Together Forever - Chapter 44
Volume 2, Chapter 44: Warmth (2)
After confirming her exam schedule, Gu Pingsheng quickly booked her flight.
Before she left, she insisted on accompanying him to a follow-up checkup.
They arrived at the hospital during lunchtime. Doctor Liao, fresh out of surgery, greeted them with his hair still damp. “Finally meeting your wife.”
Tong Yan smiled shyly, still not quite used to being addressed as such.
Gu Pingsheng handed him the latest test reports.
They spoke rapidly, their conversation filled with medical jargon.
Tong Yan couldn’t follow along, but she could tell Doctor Liao was being cautious. Finally, her anxiety getting the better of her, she clutched Gu Pingsheng’s hand. He smiled, warning the doctor, “My wife is easily scared. If you keep looking so serious, she’ll overthink it.”
“Don’t worry,” Doctor Liao chuckled, handing Tong Yan a glass of water. “He’s been dealing with this for years; he knows what he’s doing. Besides, the surgery was successful; he should be fine for at least ten years. He’s actually lucky. I have several SARS patients who can barely breathe in this summer heat; their lungs are severely damaged. Imagine enduring that every summer… How awful.”
Tong Yan took the glass, thinking that this doctor was truly terrible at comforting people.
Gu Pingsheng chuckled as well. “I’ll leave these reports with you. If there are any problems, just email me.”
“Go on, I have another surgery this afternoon. Besides, your problems aren’t solely orthopedic…” Doctor Liao started to say something, then stopped, seeing Gu Pingsheng’s expression, and turned to Tong Yan. “Don’t mind him; doctors always focus on the worst-case scenario.”
“I know. Thank you.”
Although she expressed her understanding, Tong Yan couldn’t shake off a lingering unease. That night, just before bed, she rested her head on his chest, looking into his eyes. “If anything is wrong, anything at all, you have to tell me.” Gu Pingsheng’s hand rested on her waist, gently patting her back. “You’ve been thinking about this all day?”
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “If anything’s wrong, you have to tell me.”
“Okay,” he said.
Tong Yan lowered her head, knowing he wouldn’t keep his promise.
Just like when he was in the US, Pingfan had sent her that video of him in the hospital, yet the next day, he had sent her a video of himself sightseeing… It felt like he was willing to share the good times, but not the bad.
He drove her to the airport the next day.
It was early July, the peak of summer.
As they stepped out of the taxi, a wave of heat washed over them. People hurried in and out of the airport, seeking refuge from the blazing sun. He took her suitcase, and she quickly reached for his hand, grinning. “Isn’t it hot?”
“It is,” he squeezed her hand. “Aren’t you hot?”
“I am,” she said, already sweating, but not wanting to let go. “Just bear with it. Once I’m on the plane, you won't have anyone to hold your hand.”
Gu Pingsheng hummed in agreement. “I have excellent endurance. I can manage. I’ll see you to the gate.”
Unable to argue with him, she tightened her grip on his hand.
He easily overpowered her though, and she winced, asking for mercy.
On the plane, she clenched her empty hand, trying to reassure herself. It was only for ten days: exams, packing up her dorm, collecting her internship application forms and recommendation letters. She would be back on July 10th.
Back in Shanghai, she presented her grandmother’s medical certificate to the department and her Maritime Law professor.
As she collected her internship forms and recommendation letter, the department staff member asked if she needed help finding an internship placement. Gu Pingsheng had already taken care of that, so she simply said she needed to be in Beijing to care for her family and that she would be completing her internship there.
Her Physics and Maritime Law exams were scheduled a day apart. After her Maritime Law exam, Shen Yao dragged her to the library for what she called “one last study session.”
Shen Yao, feeling sentimental, had arrived early to secure their usual spot.
It was a window seat, bathed in sunlight, but thanks to the library’s powerful air conditioning, it wasn't too hot.
Tong Yan rested her head on the desk, rereading Gu Pingsheng’s detailed solutions to the Physics practice problems. She had gone over them countless times, and staring at the familiar handwriting, her mind began to wander. She was jolted back to reality by the whispers around her.
Whispers that were not so quiet.
They were talking about the teacher-student affair, the abortion that had ruined her health and forced her to take a leave of absence, and the department covering it up. She finally understood Shen Yao’s earlier evasiveness; the rumors were about an abortion and a leave of absence.
