Chapter 66 Published

A week later, it was the day of Gu family’s old man’s birthday party.

Ji Ruan was woken up by Gu Xiuyi early in the morning. When he opened his eyes, there was a small light on the bedside. It seemed that the sky outside was still dark, and the tree branches were shadowy.

Gu Xiuyi sat beside the bed and patted his back gently.

"Get up, baby. We have to go out." He spoke softly in Ji Ruan's ear, as if he was afraid to scare Ji Ruan.

Ji Ruan gradually regained consciousness, but he was unable to move, and his hands and feet were weak and powerless.

He always had difficulty getting up, and the earlier he got up the more uncomfortable it was.

"Ah..." Ji Ruan sighed: "What time is it..."

Gu Xiuyi's eyes were filled with guilt: "It will take a while to get to the pier by car. Sorry, baby, can we sleep in the car?"

Ji Ruan was stunned for a few seconds before he remembered that the old man wanted to hold his birthday party on a cruise ship. He was old and frail and could not withstand the waves, but he also required the most luxurious cruise ship, so the only choice was to hold it on the largest river outside the city.

It's suitable in every aspect, except that the distance is a bit far.

However, it was common knowledge that the old man of the Gu family was in poor health. It was not easy for him to survive until his 80th birthday. Everyone knew that this birthday party on the cruise ship was probably his last wish, so naturally no one would object.

No matter how bloody the situation is within the Gu family, as the eldest grandson, Gu Xiuyi still has to do this superficial work.

After figuring all this out, Ji Ruan rarely acted like a spoiled child towards Gu Xiuyi, and instead supported herself on the bed and sat up.

But consciousness is consciousness and the body is the body, and people always have times when they are unable to do things as they wish - for example, Ji Ruan had just stood up a little when he was knocked down by hypoglycemia and fell on Gu Xiuyi.

Gu Xiuyi quickly hugged her, feeling distressed: "Alright, alright, let's take it slow, there's no rush, baby."

While rubbing Ji Ruan's temples, he coaxed him softly in his ear.

Aunt Zhao came in with some sugar water and saw this scene. She felt bad: "What a sin..."

Their Xiao Ruan is in poor health. The Chinese doctor he saw a few days ago said that he was very weak in qi and blood. It is really uncomfortable if he gets up early and doesn't sleep well.

Gu Xiuyi took the cup and fed Ji Ruan a few sips. He carefully observed his expression, thought for a moment, and said to Aunt Zhao, "Please help me get his clothes."

"Ah?...Okay." Aunt Zhao didn't understand, but still did what Gu Xiuyi said.

Gu Xiuyi hugged Ji Ruan softly and said, "Go to sleep, baby. I won't call you anymore. Be good and I'll help you put on your clothes, okay?"

After waiting for two seconds, the little head on my shoulder nodded gently.

Gu Xiuyi lowered his head and kissed the top of his head: "You are so good, thank you for your hard work, baby."

Next, Gu Xiuyi helped Ji Ruan put on his clothes skillfully, as if he was playing with a doll. After taking him to wash up briefly, he gently carried him into the car.

Ji Ruan opened his eyes slightly and looked over Gu Xiuyi's shoulder to see that the sky outside the car window was turning pale.

Gu Xiuyi was afraid that Ji Ruan would have stomach discomfort, so he took the opportunity to feed him something to fill his stomach while he was still conscious.

The car drove smoothly onto the highway, and Ji Ruan snuggled in Gu Xiuyi's arms and slept soundly for a nap, which was even more comfortable than sleeping at home.

But I was woken up before I could fall asleep. It was already bright outside the window, and a magnificent luxury cruise ship was docked at the pier not far away.

Gu Xiuyi fed Ji Ruan some water, wiped his face with a wet towel, held his face and looked at it for a while, and only then did he lead him out of the car after making sure that the child had regained consciousness.

