Chapter 60: A Grandfather’s Last Wish

Chapter 60: A Grandfather's Last Wish

The assistant clearly had no desire to witness any further drama and wished he could instantly go blind. He gasped, quickly shutting the door behind him as he left.

At the same moment, Emily pushed Ethan away, turning slightly to pretend she was fixing her hair and coat, hiding the blush creeping up her cheeks.

As proud as she was, she maintained her dignity impeccably.

Ethan, momentarily thrown off by his wife's sudden coldness, watched her silently, his lips pressing into a slight frown. What was this about? Hadn't she been passionate just last night?

He stepped closer, gently brushing a couple of stray hairs back into place from where they had fallen out of her collar. The moment she turned her face, he took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her from behind.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, his warm breath tickling her ear.

The warmth in his voice made Emily's resolve weaken, though she still made a token attempt to squirm out of his hold, pursing her lips without answering.

Since he had already confessed to the whole nation that he hadn't "won her back" yet, shouldn't she at least pretend to play hard to get?

Ethan tightened his hold on her waist, his other arm snaking around to cradle her shoulder, pulling her closer until she was completely enveloped by him.

"Didn't you like the bird's nest soup this morning?" he asked, trying to probe into the mysterious realm of "why is my wife upset again?"

Emily lifted her chin slightly, a faint smile touching her lips.

In all fairness, his first attempt at cooking had been rather successful. The bird's nest had been simmered to a delicate softness, with goji berries and red dates added for extra flavor.

It had tasted sweeter than the ones she usually had.

But the person in his arms remained silent. Ethan's long eyelashes lowered as he contemplated for a moment before a playful smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Or," he teased, his voice taking on a more mischievous tone, "was it me last night that didn't taste good?"

Emily: "!"

She knew it! This man could only think with his third leg!

She let out an indignant huff, spinning around to lightly pound her small fists against his chest, only to have him catch her hands in his, pulling her even closer.

He was clearly enjoying this. Chest to chest, they were now facing each other, with him clearly getting exactly what he wanted.

Emily opened her mouth to retort against his scandalous words, but as she looked up, her gaze landed on his neck, and her voice caught in her throat.

A faint ring of teeth marks circled his throat, accompanied by a small, red bruise.

It was so red that it bordered on purplish.

This… definitely looked like he had been well and truly "eaten."

And judging by the mark, it seemed to have been quite tasty too.

Emily's face turned beet red, her gaze snapping away as if she had been burned.

No. There was no way that had been her.

She refused to admit it. She would not succumb to the embarrassment!

Ethan's lashes lowered further as he took in her flustered expression, clearly savoring every bit of her embarrassment and frustration.

"Do you have more work?" he asked, his thumb tracing circles on her chin, his eyes lingering on her lips as if he intended to kiss her again.

"I want to take you somewhere."

Before Emily could respond, Ethan's phone buzzed at his waist. He pulled it out, glanced at it briefly, and his expression shifted slightly.

"It's a call from the old house," he said, his tone a little tense. "They say Grandfather suddenly fell ill, and it's serious."

"What?" Emily's eyes widened in surprise. "You should go back, quickly."

Ethan shook his head, his dark eyes lingering on her face with an unreadable expression.

"Grandfather said he wants to see you."

**

Emily was hesitant to visit the Harrison family patriarch.

After all, this was the same grandfather who had tried to arrange marriage meetings for Ethan before their divorce was even finalized.

Despite having mixed feelings about the Harrison family, Emily recalled that when she and Ethan first got married, Grandfather Harrison had been one of the few in the family who supported their union.

It was only because of his insistence that the rest of the family eventually backed down.

But Emily was well aware that his approval hadn't been because he particularly liked her as a granddaughter-in-law—it was because he wanted a great-grandchild as soon as possible.

It had been a few years, and they still hadn't fulfilled that wish. She couldn't understand why he wanted to see her now.

The family butler had called twice more, almost tearfully pleading with Emily to come, even going as far as to invoke the phrase "A dying man's last words are always true."

The black Cayenne wound its way through the lush greenery of the countryside, eventually stopping in front of a grand old estate that resembled a meticulously landscaped garden.

After Ethan took over the family business, the Harrisons had scattered, each setting up their own households. The old estate, now used mainly for peaceful retirement, was occupied only by the elderly couple.

Ethan and Emily followed the ever-smiling butler through the courtyard and past the front hall, arriving shortly at the patriarch's living quarters.

"Ah, Emily, you've come!" The old man beamed the moment he saw them, waving enthusiastically at Emily from behind Ethan—almost as if he had only asked to see Emily, barely acknowledging his own grandson.

"Come, sit here!" He pointed to the spot beside his bed, his smile warm yet slightly unnatural.

Emily hesitated before sitting down, casting a puzzled glance at Ethan, who returned the look, sharing her confusion.

The grandfather, with his bright smile and rosy complexion, didn't look sick at all—certainly not someone who was on their deathbed.

Noticing their skeptical expressions, the old man paused for a moment before dramatically reclining on his bed, his whole demeanor suddenly wilting, as if he had become weak and frail in an instant.

"Emily," he said, his voice now weak and breathy, "I called you here today because there is a wish I haven't been able to let go of."

