Female Novel
Chapter 326
At five o'clock in the morning, Christina woke up in the hotel and was about to rush to the hospital.
When she reached the lobby on the first floor, she thought that Betty had been taking care of her father
all night without eating anything. People in C City had the habit of eating breakfast and drinking tea. So
she asked the waiter to pack two portions of porridge and some shrimp dumplings.
As she waited in line to pay the bill, she saw a familiar figure. "Crystal!"
Crystal immediately looked around. What met her eyes was Christina's surprised expressions.
Astonished by the encounter with Christina in C City, Crystal asked. "Why are you in C City?"
"My father is hospitalized," Christina mentioned it casually and then looked at Crystal curiously. "What
did you hesitate to say on the phone yesterday? Did you come to C City early this morning?"
Crystal, who was afraid of being found out, stammered, "I... I'm out looking for a job."
"You live in A City. Why do you come to C City to find a job?"
"I act on momentary impulse." Crystal looked embarrassed and quickly changed the topic of
conversation. "Why is your father in the hospital? How is he now?"
"Yesterday morning, on his way to work, he seemed to have crashed into a guardrail and was sent to
the hospital. He is still in a coma now. My aunt took care of him at the hospital last night. Now I'm going
over..."
Christina was paying the bill and then hurried over with a few bags of breakfast.
"Then I'll go with you to see your father." Out of solicitude, Crystal also helped carry a bag of porridge.
"Well, thanks."
After Christina met her friend, she was less in a panic. When in trouble, the company of friends always
helped her calm down and feel secure.
"The doctor says he is not in good health. It might be because he has been drinking and smoking for
years for the sake of social engagement required by his carreer. The Dickens family rose from
obscurity. He might be working much harder than others."
As they walked side by side, Christina talked about her father, which she rarely mentioned to others.
Crystal listened quietly and muttered, "Your father must have devoted much more efforts to work than
the Shepherd family, which has established its position for generations." Mr. Dickens started his career
by relying on the resources and influence of his wife's family. He had to face more problems and was
under more pressure.
"Don't worry too much. Everything will be fine with the treatment of the hospital. In the future, your
father needs to balance work and rest."
"I'm not worried about him."
Christina looked a little unhappy. "It's his own fault. What's the meaning of making so much money,
when his family is broken up?"
Crystal knew that Christina was only firm in speech but soft in heart.
"Your father suddenly falls ill. How is the company? Does the Hopkins family help..." As soon as she
asked, Crystal immediately regretted it.
At the mention of the Hopkins family, Christina also showed mixed feelings. Considering her
relationship with Patrick now, she didn't want to have any associations with the Hopkins family as far as
possible.
"A lean camel is bigger than a horse. There is no need to worry. When he is discharged, I'll ask him to
retire. He always compares himself with the higher, which I dislike so much. I hate the style of the
Dickens family of being so keen on face-saving."
Crystal laughed at her. "You've inherited the character of being keen on face-saving."
As they arrived at the lobby of the inpatient department of the hospital and waited for the elevator,
Christina wanted to say that Crystal seemed more and more disobdient recently and wondered whether
Crystal was under the influence of others.
At that moment, the phone rang in Crystal's pocket. She took it out, glanced at the caller ID, and was
scared out of her wits.
"I come across Christina and stay with her now." She held her phone in a furtive manner and reported
in a low voice.
"No, no one can be told. I acted merely on impulse. I regret it now."
Christina didn't know who Crystal was talking to. Crystal smiled guiltily at her and pointed to a corner
on the left. "Wait for me." She said, signalling she had a big problem to solve.
Yesterday, she went to the Department of Civil Affairs with Chandler to get marriage license. Now when
she thought back to it, she found it a disastrous decision and was filled with deep regrets.
Although it was Chandler who insisted they get the marriage license, she still felt that their relationship
was not right and proper.
After receiving the license, she clung to the divorce window next to the marriage window and refused to
leave, insisting on keeping secret their marriage, which meant that they could not let others know about
their affair for the time being. Chandler finally gave in.
"Crystal, do you regret marrying me now?"
Chandler sounded extremely angry on the other end of the phone. Yesterday, she insisted on a secret
marriage. Today, he took her away from A City to C City so as to enjoy the time for just the two of them
without others, but she stood him up as soon as he arrived at the hotel.
"Don't mention it."
Crystal's expression was full of mixed feelings. She found it guilty and unforgivable that she had slept
with him.
"Chandler, I don't have time to talk with you. Christina's father is seriously ill and has been hospitalized.
I need to accompany her and I will contact you when I have time..."
Then she hung up the phone.
Chandler, who was alone in a luxurious double suite, looked gloomy and had to spend a solitary
honeymoon.
Christina took away his newly married wife, but he couldn't ask Christina to send back his wife due to
the secret kept specially from Christina. Chandler originally wanted to call Patrick, but he thought
carefully for a minute and decided it was better to ask Charles for help.
When something occurred to the Dickens family, Charles was always eager to help.
But when Chandler dialed the number, Charles' phone was busy.
Charles was really fond of taking care of others' business. The last time he accompanied Geoffrey to
freeload for food at Christina's apartment 402, he was very unhappy that the person in the apartment
502 upstairs was playing basketball and making noise. Then he called his assistant to buy the
apartment upstairs, but the owner refused to sell it.
"That's strange. I offered three times the market price but he still refused."
Charles had just received the message this morning. He hurriedly washed up and drove over without
even having breakfast.
"Oh, it's you."
With mixed feelings, he stood at the door of apartment 502 and looked at Patrick in front of him.
"Patrick, what do you want to do?"
Charles looked very eager to find out the true intention of Patrick. He had never thought that by poking
nose into others' business, he would come to know such an inconceivable news that Patrick didn't want
to live in the Hopkins family and condescended to live in this small apartment.
"Do you move here on purpose? Why do you do this? Does Christina know that you are the one who
lives in apartment 502 upstairs..."
"If so, what's the matter?"
Patrick was not surprised to see Charles come, as if he had foreseen it.
Charles was no match for Patrick in terms of the family background and personal competence.
However, Charles suddenly burst into laughters as he found it very funny.
"The last time we went on a business trip in H City, you asked someone to text her to stay away from
me, didn't you?"
"Patrick, ever since you came back after your operation in the US, I've been suspecting that you
haven't lose your memory at all. How could a person like you lose your memory only because of an
operation?"
"So what I suspect is true," Charles said with a mocking smile, "You cheat all of us."
They had known each other since they were young. Charles regarded Patrick as a close friend and
brother. He respected and cherished Patrick, but now he felt like he was being fooled with.
Charles became furious. "Patrick, I'm not as smart as you, but I know you're very uneasy now. You
know what you've done. You always focus on the result and ignore the process. Now Christina's badly
hurt by you, and you don't care at all. You're cruel enough."
There was a moment of silence as if they had no other topic to talk about.
Their personalities were too different, and their choices were completely different. Charles felt that for
all these years, he had been shamelessly claiming ties with this brother of high status. It seemed that it
was only suitable for them to part with each other.
Not wanting to say anything more, Charles turned around and left.
"The operation is true. I have sent someone to change the baby in advance," Patrick suddenly spokenovelbin
behind Charles in a low voice, which could only be heard by himself. "If she wants the baby, she can
only choose me."