Before Henry could take a step forward to stop Rachel from calling Lea, Jack grabbed his arm.
"Perhaps it's not that her phone is turned off, but that she blocked your number."
From personal experience he knew how easily women would do that. In fact, Rachel had done it to him
a couple of times.
As soon as he finished speaking, they heard Rachel's voice coming from the balcony. It turned out she
had managed to connect to Lea. And now, they were talking.
Jack glanced at him and passed him a smile which seemed to be saying "I told you." Patting on his
shoulder, he said, "Henry, you still have a long way to go."
Rachel had hung up the phone and was standing in front of the two. She had no idea what their
conversation was about nor did she bother to ask. "She is in a hotel with Rita. Let's go," she
announced.
Quickly, she grabbed her coat, getting ready to go. However, Jack pulled her back and said, "It's better
if Henry goes alone."
The next day, when Rachel arrived at the hospital, she received a call from Lea.
Last night, she had texted Lea saying she wouldn't be able to make it. She received no reply to her
text.
"Rachel, come to my house with Jack tonight. I need your help," Lea said.
Smiling, Rachel asked, "What's the matter? Why are you in a hurry to have us for dinner?"
"You'll know when you come. I've asked Henry to inform Jack. I just called you to let you know you
should come at any cost." Saying this, Lea hung up the call.
Her words aroused Rachel's curiosity. Obviously she wouldn't cancel it.
Just when she was lost in thoughts, the director came in, handing her a medical record. "There is a
patient coming in a while. You deal with it. The ambulance will arrive in about five minutes, so be
ready," he ordered.
"Okay," she replied back obligingly.
Five minutes later when Rachel arrived at the gate, she noticed the ambulance hadn't arrived yet. It
was a little cold outside. Tired of waiting, she was about to go in. But something stopped her. She
caught sight of a familiar figure across the road. After looking at him for a few seconds, she realized he
had a striking resemblance to Andy.
Since he was standing very far from her, she couldn't confirm her suspicion.
When she was about to run over to have a closer look, the sound of the ambulance diverted her mind.
With an urgent job at hand, she could only suppress her impulse and look at the patient who needed
her.
One hour passed before she could wrap up her work. She was sure that the old man wouldn't be there
any longer. But to her utter surprise, he was still there! Even from far she could tell her looked
confused.
Slowly, she made up her mind to approach him. Once she was near, she realized her hunch was
correct. It was indeed Andy and her eyes hadn't played any trick. He was walking back and forth with a
bag in his hand. She rushed up and asked, "Andy, why are you here? Are you waiting for someone?"
"Rachel, what a coincidence!"
Andy looked around and frowned. "I don't know why I'm here."
He told her all he could remember. "I had taken out an environment-friendly bag from the cabinet. I was
prepared to buy some fresh vegetables. This is a usual business.
But I cannot recollect how I ended up here," he said with sincerity.
He looked down at his empty bag and his face flustered. "Didn't I buy vegetables? Why am I here?" he
asked, not knowing how he had gotten here.
an answer came to Rachel's mind. Yet she wouldn't dare to say it out loud until she was sure.
Looking at Andy's uneasy face, Rachel could only comfort him, "It's okay. Maybe you were thinking
about something else. It can happen to anyone. But Andy, have you ever experienced anything like this
before?"
He thought for a while and said uncertainly, "It may have happened a few times, but I can't remember
now. Day by day, my memory weakens. It is getting frustrating!"
Rachel patted him on the arm and said, "Please wait for me here. I will ask for a leave and drive you
home."
She decided to take him to the supermarket first since his bag was empty. On the way, Rachel decided
to ask about Bill's whereabouts. Ever since they last met at the restaurant, they hadn't spoken or texted
each other.
Andy looked very nervous. Even though he was safe with her in the car, the uneasy looked persisted.
He tightly held on to his bag. "Bill went on a trip alone. I planned to go with him, but he said he
preferred to go alone."
He sighed and continued, "I'm getting old. Every day, I begin to feel more and more useless. I cannot
believe I forgot my way to the supermarket! It is something I have been doing for years. If you hadn't
snapped me back to reality, I would have stood there forever.
Rachel, is there any way to improve my memory? Why do I feel that these symptoms point to..."
Before he could finish his words, Rachel smiled and said, "Andy, If you are worried, you should come to
the hospital. I will run a check-up. I suggest you come when Bill returns."
She knew what exactly he wanted to ask about.
His symptoms did made it sound like Alzheimer's disease, but Rachel didn't want him to be so sure
about it. Moreover, she couldn't bring herself to believe this happy-go-lucky, humorous man could fall
victim to this dreadful disease.
