Perhaps, in the eyes of others, although Qu Yun hurt her, he knew he was wrong, repented, and tried his best to make amends. So, she should stop dwelling on it, cherish the person in front of her, and get back together with Qu Yun.
However, the feelings of the people involved are different.
You Ran couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
I still can't be so carefree and at ease.
After all, they loved so deeply and were hurt so deeply.
Let's keep thinking about what the next step should be between us and Qu Yun.
He sighed softly and put his phone in his pocket.
The surgery was successful without any complications, but Gu Chengyuan lost a lot of weight and was severely weakened.
Bai Ling would brew a soup suitable for healing every day, and You Ran would be responsible for delivering it to Gu Chengyuan and personally feeding him the soup.
Fortunately, he was in good health, and after a few days, Gu Chengyuan was able to get out of bed and walk slowly.
Often, Gu Chengyuan looked relaxed, yet hesitated to speak.
You Ran knew that he wanted to inquire about Gu Zhi's situation.
Gu Zhi is older and is recovering more slowly than him, but the day before yesterday, he was able to sit up and speak normally.
However, You Ran learned that Gu Zhi had never mentioned Gu Chengyuan's name since he woke up.
Never.
Unable to bear making Gu Chengyuan wait any longer, You Ran took the initiative to go to Gu Zhi's ward.
When I arrived, Gu Zhi was leisurely lying in bed watching TV.
"Don't you care about his situation at all?" You Ran was furious at his complete indifference.
Gu Zhi picked up the remote, changed the channel, and without even glancing at You Ran, asked in the most indifferent tone in the world, "Is he dead?"
"How is that possible?!" You Ran frowned.
"Since you're not dead, what's the point of asking?" Gu Zhi said expressionlessly, a completely different person from the one who sincerely repented in front of You Ran that day.
"He saved you! Don't you even want to go see him?" You Ran suddenly remembered the worry in her mother's eyes when she heard about this, and she instantly felt that things were not as simple as she had imagined.
“I gave him life, and now it’s his turn to repay me.” Gu Zhi’s voice was no longer the low, sickly tone he used to have, but rather a metallic hardness and ruthlessness.
You Ran took a step forward excitedly: "But, that day you clearly confessed in front of me, you..."
"If I didn't say that, how could I have tricked him into giving me his liver?" Gu Zhi's words sent a chill down You Ran's spine.
"How could you do this?!" You Ran suddenly felt dizzy, as if the peaceful world she had always lived in had been violently impacted by an external darkness.
"When people want to live, they can do anything. What's the big deal about saying something against their conscience or giving in?" The weather was great that day. The sky was cloudless and the sunlight streamed into the ward without restraint, but no amount of light could soften the hard lines on Gu Zhi's face.
His gaunt face was like a cold knife; even a single glance could wound one's heart.
"You're not human!!!" You Ran angrily rebuked, "How could you hurt him like this?!"
Gu Zhi's throat felt like it was made of ice, and every word he uttered was tinged with frost: "If this is to hurt him, then you are an accomplice... Didn't you persuade him to save me?"
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over You Ran from head to toe in the dead of winter, making her teeth chatter.
Yes, she was an accomplice. She was the one who stupidly persuaded Gu Chengyuan to forgive, to donate part of his liver, and to endure the pain once again.
You Ran heard the sound of her teeth chattering, and besides that, there was a sound coming from the doorway—the handle was being gripped tightly for a long time, as if someone was going to crush it.
You Ran turned her head and saw Gu Chengyuan standing by the door.
He showed no excitement or other emotions, but his face was calm, like the water in an ancient well deep within the palace walls, where the sun does not shine, completely undisturbed.
But his face was pale, as if all the blood in his body had drained away from his feet.
You Ran stood there, stunned, completely losing her ability to think. She didn't know what to do to minimize the harm to Gu Chengyuan.
Or, no matter what you do, it will be in vain.
The sense of powerlessness didn't last long—Gu Chengyuan turned around and left with his characteristic calm.
You Ran quickly took a step and followed him.
But she dared not approach him, because she did not know what to do or say to him at that moment.
So, all I could do was follow him step by step.
The two walked one after the other in the corridor. To onlookers, nothing seemed amiss, but You Ran's heart ached as if it were being fried in oil and tormented by fire.
After returning to his ward, Gu Chengyuan went straight into the bathroom, locked the door, and the sound of running water inside masked everything.
