His furrowed brow seemed to hide endless troubles.
At the same time, the atmosphere in the bedroom remained heavy and tense.
Butler Li stood slightly bent over beside Old Master Zhou's bed, speaking in a soft voice.
"Sir, why put yourself through this?"
"We all feel heartache watching young master and Miss Katherine's situation, but in the end, it's their life and their relationship to live through."
"Maybe... like young master said, they just weren't right for each other."
Old Master Zhou leaned back against the headboard, his hands weakly resting on the blanket. His expression was full of sorrow. He let out a long sigh before speaking slowly.
"Butler Li, you've been with me for many years. There are some things I can't hide from you."
"Do you know why I insisted Andrew and Katherine get married back then?"
Without waiting for Butler Li to respond, the old man continued,
"First, I liked that child Katherine the moment I saw her. She's gentle, well-mannered, intelligent, and kind. I always thought she and Andrew were a perfect match.
Second, our family owes her."
As he spoke, Old Master Zhou's eyes turned red, and his voice grew thick with emotion.
"Back in that car accident, if it hadn't been for Katherine's mother risking her life to save him, Andrew would've died too."
"I've never forgotten that life-saving debt. I thought, if I could welcome Katherine into our family, treat her well, protect her for the rest of her life, that would be a small way to repay it."
"Who would've thought those two kids couldn't make it through? How can I face the one who saved our lives…"
Butler Li listened, his own eyes welling up with tears. He knew that Old Master Zhou had also lost his only son and daughter-in-law in that same accident.