Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 110
by Little PandaVolume 3: Transition
[Locked]
[This chapter is locked]
“Call the police, husband! This is too cruel – if they won’t help, fine, but why did they beat you up like this!” Peipei fell asleep on the hospital bed hugging her doll. Fu Lei sat beside her while the nurse had just treated his wounds. His face was bruised and swollen, with a tear at the corner of his eye and a broken nose bridge, now wrapped in gauze – a shocking sight to behold.
He had considered using Gu Yanzhi to pressure her into treating Peipei, but this thought was quickly dismissed as soon as it crossed his mind.
Fu Lei shook his head gently, wincing as the movement pulled at his wounds: “No, you don’t understand her. Lu Qingshi would rather shatter like jade than survive as ordinary clay [meaning: to prefer death with honor over a life of compromise]. Even a cornered rabbit will bite back, let alone her.”
Jiang Jing remembered her expression in the hallway earlier that day, looking as if she wanted to flay them alive and scatter their ashes. She shuddered violently before going over to rest her head on his knee, her eyes rimmed red.
“But… is there really no other way?”
Fu Lei watched his sleeping daughter, gently taking her hand and kissing it: “There’s no other way. We can only beg her.”
For his daughter, he was willing to do anything, even endure complete humiliation.
“Does it still hurt?” After applying the healing ointment, the swelling had decreased significantly. Lu Qingshi took her hand and blew on it gently to help the medicine’s effects disperse faster.
As the warm breath brushed across her fingers, Gu Yanzhi felt a tingle in her heart, instinctively pulling back, but her hand was caught firmly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” she swallowed, turning her face away with reddened ears.
Lu Qingshi lowered her eyes, packed up the medical kit and prepared to wash her hands, but was caught in an embrace from behind.
Gu Yanzhi buried her head in her neck: “I’m a bit jealous.”
Lu Qingshi laughed softly: “Jealous of what?”
“Jealous that he had your past self.” It was a life she hadn’t been able to participate in, which made her feel somewhat lost, especially since that period had left such a deep mark on her life.
Even now, Lu Qingshi hadn’t completely moved past it.
“That’s not quite right. Back then, I always felt something was missing when I was with Fu Lei. The teachers said he was promising and we were a good match, a model couple for the school. Grandfather said he was hardworking and ambitious, sure to be successful in the future. I just mindlessly accepted that relationship and marriage. But it wasn’t until I met you that I understood what I truly wanted.”
It was about shared aspirations, standing together through life and death, staying loyal even after witnessing each other’s imperfections.
Lu Qingshi thought that if it weren’t for that failed marriage, she wouldn’t have understood how important shared ideals, similar values, and common interests were in a relationship. She also wouldn’t have truly appreciated Gu Yanzhi’s goodness.
So perhaps some things are truly destined by fate.
“No, I just think if I had met you earlier, you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.”
The arms around her tightened as Gu Yanzhi’s voice dropped lower. Lu Qingshi froze, feeling warmth spread through her entire body.
Her eyes grew hot with emotion as she turned around to embrace her gently.
“However,” Gu Yanzhi leaned down slowly, pressing her into the bed until their noses touched, both breathing unsteadily.
Her eyes gleamed with both brightness and darkness.
“Why mention your ex-husband in front of your current partner?”
The doctor’s lips curved slightly: “Weren’t you the one who brought him up first?”
“I’m jealous,” she pulled back slightly, though her lower body pressed closer, the silk nightgown sliding up to reveal pale, slender legs.
She leaned down again: “Don’t mention him again.”
“Alright,” Lu Qingshi replied with a breathy whisper.
The usually gentle person was somewhat uncontrolled tonight. Lu Qingshi clutched the sheets beneath her, her face flushing red from the sound of rustling fabric and other subtle noises. When she threw her head back, breathing heavily, she caught sight of their two pets standing by the bed – a cat and dog watching the adult activities with round, confused eyes.
Lu Qingshi was mortified: “Turn off the lights! Close the door!”
“Mmm…” the fire captain poked her head out from under the covers and licked her lips: “Okay.”
Outside, snow was still falling, but inside, the temperature was enough to melt someone.
Gentle yet intense, intense yet restrained, restrained yet holding back.
Gu Yanzhi paused, kissing her lips, softly stealing her sweetness as she held tightly to her neck, responding somewhat awkwardly.
Heavy breathing was in her ear: “May I? Qingshi?”
Softness pressed against firmness.
She looked at her face, with dark and deep light in her eyes, flames dancing in her pupils.
Lu Qingshi gently bit her lower lip, turned her face away, and gave an almost imperceptible nod, blushing to her ears.
Gu Yanzhi freed one hand to search the nightstand, rustling through it to find a pink package.
