Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Gu Yubai couldn’t quite explain why he had faltered in that moment.

He should have refused outright, just as he had always done with others—swift and decisive.

"Yubai, the counselor said you should come early tomorrow. He’s arranged a photography group to take promo shots of a few good-looking upperclassmen from our chemistry department. They want to highlight our practical and likable chemistry department while students and parents are still around for the start of the semester."

"You’re good-looking, so the counselor insists you have to be one of them. He told me to make sure you don’t refuse—there are extra credits for you, which would really help with your scholarship application midterm."

Lin Xuyan patted Gu Yubai’s shoulder from behind, smiling.

Gu Yubai, holding a cardboard box, nodded with a faint smile.

"I already got him on WeChat. The counselor told me earlier—I don’t mind."

"Text me the details on WeChat later."

Lin Xuyan pulled out his phone to make a note, then quickened his pace to walk side by side with Gu Yubai.

Curious, he asked, "Your brother contacted me again just now, asking if you were with me. What’d you tell Gu Yihong? He kept messaging me but won’t talk to you directly."

At the mention of this, Gu Yubai’s smile dimmed slightly. Before Lin Xuyan could ponder further, Gu Yubai stopped walking.

"I haven’t thanked you yet for helping me deal with Yihong these past few days. I'll buy you dinner sometime."

Actually, Gu Yubai wasn't busy at the moment.

But these days, he had been keeping himself busy—either following up on airport contacts or consulting doctors about Gu Yihong’s mental health issues.

The doctor said that, based on the medication and Gu Yubai’s description, the patient did have psychological issues. However, he was currently in a stable period and unlikely to harm himself unless something really bad happens.

Still, the doctor recommended that the patient go to counseling twice a week to speed up recovery and minimize the negative impact on his life and health.

Gu Yubai had done all this in secret, not wanting Gu Yihong to find out.

Besides… his mind had been all over the place lately. Whenever he had a moment to himself, Yu Li’s patient, gentle expression from that day would resurface in his mind.

He had promised himself not to think about Yu Li, yet here he was, doing exactly that.

Gu Yubai’s expression stiffened unconsciously. He had been stepping forward with his right foot but accidentally switched to his left twice in a row, ending up walking out of step.

Lin Xuyan sensed Gu Yubai’s reluctance to explain and nodded understandingly. When Gu Yubai thanked him, his face immediately lit up.

"Don’t mention it. Helping you out is an honor for me as your senior. After all… you’re this year’s Mingcheng's top science student. Who knows, maybe I’ll need your help someday."

It was clearly a joke, meant to keep Gu Yubai from feeling like he owed him.

Gu Yubai smiled.

Though he had deliberately sought Lin Xuyan’s help, after several interactions, he had to admit that Lin Xuyan was really good with people. He appeared aloof but never let anyone feel left out.

In high school, Gu Yubai had kept his distance to avoid unwanted attention, earning himself a poor reputation. But in university, Lin Xuyan had become a big man on campus, excelling in social interactions and earning the admiration of the school staff—his reputation completely reversed.

As a friend, he was more than reliable.

Gu Yubai smiled to himself.

But before they could leave the building, Gu Yubai’s phone suddenly rang. He stopped and glanced at the screen—it was a contact he had hired, informing him that they might have found their target. The expert in plant nervous system research was expected to land within forty minutes and would leave the airport in under half an hour.

If Gu Yubai wanted to catch him, he needed to go now—and even then, it might be too late.

Not wanting to lose this lead, Gu Yubai dropped everything else at Mingcheng University.

He was about to hand the cardboard box to Lin Xuyan when the latter spoke up in confusion.

"The counselor just said an investor is visiting the campus today. They want to establish an additional scholarship for our chemistry department and would like to meet some of our students. But since the semester hasn’t officially started, there aren’t many students around—just a handful from our department."

"Yubai, do you want to come with me? The counselor said you’d be good for filling out the group."

Lin Xuyan grinned at him.

