Chapter 42

Gu Yuetong spoke lightly, but Auntie Qin could tell she wasn’t truly happy. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, she let out a long sigh and forced a smile to match hers.

“By the way, I have something to ask you.” After registering for visitation at the nurse’s station, Auntie Qin stopped Gu Yuetong.

Gu Yuetong paused and turned back. “What is it?”

The moment she saw Auntie Qin’s expression, however, Gu Yuetong knew what was coming. She wanted to ask if she and Qi Baizi were… But how could she have found out so quickly? Did Xiao Bai tell her?

“Don’t let your imagination run wild. Xiao Bai’s lips are sealed. She does whatever you say, you know that.”

Gu Yuetong wrinkled her nose and looked away. “It’s not like she’s never disobeyed me.” Just that morning, she had told Qi Baizi not to show her face at the company, but she went anyway.

Despite saying this, Gu Yuetong felt a pang of guilt.

If she had noticed the signs earlier, maybe she could have protected Qi Baizi, and she wouldn’t have to suffer like this…

Seeing her expression change, Auntie Qin worried she was overthinking things and quickly pulled her back to the present. She said mysteriously, “Aren’t you curious how I found out?”

Gu Yuetong managed a dry, slightly embarrassed smile. “How did you find out?”

“Here.” Auntie Qin pointed at Gu Yuetong’s mouth. “Lipstick.”

“And it wasn’t me who found it, it was Lawyer Duan,” Auntie Qin said. “It was on the corner of her lips, too. Very obvious.”

Gu Yuetong froze, a chill running down her neck. That’s right, Qi Baizi never wore makeup. It was her oversight.

As for the two of them getting together, whether it was to comfort Qi Baizi or for some other reason, Gu Yuetong herself felt that things were moving a bit too fast.

But she was an adult and had nothing to be shy about. She liked what she liked, and was interested in what interested her. So when Qi Baizi confessed, after a brief internal struggle, she immediately agreed. The only thing she cared about was keeping their relationship a secret from the public.

After all, given past experiences, Gu Hezhu wouldn’t let her off easily.

“It was just us. What if someone else had seen it?” Auntie Qin knew the stakes and reminded her in a low voice, “How do you know your mother doesn’t have spies among the doctors and nurses here?”

Gu Yuetong frowned slightly and pursed her lips. She nodded at Auntie Qin’s warning, acknowledging, “It was my oversight. I’ll be careful.”

Seeing her tense up, Auntie Qin tried to comfort her. “But Xiao Bai is a good kid. She’s not like Wang Lin. Don’t let her down because of your mother. Try to trust her more and communicate.”

This remark stunned Gu Yuetong again. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She just felt that they were close enough and always thinking of each other, so they should give it a try. Even if they broke up later, she would make sure it wouldn’t affect Qi Baizi’s job by her side.

After all, with Qi Baizi’s straightforward personality, they could just talk things out and clear up any misunderstandings.

After a long silence, Gu Yuetong squeezed out a single phrase through her teeth: “I won’t.”

Auntie Qin was skeptical. Gu Yuetong wasn’t a player in her personal relationships; in fact, she took them very seriously. But she was too guarded, and Auntie Qin worried that they wouldn’t get along, leading to more misunderstandings. That would be a waste of a good connection.

“Alright, you two figure it out. And make sure to tell Duan Ying not to spread it around.”

“Okay,” Gu Yuetong nodded.

During the night, Qi Baizi woke up once. She silently sat up and looked at Gu Yuetong, who was resting her head on the side of the bed, then peacefully fell back asleep.

The sound of summer insects chirped from outside the window. The glass provided decent soundproofing, so the noise wasn’t loud, and it even served as a somewhat sleep-inducing white noise. The first half of Qi Baizi’s sleep had been filled with dreams, but after waking up once and falling back asleep, her mind was much clearer. She slept soundly and peacefully until morning.

A nurse pushed the door open to measure her blood pressure. Gu Yuetong and Auntie Qin woke up as well. Auntie Qin went to the washroom to freshen up, while Gu Yuetong, after rinsing her mouth, stayed by Qi Baizi’s side.

Her blood pressure and temperature were both normal. The nurse gave a few instructions and left. But Gu Yuetong noticed that something seemed off about Qi Baizi. Since waking up, she had kept her eyelids lowered, her eyeballs completely still.

Gu Yuetong asked her a few questions, and Qi Baizi just said she was still a bit sleepy but couldn’t fall back asleep.

Gu Yuetong was half-convinced and wanted to get a doctor, but Qi Baizi stopped her. In her panic, Qi Baizi reached out a hand and grabbed at empty air.

Gu Yuetong froze. Qi Baizi herself was startled and quickly turned her head, pretending to look out the window.

Her heart pounding with anxiety, Gu Yuetong climbed onto the bed, grabbed Qi Baizi’s shoulders, and made her turn to face her. She waved a hand in front of her eyes. Qi Baizi’s pupils were pitch black, showing no reaction.

“Xiao Bai…” Gu Yuetong murmured in disbelief, about to get off the bed to find a doctor.

But Qi Baizi raised her hands and held onto her.

“Xiao Bai, let go.” Gu Yuetong instinctively resisted, not because of Qi Baizi herself, but because of her actions.

“If you don’t let me go, I’ll break up with you.”

The words “break up” made Qi Baizi’s entire body tremble. She hesitated and released her grip, letting out a soft, aggrieved sound from her nose. Then she lay down and turned her back to Gu Yuetong.

Gu Yuetong knew she had spoken out of anger, but she didn’t have time to coax Qi Baizi now. Losing her sight was a serious matter.

