Chapter 25 He said he didn't want to go
Gu Weiyi did not go to Paris, and he could not be found in Mombasa.
He disappeared.
First, the airline called Gustav, saying the first-class passengers hadn't boarded yet. Gustav then contacted Gu Weiyi, but couldn't get through to him. He then contacted Li Wenjing. She couldn't get through to Gu Weiyi, so she asked people she knew, like Father Paul, Anna, and Katashar, but they all said they didn't know.
The sky was inky blue, a few streaks of blood-red afterglow lingering on the horizon. By the time she arrived at the airport, it was already dark. Gustav had also arrived, and he and his secretary were chatting with airport staff in the lobby. They were talking rapidly, words tumbling out of Gustav's mouth. Li Wenjing couldn't quite make out what they were discussing. Katasha called, and she quickly picked up, asking if there was any news about Dr. Gu.
Katasha said no, but simply suggested she start her search at the airport. Li Wenjing asked why, and he simply said it was a hunch. Charles wasn't a proactive person, and with so much going on lately, if he didn't want to move, he wouldn't have gotten very far. He would have just found a place to hide like a frightened animal.
He told Li Wenjing about his first encounter with Gu Weiyi. He was actually quite frightened by the lions roaming the grasslands, too afraid to get out of the car. He hid inside, trembling, and perhaps he wanted to survive. Katasha covered him with two blankets, but he was still shaking. He was actually a coward, and she had to go find him.
Katasha was well aware of his suicide attempt, and Li Wenjing trusted his instincts. He must have gone into hiding, like a grain of sand, hidden in the crowd. He didn't want to leave Africa, didn't want to return to Paris.
Gustav wanted to check the surveillance footage to find the person, but the airport wouldn't let him, requiring police clearance. The two sides argued for over ten minutes without any results. Li Wenjing, not in the mood to listen to their argument, turned around and started looking for him at the airport.
Li Wenjing took his photo and asked everyone, but they all said they didn't know. After walking around, she couldn't find him. The only place she hadn't visited was the restroom. She waited outside and asked the men coming out of the men's room if they knew this man. The men all shook their heads. Li Wenjing was anxious and simply barged in. Two men were standing in the restroom. When they saw Li Wenjing come in, they quickly pulled up their pants and shouted, "Miss, you've come to the wrong place."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm really in a hurry. I'm looking for someone. I've looked everywhere, but I can't find him. He's my friend... He's sick..."
Li Wenjing apologized as she knocked on each door, asking. One door wouldn't open, and no one answered. Li Wenjing's heart tightened, and she immediately knew he was inside. She knocked twice and shouted, "Open the door! It's me!"
He ignored her, and Li Wenjing was so anxious that she pounded on the door, but still no one answered. Passersby came to comfort Li Wenjing, urging her not to worry. Li Wenjing took a deep breath, clenched her fist, lowered her hand, and said gently, "Doctor Gu, it really is me. Don't you want to leave? Don't you need me? Tu me manquers... Open the door."
As she spoke, tears began to fall, and she stared intently at the tiny spot on the door before her. He was just behind her, a thin door, seemingly far away, and the door of his heart had never been open to her. Her vision gradually blurred through her tears, and the door itself grew hazy, flowing, two streams of blood flowing to her feet, surrounding her with no way to retreat.
"Gu Weiyi! Open the door for me! Fuck!"
Li Wenjing hammered on the door again. The spot on the door panel trembled and grew larger, as if it was about to burst out and pierce her forehead. The people around her also noticed something was wrong and comforted her, saying that they would help her call someone to open the door. Li Wenjing didn't know where she got the strength from, but kicked the door open.
Behind the door, he was throbbing and twisting, blood pouring from his wrist in thick lines across the floor. Li Wenjing frantically pulled out a roll of toilet paper and wrapped it around his wrist. The seeping blood clung to her fingertips, making it so sticky that she couldn't let go.
"Doctor Gu, are you okay... look at me!"
He continued to twitch. Li Wenjing didn't know what to do, so she could only cry. Subconsciously, she hugged him, saying nothing, just hugging him. He twitched violently in her arms for a minute or two, then gradually calmed down. The sweat from his hair dripped onto her wrist, like drops of red blood flowing down her arm.
"Are you okay?" Li Wenjing asked.
He said nothing, but held her waist tightly, his head buried in her chest. Li Wenjing stroked his head, her fingers wet, and tried her best to comfort him.
"Charles!"
Gustav roared outside and pushed through the crowd to get in. Since Gustav left, Li Wenjing felt him twitching again. She hugged him, feeling like she was holding a frightened little animal.
Gustav reached out and was about to stroke his head when Li Wenjing turned around and stopped him outside the bathroom. He stepped out, called an ambulance, and yelled at the person on the other end of the line for a few more words before hanging up. He said to Li Wenjing, "Wenjing, please help Charles out. I'll drive him to the hospital."
"No, I won't go. I won't go to the hospital..."
Gu Weiyi shook his head, his voice so soft that only Li Wenjing could hear it.
"He said he didn't want to go."
Gustav didn't seem to understand and glared at them with a frown, his shadow backlit on them.
Li Wenjing repeated it.
"Look at him now! He's having a seizure. Take him out and get him in the car."
Gustav's tone was urgent, his anger piercing her eardrums. He'd been throwing a tantrum all day, unlike his usual gentle demeanor. He appeared before them with the unquestionable authority of a father, frightening not only Gu Weiyi but also Li Wenjing. It was like when she was a child, when her father would always yell at her for making mistakes, a sound she feared. But on the other hand, she couldn't retreat like this. He was terrified. She had to do something for him, she had to protect him—now, she was all he had.
"He's a doctor himself. If he says you don't need to go, then you don't need to go."
Li Wenjing felt her confidence weaken as she said this. Gu Weiyi's trembling seemed to be contagious, and she began to shiver as well, a chill running down her spine. "Gustav, don't push him anymore. He doesn't want to go to the hospital, and he doesn't want to go to Paris. Please be understanding."
Gustav no longer gave them time, his voice became increasingly cold and emotionless, like the roar of a lion.
"Come out, I won't say it a second time, thank you."
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