Chapter 646 - Last Words

-An hour before Linfeng arrived at the Xiong Mansion.-

The head butler of the Guan family suddenly called the three young masters to the main mansion urgently.

Guan Gu Ri's appearance was quite disheveled. He was the first to arrive.

"Where is Grandpa?!" 

The head butler bowed briefly as a greeting with a grim expression and then hurriedly led the eldest young master to the master's bedroom.

Guan Gu Ri quickly entered the room and was stunned to see the people inside. 

Inside were the personal attending doctors of his grandfather, the Guan family's lawyer, and the family branch heads.

Guan Gu Ri's heart skipped a beat as a dreadful feeling washed over him.

This setup...

His grandfather.... was he dying?

No, no, no....

"Gu Ri...." 

A weak voice made Guan Gu Ri whip his gaze to the figure on top of the large and spacious bed.

A very thin old man of just bones and dry skin greeted his eyes.

Guan Gu Ri's heart clenched and he hurriedly ran to the bed.

"G-grandfather...?" 

His voice was shaking.

He had just seen his grandfather only four days ago. He still had some flesh and a little vitality left in him. 

But right now, it was like his grandfather aged ten more years in just a span of a few days!

Old Guan laboriously raised his wrinkled hand and touched his eldest grandson's face. 

"I'm glad you made it here... I have so much to tell you..."

As much as he wanted to deny it, Guan Gu Ri could feel death hovering around his grandfather. 

His eyes reddened and tears welled up. 

But Guan Gu Ri who loved his family the most never hated the old man. He cherished his grandfather a lot!

He held his grandfather's hands on his cheeks and tried hard to smile with tears in his eyes.

"I am here, Grandpa. You can still tell me tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, whatever it is that you wanted to say. You are still strong enough to live on for another ten years, Grandpa," he said in a trembling voice.

Guan Gu Ri did not want any of his family members to die in front of his eyes again, even it was his cold and indifferent grandfather. 

He wished he could extend his grandfather's life, even at the cost of his own.

Although his sight had become a bit blurry, Old Guan could still see the sincere begging of his grandson. 

His eldest grandson whom he did not cared much for was clinging to him, asking him to not leave. 

Regret and bitterness filled his eyes as he blamed himself yet again for being so negligent to his grandchildren for so many years.

"I am sorry, Gu Ri... I have never been a good grandfather to you. I hope that you will always stay as how you are. Kind, always considerate to your brothers, and prioritizing our family ties above interest... Never follow my steps and regret terribly in the end... I have never told you this, my dear grandson, but... these old bones of mines, are actually very inferior to you... I will leave your two brothers in your hands..."

"Grandfather!" 

Guan Gu Ri's c.h.e.s.t tightened painfully, hearing Old Guan's words of farewell. 

His welling tears were threatening to fall.

Bang!

At this moment, the door slammed open and Guan Xixin rushed in like a whirlwind. 

Like Guan Gu Ri, he also came running here after he got the call from the head butler. The ominous feeling he was getting these past few months had gotten very strong and palpable at that moment.

As he ran inside, he looked around the room and froze on his steps. 

Guan Gu Ri never had any idea that his grandfather was sick, unlike Guan Gu Ri and Guan Gao Huan. 

So when he saw an old man that was practically made of only skin and bones on his grandfather's bed, his knees almost gave up.

A terrifying and numbing chill completely covered Guan Gu Ri.

His grandfather... why was his grandfather, who was always so strong and cold-hearted, suddenly looking terribly old and weak?

He clearly remembered just two months ago how grandfather was still walking and talking in a loud voice about the battle for succession.

"Grandpa..." Guan Gu Ri's voice trembled. 

His heart pounded heavily in his ears as he took trembling steps forward towards the bed.

The old man saw Guan Xixin approach and smiled lightly. 

The pale Guan Xixin dropped down beside the bed.

Why....

Why... did his grandfather look like this?

He was not sick...was he? 

He was not planning to read out his will then die, was he?!

For the first time, Guan Gao Huan hated his intelligence that enabled him to understand what was happening at first glance.

He could not accept this.

He haven't.... He haven't forgiven his grandfather yet...!

So why did his grandfather look like he was about to die?!

"Xixin... "

Guan Xixin could not speak due to shock and denial. His breath seemed to be stuck in his throat and he could not breathe. 

This scene was too sudden for him.

Old Guan looked at the pale face of the head butler who came with Guan Xixin. He weakly said, "Lead everyone out, except for my grandsons. I need to speak to them..."

Guan Gu Ri's tears finally fell silently in abundance, while Guan Xixin just stared at his grandfather with wide, reddened eyes and pale face. 

"Xixin... I am glad that you came. I thought I will not be able to see you again for the last time..." Old Guan smiled weakly, the thick folds of wrinkles on his gaunt face deepening. 

He was truly happy to see his second grandson's face. 

In the past few days that he was bedridden, the old man thought of the words that he was going to say to each of his grandsons. But now that he was facing them, he wanted to say many things at once yet no words came out.

Finally, the old man held each of his grandsons' hands in both of his bony hands. 

"I still remember when your mother was still alive, and how the two of you kept calling me Grandpa happily whenever you visited me..."

The old man reminisced about the past.

When did things start to change?

Was it his daughter's death?

No... It was because he decided to love his dead daughter more than his living grandsons.

His breathing labored as the regret that always burdened him began to consume him once more. "....I deeply apologize...for not being a good grandfather to the two of you...and to Gao Huan. I am such a cold-hearted grandfather who only knew to hurt all of you..."