Chapter 143

"Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin, we should go downstairs now." The waiter anxiously knocked on the monitoring room door once again.

"Let's go," Qin Sui said, picking up the lantern and heading downstairs. When he opened the door, he startled the waiter.

"May I help you carry that?" The waiter asked, reaching out his hand.

But Qin Sui slightly turned his body, directly blocking the waiter's outstretched hand.

"No need," Qin Sui said coldly.

The waiter couldn't help but look down at the lantern again. Was there something special about it? It didn't bear the logo of any big brand, nor did it look like it was made by an artist.

But Mr. Qin held it with both hands, his posture seeming cautious.

Even Li Xiaoya felt a bit embarrassed watching this.

She followed Qin Sui downstairs. The waiter was leading Qin Sui to the stage for a speech, while Li Xiaoya started walking in the opposite direction.

However, Qin Sui freed one hand and grabbed the hood attached to her back, pulling her back in an instant.

"Where are you going?"

"To find a place to sit."

"Do we need to look for one?"

Qin Sui took her hand and led her all the way to the A1 area, where Qin's second uncle had most wanted to sit earlier.

"Why are you so slow?" Qin Haoming mildly reproached, then turned his gaze to Li Xiaoya.

"She..." looks familiar, Qin Haoming hadn't finished his sentence.

Qin Sui seated Li Xiaoya in his own place, then handed the lantern he was holding to Mrs. Qin.

"Please look after Little Duck and my birthday gift for me."

After saying this, Qin Sui nodded to the elderly man sitting nearby, calling out, "Grandpa Zhang."

Then he headed towards the ceremony stage.

Mrs. Qin was dumbfounded: "Oh, oh, alright..."

She hugged the lantern with one arm and held Li Xiaoya's hand with the other. Although a bit at a loss, she had truly taken her son's words to heart.

She wondered how she should "look after" them.

She could only ask dryly, "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

Before Li Xiaoya could answer, Mrs. Qin suddenly exclaimed with delight: "You're... that little girl! The one, the one who was on the show with Qin Sui, Little Duck, right?"

Children change a lot in a short time, especially since she was previously thin and small growing up in a mountain village. Now that she could eat well and nutritiously, it was normal for someone who didn't see her often to not recognize her at first.

Li Xiaoya looked up.

She saw a little girl standing next to Qin Sui. The girl was wearing a white dress, holding a violin, with a sullen expression and cool eyes.

Mrs. Qin's voice sounded again: "You haven't met her before, right? That's Qin Sui's sister, Qin Yue."

Li Xiaoya nodded, indicating she had remembered.

Qin Yue on the stage seemed to sense something and suddenly looked towards Li Xiaoya, glaring at her fiercely.

A question mark appeared over Li Xiaoya's head.

Had she offended her somewhere?

Li Xiaoya didn't dwell on this question. She simply stopped looking and turned her head to stare at the small pastries on the table.

At this time, everyone else was intently watching the stage, listening to Qin Sui thank the guests for attending his birthday party...

Li Xiaoya's gaze shifted, suddenly noticing a hand resting on the white tablecloth. The hand was wrinkled and slightly trembling, then rapidly progressed from trembling to convulsing.

Li Xiaoya immediately leaned over and grabbed the hand, shouting, "He's having an attack!"

But she was too small to hold onto him properly.

Qin Haoming reacted the quickest, turning to support the old man beside him, urgently calling out, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang!"

Mr. Zhang's head was tilted back slightly, his face turning blue and purple. After being supported by Qin Haoming, he instinctively grabbed onto Li Xiaoya like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline.

"Where's the family doctor? Call him over!"

"Get the ambulance to the door immediately!"

Qin Haoming gave the orders.

For such large-scale banquets, wealthy families usually have ambulances on standby in advance. After all, every guest's life is precious.

At this moment, Qin Sui took a few strides down from the ceremony stage, rushing to their side.

He wanted to lift Li Xiaoya away first, but couldn't pull her hand free.

When they were lifting Mr. Zhang into the ambulance, Li Xiaoya could only kneel beside the stretcher.

It wasn't until after the paramedics administered medication that Mr. Zhang slowly regained some consciousness and gradually released Li Xiaoya's hand.

His eyelids were still barely open, and he looked extremely old and frail.

In the flickering light and shadow, he caught a glimpse of a child jumping down from beside his stretcher.

It seemed the child was slowly walking away.

Mr. Zhang couldn't help but open his mouth, calling out hoarsely, "Xinian, Xinian, don't leave daddy... don't go, don't go..."

Li Xiaoya sighed, had no choice but to move closer, and once again grasped the old man's bark-like hand.