The Moon Shines Upon Me - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Depression

Gu Shiwei: “If you really want to thank me, wait until you’re better and treat me to a meal.”

Shen Yuan was stunned.

After a long silence, she said: “Okay.”

Yunjin Villa

Gu Shiwei helped Shen Yuan out of the car. Before she could even stand steady, Gu Shiwei reached out her long arms and pulled her back into a princess carry.

“Your legs are shaking. You’re still trying to act tough after throwing up like that.”

It was always like this; Shen Yuan was used to having no strength left after vomiting. In the past, she was always alone, so she had to force herself to push through.

Gu Shiwei worked out consistently and had practiced Taekwondo for seven or eight years. Don’t be fooled by her fairy-like appearance in a dress; she could literally break someone’s neck with a kick. She was a true “hardcore beauty.” Lifting Shen Yuan, who barely weighed double digits, was effortless she even had a free hand to press the elevator button.

Yunjin Villa was a recent real estate development by the Gu Group. Gu Shiwei had a property here and had been living in it since returning to the country. It was close to Zhaoyang, which is why she brought Shen Yuan here tonight.

Beep—

Gu Shiwei pressed the fingerprint lock, and the door swung open. By this point, Shen Yuan was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. She was tucked against Gu Shiwei’s chest, covered by Gu’s suit jacket.

Gu Shiwei placed her in the bedroom and began boiling water.

During this time, she called Lin Qinghuan to hurry over. Lin grumbled a bit over the phone but promised to arrive within thirty minutes.

The water was ready in minutes. Gu Shiwei took the blue medicine bottle out of Shen Yuan’s bag. While doing so, she accidentally snagged an acrylic keychain pendant. Gu Shiwei looked at the pendant and felt it looked strangely familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it before.

She put the pendant back and brought the hot water into the room.

Hearing the movement, Shen Yuan lifted her thin eyelids to glance at Gu Shiwei, but she immediately closed them again, falling back into a daze.

Gu Shiwei leaned down and patted Shen Yuan’s shoulder: “Shen Yuan, take the medicine before you sleep.”

Seeing no response, Gu Shiwei set the cup and pills on the nightstand. She then used one arm to lift Shen Yuan up, letting the girl’s upper body rest against her own chest.

Shen Yuan was now so weak she couldn’t even lift a finger. She allowed Gu Shiwei to hold her, place the medicine in her mouth, and press the warm water to her lips.

Gu Shiwei had tempered the hot water with a bit of cold, so the temperature was perfect. After a few sips, Shen Yuan’s stomach felt much better.

After administering the medicine, Gu Shiwei laid Shen Yuan back on the bed and stepped out.

In a haze, Shen Yuan heard Gu Shiwei return a moment later. Then, a warm towel covered her face. Gu Shiwei was wiping her face and hands, then her neck. Once finished, Gu Shiwei placed her hand on Shen Yuan’s stomach and continued to massage it.

After about ten minutes of rubbing, Shen Yuan’s head tilted to the side, and she lost consciousness completely.

Lin Qinghuan arrived after Shen Yuan had fallen asleep. It was nearly midnight when she appeared at the apartment door with her medical kit.

“What exactly is going on? What happened to you?” Lin Qinghuan asked frantically the moment she entered.

“Follow me.”

Gu Shiwei led her into the room and gave a brief summary of Shen Yuan’s condition.

With a patient in front of her, Lin Qinghuan stopped talking nonsense. She opened her kit and began examining the curled-up figure on the bed.

Checking temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure…

After the routine, the last of Lin Qinghuan’s drunkenness vanished. She looked at Gu Shiwei with a complicated expression: “This person looks young, but her health is a total wreck. What happened?”

She was being far too reckless with her body.

“What’s wrong with her?” Gu Shiwei asked with a frown.

“You can tell just by her complexion that she stays up late constantly. Look at her tongue, the whites of her eyes… irregular diet, malnutrition. Based on my preliminary assessment, she has no fewer than ten different ailments.” Low blood sugar, anemia, internal dampness, spleen deficiency, irregular cycles she had the whole set.

Hearing this, Gu Shiwei’s brow furrowed deeper. Looking at the pale, quiet Shen Yuan on the bed, she felt a sudden pang in her heart.

She works so hard despite her poor health. She’s already exhausted from her day job, yet she still does part-time work. Does she need money that badly?

“Can it be treated?” Gu Shiwei blinked hard and looked at the serious Lin Qinghuan.

“Most of it is chronic. It can only be nursed back slowly. She needs to avoid overexertion, maintain a regular diet, and fix her sleep schedule…”

As she spoke, Lin Qinghuan set up an IV drip for Shen Yuan. She also handed Gu Shiwei a prescription. “Forget it, I’ll just bring the medicine to you in a couple of days.” She could get high-quality Chinese herbs from her grandfather’s clinic anyway.

“But who is this?” Lin Qinghuan tilted her chin toward the person on the bed whose breathing had stabilized. She asked Gu Shiwei: “Since when did you start liking this sickly ‘Lin Daiyu’ type?”

Gu Shiwei gave her a strange look. “Who said I like her?”

“Tch, still pretending.” Lin Qinghuan rolled her eyes. “If you didn’t like her, would you let her sleep in your soft, fragrant bed? And I know you never bring outsiders home.”