Ji Ruan's cheeks were rubbed red, and her long eyelashes were wet and stuck together. Under the natural light outside, her skin was crystal white, like a fresh young seedling, the tenderest one in the entire vegetable garden.

He was just raising his hand to rub his eyes when Gu Xiuyi hugged him and pecked his lips.

"Why are you here again?" Ji Ruan covered his mouth with the back of his hand to prevent the man from continuing shamelessly.

Although there were no guests at the pier, all the staff inside and outside were in good condition, and they were being affectionate in public. Ji Ruan was not as thick-skinned as a 30-year-old man, and he knew how to write the word shy.

Seeing that the tips of Ji Ruan’s ears had turned red, Gu Xiuyi stopped teasing him. He helped him push the loose hair around his ears to cover them, and then held his arm as they walked forward.

"Okay, your hair is blocking it, so no one can see that your ears are red, baby."

Although it was clearly a coaxing tone, it sounded quite mocking, causing Ji Ruan to glare at him fiercely.

But Ji Ruan may not know that people with too beautiful eyes, when glaring at others, their angry and resentful look will actually attract the audience's heart.

For example, now Gu Xiuyi really wants to kiss him a few more times.

But Ji Ruan's skin was thinner than the membrane inside the eggshell. Gu Xiuyi didn't dare to challenge him and could only endure it.

After going up the gangway, we were led into the central lobby by the waiter. The huge hall was covered with neat red velvet carpet. The lamps and wine utensils were shining brightly in the sunlight pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, as if they were covered with gold edges.

The lobby serves as the main banquet hall, and all facilities are already on display, revealing an empty prosperity when guests are not present.

For such a grand banquet, the host would naturally arrive in advance and make all arrangements before officially opening the door to begin a night of feasting and reveling in luxury.

At the bar not far away, Fang Lan was dressed elegantly, holding a glass of red wine in her hand, and her pointed nails were painted the same dark red as the wine in the glass.

"I have so much money to burn..." She curled her lips.

"He couldn't stay here at the last minute and had to go through all this trouble. Could he be hoping to regain his youth overnight and take back the Gu family? Isn't he afraid of shortening his life which is already only a few days left?"

"Mom, please be careful with your words." Gu Xuli advised indifferently.

Fang Lan sneered: "What's the big deal? Can he still get up and hit me? There is an old saying in my hometown, it's a big birthday."

Gu Xuli, a young master who had received modern education since childhood, naturally had never heard of this. He frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just some local dialect," Fang Lan smiled, "It means that the person is old and can't celebrate his birthday with an integer, otherwise he won't be able to get over it."

Seeing that her son still looked confused, she explained, "For example, for your 80th birthday, you should celebrate it when you are 79. That way, the King of Hell will see that you have already celebrated your birthday and will be too lazy to take you in advance. At least you can be safe and sound during your 79th year."

"Either you pass 81. After you pass 80, you might even reach 90. If you try to pass by an integer, isn't that the same as asking the King of Hell to take you away?"

Gu Xiuli didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Mom! Aren't you superstitious?"

"So what if I'm superstitious?" Fang Lan took a sip of red wine. "If these old sayings don't make sense, why do you think they've been passed down until now?"

Gu Xuli covered her lips with her hands and coughed, pretending to be surprised but agreeing with approval.

"Ah, but let him be," Fang Lan sighed. "He has one foot in the grave, why should I bother with him? If he really dies, wouldn't it be a blessing for the two of us?"

The identity of an illegitimate child can never be made public. Even though Fang Lan is now the real Mrs. Gu, with that face-conscious old man and Gu Xiuyi standing in the way, her son will never have a chance to succeed.

Gu Xiuyi is at the peak of his career and cannot be challenged head-on, but as long as the old man dies, they will be able to squeeze some shares out of Gu Zhaoxu's teeth. Even a little bit will be enough for her and her son to squander for a lifetime.

Fang Lan's face lit up with a happy smile just thinking about it, and she flicked the non-existent dust off Gu Xuli's shoulder: "Hold on a little longer, as long as we fight this last battle well and send that old man away safely, my son will be able to survive."

