Chapter two
8
Lu Changze sat with his hands in his pockets on the chair. He was in the corridor of the hospital waiting for the test report. Lu Changze’s stomach hurt so badly that no matter how much he tried to bear it, he couldn’t stand it.
He was in pain 24 hours a day. The nurse holding a clipboard and called Lu Changze’s name.
It was raining when he left the hospital. The umbrella-less Lu Changze folded the laboratory results paper into a square and put it in the pocket of his cotton coat.
He ran to the station in the rain and when he got back to the entrance of his shop, he saw Gu Xiu’s car parked there. Gu Xiu clapped in his direction impatiently.
“Get in the car.” Lu Changze stood under the eaves of the small shop and looked at the man who cracked open half the car window through the rain.
His eyes darkened and he finally got into the car.
The car didn’t leave Xuan Qi immediately. Gu Xiu took him to the best coffee shop in Xuan Qi and the two sat facing each other. Lu Changze was still wet
He sat down on the fabric sofa, and was dizzy for a while. The waiters around frowned, but with Gu Xiu there, no one dared to come up and say a word.
Gu Xiu ordered two cups of black coffee.
“Fang Ming came to look for you?” Gu Xiu leaned on the sofa, crossed his legs and looked at the person opposite him coldly. Lu Changze nodded after listening.
Gu Xiu squinted his eyes and looked at Lu Changze very unhappily. It’s been five years since he saw him. This kid was getting more and more arrogant.
This wasn’t the attitude that a stain like him should have.
“Hmm, even he can’t convince you? Lu Changze, don’t think so highly of yourself. Everyone knows what kind of person you are.”
Lu Changze stared at the coffee in front of him in a daze and touched the test results he just received in the morning with his hand in his pocket repeatedly.
What was going on? An interrogation or a joint trial? What a fvcking nasty life.
“Gu Xiu, I really fvcking hate drinking coffee. Especially black coffee.” Lu Changze leaned his head back and looked at him with a blank expression.
Gu Xiu was taken aback by him. He was called Handsome Gu when he was in school, and later Boss Gu when he worked. Lu Changze never dared to call Gu Xiu by his name.
Gu Xiu has seen all kinds of cheap expressions on his face: fawning, wretched, philistine, greedy and etc. For so many years, Gu Xiu had never seen Lu Changze with no expression on his face.
“Lu Changze, what tricks are you playing? Didn’t you like to drink this thing the most before? You are obviously a chicken, but you always think of yourself as a phoenix,” Gu Xiu sneered and said, “Fang Ming just came back. Stop being a retard in front of him and go back quickly if you have to go back.”
“I don’t like to drink it. I only forced myself to drink it because I thought you liked it. Gu Xiu, I know whether I am a demon or not, there is no need for you to worry.”
Lu Changze still looked at Gu Xiu expressionlessly, “Don’t keep trying to guess what I want from you or Fang Ming. Let me explain it to you, Gu Xiu. I don’t care about anything.”
After Lu Changze finished speaking, he stood up slowly, turned around and left. Gu Xiu was stunned. It took a while before he turned his head and looked through the glass window of the coffee shop.
He watched Lu Changze’s back as he left in the rain.
9
When the sky cleared, Lu Changze disposed of all the things in his shop, leaving only an empty room. He moved a small chair to sit down.
He looked up at the door and basked in the sun. The sun in winter is warm, especially after the weather has gradually warmed up in recent days, it is more comfortable to bask in it.
It wasn’t until Lu Changze’s face was covered by a shadow when he lazily opened his eyes.
“I guess it’s time for you to come too.” Lu Changze smiled and turned his stiff neck, “Boss Qi, you’re here too?”
Qi Mingyu smiled politely, “You can just call me Mingyu. Boss Qi sounds too old.”
Lu Changze said with a playful smile, “Fang Ming is really sensible.”
