Chapter 82: "Luo Xing, I will change everything, alright?"

After registering at the venue, the group prepared to part ways.

Luo Xing had originally planned to leave with Shen Que; she’d arranged to have lunch with Yun Cai to discuss Qi Zhi’s situation.

But after Gu Shiyan came out, he kept rubbing his eyes before her, his shoulders drooping. Luo Xing noticed the rims of his eyes had turned red from all the rubbing.

She stood nearby, her gaze cast elsewhere, yet spoke to Gu Shiyan, “You should call for a driver. Don’t crash and kill yourself; the competition hasn’t even started yet.”

Shen Que glanced at Luo Xing, his lashes lowered.

Gu Shiyan shook his head. “No need. Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble.” With that, he hooked his finger through the keys and headed for the car.

But just as Luo Xing and Shen Que were turning to leave, there was a loud thump—Gu Shiyan collapsed backward.

Luckily, Shen Que was close enough to stride over and grab his shirt, catching him.

“What… What happened to him?” Luo Xing watched Gu Shiyan lose consciousness, eyes shut, and hurriedly pulled her phone from her pocket to dial emergency services.

The three of them ended up at the hospital.

Luo Xing sat by the bedside, watching the needle inserted into Gu Shiyan’s hand.

Shen Que entered holding the medical report. Luo Xing rose to her feet, her eyes on the paper.

“How could Gu Shiyan have gone so long without sleep?” Luo Xing remembered well—Gu Shiyan was always sleeping, oblivious to anyone or anything. Nothing could disturb his rest, not even emergencies.

“I don’t know. Shall we contact his family?” Shen Que placed the medical report at Gu Shiyan’s bedside, tucking it under the blanket, then looked at Luo Xing. “Call his family, and we can leave.”

Luo Xing hesitated.

Gu Shiyan’s family in Beicheng—his father?

“Luo Xing?” Shen Que walked over, meeting her gaze. “Are you planning to stay and look after him?”

“No,” Luo Xing moved past Shen Que, eyes on Gu Shiyan’s bed. “I’ll call his father.”

She took his phone from his pocket and held it—fingerprint unlock was enabled.

Shen Que stood behind her, for reasons she herself couldn’t explain.

In her mind, Ke Yu’s voice echoed: “He told me to change the password.”

Luo Xing stared at Gu Shiyan’s phone screen. The lock code was four digits.

Gu Shiyan—has he always remembered her birthday?

Her fingertip hesitated, but she tried anyway.

1... 22...

Only one digit left, but Luo Xing stopped.

In the end, she unlocked the phone with Gu Shiyan’s fingerprint.

She opened the contacts—no entry for “Dad,” only a “Gu Liang.”

Luo Xing dialed, but there was no answer.

She called three times, still nothing.

Then a message came through WeChat.

Gu Liang: [Busy]

Luo Xing frowned at the curt reply, lowering her hand.

“Shen Que, his father isn’t answering. I’ll stay here and wait for him to wake up.”

Shen Que seemed to have expected this. He sighed, “I’ll go buy lunch. You wait here.”

Luo Xing sat down again, idly tapping her phone case.

How could Gu Shiyan have worn himself out like this? What had he been doing lately?

He should have returned to his old life by now—meeting up with Li Zhao and Yi Chuan, drinking and partying all day.

Her phone vibrated.

She looked down—it was a message from Li Zhao.

He asked if Luo Xing had seen Gu Shiyan.

Luo Xing glanced up at Gu Shiyan, right before her.

She sent Li Zhao the hospital address, telling him to come.

Before the IV drip was a third empty, Gu Shiyan woke up. He opened his eyes—the curtains were wide open, and for someone used to living with them perpetually drawn, the light was unsettling.

He squinted, vision blurred, but he still saw Luo Xing. She sat in the chair, legs neatly together, head resting on her arms atop her knees.

Wouldn’t her limbs go numb like that?

His gaze lingered on the needle in his hand.

He knew he would faint.

He’d spent more than half a month in Jing City. First, he found Qi Zhi and told him he would help with the contract involving Lu Yuanyi.

Qi Zhi’s mother had long since been discharged; though her mental state remained unstable, she could live an ordinary life.

After settling things with Qi Zhi, Gu Shiyan immediately arranged to meet Lu Yuanyi.

Just a man—after so many years, hatred should have faded.

Especially since Gu Shiyan brought up matters affecting her interests. As Lu family’s daughter, her ambition had grown; she had a younger brother, and who would ultimately inherit was still uncertain.

Could she hand over her hard-earned company to Lu Xingjian, her brother who only cared for indulgence?

To her, interests were paramount.

Gu Shiyan’s terms would increase her group’s value by billions; she had no reason to refuse. Qi Zhi’s family had already been shattered by this incident.

She agreed to Gu Shiyan’s conditions, but had a demand—after the contract ended, Qi Zhi must leave the industry.

“He made it this far because I poured resources into him. I won’t let him profit any further.”

Gu Shiyan consulted Qi Zhi, who agreed to retire. He wanted an ordinary life, to accompany his mother in peace.

These matters were still relatively simple for Gu Shiyan.

The difficult part was with the old man. Gu Shiyan needed to leverage his connections to clear a path for Lu Yuanyi—far from easy.

Don’t be fooled by the old man’s age and illness; he still believed that profit was the beacon of navigation.

He’d always favored Gu Shiyan, wishing him to take on responsibilities.

Gu Shiyan disliked such things and never agreed, but this time, he sought him out.

The old man told Gu Shiyan he could provide channels, but every step had to be handled by Gu Shiyan himself.

Don’t expect others to do the work for you.

What would take others six months or a year, Gu Shiyan had to compress into half a month.

The difficulty was unimaginable.

The old man was ruthless, unconcerned for Gu Shiyan’s wellbeing.

Gu Shiyan knew his own limits; after enduring those days, he was bound to end up in the hospital.

He’d even calculated the timing, deliberately collapsing before Luo Xing.

He just wanted to see if she would stay.

Thankfully, she had.

Sunlight spilled through the window, bathing Luo Xing.

Her chestnut hair was tied in a bun, held in place by a blue barrette at the nape.

Loose wisps shimmered gold in the sunlight.

Gu Shiyan got out of bed, carrying the IV bottle, and drew the curtains behind Luo Xing.

The room darkened.

Luo Xing woke.

She straightened up, and the first thing she saw was Gu Shiyan’s chest looming above her. Startled, she instinctively shoved him with surprising force.

Gu Shiyan crashed onto the bed, the IV in his hand yanking out a burst of blood.

“What are you doing?” Luo Xing stood up, anger flashing across her face.

Gu Shiyan propped himself up, pulling tissues from the nearby box and handing them to Luo Xing.

Luo Xing paused, touched her forehead, finding herself drenched in sweat.

She turned and saw the curtains swept up by the wind.

Understanding dawned, and her expression softened. Taking the tissues Gu Shiyan offered, she apologized quietly.

Gu Shiyan stood before her, his hand still aching, but he ignored it.

He looked at Luo Xing and asked, “Luo Xing, I’ll change. Is that alright?”

He reached for her hand. “Everything you dislike, I’ll change.”