Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 61

Volume 2: Inheritance

Excuse

You can’t bear it, it’s okay, there’s still me.

Gu Yanzhi only stayed in the hospital for a day before eagerly rushing home. When she opened the door, Hamburger pounced on her, kissing her neck and face. There was still food in its bowl, indicating someone had been here.

            

Gu Yanzhi smiled and hugged it affectionately. After playing around on the sofa with the dog for a while, she got up to take a shower. She turned on the water heater, but not a single drop of water sprayed out of the showerhead.

Gu Yanzhi shook it in her hand. After several attempts, she finally accepted the painful reality that the water heater was broken.

She thought for a moment while standing naked, then wrapped herself in a bathrobe and knocked on the neighbor’s door.

            

Lu Qingshi had come back, taken a shower, and fallen asleep immediately. She was in a deep sleep when the unexpected knocking at the door woke her up, making her open the door with a face full of impatience. Standing outside was a certain fire instructor with a smile that could charm anyone.

“Qingshi, my water heater is broken. Can I take a shower here?”

Without saying a word, Lu Qingshi shut the door. Gu Yanzhi quickly stuck a foot in: “Well, well… I haven’t showered for several days… I’m smelly and dirty… It’s not good for the wound recovery, right?”

            

She always had a way of making unreasonable requests sound dignified. Lu Qingshi rubbed her temples and let her in, taking a pair of disposable slippers from the shoe cabinet in the hallway and tossing them to her.

“Here, put these on.”

Gu Yanzhi, holding a washbasin, quickly caught them: “Thank you, Qingshi.”

            

Being disturbed like this, all the sleepiness ran away. Lu Qingshi walked to the side of the tea table, took a thermos, and poured some water to drink: “Aren’t you supposed to be in the hospital?”

“Had a check-up, nothing serious, so I came back. Otherwise, staying there would just take up medical resources.”

Gu Yanzhi shrugged indifferently, provoking a suspicious look from that person, who scrutinized her up and down. She felt a tingling on her scalp and quickly slipped into the bathroom.

            

“Well, I’m going to take a shower first, okay?”

Lu Qingshi took a sip of water, opened her phone, and sent a message to Yu Gui: “Send me Gu Yanzhi’s check-up report.”

Then she looked up in the direction where Gu Yanzhi had left and said, “The body wash and shampoo are on the shelf, help yourself.”

            

Through the door, accompanied by the sound of rushing water, Gu Yanzhi’s voice sounded muffled: “No need, I brought my own.”

While Gu Yanzhi was showering at Lu Qingshi’s house, the sky outside was getting dark, and the city lights were just coming on, marking the moment when a city gradually reveals its true appearance.

The bar’s lights were colorful, casting a decadent look on everyone’s face. Qin Xuan, a regular here, after two glasses of whiskey, took off her coat, stepped onto the stage in towering high heels, and started dancing closely with others.

            

Her figure was wrapped in a slip dress, curvy and revealing, with a slit going up to the thigh. Her calves were slender and strong, and with every move, every cell in her body exuded an unparalleled mature charm.

The crowd below cheered and screamed, the music was deafening, and the Long Island Iced Tea in the glass of the officer sitting at the bar was empty. She rang the bell to call the bartender for another drink, and when the last beat dropped, someone clapped and coaxed.

“Kiss, kiss!”

            

“Miss, your Long Island Iced Tea, uh…” The waiter brought the drink over, only to find the seat was already empty.

The man holding Qin Xuan’s side waist had changed. Xiang Nanke, tall with long legs, had an aura not inferior to a man’s. The two were so close that you could smell the rich scent of alcohol on her and see the wildly growing, unnamed emotions in her eyes.

Intense, lingering, gentle yet passionate, it was like the alcohol made her a bit drunk.

            

Someone below whistled, with cheers even more enthusiastic than before: “Kiss, kiss!”

Qin Xuan’s face broke into a smile that could captivate anyone, her eyebrows raised, her eyes lifted, with peach blossom eyes and a beautiful face.

She gently pulled Xiang Nanke’s neck down and whispered behind her ear: “Officer Xiang, do you like me?”

            

The officer, not good at playing along, blushed instantly, feeling a tingling where her breath touched. She swallowed, her throat moving up and down.

