That's settled!

When we were dating, I was sometimes too embarrassed to call Gu Wanlin too intimately in front of my friends, so I habitually called him "our Teacher Gu". Gu Wanlin did teach me some respectable things, such as quantitative analysis and data modeling, as well as some things that are not for outsiders to know.

I never call her that to her face.

She used to be my personal teacher, but now she's the teacher of many. Sometimes, when I have free time, I'll go to school to pick her up after class and see her surrounded by students; or when I get home and go into her study, I see her diligently typing on the keyboard with her little knuckles to reply to students' emails, and a subtle pang of jealousy rises in my heart. How come even "Teacher Gu" has been taken away?

My biggest concern is her health. Before, Gu Wanlin's life revolved mainly between home and the hospital, but now her workload has gradually increased. When ordinary people experience back pain from sitting for long periods, they naturally get up to rest and relax for a while, but Gu Wanlin doesn't seem to care about her body. When she's in work mode, she's extremely focused and doesn't like to be interrupted, easily losing her sense of time. In addition, she's extremely thin, and early signs of pressure sores appeared near her tailbone, almost developing into a more serious inflammation.

When I took her to the hospital, the doctor gave me a stern warning: "I don't need to elaborate on the dangers of pressure sores for paraplegic patients, do I? Skin necrosis and skin grafts are minor issues; serious infections can be life-threatening."

Gu Wanlin was forced to stay in bed for two days, and her phone had an alarm that went off every half hour to remind her to sit up and reduce stress.

I was terrified when the doctor said it was life-threatening. Gu Wanlin tried to comfort me, "Trust me, everyone gets pressure sores. Sometimes it's just because you're not paying attention for a few hours. No matter how carefully you take care of yourself, there will be times when you miss a spot. I had one in the first year after my injury. This one is really not that serious. If you have to blame someone, blame my body for being so troublesome right now, and for making you waste time bringing me to the hospital."

As I listened, I felt increasingly uneasy. When people are healthy, they take their health for granted, but for Gu Wanlin now, a few hours of negligence can even develop into a fatal danger, forcing her to make many adjustments and sacrifices to her daily life.

"Don't talk nonsense. Of course I had to bring you to the hospital because I was worried. Saying it's a waste of time is pointless. Nobody wants their health to suffer. We'll just take good care of it."

Fortunately, the symptoms were discovered in time, and Gu Wanlin's symptoms almost disappeared after staying at home for two days, allowing him to return to rehabilitation.

Gu Wanlin's previous balance training was very effective, and Dr. Zhao recently began to add four-point support and crawling training to her.

Watching Gu Wanlin struggle to crawl on the soft mat Dr. Zhao had laid out for her, supporting herself on her elbows, she could only drag herself forward a few centimeters each time, panting and unable to lift her head. I felt so sad that I turned away and burst into tears. It had been a long time since I had accompanied her to rehabilitation, and seeing her so poised and confident on the podium lately, I had almost forgotten how hard she had worked to overcome her physical limitations.

Seeing that I was upset, Dr. Zhao pulled me aside and said, “Your family may feel bad about this, but this training is part of strengthening her mobility. It’s necessary to do this to improve her self-care ability. Like last time she fell at home, if she could have crawled to get her phone, things might not have been so bad. Crawling on flat ground is within her current ability, so don’t worry, we doctors know what we’re doing.”

While Gu Wanlin was resting, I tried my best to hide my emotions and wiped the sweat from her forehead, but she noticed it immediately. "It's okay, I can manage on my own. You've been busy with work lately, so you don't need to stay here with me all the time. Go out and find a place to sit down and do your own thing. Come pick me up when you're done."

She smiled sheepishly, "I know some of the exercises might not look very good when practiced..."

Afraid she would misunderstand, I quickly interrupted, "I don't think there's anything wrong with it..."

She looked back at me gently. "I know, don't worry, I didn't misunderstand. My parents have come with me before, and sometimes they felt sorry for me and sad when they saw it. I feel really okay today, and I don't want you to be sad because of me. Go out for some fresh air, do something for yourself, and try to focus on yourself again. I promise you, I'm fine, okay?"

She continued, "I hope that when I have the capacity, I can also take care of your feelings. Ah Qing, at least don't make me feel like I'm a bottomless vortex that only sucks away everyone's happiness."

Seeing that I hesitated and didn't want to leave, she smiled and gave me a push, "Come on, if you really have nothing to do, go buy the groceries, I'm going to order some dishes tonight."

Days passed by, and spring grew stronger. When Gu Wanlin and I took a walk in the evening, the evening breeze was already carrying a faint fragrance of flowers, and the lush greenery that caught our eye seemed even more vibrant. Unfortunately, the natural scenery that can be enjoyed in the city is always limited, so when Jiang Yu came to us to propose a temporary weekend plan, I couldn't wait to agree.

Jiang Yu swiped his phone screen to show Gu Wanlin a map of the hotel's facilities. "Gu Wanlin, let me tell you, you'd be dreaming if you were thinking of booking this luxury resort hotel at this time under normal circumstances. This was only because one of my colleagues couldn't go, and I had to snag it for them at the last minute. Do you know how far in advance they booked this private courtyard room with lake and mountain views and a private hot spring?"

Jiang Yu gestured excitedly, "Six months, six months!"

She said bitterly, "We've been sisters for ten years. What's wrong with asking you to come with me to the mountains nearby for a weekend getaway? You're the first person I thought of when this happened. I didn't even ask anyone else. What are you hesitating for? What are you waiting for?"

Gu Wanlin was amused by her exaggeration. "Alright, alright, I was being ungrateful. It's not that I don't want to accompany you, it's just that I'm worried that in my current state, going out will only cause trouble for others and spoil your vacation."

Jiang Yu waved her hand dismissively, "Why are you being so polite with me about our relationship? Gu Wanlin, why do you talk like you're cursing? How much trouble could you possibly cause with your small frame? Can't the two of us handle you? This is settled!"