“Oh?” Lu Qing caressed her face and smiled. “Well, it wasn’t easy to get you all obedient like this. I’m very grateful. Why don’t I give you a gift to express my gratitude?”

Xu Xuan’s eyes lit up with anticipation. She hoped against hope that he was talking bout the bracelet.

To her surprise, Lu Qingmade no move to produce the bracelet again. Instead, he snapped his fingers, and the door to the private room opened.

Xu Xuan had a feeling that things were about to go horribly wrong, but it was too late.

Young Master Lu was holding her down by the shoulder.

Then, in the next moment, an elderly voice rang out in the room.

“Xuanxuan!”

The voice sounded weak and quiet, but it was painfully familiar to Xu Xuan.

She trembled all over as she looked over to the source of the voice.

In the next second, an old lady walked into the room. Her hair was white, her skin wrinkled all over. She was slightly hunched under her simple clothes, making her quite an oddity in such a place.

The old woman cast a sorrowful gaze at Xu Xuan. She looked frail and utterly pitiful.

Xu Xuan jumped to her feet as though she had been struck by lightning.

“Grandmother!” she exclaimed, only to realize something in the next second. She hastily put her arms over her torso in a futile attempt to hide her skimpy clothes. In the end, she could only swallow back the rest of her words.

The shame overwhelmed her, and her mind just blanked out.

At that moment, her grandmother marched over and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her toward the door.

She was already in her eighties, but her pace was brisk and firm.

It didn’t last long, though. After several steps, her breathing grew labored, until she had to stop and breathe through her mouth. Her face had turned ashen.

Worried, Xu Xuanreached for her pocket, only to realize that she was now wearing the lacy outfit.

Her grandmother’s emergency medicine was in the clothes she had originally come in.

Xu Xuan hurriedly felt around her grandmother’s trouser pockets to see if she had brought her own medicine, but the old woman immediately stopped her by grabbing her hand again and making her way to the door.

Her grip was surprisingly strong, especially after her relapse just a few seconds ago.

As expected, however, she soon slowed down again, and her face looked even paler than before.

Xu Xuan was beside herself with worry, but there was little that she could do.

She wanted to pull away and look for the medicine first, but she was afraid that it might anger her grandmother and further trigger the latter’s illness.

And so, she refrained from speaking and let the old woman pull her along.

Lu Qing and his men didn’t speak, either, butXu Xuanwas too anxious to notice this tin detail.

By the time they reached the door, Grandmother Xu was having difficulty breathing.

Every time she lifted a foot, it felt like the air was being squeezed out of her lungs.

Her hold on Xu Xuanslackened, and the next thing they knew, she was slipping to the floor.

Luckily, Xu Xuancaught her just in time. “Grandma!”

With what little strength she had left, the old woman took Xu Xuan’s arm in a vise grip. “You are not allowed…” she mumbled under her breath. “You are not allowed to… I forbid you…”

“Grandma, don’t say anything more. I know, all right? Save your strength. You need to take your medicine first!”

Xu Xuan already knew what her grandmother meant to say. She peppered the old woman with words of reassurance even as she searched her clothes.

Grandma Xu usually kept her medicine in her pocket at all times. But now, it was nowhere to be found.

Why did her grandmother forget to bring the medicine now, of all times?

Grandma Xu’s lips were losing their color.

A thought occurred to Xu Xuanthen, and she burst into action.

She carefully set her grandmother on the floor and made to rush back into the private room to retrieve her clothes.

She had spare medicine in her own pockets.

But before she could even step through the doorway, Lu Qing’s subordinates came over and blocked her path, their faces cold and emotionless.

Xu Xuan took one look at their imposing figures and understood.

Even so, she craned her neck and tried to look inside.