Gu Shiwei suddenly went silent.

Seeing no rebuttal, Lin Qinghuan asked again: “Is it because of her that you decided to stop waiting? Are you finally giving up on Mingyue?”

The person on the bed suddenly knit her brows.

Gu Shiwei shot Lin Qinghuan a look, signaling her to be quiet.

“Let’s talk outside.”

Gu Shiwei lowered her voice and stepped out of the room.

When Lin Qinghuan finished packing her kit and followed, Gu Shiwei was sitting on the sofa making tea. Lin sat opposite her, ready to continue the previous topic.

“I haven’t had time to get the guest room ready,” Gu Shiwei said, staring at the boiling water, her expression unreadable. “She helped me once. I’m just repaying her.”

“Is that really it? She has absolutely nothing to do with you ‘not waiting’ anymore?” Lin Qinghuan leaned back with her arms crossed, clearly unconvinced.

“There has been no news of her in eight years.” Gu Shiwei suddenly tilted her head back and downed her tea in one gulp. “Don’t mention her again.”

Lin Qinghuan looked conflicted. She took a sip of hot tea and finally decided to tell Gu Shiwei the truth.

“Shiwei, actually…” Lin paused, choosing her words carefully. “There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you since we were at the bar.”

Gu Shiwei looked up, her gaze indifferent. “Speak.”

“Actually, during these eight years, Mingyue did log on once.” Lin watched Gu Shiwei’s eyelashes flutter upward instantly. She pursed her lips and continued: “You were abroad at the time and couldn’t get into the game. Considering the lag there was higher than my grandpa’s blood pressure, I didn’t tell you.”

“After you returned, I never found the right chance. Even at the bar just now, I was debating whether to tell you.”

Gu Shiwei interrupted her. “What did she say to you?”

“She asked about you. I said you went abroad. Her condition was very bad back then she was incoherent, and when she opened her mic, her emotions were extremely unstable. I suspected she was suffering from depression or bipolar disorder.” Lin’s face turned very grave. “I told her to go to the hospital to see a doctor. After that, she never logged on again, not until now.”

“I don’t even know if she ever actually went to the hospital.”

Gu Shiwei pondered for a long time, then suddenly asked: “About this time last year?”

Lin Qinghuan nodded. “Roughly.”

Gu Shiwei: “I see.”

Lin Qinghuan: “???”

After all that, Gu Shiwei just dismissed it with “I see”?

Lin pressed further: “So, what are you actually thinking?”

Gu Shiwei lowered her head. Lin couldn’t see her expression, but from the way Gu’s fingers were tightly gripping her cup, it was clear she was deeply torn.

Memories from eight years ago slowly resurfaced in Gu Shiwei’s mind. After a long while, she finally set down the cup of tea, which had already gone cold.

She looked at Lin Qinghuan and said softly: “It’s all in the past.”

“Fine, I get it. After today, I won’t mention her in front of you again.” Lin Qinghuan made a zipping motion over her mouth.

That night, Lin Qinghuan didn’t go home; she crashed on Gu Shiwei’s sofa. The next morning, she checked Shen Yuan’s temperature again. The low-grade fever had subsided. Once she was sure there were no major issues, Lin packed up and went home.

Since it was Saturday, Gu Shiwei didn’t go to the office. She woke up and went for an hour-long morning run around the neighborhood. Afterward, she showered and made herself breakfast. Just as she finished eating, Shen Yuan finally stirred.

“President Gu.” Shen Yuan raised a hand to shield her eyes from the bright light, her voice weak. “What time is it?”

“Nine o’clock. Don’t call me President Gu outside of work hours.”

Gu Shiwei placed a glass of warm water on the nightstand.

Shen Yuan lay there for a while. Once she regained some energy, she sat up, hugging the quilt. Last night she had been too focused on the stomach pain to notice the room; now she realized the entire space was filled with the essence of Gu Shiwei’s life.

In the frame on the nightstand was a photo of Gu Shiwei as a student blue and white school uniform, high ponytail, a very bright and youthful image. There were fresh flowers on the nightstand. Shen Yuan could tell that Gu Shiwei was someone who truly loved life.

Wait… she had been sleeping in Gu Shiwei’s bedroom last night?

“Did I… throw up in your house yesterday?” Shen Yuan asked, looking like she wanted to disappear.

“No,” Gu Shiwei said with a smile. “Afraid I’ll make you pay for it?”

Shen Yuan pursed her lips and didn’t answer, which was basically an admission. She had thought staying one night at Gu’s wouldn’t cost much, but looking at the luxurious decor, staying here was probably more expensive than the hospital.

Gu Shiwei: “Sleep easy. The doctor said you shouldn’t overexert yourself for a while. I suggest you quit your part-time job first and focus on recovering.”

“I’m fine, it’s an old problem. I was just careless and ate something spicy last night.” Shen Yuan had a “glass stomach” and couldn’t handle irritating foods, but her reaction had never been this violent before. She didn’t know why it was so severe last night.

Gu Shiwei arched an eyebrow: “You dare to disobey doctor’s orders?”

Shen Yuan looked dazed: “Huh?”

Gu Shiwei: “That’s what the doctor said. I’m just relaying the message.”

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