Gu Yubai shook his head immediately, checking the time.

"Sorry, senior. I really have an urgent matter—I need to get to the airport within the hour. Could you cover for me with the counselor?"

His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by a frowning face.

Lin Xuyan knew he was serious and nodded after a brief pause.

"Alright, go ahead. Don’t worry about coming back today—I’ll handle the rest with the others."

"Thanks, senior!"

After bidding Lin Xuyan farewell, Gu Yubai ran from the teaching building to his car.

He got into his car and closed the door, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance.

Wearing his usual white shirt and black trousers, Yu Li was with Assistant Jin, surrounded by a few school officials in jackets. It was clear they were there on business.

Gu Yubai couldn't worry about Yu Li. After a brief glance, he took off without hesitation.

As his car passed by them, Yu Li—who had been listening to the administrators—suddenly looked up, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Assistant Jin noticed his distraction and moved closer and whispered,

"Mr. Yu, is something wrong?"

Yu Li frowned slightly.

He handed the documents to Assistant Jin and turned to the administrators with a polite smile.

"Something urgent came up. Assistant Jin will take care of the rest. I’ll have to excuse myself."

"Of course, Mr. Yu. We’ll be in touch." The administrators responded promptly.

Yu Li gave a slight nod before walking quickly away. Within moments, he reached the school gate where their car was parked.

Standing there, he just saw the direction Gu Yubai’s car had gone. After a quick thought, he jumped in his car and followed.

----

This wasn’t the route home—it led from Mingcheng University to the outskirts of town.

Yu Li didn’t know whether Gu Yubai was blowing him off or simply hadn’t noticed him. But his natural curiosity kicked in, and on impulse, he had decided to follow him.

It'd been days.

Gu Yubai needed to give him an answer.

And…

Yu Li smirked. Judging by Gu Yubai's flustered reaction when he came to his senses that day, his chances looked good.

Yu Li didn’t know where Gu Yubai was heading, but shortly after driving, he spotted a familiar black car.

The window on Gu Yubai’s driver’s side was open. Yu Li hit the gas to close the gap, tilting his head for a better look through his own closed window. He noticed Gu Yubai seemed somewhat agitated.

His brows were furrowed with unmistakable irritation as he drove while talking to someone on the phone, completely focused, oblivious to everything else.

No surprise he hadn’t replied to Yu Li’s messages all this time.

Mulling it over, Yu Li slowed down and hung back behind Gu Yubai.

After taking a turn, Yu Li finally realized Gu Yubai was heading to the airport.

The closer they got to the airport, the fewer cars there were on the road. Gu Yubai seemed in a hurry. Yu Li was just one traffic light behind when he had to slow down and stop for the red light, only to watch helplessly as Gu Yubai accelerated and slipped through the intersection at the last second of the yellow light.

Yu Li: "..."

He could only stare in disbelief as the car he’d been tailing executed a sharp turn and disappeared from view.

By the time Yu Li parked outside the airport, there was no trace of Gu Yubai left.

At a loss for words, he gazed at the vast airport and countless exits before heading inside with a sigh.

When Gu Yubai arrived at the airport, the stand-in he’d hired through a broker was standing beside a middle-aged woman holding a welcome sign. The two were chatting and laughing, clearly hitting it off.

The next flight had just landed, and it would take some time for the passengers to arrive. Gu Yubai made his way over, document bag in hand.

As he approached, he overheard the woman speaking warmly and politely.

"I know Professor Zhou. As long as there’s enough time, he usually doesn’t refuse fielding questions from families. If your brother just wants Professor Zhou to take a quick look at the medical records, I think it’ll be fine. But anything more in-depth might not be possible."

"Professor Zhou is only making a brief stop in Mingcheng for a few hours tonight. He has a two-hour meeting scheduled with doctors at Mingcheng Military Medical Hospital. He’s very busy—he's on a tight schedule, and he has to catch another flight to another country early tomorrow morning at around four."