Outside the CEO's office of MK Group, Austin was humming a tune. Jack was preparing to leave and
seemed to be in a hurry. In the past two days, he seemed to be in a good humor. A new-found positive
attitude toward life could be seen on his boss's face.
"Austin, you seem in a good mood!"
the director of the planning department exclaimed watching him hum. He had a document in his hand.
"There is an file for Mr. Fu. Is he still in his office?"
"Yes, he is."
After hesitating for a while, Austin asked, "Is it possible to keep it for tomorrow?"
"It's not an emergency. But you'd better give it to Mr. Fu now. Doesn't he hate it when people keep
things for the last minute?" the director said. He firmly believed Austin was deliberately making things
difficult for him.
"Yes, he doesn't like it, but today is a special day." Obviously, the director didn't think so. He knocked
on Jack's office door without consulting with Austin anymore.
Jack was putting on his suit. When he saw someone approach, he looked up and asked, "What's the
matter?"
"Mr. Fu, this document needs your signature. It's a bit urgent." The director looked a little uneasy.
Jack wasn't paying him or the document any attention. "Put it down. I'll check it tomorrow. Our work
hours have ended. You too should go back and spend time your wife and children."
'What?' the director thought with shock.
Out of surprise, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Jack, who had always been a workaholic,
would utter such a thing.
Jack picked up the phone from the table and left, leaving the director standing in the office in a daze.
Austin came in and patted him on the shoulder, proud of his foresight. "Now you know I was speaking
the truth, don't you?"
The director rubbed his eyes in disbelief and pointed at the door. "Is he really Mr. Fu? He's acting
different today."
"Yes, he is."
Before stepping out of the office, Jack remembered he had forgotten a file for Henry in his office room.
In order to retrieve it, he went back. He heard the conversation that was going on between the director
and Austin.
The director's face flushed upon seeing Jack. He lowered his head. He regretted having discussed his
boss with Austin.
On the other hand, Rachel made sure Andy was okay before she returned to the hospital.
Just when she was about to enter the hospital, she happened to meet Jack. She walked up to him with
joy and asked, "How did you manage to come so early? Didn't you say that you have something to deal
with?"
"It's done in advance."
Glancing at the car behind her, Jack asked, "Where did you go just now?"
"I had something to deal with. Anyway, it's not important."
Rachel knew that Jack didn't like Bill. Anything related to Bill would make him unhappy. She flashed
him the car keys in her hand and said, "Wait a minute. I need to return the key to my colleague."
Soon, Jack and Rachel set forth to Lea's house. They rang the doorbell. Lea opened the door and said
in a hushed voice, "My daughter is sleeping. I wish you hadn't rung the bell."
Rachel nodded, a little sorry about her carelessness.
Jack patted her on the shoulder and excused himself saying, "I have something to talk to Henry. I am
guessing he is in the study." Lea nodded her head and Jack went to find Henry.
Delicious smell was wafting in the air. Rachel had been busy all day, and food was the last thing on her
mind. However, now she felt her stomach growling. Looking at the table flourished with food, she was
overjoyed. "Lea, we are all here. Can't we have dinner now?"
Lea shook her head and passed her some cookies. "Wait a minute. Someone hasn't arrived yet. For
now, you should manage with this."
"Who else?" Rachel had assumed this party was just for her and Jack.
Before she could explain, Michael's voice came from behind. He was speaking on the phone in a loud
voice. Every word he said could be heard clearly. "I will repeat for you—I really don't have time tonight!
If she insists on a blind date, she'd better reschedule it. Or perhaps you can change the girl! I wouldn't
mind."
Lea snorted. By now, she knew Henry's friends quite well. There was a time when she liked Michael.
He had a personality that seemed quite charming. But now she was done with his uncultured ways.
"Hey, Michael!"
As soon as she spoke, she realized that her voice was too loud. She took a deep breath and
suppressed her anger. "Can you keep your voice down? My daughter has just fallen asleep. Your
important conversation might wake her up."
"Okay, okay, I'll be careful."
After saying hi to Rachel, Michael walked to the dining table and dipped his hand into one of the
dishes. When he saw Lea's glare, he chuckled and said, "Don't worry. I've just washed my hands."
Jack and Henry happened to come out of the study. Lea clapped her hands and said, "Well, everyone
is here. Sit down and let's have dinner!"
During the dinner, Lea finally explained the reason why she invited the three of them to dinner.
It turned out that she hoped the three of them could be a witness as Henry promised that he wouldn't
come home drunk again.
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