This childhood joke stuck with Zhou Chiyu to this day, but as Gu Yuan grew older, he knew there was no such thing as an underwater labyrinth in the world, nor any immortals who could save his life.
Last night, he had overheard the doctors telling his parents that his lung function was down to 80%. If it continued to decline, it could be life-threatening.
“Sure.” Gu Yuan picked up a piece of grilled eel for Zhou Chiyu and looked at Bai Wenran and Gu Cheng. “Mom, Dad, can I go?”
The island Zhou Chiyu mentioned was not far—an eight-hour drive to the port, followed by a boat ride.
Bai Wenran hesitated and exchanged a glance with Gu Cheng, who replied: “Of course. This year’s New Year’s Eve is late, so you can come back before then.”
“Yay!” Zhou Chiyu raised both hands excitedly. “I’m going to the Underwater Labyrinth with Brother for New Year’s!”
Gu Lao placed some disassembled hairy crab meat into Zhou Chiyu’s dish and smiled warmly: “Can Grandpa come too? Grandpa wants to see the Underwater Labyrinth.”
Zhou Chiyu nodded enthusiastically: “Of course! Our whole family can go together!”
The so-called Underwater Labyrinth was the full name of the Atlantis Hotel. It was the Zhou Family’s investment at Jinmang Island Resort—which meant Zhou Chiyu owned 70% of the shares in that hotel.
After the meal, Zhou Chiyu accompanied Gu Lao for a stroll in the courtyard. Gu Cheng’s family of three chatted in the study room.
Gu Yuan had been unusually mature lately. Though his body hadn’t fully recovered to its pre-flu health, he wasn’t discouraged or disheartened. He actively cooperated with treatment and even agreed to regular chest punctures for draining air.
The psychologist had discussed it in depth with them, advising attention to Gu Yuan’s mental state. Long-term hypoxia could lead to mental fogginess, and depression might worsen.
However, the psychiatrist’s evaluation of Gu Yuan was surprisingly positive—his mental state was even better than before he was five.
“Little Yuan.” Bai Wenran gently massaged Gu Yuan’s head and said the words she had prepared for a long time: “Do you remember Mommy telling you early on that you might need to go to the USA for treatment?”
Gu Yuan’s fingers paused slowly on the page, a faint sorrow rising in his eyes: “Mm.”
“So… am I going now?”
Gu Yuan lifted his little head to look at Gu Cheng: “When?”
Gu Cheng touched his ear: “Within a year.”
“Oh.” Gu Yuan wasn’t entirely unprepared, but his voice grew dry: “Got it.”
Bai Wenran was somewhat surprised. She had thought Gu Yuan would resist strongly, since it meant separating from Zhou Chiyu.
“Little Fish needs to stay in the country.” She reminded him tentatively.
“Mm-hmm.” Gu Yuan lowered his head, his drooping lashes casting a thick shadow on his sallow cheeks. “We’ll definitely be separated.”
Bai Wenran paused, thoughtful: “That’s right…”
“But I’m going to cure my illness.” Gu Yuan’s throat felt stuffed with cotton, his voice growing muffled: “Only if I get better can I be with Little Fish forever.”
Gu Cheng chuckled hoarsely and pinched Gu Yuan’s ear teasingly: “Daddy knows you and Little Fish are close, but what if Little Fish marries a wife in the future?”
Gu Yuan twisted his pajama fingers lightly: “If he marries a wife, he won’t play with me anymore? Then I’ll live in his house.”
Bai Wenran teased: “Who lives with their little brother? Look at Mommy and Daddy—boys grow up and get married.”
Gu Yuan clearly didn’t want to continue the topic. He bit his lip hard before slowly releasing it: “Mom, Dad, don’t tell Little Fish about me going to the USA yet.”
“No problem.” Gu Cheng pulled him into a heartbroken embrace. “Our Little Yuan has really grown up.”
…
Winter vacation arrived amid all the students’ anticipation, and Zhou Chiyu’s Underwater Labyrinth trip plan officially began.
This time, he invited many friends—not just Zhou Junyi and Langlang, but also some good friends from kindergarten.
The more-than-ten-hour car ride was a bit taxing on Gu Yuan’s body, but they stopped frequently along the way. With Zhou Chiyu singing and cheering him up beside him, Gu Yuan stayed in high spirits the whole trip. Only at certain moments did he sneak glances at Zhou Chiyu when he wasn’t paying attention.
After taking the cruise ship to the little island, Zhou Chiyu excitedly kicked off his shoes and began picking up fish, shrimp, and seashells on the soft beach. He loved the island—the last time he vacationed here was with his mom and dad.
“Wow, that hotel is actually in a pit!” Langlang stood on the highest rock, gazing at the hotel nestled in the quarry, his face lighting up with wonder: “It must be super cool to stay inside!”
“This hotel connects to the underwater world.”
Langlang’s mother, the only adult accompanying them, introduced it to the kids: “They say it’s connected to the ocean, so you can see beautiful fish and shrimp from the rooms.”
“Awesome!” Little Mango, Zhou Chiyu’s good friend, raised his camera. “Thanks for inviting me, Little Fish. I’m going to take tons of commemorative photos!”
Zhou Chiyu had already run farther ahead. Gu Yuan’s gaze followed him until he returned excitedly, cradling a pile of seashells.
“Brother, I’m going to make you a shell necklace.”
Zhou Chiyu wiggled his feet, soft sand grains pattering down. Gu Yuan lowered his eyes and immediately frowned tightly: “Put your shoes on.”
He noticed there were quite a few sharp stones in the sand. If Zhou Chiyu stepped on one, he’d get hurt.
“Oh.” Zhou Chiyu squatted down, his little hands rummaging in the sand pile again, unearthing a few more pristine white seashells.
“Young Master, I’ll take everyone to check into the hotel first.”
The hotel’s general manager had personally driven to pick them up. Zhou Chiyu wasn’t done playing yet and grumbled: “You guys go ahead. I want to find some colorful seashells before leaving.”
“You all go back. I’ll stay with Little Fish.”
Gu Yuan sat down gently in his white sneakers. The sun-baked golden sand felt comfortable to sit on. He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching a sea crab leisurely sunbathing as it passed by.
“Little Fish.” He spoke softly: “Do you think we’ll be separated?”
Zhou Chiyu was fully focused on collecting seashells. Since Gu Yuan wouldn’t let him go barefoot, he rolled up his pant legs high, exposing his chubby lotus-root-like legs, and dug butt-up with all his might.
“Little Fish?” Gu Yuan called again.
“Of course we won’t be separated.” Zhou Chiyu finally dug up a colorful seashell and shook it proudly at Gu Yuan. “Look, Brother.”
The shell had a faint pink hue. In Gu Yuan’s eyes, it resembled Zhou Chiyu’s warm cheeks, as if dyed by the evening glow—soft and lively.
He held his breath and asked again: “Then you won’t get married in the future? Grown-ups say that when we grow up, we’ll all get married and have our own babies. If that’s the case, we’ll have to separate.”
Thinking about it still made him sad, and he couldn’t help feeling down, listless in everything he did.
“Then let’s get married.” A satisfied smile hung on Zhou Chiyu’s lips as he continued digging for seashells. “That way, we won’t separate.”