The temporary worker Gu Yubai had hired was young, probably in his mid-twenties. To strike up a conversation, he’d passed himself off as Gu Yubai’s older brother, which made sense.

Gu Yubai showed no reaction to this. After listening to the woman’s words, he cut in smoothly and addressed her politely.

"That’s more than enough. Thank you for helping me connect with Professor Zhou. May I ask who you are...?"

The woman turned her head and smiled at Gu Yubai.

After looking him over, a hint of pity flashed in her eyes.

She said, "My surname is Zhu. I only heard about your adoptive father’s situation from your brother. You’re so young—I heard you’re just starting university this year. I just wanted to help out. As for who I am, I’m actually a doctor at Military Medical Hospital, specializing in autonomic nervous system disorders like Professor Zhou."

"If I hadn’t heard that you and your brother have been taking turns waiting at the airport these past two days, I wouldn’t have taken pity and stepped in to try and help."

"By the way, did you bring your adoptive father’s medical records? Maybe I can take a look first."

There were still good people in this world.

Gu Yubai’s face immediately filled with gratitude. He handed his folder to Dr. Zhu and stood to the side, softly explaining his dad's condition in detail.

At first, the woman’s expression was neutral, but as she read, her expression grew troubled. Eventually, she put the file away and looked at Gu Yubai with hesitation.

"I think... you probably already know the answer in your heart."

Gu Yubai couldn't hide the disappointment on his face.

He said under his breath, "But no matter what, I won’t give up on him."

That was his father.

Even if he never woke up, even if he remained bedridden forever, Gu Yubai would try every possible treatment to keep him healthy and comfortable—until the day his body could no longer sustain itself, allowing him to slip away peacefully.

Gu Yubai managed a faint smile at Dr. Zhu.

She considered him carefully before suddenly breaking into a bright smile.

"But since you’ve gone to such lengths to catch Professor Zhou at the airport, I assume you wouldn’t mind your adoptive father becoming part of an experimental study if it meant a chance for him to wake up? Military Medical Hospital and Professor Zhou are planning a long-term collaboration focused on the nervous systems of comatose patients. The goal is to use new medications or diagnostic methods to help restore consciousness in vegetative patients."

"I can assure you, aside from administering some experimental medications to these patients, our hospital would never mistreat patients or conduct unauthorized experiments."

"Would you consider my proposal? Consider it another option for recovery. Oh, and if your adoptive father joins our hospital’s vegetative patient revival program, all hospitalization costs will be covered by us. You’re so young—I imagine money's tight. At least this way, you won't lose your home over medical bills."

"Of course, whether your adoptive father meets the study criteria will depend on the screening results."

Just starting university, adopted, vegetative adoptive father, selling the house and car...

Anyone piecing these details together would assume Gu Yubai was in a tough spot.

Dr. Zhu’s gaze was filled with compassion as she looked at him.

Gu Yubai instinctively glanced at the temporary worker he’d hired, only to find the man guiltily avoiding eye contact.

Gu Yubai: "..."

What on earth had this guy been telling people?!

He didn't know whether to laugh or groan.

Gu Yubai quickly clarified, "Doctor, my family may not be wealthy, but we’re certainly not struggling either. We can afford the medical expenses."

The more he tried to explain, the more Dr. Zhu looked at him with pity.

After a moment of reflection on his current persona, he fell silent.

So, the harder he tried, the more tragic he seemed?

In others’ eyes, he was just a stubborn young man, foolishly thinking he could shoulder the enormous medical costs of his vegetative adoptive father alone.

Dr. Zhu was trying to spare his feelings.

She said gently, "I understand your family isn’t poor, but long-term vegetative care is still a significant expense. Every bit of savings helps."

She might as well have said 'poor thing' outright.

Gu Yubai: "...You’re right. But I’ll still need some time to think it over. Thank you for your kindness."

He let out a long breath and shot a sidelong glance at the young man beside him who’d claimed to be his "older brother" and made him sound completely broke.

*We’ll talk later!*