Who could not like such a bright and charming woman?

No.

            

She heard the heartbeat that had been silent in her chest for thirty years start to fluctuate.

Xiang Nanke slightly tilted her head and pressed against her cheek, soft and warm, and almost instinctively pulled her down.

“I…”

            

Before the words were finished, Qin Xuan’s hand, which was hugging her neck, suddenly loosened, gently pressed against her shoulder, and pushed her away.

“There are so many good women, why do you like me? Are you crazy?”

Xiang Nanke thought she might really be seriously crazy.

            

“Have you eaten?” Gu Yanzhi closed the bathroom door, walked out while drying her hair, and the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.

She peeked in and saw the doctor cracking two eggs into a bowl, stirring them with chopsticks, while the pot on the gas stove was sizzling with steam.

“Not yet, are you inviting me to stay for a meal?”

            

“Tomato and egg noodles. If you don’t mind, you can stay and eat,” Lu Qingshi bent down to take tomatoes out of the fridge and washed them clean.

Gu Yanzhi’s eyes lit up, she couldn’t ask for more.

“Great!”

            

She glanced at her hair, which was wet enough to wring out water: “The hairdryer is in the bedside cabinet in the bedroom.”

“Okay,” Gu Yanzhi ran in to get it, and when she took the hairdryer out of the drawer, an old yellowed piece of paper fell out.

She picked it up and put it back in place, but her fingertips felt something smooth, so curiosity got the better of her. She turned it over; it was the corner of a photo, torn off completely by someone.

            

The child in the photo had proper features, rosy lips, and white teeth, completely inheriting his mother’s good genes, making it hard not to recognize.

She examined the photo with a complex expression for a long time until a voice came from outside the door: “Did you find it?”

“Found it,” she said, putting the photo back in the drawer and went to the bathroom with the hairdryer to dry her hair.

            

Although Lu Qingshi’s cooking skills were somewhat indescribable, she was good at quick meals. Soon, the fragrant tomato and egg noodles were served on the table, garnished with chopped green onions. Knowing she had a big appetite, she also specially steamed flower rolls and took out special sauce—Lao Gan Ma (chili sauce, I recommend it)—from the fridge. Thus, it could be considered a rare delicacy.

Gu Yanzhi was already starving, with Lao Gan Ma stuffed in a bun in her left hand and chopsticks in her right, devouring the food. In between bites, she glanced at the iron cage placed against the wall and paused: “By the way, didn’t you say you were going to pick up French Fries and bring him home?”

Lu Qingshi’s movements halted: “Ah… that…”

            

Being asked directly, the doctor was clearly a bit guilty and couldn’t come up with a coherent response for a while.

Gu Yanzhi became nervous: “Has there been any change in French Fries’ condition?”

Lu Qingshi quickly shook her head: “No.”

            

“Then what is it?”

Aside from emergency scenes, the doctor’s words were pitifully few, but Gu Yanzhi wasn’t annoyed and continued to guide patiently.

“Um… the doctor did call me, and French Fries’ condition has improved, that’s correct… but it’s not time for discharge yet…”

            

“Then why did you say that?” Gu Yanzhi swallowed nervously, waiting for an answer.

Lu Qingshi turned her head, and her earlobes, white as jade, flushed red: “To ignite your will to live.”

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. After waiting for a while, the person opposite suddenly burst into laughter, starting with a muffled chuckle and then laughing heartily, her eyes curving into crescents, filled with joy.

            

It seemed as if something was stuck in her chest, and Lu Qingshi’s ears turned increasingly red. She couldn’t help but tap her chopsticks on Gu Yanzhi’s bowl: “What’s so funny? Stop laughing! If I hadn’t said that…”

“Even if you hadn’t said that, I would still try my best to survive,” Gu Yanzhi suddenly became serious, staring into her eyes, looking deep into her pupils, where she saw her own reflection.

Does she also hold a place in Lu Qingshi’s heart?

            

She probed, “Because, I still have unfinished business.”

Lu Qingshi averted her gaze nonchalantly: “That’s great.”

