Together Forever - Chapter 59

Volume 3, Chapter 59: Simple Happiness (2)

Apart from a quiet New Year’s Day, their honeymoon turned into a working vacation for his law firm.

Gu Pingsheng wasn’t particularly fussy. Since it was their honeymoon, their room was considerably larger than those of his colleagues. For convenience, it became the de facto office.

Initially, his colleagues had been apologetic, but after a few days, realizing Tong Yan’s easygoing nature, they relaxed. She not only let them use the room, but also volunteered as an assistant.

However, the subtle intimacy between her and Gu Pingsheng was a source of envy.

Even his recently hired secretary declared she couldn’t stand it anymore and was determined to get married within the year…

Whenever her help wasn’t needed, Tong Yan would escape to the hotel’s private beach.

A honeymoon destination, it was filled with couples.

She sat under a parasol, her bare feet playing in the soft sand.

She remembered that day, excitedly running into the ocean, expecting to swim as freely as she did in a pool, only to be knocked over by a small wave, swallowing a mouthful of seawater. It had tasted awful, bitter and salty.

Thankfully, Gu Pingsheng had been there to pull her up; otherwise, she would have probably swallowed even more. Unfortunately, no good deed went unpunished. The first thing she did after getting up was turn around and… share the salty taste with him…

Tong Yan exhaled softly, leaning back on the lounge chair.

It was so hot; she wondered if he was uncomfortable in the room.

Worried, she sent him a message: What’s your heart rate?

He quickly replied: 97, normal range. TK

Slightly relieved, she typed: I feel bad that you’re working so hard, day and night.

If I chose a comfortable life now, Mrs. Gu might have to work day and night in the future. Then I would be more than just heartbroken. TK

She didn't know how to respond. He sent another message: Don’t go in the ocean without a lifeguard nearby. TK

She leaned back on the lounge chair, slowly typing: Okay. I’m reading; I won’t go swimming.

She stayed on the beach until dusk, then, carrying the book she had brought from the room, slowly walked back. There was an event at the hotel that evening, and crowds of people were heading towards the beach, while she was one of the few walking in the opposite direction.

She reached the elevators and pressed the up button.

The doors opened, and a group of people emerged. To her surprise, Gu Pingsheng was among them. They saw each other at the same time, and she stepped aside, waiting for him.

“I was just thinking you must be finished, and then I saw you. Is that telepathy?”

He didn’t joke, taking the magazine from her hand. “I’ve rebooked my flight; we’re going back to Beijing tonight.”

“But we still have two days left. Did something happen at home?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.

“It’s my grandfather. I told you he had a liver transplant two years ago. His creatinine levels have been high ever since, and he’s been on dialysis. We’ve been monitoring his kidneys, but last night, he started bleeding internally. The endoscopy this morning confirmed a duodenal ulcer. He’s in the ICU now.”

He explained the situation in simple terms, so she could understand.

“Okay, I’ll go pack.”

She didn't waste any time, returning to their room with him.

Last-minute flights didn't offer much choice. They rushed to the airport, barely making their flight. Their seats were in the last row, and the recliners were broken. Initially, it was just uncomfortable, but after two hours, her back and neck ached.

He barely spoke, barely ate.

Tong Yan had never seen him like this. As the other passengers drifted off to sleep, he continued flipping through a magazine, his movements rapid, as if he were reading, or perhaps just trying to distract himself.

She placed her hand on the magazine, and when he looked at her, she frowned slightly. “These seats are terrible. You haven’t slept properly in days; are you sure you’re okay?” She unbuckled his seatbelt. “Lie down and rest. I’ll wake you if the flight attendants come by.”

They were the only ones in the last row; with the armrests up, he could lie across the seats.

She knew it wasn’t safe, but she couldn’t think of a better way to comfort him.

Gu Pingsheng, seemingly understanding her intention, rolled up the magazine and tapped her forehead. “If there’s turbulence, without a seatbelt, you could be thrown from your seat.”

But after saying that, he lifted the armrests.

Then he lay down, his head resting on her lap. “Wake me up in ten minutes.”

She nodded, putting her arm around him.

He closed his eyes without another word.

Tong Yan leaned her forehead against the seat in front of her, watching him sleep. With the time difference and the lack of holidays in the countries he was working with, he had been working incredibly hard these past few days.

Within minutes, his breathing evened out.

Remembering his earlier warning, she quietly unbuckled her own seatbelt, careful not to wake him. If there was turbulence, she wouldn't let him be thrown from his seat alone.

The plane landed a little after five in the morning.

As they climbed into a taxi, Tong Yan gave the driver the hospital’s address. Gu Pingsheng stopped her, saying they should go home first. “Even if it’s a familiar hospital, it’s too early for visiting hours,” he reminded her.

Tong Yan realized, once again, that he was much calmer and more composed than she was.

They arrived at the hospital a little after two in the afternoon. Walking down the long corridor to the ICU waiting area, they saw a crowd of people. Pingfan was talking to two doctors at the entrance, her back to them. The doctors saw Gu Pingsheng and waved, pressing the buzzer to open the door.

This place was all too familiar. It was here, in this very hospital, that they had first met, where his mother had passed away, and where her own mother had been treated.

Tong Yan stayed outside the glass doors. Finding no empty seats, she stood near the elevators.

After a while, Pingfan emerged, saying she had been there all night and was exhausted, and led Tong Yan downstairs to find a place to rest.

They claimed to be hungry, but they only ordered tea.

