Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Qi Yanyu's second leave of absence was approved even faster this time.

He stayed in his room, blinking at the flood of "obligatory check-ins" from every single classmate.

Most likely an orchestrated effort under pressure from Qi Muyao.

Flipping through over fifty messages, not one came from Gu Jinglan.

Even Qi Yuanhan—who usually couldn’t stand him—sent a text: "Taking another leave? You coming back? Are you sick or just upset? Don't stress about the top spot if you're gone—Gu Jinglan’s transferring too."

Qi Yanyu stiffened for a moment at that last line, then watched as Qi Yuanhan followed up with: "Nah, I was messing with you. Just chill at home and come back when you're ready. You got this, bro."

Warned by someone from Qi Muyao's camp, huh?

Qi Yanyu climbed out of bed, but his feet felt rooted to the floor, unable to move.

He stood there for a long while, remembering the heartbroken, hateful glare Gu Jinglan gave him after seeing him and Jiang Tiyan step out of the same Ferris wheel cabin.

Silently, tears slipped down again.

Every day, Qi Yanyu forced himself to walk around the estate, making sure to endure some sunlight and light exercise.

He went shopping, but wandering the mall, he had no idea what to buy.

Hats brought back memories of that miserable straw hat from their trip to the southwest.

Alcohol reminded him of the first time Gu Jinglan stepped in to take drinks for him.

Camouflage gear made him think of Gu Jinglan chasing him during that paintball match.

Hiking equipment brought back the memory of finding Gu Jinglan on that near-vertical 70-degree slope.

His bodyguard trailed behind, watching him drift in and out of stores without buying anything.

Eventually, he walked into a Korean BBQ spot, only to glance around and walk out again.

The bodyguard mused: *No wonder he’s rich—pinching pennies like this.*

By nightfall, Qi Yanyu lay awake, thrashing in bed, haunted by Gu Jinglan’s heartbroken stare.

When he dozed off, all he heard was Jiang Tiyan snapping, *"He just wants to use you."*

In dreams, Gu Jinglan never appeared. Instead, it was Qi Yuanhan and Huang Shaoze. In his sleep, Qi Yuanhan smirked at him with a snide, all-knowing look—as if seeing right through him and itching to call it out.

In the dream, Huang Shaoze grinned and asked, "Why did you two always leave the dorm together and come back together?"

And whenever he turned to look beside him, Gu Jinglan had vanished every time.

"It's fine," Qi Yanyu told himself, only to jolt awake from the nightmare. He switched on the lamp—and found someone sitting by his bed.

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

Qi Muyao didn’t even blink. "Bad dream? What were you dreaming about?"

"Your pillow’s soaked," Qi Muyao added, feigning concern. "See a ghost or something?"

Qi Yanyu dug his nails into his palms before schooling his face into calm. Then he rolled over and pretended to sleep again.

Qi Muyao pulled the blanket over him and stayed by his side for a while before turning off the lamp.

Qi Yanyu stayed curled on his side. He lay there so long he figured at least two hours had gone by.

He heard a sigh from the person beside the bed.

Then, footsteps leaving.

Qi Yanyu sat up again, turned on the light, and flipped open his notebook.

He listed Gu Jinglan’s flaws, as if listing them could make him forget him.

“Selfish. Never loved me. Hypocritical. Sanctimonious. Friends matter more than me. Studies matter more. Competitions matter more. That sketchy thing with Xia Yiyi. Befriending people like Ying Shaojie and Qi Yuanhan…”

He stacked up every grievance he could think of.

Eventually, Qi Yanyu started crying. No one else had ever cared for him the way Gu Jinglan did.

Even after finding out about Jiang Tiyan, Gu Jinglan still forgave him.

Even when he didn’t understand him or even liked him, Gu Jinglan stepped in to help in front of the Lan siblings.

Knowing about his condition, he never broke up with him, always thinking about his health.

Who else would treat him that way?

There’d never be another person like him.

He cried all night—nothing new.

The doctor said he should go back to school.

Qi Yanyu returned in the second semester.

For the first two months, clinical students finished their last required classes on campus.

In the third month, they began their clinical rotations.

Compared to when they saw him last fall, Qi Yanyu was thinner, quieter.

His usual pride and aloofness were gone. He barely spoke, his face blank.

During rotations, Qi Yuanhan and Qi Yanyu were assigned to gastroenterology.

After joining the department, Qi Yanyu kept skipping meals, and he started having constant stomach pain.

Though he was excused from night shifts, he still missed meals.

One day, after charting until his eyes blurred and his stomach twisted painfully enough that he gripped his shirt over his stomach, something landed on his desk.

Qi Yuanhan—who barely talked to him, let alone brought him food—said, “It’s still warm—eat. My mom made it. What else do you need to write? I’ll do it.”

Qi Yanyu hated Qi Yuanhan. He dismissed him with a, “I’ll eat when I get home.”

A cold laugh came from Qi Yuanhan. “You never go home. Every morning, you’re already here—sleeping in the break room. I don’t want trouble from your brother. If you won’t eat, request a transfer. Don’t get me in trouble.”

Whatever.

Qi Yanyu thought that in the next rotation, he would be assigned to a different department from Qi Yuanhan.

He suppressed his feelings and opened the thermos lunchbox.

The first portion was seafood porridge.

The second portion was sweet-glazed ribs.

What kind of person eats this? Qi Yanyu thought of someone, but then shook off the passing thought.

Then, the nurse station on the floor called out: "New patient admission for Dr. Qi and Dr. Qi!"

"Keep eating, I'll go!" Qi Yuanhan left Qi Yanyu alone in the department at eleven at night and went to admit the patient.

Qi Yanyu thought he couldn’t keep going like this—if the pain overwhelmed him, he wouldn't be able to return to the real world.

Maybe one day he could go back, and there would be no Qi Muyao or others there.

But if he went back, he would never see another person again either.

That night, Qi Yanyu worked late into the night. As usual, he strolled through the hospital's first-floor garden before heading back.

Then he went upstairs to rest in the physicians' lounge.

The hospital was still blazing with lights at night, though quieter than during the day.

He walked along the gravel path in the hospital’s greenbelt, where the fountain was still spraying water.

Since there were no lights in the garden, the only illumination came from the distant glow of the inpatient building. In the dim light, Qi Yanyu stared at the mechanically pulsing water in the fountain.

Suddenly, a hand seized his wrist and pulled him behind a tall shrub.

He instinctively started to shout, but a hand covered his mouth.

Pressed firmly against someone behind him, Qi Yanyu heard the person breathe in a hushed voice, "Did you eat dinner tonight?"