No matter what he had done, at this moment, he was just a patient who had difficulty even breathing.
As if sensing something, Gu Zhi, who had been unconscious all night, suddenly lifted his eyelids slightly.
His eyes had become cloudy, but they suddenly shone brightly the moment he saw Gu Chengyuan.
Gu Zhi stretched out his bony hand, with an IV tube inserted, towards Gu Chengyuan, murmuring his name: "Chengyuan...son..."
You Ran heard the sound of bones creaking, coming from Gu Chengyuan's body—his fists were clenched, his back was straight, and his body was trembling slightly.
That slight tremor made his bones creak and grind.
As if he had seen something unbearable, Gu Chengyuan turned around and stumbled out.
You Ran wanted to chase after him, but Gu Zhi suddenly experienced difficulty breathing, so she had to put Gu Chengyuan aside for the time being and call a doctor instead.
After emergency treatment, Gu Zhi is out of danger for the time being.
The doctor told You Ran that Gu Zhi's condition was extremely dangerous, and if a liver donor could not be found for a liver transplant, he would definitely not survive.
You Ran felt a deep-seated fear and repulsion towards Gu Zhi and didn't want to stay in the same room with him. Just as she was about to go out to look for Gu Chengyuan, Gu Zhi called her back.
"You must be that child, Bai Ling and Li Mingyu's daughter."
Gu Zhi's voice was very weak, so You Ran could only walk closer and lean against the bedside.
Gu Zhi opened his eyes slightly, looked her over, and after a long while said, "Your eyebrows and eyes are very similar to Bai Ling's."
Unsure how to respond, You Ran could only listen.
“I love your mother very much, but unfortunately, her heart has never been with me.” Gu Zhi’s cloudy eyes were filled with memories: “The first time I saw her, she was wearing a dress, her skin was as white as snow, and she was very quiet. At that time, I thought to myself, I must marry this woman.”
“I got my wish, but after marrying me, she didn’t seem happy. She rarely smiled, and most of the time, she was even afraid of me.”
"We had been married for several years but had no children. After Bai Ling went to the hospital for a checkup, she produced a certificate proving that she was infertile. My parents immediately demanded that we get a divorce, but I refused. I thought, anyone can have a child for me, but I only have one Bai Ling."
“I spent a lot of money to find a woman who gave birth to Chengyuan, and Bai Ling treats him as her own son. I think everything is resolved.”
"But later, Bai Ling met your father, and she made up her mind to do everything she could to divorce me."
“I can’t bear this betrayal. I refuse to admit that she left me because she didn’t love me. So, I put all the blame on Chengyuan. I think it was because of him that Bailing remembered my infidelity and thought of leaving me.”
“I was already very strict with Chengyuan, and after Bailing left, my personality changed drastically, and I did many things that hurt Chengyuan… These are things that a father, or even a single person, could not do.”
Recalling this moment, Gu Zhi's expression was pained, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“I’m sorry to Chengyuan. I have this disease now, which is God’s punishment for me. I accept it willingly. I don’t ask Chengyuan to save me. I don’t have the right or the right. My only wish is that he can come to see me one more time before I die… I just want to see him and my only son.”
Gu Zhi's body was already very weak. Saying so much at once was an overload for him, and he soon fell into a deep sleep again.
After leisurely leaving the ward, she inquired around and finally found Gu Chengyuan on the rooftop.
He was smoking, white smoke swirling around his face.
She came up behind him, unsure of what to say, and could only stay quietly by his side.
After a long pause, Gu Chengyuan finally asked, "How is he?"
You Ran then recounted in detail what Gu Zhi had said in the hospital room.
Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyuan remained silent and continued smoking.
A gust of wind blew in, filling You Ran's mouth and nose with smoke, and she couldn't help but cough.
Seeing this, Gu Chengyuan immediately put out his cigarette, turned around, and patted You Ran's back.
Then, as he patted her, his hand suddenly moved, and he instantly pulled You Ran into his arms.
You Ran instinctively tried to struggle, but Gu Chengyuan's words made her give up the idea: "You Ran, I'm very tired. Can I lean on you?"
His voice carried a sense of powerless pleading, deep and magnetic, penetrating through the skin to the very marrow of the bones; no one could refuse it.
She let him rest his head on her body.
The warm breeze, carrying the scent of sunshine, carried Gu Chengyuan's words into You Ran's ears.
"Do you know why I hate Qu Yun so much? Because when we were in the same dormitory, I witnessed firsthand how much his parents doted on him, but Qu Yun was indifferent to their concern. The love from his parents, something I could never have in my entire life, was something he disdained. So, I was jealous of him, so jealous that I hated him. That's why I pretended to be friends with him, and that's why I deliberately let him see how Tang Yongzi and I betrayed him."
The sky was a pure, clear blue, without any impurities. An airplane flew overhead, making a rumbling sound and shattering the clouds.
"You feel the same way about me, don't you? When you're in pain, I'm completely oblivious, and I even show you my happiness countless times."
Brother, look at the clothes and shoes Mom and Dad bought me, aren't they nice?
Brother, Mom and Dad are taking me to the amusement park next Sunday.
Brother, why does your dad never take you out to play?
You Ran herself couldn't remember exactly how many times she had rubbed salt into Gu Chengyuan's wounds.
“Yes,” Gu Chengyuan buried his mouth and nose deep into You Ran’s hair, inhaling her unique fresh scent: “I’m jealous of you, jealous of every bit of your happiness. I think that if it weren’t for you, Mom wouldn’t have abandoned me. I think you are the culprit who stole my happiness.”
"From the first day I met you, I was planning how to make you feel the deepest pain. Years later, I finally succeeded, but looking at your tears, I realized that this result did not give me the pleasure I had imagined."
