Chapter 46

Qi Baizi felt a flicker of joy at her affirmation of their relationship, but Gu Yuetong’s next words cut short her rising smile. “If your family asks, just say we’re friends.”

“…Yes.” Qi Baizi’s eyelashes trembled. “Thank you, President Gu.”

Downstairs, Auntie Qin and Li Yi were preparing dinner. Gu Yuetong shut herself in the art studio to continue painting, while Qi Baizi returned to her room, clutching the sketch, feeling lost and dejected.

Qi Baizi was filled with frustration over their relationship, which felt even more distant and had even regressed since they started dating.

They didn’t even have a proper term of endearment for each other.

But Gu Yuetong had said she hoped they could maintain their distance in front of others. Perhaps she was afraid of getting used to it and letting it slip in public, Qi Baizi comforted herself.

Sitting on the bed, the girl in the drawing in her hands smiled brightly, but the owner of the drawing couldn’t bring herself to be happy.

Everything was different from what she had imagined.

Outside, the typhoon continued to rage. Disaster reports popped up on her phone from time to time. Qi Baizi hesitated for a moment before clicking on one. She saw that the most affected areas were in the urban villages with poorly constructed houses. One of the villages was where her aunt’s family used to live.

The pictures showed that the windows of the houses in that area were severely damaged, and an advertising billboard had been knocked down by a utility pole, injuring someone. The government was organizing rescue efforts. Although they had been prepared, the casualties were still significant.

Qi Baizi felt a wave of fear. Thankfully, she had helped them move out earlier.

However, Qi Wu had just said on the phone that her aunt was being hospitalized. On a typhoon day like this, why would they choose such a time?

With Gu Yuetong present, she hadn’t been able to ask much. Plus, the sensitive topic of money made Qi Baizi deliberately avoid it. She didn’t want Gu Yuetong to think she was playing the victim by using her family’s illness. But now, she needed to find out more.

As the call was connecting, Qi Baizi was still lost in Gu Yuetong’s last few words. The money was given, the gesture was made, and she had even provided a reason that Qi Baizi couldn’t refuse.

“Sis.” A few seconds later, Qi Wu’s voice came through. “We’re at the hospital.”

“I figured. It wasn’t convenient to talk just now.” Qi Baizi cleared her throat and asked, “Is Aunt not doing well?”

Qi Wu’s reply was tinged with tears. “Sis, my mom fainted. The doctor said the situation is very grim.”

“Where’s Uncle?” Qi Baizi was stunned. “Have you completed the admission procedures?”

“My dad went to pay the fees. I’m outside my mom’s room.”

“Do you need me to…”

“Sis, can you come over?” Qi Wu sobbed before Qi Baizi could finish. “I’m so scared waiting here, my heart is pounding…”

Qi Baizi turned to look out the window, pursed her lips, and agreed to Qi Wu’s request.

After hanging up, she changed into a thicker jacket and went downstairs.

When Auntie Qin heard she was going out, she immediately called Gu Yuetong down. Qi Baizi sighed helplessly and had no choice but to explain the critical situation with her aunt at the hospital and her cousin’s plea for help.

Gu Yuetong was initially against it. She had been out once that morning in this weather and had already experienced her car skidding and the rain being so heavy she couldn’t see the road. Moreover, Qi Baizi’s injury hadn’t healed yet, and the doctor had repeatedly warned her to rest.

But for some reason, Li Yi, who was standing behind the sofa, was frantically making eye signals. After a moment’s hesitation, Gu Yuetong nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

With that, she quickly went upstairs to change into an overcoat. When she came back down, her smooth, beautiful hair was also tied up.

“Sorry for the wait. Let’s drive a little faster,” Gu Yuetong said as she grabbed Qi Baizi’s wrist, opened an umbrella, and helped her into the passenger seat.

Qi Baizi was stunned by this unexpected ‘service’. It wasn’t until she was in the car that she came to her senses and said cautiously, “I can drive.”

Gu Yuetong fastened her seatbelt and looked at her. “You don’t want to see me knocked out by an airbag, do you? Besides, dealing with an accident in a typhoon is a lot of trouble.”

Gu Yuetong thought she had told a dry joke, but Qi Baizi heard it as a doubt about her driving skills. After all, the two of them had had a scrape on the road before, and Qi Baizi had been the one driving at the time.

However, Qi Baizi’s ability to retort was quite good. “If you really pass out, I can give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation again, President Gu.”

Gu Yuetong started the car. Hearing her teasing, she couldn’t help but shoot her a sideways glance.

That one glance made Qi Baizi’s heart race.

How can she be so cute when she’s angry… Not long ago, she used to make me tremble with fear.

Observing her more closely, Qi Baizi saw that Gu Yuetong’s skin was delicate, her lips red, and her teeth white. The philtrum of her upper lip was slightly raised. If she looked any longer, she might not be able to resist kissing her. But Qi Baizi managed to control the impulse and lowered her gaze.

“Is there something on my face?” Feeling that scorching gaze, Gu Yuetong had to ask the obvious. She then instructed, “Sit tight. The weather is bad, so hold on steady.”

Qi Baizi hummed in agreement and did as she was told.

Although the wind was strong and the road was slippery, Gu Yuetong was an old driver with years of experience. She drove very steadily. Fifteen minutes after leaving East Mountain Manor, the car was parked securely in the hospital’s underground garage.

Qi Baizi unbuckled her seatbelt. Seeing that Gu Yuetong was also about to get out, she stopped her and asked hesitantly, “Why don’t you just wait here? The hospital is probably going to be very chaotic…”

“I’m already here, so there’s no need to worry about that.” Rejecting Qi Baizi’s kind offer, Gu Yuetong got out of the car briskly. The two of them entered the elevator, one after the other.

