Chapter 38 [VIP]

Why is he here again?

"I've been coming here every day lately, sitting in the same spot, drinking a glass of lemonade for half the day."

Chun Jing patted the large hand on his waist, and Ming Ge reluctantly let go. "Didn't you stop coming for a while?"

"They probably had a fight." Chunjing shoved a stack of ice cube trays into his hands. "Break."

Ming went to wash his hands at the sink, and just then he could see the view Wen Zhiyu was looking at through the window. "The volunteers have started practicing back-cutting?"

"Yes, you've improved quickly, haven't you?" Chunjing said proudly.

White waves rolled and surged toward the shore with unstoppable force.

Han Shu deftly rose from his board, slightly tilting his head to observe the wave wall. Leaning forward, he used his shoulder to rotate his body to the left. After reaching the apex, he pushed off with his hind leg, stepping onto the tail of the board and shifting his weight backward.

The surfboard traced a beautiful right-handed arc across the shimmering sponge.

The smiling girl stretched out her arms to celebrate her success.

Ming didn't miss the swaying of the tail of the board. "It's just that the power is not enough, and it's not quite under control."

"Take your time!" Chun Jing glanced over there, then gestured with her chin, "The lemonade's all gone. Go and refill it for them."

Ming was taken aback. "When did we start offering refills to our customers?"

"Are they guests? They're family members of our volunteers!"

"...Did he know he was a family member?"

Chun Jing waved casually, "Even if he isn't, he'd definitely want to be a family member. It doesn't matter."

Ming resignedly carried the glass jug over, awkwardly tapping the table, "Dude, I'll pour you some water."

The moment Wen Zhiyu turned around, the smile vanished from his eyes, leaving only indifference and aloofness. He nodded, "Thank you."

After saying that, he took out a laptop from a black bag next to him.

When Ming returned to the bar, he looked as if he had discovered a dinosaur fossil.

Chunjing was making fresh orange juice when she leaned against the blender and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ming leaned closer mysteriously, a meaningful smile on his wheat-colored face. "I've noticed that as soon as the volunteers finish surfing and come out of the sea, this guy pulls out his laptop and starts working."

Springtime remained silent. "You idiot, you don't know! If it weren't to see the Lesser Heat, why would he sit by the hot, sunny window?"

"……oh."

Han Shu sat cross-legged on the beach, holding the umbrella handle between his shoulder and head, and snapped photos repeatedly.

The student had been catching the green waves for a while when the coach called her back to review her performance. Taking a moment, she slightly raised the edge of her umbrella—one centimeter, two centimeters, three centimeters—

I spotted Wenzhiyu Island.

The familiar window, the familiar glasses, the familiar computer, the familiar scene.

Tsk, all he does is work all day long, sitting there without even looking up, not even glancing at her.

Han Shu pouted angrily and pulled the umbrella down low.

If you don't look at me, then I won't look at you either.

Three seconds later.

Should we take another look?

Let's take one more look!

Beneath the lush coconut trees are Jie Lang's white walls and blue windows, where a tall, upright figure stands in the center. Zooming in, the man's right thumb and forefinger are pinching his chin, his brow slightly furrowed, his eyelids lowered behind his gold-rimmed glasses, quiet and focused.

Suddenly, a dark arm appeared in the viewfinder. Wen Zhiyu tilted his head slightly, said something, and then gently pushed the temple of his glasses with his knuckles—

Through the camera lens, Han Shu and Wen Zhiyu locked eyes.

Han Shu: !!!

She was startled, and her hand slipped, causing the parasol to fall directly onto her head. If it hadn't been around her neck, the camera would have fallen into the sand.

She felt extremely uneasy, constantly sensing two pairs of eyes staring straight at her from behind. After a long period of anxiety, she finally mustered the courage to glance back.

"Whoa!"

Seeing that Zhiyu continued to bury himself in his work, Han Shu breathed a sigh of relief. However, he didn't dare to look at him again until the end of the workday.

After filming wrapped, Han Shu headed straight to the backyard for a quick shower and a full-on bath. With his hair still wet, he took his phone from the storage cabinet, scrolled through unread messages, walked around to the front of the club, and then closed Wen Zhiyu's laptop through the window. "Let's go eat."