Pingfan took Tong Yan’s hand, her voice tinged with sadness. “Do you know why I studied medicine? Because people get sick so easily. Before medical school, I thought hospitals could cure anything. Now… I realize how fragile life is. Most illnesses… are incurable.”

Tong Yan, not having the perspective of a medical student, still understood the helplessness of facing illness and death. She couldn't find any words of comfort.

Pingfan sighed, then after a moment of silence, forced a smile. “I’m twelve years older than you, yet in some ways, I’m not as… strong. When I was in the US with TK, and I heard from his classmates about your grandmother’s illness… I couldn't believe you handled it all on your own, for months, without saying a word.”

Tong Yan shook her head. “I’m actually quite fragile, but… he was so ill; I had to be strong.”

“Yes, you’re still young; it’s okay to be fragile,” Pingfan said, leaning her head on her hand, exhausted. “I asked TK about his condition. It’s irreversible; it will only get worse. What will you do if one day… you can’t handle it anymore? If you… break up?”

Realizing her words were harsh, she quickly added, “Don’t mind me; doctors are always blunt, always thinking about the worst-case scenario.”

“I don’t mind. I also tend to think about the worst-case scenario, and then… everything else seems manageable.”

Pingfan smiled, continuing, “Then he… he said what I just said, or rather, I stole his words. He said you’re still young, it’s okay to be fragile,” she deliberately lightened her tone. “So Yan Yan, if one day, you can’t handle it anymore, no one will blame you. Not me, and certainly not TK.”

Tong Yan understood the implication; Pingfan was referring to the possibility of them breaking up.

She didn’t respond to the hypothetical scenario.

Pingfan changed the subject, talking about her grandfather’s condition and her attempts to persuade him to accept Tong Yan. “Older people can be stubborn, like children. You have to coax and persuade them patiently,” she said, sounding confident. “The first thing my grandfather said when he was admitted was that he wanted to see TK, so I’m sure everything will be alright.”

Tong Yan nodded in agreement.

Illness, family disapproval, those weren’t things she was afraid of.

A secret, however, had been weighing on her heart since that phone call with Pingfan.

It had been her birthday. Her mother, wanting to celebrate with her, had waited outside her school from early morning until lunchtime. But Tong Yan had lashed out at her, saying cruel and hurtful things. Later that day, her mother had been found unconscious after drinking heavily and had been rushed to the hospital.

Her birthday was the day both their mothers had been hospitalized.

It was also the day his mother had died.

She had left the hospital after being forced to sign the consent forms. Later, learning about her mother’s condition, the shock and fear, the realization of what could have happened, had been overwhelming.

So she understood his pain.

And the importance of Gu Pingsheng in her life, a depth of feeling he probably couldn’t even imagine.

She anxiously checked her phone.

Although she knew he was just in the ICU, she couldn’t shake off her worry. Gu Pingfan, despite having stayed up all night, seemed fine, just a little pale.

As she put it, doctors needed superhuman strength to endure thirty-six-hour shifts. “TK used to be very healthy,” Pingfan said, paying for their meal. “He worked hard to be a surgeon, always exercising, even learning to chop vegetables from me…”

“He told me,” Tong Yan said, wrapping her scarf around her neck. “He’s left-handed, like me. He said he used to julienne twenty potatoes every day to improve his right hand’s dexterity, so he could use both hands during surgery.”

She remembered how impressed she had been the first time she saw him chop vegetables.

Such precise knife skills required practice and dedication.

“Yes,” Pingfan said wistfully. “He worked so hard, but he never got to be a surgeon. I used to be so jealous that he got to live abroad; it wasn’t common back then. Later, as I grew older and learned about my aunt… I felt sorry for him. And then… so many things happened, one after another.”

Pingfan took the receipt, signed it, and ended the conversation.

When they returned to the hospital, Gu Pingsheng was out of the ICU, discussing his grandfather’s condition with a few older relatives. He paused as Tong Yan approached and told her he needed to stay; she should go home and rest.

Although worried about him, she didn't argue.

Back at the apartment, she took the bedsheets she had hung out to dry before their trip from the balcony and cleaned the apartment. The overnight flight, the day of worry and waiting, and now the cleaning, had exhausted her. After a quick shower, she climbed into bed.

The bedroom curtains were custom-made, blocking out all light, perfect for deep sleep.

But with so much on her mind, she couldn’t sleep soundly.

She woke up suddenly, disoriented, unsure if she was in her dorm room, at home, or still on the island…

The familiar scent of the duvet finally brought her back to reality.

She didn’t know what time it was, but the bed beside her was empty.

Her throat parched, she reached for the bedside lamp, then froze.

Her eyes, still adjusting to the darkness, gradually made out his figure, kneeling by the edge of the bed, carefully taking something from his pocket.

As if afraid to wake her.

She heard a faint rattling, like pills shaking in a plastic bottle.

Tong Yan didn't dare move, her hand resting on the nightstand, her gaze fixed on him in the darkness. He put something in his mouth, swallowed, then remained there, kneeling, his posture making her heart ache.

After a long time, he finally sat down on the floor beside the bed.

While he was kneeling, she had been able to tell if he was in pain, but now, sitting there silently, motionless, she panicked, turning on the light and sitting up.

“What’s wrong? Did I wake you?” he asked quickly, standing up and walking towards her.

His voice, close to her ear, was soft, soothing, yet she could hear the underlying fatigue.

She rubbed her eyes, forcing a smile. “I had a bad dream,” she said, blinking back tears, her eyes red and puffy. “Just got back?”

He hummed in agreement, gently touching her cheek.

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