Chapter 8 I Am...

He pushed the crowd away and rushed to grandmama's side.

She had fallen on her side and was still shaken from the fall. Unfortunately, her strength had left her and if not for Li Tian holding her head up, it would have fallen to the ground.

He held her secure in his left arm, trying to find the right thing to do in the situation. He'd never gotten into such a situation before nor had he ever felt the feelings going on inside him with such fierceness; fear, anger, and regret. It took everything inside him just to croak out a question. "A-are you okay?"

Still trembling from the fall, grandmama lifted her weak hand up to caress his face and tried to smile at him assuringly. "I-I'm fine dear..."

But it wasn't the usual warm and rough texture from her wrinkly hand that he was feeling. No. It was warm... and wet.

He grabbed her hand against his face with his free right hand and watched as the blood from a large gash on her arm trickle down and soak her cream-colored dress.

Her smile unchanged, but her body couldn't lie about the pain she was in. Seeing her still trying to put up a front like that, Li Tian snapped.

"Meilin... call an ambulance."

"What!? What happ-"

Beep. He cut the line.

The blood reflected in his eyes like a beast, rage flooding his emotions non-stop, trying to find a way to dispel. The people crowding the area gasped at the scene, while more just kept coming to see the commotion. It was becoming mayhem.

"Oh my god! I didn't- we didn't... mean to," seeing the blood, the two schoolgirls panicked. Even if it was their fault, they would never openly admit it, and even try to downplay it.

"Y-yeah, she was being a bi-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Li Tian roared at them in a burst of anger. He knew exactly what they were going to say. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN TRYING TO DO CORNERING AN OLD LADY LIKE THAT! "

The girls were originally shocked, but with the adrenaline pumping, and the crowd to back them up, they fought back in any way they could.

"We weren't cornering her! She was trying to get in our way!"

"Yeah! She insulted us!"

Someone else in the background yelled, "What's she got to do with you anyway!"

Another backed him up, "She's just an old hag from the street market! What's your relationship!"

They were 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 trying to confirm his identity and Li Tian knew it. However, he was too outraged to completely get his mind wrapped around what was going on with grandmama. She was still bleeding in his arms! There was an old lady injured by THEIR OWN doing but all they still cared about was finding out his 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 identity! Is this what being famous meant!? What 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 someone famous meant!?

"I AM NOT WHOEVER THE FUCK YOU THINK I AM!!" he bellowed in frustration. He couldn't admit it. He had a gut feeling that if he did, then it would become way worse than it already was. He didn't want that... He couldn't do that to her.

"Then who are you!" someone shouted.

"And who's she!" another hollered.

"Yeah, tell us who you are if not 𝘓𝘪 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯," the schoolgirl closest accused.

Li Tian glared at her menacingly, making her shut up. They obviously knew who he was. Was there actually a way to change their god damn minds? The sound of an ambulance siren got closer. He glanced at the trembling injured lady in his arms and the confused look on her face when she heard the name Li Tian.

She had heard the name before, he winced. No... he didn't want to be that man. He was not Li Tian, not now.

"I am NOT Li Tian," he said between clenched teeth. A flash of grandmama's words went through his mind.

You don't need to be a lone wolf...

Lone wolf...

Wolf...

"I am Lang... Xiaolang!" he shouted in the most deafening roar he could muster. "And this," he stood up with the old woman in his arms. The ambulance had arrived not too far away, and she was as light as a feather. He glared dangerously at the people surrounding him. "This is my grandmama. Now MOVE THE FUCK ASIDE."

He walked towards the sound of the ambulance, and with every step he took forward, the crowd took a step back to pave the way. Unnoticeably men in red scarves had surrounded the perimeter while a few had come up to the front on the way to the ambulance parked not too far away. They stood by certain intervals, never too close in case they appeared too conspicuous.

Li Tian walked closely by the only one with a small badge pinned onto his chest and glared straight into the man's eyes. The glare was so full of fury and coldness that the man in the red scarf froze where he stood, not daring to move.

"Pick up every single steamed bun and bring them back."

The undercover personnel shivered and croaked a quiet, "Yes, young master."

Li Tian ignored the rest of the undercover personnel even as they subtly initiated the offer to help. They stopped trying to offer when an order came through their earpieces and they dispersed into the crowd. It was the first guy with the badge pinned on.

No one noticed the interactions that had occurred except for one, grandmama laying in Li Tian's arms.

The ambulance up ahead already had the back doors open with a few paramedics getting the stretcher ready. One of them was trying to figure out what was going on and where the patient was from someone in the crowd but being at the far end of the commotion, even the person being questioned was unsure. He had just joined in because there were rumors of a celebrity but he hadn't seen anyone famous thus far.