A series of footsteps were heard not far away, and the sound of a waiter leading the way made Fang Lan and her son turn their heads.

Gu Xiuyi and Ji Ruan suddenly appeared at the floor-to-ceiling window. No one knew how long they had been there, but they didn't even notice them.

Fang Lan's expression froze for a moment. After all, what she had just said was indeed unpleasant to the ear, and she was not sure how much Gu Xiuyi and his wife had heard.

But in the final analysis, Gu Xiuyi was just as annoyed with the old man as she and her son were.

The old man valued face more than anything else in his life. When her affair with Gu Zhaoxu was exposed, Gu Xiuyi's mother, who had been noble all her life, wanted to divorce in a big way. The old man was afraid of losing face if the matter became too big. Fang Lan remembered clearly how he forced Gu Xiuyi's mother into depression and how he trapped her to death in a mental hospital.

Gu Xiuyi will only remember it better than her.

Over the years, he has surpassed his teacher and imitated the old man's method to trap the old man in Gu's house for seven or eight years. However, the whole family knows that as long as the old man is not dead, he will never be able to get rid of the hatred in his heart.

So even if Gu Xiuyi really heard everything, he would not make a big deal about it with the mother and son.

From this point of view, their position is the same as Gu Xiuyi's, and they all hope that Gu Changyun will die soon.

Some people live their entire lives doing evil, and when they die, no one really feels sad for them. How sad is that?

Thinking of this, Fang Lan smiled comfortably and walked forward: "Hey, Xiuyi is here, why didn't you make a sound? I was startled."

Gu Xiuyi hugged Ji Ruan, pretending he hadn't heard the mother and son's previous long conversation, and greeted: "Seeing you and Xiaoli chatting enthusiastically, I remembered that I haven't seen you for a long time, so I didn't intend to disturb you."

"Look at what you said, what do we have to talk about?" Fang Lan laughed: "How are you, Xiao Ruan? I heard that you were injured before, and Auntie was worried."

Ji Ruan said politely: "It's okay, Auntie, I've recovered a long time ago."

"Really?" Fang Lan pretended to be relieved. "But I think my blood is still a little off. I need to rest more."

Ji Ruan nodded and smiled: "Thank you, I will."

Gu Xiuli mustered up his courage and took a step forward, looking at Gu Xiuyi and said respectfully, "Brother."

Gu Xiuyi looked at him and smiled indifferently: "Xiao Li, how long have you been back?"

"I arrived yesterday." Gu Xiuyi said respectfully.

"Well," Gu Xiuyi nodded: "Then relax and stay for a while."

Gu Xiuli's eyes lit up, but before he could get excited, Gu Xiuyi poured cold water on him: "Continue to study abroad after the summer vacation, and don't let your mother worry."

Gu Xiuli's expression lightened a lot, and he said, "Okay, thanks for your advice, brother."

After all, they were not in a close relationship, and a few pleasantries almost used up all the topics accumulated over the past year. No one spoke in the hall for a while.

Gu Xiuyi was too lazy to speak, and Fang Lan and her son really didn't know what to say.

After a moment, Fang Lan smiled amiably: "Hey, why are we all standing there like idiots? Let's go see Grandpa. He will definitely be happy to see us all together!"

Although he didn't think Gu Changyun would be happy to see him, it was indeed courtesy to visit the old man after arriving. Seeing that Ji Ruan looked indifferent, Gu Xiuyi did not refuse and went upstairs with Fang Lan and her son.

Gu Changyun lived in the quietest suite in the cabin. Before he even entered the room, Ji Ruan heard a dripping sound coming from inside. He had been hospitalized countless times and knew very well that this was the sound made by the oxygen concentrator.

When I pushed the door open, I saw Gu Changyun half lying on the bed with an oxygen mask on his face and a male nurse standing next to him.

