The Moon Shines Upon Me - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Heartache

After logging off that day, Gu Shiwei had been constantly preparing things to bring for her meeting with Mingyue: flowers, a standee of Mingyue’s character, and her twenty-year-old self.

But to her surprise, from the moment Mingyue logged off that day, her icon never lit up again. Gu Shiwei waited for a month, two months, a year, two years there was never any news of Mingyue.

Gu Shiwei had imagined many possibilities: perhaps Mingyue didn’t want to involve herself in real life; perhaps something had happened to her; perhaps she didn’t want to see Gu Shiwei and was hiding. Regardless, from that day on, Mingyue vanished. Even her account remained forever frozen at the spot where she had logged off the day before, never to return.

Later, Gu Shiwei went to grad school and barely touched the game. Lin Qinghuan also played less after graduation. Gu Shiwei’s final departure from the game (AFK) came when she went abroad to study; for those two years, she never opened Wen Jian again.

“What are you thinking about? You’re so spaced out.”

Outside the bar, Lin Qinghuan patted Gu Shiwei on the shoulder.

“I’m not waiting anymore.”

Gu Shiwei’s voice was very soft, dissipating instantly into the wind.

Lin Qinghuan: “Huh?”

Gu Shiwei repeated it.

She said, “I’m not waiting anymore.”

“What do you mean? Eldest Miss Gu, do you have someone you like?”

Lin Qinghuan’s drunkenness vanished instantly. She looked at Gu Shiwei’s slender back in shock, her face full of hesitation.

“What’s the story? Gu Shiwei, you have someone you like and you didn’t tell me?”

Lin Qinghuan was puzzled. Hadn’t Gu Shiwei just returned to the country? Where did she get a crush from? Could it be a mutual friend? Then why weren’t they together sooner?

“I don’t.”

Gu Shiwei dropped those two words and got into the car. She had already sent a message for the driver to pick her up, so the car was already waiting outside.

Gu Shiwei waved at Lin Qinghuan from the back seat, and then the glass window slowly rolled up. Only when Gu Shiwei’s face was no longer visible did Lin Qinghuan turn back toward the bar.

In the back seat, Gu Shiwei leaned against the backrest with her eyes closed to rest. When they reached the next intersection, she suddenly opened her eyes and told the driver to take her back to Zhaoyang.

“Miss, going to the office to work overtime this late? And you’ve been drinking…”

The driver’s worried voice sounded.

“It’s not overtime. I left something behind.”

After saying this, Gu Shiwei raised her hand to rub the bridge of her nose. She had drunk quite a lot tonight.

Fortunately, the trip from the bar to Zhaoyang took more than half an hour, allowing Gu Shiwei to take a short nap in the car.

When Gu Shiwei arrived at Zhaoyang, it was almost ten o’clock at night. Surprisingly, several offices on the eighteenth floor still had their lights on. Gu Shiwei frowned, left the elevator, and walked toward the end of the corridor.

As she passed the corridor restroom, Gu Shiwei suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Sister Yuanyuan, are you okay?” Lu Qingwan was patting Shen Yuan’s back with one hand while turning on the faucet to flush away what Shen Yuan had vomited. She supported Shen Yuan in front of the sink, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Shen Yuan began to dry heave again, clutching the edge of the basin.

In the supposedly quiet restroom, there was the sound of running water, Shen Yuan’s pained groans, and Lu Qingwan’s anxious inquiries. They didn’t even notice when Gu Shiwei walked in.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Upon seeing that figure, Gu Shiwei’s drunkenness vanished instantly.

She stepped forward quickly to question Lu Qingwan.

Lu Qingwan: “Wei… President Gu!”

Lu Qingwan: “I don’t know. Sister Yuanyuan just said her stomach felt uncomfortable and came to the restroom alone. By the time I followed her, she had already thrown up once.”

Lu Qingwan’s eyes were red, and she was so frantic she was on the verge of tears. Seeing Gu Shiwei approach was like seeing a savior.

“Shen Yuan, what did you eat?”

Gu Shiwei squeezed past Lu Qingwan and took hold of one of Shen Yuan’s arms to support her.

“It’s nothing.” Shen Yuan gasped for a few breaths, suppressing the rising acidity in her throat, and continued: “It’s an old problem. I’ll be fine if I just bear with it.”

Shen Yuan’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and her temples were damp. Strands of black hair stuck to her face, making her skin look even paler.

“Your face is white. Come on, I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Gu Shiwei attempted to lead Shen Yuan out, half-carrying and half-embracing her, but in the next moment, Shen Yuan suddenly bent over again and began to dry heave violently. Her fingers gripped the edge of the sink so hard her knuckles turned white, as if she were using every ounce of her strength.

Gu Shiwei immediately gave up on trying to move her and used one hand to pat Shen Yuan’s back.

When her palm touched her, Gu Shiwei was momentarily stunned. Shen Yuan’s back was so thin that the bones felt a bit sharp against her hand. Although Gu Shiwei had long known Shen Yuan was thin, she only realized just how frail she was when she touched her personally.

Shen Yuan’s back was still trembling slightly from the violent vomiting. As Gu Shiwei’s palm smoothed over her back repeatedly, the pain lessened significantly. Finally, Shen Yuan found a gap to speak. She tilted her head slightly toward Gu Shiwei and said, “It’s dirty in here.”

“You should go out first.”

Gu Shiwei was almost moved to laughter by the absurdity of that statement. She stared at Shen Yuan’s lips, which had turned a vivid, watery red from the vomiting, and said slowly: “You’ve thrown up this much, yet your mouth is still this stubborn.”

