Chapter 6 "Press!"
The cold, white light from the hospital fell on Gu Lin's face, but he remained kneeling, motionless.
Ji Tong looked down at him.
The words "Don't torture yourself" seemed to linger in his ears.
Ji Tong lowered his eyes and did not respond, but that "energy" was gone.
His stiff shoulders relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair with a blank expression, his gaze shifting from Gu Lin back to the trash can, as if he wanted to stare a hole through it.
Gu Lin reached out and pushed the trash can into the gap under the chair seat.
Ji Tong: "..."
Even what Gu Lin watches, is that something you have to control?
Ji Tong had originally intended to let him go, but she was easily provoked again.
Gu Lin's voice finally showed some emotion; he couldn't hide his helplessness.
"Didn't you say your eyes hurt?"
"..."
After saying so much, you only remembered this one sentence?
Ji Tong: "Then I told you to leave, did you hear me?"
Ji Tong did it on purpose.
He knew what would upset Gu Lin, so he deliberately chose to say those words.
Ji Tong thought that if Gu Lin was uncomfortable, he would feel better.
No, there isn't.
The fever was subsiding, but my emotions were churning even more intensely in my silence.
…What was Gu Lin's expression?
It felt like I was bullying him.
“Many people are watching,” Ji Tong finally spoke up. “Don’t squat here, sit over there.”
Gu Lin did as instructed.
Ji Tong's lips were a little pale. He looked up slightly, watching the medicine dripping steadily from the IV tube, stubbornly counting it like counting the penguin heads on the fever-reducing patches.
He spoke when he counted to the tenth drop.
"You answer whatever I ask, nothing else. Don't say anything unless I ask you."
"Um."
"When did you get back?"
"On the evening of the 7th."
"Ah Yuan said you're on the list for Class 9 of Computer Science."
"Um."
"Class 9 is a double-degree program in finance and computer science. It doesn't accept students through special programs or direct admission. How did you get in?"
"Unified enrollment".
very good.
Ji Tong struggled to suppress the urge to take action.
He voluntarily gave up his guaranteed admission to university and turned to take the college entrance examination.
Did a donkey kick your head?!
Ji Tong broke her breath into four or five pieces and exhaled them little by little, barely managing to suppress the urge to tear Gu Lin apart as well.
Where did you take the college entrance examination?
"Jiangcheng".
Jiangcheng?
Ji Tong remembered that Gu Lin's maternal grandmother's house seemed to be in Jiangcheng, a rainy city.
No wonder I couldn't find it.
It's so far from Ankyoreh.
Just asking this question made Ji Tong's anger rise.
He closed his eyes tightly, afraid that if he heard anything more serious, he would stand up and take the medicine bottle off the shelf and hit Gu Lin on the head. He chose to ask something light first.
"Why wasn't it reported on time?"
silence.
Still, silence.
Ji Tong's brows furrowed little by little.
Is this question really that hard to answer?
Is it harder to answer than the "national unified entrance examination"?
"Speak." Ji Tong's lips were pressed into a straight line.
Gu Lin finally spoke.
"Something went wrong."
He spoke very softly.
It was like an answer, yet not quite an answer; it was so ambiguous it seemed like a perfunctory response that Ji Tong paused for a moment.
Almost the instant Gu Lin finished speaking, she turned to look at him.
"What's going on?"
"Sit still, trying to make the needle rupture again?" Ji Tong was born with thin veins. Once in high school, when she was getting an IV in the infirmary, she was so restless that the needle ruptured, and the back of her hand swelled up all night.
Gu Lin met his gaze, bent his fingers to pry open the IV tube that Ji Tong was pressing down on, and then casually added, "There are some things to take care of at home."
Ji Tong subconsciously licked his lips.
It was a subtle gesture he made when he was uneasy, something Gu Lin was very familiar with.
"Are your uncle and aunt not feeling well?" Ji Tong asked hesitantly.
"No," Gu Lin answered quickly this time, "Everything is fine."
Gu Lin wouldn't lie to him about something like this.
It's normal for families like theirs to have some issues to deal with.
