Chapter 138: Stay (4)

In the sunlight, her lips glistened alluringly. Without realizing it, he lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth.

It was a fleeting kiss, and he released her at once, though his gaze remained fixed on her.

He had forgotten the passage of time. At that moment, she was the only thing in his eyes.

Then her phone rang. Unlike the soft, lyrical music playing earlier, the ringtone was much louder. He saw her lashes tremble and her brows draw together slightly, so he quickly picked up her phone and silenced it. The surroundings fell quiet once more.

Only after watching her slowly settle again did he remember that he had answered the call. He lifted the phone to his ear, and a man's voice came through.

“She’s only just transferred schools. Her studies haven’t caught up yet, and now she’s taking so many days off. Won’t she fall even further behind? I know you were discharged today, Heng, but you should go back to your grandmother’s this afternoon. Be sure to attend school on time tomorrow… Xi? Are you listening?”

“It’s me. She’s asleep.” Gu Heng lowered his voice, unwilling to wake Qiao Xi beside him.

“So it’s you, Heng. Your uncle knows your parents are both very busy, but if Xi doesn’t return to school soon, it’ll be difficult for her to keep up. You two grew up together, and you must want her to get into a good university someday. All right, I won’t say anything more. When Xi wakes up, pass the message on to her for me. You’ve only just been discharged, so get plenty of rest.”

Only after the call ended did Gu Heng lower the phone. He felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He turned his head and saw that Qiao Xi was already awake.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“Your father,” he replied.

“What did he say?” she asked again.

Gu Heng did not answer.

In truth, even without his reply, Qiao Xi already knew. Her father had told her before to return to school as soon as possible.

“It’s already past four. I’m going to prepare dinner.” She rose, then added, “You should come inside too. The wind is getting rather strong.”

Gu Heng said nothing. He stood and followed her back into the house.

Afterward, he remained in the living room while Qiao Xi went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. His parents would not be home for the evening meal, so she only needed to cook for the two of them.

She made rice, two dishes, and a soup.

They sat at the dining table and ate in silence. Both had things weighing on their minds, and both had words left unsaid.

Only when they had nearly finished did Qiao Xi speak.

“Remember what the doctor told you. Your parents are both very busy, so you need to take good care of yourself. And…”

Before she could finish, Gu Heng suddenly set down his chopsticks, rose, and walked away.

She did not get up to follow him. Instead, she said, “I only took leave through today, so I’ll have to catch a bus later.”

At once, Gu Heng stopped.

He had thought that if he did not ask, she would not leave—that she would remain by his side forever. But it turned out that this had merely been self-deception. In the end, she had still chosen to return to Yingran.

He said nothing, so Qiao Xi continued, “Your parents both have to work late. If anything happens, remember to call them. Your injured hand makes things inconvenient, so be careful…”

“If you’re so worried about me, then stay.” Gu Heng came over and looked at her.

“I can’t keep taking time off,” she said.

“I never asked you to take time off.” Gu Heng looked straight into her eyes. “I’m asking you to stay.”

“I’ve already transferred to Yingran. I don’t want to keep transferring back and forth.” Qiao Xi answered simply as she rose and began clearing the dishes.

Gu Heng walked over and caught her hand with his one good hand.

With him holding her, she could only stop.

She looked up at him.

He was looking at her too, his deep eyes filled with utter seriousness. Even his words were solemn.

“I don’t want to wait anymore, Xi. Stay.”