The indifferent response was expected. The fire instructor playfully puffed her curls in front of her forehead, casually saying, “The excuse of French Fries has already been used. Next time, use yourself. I might have a greater will to survive.”

            

Lu Qingshi put down her chopsticks, the blush on her face vanished without a trace: “The weight of life is too heavy. I can’t bear it, nor do I want to.”

When seeing her off at last, Gu Yanzhi turned back to look at her. She stood in the light, while Lu Qingshi fell into the darkness of the hallway, distinctly divided.

She stepped slightly forward, breaking this boundary. She was half a head taller than the doctor, speaking as if right in her ear.

            

“You can’t bear it, that’s okay, I am here.”

No one knows how they ended up following her home, or how they ended up lying on the same bed. Having drunk too much, resulting in a faint headache, Xiang Nanke woke up before dawn, with moonlight streaming through the gap in the curtains, landing precisely on the doctor’s brow.

Qin Xuan’s lips were less than two centimeters away from hers, her gentle breath brushed against Xiang Nanke’s face, waking her up instantly. She instinctively checked her clothes, which were intact, and then looked at her, immediately breathing a sigh of relief.

            

Thankfully, nothing inappropriate happened after drinking.

However…

She swallowed, looking at her pale pink lips so close, slightly dazed.

            

Unlike Lu Qingshi’s low-key and cold beauty, Qin Xuan had another kind of wanton and bright beauty, carrying an inherent air of worldly sophistication, yet she wasn’t vulgar. Her education and knowledge added a layer of depth that transcended surface appearances.

She couldn’t accurately encapsulate it; she only knew that beneath the glamorous exterior, this woman also hid a heart as kind as gold.

Since police school, she had concealed her sexual orientation very well, studying diligently, training hard, winning scholarships year after year. She didn’t know why, but there was a subconscious awareness that she felt different from ordinary girls.

            

Ordinary girls wouldn’t take on such high-risk professions, and normal girls wouldn’t like another girl.

Yes, to this day, she still considers herself abnormal, just like Qin Xuan said, maybe she’s sick.

Those words stabbed into her heart like a knife, Xiang Nanke frowned, but suddenly heard a faint door opening sound in the silence.

            

Her professional instincts made her instantly alert, clenching her fist and pretending to be asleep as she turned over.

She didn’t move until the shadow crept into the bedroom, and just as they approached the bed, Xiang Nanke suddenly exerted her strength, leaping up from the bed and delivering a fierce elbow strike to their head.

A scream rang out, and Qin Xuan turned over with the blanket: “What happened? What’s going on?!”

            

Xiang Nanke was already wrestling with the intruder. In the darkness, nothing could be seen clearly of the two shadows. Qin Xuan quickly turned on the bedside lamp and screamed: “Oh my God! Stop fighting! That’s my boyfriend!”

Xiang Nanke had just punched him in the temple, and she withdrew her hand expressionlessly.

When it came to fighting, Lao Bao was naturally no match for the captain of the criminal police, ending up with a bruised and battered face. Qin Xuan hurriedly got out of bed to help him up: “Why didn’t you say anything about coming back so late? No wonder she mistook you for a thief and hit you. Does it hurt? I’ll get you some red flower oil to rub…”

            

When she turned around: “Xiang…”

In the living room, there was only the wide-open door, and the voice-activated light in the hallway was still on, indicating she hadn’t gone far.

Qin Xuan pressed her lips tightly and quietly sighed in her heart.

            

Her gaze moved from top to bottom, gliding over her shoulders, the slender butterfly bones, the perky hips, the straight and long legs, watching as she put on her underwear, fastened the clasp of her bra, and turned to take clothes from the hanger.

Fang Zhiyou lay on the bed, looking at her with fascination, savoring the moment: “Xiaogui…”

“You sleep a bit more, Zhiyou.” The sky outside was bright, and from the narrow window of the staff dormitory, you could see the ambulance parking lot, with the mist from the fountain casting colorful rays.

            

It was a wonderful morning. Yu Gui donned her white coat, hung her badge, and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

“Be good, wait for me to have lunch together at noon.”

As she got up to leave, she was suddenly pulled back, falling into the bed for a bout of playful chaos, and finally rushed to clock in on the verge of being late, dashing into the office to start a busy day.

            

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