Fang Ming didn’t speak, walked into the small shop and took a look, “Brother, are you going back?”
He looked at Lu Changze carefully again, “You look thinner compared to last time.”
Lu Changze didn’t answer Fang Ming’s words. He only followed him in, took out a file bag and handed it to Fang Ming, “I bought a small apartment here but it’s just a façade. The area is good for real estate. We are relatives. If you give me a hand, I will pay more for the demolition.”
“Brother, what do you mean?” Fang Ming was puzzled.
“Actually, I don’t plan to stay here for a long time even if it doesn’t need to be demolished. Didn’t I tell you last time that I don’t want to stay after staying for a long time? I want to travel but money has been a little tight recently. If you really think of me as your brother, then hurry up and do this for me, the sooner the better. “
Although Fang Ming didn’t quite agree, seeing Lu Changze’s serious expression, he nodded in agreement.
On the day when he received the money, Lu Changze was very happy with a big smile on his face. Fang Ming hadn’t seen Lu Changze smile like this for a long time, “You’re this happy?”
Lu Changze took the card and put it in his pocket, “You don’t understand. How can you not be happy when your new life begins.” After speaking, he left Fang Ming’s office and went downstairs where he met Qi Mingyu who came to find Fang Ming. Qi Mingyu stopped Lu Changze and looked at him seriously, “Lu Changze, you can come to find Fang Ming if you have any problems in the future.”
Lu Changze looked at Qi Mingyu’s sincerity and shook his head, “Thank you, but I won’t have another chance in the future. You and Fang Ming have a good time, you are not young anymore. After all, it was not easy being together at the beginning.”
Qi Mingyu nodded and entered the elevator.
Lu Changze went to the bank to withdraw all the money and put it into another card. He then went home and cleaned up everything that should be done at home.
Everything that should be burned was burned. He then left with a small bag.
10
It was a week after Gu Xiu found out that Lu Changze had disappeared again. He went to ask Fang Ming and found out that Lu Changze was going on a trip.
Gu Xiu felt stuck as if he couldn’t catch his breath. It was so uncomfortable. He thought that the next time he saw Lu Changze again, he would make fun of him.
After a while, this person who has been sticking to his ass for decades really decided to treat him like an onion.
It was announced that there was a problem with the land, so Gu Xiu and Fang Ming worked day and night for two whole weeks before finally resolving it.
He is not young anymore and he’ll catch a cold if he works too hard. Luckily, Fang Ming has someone to take care of him. Gu Xiu hasn’t been in any serious relationships in the past few years except messing around with many paid people, so he had to go to the hospital for medicine and IV drips when he was sick.
Gu Xiu probably didn’t expect that he would see Lu Changze here. Gu Xiu was not in a hurry to go back after getting an IV drip in the hospital. Although he was sick, his body is in good health, so after two days of rest, it will basically recover. The environment in Pingzhou is good, and the air in the small garden of the city hospital is also good. Gu Xiu wandered around.
After taking two steps, he saw Lu Changze. If it wasn’t for that face that Gu Xiu had known since he was ten years old, Gu Xiu would almost not have recognized it. Lu Changze was wearing a hospital gown. The person was already thin and out of shape, sitting on the bench and basking in the sun with his eyes squinted. Gu Xiu walked two steps closer as Lu Changze sat quietly on the chair.
On the table, he slightly raised his head. It was the first time Gu Xiu saw that appearance.
Lu Changze took off his glasses. Even if he couldn’t see clearly without glasses, Gu Xiu’s figure probably would never be forgotten by Lu Changze in his life.
The two looked at each other quietly at a distance of several meters. After a while, Lu Changze sighed slightly and got up before walking slowly to the ward.
Gu Xiu followed behind him and the two went back to Lu Changze’s ward with a distance between them. There were three beds in the ward, but the sun is good today so the other patients seemed to have gone out to bask in the sun and there were only Gu Xiu and Lu Changze in the ward at the moment.