Emily looked at him, her expression one of amused disbelief as if saying, "I'm just waiting to see what else you'll say."

"You see, I'm old now," the old man continued, sighing deeply. "My biggest wish before I leave this world is to hold my great-grandchild."

Ethan: "…"

Of course.

Emily tilted her head, looking at the old man for a couple of seconds before breaking into a smile.

"That can be arranged," she said cheerfully.

Old Mr. Harrison immediately perked up, barely able to keep his act together.

Ethan's eyes lit up as well.

"All you have to do is find someone for Ethan to date, and you'll have your great-grandchild soon enough," Emily said, her smile innocent yet clearly sharp.

Old Mr. Harrison visibly choked at her words.

Ethan's expression darkened, sending a displeased look toward his grandfather.

"Well, I thought you two were already divorced," the old man said, his tone suddenly less confident. "But since you haven't finalized the paperwork, that means you're still our granddaughter-in-law. Don't worry, my dear, I've already had a word with him—"

He shot a glare at his grandson, clearly blaming him for delaying his wish for a great-grandchild.

"You two are different from other couples," the old man went on. "You fell in love on your own and insisted on getting married. That kind of bond is different. You've been separated for over half a year now, but haven't completed the divorce. I'm thinking maybe it's time to move past that and get back together, yes?"

—And it wouldn't hurt to give me a great-grandchild while you're at it.

The old man was nothing if not pragmatic.

If Ethan were to remarry, it would likely be with someone from the same social circle, a marriage of convenience. But that wouldn't be as reliable as someone like Emily. After all, she was the one his otherwise stubborn grandson had fought the entire family to marry, which meant the feelings were real. She was far more trustworthy than any new prospect.

As the old man mentally calculated his next move, Emily lowered her gaze, clearly uninterested in playing along.

At that moment, the butler reappeared, announcing that the matriarch had prepared some soup and wanted the young madam to have some.

Emily had seen enough of this charade. As soon as she left, Old Mr. Harrison propped himself up on one arm, looking full of energy once again.

"I have to ask you," Grandfather Harrison said, holding his phone up to Ethan's face, "is everything on here true?"

Ethan glanced at the screen and was dumbfounded to see—

The trending topic on Weibo's "Find My Wife" forum?

Ethan stared at his grandfather in disbelief.

This old man?

Was he really surfing the web?

And what's more, shipping his own grandson's relationship online?

The old man, apparently upset with the lack of progress, demanded, "I'm asking you, have you really not won her back yet? Is it true that there's another male celebrity also pursuing Emily?"

Ethan: "…"

Grandfather Harrison scrolled through his phone. "Is this the guy? The one who even wrote a song to confess his love? Oh wow, he's almost ten years younger than you! And he's quite handsome!"

"Grandfather," Ethan said, closing his eyes briefly as

if trying to find patience, "whose grandfather are you exactly?"

"I'm telling you," the old man said with a stern look, "you're already thirty! If you let this young celebrity snatch away your wife, where will I find a great-grandchild to hold?"

Ethan: "…"

"Anyway, I've said what needed to be said," the old man sighed. "You'd better figure things out. This is as far as I can help you!"

**

Meanwhile, Emily wasn't having an easy time with her soup.

Grandmother Harrison seemed to be on the same page as her husband, repeatedly urging Emily to reconcile, get back together, and have children.

Toward the end of their conversation, she even mentioned that the internet seemed to be all for their reunion, saying everyone was rooting for them to get back together and that they were even being shipped as a couple online…

The more Emily listened, the more confused she became.

Unable to resist any longer, she reinstalled Weibo on her phone. Logging back in, she immediately noticed the trending tag "Find My Wife CP."

Emily clicked into it, read a few posts, and couldn't help but chuckle.

As she was browsing through the "Find My Wife" content, she noticed another tag climbing the ranks:

"Qixi CP"—a ship that paired Emily with Ryan.

Emily: "???"

Curious, she clicked into the "Qixi CP" forum and found the top post:

"A top-tier celebrity and a stunning photographer—would you ship it? Here are a hundred scenarios:

'I stand in the spotlight just so you can see me (Male POV, Unrequited Love Edition).'

'Finally, you're single again. This time, I won't let you go (Mutual Longing, Broken but Repaired Edition).'

'What?! The woman who got divorced from a billionaire is now dating a hot young star?! (Revenge on the Ex Edition).'

'Goodbye, old love. Hello, new flame. The next one's even better (New Age, Empowered Women Edition).'

…"

The comments were filled with "OMG LOL" and "Get this writer a pen," while fans of the "Find My Wife" ship mockingly responded:

"Sweetie, she just clarified that she doesn't want anyone riding her coattails for fame, so maybe stop promoting your toxic ship [smile]."

The original poster retorted:

"Hehe, not sure who's really riding coattails here. After all, didn't your favorite just admit he hasn't won her back? Anyway, she's single now, so fair game. Just a heads up—our 'No Looking Back, Hot Young Star with Me' ship is way more fun to sail~"

As the post gained traction, the "Qixi CP" gained momentum at an alarming rate. Fans of both ships began clashing more and more, drawing in a growing crowd of curious onlookers.

Then, just as the frenzy was reaching a peak, Ryan finally broke his silence after two days. He posted on Weibo.