Go see someone in memory
812 Words
The driver, having just checked the car and soiled his suit, spotted the Johnsons exiting. He quickly grabbed several gift boxes from the trunk, ignoring his appearance.
These were gifts Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had insisted he deliver.
Unfortunately, the accident had dented the boxes, making them look terrible.
"You must be Mr. Johnson?" the driver approached Richard politely, presenting the boxes. "A small token of our appreciation, please accept…"
"Oh, no…" Richard hastily declined. "You're too kind! We…"
"No gifts! Take her away already!" Brenda interrupted, turning and heading inside, not even bothering to watch.
Such cheap-looking boxes—they couldn't possibly be anything good; they didn’t need anything from them!
Melissa hid a sarcastic smile, following Brenda. She felt triumphant. Emily's real family was so awful; it was satisfying!
The maids—contemptuous, disdainful, or sympathetic—followed.
Richard was left standing awkwardly. "Well, have a safe trip… consider these a token of my appreciation to Emily's family…"
"But…" The driver couldn't decide. These gifts were strictly for the Johnsons…
"Emily," Richard said softly, "Listen to your parents and respect them. Don't worry about us. Put them first, okay?"
This meant Emily shouldn't look back; she belonged with her biological family.
"Mr. Johnson, please accept these gifts? Mr. Johnson?"
The driver was about to say they contained deeds to thirty villas and thirty shops, a thirty-million-dollar check, plus priceless thousand-year-old ginseng and ganoderma…
All gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.
But as Richard went inside, the driver wondered: Did this family dislike Emily?
Was he imagining things?
Emily effortlessly replaced the car door. "Let's go."
Seeing her get in, the driver was stunned. She’d fixed the door? How?
On the way, Emily gazed out the window listlessly. Her beauty was captivating.
The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror, she resembled Brenda in her youth.
She was refined and elegant.
"Isn't this Taoyuan County?" Emily said, looking at the driver.
"Taoyuan County?" The driver snapped back to reality. "Oh…that's where Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are from. Your home is in Beijing."
Beijing, the most economically developed city.
The North District is the least developed.
The Right River County is the least developed in the North District.
It has four towns: Spring City, Summer City, Autumn City, and Winter City.
Richard Johnson is Winter City’s richest man.
He’d struggled to become the wealthiest in Winter City, the most underdeveloped part of Beijing.
But he wasn't poor.
His wealth exceeded a billion RMB, explaining Brenda's arrogance.
After Melissa went inside, she glanced out. She couldn’t believe her eyes. "Mom, their car…"
"What?" Brenda followed her gaze nonchalantly. "Melissa, I'm telling you, you and Emily are done! Cut off all contact! Don't lend her money, understand?"
"No, Mom, that car…It’s a Beijing plate? Maybe even a plate with five sixes!"
That was an incredibly rare license plate!
Brenda had only seen the side of the car, so missed the plate. She chuckled, assuming her daughter was mistaken.
"Melissa, in our city, a license plate with five identical numbers means you're at the very top! That girl's family is in Taoyuan County. You're wrong!"
Even their license plate wasn’t special…
How could Emily’s family have such a plate?
"Unless her family lives in Beyond Lake Villas!" Brenda sneered.
Beyond Lake Villas is the most exclusive, expensive villa area in Beijing, located in the most prime spot.
In the Rolls-Royce, the driver said respectfully, "Miss Emily, Beyond Lake Villas is twenty kilometers away. You can rest if you’re tired."
Beneath Emily's long lashes, her eyes were crystal clear. Her home is in Beyond Lake Villas?
The most expensive area in Beijing?
"Can we go to Jingkang Hospital?"
Jingkang Hospital is the city’s best hospital, near Beyond Lake Villas.
"Miss Emily, are you feeling unwell?" The driver asked worriedly. "I'll speed up…"
"Before I go, I want to see Grandma Johnson."
Grandma Johnson was the only one who had been kind to her.
She’d fallen ill and been hospitalized after learning she wasn't related.
The driver was impressed by her filial piety.
Ten minutes later.
The car stopped at Jingkang Hospital. Emily got out, her voice soft, "Uncle Liu, wait for me somewhere."
"Okay."
Jingkang Hospital, Ward 301. An elderly woman lay in bed.
She was gaunt and pale from illness.
Emily entered while she was unconscious, her eyes closed and face pale.
Her forehead was deeply wrinkled.
Emily approached the bed, feeling a pang of sadness.
When had the once lively old woman become this frail?
"Emily," a young doctor looked up from his chart. "You're here just in time. We need to talk."
He put away his pen, his kind eyes fixed on her.
"As you know, heart medications are ineffective. While higher doses helped before, they don't anymore."
"You know that end-stage heart failure is irreversible. She's a miracle to be alive…"
- Writer