You Ran stood close to the bathroom door, at a loss.
She felt she should calm Gu Chengyuan down, so she tried her best to suppress the urge to break down the door, and waited anxiously with a heart full of trepidation.
Time passed slowly, each second feeling like a sharp needle pricking at my slowly swelling heart.
Inside, apart from the sound of running water, there was no other sound.
An unsettling silence.
After enduring the most agonizing half hour, You Ran could no longer bear it. Her heart was swollen so much that it was pressing on her trachea, and she was on the verge of suffocating.
So she prepared to knock on the door.
Almost at the same moment she raised her hand, the bathroom door opened, and Gu Chengyuan reappeared in her sight.
"elder brother……"
As soon as You Ran called out, Gu Chengyuan reached out and hugged her tightly.
At that moment, he was incredibly strong, filled with despair.
This time, You Ran had no reason, no grounds, and no courage to push him away.
You Ran reached out and hugged Gu Chengyuan.
At this moment when the whole world has abandoned him, You Ran can no longer let go.
Absolutely not.
At the very moment this thought arose, You Ran caught a glimpse of a familiar light out of the corner of her eye.
A cool ray of light slid across the cold, non-prescription lenses.
While maintaining the posture of being embraced by Gu Chengyuan and embracing Gu Chengyuan, You Ran turned her head.
Sure enough, Qu Yun stood at the door, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
"Damn it!" You Ran cursed under her breath. "Is it nowadays fashionable to show up at crucial moments and steal the show?!"
You Ran felt as if she were in hell at that moment.
The one tightly embracing her in front is the sin he deserves; the one staring intently at her from behind is the sin he has created.
The gaze from behind was like ice, relentlessly piercing her back; the embrace from the front was like fire, melting away the already meager fat on her chest.
It was truly a case of extremes, like experiencing both ice and fire.
After enduring this torment for a full minute, You Ran finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to at least deal with one of them first.
So she turned her head again and winked at Qu Yun, signaling him to go outside and wait for her.
Qu Yun glanced at her with a cool and aloof expression, giving You Ran a chilling look, but in the end, she gave in to her.
As soon as he stepped out, You Ran pushed Gu Chengyuan away as subtly as possible and said, "Brother, I'm going out for a bit."
Just as she turned around, Gu Chengyuan grabbed her hand.
His gaze held a cool, moss-covered quality.
"Is he still more important to you?"
Gu Chengyuan asked this question.
He saw Qu Yun.
Fearing that Qu Yun might get impatient waiting outside and cause trouble, You Ran could only say, "I'll be back in a bit."
Even he himself felt that his tone was perfunctory enough.
Then, she let go of his hand and left the ward.
In the corridor, You Ran saw Qu Yun. After hesitating for a moment, she braced herself and walked up to him, asking, "Why are you here?"
Qu Yun didn't answer, but instead asked You Ran a question that caught her off guard: "I heard some news—you and Gu Chengyuan are not related by blood, is that right?"
You Ran never expected that he would ask this question, and could only slightly open her lips, not knowing how to answer.
"Is that so?" Qu Yun pressed.
You Ran tried her best to appear natural and replied, "Yes."
"Then, what about that hug just now?" Qu Yun continued to ask.
"It means four hands clasped together," You Ran said.
"I know." The light on Qu Yun's glasses grew even colder.
You Ran: "If you already know, why are you asking?"
Qu Yun: "..."
“If I remember correctly, you two were together before,” Qu Yun said.
"That was a long time ago," You Ran said, trying to blur the focus.
“But this matter does indeed exist,” Qu Yun stated the key point.
"What do you want to say?" You Ran asked.
"Shouldn't you and him avoid suspicion?" Qu Yun said.
"Are you lecturing me?" You Ran frowned. "Also, why did you come here so quietly? I remember you promised to give me time and space to think things through."
“If your so-called time and space for solitary contemplation includes Gu Chengyuan, then I retract this promise.” Qu Yun’s tone was unpleasant.
“He had surgery, and I’m taking care of him at my mother’s behest. What’s wrong with that?” You Ran tried to make herself sound more righteous.
"Tang Yongzi told me some things." Qu Yun's words revealed a great deal of meaning.
So this was Tang Yongzi's revenge. You Ran couldn't figure out whether she was taking revenge on Qu Yun or herself.