Chapter 47

In the hospital room, Qi Baizi and Qi Hai were discussing the details of the surgery. It was all information the doctor had just told Qi Hai. Afraid he would forget, Qi Hai had been taking notes as he listened, and now he was explaining it all to Qi Baizi, point by point.

Qi Wu should have been the one standing here, facing all this, but her personality wasn’t half as strong as Qi Baizi’s. Qi Hai knew this well, so when it came to making decisions, he was more willing to listen to his niece’s opinion.

Wu Yanfang lay on the hospital bed, the sounds around her fading in and out. In a daze, she opened her eyes and saw Qi Baizi standing by her bed, writing and calculating something on a piece of paper. The call she meant to make turned into a violent cough, and a few seconds later, she fainted again as the machine beeped loudly.

Qi Baizi pressed the call bell for a doctor. Qi Hai frantically ran out to the nurse’s station for help, and chaos erupted once more.

By the time Gu Yuetong and Qi Wu arrived, the resuscitation efforts had already begun. A dozen or so minutes later, Wu Yanfang’s life was barely saved. The doctor, taking off his mask, asked in a near-breakdown state, “Are you going to do the surgery or not? The blood vessel inside the patient’s tumor has ruptured. If we don’t operate, she might not last much longer.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Hai’s legs went weak and he knelt on the floor. Beside him, Qi Wu was crying so hard she couldn’t breathe, and she collapsed to the ground with him.

Gu Yuetong was surprised that Qi Baizi could remain so calm at a time like this, not even going to help them up. But she knew Qi Baizi must be suffering inside. She moved closer and took her hand; it was surprisingly cold.

“Xiao Bai, if it’s about the surgery, I can…”

“No need.” Qi Baizi pulled her hand away, her face ashen but her resolve firm, rejecting Gu Yuetong’s impending offer of help. She asked the doctor for ten more minutes and then turned to make a phone call where they couldn’t see her.

When Qi Baizi reappeared, her expression had softened slightly. She even managed a small smile when she saw Gu Yuetong.

Gu Yuetong was hesitant. She watched as Qi Baizi leaned close to Qi Wu’s ear and whispered something. Qi Wu’s eyes widened, and she quickly pulled Qi Hai up. After a hushed exchange, Qi Hai first looked in Qi Baizi’s direction and shook his head with tears in his eyes. Qi Baizi deliberately avoided his gaze. Qi Wu urged him a few more times, her grip on his hand tightening, until Qi Hai finally relented. “Let’s do the surgery. I’ll sign the papers.”

The doctor quickly had a nurse lead them to sign the consent forms, went over some important points, and finally reminded Qi Baizi not to forget to pay the fees.

There were several payment slips, and the person who issued them reminded her that this was only a portion of the cost. Qi Baizi signed them without batting an eye and then went to the window to pay.

Gu Yuetong followed behind her. When she saw the 120,000 yuan payment slip, she raised an eyebrow slightly. She wasn’t concerned about the cost of the surgery, but she was curious where the money had come from.

By the time they all gathered in front of the operating room, the light above the door was already on.

The payment office was on the first floor, so Qi Baizi and Gu Yuetong returned a bit later. Wu Yanfang had been wheeled into the operating room in front of her husband and daughter. Qi Wu was so nervous she kept dry-heaving. Qi Baizi watched quietly from a corner for a while, with no intention of going over to support her.

With no one else around, Gu Yuetong took Qi Baizi’s hand. It wasn’t as cold as before; some warmth had returned. Qi Baizi turned her head to look at her.

“President Gu, should we go back?”

Gu Yuetong was surprised. Qi Baizi seemed to care a lot about this aunt. Her Weibo diaries were filled with worry about her aunt’s illness and self-blame for her own powerlessness. At such a critical moment, during surgery, Qi Baizi wasn’t going to stay at the hospital?

“If I’m here, it will only put more pressure on them,” Qi Baizi said with a smile, squeezing Gu Yuetong’s hand in return. “This is what I owe them. I’m just a debtor repaying a debt. My aunt was good to me, and I hope she gets better, but there’s no point in waiting here.”

Gu Yuetong wanted to say something more, but Qi Baizi had already turned away, pulling Gu Yuetong’s hand. “Let’s go.”

It was already dark when they returned to the villa. The wind outside had weakened considerably, and the rain had also lessened. On this relatively quiet evening, Qi Baizi left her phone on with the ringer up. She skipped dinner, went upstairs, took a shower, and went straight to bed.

Around midnight, Qi Baizi received a text message from Qi Wu: The surgery was a success. Now we just have to see how she recovers.

The room was dark, and the blue light from the phone screen was a bit harsh on her eyes. Qi Baizi squinted and transferred the remaining 100,000 yuan in her account to Qi Wu.

Qi Wu sent no further messages.

Qi Baizi waited quietly for a while, then turned off her phone. She covered her forehead and let out a deep breath.

Thank goodness, thank goodness Qi Wu’s mother was still alive.

Today, outside the operating room, seeing Qi Wu was like seeing her past self. Back then, she too had waited outside operating rooms and emergency rooms, time and time again, so nervous her legs would tremble, silently praying.

Perhaps it was because of these thoughts that she slept fitfully, her dreams filled with images of her mother before she passed away.

Her stomach churned, and not eating for a long time left her feeling weak. She turned on the bedside lamp, slipped on her slippers, and walked out of the room. Afraid of disturbing others, she tried to be as quiet as possible on her way downstairs.

But in the first-floor living room, Qi Baizi found Gu Yuetong still awake.

“You’re awake?” Gu Yuetong looked up at the sound and smiled. “Want something to eat?”

Qi Baizi noticed she was holding a stylus and, moving closer, saw that she was drawing on an iPad.

“Is this… a mascot?”

