His phone was ringing.
"Sorry, I have to take this."
Zhang Shutong said apologetically.
He turned and left the hospital room again, seemingly able to hear the young nurse's resentful thoughts:
—You've run off for the fourth time. Good thing I didn't stick the needle in you.
But Zhang Shutong didn't plan to run this time; he just needed to take a call. In fact, he could guess what Ruoping was going to say. The three of them had been in contact the whole time, and they would occasionally chat on QQ while he was getting the IV drip.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Qiumian also stood up. Zhang Shutong explained:
"You sit down for a bit. My friend is asking if my cold is better. I'll be right back after saying a few words."
He pressed the answer button while walking toward the window in the corridor.
"Are you at the hospital?" Ruoping also sounded a bit sleepy.
"Mmm. So Lu Qinglian left?" Zhang Shutong knew the purpose of her call.
After saying goodbye at noon, Ruoping invited Lu Qinglian to her house as a guest, and the two stayed until the evening.
According to the original plan, Zhang Shutong was going to remove the needle a little after eleven, pick up Lu Qinglian, and rush to the villa to stake out the culprit. Their collaboration was based on different motives but a common goal—
Zhang Shutong wanted to protect Gu Qiumian, and Lu Qinglian wanted to find that person.
But now the situation had changed. Gu Qiumian had been taken out of the villa by him so suddenly. So earlier at the supermarket, Zhang Shutong had taken the time to tell the two of them the news.
"Yes, she left. I couldn't convince her to stay." Ruoping complained. "This is your fault. You said you had something to do tonight, and she waited so long, but in the end, you changed your mind."
Zhang Shutong could only say, "Sorry, sorry," but plans are never as good as changes.
"What's the point of apologizing to me?" Ruoping said again. "I just feel like Qinglian is a bit... how should I put it, a bit lonely. I wanted to see her off, but she said no, that she was already grateful for being able to rest at my place for an afternoon."
Zhang Shutong felt a little guilty at the words. He had promised to help Lu Qinglian find that person, and it was also he who had initiated the collaboration. She had sprained her ankle and ran around with him for two days, and she kept her promise. Even though she was half-skeptical about the "fake Lu Qinglian" theory, she didn't say anything, but he was the one who broke the promise first.
On his last call, he had tried to convince Lu Qinglian to leave this matter to the bodyguards, but Lu Qinglian didn't agree. She didn't say it outright in front of Ruoping, but Zhang Shutong knew that finding that person was a temple matter, and she was the priestess. No matter if Gu Qiumian was taken out or not, she would not give up.
Just like last Saturday, Zhang Shutong rode his bike home and also saw Lu Qinglian rushing in the night alone, her robe fluttering.
Therefore, close to eleven o'clock, she left Ruoping's house and went to the area near the villa by herself.
His friends' houses were in the north of the island, and the villa was in the south. It would take more than an hour to walk there on foot.
Zhang Shutong couldn't give her a ride either. Not to mention his motorcycle was out of gas, he was also unable to be in two places at once.
"Did she say anything?" Zhang Shutong asked again.
"What could she say? You know Qinglian's personality. She just nodded faintly and said she never expected anything from you in the first place, and that you would just be a burden if you went."
"You added that last part yourself, didn't you?"
"You caught me."
Zhang Shutong pinched the bridge of his nose:
"I'll see how things go and try to go there again."
"Just forget it." Ruoping's eye roll could be seen through the phone. "Don't blame me for being blunt, but what can you do if you go now? Didn't Qingyi tell you that taking on everything is a sign of arrogance? Please, be a little more realistic about your situation, okay?"
"Okay..."
"So where are you now?" Ruoping asked again.
"I'm fine. I just found a place to rest."
"Oh, want to share what it's like to elope with a girl?"
"There's nothing to share. It's just tiring and cold. Besides, who elopes to a hospital?"
Zhang Shutong said helplessly.
He turned his head to look at the corridor. People occasionally passed by. The dark green terrazzo floor was very black at night, and from a distance, it looked like it was being swallowed by shadows. But for someone who had just come back from the freezing cold, it was a great sense of security.
"Want to hear a bedtime joke?" Zhang Shutong was finally in the mood to make a joke.
"What is it?"
"Going to a private hospital is called elopement. Mine is at most a 'public' elopement."
"Uh, that's not funny."
"Don't be like that..."
Ruoping finally laughed:
"It seems like you're really fine now."
"Mmm. Go to sleep. I'll handle the rest. The hospital is very safe. Don't stay up."
In fact, he wasn't the only one waiting tonight. His friends were also waiting. Du Kang was waiting for Teacher Song off the island, and Ruoping and Qingyi had stayed up until now.
Everyone was yawning from sleepiness.