In the dim light, she could only see her clearly defined jawline. The item flashed past her fingertips, and in the next moment, Lu Qingshi suddenly gripped the sheets tightly, arching her body and biting her lip.
“Mmm…” the unfamiliar sensation made her frown, with tears forming at the corners of her eyes from the overwhelming sensation.
“Does it hurt?”
The doctor closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head lightly: “No… just uncomfortable.”
“How about this?”
“…” red-faced, she whispered: “A bit to the left.”
“Here?”
Lu Qingshi turned her face into the pillow in embarrassment. Why did she have to give such guidance!
Next time, she should take the lead instead.
“A little bit…”
She curled her fingers slightly, and someone whimpered.
The fire captain smiled brightly: “See, I’m quite clever after all.”
“Wait—”
She wanted to protest, but was caught off guard at a sensitive moment, her remaining words turning into a gasp.
Gu Yanzhi leaned down, sealing her lips again: “From now on, I won’t give you any chance to speak.”
“Mmm…”
The sensations came like waves breaking on the shore, pushing her onto the beach, as if floating in the clouds, her limbs too weak to move.
She could only hold onto what felt like driftwood in a vast ocean, like a lonely boat rising and falling with the surging waves.
She heard the sound of water, wind scraping against glass, heard heavy breathing, mixed with her own soft sounds, and heard declarations of love.
Lu Qingshi felt an unprecedented sense of security and love surge through her heart. She closed her eyes, too exhausted to speak, and answered with a kiss.
The snow had stopped.
Wild geese flew south, the sun rose in the east, and in the withered flowerpot on the balcony, a green shoot quietly emerged.
A beam of sunlight filtered through the curtain gap, falling on the mottled floor.
Lu Qingshi hugged the blanket and turned over, feeling as if her body had been thoroughly wrung out and reassembled. She opened her heavy eyes as Gu Yanzhi approached with a cup of water, helping her drink.
With several gulps, the warm water went down, soothing her parched throat. Lu Qingshi felt somewhat better and spoke weakly, her voice still hoarse.
“What time is it?”
“Ten in the morning.”
The sleepy person suddenly bounced up from the bed: “I’m late, I’ll be tardy!”
She threw back the covers, frantically searching for clothes that had been tossed somewhere yesterday, her raised bottom covered only in narrow black fabric, the view beneath the nightgown completely exposed.
Gu Yanzhi coughed lightly, pulling her back into her arms: “It’s a day off today.”
Lu Qingshi fell back down with a thud: “Oh, that’s great. Wake me up when it’s time to eat.”
Gu Yanzhi laughed, tucking her in: “Alright, you sleep. I’ll go make food and do laundry.”
She gathered the dirty clothes from the floor and left, shooing the two pets out of the bedroom as well.
Lu Qingshi turned over, the pillow filled with her scent – gentle and intense, with a fresh lemony fragrance like summer sunshine.
She closed her eyes slightly, her breathing gradually becoming steady.
“This emergency C-section for pulmonary hypertension with pregnancy was extremely dangerous, but thankfully, thanks to Director Qin and her excellent team, the mother is safe and sound.”
Leaving the operating room, the visiting professor from the friendly hospital removed his mask and grasped Qin Xuan’s hand, expressing gratitude repeatedly.
Qin Xuan smiled, still wearing green scrubs and white soft-soled shoes. Her surgical cap was still on, hair neatly tucked inside, giving her a more composed appearance. She returned the handshake with measured pressure.
“You’re too kind. The doctors at your hospital are also excellent.”
The hospital director standing nearby was very pleased, extremely pleased. After the visitors left, he patted her shoulder: “Well done. By the way, come to the celebration banquet at Xiyue Hotel [meaning: Sunset Moon Hotel] tonight. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – there will be several young gentlemen from prestigious medical families there. Take the opportunity to solve your single status.”
Qin Xuan just smiled without answering. Occasionally, when she lowered her eyes, a fleeting look of loneliness crossed her face.
Really… if Lu Qingshi had been assisting with the cardiac surgery, it wouldn’t have taken ten hours.
Qin Xuan stretched, removed her mask and tossed it in the trash, ready to go home and sleep.
As for finding someone… she’d rather go dancing.
The child was very well-behaved, answering all questions, obediently extending her arm for blood draws, and staying quiet during injections. She only reddened her eyes and turned to bury her face in her father’s embrace with little sniffles.
Yu Gui put down the syringe and patted her head, taking out a fruit candy from her pocket: “You’re very brave, the bravest child we’ve had here.”
Peipei lifted her head from Fu Lei’s embrace, eyeing the candy eagerly, but didn’t reach for it directly. Instead, she looked expectantly at her father.
“Dad… may I?”
Fu Lei held her and nodded, only then did Peipei smile and happily accept the candy, beaming at Yu Gui.
“Thank you, big sister.”
Yu Gui was somewhat surprised that such a young child could be so well-mannered and polite.
She felt a gaze fixed on her, and when Yu Gui looked up after tidying her things, Fu Lei gave her a gentle smile, his voice carrying the steadiness of middle age.
“You’re Qingshi’s apprentice, aren’t you?”
“I’ve read your thesis.”
“You are…?”
“I’m her ex-husband.”
Yu Gui’s mouth formed an exaggerated ‘O’ shape.
In less than half a day, rumors about Lu Qingshi and this medical group executive were flying everywhere, with people claiming to have witnessed yesterday’s scene in the security office hallway, causing widespread gossip.
“Director Fu looks young for his age and is so gentle and refined. He’s also great with children, and most importantly, he’s wealthy. I wonder why Dr. Lu divorced him.”
“Well, their child is already quite grown. Who knows what happened during their marriage… Being rich means nothing if someone’s character is poor.”
“Do you think Dr. Lu was so hurt by men that that’s why she fell for Captain Gu?”
Yu Gui gently closed the door, letting out a long sigh as she went to radiology to collect some scans.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of this storm was leisurely enjoying a vacation. Since they both had a rare day off, and after yesterday’s unpleasant events, Gu Yanzhi drove her out for a change of scenery.
They watched movies they both wanted to see, and when they left the cinema, it was still early. Lu Qingshi looked up to see the corner of a roller coaster under the azure sky, where children’s excited shouts mingled with adults’ screams.
She pointed: “Let’s go play there.”
Gu Yanzhi bought all-access passes and took her to enjoy everything thoroughly. They shouted on the roller coaster, took photos by the carousel, got dizzy from bumper cars, and kissed when the Ferris wheel stopped in the city sky.
Lu Qingshi clutched her clothes: “People can see…”
The completely transparent cabin left nothing hidden, so Gu Yanzhi covered both their heads with her jacket.
“Now… is this better?”
Lu Qingshi’s vision went dark.
“Mmm… that’s too much.”
The doctor’s face was still red when they got off. Gu Yanzhi went to buy water while she waited on a bench.
Room-temperature juice was placed in her palm, the cap already loosened.
Gu Yanzhi bought cold mineral water and tilted her head back to drink deeply. Her jawline and neck formed an elegant curve as water droplets rolled down her Adam’s apple and disappeared into her collar.
She wiped her mouth as Lu Qingshi looked away. They heard a child crying nearby.
The doctor stood up. It was a balloon-shooting game stall [where players shoot balloons for prizes]. A five or six-year-old boy had spent several dozen yuan but hadn’t hit anything, crying sadly.
The stall owner kept trying to make him leave.
Gu Yanzhi strode over and sat down confidently: “How much per game?”
“Ten yuan. If you hit all targets, you get this prize and your money back, play for free.”
The stall owner picked up a huge plush toy, a sycophantic smile on his face.
Gu Yanzhi glanced at it—all just things to amuse kids. She curled her lips in a disdainful smile. Lu Qingshi sat down on the chair next to her, watching with interest.
“Confident?”
“Just watch.”
She clicked the gun, calibrating it with professional technique and posture, causing the owner’s face to freeze.
She barely aimed, yet with “whizz, whizz, whizz,” a whole clip of bullets was fired, popping the balloons one by one.
The little boy cheered: “Big sister, you’re awesome, so amazing!”
Reluctantly, the owner handed over the plush toy: “Please stop shooting, I still need to run my business. Take all of these.”
Lu Qingshi stuffed all the plush toys into the large bag the owner provided, along with the biggest teddy bear, and gave them to the little boy.
The little boy looked a bit shy, his face red: “Auntie… no, no, big sister, thank you.”
Lu Qingshi patted his head: “You’re welcome, go play.”
The little boy ran off with the plush toy to another girl about his age, and they both cheered together.
Lu Qingshi smiled in the dim light of the dusk, the sunset casting a silhouette behind her.
Gu Yanzhi quickly pressed the shutter, the camera hanging around her neck, and waved at her.
“Qingshi, we should go.”
The city’s neon lights streamed past below, as Lu Qingshi curled up in her seat: “I don’t want to go home.”
There was a hint of melancholy in her voice.
“Then should I take you somewhere else?”
The doctor’s eyes lit up.
Gu Yanzhi shifted gears, driving onto the elevated highway leading out of the city, a slight smile playing at her lips.
“You’ll probably like this.”
LP:
Seriously though, the translator I’m using refuses to translate the spicy part as is, so we got this tame spice instead.
0 Comments