A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 69.1

Chapter 69.1: Departure

◎The End◎

In the latter half of the year, there weren’t many holidays. The next public holiday after the national holiday would be New Year’s Day. During this time, Bai Tan would always find a way to take a small break, and then, as if dropping all her responsibilities, would grab her perpetually-ready suitcase and fly to the capital.

Sometimes she could only stay for two days. Gu Zhu was afraid it was too much work for her and would say there was no need to travel back and forth so much, that they could just meet when there was a longer holiday. But then someone would pretend to be very wronged and ask, “Is it because you don’t miss me that much, that you feel it’s not necessary to see me?”

At times like this, Gu Zhu could only stare at her silently, letting her hug her, and rub herself against her in a playful way. Eventually, it would always lead to the bedroom. Gu Zhu, feeling the need to make it up to her, would often let Bai Tan push her boundaries, saying things she never would and doing things that were too embarrassing for her to even mention.

They saw each other about two or three times a month, and at least once. Initially, because of the project, Bai Tan, as a partner, would stay longer under the pretense of work. But once the project was finalized and there were dedicated people to handle it, she had nothing to do in the capital. With other business to attend to, she had to scurry back to her company to hold the fort. She would sometimes go on business trips to other cities or even abroad. Her only comfort each day was being able to video call Gu Zhu, a far cry from the empty feeling of returning to her room in the past.

The weather in the capital in December was already very cold. The first snow fell at the beginning of the month. Gu Zhu had been in this city for nine years, but she still sometimes couldn’t get used to the weather here, not because of the cold, but because of the dryness. Every morning when she woke up, her nasal passages and throat would feel raw and painful, and it was hard to find relief even with a humidifier.

Today was the winter solstice. It didn’t snow often in the capital. When she opened the curtains in the morning, she found the outside world covered in a blanket of white, likely from snowing all night. This was the second snowfall of the month. Gu Zhu checked the weather forecast, which advised that due to a cold front, there might be rain and snow, so she should bring an umbrella.

In the north, people eat dumplings for the winter solstice, but in her hometown, the custom was to eat glutinous rice balls. Eating them meant you grew one year older. After today, she would be 28. Gu Zhu put on her clothes: a high-neck fleece shirt underneath, and a violet windbreaker with a down lining on top. She grabbed a thermos filled with glutinous rice balls and chicken soup, put on her snow boots, and took a large, dark black umbrella from the stand by the door before heading out.

She was going to see Gu Baozhi. The experiment had reached a temporary end, and with a rare day off that happened to be the winter solstice, she had woken up early to make glutinous rice balls and chicken soup to bring to Gu Baozhi.

Despite the weather, there were still many people at the hospital. She lowered her gaze and followed the familiar path directly to Gu Baozhi’s room. Gu Zhu still disliked hospitals; she had an instinctive aversion to the place.

Gu Baozhi was awake. The hospital had heating, so she wasn’t wearing too many clothes. Hunching her back, she looked thin and small. Every time she saw her, Gu Zhu felt a sense of unease and sadness. In her memory, Gu Baozhi was a strong and powerful woman, a superwoman who could carry her on her back and run to the hospital when she was sick as a child.

But now, she struggled even to walk.

Gu Zhu pursed her lips, and her knuckles turned white as she gripped the handle of the thermos, trying to suppress her turbulent emotions. After she had finally calmed down, she approached the room and softly called out to the person sitting on the bed with her back to her, looking out the window. “Mom.”

When Gu Baozhi turned to look at her, she continued, “I made some glutinous rice balls today. Would you like to eat some?”

Gu Baozhi was also happy to see her. The hospital was too lonely. Her nursing assistant was very serious and careful with her work but didn’t talk much. The fellow patient she was familiar with was no longer there. Later, she felt too listless to make new friends. Time just dragged on, stretching so long that she felt living too long could also be very boring.

Gu Baozhi didn’t have much of an appetite, but since it was the winter solstice and Gu Zhu had gone to the trouble of making and bringing it to her, especially with the snow outside, she didn’t want to waste her thoughtfulness. She nodded and watched Gu Zhu scoop the glutinous rice balls for her, saying, “It’s cold outside. You need to take care of yourself and not catch a cold. It’s a rare day off, so you should rest at home. Running around is tiring.”