Gu Yuetong was still smiling. “You can tell? I’m designing it for a friend’s company.”

Qi Baizi nodded. “It’s very cute.”

“But why didn’t your friend find a professional designer, making you stay up late to design it for them?”

“What do you think?”

Qi Baizi shrugged, sat on the arm of Gu Yuetong’s sofa, and picked up a banana from the table to peel. “I can’t guess.”

“Because I’m free,” Gu Yuetong said, clearly enjoying this lighthearted conversation with Qi Baizi. She laughed, then grabbed a piece of chocolate from the table and gave it to her. “Auntie Qin originally left this for me to stay awake. You’re in luck.”

Qi Baizi took it, stunned. “Is it expensive?”

“Not expensive. It’s handmade chocolate that Auntie Qin bought on her trip abroad last time,” Gu Yuetong said with a smile. “Unfortunately, it’s the last piece.”

“Then it really is a shame for me to eat it,” Qi Baizi said as she unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into her mouth.

Gu Yuetong raised her chin. “Are you going to spit it out?”

Qi Baizi turned around and asked indistinctly, “Are you sure?”

Then, without giving Gu Yuetong time to react, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed her right on the lips.

Gu Yuetong was startled. Her instinctive gasp was muffled, and a few murmurs escaped from between their sweet lips.

When she came to her senses, she pushed Qi Baizi away and asked, somewhat annoyed, “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t this what you did to me?” Qi Baizi sat up straight, brushed the hair from her face, and nonchalantly lowered her eyes. “At the hospital.”

Gu Yuetong paused, at a loss for words. She gathered her drawing pen, stood up, and prepared to go back to her bedroom. But just then, Auntie Qin came downstairs, a look of unnatural joy on her face.

“Oh, oh… is Xiao Bai hungry? I’ll make you a late-night snack.”

“No need, Auntie Qin. A banana is fine for me.”

After saying this, she looked at Gu Yuetong. Gu Yuetong naturally didn’t want to make a scene. Although she was angry, what Qi Baizi said was true. She had teased Qi Baizi in the same way, and now it was just being turned back on her.

Besides, their relationship was legitimate. So what if they kissed?

So what if… Auntie Qin saw?

At this thought, Gu Yuetong’s face inexplicably grew hot. Auntie Qin pushed her back down into the living room.

“You’ve both stayed up so late. I’ll go make some sweet soup. You can warm up and then go to sleep.”

After saying this, Auntie Qin went into the kitchen. Gu Yuetong reluctantly but magnanimously sat back down on the sofa, though this time opposite Qi Baizi.

Qi Baizi glanced at her, then looked away, an indescribable feeling in her heart. She had kissed her on a whim just now, partly out of a sense of revenge and partly out of glee. But seeing her genuinely angry, she started to feel a little timid.

She lowered her head and gnawed on the banana. The once sweet fruit tasted bland after the even sweeter chocolate.

A flash of guilt crossed Qi Baizi’s mind. Just then, the phone in her pocket buzzed, breaking the awkward silence. She quickly took it out to look. It was a message from Qi Wu. Before she could open it, she received another bank text message. Qi Wu had returned the 100,000 yuan.

Qi Wu: The debt you owed is paid off. I’ll borrow from you if I need to.

Qi Baizi paused, finished the banana in two bites, and freed her hands to reply: When did this happen?

Even adding the money for renting a place for her uncle’s family and the 120,000 yuan, it still wasn’t enough. Qi Baizi calculated in her head; she was at least 100,000 yuan short.

Qi Wu: Anyway, I received it. My dad has low blood sugar, so I’m going to take care of him. Talk later.

Qi Baizi lowered her eyes in thought. Gu Yuetong had already picked up her drawing pen and was continuing to doodle on her iPad. Suddenly, a thought occurred to them, and they both looked up at each other at the same time.

Their eyes met across the spacious living room, and the air seemed to freeze. Gu Yuetong involuntarily shivered.

Just then, Auntie Qin came out with hot floral tea. Seeing Gu Yuetong shiver, she asked if she had caught a cold.

Gu Yuetong denied it, took the tea, smelled it, and forced a calm expression as she asked Qi Baizi, “Want a sip?”

“No need.” Qi Baizi shot her a cold glance, then quickly stood up and went upstairs.

After hearing the door close, Auntie Qin asked Gu Yuetong in a worried whisper, “Did you two have a fight?”

Gu Yuetong held the teacup in both hands, taking small sips, and didn’t answer.

A fight? Not really.

Auntie Qin wanted to ask more, but Gu Yuetong waved her hand dismissively. “The soup is off. Go back to bed.”

Auntie Qin had no choice but to give up.

***

Early in the morning, Auntie Qin came out of her bedroom, yawning, to make breakfast for everyone.

Li Yi and Qi Baizi also got up and came downstairs, greeting each other when they met.

Today, they were supposed to pack for the camping trip. The typhoon had passed, and the remaining scattered rain clouds were about to dissipate. The sun in Jingzhou City finally had a chance to shine.

The three idle people had nothing important to do, so they decided to make breakfast together in the kitchen.

On her way down, Auntie Qin observed Qi Baizi and noticed that she seemed no different from usual. The words of concern on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.

Li Yi was leading the way. She first poured herself a glass of water to quench her thirst, but then she heard the sound of clattering cookware from the kitchen.

Li Yi had long suspected that a “castle” this big would have mice. Not only was it surrounded by lawns and woods, but just like in a cartoon villain’s lair, there might even be spiders!

And this early in the morning, she had actually run into one. Instinctive fear made her let out a small scream. Auntie Qin and Qi Baizi, who arrived just in time, quickly shielded her from behind.

After a couple of seconds, the kitchen door slowly slid open, and out walked Gu Yuetong, who was choking and couldn’t stop coughing.