Chapter 44: It’s usually easier the second time
I was used to being alone.
I couldn’t remember my childhood much, but I didn’t think I spent much time with my parents.
When I contracted a mysterious illness after my eleventh birthday, my mother had a hard time being saddled with the new responsibility of taking care of me. But even when she always scowling, I was glad to be able to see more of her. After quite sometimes though, I supposed she got sick of it, and she kept fighting with my father. I heard they were fighting even in an event held by my grandfather, and it seemed like they argued even inside the car which eventually got them killed in a traffic accident.
I got moved to my grandfather’s hospital after that, since it would be easier to take care of me that way. It was quite nice, since I couldn’t go anywhere anyway, and the doctors and nurses treated me well at first, since I was the chairman’s grandson.
I wasn’t lonely then.
But when they knew my extended family never came to see me, it was clear that I was kind of an abandoned child. Gradually, the enthusiastic care of the medical staff waned. They still gave me basic treatment of course, and it wasn’t bad or anything. I just kind of missed their smile while doing it, was all.
Since I lived in the VIP ward, the room was spacious. But it got lonely fast, and I couldn’t exactly make any friends. I often walked to other wards, but people who came to the hospital never wished to stay for long, and once they got out, they never wish to come back. My longest-lasting friend was actually that author girl, which unfortunately left the world first before me.
Perhaps that was why, when someone showed me attention, I lapped at that like a thirsty pilgrim.
That was how I had my first love.
I remembered being skeptical at first. I thought him being attentive was only because he was under the professor in charge of me. But he was being too attentive, even using his break time to check on my condition.
And then I was being suspicious. A few years ago, my grandfather left out a problematic will. He left his personal wealth with me, including a big chunk of the company shares that would make any of my relatives a major shareholder if they got it. He also left a clause stating that if I died before I came of age, that wealth would go into charities of his choosing. After that, my uncles and aunts, as well as my cousins had been buttering me up, trying to make me write a will that would be favorable to them.