"Alright, alright," Ruoping said helplessly. "I guess I shouldn't have stayed up this late with you. We waited all afternoon for nothing. It was a false alarm. Before Teacher Song left, he said you were being crazy and told us to be more tolerant of you. Is this enough tolerance?"
"Yes, of course, it is."
"Okay, your voice sounds like you can't even stand up straight," Ruoping said worriedly. "You've been going at it since yesterday, and now you've finally gotten what you wanted. Get some rest. Qingyi and I will go to the hospital to see you tomorrow, but don't expect a fruit basket."
"I wouldn't dare. Goodnight."
The two hung up the phone.
Zhang Shutong yawned and found Qingyi's QQ. He had originally wanted to borrow a car from him. His family had a motorcycle, but it would be too much trouble for him to come out and deliver it this late, and he couldn't just have him walk home, so he gave up on that idea.
Zhang Shutong recalled carefully. He and Teacher Song had gone back to the villa on Thursday, and he was running around outside on Friday, which meant his bicycle was still parked at school.
He was going to rest for a while and then go to school to get the bike. The hospital wasn't too far from the school, less than a ten-minute walk.
And although a bicycle was much slower than a motorcycle, there was no need to rush. He just needed to get Gu Qiumian to a safe place before dawn.
That was the plan.
He explained a few more things to Qingyi, who replied with a goodnight. Zhang Shutong put away his phone and went back to the hospital room.
In the hospital room, the young nurse was talking to Gu Qiumian. She saw him walk in, waved to him, and stood up.
"You're a real lifesaver." Zhang Shutong thanked her again. "Where can I get some hot water?"
"Oh, there's a thermos in the pharmacy. Find a cup and get it yourself later," the young nurse said. "Just follow me for now. Since it's not busy, I'll take you two over."
She said and led the way, her low-heeled nurse's shoes sounding like a light drumbeat. She hadn't seen anything this interesting in her boring night shift life for a long time. Although it was a bit of a hassle, it was much, much better than dealing with drunkards who had choked on their own vomit.
This made her recall her school days. Every girl would dream of a prince charming coming to pick them up, and every boy would hope to take the girl they liked to the ends of the earth. Of course, these things often don't come true.
She curiously glanced at the girl behind her.
She was a very beautiful and radiant girl with black hair and fair skin. Even though she was wrapped in several layers of thick clothes, it was hard to hide her special aura. She looked completely out of place in this old hospital room.
This type of girl would naturally become the center of attention in a crowd, but now she was wearing a pair of cheap red cotton slippers. The slippers were probably just taken out of their packaging, and she could still faintly smell the plastic.
She had thought this was a very sweet girl, like a little sister next door, who must have snuck out from home to be here in the middle of the night. She must be nervous and scared to be with a boy. She had wanted to go over and comfort her, but the young nurse realized she was wrong.
The girl just nodded and said in a low voice, "Thank you for the trouble," and even took the initiative to ask for her name, saying she would talk to their director later to thank her.
The young nurse was truly shocked. She thought, "Boy, what kind of girl did you bring back?"
She had to admit that she was a very aloof girl. She would only smile when she talked to the boy, pouting or glaring, acting like a little girl. It was quite interesting to watch them talk.
So she wanted to help this "desperate" young couple. The young nurse came to the end of the corridor and opened a room:
"This is it. It's the hospital's VIP-of-VIPs room. I occasionally come here to be lazy."
As she spoke, she turned on the light. The smell of medicine rushed over faster than the light.
Zhang Shutong looked inside. It was a small observation room with a bed and two chairs. The bed was a very narrow and hard single bed with a blue disposable medical sheet on it. It was quiet and simple, but it was a lifesaver.
It was a blessing not to be squeezed into a hospital room full of strange smells.
He really needed a place to rest now. Just as his heart relaxed, the young nurse teased him again:
"You two better not do anything bad in here."
Gu Qiumian's ears turned red at the words, and she gave him a fierce glare. Zhang Shutong thought, "She said it, why are you glaring at me?"
But the young nurse had already waved and walked away, the sound of her shoes very cheerful.
"Let's go." Gu Qiumian pushed him from behind in a low voice.
Zhang Shutong noticed a remote control on the windowsill and went to turn on the air conditioner. He also noticed that the window was left slightly ajar, so he closed it. Then there was nothing else to do.
Zhang Shutong was a person who was good at making plans, but his plans only went as far as "how to safely get Gu Qiumian out." He hadn't thought at all about what to do after that.
He closed the door. The room was quiet. Only the air conditioner was blowing warm air.
Gu Qiumian also sat on a chair. The two were neither too close nor too far apart. She stared at the red cotton slippers in a daze. When Zhang Shutong looked at her, she noticed and hid her feet a little.
"You should sleep first," Zhang Shutong said, pointing to the bed. "I'll watch over you."
