“Don’t you know?”
The doctor’s shocked expression was deeply etched into Zhou Chiyu’s pupils. The other man continued, “Little Yuan was conscious the entire time, but he was still young after all and fainted right after pulling you to safety.”
“He knew how to swim. Even if someone threw him in, he could save himself and wouldn’t have been hurt that badly.”
Zhou Chiyu listened in a daze, then stiffly raised his hand and flipped open the topmost Medical Record Book.
Over the years that Gu Yuan had undergone treatment, he had almost been like a biological specimen, with every action meticulously recorded.
[July 15, 2018, cloudy weather. Patient in low spirits, low food intake, protein and vitamin consumption below standards.]
This was the page he had stumbled upon that day by accident. But Gu Yuan had quickly snatched it away from his hands, so he hadn’t continued reading.
In truth, he was very interested in these records. Through these words, it was as if he could glimpse the details of Gu Yuan’s life during the years he had missed out on companionship.
At the bottom of this page, there was a line of text: Patient’s mother stated that patient’s younger brother had suffered acute kidney stones the night before. Suspected that patient’s poor mood was related to this incident. Drug side effects on brain emotional regulation nerves can be temporarily ruled out.
Zhou Chiyu’s breathing stopped abruptly.
“You brothers really have a great relationship.” The doctor’s eyes held a touch of relief. “My relationship with my brother is pretty distant.”
With trembling hands, Zhou Chiyu flipped to the next page.
[February 8, 2019, heavy snow. Patient wanted to go out and make a snowman. Considering his frail body, patient’s father brought snow indoors. Patient made a little ice-and-snow Little Fat Fish to share with everyone. It was said that this little fish was his younger brother.]
[March 8, 2019, light rain. Patient in high spirits, proactively requested spring pancake rolls for lunch. Patient said his younger brother could eat four pancakes in one go, stuffed with roast duck, chicken legs, bean sprouts, and ham. I think his younger brother must be a Glutton.]
“Were these all recorded by you?”
The smell of disinfectant grew heavier. Zhou Chiyu rubbed his fingertips over the reports, his voice unsteady. “Can I borrow these?”
The doctor hesitated for a moment. “Maybe you can take the electronic version.”
“Thank you.” Zhou Chiyu wiped his reddened nose and handed over the USB Drive. “I’ll go accompany Brother for his checkup first.”
“Why are you suddenly getting emotional?” The doctor’s smile was gentle. “Isn’t it something to be happy about that your brother loves you?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Zhou Chiyu replied slowly. “But I’m wondering how to repay him.”
“You seem to be caught in a misconception.” The doctor curved his gentle eyes. “People who love you don’t seek repayment. As long as you’re healthy, safe, and happy.”
“Really?” Zhou Chiyu fell into confusion. “But I always want to do something for him, to make his efforts worthwhile.”
“Your thinking isn’t wrong either.” The automatic door slid open slowly, and the doctor looked behind Zhou Chiyu. “It’s almost done.”
Several doctors responsible for the checks pushed their medical equipment away.
Zhou Chiyu wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and trotted over. “Has my brother come out yet?”
“Right away.”
Zhou Chiyu craned his neck to look for a moment and saw that Gu Yuan was still undergoing the final check.
“Can I go in and see him?”
He carefully asked one of the doctors. “He looks a bit uncomfortable.”
“Of course. Arterial puncture and blood gas analysis do hurt quite a bit, but don’t worry too much.”
“Arterial puncture?” Though he didn’t understand the professional medical terms, just from the literal meaning, Zhou Chiyu could guess how painful it was.
The moment he pushed open the door, the doctors inside all looked toward him. All the color had drained from Gu Yuan’s face. He lay on the bed, his chest rising and falling intermittently with coughing fits, and a trace of blood stained the white bedsheet.
“Brother.” Zhou Chiyu was terrified. He rushed to the bedside and gripped Gu Yuan’s hand tightly, his eyes panicked and helpless. “Does it hurt a lot?”
“It doesn’t hurt.” Gu Yuan’s cool fingertips patted the back of Zhou Chiyu’s hand. His eyes, blurred from pain, slowly focused on Zhou Chiyu’s face. “It’s over.”
“Yeah!”
The ache in his chest turned into a lump of cotton wool blocking his throat, impossible to voice. He helped Gu Yuan sit up and carefully wiped the blood from the corner of Gu Yuan’s lips.
“Brother, are all the checks done?”
“Yeah.” Gu Yuan straightened up and gently ruffled Zhou Chiyu’s hair with his palm. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
On the way back, Zhou Chiyu’s hand, which gripped Gu Yuan’s tightly, never let go, as if releasing it would make Gu Yuan vanish.
Gu Yuan gazed at Zhou Chiyu’s tightly bitten lower lip, not knowing what Zhou Chiyu was thinking, but he liked this feeling of being cared for and remembered. So he gently pulled Zhou Chiyu into his arms, resting his chin on that soft hair.
Zhou Chiyu didn’t resist or struggle.
Gu Yuan curiously studied him and lightly bumped his forehead against Zhou Chiyu’s. “What are you thinking about?”