Gu Zhu smiled. Lately, she had been smiling more often, and the curve of her lips had softened a lot. She no longer looked cold, distant, and unapproachable. This made Gu Baozhi feel very comforted and relieved.

“I won’t. I have three days off this time. I live quite close to here, and there’s heating indoors, so it’s very convenient.” She placed the small table with the bowl of plump, white glutinous rice balls on the bed. “I can’t make them from scratch, so I just bought them ready-made from the supermarket. These are sesame flavor.”

Gu Baozhi took a bite, and the sesame filling flowed into her mouth. Her sense of taste had seriously deteriorated, so she couldn’t really taste the sweetness, but she said, “It’s not bad. It’s delicious.”

Seeing her swallow slowly, Gu Zhu blinked, chasing away a flash of sadness. Considering Gu Baozhi’s digestive issues, she had only scooped three for her, but it seemed even three were too many.

Gu Baozhi really couldn’t eat it. She felt nauseous but was afraid of worrying Gu Zhu if she said so. She pointed to the thermos on the table and asked her to go get some water. As soon as Gu Zhu left, she pulled out the trash can from under the bed and vomited everything up: the food she had just eaten, stomach acid, and bright red blood.

She thought she would feel better after throwing up, but the vomiting wouldn’t stop. Her head spun, and waves of discomfort and pain made her clutch the bedsheet tightly.

When Gu Zhu returned, this was the scene she saw. She quickly pressed the emergency call button and rushed over, holding Gu Baozhi’s body to prevent her from falling and patting her back.

When the doctor came in, she was pushed to the periphery of the crowd. There were some stains on her clothes, and her vision was blurry, making it hard to see clearly.

After a round of emergency aid, Gu Baozhi stabilized for now and fell into a deep sleep. She was so frail and small, sunken into the light blue covers.

“The tumor has now metastasized to other areas. Her body is under too much stress, and the radiation therapy is gradually becoming ineffective. The patient is older, and the current evaluation of her physical condition is not ideal. If she were to go through surgery again, the risk would be much higher. The other option is to stop the radiation therapy and use palliative care to alleviate the symptoms and make her as comfortable as possible.”

Gu Zhu stood outside the ward. Although there was no snow indoors, she felt as if she were surrounded by a blizzard, and her eyelashes seemed to be frosted over and hard to lift. No matter which option they chose, it seemed to lead to the same result.

Looking at Gu Baozhi’s small, sleeping figure through the glass window on the door, Gu Zhu’s throat felt constricted, and she couldn’t speak for a while.

The doctor finished his instructions, told her to consider them carefully, and then left. The doctors here were very busy. Patient after patient needed their help, and they didn’t have much time to spare for a family member’s distress.

Gu Zhu walked to the end of the hallway, leaning against the window ledge, watching the snowflakes flutter outside and the tiny figures of people passing by, her mind a blank.

She clenched her hand and took her phone out of her pocket, subconsciously calling Bai Tan. The other person answered quickly, with her usual high-spirited and cheerful tone. “Did you miss me, baby?”

There was a moment of silence on the phone, only Gu Zhu’s faint breathing could be heard.

Sensing that something was wrong, Bai Tan put down the document she was holding, her expression tightening slightly. “What’s wrong? Are you suddenly unhappy?”

“Mom, she…” It took Gu Zhu a long time to utter just a few words, but she couldn’t continue. She could only grip the railing tightly to keep herself from crying. If she did, Gu Baozhi would wake up and worry about her instead.

The unfinished sentence made Bai Tan instantly guess what had happened. Her heart clenched, and she knew any words would be pale and useless right now. So she just said, “I’m here.”

The phone remained silent, but the open line and the occasional rustle of noise on the other end gave Gu Zhu a sense of peace. All she really wanted was for someone to be with her so that her heart wouldn’t be so precariously swayed.

Afraid that Gu Baozhi would wake up and not find her, Gu Zhu didn’t linger outside for long and quickly returned to the ward. About an hour later, Gu Baozhi slowly woke up. When she saw Gu Zhu, she smiled helplessly. “Did I scare you?”

Gu Zhu just bowed her head, held her hand, and rubbed her face against the back of her hand.

Gu Baozhi’s heart softened for a moment. It had been a long time since Gu Zhu had been so affectionate. After graduating high school, she had crossed half the country alone, traveling thousands of kilometers to study and work so hard, but she had never complained about the hardships. It was as if at that moment, her fully-developed wings had finally opened, able to shield her from the wind and rain. She no longer needed to depend on others or be protected. She had just grown up.