Just as Shen Yuan was about to speak, a sharp pain from the rising stomach acid hit the root of her tongue. Her stomach began to cramp violently again.

Shen Yuan’s groans became low and raspy. The corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were flushed red. Physiological tears dropped into the sink one by one, flowing into the center and disappearing.

Seeing her like this, Gu Shiwei simply picked her up forcefully and carried her out of the restroom.

“I’m taking Shen Yuan to the hospital now. Go get her bag and phone. Be quick I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

After giving Lu Qingwan the instructions, Gu Shiwei held Shen Yuan by the waist and pressed the down button for the elevator.

“Okay, I’m going now!”

Lu Qingwan ran back to the office without a second thought.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Gu Shiwei stepped inside, one arm wrapped around Shen Yuan’s waist.

Shen Yuan’s stomach was still in great pain. Her hands were tightly clutching the hem of Gu Shiwei’s clothes, her entire body leaning weakly against her.

She could smell a heavy scent of alcohol on Gu Shiwei, which made her feel even more nauseous.

“If you need to throw up, just do it. At worst, I’ll just throw this outfit away.”

Gu Shiwei seemed to see right through Shen Yuan’s thoughts as she looked down at her in her arms.

Hearing this, Shen Yuan was even more afraid to vomit. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let the sensation take over.

They soon reached the ground floor. Gu Shiwei tucked Shen Yuan into a black Bentley, then made a quick phone call, said a few words, and hung up.

As soon as she ended the call, Lu Qingwan rushed out of the office building carrying Shen Yuan’s bag and a phone. Gu Shiwei took them and got into the car.

Gu Shiwei said to Lu Qingwan, “Go home. I’ll take her to the hospital.”

Lu Qingwan: “…Okay. Thank you, President Gu.”

As the car started, Shen Yuan bent over again. Gu Shiwei quickly took a bag from the storage compartment, blew it open, and held it in front of Shen Yuan. But Shen Yuan didn’t throw anything up; she had already emptied her stomach earlier. Now, her stomach was just uncomfortable, leaving her with the constant urge to dry heave.

“Is your ID in your bag?”

Gu Shiwei asked Shen Yuan while still holding the bag in position.

“I’m not going to the hospital. Just take me home, President Gu.”

Shen Yuan’s medical insurance had been lapsed for three years. She only had a few hundred yuan on her. A trip to the hospital would cost a lot of money, and she didn’t have it.

“There’s medicine for stomach issues in my bag. I’ll be fine once I take it and sleep.”

After speaking, Shen Yuan looked at the bag sitting on Gu Shiwei’s lap.

“The medicine is in the second compartment, the blue bottle.”

“Hold this.”

Gu Shiwei let go of the bag and took out her phone to make a call, this time to Lin Qinghuan.

Gu Shiwei: “Come to Yunjin Villa immediately. Bring your professional gear.”

Lin Qinghuan had just finished her social gathering and was walking out. “What’s wrong? Are you drunk or sick?”

“Someone is sick.” Gu Shiwei glanced at Shen Yuan and added, “Gastrointestinal issues.”

With that, Gu Shiwei hung up, leaving Lin Qinghuan staring at the name “Gu Shiwei” on her screen in confusion.

Lin Qinghuan muttered, “Is she acting out because she’s drunk, or does she really have a stomach ache? Does she even have stomach problems? Did she get this out of shape from being lazy and not exercising for two years abroad?”

Despite her thoughts, Lin Qinghuan went anyway.

“Where are you taking me?”

Shen Yuan asked between gasps, her body still bent over.

Gu Shiwei: “I’m taking you back to my house. Stay there for the night, and I’ll have my friend check on you.”

As Gu Shiwei spoke, Shen Yuan’s expression, which had just begun to relax, tightened again. Gu Shiwei ignored her protest, held up a finger, and continued: “One, go to the hospital; two, come to my house and let my friend examine you; three, there is no option three.”

Shen Yuan went silent. She was hesitating, but before she could dwell on it for too long, her “glass stomach” rebelled again. The pain was so intense that Shen Yuan couldn’t say a word. She leaned the side of her face against the car window, pressing both hands tightly against her stomach through the plastic bag to lessen the pain of the spasms.

“There’s no hot water in the car, and drinking cold water is bad for your stomach you’d just throw the medicine back up anyway. Bear with it for a bit; once we get home, I’ll boil some water to warm your stomach.” After saying this, Gu Shiwei slid her hand into the gap between Shen Yuan’s belly and her palms, gently rubbing her abdomen, which was pulsing with pain.

“Sss…”

Gu Shiwei’s strength was a bit much, and Shen Yuan couldn’t help but gasp.

“Sorry, I’ll be gentler.”

Shen Yuan was very thin, with very little flesh. Gu Shiwei was trying her best to be careful not to hurt her, but Shen Yuan still gasped from the pain.

Gu Shiwei reached up to wipe the cold sweat from Shen Yuan’s forehead and tucked her damp hair behind her ear. After that, she simply pulled Shen Yuan into her embrace.

“Don’t move. Lean on me. My hand won’t get as tired rubbing your stomach in this position.”

Shen Yuan’s attempt to struggle stopped. She bit her lip, trying her best to suppress the urge to vomit on Gu Shiwei.

Gu Shiwei had been drinking, so her palms were very warm. The pressure on Shen Yuan’s belly felt comfortable, like a heating pad. Shen Yuan’s tightly knit brows relaxed slightly. Leaning against Gu Shiwei’s body, she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open.

“Thank you, Gu Shiwei.”

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