Gu Yuetong called out to Auntie Qin, who was washing her face, and then dashed out of the room to find a doctor.

Qi Baizi spent the entire morning undergoing various examinations, but without exception, the results all came back normal.

The doctors were also at a loss. The department head came during rounds, and after ruling out various risks, they finally diagnosed it as cranial nerve damage caused by trauma.

As for when she would recover, the doctors couldn’t say.

A dark cloud seemed to hang over the hospital room. After the doctors left, no one spoke.

It was Qi Baizi who, upon learning that Gu Yuetong had been suspended, became anxious and asked several questions.

The major shareholders and Gu Hezhu had all stepped in, and the online public opinion had been temporarily suppressed, but discussions about Gu Yuetong continued. As soon as the TV was turned on, the local station’s noon news was reporting on the matter. Auntie Qin found it annoying and asked Qi Baizi if she could change the channel.

Qi Baizi shook her head. She wanted to know more, thinking it might help her help Gu Yuetong.

Gu Yuetong held Qi Baizi’s hand by the bedside. Her palm was cold, and her thoughts were a mystery, but she remained silent the entire time.

In the afternoon, Duan Ying walked into the room carrying a pot of chicken soup she had personally brewed.

Sensing the heavy atmosphere in the room, Duan Ying tentatively called out to Gu Yuetong, but Gu Yuetong paid her no mind. Helpless, Duan Ying called Auntie Qin away.

The two went out into the hallway. After learning that Qi Baizi couldn’t see, Duan Ying fell into deep thought. “Are all the test results out?”

Auntie Qin relayed the information truthfully and also told Duan Ying her own opinion that the doctor’s diagnosis was irresponsible. To her surprise, after hearing it, Duan Ying couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Auntie Qin resisted the urge to punch her, but her voice doubled in volume out of anger, attracting the attention of a nurse.

Duan Ying quickly calmed Auntie Qin down and led her to a vending machine to buy coffee. Auntie Qin grumbled, “What time is it? Are you still in the mood for coffee?”

Duan Ying was paying. She had originally bought two cups, one for Auntie Qin, but upon hearing this, she immediately canceled one and bought only her own.

“If you’re not in the mood, I’ll just drink it myself,” Duan Ying said with a smile, bringing the steaming coffee to her lips.

Auntie Qin glared at her, then suddenly had an idea. She grabbed Duan Ying’s arm and asked, “Do you think… Xiao Bai could be faking it?”

Duan Ying thought Auntie Qin had finally caught on and smiled with satisfaction. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Auntie Qin say, “Is she deliberately faking it for Yuetong, trying to make Yuetong feel more sorry for her?”

Duan Ying was speechless. She hadn’t considered that angle.

Auntie Qin muttered to herself, “A little game between lovers?”

Duan Ying didn’t know what to say and walked back towards the room, holding her coffee.

When she entered, Gu Yuetong was gone. She saw the chicken soup she had brought was still sitting there untouched, sighed, and unscrewed the lid of the thermos. She poured a bowl and handed it to Qi Baizi. “My mom made this. It’s been heated twice. It’s not greasy.”

Qi Baizi turned her head towards the sound, her eyes unfocused, a look of confusion on her face.

Duan Ying glanced back, then pushed the soup forward again. “Your President Gu isn’t even here. Stop acting.”

After she said this, the atmosphere in the room became a bit strange. Qi Baizi tried to continue her pretense, but after a standoff of no more than two seconds, she felt bad making Duan Ying wait with the bowl of soup in one hand and finally took it.

Auntie Qin let out a cry of “Ooh!” Look at that, she had guessed right after all.

“Are the doctor’s diagnostic results out?” Duan Ying got straight to the point. “With this diagnosis of cranial nerve damage, you might be able to achieve your goal.”

Auntie Qin understood what she meant. She remembered what Duan Ying had said yesterday about how a minor injury would make it difficult to bring Han Zhiyu to criminal court, and she instantly understood.

“You’re deliberately faking this illness, Xiao Bai, you…”

“I’m not doing it on purpose!” Qi Baizi interrupted, her eyes downcast. “I just can’t see. It comes and goes.” As she spoke, she looked up at Duan Ying.

Duan Ying’s lips curled into a smile. The elite lawyer wore an expression of someone who knew everything.

She turned back and asked Auntie Qin, “How are you so sure she’s faking?”

Auntie Qin was stumped, stammering without being able to give a clear reason. Duan Ying asked again, “How do you know if she can see right now or not?”

Auntie Qin didn’t know. She shot a glare at Duan Ying and fell completely silent.

Just then, Gu Yuetong, who had stepped out to take a call, returned to the room. Seeing Auntie Qin’s unpleasant expression, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Auntie Qin was in a bad mood and didn’t speak. Qi Baizi, pretending she only knew Gu Yuetong had entered because she heard her voice, reached out a hand to her. Gu Yuetong good-naturedly walked over and took it.

“I want to be discharged,” Qi Baizi said softly.

Aside from occasional dizziness and nausea, and her vision being blurry at times and clear at others, Qi Baizi considered herself to be feeling fine.

All the necessary tests had been done, and since there were no problems, she didn’t want to waste any more time and money in the hospital. Besides, if the doctors saw through her act, then today’s performance would have been for nothing.

Moreover, she had already obtained the evidence she wanted. This should be enough to take down Han Zhiyu.

Gu Yuetong didn’t know she was thinking so much. She only remembered the doctor saying, “Rest well, keep your emotions stable, and it might get better after some time.” In that case, being discharged wasn’t out of the question. At worst, she could hire a private doctor to look after her.