Chapter Three: Passing By
Lianhua Residence—Gu Bai'an glanced at the sign above the door. This was the semi-private residence of his current "boss," Lu Ming, who occasionally stayed here and used it to entertain guests. The fact that he could come here meant he must have gained a certain level of trust. He just didn't know that these people who spent their days killing with guns would also adopt such a refined and scholarly name.
Gu Bai'an had been undercover in this group for over three years, during which time he was forced to travel to three or four cities. Perhaps it was fate, but also somewhat expected, that he returned to Suichuan, one of the group's key strongholds. It was the very place he had left years ago.
The Lu Ming before him was different from many of the underworld figures he had encountered. In his mid-thirties, young and handsome, with a somewhat upright appearance and frameless glasses, he always wore a slight smile, unconsciously associating himself with a "refined gentleman." This was quite consistent with his public image as a "successful young entrepreneur." If one didn't know his true background, one would probably assume he was a lawyer or something similar.
Lu Ming inquired about his family situation intentionally or unintentionally, without any sense of being aggressive. After hearing his story of "being abandoned by his parents at a young age and resolutely leaving his hometown of Suichuan to work hard in order to return home in glory," she offered just the right amount of sympathy.
Lu Ming listened to his work report for a while with a faint smile. At this moment, the door to a room behind her was pushed open, and a man walked out. Lu Ming immediately looked over, nodded apologetically, and went up to him.
Su Yi was instantly recognizable to Gu Bai'an. Suijiang University's official website had published numerous photos and articles about him, and Yi Chu had mentioned him a few times before—young, promising, and academically highly regarded. But what was a law professor doing here, and seemingly having a significant connection with Lu Ming?
"Why so early? Didn't you agree to meet your friend at four o'clock?" Lu Ming glanced at the clock that had just pointed to "3" and asked while helping Su Yi, who was frantically pulling on her clothes zipper, to straighten her scarf.
“My friend’s elderly relative is in the hospital and suddenly passed out. He’s all alone, so I’m going to help out!” Su Yi said hurriedly, her eyes filled with anxious concern. “Aren’t you going to the company on your way? Could you drive me there and have your driver follow? Leave one car at the hospital, okay? I’m worried I might need it for an emergency.” Su Yi couldn’t drive herself, so she asked Lu Ming.
“Okay.” Lu Ming readily agreed, then turned to Gu Bai’an and said, “Let’s go to the hospital first, I’ll ride with you to the company.” Gu Bai’an nodded to indicate that he understood, took out his car keys, and followed him out. As he walked, he pondered the relationship between the two—to be honest, in his eyes, it was more like “lovers.”
Lu Ming wasn't young anymore, but there had been no news about the rumors surrounding his bedmate. What if… this so-called 'bedmate' was actually present in his life in the most obvious way? That would make a lot of sense. If it weren't for his own sexual orientation, Gu Bai'an would never have thought of this answer. He observed the two of them discreetly.
Lu Ming put one arm around Su Yi's shoulder and, quite gentlemanly, opened the passenger door for him when they got into the car.
If this speculation is true, what role would Su Yi play in all of this? Completely unaware? Is that even possible?
After taking the person to the hospital, Su Yi hurriedly wrapped himself in a down jacket and ran upstairs to the ward, disappearing from sight in no time. But Lu Ming, sitting in the back seat of Gu Bai'an's car, showed no intention of letting him leave.
ward
The walls and hospital beds were blindingly white, and the elderly man was just as pale and withered. The air was filled with a lingering mixture of disinfectant, bitter medicine, and faint excrement.
Yang Jiazhen is only sixty-four years old this year, but the disease has already consumed her life. With each breath, she can clearly perceive the death and decay emanating from her body from the inside out.
She thought, "I am about to die."
Every day of treatment was agonizing. Under the cold machines, amidst excruciating pain, the dignity of being human was utterly stripped away. She had long since ceased to fear death—even yearned for it. Countless nights, she had lingered by the window, the small fruit knife on her bedside table pressed against her wrist countless times. But she… but how could she just die like this! She knew Yi Chu, this child with whom she had no legal ties, had spent all her savings, staked everything, to give her the best medicine and the best doctors. So even though the pain made her grit her teeth and break them, she didn't do that.
And...and there's one more thing, a final, unresolved obsession in her life: the son she raised with such care, the son she could never see in her dreams or even her mind...
Yang Jiazhen cast her last gaze upon Yi Chu, who was kneeling beside the hospital bed, her eyes filled with deep tears. Her dry, cracked lips moved as if she wanted to say something. Yi Chu approached and brought his ear close to Yang Jiazhen's lips.
Her voice was weak and trembling, each syllable seemingly strained with the strength of her life. She had so much to say, but it was stuck in her throat, causing a painful sob to rise. Yet, not a single tear could flow from her eyes.
“Xiao An…”
What she wanted to say most was, "Can you forgive Xiao An and wait for him a little longer, with my share of the love, waiting for him to come back?" But she couldn't say those words. She was going to die, and all her joy and sorrow would return to dust, but Yi Chu had to live on, and all that remained was his bitter waiting.
No single “other person” is worth such a wait.
My child... my child, forgive me for being a burden. You should have your own life, you should get rid of everything that doesn't belong to you. But this selfish mother still wants to ask for your forgiveness in the end...
"Xiao An... wait..." She couldn't finish her last, fragmented sentence.
Wait for him...
Mom is in heaven, may she bless them to return Xiao An to you...
"Beep—" A cold, mechanical sound rang out.
This woman, who lived a lonely life, never found her true love before her death.
Lu Ming remained seated in the car. After eight or nine minutes, he saw Su Yi helping a young man, who was about the same size as him and wearing a white down jacket, out of the car. It was Yi Chu.
The person is gone, but the family still has some paperwork to complete. From the inpatient ward to the paperwork area, you have to walk across a large open space between two buildings, which is just visible from where Lu Ming parked. It's actually quite a distance, and you can only barely make out who the person is. But for some reason, Gu Bai'an suddenly sees everything before him very clearly; every detail is magnified infinitely—that vibrant face, which had only existed in his wildest dreams for the past three years, now weathered by time, every tear of despair in its corner weighing a ton, tearing Gu Bai'an's heart apart.
I want to hug him—I want to rush forward without hesitation, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, even if walking across them means falling into an abyss and never coming back, just to stand in front of him and hug him again… hug him…
And... Gu Bai'an suddenly remembered Su Yi's words, Mother!
The immense suffering and sorrow surged like a giant wave crashing down on the sea without warning, drowning his already fragile heart. He didn't even know how to cope with his grief, or how to express his filial piety in a way that would make his mother aware of his shameful act of "filial piety."
She raised me, yet I couldn't see her off. Could it be... could it be that she was still thinking of me with deep, bitter resentment before she died?
My mother only had herself in her life...
This was the first time in his life he regretted taking this path.
Gu Bai'an felt his facial muscles trembling uncontrollably. He wondered if Lu Ming, who was so close, would notice this. He covered his mouth with his hand, pretending to try his best to hold back a yawn, and secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingertips.
"Bai An, let's go to the company." Lu Ming took out a tissue, wiped the not-so-dirty lenses of her glasses, put them back on, and said.
"Okay," Gu Bai'an replied, his voice unchanged.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