Shen Yao, overhearing the gossip, glared at the gossipers and said, “I knew I shouldn’t have forced you to study with me. They’re just jealous. The rumors about Teacher Gu’s background are insane.”
Tong Yan hummed in agreement, then said self-deprecatingly, “Jealous of what? Jealous that I had to retake Physics four times?”
Shen Yao chuckled. “Tong Yan Wu Ji, you’re truly…”
Tong Yan stuck out her tongue and smiled faintly.
She couldn’t say she didn’t mind, but she couldn’t exactly make copies of her grandmother’s medical certificate and distribute them to everyone, could she?
As they continued their banter, Wang Xiao Ru, dressed impeccably, sauntered in, tossing her bag onto the table and sitting down. “As a model student, I have no exams after Maritime Law, yet here I am, wasting my time studying with you two… I have terrible taste in friends.”
Shen Yao grinned, chewing on her pen. “The gossip queen has arrived. Tong Yan Wu Ji, you’re safe now.”
Wang Xiao Ru looked at them, puzzled. “What’s going on? What’s Tong Wu Ji afraid of?”
“Rumors,” Shen Yao said, glancing around. “About Mei Ren Sha.”
Wang Xiao Ru gave a soft “oh.” “Why are you even listening to that? Everyone’s on edge by senior year, worrying about graduate school, studying abroad, finding a job. The drama in the dorms is much more intense than this. I heard the girls next door arguing about someone stealing someone else’s acceptance letter from abroad.” She opened her bag and took out a textbook, a picture of studiousness. “Besides, being with Teacher Gu comes at a price.”
Shen Yao nodded in agreement. “Exactly! Balance, you know? When you get something good, there’s always a price to pay. Otherwise, the heavens will be jealous.”
Seeing their efforts to comfort her, Tong Yan felt a pang of guilt. “Honestly, I don’t really care. It’s not a big deal.” Compared to the challenges she had faced in her life, rumors were nothing.
“Sure,” Shen Yao said, rolling her eyes. “In my eyes, you’re a delicate flower, transplanted from the Tong family greenhouse to the Gu family greenhouse, pretending to be a seasoned survivor…”
Tong Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled, twirling her pen as she returned to her studies.
By evening, she and Shen Yao were mentally exhausted.
They were surprised to see a large stage set up in the square outside the library. As they stood under a streetlight, watching the activity, a few members of the drama club, whom Tong Yan had coached in the past, ran over and invited them to stay for the senior graduation gala.
“Senior sister, you always host the galas. Even if you’re not on stage this time, you should still watch,” a sophomore said, linking her arm through Tong Yan’s. “Our club is performing too. It’s all seniors; you’ll know them.”
“Is Amy performing?” Tong Yan scanned the stage area, spotting many familiar faces.
“No,” the sophomore shook her head regretfully. “She has a live show at the TV station tonight.”
Shen Yao, always eager for entertainment, perked up at the mention of the graduation gala.
They stood at the edge of the crowd, greeting acquaintances as they waited for the gala to begin at eight.
Looking at the familiar stage lights, she remembered the university anniversary gala she had hosted with Gu Pingsheng. Feeling sentimental, she took out her phone and messaged him: Watching the senior graduation gala. First time not hosting, just watching from the audience. It’s outdoors.
He was probably reading at this hour.
Imagining his routine in Beijing only intensified her longing to be with him.
Around ten o’clock, it started to rain. Many of the sophomores and juniors, caught without umbrellas, huddled under the overhang of the library’s second-floor balcony, while the seniors seemed unfazed, some using their clothes as makeshift umbrellas, others simply letting the rain soak them.
Caught up in the atmosphere, she and Shen Yao felt a pang of vicarious graduation sadness.
As the rain intensified, the crowd pressed closer, pushing them against the glass wall of the library. They exchanged wry smiles; from this position, they could only hear the music from the stage, unable to see anything.
She checked her phone; amidst the earlier chaos, Gu Pingsheng had replied: It’s raining in Shanghai tonight. Don’t get carried away and forget your umbrella. TK
“Wow, Teacher Gu is keeping up with the weather forecast?” Shen Yao glanced at her phone, then chuckled. “I’ve calculated it perfectly. Your year-long internship is just enough time to have a baby. Perfect timing… Campus beauty queen, married to the most handsome professor. Unbeatable.”
Tong Yan elbowed her hard.
Another message arrived. It was him again: The supper I made was terrible. Earning a living but failing to provide basic sustenance, Mr. Gu is leading a very pitiful existence. TK
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