Ji Tong felt somewhat relieved and continued asking questions.
"Mingying said you applied for off-campus short-term accommodation. Where are you staying?"
He remembered that the Gu family's villa in Anjing was far from An University, in Beishan, and it took more than three hours to drive there.
Ji Tong thought Gu Lin would mention something like Xinghai Bay or Jingyuan No. 1, but instead she heard—
"peninsula."
"What?" Ji Tong paused, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Peninsula? Peninsula Apartments? The one next to Anhui University?"
"Um."
"..."
Peninsula Apartments is a well-known residential complex near Anhui University. It was built not long ago and the complex is very new. However, because most of the apartments are small, it is not popular in the market. It is also relatively expensive for students, so there are not many residents.
Why buy a house on the peninsula?
Ji Tong, a architect specializing in architecture, had his professional instincts kick in and considered the layout of the peninsula. From the perspectives of property rights duration, functionality, building standards, and transaction restrictions, it wasn't a good choice.
Gu Lin said succinctly: "Rented."
Ji Tong: "..."
Ji Tong still had countless questions to ask. The blank six months were like a fishing net full of holes. Every word Gu Lin spoke, he caught one word, but most of them still slipped through his fingers.
Ji Tong knew that he couldn't possibly clarify everything that night.
He chose to clarify the few most “irrelevant” issues first.
for example.
Ji Tong once again turned his head away unintentionally.
"Hey, that Xiao Mai classmate who called you that day at school was..."
"Buzz".
Gu Lin's phone rang.
Ji Tong: "…………"
If you hang up now and explain to me who this "Little Wheat" is, there's still room for negotiation. You'd better—
"Can I take this call?"
"press!"
I'm so angry.
Ji Tong stared intently at Gu Lin's phone, wanting to see whose call was so important.
Gu Lin answered the phone, and Ji Tong moved a couple of inches away, straining her ears to listen, but then heard a "beep" sound as Gu Lin pressed the speakerphone button.
—It was as if they knew he was eavesdropping.
Ji Tong blinked.
A male voice came through the speakerphone.
"I'm here, bro... Oh, was that you who answered the phone? I see you, I'm coming right now."
elder brother?
Ji Tong didn't even notice the phrase "coming right away".
Who is this?
Where did he get so many younger brothers?
Ji Tong frowned instantly, about to speak, when a boy wearing a plaid jacket and sweatpants ran towards them.
He had an ordinary appearance, was carrying an insulated bag in his right hand, and holding a phone in his left. Judging from the still-on screen, this was the person who had just made the call.
Before Ji Tong could react, the man had already run up to Gu Lin. He glanced at Ji Tong behind Gu Lin, then stared at the IV drip tube for a while, looking at the bottle of medicine that was already a third full. He seemed even more puzzled than Ji Tong, but he still handed the insulated bag in his hand to Gu Lin immediately.
"Brother, here," he scratched his head, a little embarrassed, "Um, am I too late? They've already started the IV drip."
"No." Gu Lin took the insulated bag.
The man asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Gu Lin placed the insulated bag on his seat, bent down to pick up the insulated cup, and handed it over: "Please rinse it and fill it with some hot water."
The person replied, "Okay."
Ji Tong was confused, but her gaze remained fixed on the person.
Who is this guy with the grid pattern?
You rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night after just one phone call?
This time, Ji Tong didn't want to hold back for even a second. As soon as Ge Zi turned around, she glared at Gu Lin.
Who is it?
Friend? Relative? I've never met them before.
Gu Lin bent down to unpack the insulated bag: "Accompanying you to the hospital."
"Which person is accompanying me? I don't see them... Hmm?" Ji Tong suddenly raised her face.
"Accompanying someone to the hospital?"
"Um."
"I received a reservation text message."
Gu Lin agreed and placed the phone in Ji Tong's palm.
—It means to let him check.
Back in high school, it was always like this; Ji Tong was as adept at going through Gu Lin's phone as he was at going through his own.
Ji Tong's gaze lingered on the phone.
He wasn't particularly interested in watching it.