"Okay." Wen Zhiyu immediately took action, unplugging the power cord and packing the bag.

Han Shu leaned against the outer wall, his brow furrowed. His missed calls were all from the same person.

Since their parting at the airport that day, Ms. Xu has maintained her usual pattern, bombarding Mr. Han with phone calls and WeChat messages at set times, while Mr. Han rarely contacts her. Dozens of calls in just three hours—could something urgent have happened?

Han Shu hesitated for a moment before pressing the call button.

The call was answered almost immediately.

"Dad, I didn't bring my phone when I was in the sea. Do you need anything—"

Han Wenyu snapped at him, "Buy a plane ticket and come back right now!"

Dealing with Xu Ying had left Han Shu physically and mentally exhausted, and he said impatiently, "I'm not going back! Why can't you listen to me!"

Wen Zhiyu came out from the main gate and saw Han Shu on the phone, so he waited silently to the side. The girl had one hand on her hip, her face was furrowed, and her tone was full of anger, while her dripping hair soaked the shoulders and back of her dress.

He thought for a moment, then turned back into the shop, just in time to bump into Chun Jing. "Excuse me, may I ask?"

The spring scenery couldn't hide the surprise.

Wen Zhiyu explained, "My hair is still wet."

Springtime was clear, so I led him over and said, "This."

"Thanks."

Upon opening the door, a light blue towel hung from the horizontal bar at the top of the cabinet. Wen Zhiyu touched a corner with his fingertip; it was fairly dry.

After getting the towel, he returned to the shop entrance. He was about to smear the towel on Han Shu's head, but stopped after seeing her expression.

Wen Zhiyu bowed slightly. "What's wrong?"

Han Shu forcefully wiped away the tears on her face. "I... I need to go to the airport now. Can you take me there?"

She spoke relatively clearly, but her hand holding the phone trembled visibly, and her voice was hoarse as if it had been polished by stone, clearly indicating that she was completely lost.

Without asking a reason, Wen Zhiyu put his arm around Han Shu's shoulder and got into the car. As he bent down to fasten her seatbelt, he whispered, "Did you bring your ID?"

Han Shu completely forgot that she was wearing a skirt without pockets today, and frantically touched the outside of her thigh, "No, I didn't bring any."

"Have you bought the plane ticket?" Seeing her trembling as she started searching for a travel app again, Wen Zhiyu said with his palm facing up, "Give it to me, I'll do it."

"Scan your face."

Han Shu looked directly into the camera and saw himself with teary eyes.

"Scan it again."

In just three minutes, Wen Zhiyu plugged his phone into the charging cable, placed it on the central control, and started the engine smoothly. "My flight is at two o'clock, and I've already got the temporary boarding pass. It takes about forty minutes to drive there from Houhai, so I can arrive about an hour and twenty minutes early."

As the train wound its way along the famous coastal highway, scattered travelers could be seen on the beach to the right, and tourists occasionally stopped by the roadside to take photos of the sea view. However, Han Shu kept his eyes tightly closed, and suppressed sobs filled the enclosed car.

Halfway through the journey, she finally recovered from her initial breakdown.

Beside her, Wen Zhiyu sat quietly behind the steering wheel, his breathing barely audible; he was practically invisible unless you glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. When her gaze fell upon him, an unprecedented sense of security and reliance welled up within her.

Han Shu felt an urge to speak out, sniffed, and whispered, "That was my dad on the phone just now."

Wen Zhiyu remained silent, only slightly turning his head to indicate that he was listening.

“He said…” Han Shu choked up, “He said that my mother had a physical examination at school and they found out she had a problem with her thyroid. The preliminary diagnosis was a malignant tumor on the right side, and… it had metastasized to the lymph nodes.”

Wen Zhiyu moved the tissues from the storage basket on the driver's side door to the center console, along with the small car trash can.

He remained silent.

He didn't know how to comfort her, and he knew the inadequacy of words. So he simply drove faster, ensuring safety as much as possible.

Han Shu covered her face with a tissue and burst into tears, unable to hold back her sobs any longer.

What she didn't say was the second half of Han Wenyu's statement.

