He said nothing and simply unhurriedly transferred all his remaining pork chops to Zhou Chiyu. “Little Fish, are you not full?”
Zhou Chiyu crunched through the crispy pork chop shell and laughed triumphantly. “Yeah.”
Gu Yuan gazed at him quietly and murmured to himself, “Maybe you’re growing lately.”
He’d only lain in bed for two weeks, yet Zhou Chiyu seemed to have shot up in height. Butler Uncle had bought him quite a few new clothes last week.
“Oh yeah, this is for you!” Zhou Chiyu handed Gu Yuan the lollipop Zhou Junyi had given him. “Brother, there’s a little fish inside.”
Gu Yuan peeled off the wrapper and found the candy shaped like a red koi carp swimming through the clouds.
“Little Yi gave it to me; I wanted to give it to you.”
Zhou Chiyu leaned forward, his little face stuffed full like a tiger’s, with two clear streaks of curry sauce on his cheek.
“Thank you.” Gu Yuan pulled out a tissue and gently wiped Zhou Chiyu’s face clean. “Why give it to me?”
Zhou Chiyu blurted out, “To make Brother happy, duh.”
Hearing this, Gu Yuan’s heart swelled like a sponge soaked full of water. His gaze calm, he turned and shoved a big mouthful of rice into his mouth.
The doctor had said that if he wanted to recover faster, he had to eat more.
He chewed forcefully, his knuckles gripping the porcelain plate tightly, his breathing slightly trembling.
“Brother, Grandpa bought me a Children’s Mini Car. When you’re better, I’ll take you for a spin in the yard.”
Gu Yuan nodded. “Okay.”
For several days in a row, Zhou Chiyu brought him a gift every time he came home—sometimes a Nezha Medal, sometimes a pretty fountain pen. He looked forward to these surprises nonstop, and finally, the weekend arrived.
“Little Yuan’s lung infection is still quite serious; we need to adjust the treatment plan and add some special-effect drugs.”
Early in the morning, Zhou Chiyu overheard the doctor’s conversation with Bai Wenran and anxiously squeezed over. “Aunties, when will my brother get better?”
Bai Wenran gently patted his little head. “Soon.”
Zhou Chiyu was still worried and tugged at the doctor’s hand, looking up. “Auntie, prescribe some more expensive medicine quick. I have money.”
The doctor smiled. “Little Fish Baby, you’re surprisingly rich?”
“Yes!” Zhou Chiyu dashed back to his room in a panic and shoved his bank card at the doctor. “Auntie, buy the most expensive medicine for Brother quick.”
The doctor’s eyes softened with emotion as she bent down gently. “Don’t worry; the medicine Auntie prescribes for your brother is the best.”
Bai Wenran’s heart turned soft and sour as she gently hugged Zhou Chiyu. “Little Fish, thank you for being so good to your brother.”
Zhou Chiyu naturally wrapped his arms around Bai Wenran’s neck and nuzzled her. “He’s my real brother; of course I have to be good to him.”
Over these years, the doctor had watched the two boys grow up, and she couldn’t help feeling heavy-hearted. If Gu Yuan really had to go to the USA for treatment someday, how heartbroken would Zhou Chiyu be? But the treatment process was extremely slow, requiring constant new plans based on Gu Yuan’s symptoms. The top biomedical laboratories were all in the USA, so Gu Yuan couldn’t stay in the country for treatment.
“Little Fish, spend more time with your brother.”
The doctor forced a smile. “Cherish the time.”
Zhou Chiyu didn’t understand these words at all. He patted his little chest and swore, “Don’t worry; I’ll never leave Brother for my whole life.”
…
In the afternoon, many guests arrived one after another at the house—it was the anniversary of Gu Lao’s late wife’s passing, and all the children brought their families to visit Gu Lao.
Every year at this time, the Gu Family atmosphere grew relatively somber. Ever since Zhou Chiyu learned it was Grandma Gu’s death anniversary, he always tried every way to cheer Gu Lao up.
He sat in Gu Lao’s lap, telling him jokes nonstop—
“Grandpa, guess what kind of car this is!”
“Woo-woo-woo-woo!”
Zhou Chiyu clamped his hands tightly over his mouth, imitating vividly, his eyes crinkled into little crescents from laughing.
Gu Lao played along. “A police car?”
“Right answer!” Zhou Chiyu planted a kiss on Gu Lao. “You’re so smart; you’re the number one grandpa in the universe.”
Gu Lao’s laughter rang out hearty and gentle. “In our family, nobody’s as sweet-tongued as you.”
The other children sat to the side, long accustomed to such scenes. Ever since Zhou Chiyu came to the Gu Family, Gu Lao truly treated him like his own grandson, even offending Zhou Yonghe in the process. They had heard that Zhou Yonghe held grudges and had used dirty tricks against the Gu Family in recent years.
“Dad, I heard Little Yuan’s been sick lately?” The eldest aunt held her son’s hand and asked with concern. “What did the doctor say?”
Gu Yuan’s illness had always been the family’s top priority. Though Shen Yuxiao often badmouthed Gu Yuan behind her back, he was still her nephew.
“The doctor says we need to prepare for a lung transplant. Little Yuan’s lung function is currently at 80%.” Gu Lao lowered his gaze and pinched Zhou Chiyu’s soft, pudgy cheek. “Fastest one year, slowest two, and he’ll have to head to the USA.”
“Will Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law go with Little Yuan then?” Gu Ming crossed his legs, feigning concern. “Brother, the Corporation’s work might overwhelm you.”
As the Corporation’s Executive President, Gu Cheng mainly assisted Gu Lao with strategic planning and implementation oversight. If Gu Cheng went to the USA, domestic operations would inevitably suffer.
“Mmm, so I’m planning to have Gu Cheng take over all the Corporation’s overseas business and serve as CEO of the overseas company.” Gu Lao bit into a biscuit Zhou Chiyu fed him and praised cooperatively, “Absolutely delicious.”