Gu Lin himself offered himself up.
Ji Tong tapped the screen twice with her fair fingers, like a tentative cat.
The screen lights up.
Ji Tong coughed and said, "Password."
Gu Lin seemed to remember something, and paused for a moment while opening the insulated bag.
Ji Tong saw everything, including Gu Lin's momentary hesitation.
"It's not like I'm the one who wants to check," Ji Tong said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it..."
Gu Lin: "Nothing has changed."
Ji Tong: "".
Ji Tong was speechless for a few seconds, then tentatively entered a string of numbers.
【010101】
The moment the lock was opened, Ji Tong felt a little breathless.
—Gu Lin changed his phone password in his second year of high school. Ji Tong changed it because he could never tell if the phone belonged to him or Gu Lin, and he entered the wrong password several times, so he simply changed the password to the same string.
People often assume that Ji Tong's name represents his birthday, since he was born on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the beginning of all things, which is also the origin of his name.
Actually, that's not the case.
In computer languages, 0 and 1 usually represent binary numbers or Boolean values. These two simplest numbers construct the entire information world, where the smallest individual operates with the most precise precision.
Ji Tong likes things that evoke a sense of mission, so he used "01" as his password.
At this point, however, these two "mission-driven" numbers seem somewhat detached from reality.
The "accompanying appointment information" that was supposed to be checked didn't seem important anymore. Ji Tong just opened the text message, glanced at it briefly, locked the screen again, and tossed the phone back to Gu Lin.
It looks like they're throwing some kind of bomb.
"What's in the insulated bag?" Ji Tong asked, changing the subject.
"ravioli."
As he spoke, Gu Lin took the wontons out of the insulated bag.
As soon as the lid was lifted, the delicate aroma of wontons wafted out.
Gu Lin took the support board off the armrest, straightened it, placed the wonton in the middle, and took out the spoon to wipe it with a paper towel.
When I returned from the appointment after fetching hot water, I saw the incredibly good-looking "patient" eating wontons.
Remembering his business, he quickly handed the thermos to Gu Lin, who was standing next to him: "Brother, I've washed the thermos three times and filled it with hot water, but it's a bit hot. It's best to wait a while before drinking it."
"Thanks."
"Of course, next I..."
With a "ding," the accompanying person's phone should ring: "580 yuan received via Alipay."
Accompanying patient: "………?"
The person accompanying the patient looked at the settlement notification on their phone and felt terrible.
"Brother, did you order the wrong thing?"
Did I just buy a bowl of wontons, wash a thermos, and then pay the bill?
"No," Gu Lin took the thermos from the companion, "That's fine, thank you."
I've never earned so much money accompanying patients to medical appointments.
It's so easy it feels like robbery.
“No, bro,” the patient’s conscience pricked, “you didn’t place the wrong order, did you? Or should I sit here and wait for you to finish your IV before I leave?”
Although Ji Tong was eating wontons, his ears were perked up the whole time.
"No need," Gu Lin replied decisively.
The person accompanying him was even more confused. He looked at Gu Lin, then turned his head to look at the patient who was eating wontons.
The clients of the escort service are mostly middle-aged and elderly people with limited mobility. It's already quite amazing to encounter such a young client, let alone...
“Brother, you don’t look like you need a hand,” the patient’s companion scratched his head. “You can order wontons by delivery, and all you need to do is wash your thermos and get some hot water. How could you not be able to leave?”
Ji Tong suddenly stopped eating the wontons.
Although he knew Gu Lin probably wouldn't leave, he wondered if Gu Lin had something to do later and had therefore booked someone to accompany him to the appointment, which made him sulk for a while.
But now, hearing this about accompanying someone to the hospital...
Can't I leave to wash my thermos or get some hot water?
Ji Tong suddenly remembered that half an hour earlier, he had grabbed Gu Lin.
"The mineral water is too cold. I'm going to wash my thermos and get some hot water."
"I'll just drink cold water."
Ji Tong pressed the pause button on all her thoughts.
The next second, he and his companion heard the answer at the same time.
"Yeah, I can't leave."
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