got engaged?
A month later, Gu Hanzhi's health collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye. On the way to the hospital, almost all of her weight was on Gu Songyi's arm, and every step she took revealed a sense of weakness and fatigue.
In the consulting room, the doctor stared at the spreading shadow on the film, his brow knitted together, his voice heavy as if soaked in water: "Your stomach cancer has spread extensively. The situation is very grim. I'm afraid the time left is very short."
"Even if you're hospitalized immediately, it can only temporarily alleviate your symptoms. At most...at most, it will only last for half a month."
The air froze instantly. Gu Songyi's Adam's apple rolled a few times, his voice choked with sobs, but he still managed to speak clearly, "Doctor, please arrange for us to be hospitalized as soon as possible."
After everything was settled, Gu Hanzhi's condition finally eased a little, but that was all - her face was still pale, she would still look tired with the slightest movement, and even her voice was so soft that it seemed like it would be blown away by the wind at any time. There was no sign of complete improvement.
"Song Yi, I... don't want to be treated anymore." Gu Hanzhi's pale lips moved, her voice so light that it seemed like it would be blown away by the wind at any time, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched the corner of her hospital gown.
She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyes, and her tone was full of weakness: "You also know that Gu's stock has plummeted in recent years. Even my father has to go to negotiate small projects in person... I don't want to be a burden to the family anymore."
Gu Songyi's fingertips clenched the bedside railing tightly, his knuckles turning pale. As he leaned forward, his voice trembled slightly, but he managed to suppress his emotions and said, "Sister, look at me."
He reached out and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, the warmth of his palm passing through the thin hospital gown. "I've learned a lot over the years. Gu's stock price has fallen, and I can do my best to help it recover. If my father wants to seek cooperation, I can cover half of his social engagements. But if you leave, who will take care of the snow-capped mountains and seas I've saved up all these years and wanted to take you to see?"
Gu Hanzhi's eyelashes trembled, and she couldn't hold back her tears, which fell on the back of his hand. Gu Songyi's Adam's apple rolled, and his voice became softer: "Yesterday the doctor said that your response to the new treatment was better than expected. Just hold on a little longer, just... just wait out the winter with me, okay?" He fished out a wrinkled candy wrapper from his pocket, and inside was a fruit candy. "You always said your mouth was bitter, so I bought some at the convenience store downstairs today. It's orange flavored, try it."
Gu Hanzhi pinched a piece of candy between her fingers, the wrapper crunching against her palm. She slowly took it into her mouth, the lemony sweetness spreading as a tear unexpectedly rolled down her cheek. She raised her hand and dabbed at the corner of her eye, her lips curving slightly. Her voice, choked with a sob, was remarkably clear: "It's so sweet."
The sound of the television suddenly pierced the stagnant silence in the room. The screen lit up, and the news anchor's clear voice emanated from the speakers, echoing clearly throughout the room. "Recently, the Shen family and the business giant Lin family officially expressed their intention to form a marriage. Neither party has disclosed further details. However, this move has been widely interpreted as a business alliance aimed at strengthening their partnership."
"It is reported that the two families are planning to marry Shen Zhihe, the heir of the Shen family, and Lin Yue, the daughter of the Lin family. Not only do they come from prominent families, but they are also alumni of the same school. This powerful marriage seems to be a match made in heaven in the eyes of many people."
Gu Songyi's face was filled with confusion, his brows furrowed slightly, clearly not expecting such news. Gu Hanzhi, on the other hand, remained calm, not showing any surprise at all—after all, she had been the one who initiated the breakup, and whether Shen Zhihe had found a new girlfriend or simply entered into marriage was no longer a matter of concern to her.
Gu Songyi frowned slightly, his tone tentative with a hint of reluctance to believe: "This can't be true, right? That Shen Zhihe is a good person, it's impossible for him to find a new lover, right?"
Gu Hanzhi lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the corner of her clothes. Her voice was so calm that not much emotion could be heard. She simply said, "We have broken up. What happened between him and someone else has nothing to do with me anymore."
Gu Hanzhi said this, but her heart felt like it was being pricked by a tiny needle, a sharp pain piercing her. After all, the person she had secretly loved for so long was about to be engaged to the person who had bullied her. Such a thing would inevitably make anyone feel bitter and sad.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhihe was ostensibly working on a math problem, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the day Hanzhi broke up with him. His pen left a few messy scratches on the paper. Frustrated, he reached for his phone to distract himself, but the moment he opened the app, the headline pierced his eyes like an icy thorn: "The Shen and Lin families will be engaged in eight days." That single line of text sent chills through his body, his fingertips numbing.
He hurried downstairs clutching his phone. When he found Shen Zhiyuan in the study, his voice still carried unsuppressed shock, and his politeness concealed an obvious questioning: "Father, what's going on? Are you going to get me engaged to Lin Yue?"
He took a half step forward, his tone more urgent: "You know Lin Yue. He formed cliques and small groups in junior high school, and even learned to smoke and drink in high school. How can such a person be with me? Besides, in my heart..."
When he said the last few words, his Adam's apple rolled, and he almost gritted his teeth before continuing: "...There is someone else."
Chen Zhiyuan looked at his son's red eyes, a trace of heartache flashing through them. He raised his hand and pressed his brow, his voice deeper, "Son, I don't want you to marry that girl either. An alliance between the Lin family and us will keep our stock rising in the coming years. If we refuse again..."
Before he finished speaking, he sighed heavily and didn't continue. However, the helplessness and compromise in his words had already clearly reached Shen Zhihe's ears.
At this moment, the Lin residence seemed somewhat calm, in stark contrast to the tense atmosphere in the living room. Mother Lin was terribly anxious, her voice filled with anxiety: "Husband, how could you let your daughter marry into such a small family? Besides, you know that our daughter likes someone from the Wang family. How could you match them up so haphazardly?"
Lin's father, however, appeared remarkably calm. He reached out and pulled Lin's mother to sit on the sofa, then lowered his voice to explain, "Madam, the Shen family is by no means an ordinary, small family. In their early years, their presence shook the entire city of A. Furthermore, experts have predicted that Shen Zhihe, the Shen family's son, is a rare business genius. In short, this marriage is settled, and I have my own considerations."
The bedroom door on the second floor was ajar, and Lin Yue could hear her parents' conversation clearly. She leaned against the window, a thin cigarette dangling from her lips, the flame flickering between her fingertips. As she exhaled the smoke, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and a hint of amusement lingered in her eyes, as if silently saying: This good show is about to begin.
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