Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Old Madam Huo... Dies.
The man stood upright the moment the monitor flatlined. He didn’t even spare the convulsing Old Madam Huo a glance as he rushed for the door.
But before he could slip out, Yue Ning blocked his path.
Her eyes were like ice, her movements quicker than his breath.
"You’re not going anywhere," she said coldly.
The impostor cursed under his breath and swung his fist at her, but Yue Ning sidestepped him effortlessly.
Her elbow connected with his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered, letting out a groan. He glared at Yue Ning, not expecting her to have such massive power in her small body.
He pulled a small blade from his pocket, slashing wildly.
’Host, be careful! It’s a knife!’ The system warned.
She immediately ducked, and the blade missed her by an inch, slicing the air where her shoulder had been.
Yue Ning caught his wrist mid-swing, twisted, and with a sharp crack, the knife fell to the floor with a loud noise.
Her knee slammed into his stomach. He doubled over, gasping. In a few seconds, she had him pinned against the wall, his arm locked painfully behind his back while sweat trickled from his temple down his face.
Meanwhile, on the floor, Huo Yan groaned. Blood trickled from the side of her forehead, but she forced herself to rise to her feet with the help of the wall. Her voice trembled but there was a firm determination in it.
"Help! Doctor! Guards!" she screamed, stumbling toward the door.
The doors burst open. Two guards rushed in. They took in the scene—Yue Ning restraining the man, the chaos at the IV, and Huo Yan barely on her feet. They were instantly stunned
"Take him!" Yue Ning ordered, shoving the impostor into their grip, snapping them out of their thoughts.
The guards wrestled him into submission, and dragged him outside just as Huo Yan nearly collapsed again. She continued running down the hallway, and as fate would have it, she collided straight into Huo Feng, who was returning with hurried steps.
"Huo Yan?" His hands steadied her. He saw the blood, and the panic in her eyes. "What happened?" He asked, but his eyes flashed with impending danger.
Tears welled up as she tried to construct her statement. "Grandma... the IV... someone tried to kill her!" She stammered, pointing at the ward with trembling hands. "Yue Ning caught him!"
Huo Feng’s face turned ashen. Without another word, he bolted inside with Huo Yan by his side.
At that moment, the doctor and a team of nurses rushed in. Their expressions shifted the second they saw Old Madam Huo’s condition.
"Prepare emergency equipment! Now!" the doctor barked out orders.
Yue Ning with her chest heaving from the physical confrontation dragged the subdued man into the hallway. His lab coat was torn, his disguise crumbling and his face twisted in fury since he was unable to escape.
The corridor was filled with tension. The guards secured the impostor. Yue Ning and Huo Feng stood side by side, and Huo Yan clutched her brother’s sleeve with trembling fingers.
Inside, the monitor gave no sign of life as it continued beeping.
The medical team fought desperately. Compressions, injections, and frantic commands filled the air. Seconds stretched into eternity, but there was no sign of success.
Finally, the doctor froze, his hands hovering uselessly over the still body. His gaze dropped, heavy with finality.
A single word cut through the suffocating silence in the ward.
"Time of death. 12:01pm."
His eyes turned misty. Old Madam Huo had passed away.
The nurses all had sorrowful expressions. The old lady was a nice lady... it was a pity that her life was taken brutally away from her.
The doctor stepped out, and the trio snapped their heads towards him instantly.
"Doctor, how’s my grandmother?" Huo Yan was the one who asked with trembling lips. She prayed that everything would be fine.
The doctor sighed with a heavy expression. His silence was what they needed.
"Doctor, tell me... tell me it’s not what I’m thinking?" Huo Yan asked while her breathing turned rapid.
With a sorrowful gaze, the doctor nodded heavily. "I am sorry. We did all we could to save the patient, but..."
He was unable to complete his statement. For a doctor, this was the worst feeling—announcing a patient’s death.
Huo Feng staggered, his eyes turning red instantly while his fists clenched by his side.
Yue Ning parted her lips as tears escaped from her eyes. She closed her eyes, unable to breathe.
"No... no, you’re lying. Grandma can’t die... she promised she’d wait for me to marry. She promised!"
Huo Yan’s reaction was the most extreme. She collapsed to the floor, crying loudly. They had just lost the only family member who cared about them.
Yue Ning crouched to her side, allowing the young girl to cry in her arms. For a moment, the atmosphere in the hallway was solemn.
Huo Feng stood silently. His gaze suddenly snapped to the man who was subdued by his men. He didn’t miss the look of pride on his face.
"Send him to the underground jail. I have a lot of questions for him." He calmly instructed.
Although his voice was calm, his men knew that this was just the calm before the storm. They immediately left to complete the task.
As they left, Huo Feng’s phone buzzed.
He brought it out, and a new message was displayed on his phone.
"How do you like my gift? I told you she wouldn’t last past today." The message ended with a black rose emoji, similar to the one he had received a few days ago.
Huo Feng’s eyes turned cold, and his grip tightened around his phone. He was close to crushing it.
’Whoever you are, I promise to find you... and end you!’ He thought to himself, his eyes blazing with intense fury.
___________________
Huo Feng was efficient. Two days later, it was Old Madam Huo’s funeral.
The heavy scent of lilies filled the hall. Their whiteness was a stark contrast against the polished black coffin at the center.
Rows of aristocrats sat in silence, their heads bowed—not all in grief, but in cold respect for the matriarch who once ruled the Huo family.
Huo Yan clutched Yue Ning’s hand tightly, her sobs breaking the stillness as the priest’s voice resounded loudly across the hall.
Huo Feng stood like a statue. His eyes never left the coffin, and his jaw clenched so tightly that a vein pulsed in his temple. To the guests, he looked composed. But Yue Ning could see the storm raging beneath that silence.
Outside, the skies darkened, and a soft drizzle began, as if the heavens themselves were here to mourn her passing.
All of a sudden, Huo Feng felt an intense stare on his back. He immediately snapped his head, and his brows furrowed. He couldn’t find anything.
His eyes narrowed, sensing the impending danger.