"After I hurt you, I realized what I really wanted from you—I wanted you to hold my arm and deliberately frown and act coquettishly; I wanted you to lean on my shoulder and smile like you were bathed in sunshine; I wanted you to sleep on me without any suspicion, even in your sleep, holding onto my clothes tightly, as if having me meant having the whole world."
"But that carefree feeling will never return. I stabbed you hard, and from then on, the way you looked at me was always wary and evasive."
“I started harassing you, threatening you, and pressuring you, all in order to have you back. I arrogantly believed that you would forgive me for the hurt I caused you and that you would eventually come back.”
"But today, when I saw his face, when I remembered the hurt he had caused me in the past, I finally understood your feelings and comprehended your rejection of me—forgiveness is not an easy thing."
Gu Chengyuan's reliance on others grew heavier and heavier, as if he could no longer bear anything.
"You Ran, tell me, what should we do?"
The torn clouds, repaired by time, have come together again, and against the backdrop of the pure blue sky, they are even more beautiful, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
"Brother, save him. He already knows he was wrong. Give you and your son a chance to resolve your inner conflict and start a new life."
He said leisurely.
Gu Chengyuan agreed.
After a series of examinations, the hospital arranged surgery for them in the shortest possible time.
On the day of the surgery, You Ran stayed with Gu Chengyuan the whole time.
Before being wheeled into the operating room, Gu Chengyuan held You Ran's hand and gently kissed the back of it.
“Perhaps I will have a father again,” he said.
He nodded slowly and firmly, as if making a promise.
The surgery took a long time, and You Ran sat outside the operating room waiting until Bai Ling arrived.
“You should have informed me,” Bai Ling said.
"I didn't want you to worry," You Ran explained, then let out a sigh of relief. "I think this time, they should make up."
Then, she told her mother everything about her conversation with Gu Zhi and Gu Chengyuan.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ling was not delighted; instead, worry appeared between her brows.
After a long while, she smoothed the wrinkles between her brows and started talking about another matter: "Chengyuan has always been a filial son. Every time he came home, he would rush to get my slippers. If he saw that I was tired, he would immediately run over to massage my back. When I was sick, he was always very anxious... Chengyuan is a good child, but he unfairly suffered the harm that we adults brought him."
You Ran leaned her head against the wall, smelling the distinctive disinfectant scent of the hospital, and slowly imagined what Gu Chengyuan was like when he was a child.
Like all children, they have bright, clear eyes and a heart untouched by worldly dust.
But those unbearable hurts repeatedly extinguished the light in his eyes and lashed his heart, leaving it covered in ugly scars.
As she was thinking, Bai Ling suddenly asked, "You Ran, what kind of feelings do you have for Cheng Yuan?"
You Ran understood the meaning behind her mother's words, and her cheeks immediately flushed slightly: "Mom, why did you think of asking this?"
“I know it sounds strange, but actually, when you were little, your father and I were discussing whether to reveal that you weren’t related by blood. You know what? Your father wanted you to grow up with Chengyuan as childhood sweethearts, to get married, and for Chengyuan to take care of you forever. But I insisted on keeping it a secret because…” Bai Ling lowered her eyes: “I didn’t want to have any further involvement with the Gu family.”
You Ran lowered her head and looked at her canvas shoes, which were covered in dust.
“But I didn’t expect that you two would still…” Bai Ling carefully chose her words: “Actually, this is for the best. You Ran, I can see that Cheng Yuan likes you very much. If you are willing, your father and I would be happy for you two to be together.”
“Mom…” You Ran bit her lip and shook her head.
“Of course, it all depends on what you want,” Bai Ling looked at the operating room, where the red light was still on. “But You Ran, Cheng Yuan will be very happy if he is with you.”
You Ran didn't answer, she just looked at her shoes, her heart as chaotic as the tangled shoelaces.
Because the surgery took a long time, Bai Ling went home to cook for You Ran, who sat alone on a chair outside the operating room.
In truth, deep down, after all the things that have happened these past few days, You Ran no longer hates Gu Chengyuan so much.
The hurt he had suffered made her forgive him.
However, forgiving is one thing, being with him is another.
Just as You Ran herself said, those past times can never be brought back.
She has already experienced Qu Yun and Xiao Xin; she has already moved far away from where she started.
What she should be thinking about now is the relationship between herself and Qu Yun.
Thinking of this, You Ran looked down and scrolled through her phone's call history. The number had no name, just numbers.
Qu Yun's number.
It seemed quite unfamiliar, but You Ran clearly remembered it in her mind.
It wasn't intentional; I just looked at it a few times every day, and over time, it became ingrained in my memory.
Just like its owner, You Ran wanted to forget, but found that many things were buried deep in her heart, and even the sharpest knife could not cut them away.
Countless times, she told Qu Yun, word by word, that she no longer loved him, that she wanted to start her life anew, and that she would never look back.
But those words slowly began to waver under his offensive.
After listening to the words of the three parties involved back then, You Ran finally understood what had happened. She originally thought that Qu Yun chose to take revenge for Tang Yongzi, but now it seems that this is not the case.
Although You Ran was hurt, some of her motives are easier to accept.
During this period, Qu Yun also did a lot of things, many of which You Ran thought he could never do in his entire life.
He got injured for her, he knelt down for her, and he ignored his stomach ulcer to drink alcohol for her.
Qu Yun is a cold person who never shows his emotions. For him to do these things, You Ran believes that she must still be important to him.
A few days ago, You Ran told Xiaomi all of these things.
At that time, Xiaomi was so moved that she was completely confused. She kept scolding You Ran for being stubborn and inflexible, and urged her to make up with Qu Yun as soon as possible.