I need help urgently.

I asked Sister Zhang to prepare to take her to the hospital emergency room, while I pushed her into the bathroom, took the showerhead, turned it to cool water, and rinsed the scalded area on her left leg as an emergency treatment.

When I tested the temperature, cold water flowed over my arm, raising goosebumps. "The water is a bit cold, please bear with it for now."

Gu Wanlin said helplessly, "It's okay, I won't feel anything."

Sometimes when I'm in a rush, I forget all of this. When I pause, I feel even worse. She got burned like this because she couldn't feel hot or cold.

Although her body couldn't feel hot or cold, it was more sensitive to temperature changes. Just a few seconds after being rinsed with cold water, her legs started to spasm, and it got worse and worse, almost pulling her upper body off the wheelchair. But the cold water had to continue, otherwise the burns would be more serious. I had to call Sister Zhang in, use straps to tie her upper body to the wheelchair, and then help hold down her legs and feet.

Gu Wanlin closed her eyes and remained silent. Judging from her furrowed brows, she was probably not feeling well.

Seeing her hunched over in a wheelchair with her back slumped, suffering from severe spasms, and unable to put down my hand holding the showerhead to rinse her scalded area, those ten minutes felt like an eternity.

I carefully chose my words before speaking, "Gu Wanlin, you just said... don't think of yourself that way, and I certainly won't think of you that way either. If you don't want me to go to the hospital with you, I'll pick you up later after I finish what I'm doing, if you're still not back, okay?"

She clearly didn't want to say anything more, and nodded, "Mm."

After a while, she opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused. "I just... wanted to do what I could for you. But instead, you have to spend even more time cleaning up my messes..."

I freed one hand to squeeze her palm. "Don't talk nonsense. Gu Wanlin, thank you for doing all this for me. I'm so happy. We've learned from this experience, so it won't happen again next time."

She looked away, lowering her eyes to focus only on her legs.

After the emergency treatment was completed, Sister Zhang and I carefully avoided the blisters, dried her legs with a clean, soft towel, and changed her into more comfortable clothes. When I saw her and Sister Zhang off, I repeatedly reminded Sister Zhang to call me immediately if anything happened.

Thinking of Gu Wanlin, I worked overtime very quickly. I also told a few colleagues I was on good terms with that there was an emergency at home. They readily agreed to help me finish the rest of my work and told me not to worry and to go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Sister Zhang messaged me, saying that after arriving at the emergency room, the triage nurse examined the wound and said that the initial treatment was done correctly and there was no immediate danger, so I still had to wait in line. When I arrived at the hospital, Gu Wanlin had just entered the examination room.

The doctor asked how the burn happened, examined the wound, and sighed, "Look, blisters have formed; it's a superficial second-degree burn, and the area isn't small. Normally, it would take one to two weeks to heal, but yours will only take longer. Burns are the biggest fear for paraplegic patients. Because they are less sensitive to heat, they are particularly prone to low-temperature burns, which heal slowly and are prone to infection, just like pressure sores. I don't need to elaborate on how serious the consequences are if the skin is damaged; this can be life-threatening. You must be very careful in the future."

She shook her head disapprovingly, glanced at me and Sister Zhang, and said sternly, "How can the family members be so careless?"

Gu Wanlin spoke up to explain for us, "No, it's because I insisted on going out alone, and I forgot to test the temperature. I just put it on my lap, and I'm not quite used to it yet... given my current physical condition..."

The emergency room doctor nodded and said nothing more.

"Be more careful in the future. Your burns aren't particularly severe, and generally you don't need to be hospitalized. However, your wounds are healing slowly, and the risk of infection is relatively high. If you want to stay, that's fine too. I'll give you a hospital admission slip."

Gu Wanlin smiled and said, "Let's not stay here. We just got out of the hospital not long ago."

I noticed that the doctors were mostly very gentle with Gu Wanlin, perhaps out of consideration for her. "Okay, I'll prescribe some topical antibacterial ointment and medical dressings for you. Go with the nurse to apply the medicine and bandages. Family members should also learn how to change the dressings at home, paying attention to aseptic techniques and carefully observing the situation. If there are any signs of infection, come to the hospital immediately. The little girl is so pretty; what if she has scars later?"

It was late at night when I finally got home after all that trouble. Before leaving, I remembered that Gu Wanlin hadn't had dinner yet, so I cooked some porridge in the rice cooker, which was still warm when I got back. Gu Wanlin ate a couple of bites and then firmly refused my help to take a bath, insisting that I go to sleep first. "I haven't been able to help you at all, and I've only added to your burden. I already feel really bad about it."

I patted her head. "How could you say you weren't helpful? You were a huge help. I ate the dinner you bought for me, and my efficiency skyrocketed afterward. That's why I finished my work early before picking you up. Without you, I would be working overtime like crazy."

Gu Wanlin laughed at my joke and told me to stop joking and go to sleep.

Gu Wanlin's wound was indeed healing very slowly. The doctor repeatedly emphasized that paraplegic patients have poor blood circulation and low skin self-repair ability, so protecting the skin from damage is of paramount importance and cannot be taken lightly. Perhaps due to the burn, she also had a low-grade fever several times during this period. Every time I changed her dressing, I was worried that I would see signs of infection and worsening of the wound.

Gu Wanlin's rehabilitation plan also had to be adjusted accordingly. With such a large area of ​​injury on her leg, standing, crawling, and supporting herself were all suspended, and she was instead focusing on strengthening her upper limbs. However, her shoulders and arms also needed careful protection to avoid overuse injuries, which freed up a lot of time in her schedule.