She touched Gu Zhu’s face and stroked the side of her hair, her voice filled with the calm and gentleness of a life nearing its end. “Don’t be afraid. Everyone has to go through life and death. I’m not sad at all, so you shouldn’t be either, okay?”

After a long while, Gu Zhu nodded with difficulty.

Gu Baozhi smiled again. She looked at the overcast weather outside, and the snow continued to fall. This was the biggest snowfall she had seen in over seventy years. It was beautiful, just like what she had seen on TV. Winter in the capital had its own unique flavor.

But she still missed the small town she had lived in for so long. The weather was unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but it was the place where she had truly lived her entire life. “It’s almost time for the New Year, isn’t it? Let’s go home.”

Every life has a beginning and an end. Falling leaves must return to their roots. She wanted to go home.

Gu Zhu’s back hunched, trembling for a moment. Before Gu Baozhi could notice, she stood up again and tucked the blanket around her. Her “Okay” was almost inaudible, and a tear accidentally fell on Gu Baozhi’s pillow.

That night, it was very late before she finally got ready to go back to the two-bedroom apartment.

The cold wind blew, covering her face in frost. The black umbrella, weighed down by the rain and snow, gradually became heavy.

As she was about to enter the apartment complex, a long shadow stretched out under the bright streetlights. It was a solitary figure, just like her.

Gu Zhu raised her umbrella, and her eyes landed on the person wearing a thick down jacket, standing still with a familiar suitcase.

Her steps halted, as if bound by lead weights, afraid it was her imagination.

When Bai Tan looked up, she saw the person standing there silently, staring at her without blinking. Without hesitation, she dropped her suitcase and ran towards her.

“I’m here.”

Gu Zhu was embraced. The familiar scent awakened her soul, and the heavy umbrella slipped from her hand. She hugged back, embedding herself tightly within the embrace.

From “I’m here” to “I’m here,” the difference of a single word was a journey of nearly two thousand kilometers.

Gu Zhu no longer needed to sit on a train or high-speed rail, gazing through a small window and wishing she could pass through one person’s city. Her coordinates were clear, and someone would brave the wind and snow to come to her side.

In her most helpless moment, her lover had arrived like a gift from heaven.

…

After the decision was made to stop treatment, moving from a hospital in the capital back to a city in the south still required a transitional period, at least until Gu Baozhi’s condition improved a little.

It wasn’t until the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month that everything was ready. The hospital transfer procedures for Gu Baozhi were completed, and Gu Zhu’s work was handed over. She had originally planned to take a long leave of absence. Her supervisor was understanding of her situation but, knowing she would be staying in Yue City for a while, decided to let her join their collaborative project there. The patent needed to be applied to new uses and would have to go through countless experiments before it could be officially used. In such a situation, a familiar and professional technical expert would undoubtedly be a valuable asset.

Gu Zhu thought about it and didn’t refuse. After discussing with her supervisor, she agreed to serve as a technical consultant, handling experiments only when necessary.

Gu Baozhi was to receive palliative care, and the medical standards in Yue City were among the best in the country, much more advanced and reputable than in a small town. So, they would be staying here until the New Year.

With Bai Tan’s help, all the procedures were much easier for Gu Zhu. As the plane was about to take off, Gu Zhu realized that Bai Tan wasn’t in the same cabin and was stunned.

During this time, Bai Tan had been with her, busily helping with everything, but there was one thing: she had never appeared in front of Gu Baozhi.

This made Gu Zhu feel a pang of guilt, but whenever she faced the frail Gu Baozhi, she was unable to say anything.

Noticing her distraction, Gu Baozhi asked her, “What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

“Nothing,” Gu Zhu shook her head, helping her with her seatbelt. “Try to get some rest. It’s about a three-hour flight. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me.”

Gu Baozhi nodded. “Okay. I’m fine right now. You should rest too.”

When the plane landed at the airport, a special car came to pick them up and take them directly to the hospital. The admission procedures had already been completed, so they could move right in. The hospital was already aware of Gu Baozhi’s condition. As soon as she was admitted, a doctor came to perform an examination. It was a flurry of activity, and before they knew it, night had already fallen.

Support A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon