Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 52
by Little PandaVolume 1: Rise
Pinky Swear
What kind of person can marry Lu Qingshi
Hearing the roar from the other end of the phone, Yu Gui’s eyes silently welled up with tears: “I’m sorry… Zhiyou…”
Fang Zhiyou, panting heavily, having just scolded her harshly, felt a wave of fear in her heart: “Yu Gui, can’t you use your brain when doing things? What if the person couldn’t be rescued, you would have to…”
Yu Gui knew she was wrong. She covered the receiver and curled up in her blanket, feeling a bittersweet ache: “I know I was wrong, Zhiyou. Next time I will… No, no, no, there won’t be a next time.”
After a long while, the panting on the other end finally calmed down: “Pinky swear.”
Yu Gui stretched her hand into the void: “Pinky swear, whoever breaks it is a puppy.”
Time slowed down its stopwatch, moments flowed by slowly. For Yu Gui, nights without shifts were so precious. She could talk with Zhiyou for quite a while, and finally fall into a deep sleep with her phone in her hand, listening to her voice.
She dreamed of Zengcheng in full bloom. It was the first mock exam in high school, a historic moment that would determine the division between arts and science streams.
Fang Zhiyou had a poor foundation. Although she was smart, she had missed too many lessons, which couldn’t be made up in a short time.
Yu Gui finished her test paper early. Taking advantage of the invigilator’s inattention, she glanced back briefly, just in time to see her sweating profusely, repeatedly calculating a math problem, her draft paper in disarray.
The invigilator walked to the back of the classroom, then turned to walk back. Yu Gui quickly turned her head back, gripping her eraser hesitantly for a moment, but still erased her name from her answer sheet.
“Group four, third row, what are you doing?!” A sharp shout rang out in the classroom. Yu Gui’s hair stood on end as the invigilator strode past her with an imposing air.
Fang Zhiyou glanced at the time. There were ten minutes left before handing in the papers. She gently kicked Yu Gui’s chair and mouthed to her: “How do you solve this problem?”
Yu Gui took a quick look and knew that at least half of her answers were wrong. Her heart sank, and she didn’t know where she found the courage, but in a flash, she pulled out her own answer sheet and passed it over, simultaneously snatching back Fang Zhiyou’s with lightning speed. The invigilator had just turned around.
Fang Zhiyou was stunned and immediately kicked Yu Gui’s chair hard. Yu Gui nearly fell over. The invigilator walked over and tapped Fang Zhiyou’s desk: “What are you doing? If you’re finished, you can hand in your paper.”
Yu Gui’s handwriting was neat and tidy, with the name field on the answer sheet left blank. Fang Zhiyou stood up: “Teacher, I…”
Yu Gui quickly scribbled her name and also stood up in a flash: “Teacher, I’m handing in my paper.”
After the bell rang, students gradually left the classroom with their backpacks. Fang Zhiyou packed up her things and threw them heavily onto Yu Gui’s desk: “Why did you do that? I don’t need you to let me pass!”
Yu Gui stammered: “But… you got too many wrong…”
If the results came out like this, they definitely wouldn’t be assigned to the same class.
The young girl’s face flushed red and pale alternately, her self-esteem completely shattered: “It’s none of your business!!! How many points I get is my own affair. Even my mom doesn’t interfere, who are you to meddle?!!!”
As far as she knew, every time Fang Zhiyou brought home a test paper with zero points, her mother would beat her. Last time, Mother Fang accidentally hit her head with an ashtray, and the mark hadn’t faded yet.
Every time Yu Gui saw those bruises on her body, her heart would tremble: “Don’t go against your mother… Actually, I think she’s…”
“Shut up!!! What do you know!” Fang Zhiyou flew into a rage, kicking Yu Gui’s desk. The desk slid to the corner of the wall with a loud bang.
Yu Gui was scared half to death. Since middle school, although she rarely interacted with others, Fang Zhiyou had seldom lost her temper like this. Yu Gui’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she shrank her head, tears swirling in her eyes.
After venting her anger, Fang Zhiyou saw Yu Gui like this and felt somewhat guilty. Today, the young girl had tied her hair in two ponytails, looking like a frightened little rabbit.
She rubbed her nose, picked up her schoolbag, and turned to leave. Yu Gui pushed aside the scattered desks and chairs to chase after her, finally grabbing her wrist just as she was about to step out of the classroom door.
“Zhiyou… I want to be in the same class as you…” No matter when, she always seemed somewhat timid in front of her. Perhaps it was because Fang Zhiyou had given her such a strong impression from the first glance, and had always played the role of protector during their three years of middle school, so she always spoke rather submissively in front of her.
“You… you are my only friend… I… I don’t want to be separated from you…”
After she said this, tears fell in streams, sliding down her cheeks and reaching the corners of her lips where they were gently licked away as she choked back sobs.
Fang Zhiyou’s hand gripping her schoolbag strap tightened again and again, finally letting go. The schoolbag fell to the ground, and she embraced Yu Gui.
“Alright, alright, stop crying. I didn’t bully you…”
Yu Gui curled up in her arms, sobbing: “Wuwuwu… you did bully me…”
Students passing by from the neighboring class cast disdainful and bewildered glances at them. Fang Zhiyou felt uncomfortable all over and quickly helped Yu Gui up, supporting her shoulders and making her look up at herself.
“Trust me, I will definitely be in the same class as you. And later, we’ll go to university together, be roommates, work together after graduation, raise cats and dogs, and when we’re old, we’ll live in a nursing home together.”
Yu Gui finally broke into a smile through her tears: “But if you stay with me all the time, you won’t be able to get married.”
Fang Zhiyou frowned: “Marriage and such, I’ve never even thought about it.”
The other girl’s eyes were bright and shining, round like apricot kernels. Her long eyelashes, adorned with teardrops, fluttered like feathers gently brushing across her heart.
In just an instant, the image of a suitable marriage partner flashed through her mind.
“Zhiyou, will you really stay with me forever?”
Fang Zhiyou licked her lips, her expression becoming inexplicably solemn: “I will.”
Yu Gui extended her fair wrist, waving it in front of her eyes: “Then… pinky swear.”
“Pinky swear, hang me if I lie, for a hundred years it can’t change.”
“Whoever changes is a puppy.”
This dream was long, fragmentedly dreaming of many past events. After that, Fang Zhiyou began to study diligently, spending time with her in the library, taking extra classes and doing exercises together, dictating English words to each other, memorizing texts and writing formulas.
Fang Zhiyou wasn’t actually stupid, she was even a bit smarter than Yu Gui. Once she solidified her fundamentals bit by bit, her physics scores improved dramatically. Yu Gui’s chemistry and physics were terrible, so they complemented each other perfectly.
After Yu Gui finished her paper and showed it to her, she was suddenly hit on the forehead with a pencil: “You’re so stupid! This question should be solved like this…”
She took the draft paper and began to verify the calculation with swift, flowing strokes.
Yu Gui covered her head, looking at her soft profile under the dim desk lamp, and smiled slightly with pursed lips.
Fang Zhiyou turned her head, just in time to see her face full of happiness mixed with a hint of lewdness, and lewdness mixed with □□. She hit her hard with the pencil again, but her own face couldn’t help but flush.
“What are you looking at! Do your problems!”
The hospital staff dormitory had no air conditioning. The old desk fan turned with a creaking sound, emitting a noise that set one’s teeth on edge. Yu Gui fell asleep like this, hazily dreaming of many years past. She waded through the river of time, slowly moving forward, passing through the misty present, and arriving at the sea of the future.
Space suddenly overlapped, the feeling of weightlessness made her slightly dizzy. She heard herself shouting hoarsely: “You are my patient, I won’t let you die!”
Yu Gui suddenly leapt up from the bed, drenched in sweat. She glanced at the time on the desk lamp: 4 AM.
Unable to sleep anymore, she stepped barefoot onto the cold floor. The coolness seeped into her skin, slightly calming her rapid breathing. After hastily washing her face, Yu Gui sat back at her desk, turned on the computer, and took out her notebook.
The computer’s blue light illuminated her face. She pinned her bangs up with a hair clip, held a pen cap between her teeth, searching for thesis data on CNKI while writing down her own insights, slowly piecing together a complete surgical plan.
The hour hand passed 3 AM, the light in the study was still on. French Fries had already fallen asleep in her arms. Lu Qingshi supported it with one hand to prevent it from falling off her lap, while her other hand typed on the keyboard, discussing pancreatic cancer insights in English with scholars across the ocean. Beside her was a half-completed surgical plan.
At 7 o’clock sharp, the alarm went off. Lu Qingshi put French Fries back in its cat bed, hurriedly ran to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she came out of the bathroom, the microwave just beeped. She took out the heated milk and placed it on the dining table, then mixed milk powder for French Fries and fed it.
By the time she came out dressed and buttoning up, the milk was at just the right temperature to drink quickly.
She drank it all in one go, grabbed her car keys, stuffed the surgical plan into her bag, and prepared to leave. The door opposite her in the hallway also opened with a click.
Gu Yanzhi came out yawning: “Morning, Dr. Lu.”
Lu Qingshi nodded, locking the door behind her: “Morning.”
The two went downstairs together. Gu Yanzhi went to the bike shed to get her motorcycle, while Lu Qingshi turned into the underground parking garage. Five minutes later, she came out looking dejected, holding up her phone to call property management: “Hello, I’m the owner of D area’s apartment 605. There’s an Audi parked haphazardly, blocking my parking space. I can’t get my car out…”
Gu Yanzhi applied the brakes, stopping right in front of her. She took off her helmet, swinging it in her hand, and tilted her head, revealing white teeth: “Come on, Dr. Lu, I’ll give you a ride.”
Lu Qingshi pursed her lips, checking the time: “Alright.”
The helmet was placed on her head, and Gu Yanzhi fastened the strap for her. It was her first time wearing such a thing, and she felt a bit uncomfortable, adjusting it: “Don’t you need one?”
The other woman was wearing motorcycle gear, with her firefighter uniform jacket tied around her waist, emphasizing her slender yet powerful waist. Her long legs rested on the ground.
“I don’t need one. Hold on tight.”
Lu Qingshi gripped her clothes tightly. As soon as the words were spoken, the motorcycle roared to life and shot forward. She instinctively closed her eyes. Noticing her nervousness, the rider slowed down.
“If you’re scared, just keep your eyes closed.”
As they entered the crowded traffic of the morning rush hour, the motorcycle had to slow down as well. Lu Qingshi tried to calm her racing heart, her tone remaining cool.
“I’m not scared.”
The firefighter instructor narrowed her eyes and smiled, completely at ease. She’s clearly very scared but still pretending to be tough.
She twisted the throttle, brushing past a Grand Cherokee, merging into the crowded traffic and throng of people at the intersection ten seconds before the red light.
Seeing a large truck coming head-on, Lu Qingshi’s heart leapt to her throat: “Gu… Gu Yanzhi… slow down…”
The other didn’t answer, suddenly twisting the throttle to the maximum, passing the truck just as the yellow light was about to come on. Gu Yanzhi looked back, her hair brushing Lu Qingshi’s face. The person behind her, at some point, had pressed tightly against her back, arms wrapped around her waist, trembling slightly.
A smile of successful mischief appeared on the firefighter instructor’s lips. She maintained this speed all the way to the hospital, flying in through the side entrance under the angry scolding of the security guard at the gate, and executing a perfect drift to stop right at the emergency center’s main entrance.
“We’re here, Dr. Lu.” She looked back at the person still curled up behind her, not daring to raise her head, and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
…
Could the teasing look in her eyes be any more obvious?!
Lu Qingshi got off the back seat, her lips tightly pressed together. She took off the helmet and tossed it into Gu Yanzhi’s arms, walking inside without a word.
It seemed she was truly angry. Gu Yanzhi became anxious and quickly got off the bike: “Hey, um, Dr. Lu…”
Qin Xuan got out of Bao Fengnian’s car and leaned into Lu Qingshi’s arms: “Oh~ Who made our Director Lu angry so early in the morning? Look at how dark her face is.”
While speaking, she blew a kiss at Gu Yanzhi. The firefighter instructor scratched her head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: “Good morning, Dr. Qin.”
Lu Qingshi abruptly shook off Qin Xuan who was clinging to her: “If you touch me one more time, I’ll file a report with the medical affairs office to transfer you to the emergency department. You’re. Stuck. To. Me. Every. Day.”
She deliberately emphasized the last few words. Qin Xuan immediately straightened up with a jolt: “Yes, yes, yes, Director Lu is right. Hugging and embracing in public is improper, very improper.”
After saying this, she casually fanned herself with her hand and rolled her eyes, muttering softly: “But I just saw Director Lu hugging someone else. You were so close, weren’t you, Instructor Gu?”
She nudged Gu Yanzhi who was standing nearby. Lu Qingshi’s blood immediately rushed to her face, turning it red: “You…”
“I… Mama Mia, Director Lu is angry, how scary!” Qin Xuan shrank into Gu Yanzhi’s arms, pretending to tremble in fear.
Lu Qingshi scanned them up and down, her face breaking into a smile that Qin Xuan was familiar with—one that sent chills down her spine.
She took out her phone from her pocket, dialing while walking: “Hello, Director Liu, this is Lu Qingshi from the Emergency Department…”
“Oh crap!” Qin Xuan took off running after her: “Qingshi, wait up! I was wrong! Really wrong!!!”
Gu Yanzhi couldn’t help but smile, but she didn’t chase after them. She played with the helmet in her hand, savoring the memory of the softness that had just pressed against her, slightly lost in thought.
Hao Renjie jumped on her from behind, hanging onto her neck: “Oh! The flower protector! The person’s already gone, and you’re still looking!”
Gu Yanzhi didn’t see him as a man, and put her arm around his shoulder: “Does your boss have a boyfriend?”
Hao Renjie shook his head: “What kind of weird thing is that?”
He pondered for a moment, stroking his chin: “However… it seems she has an ex-husband…”
Gu Yanzhi had heard her sleep-talking, so she wasn’t surprised. She was just curious about what kind of person could marry Lu Qingshi and make her willingly bear and raise children.
“What kind of person is her ex-husband?”
Hao Renjie smacked his lips, looking her up and down: “What’s this? You’ve taken a fancy to our boss?”
Gu Yanzhi shook her head repeatedly: “No, I’m just curious.”
Hao Renjie beckoned her with his finger, and Gu Yanzhi quickly leaned in to listen: “I heard that the boss and her ex-husband were college classmates, both campus beauty and campus hunk level figures at Peking Union Medical College. They studied abroad together. Her ex-husband became a professor of cardiac surgery at a young age, but for some reason later switched to research in a pharmaceutical company. It’s said that his current assets have already exceeded 100 million yuan, and half of the hospitals in the country import medical equipment and drugs from their company.”
Gu Yanzhi choked on her own saliva. Over… over 100 million…
She counted on her fingers, realizing that all her possessions, including a commercial apartment, added up to only six figures at most.
“Which pharmaceutical company is so rich?”
“Changsheng Biological Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.”
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