Li Tian walked up closer and immediately caught their attention with the old woman in his arms and the slight parting of the crowd. The bright red blood on his face and on the woman's clothing was also a big indication. The few medical staff hurried to him with the stretcher and gently took grandmama from his hold.

"Can you tell me what happened, young man?" a paramedic questioned him as they hastened back to the ambulance.

Li Tian's eyes frosted over and was about to speak when he was cut off.

"This clumsy old me took a wrong step, doctor..." it was grandmama, smiling from the stretcher. She placed her good hand onto Li Tian's walking right next to her. "I cut myself as I took my big fall. Silly me."

"Grandmama!" he claimed exasperatedly. That's not what happened at all!

"It's alright, dear," she comforted. "I am old now. Things happen..."

Old...

Twice she referred to herself as old. What happened to the 'just a young woman with grandchildren'?

He clenched his fists tightly.

The paramedics pushed her onto the vehicle and settled her in. "Not a problem. We'll see to it in no time, old la-"

"It's grandmama. NOT old lady," Li Tian declared assertively.

"Ah, I see..." the paramedic replied distractedly. After settling everything in, he turned to Li Tian by the door and asked. "I'm sorry, may I know your relationship with the patient? We can't let you on without a clarified identity."

Li Tian narrowed his eyes, feeling the gaze of the few people left in the crowd behind him. "I'm Xiaolang... her grandson."

.....

Knock. Knock.

A woman pushed the hospital suite door open and walked along the corridor. She reached the interior where an old lady lay asleep on the hospital bed and a young man sat with dirtied clothes on the sofa beside her. He was obviously deep in thought and hardly heard her come in.

"Tian?" she whispered. It was Meilin who had come as soon as she could when she heard what had happened.

Unsurprised by her appearance, Li Tian stood up from his seat and ushered her to follow him back outside. He had a coffee can in hand that was half-finished which he brought with him.

Li Tian hated coffee.

They stood in the hospital hallway, and after making sure no one could hear them, she tried asking him about the incident.

"Tian, are you alright?" she looked at him in worry. "You have a little blood on your face."

"I'm fine," he replied deadpan, ignoring the blood still. "I'm not the one in a hospital bed..."

"I-I see... Will you tell me exactly what happened? Who is that sleeping on the bed?" she had heard the gist of it from the on-scene personnel but she wanted to hear it straight from him.

"She's my... I mean," he gathered his thoughts. It was his fault grandmama ended up in this state. Every time he thought about the scene and what he could have done differently just made him frustrated. If only he hadn't opened his damn mouth! "She gave me a steamed bun... She helped me a lot too... and I got her hurt."

"How did she get hurt? Is it bad?" Meilin asked in concern. She didn't know exactly who the old lady was but she did hear a little on their conversation through the earpiece earlier. She seemed like a good person. However, many things were nevertheless unclear since she couldn't see what was happening, not to mention her little cousin ended transmission right after demanding an ambulance. Luckily she knew to call the ambulance immediately.

"I was found out, and she tried to calm everyone down..." he gripped the can tightly. "Next thing I knew they attacked her."

"What?? That sounds horrible!" Meilin gasped at the story. Some people were just crazy!

"I'm not quite sure how she is. They just brought her in from surgery," he stated despondently.

Suddenly, a doctor turned towards their direction from a corner. Seeing them, he gave a surprised look, their presence seemingly unnatural, but he kept his emotions in check. He first turned to greet Li Tian.

"You're mister Xiaolang, Mrs. Kong's grandson?" the doctor asked him.

"Yes, I am," Xiaolang answered him.

The interaction befuddled her but Meilin knew enough not to say anything, even as she was completely perplexed by what her cousin was trying to do.

"I'm Dr. Marin, Mrs. Kong's doctor. Can't help but say I'm surprised you're here. It's the first time she's ever come here other than by herself, not to mention two of you," the doctor mentioned as he flipped through the files in his hands.

Li Tian looked at the doctor extremely confused, but his heart could already feel the news that was coming. "What do you mean?"

The question startled the doctor as he looked up to see the 'grandson's' expression. "I'm sorry, did she not tell you?"

"Tell me 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵, doctor," Li Tian stressed the words, the grip on his coffee can keep getting tenser. He needed to know what he meant. "Please... I'm her 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘯."

Dr. Marin took a big sigh and lowered the file in his hands. "Mrs. Kong Shuyao has been coming in and out of the hospital for the past two years. She has late-stage ovarian cancer and started to refuse treatment since a few months back."

Meilin's eyes grew wide at the news. Did this mean what she thought it did? She glanced at her little cousin but couldn't see his expression. She could, however, see the grip on his can tightening dangerously.

The doctor pursed his lips and looked at them apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry. She... doesn't have much time left."

CRACK.

Coffee and blood spilled onto the hospital floor.

.....