She still goes to university once a week, and to avoid rubbing her injured left leg, the doctor advised her to temporarily stop wearing her right prosthetic leg as well. During this time, to make it easier to check her wound and apply medication, she has been wearing long skirts. Today, before going out, she chose a black, slightly embossed long skirt, paired with a simple white top and a light gray cardigan. She felt uncomfortable without her prosthetic leg, and also because she was afraid of the cold, she draped a thin blanket over her legs, covering herself completely from head to toe. Sitting upright in her wheelchair, her gentle and serene demeanor was even more pronounced.

She told me to go about my business and not to see her off. While Sister Zhang was getting ready to leave, she was already waiting leisurely in the living room.

I stared at her.

Gu Wanlin felt uncomfortable under my gaze. "What are you looking at?"

"Because you're good-looking."

Gu Wanlin glared at me, but her ears turned bright red without her realizing it.

"Gu Wanlin, you'd better watch out today. I bet a bunch of girls are going to sneak you notes again. Don't get kidnapped. By the way, have you been thinking about getting your hair done lately? Come with me, I think your hair would look especially good with a little curl."

Gu Wanlin raised her hand to play with the ends of her hair, trying to make a curl around her fingers. "Okay, it's been more than a year since I last saw a hairstylist," she laughed self-deprecatingly. "In the past year, I've been lucky to be alive, so I haven't had time to worry about this."

Gu Wanlin is slowly returning to her normal life, and I think she's adapting well. Perhaps it's time to help her take a few steps forward in her social life as well.

So when my friends asked me a few days later if I was going to the Sunday gathering, I went home and asked Gu Wanlin first.

"Gu Wanlin, would you like to come with me?"

“I feel very relaxed and can confide in these friends. I met them in the cultural industry after I started working. I think they would like you very much and you would get along very well with them.”

Gu Wanlin leaned back on the sofa, looking somewhat hesitant. "Actually, you don't need to worry about me. You can go by yourself."

I sat down next to her and gently massaged her curled-up fingers. "Well, we all interact from time to time at work. It's not that I want to go, I just think you'd like to meet them. If you're bored at home alone, I'd love to introduce you to them. If you don't want to go, I'd like to spend this weekend with you. Let's find something else to do, like a movie marathon at home, how about?"

Gu Wanlin remained silent for a moment, then, after a long pause, as if he had thought it over for a long time, he finally made up his mind, "Alright. So, what should we bring when we meet them for the first time?"

I was genuinely happy for her that she was willing to take this step, and I leaned on her with a smile, saying, "You don't need to worry about that. You'll see when you get there. Nobody can go to this party empty-handed, but I can, because they're counting on me to cook."

That being said, Gu Wanlin was very polite. On the day we went to the friend's gathering, he brought a bottle of sparkling wine and a bouquet of flowers for the host. The host was Cai Cai's mother, whom I usually call Xia Xia. As soon as the door opened, Cai Cai rushed over enthusiastically, rubbing against Gu Wanlin's wheelchair.

Xia was standing at the door. I handed her the gift in my hand. "Our teacher, Ms. Gu, insisted that we couldn't come empty-handed since it was our first time meeting everyone."

Xia took the flowers and wine from my hand with delight. She first praised Gu Wanlin's taste in floral arrangements, then exclaimed that she would find the best vase in the house to put them in. After glancing at the wine label, she praised Gu Wanlin for having even better taste in wine than in flowers.

She winked at us and said, "Teacher Gu, we've heard so much about you. Qingyi always mentions you. It's great to finally meet you today. Please come in and sit down."

Gu Wanlin was flattered and smiled a little embarrassedly. When Xia asked her to come in, he looked hesitant and turned to me, "Qing, could you please wipe my wheelchair for me?"

Xia pushed her inside without saying a word, saying, "What are you wiping? No need to wipe it. Don't worry, our floor is dirty enough, it doesn't deserve it."

Before I came, I naturally greeted everyone and said that our teacher, Ms. Gu, is a bit sensitive right now, so I asked everyone to take good care of her, but not to be overly considerate. Just treat her like a normal person, please. My friends said, "Don't worry, we understand that perfectly well."

Several people were already seated in the living room. When Gu Wanlin entered, they all came over to greet her warmly. No one showed any unusual reaction to her physical discomfort, which quickly put Gu Wanlin at ease. She usually had a wide range of interests in drama and literature, so she naturally struck up a lively conversation with them very quickly.

When Xia Xia pulled me to the kitchen, Gu Wanlin was chatting with another friend of mine who also works in the publishing industry about a project she was working on to introduce French women's literature. Gu Wanlin said with delight that she had happened to read the English translation two or three years ago and liked it very much. She was happy to see it translated into Chinese and published in China.

I asked Gu Wanlin, "Shall I go to the kitchen?"

My friends pretended to be impatient and urged me, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up. You always hide Teacher Gu away secretly, and now you won't even give us this little bit of time? Teacher Gu is ours now, so don't worry about your useless thoughts."

Gu Wanlin looked at me with a smile in her eyes and nodded slightly. "Okay, go ahead."

When I came out again, there were even more people in the living room. Some had dispersed to play board games, and a different group was chatting with Gu Wanlin on the sofa. Before coming, I hadn't asked Xia in detail who would be coming. These kinds of gatherings are always very casual; everyone is in the group chat, and whoever is available at the last minute will come.

Therefore, I never expected to see Gu Wanlin and Qiao Qi sitting together chatting happily. When they saw me come out, they both turned their attention to me.

I felt like all my internal organs were twisted into a knot.

Can anyone tell me what to do? Can I ask a question online?

"Your ex-girlfriend is sitting and chatting with your ex-date. What should you do?"

I need help urgently.