Han Wenyu was a man of imposing presence who rarely lost his temper. But today, through the receiver, she could clearly hear his anger.

"Since you ran off to Hainan Island, have you ever cared about your mother's health? Have you ever thought about your parents? Your mother is sick, and you, as her daughter, are not by her side. Are you planning to never come back? Do you think you won't even know when we die?"

Selfish and unfilial.

Han Shu felt both wronged and guilty.

She had only been gone for a little over two months; she just wanted to rest for a while and would eventually go back. But... she was indeed focused on her own affairs, avoiding all communication with her parents, let alone showing them any concern.

Upon arriving at the airport, Wen Zhiyu parked the car and escorted Han Shu from the parking lot to the departure hall and then to the security checkpoint.

Han Shu took a half step back, head bowed, and said, "Thank you for seeing me off. Be careful on your way back."

Wen Zhiyu didn't say anything, but took out his phone.

"drop!"

The turnstile door opened.

Han Shu was completely stunned.

Wen Zhiyu turned around, his expression as calm as ever, and said, "Come here."

Han Shu hurriedly opened his QR code, swiped it through the gate, and exclaimed, "You—"

Wen Zhiyu pulled her to the end of the line, saying, "I bought a plane ticket and will accompany you to the boarding gate."

Han Shu felt a lump in his throat, and in the blink of an eye, his eyes filled with tears.

Wen Zhiyu saw this and stayed by his side.

Han Shu didn't say thank you again, nor did she repeatedly say she was sorry to trouble you. She was grateful to have him by her side at that moment, and even had the delusion of having him accompany her to Beicheng.

Wen Zhiyu remained silent and didn't say anything more. But what he really wanted to ask was whether someone would pick her up after she landed, and if not, whether he could then make the extravagant request of accompanying her to Beicheng.

Neither of them had any luggage, and they passed through security in less than five minutes and arrived at the boarding gate in less than ten minutes.

Han Shu found the closest spot to sit down and looked up, "Go back now, I'm fine."

Wen Zhiyu was stung by the bloodshot eyes in her eyes. He looked around, said "Wait for me," and strode off into the distance.

Han Shu didn't have the strength to look in the direction he left. His back felt as weak as if his bones had been removed. He could only bend over and half-lie on his knees, unlock his phone, and type "thyroid tumor" into the search bar.

Papillary, follicular, medullary, undifferentiated.

The first two are relatively common and have a good prognosis; with timely and effective treatment, the survival rate is high. The latter two are relatively rare, more aggressive, and have a poorer prognosis.

Traditional and minimally invasive surgery. Total resection, partial resection.

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, iodine-131.

Unheard-of terms, unimaginable treatments, and unpredictable outcomes.

Han Shu flipped her phone screen, covered her face, and her emotions collapsed once again.

A warm hand landed on the center of the head, lingering for only a moment with extreme restraint, before the weight dissipated along with the warmth.

Wen Zhiyu sat down next to her and said, "There are five minutes left before boarding. Take this."

Han Shu pressed his palm against his eyes and finally saw clearly that the well-defined fingers were carrying a paper bag with a familiar logo.

"You missed mealtime. Eat on the plane if you get hungry." Wen Zhiyu glanced at the boarding gate where a queue had already begun, and hung the paper bag on her wrist. "Take care of yourself so you can take care of your mother."

Han Shu rubbed the slightly rough handle of the paper bag with his other hand, nodded vigorously, and suddenly remembered something, "My things are still in the guest room, I haven't packed them. If there are new guests—"

“There won’t be any new tenants,” Wen Zhiyu said confidently. “You can leave your luggage there as long as you want. My aunt and I will take care of the three cats.”

Han Shu walked forward step by step with the flow of people, and Wen Zhiyu followed behind step by step.

When he could no longer deliver the goods, he bypassed the ground crew and went to the other side, knowing he had crossed the line but still holding Han Shu's hand.

Wen Zhiyu had so much to say and so much to do, but in the end, he simply clenched his fist tightly against the coldness of his palm, pouring all his emotions and concerns into a seemingly nonchalant sentence.

Han Shu stared at the two clasped hands.

All I heard Zhiyu say was, "You can contact me anytime, anywhere, no matter what it is."