He looked much more haggard and decrepit than he did a year ago. His skin was dark and old, covered with age spots, and the flesh on his face hung loosely on his skull, like a walking corpse.

When Ji Ruan had a terminal illness in his previous life, he saw many people in the same ward as him die one after another. Their conditions were similar to Gu Changyun's at this moment.

Ji Ruan understood that this was a sign that the end was approaching.

But precisely because he had seen too many deaths, he was even more afraid of seeing such faces.

Gu Zhaoxu and Fang Qiming were both sitting on one side. Fang Qiming took a look and raised his eyebrows: "Wow, it's so lively, are you all here together?"

Fang Lan walked closer in her high heels: "Didn't we meet in the lobby? I thought since we're all here to see dad, why don't we all come together to make it more lively."

As she spoke, she bent down and supported Gu Changyun's shoulders, and asked virtuously, "Dad, are you feeling well? Are you feeling unwell?"

Gu Changyun moved and a slight hum came from the oxygen mask, obviously dissatisfied with Fang Lan's touch.

Fang Lan's smile froze. She withdrew her hand, tilted her head to adjust her hair, and rolled her eyes where Gu Changyun couldn't see.

The nurse brought a chair over for each of them, and they all sat together by the bed. At first glance, they looked like three generations living together in harmony.

Everyone chatted for a while, and out of consideration for the old man's health, the conversation was unusually gentle. At least everyone seemed polite on the surface.

Ten minutes later, Gu Changyun pulled down his oxygen mask, coughed a few times, raised his hand and said hoarsely: "All...stay for dinner?"

How could he eat in this state? When everyone heard this, they knew that the old man couldn't hold on any longer, so they ordered him to leave.

Gu Xiuyi was the first to take over the conversation, and he stood up with Ji Ruan in his arms: "We won't keep him. Ji Ruan has a bad stomach, so please don't bother Grandpa to put up with him."

Fang Lan also stood up: "Yes, there are still some things waiting for me to deal with at the banquet. I have to go and take a look. I will give you a lively birthday party tonight."

After that, everyone else politely said their goodbyes, and the group of people dispersed, leaving only the ticking sound of the oxygen concentrator in the room.

After coming out, Ji Ruan lowered his head and said nothing, his face looking a little worried.

Gu Xiuyi held him in his arms and walked towards the VIP suite at the bow, rubbing his cheek affectionately: "What's wrong, baby, are you scared?"

Gu Changyun was not a kind person in his entire life. Even when he was about to die, he was unable to look kind. Instead, because he was too tired to hide it, his deep-seated meanness became even more apparent.

Coupled with the gloomy atmosphere brought about by a long-term illness, the entire room was filled with an invisible but extremely oppressive, corpse-like smell.

If a child came in and saw this, he would probably be scared and cry on the spot.

In Gu Xiuyi's mind, Ji Ruan is just a very spoiled child.

Ji Ruan was not scared, but any death would bring back bad memories deep in his heart, making him feel extremely uncomfortable both mentally and physically.

"...No," Ji Ruan shook his head, looking a little tired: "I just think that he may only be here for a few days."

"I know," Gu Xiuyi supported Ji Ruan's face and said softly, "Everyone in the room just now knew it clearly."

His eyes were heavy, mixed with many dark emotions, including gloom, hatred, and also seemed to be a kind of relief as if he had reached the end of the cliff.

Ji Ruan's heart skipped a beat when he saw this, and even his breathing became lighter.

Gu Xiuyi came back to his senses and felt Ji Ruan's palms were a little cold. Then he realized that he was the one who scared Ji Ruan.

He quickly hugged Ji Ruan into his arms and patted his back gently: "It's okay, don't be afraid, don't think about these things, let's go back to the room to eat something and rest for a while, okay?"

Ji Ruan knew that he shouldn't let these things affect his emotions. He buried himself in Gu Xiuyi's arms to absorb the warmth and tried to adjust his state.

After a long time, Gu Xiuyi heard the person in his arms say "hmm" softly.