Chapter 43 Part 2

“No major issues, but watch for lung infection.”

The doctor speculated: “Once Young Master Zhou wakes up, pay close attention to his emotional state. He went through a close call this time—he must have been badly frightened.”

“Mm, I understand.”

Gu Yuan slightly raised his palm as if to touch Zhou Chiyu’s face, but it hovered in midair.

His body temperature was very low; he worried about chilling Little Fish.

“Oh, got it…”

“Sorry, Dad.”

Wu Chen hung up the phone dispiritedly and scratched his head anxiously.

An hour earlier, a minor shock rippled through the domestic financial circles.

ZN Group’s stock plummeted.

A mysterious source revealed that the Corporation’s internal OA System had received a last will, suggesting that heir Zhou Chiyu might have met with misfortune.

Wu Chen’s father knew his son had invited Zhou Chiyu to the Little Island, so he urgently called to get the details. Upon learning the accident involved his youngest son, he was both anxious and furious, itching to fly over and give Wu Chen a good thrashing.

“All of you, leave.”

Gu Yuan used a warm towel to wipe Zhou Chiyu’s face, his expression gloomy: “I’ll stay here.”

“I can too—”

Xu Moting stopped Xie Lin with a look that signaled him to drop it.

“Alright, call us if you need anything.”

Several sets of footsteps sounded, and the bedroom door closed gently.

Xie Lin stood in the corridor, endlessly hesitant.

He didn’t want to leave. He wanted Zhou Chiyu to hear his apology the moment he woke up.

Xu Moting looked helpless and asked Xie Lin: “What do you want to do?”

Xie Lin hesitated: “Wait for Little Fish to wake up…”

Wu Chen looked glum: “With Gu Yuan there, come back after Little Fish wakes up.”

“It’s not like that…” Only Xie Lin knew exactly what bothered him. If he hadn’t taken the boat and left Zhou Chiyu alone, perhaps Zhou Chiyu could have escaped the danger.

And the main reason—

He had been scared. He hadn’t bravely gone to rescue Zhou Chiyu.

“Xie Lin.” Of them all, Xu Moting was the most mature. He had initially supported Wu Chen’s plan, but now he had changed his mind.

Xie Lin looked at Xu Moting: “Mm?”

Xu Moting said: “Give it up.”

“Why?” Xie Lin’s tone carried urgency. “It’s my responsibility that Little Fish nearly had an accident, but I can make it up to him.”

“Not entirely that.” Xu Moting shook his head and looked at Wu Chen: “What do you think?”

They had already heard the staff describe how Gu Yuan had risked his life to save Zhou Chiyu. When the staff finally pulled Gu Yuan up, the rope tied around his waist had Zhou Chiyu bound tightly to him—they had struggled for a long time to untie it.

Wu Chen sighed and patted Xie Lin’s shoulder: “Xu-ge is right. Give it up.”

With Gu Yuan’s personality, Xie Lin wouldn’t stand a chance.

“But…” Xie Lin still couldn’t accept it. Watching his friends’ retreating backs, his heart churned with mixed emotions.

…

Gu Yuan didn’t immediately change out of his wet clothes. Instead, he stayed by Zhou Chiyu’s side, staring at him in a daze.

At that moment, Gu Lao called him.

“Grandpa…”

His voice carried a hint of soreness as he recounted the entire sequence of events to Gu Lao.

Gu Lao had already taken the private jet to pick them up. Even though Zhou Chiyu was out of danger, Gu Lao still couldn’t rest easy.

Finally, on the phone, he said to Gu Yuan: “Did you know about Little Fish’s last will?”

“Last will?” Gu Yuan gazed at the sleeping Zhou Chiyu, his chest growing tighter with pain.

“Mm, I forwarded the contents of the will to you.”

At that moment, along with the will, Gu Yuan also received three WeChat voice messages from Zhou Chiyu.

When Zhou Chiyu’s voice rang out in the silent room, the sourness surging in Gu Yuan’s heart rushed straight to his throat. He hurried to the toilet and dry-heaved involuntarily.

In that situation, Zhou Chiyu had still been thinking about protecting him.

Blurred tears washed over his reddened eyes. He braced himself against the bathroom wall and opened the Companion AI he had used as a child.

[If I really like a guy, but can’t confirm if he likes me back, and he’s my brother (no blood relation), what should I do?]

On the screen, the AI Robot pondered the question.

[I suggest evaluating from four aspects: behavioral observation, emotional dependence, special treatment, and interaction depth.]

Gu Yuan typed: “What if he’s extremely good to me, even surpassing feelings between partners? We’ve grown up together since childhood, and he’s always treated me like a real brother.”

AI Robot: “This is a complex issue. Perhaps you could test the waters to help your brother distinguish between brotherly love and romantic love.”

Gu Yuan: “Like how?”

AI Robot: “I’ve gathered successful cases from the web and summarized the following strategies. For example, you could have a friend pretend to be your partner to gauge your brother’s reaction.”

Gu Yuan quietly stood up and returned to the bedside with his phone.

Zhou Chiyu slept restlessly, brows furrowed tightly as if dreaming of something.

“Little Fish, don’t be scared.”

Gu Yuan patted Zhou Chiyu’s shoulder, his gaze lingering for half a minute.

[Are there other methods? I don’t want to do that.]

AI Robot: “Do you feel it’s not feasible?”

[No, I’m worried he’ll be upset.]

AI Robot: “Why would your brother be upset? If he doesn’t like you, he’ll be happy seeing you find a lover. If he does like you, once the truth comes out, he’ll only feel relieved that he hasn’t lost you.”

Gu Yuan glanced at the text and tapped the keyboard.

[You’re overlooking one thing: if he likes me, he’ll be hurt during the test. I don’t want him to be upset, nor do I want him to suffer even the slightest grievance because of my feelings.]