Hospitalization
The next day's sunshine was exceptionally bright, its golden rays filtering through the gauze curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor. Gu Hanzhi's fingertips pinched the corner of her off-white shirt, slowly buttoning the last button. Her gaze drifted unconsciously out the window—the sycamore leaves downstairs were sun-kissed, shimmering brightly, even the dust in the air was tinged with a warm glow.
She looked at the dazzling sunlight, her fingertips gently resting on the cold glass window, her voice as soft as a breeze: "The sunshine is exceptionally bright today... It's a pity that we won't be able to see such good sunshine in the future." When she finished speaking, there was a trace of melancholy hidden in the end of her voice that she herself was not aware of, and then she suppressed it calmly.
At this moment, the rapid ringing of the phone suddenly broke the silence in the room. Gu Hanzhi glanced at the words "Jiang Wanning" on the screen, and her fingertips slid across the answer button. Before she could say anything, a high-pitched voice exploded from the receiver: "Ancestor! How on earth did you offend Shen Zhihe?!"
Jiang Wanning's voice was filled with shock and helplessness, and even her breathing was a little rapid. "Last night, he forcibly dragged Lu Chenzhou and me to KTV. From the moment he walked in, he held a beer bottle tightly and wouldn't let go, like a primary school student who had just been heartbroken! Later, when he drank too much, he actually cried. That crying sound was absolutely amazing, intermittent, like a kettle boiling, hissing, and it gave me goosebumps all over the floor!"
Gu Hanzhi paused, her fingers gripping the phone, her brows furrowed slightly. She leaned against the window, the sunlight falling on half of her face, but it didn't dispel the doubt in her eyes. She thought: Is it necessary to just reject a proposal?
Gu Hanzhi said to the person on the other end of the phone, "I have something else to do, so I'll hang up first." As soon as she finished speaking, she ended the call.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and Gu Songyi's voice came from outside the door: "Sister, our plane will take off in an hour. Can we pack our bags and go now?"
The door was pushed open, and Gu Hanzhi stood inside. He responded calmly, "Song Yi, let's go now."
An hour later, Gu Hanzhi passed through security smoothly and stepped briskly into the cabin. The moment the cabin door closed, her tense shoulders finally relaxed, and the huge rock in her heart because of Shen Zhihe quietly fell to the ground. As long as the plane took off and arrived abroad, he would never find her again, and there would be no chance to ask her why she left.
After getting off the plane and entering Country A, Gu Hanzhi's discomfort returned. She quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover her mouth, but within moments, a glaring bloodstain seeped out.
Seeing this, Gu Songyi was about to step forward to inquire about the situation, but Gu Hanzhi hurriedly hid the blood-stained handkerchief behind her. Her face was as pale as paper, but she still managed to pull out a faint smile. "It's just a minor cold, nothing serious. Take my luggage to the hotel we booked earlier. I'll go to the nearby pharmacy to buy some medicine and will meet you soon."
Fortunately, Gu Hanzhi had learned the language of Country A beforehand, so communication was easy. She followed the navigation on her phone to find the nearest hospital, registered, and walked into the clinic. A female doctor reviewed her test results, sighed softly, and said in a heavy tone, "Your stomach cancer has reached the late stage, and the situation is not optimistic. Preliminary diagnosis suggests that it may be related to your long-term malnutrition caused by previous external injuries. The cancer cells are now gradually spreading and eroding your body functions. The safest advice at this time is to be hospitalized for treatment to slow the deterioration of the disease as much as possible."
Gu Hanzhi had just stepped out of the hospital gate when the wind blew a corner of the medical record she was holding between her fingers. She stared at the words on it in a daze, muttering to herself, "How can I find a good reason to tell Song Yi..."
The moment he lowered his head and frowned in thought, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him, with a slightly unnoticeable hoarseness: "I suggest you don't hide it, just say it directly."
Gu Hanzhi looked up suddenly, and met a pair of red eyes—it was Gu Songyi. She subconsciously clenched her medical records tightly, and said in a panic, "Songyi? Didn't you go pack your things and check into the hotel? Why are you here?"
Gu Songyi didn't answer, but took a step forward with red eyes, stretched out his hands and hugged her tightly, his voice was very gentle, but it hid the heartache that could not be concealed: "If I hadn't come, I wouldn't know that you had kept it from me for so long." He paused and touched her back, "Recuperate in the hospital for the next few months, don't delay any longer."
Gu Hanzhi leaned in his arms, raised her hand and patted his back, her tone softening as if she was coaxing a grumpy child: "Okay, I'm fine now. Let's talk about the hospitalization next month. This month, can you accompany me to walk around and have some fun?"
Gu Songyi suddenly raised his head, his eyes red, and his voice trembled slightly: "Is there really no other treatment? Is it really... only a few months left?"
Gu Hanzhi reached out and gently touched Gu Songyi's still childish cheek. The temperature of her fingertips was a little cool, but her tone was pretending to be relaxed: "When I'm not around, you must study hard and don't let your father worry about you anymore. Otherwise, I won't let you go even if I become a ghost."
"Don't say those discouraging words!" Gu Songyi interrupted her hastily, holding her hand tightly, his eyes full of stubbornness, "I will definitely make sure you have fun this month. We will do everything you want to do!"
Gu Songyi clutched Gu Hanzhi's sleeve, his knuckles white as he forced a smile. "I've looked up a lot of travel guides. Next week we're going to the sea of flowers on the outskirts of the city. You said you wanted to take pictures of sunflowers. We can also catch up with the nearby music festival at the end of the month. I've even bought some cheering lights."
Gu Hanzhi's Adam's apple moved, and the redness in her eyes could not be hidden. She could only raise her hand to ruffle his hair, and her voice was as light as the wind: "Okay, then you must remember the itinerary well, so you don't get lost again."
"No way!" Gu Songyi retorted with his neck stiff, but quickly wiped the corner of his eyes when he lowered his head.
Gu Hanzhi looked at her brother pretending to be strong, her heart aching as if it was being gripped, but she could only nod and follow his words: "Then I'll wait. But you have to eat well too, don't always think about giving it to me, you've lost weight yourself."
"I know!" Gu Songyi responded emphatically, reaching out to hold Gu Hanzhi's arm. "Come on, let's go back to the hotel. I'll read you the novel that you didn't finish yesterday. You said you were curious about the ending of the female supporting role."
The sunlight shone through the window onto the two of them. It was so warm that it was blinding, but Gu Hanzhi felt his fingertips were cold. He quietly held his brother's hand tightly, thinking over and over in his heart: Go slower, just stay with him a little longer.
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