Noticing Qi Baizi’s uneasy expression, Gu Yuetong assumed she was worried about her sick family member and offered a few words of comfort.

But Qi Baizi wasn’t just worried about her aunt’s family; she was also feeling a strange sense of nervousness.

Her uncle and aunt were both there. When they met later, there would inevitably be some pleasantries. What was the difference between this and bringing a girlfriend to meet the parents?

The elevator reached the floor where Wu Yanfang was hospitalized. After getting out, Qi Baizi took Gu Yuetong’s hand. In public, Gu Yuetong felt a bit awkward and pulled her hand away, stopping to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“When I see them later… should I just introduce you as my boss?”

Gu Yuetong was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Qi Baizi to be thinking so much, and a pang of guilt rose in her heart, but she still nodded.

“When I said our relationship should be kept secret, I meant from everyone except the two of us. That includes your family.”

Qi Baizi bit her lip and squeezed out a hum from deep in her throat.

“And, you also have to consider their level of acceptance,” Gu Yuetong said, her tone gradually becoming serious.

Qi Baizi had considered all this and could understand Gu Yuetong. After all, they had agreed on a secret relationship, which meant it couldn’t see the light of day under any circumstances.

“I was being impulsive. I just wanted to ask for your thoughts in advance.”

With that, Qi Baizi led the way into the inpatient area. As they walked towards the nurse’s station, from a distance, Qi Baizi saw Qi Wu. She seemed to have lost more weight since their last meeting, or perhaps the shock of her mother’s sudden collapse had made her look haggard.

Qi Baizi gently patted her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

“Where’s Uncle?”

“The doctor called him away…” Qi Wu’s face was ashen. “He said they needed to discuss her condition. I was too scared to listen, so I came out to meet you.”

She forced herself to look up at Gu Yuetong beside her. “And this is?”

“My boss,” Qi Baizi introduced with a smile. “The weather is bad today, so she drove me here.”

“Oh…” Qi Wu gave Gu Yuetong a forced smile, then her gaze shifted back to Qi Baizi’s face. “You’re…”

Before she could finish, a surprised voice came from behind them. “Xiao Bai, are you hurt?”

Qi Baizi looked past Qi Wu and saw her uncle, Qi Hai. She waved at him.

Qi Hai was holding a stack of report forms, his face still streaked with tears. He quickly wiped them away with his hand when he saw the younger generation and came over. “How did you get hurt?”

Qi Baizi glanced at Gu Yuetong and said with a smile, “I just bumped into something accidentally. It’s nothing. By the way, this is my boss, President Gu Yuetong. She heard Aunt was hospitalized and gave me a ride over.”

“President Gu, hello, President Gu. Thank you for taking care of Xiao Bai.” It took Qi Hai a moment to react. It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed the girl standing next to them, exuding an air of otherworldly nobility, but he had subconsciously assumed she was another patient’s family member. How could someone from their social class know such a person?

So she was her boss.

“I often hear Xiao Bai mention you, saying how much you’ve looked after her. It’s such bad weather and we have a family emergency, and we’ve troubled you to make a trip. I’m so sorry…”

The pleasantries began, just as Qi Baizi had expected.

Gu Yuetong, however, didn’t waste much time on it and got straight to the point. “How is your wife’s condition?”

“Well…” Qi Hai looked down at the stack of test results in his hand and sighed.

A nurse led them to a seating area in the corner. Qi Baizi took a form and started reading it. Gu Yuetong glanced over and saw the doctor’s recommendation at the bottom: “…surgical treatment can be considered.”

“Has it been conservative treatment all this time?” she asked.

Qi Wu nodded with tears in her eyes. “But the tumor is growing faster than we expected… The doctor said conservative treatment is pointless now.”

Qi Baizi finished reading the forms one by one and looked at her uncle, Qi Hai. “Regarding the surgery, have you discussed it with Aunt before?”

“We have,” Qi Wu answered for her father. “My mom is terrified of surgery. After all, the risks are there, and besides, she doesn’t want to spend the money and then…”

Qi Wu’s voice trembled, and she couldn’t continue. She had once resented Qi Baizi and her mother for being a burden on their family, but now the tables had turned. If they went ahead with the surgery, the cost would certainly be too high. Even if Qi Baizi paid back her debt all at once, considering the post-operative care and other expenses, she would still have to borrow more.

It was normal for Wu Yanfang to have such considerations. After all, her own daughter had said such things. Even if she was afraid of dying, she didn’t want to mortgage her daughter’s future.

“If she has the surgery, I’ll figure out the money.” Qi Baizi lowered her eyes, staring intently at the glaring numbers on the medical report that represented her aunt Wu Yanfang’s vital signs. “Take me to see Aunt.”

“President Gu, are you coming?” Qi Baizi stood up.

Gu Yuetong, who was sitting with her legs crossed, waved her hand tactfully. “But I’m not very familiar with this place. Miss, could you take me to the restroom?”

Gu Yuetong looked at Qi Wu. Qi Wu pointed at herself in disbelief, then nodded. “Okay.”

Qi Hai and Qi Baizi went into the hospital room. Qi Wu hesitated for a moment, then led Gu Yuetong down the hallway to the restroom near the elevators.

“You can go in. I’ll wait for you outside.”

But Gu Yuetong walked a few steps towards the window and leaned her hands on the windowsill.

Qi Wu was curious. “President Gu?”

Gu Yuetong turned back and smiled at her. “It’s nothing. Actually, I lied to you. I just wanted to call you out to talk.”