"Who wants you to watch over me..."
"Then do you want a cookie?" He tore open the bag and handed it to her.
Gu Qiumian picked up a piece and took a small bite.
Zhang Shutong found two disposable paper cups from the drawer and asked her if she wanted some hot water.
She snatched the cup instead:
"I'll go get it. You sit still and don't move."
Zhang Shutong didn't try to be strong and watched Gu Qiumian leave the room.
Finally, everything was okay.
He thought.
The tension in his mind could finally relax a little.
Zhang Shutong's eyelids started to droop again.
He stood up and moved around the room. After a quick look around, he understood why the young nurse called it the VIP-of-VIPs room.
This observation room actually had a color TV.
Although the size was small and it was a wall-mounted unit, how rare it was to find a color TV in a hospital on the island, just like seeing a young lady wearing cheap cotton slippers.
Well, Zhang Shutong had to admit that the slippers he bought were really ugly. Gu Qiumian probably hated them too. If only her original slippers hadn't gotten wet.
He turned on the TV. An animated show was playing on Central Channel 14. It seemed that the young nurse was very childish.
He boringly flipped through the channels and found Central Channel 6. He remembered this channel often showed classic foreign movies, and Gu Qiumian liked to watch movies.
The TV was still showing commercials. He didn't know what would be on next.
Zhang Shutong thought it would be nice to spend the night watching a movie.
Just then, Gu Qiumian returned with two cups of hot water.
"Let's watch a movie?"
"Drink your water first," she said, pouting in displeasure.
"...Okay."
Zhang Shutong took the cup and felt that the young lady was getting more and more bossy, while he, the sidekick, was still a sidekick after all this time. The water's temperature was just right. While he was slowly drinking the water, Gu Qiumian had already pulled over a chair.
The TV here was really too small. If they sat far apart, they would have to crane their necks, so they sat side by side, quietly staring at the screen, waiting for the commercials to finish.
Zhang Shutong handed her the cookies. She took one piece and ate it in small bites.
"What kind of cookies are these?"
"I didn't look closely. I think they're breakfast cookies, date-flavored?"
"I've never had them before."
Zhang Shutong thought, "It's normal that you haven't had them." A big bag of these breakfast cookies could be bought for five yuan. They were cheap and filling, just like chocolate with cocoa butter substitutes, and they were hidden in a section that a young lady would never go near.
Just like a young lady shouldn't be watching TV in a small observation room in a small hospital. People would laugh at her for it. Was the Sony color TV at the villa not big enough, or was the leather sofa not soft enough?
But her movements while eating the cookie were natural, and her eyes were focused on the TV. The room gradually became warmer. Zhang Shutong watched her take off her coat, revealing a very delicate sweater. The contrast was even greater.
"You're not wearing that scarf?" Zhang Shutong glanced at her.
"The scarf is downstairs."
"Oh."
Gu Qiumian was wearing a very long down jacket and a form-fitting vest, and she had wrapped another layer of padded clothes on top. That's why Zhang Shutong said she looked like a ball tonight.
She felt hot in the room and took off all those clothes, but it was a bit cold with nothing on. Zhang Shutong, being observant, handed her the black down jacket. She took it and put it on.
"Why is it so dirty?"
"I put sunflower seed shells on it," Zhang Shutong said weakly.
"And it smells bad."
"Does it?" Zhang Shutong felt he had taken good care of the clothes.
"Of course," she said, sniffing the collar of the down jacket and glaring at him. "It's full of your scent. It's smelly."
"Sorry, sorry. I thought I didn't have a smell."
"You can't smell it yourself," she snorted.
"Then wear the vest?"
The girl put her finger to her lips:
"Oh, you're so noisy. Don't interrupt me while I'm watching the movie."
So Zhang Shutong watched her, wrapped in the down jacket, eating the cookie in small bites. If she finished it, Zhang Shutong would proactively hand her the package. She stared at the TV and picked up a piece. She would also laugh at a funny commercial. It was a quiet night, and the moonlight was beautiful.
After the movie's opening credits, Zhang Shutong also looked at the screen.
"So it's this one," the two of them murmured at the same time.
Central Channel 6 loved to show classic foreign blockbusters.
The movie was Roman Holiday.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Shutong couldn't help but ask.
"I think I've seen this movie."
"I've even seen a classic like this, let alone you."
"I dreamed about it. I think I watched this movie at school, and it was at night."
Zhang Shutong was surprised:
"Seriously?"
"Believe it or not. You're the one who always talks about your dreams."
"Were there other people?"
"I can't remember clearly," Gu Qiumian said, frowning in recall. "And it seems like I didn't finish it."
"Is that so?" he said softly. "Then let's watch it again. I'll watch it with you until the end."
"Mmm."