Lu Changze’s ward was close to the window and he could see the busy traffic outside the hospital while sitting by the bed. After returning to the ward, Lu Changze sat by the bed and watched the view outside the window. Gu Xiu put his hands in his pockets and looked at him, “Lu Changze, you are quite capable. Didn’t you go on a trip? Why did you come to the hospital? Are you about to die?”
Lu Changze didn’t speak until Gu Xiu got impatient waiting. Lu Changze didn’t look at him, his eyes were still staring out of the window and as he spoke, his voice was hoarse.
Dumbly he said: “Well, soon, next month.”
Gu Xiu stood still for a while before he snapped out of it. He walked to Lu Changze’s hospital bed and opened his case file.
Advanced gastric cancer.
For a moment, Gu Xiu didn’t know what to say and he didn’t know what to say at this time.
When he came back to his senses, Gu Xiu hung the file back on Lu Changze’s bed and left.
Lu Changze felt sleepy after watching the view for a while and went to bed.
When Gu Xiu came back, Lu Changze had fallen asleep. He was really thin. In just a few days, he became skin and bones. Gu Xiu stood by the bed thinking. Gu Xiu really couldn’t accept this. He couldn’t accept the news that Lu Changze is dying. Why? He didn’t know. He just couldn’t accept it, even if it was just that mangy dog that had haunted him for more than twenty years.
Lu Changze was asleep but when he opened his eyes, it was strange that Gu Xiu hadn’t left yet. Despite that, it didn’t matter to Lu Changze whether he was there or not.
Who was there was no longer important to Lu Changze. The rest of his days will just be waiting for death quietly. It was dark and the patients around were sleeping as well.
Gu Xiu sat quietly by the bed and looked at him. Seeing that he had something to say, Lu Changze lifted the quilt, got up and left the ward.
He understood Gu Xiu. Lu Changze knew what Gu Xiu was going to do by looking at Gu Xiu’s eyes.
Gu Xiu followed behind Lu Changze and Lu Changze walked quietly to the waiting hall of the hospital. Lu Changze knew Gu Xiu well and he knew that he had a bad temper.
Choosing a place with a lot of people, Lu Changze no longer wanted to have any disputes with him, nor did he want to hear any ridicule or sarcasm from him. He went to find a chair to sit on.
When they both settled down, Gu Xiu sat beside him. The two of them didn’t talk for a long time. It was very strange. It was the first time for them to sit so quietly for a long time.
After a long time, Gu Xiu said, “When did you find out?”
“The day you bought me that coffee.”
After speaking, he fell into silence again. Lu Changze looked at the people coming and going in the hospital. Some were happy and some were sad.
A building full of different life experiences depending on the person.
“I didn’t know.” Gu Xiu said, “You should have mentioned this earlier.”
“There are too many things you don’t know.” Lu Changze said slowly.
“I asked the doctor in the afternoon, it is not impossible to operate on it…”
Lu Changze turned his head slightly to look at Gu Xiu, a little surprised. He didn’t expect him to ask the doctor. Then he felt relieved. Yes, at first he liked his appearance, but the man next to him was actually a good person, even if he didn’t understand himself well.
“I don’t want to do it.”
“Lu Changze, what do you mean?!” Gu Xiu raised his voice, “Could it be that you really have lived long enough? Don’t be shameless.”
“Gu Xiu…” Lu Changze looked at him with a smile on the corner of his mouth, “I’m shameless, shouldn’t you have known by now?”
It was the first time that Gu Xiu was choked up by Lu Changze, but Lu Changze was happy to see his appearance. He just laughed happily, and just kept laughing soundlessly.
Gu Xiu was stunned. It was the first time he saw Lu Changze smiling like a simple child. A man in his forties smiled like a child.
Gu Xiu also laughed, the corners of his mouth curled up, even though he didn’t notice it.
T/N: Happy Bad End Month!