Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 56
No, I Have to Accompany You
On the weekend, Li Zhao naturally moved into this 60-square-meter small house.
The originally spacious little house suddenly felt cramped.
Gu Jiahe cleared out half of the wardrobe for Li Zhao’s suits, and left him half of the space in the bathroom for his toiletries. Everything went from single to double, packed to the brim.
There was no coffee table in the living room, so after they finished arranging their things, they sat directly on the floor.
Leaning against the sofa, Li Zhao suddenly chuckled.
Gu Jiahe asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Li Zhao squinted, “It feels like we’re back to our freshman year.”
Thinking about it, Gu Jiahe realized it was true. After going around in circles, the two of them ended up living in a rented house again.
Just like back then, the 1.5-meter bed was not enough to sleep on, and now even the 1.8-meter bed still felt cramped.
Every night, the two of them ended up entwined together.
Living together did make commuting a bit more convenient.
Since Li Zhao didn’t have to work in the office, he often drove to Gu Jiahe’s company to wait for him after work.
But Gu Jiahe felt a bit embarrassed about riding in Li Zhao’s car every day.
At the beginning of the month, when he received his salary, he enrolled in a driving school.
One evening, Li Zhao saw him studying the exam questions for the driver’s license test before going to bed, and only then did he realize that Gu Jiahe was planning to get his driver’s license.
Turning to him, Li Zhao asked, “Why suddenly decide to learn how to drive?”
Gu Jiahe looked up from the exam questions, “I feel bad riding in your car every day. I’ll be your driver in the future.”
Gu Jiahe indeed had a strong learning ability. He went to the driving school early every morning to practice. He passed all the tests from the written exam to the road test on the first try, and got his driver’s license in just two months.
On the day he got his driver’s license, Gu Jiahe was ecstatic and showed off in front of Li Zhao for a long time.
Li Zhao immediately tossed the car keys to him, “You drive home today.”
Gu Jiahe was startled and quickly tossed them back, “Your car is too expensive, I don’t want to scratch it.”
Although he said that, Li Zhao still let him drive on the open road a few times.
His driving skills were excellent. After trying a few times, he could drive on the expressway by himself. Moreover, he drove smoothly and steadily, unlike Li Zhao, who tended to accelerate too much as if flying a spaceship.
Finally, the chilly spring weather passed, and the temperature in the northern city stabilized at around 20 degrees Celsius.
Gu Jiahe bought another 20 classes at the boxing club and became more muscular than before. However, due to his height and frame, he still looked a bit smaller than Li Zhao.
Every week, the club had a member challenge match, purely to liven up the atmosphere.
Gu Jiahe eagerly signed up. It was Li Zhao who hesitated, worried that he might get injured.
Gu Jiahe reassured him, “What’s there to be afraid of? There are referees present. Do you think I’ll get beaten to death?”
The challenge match was scheduled for Friday night. On that day, Li Zhao happened to have something to do at the law firm.
At six o’clock in the afternoon, he drove back home early to pick up Gu Jiahe after work.
As the evening approached, with the sun not yet completely setting, Gu Jiahe wore a training T-shirt inside and a zip-up hoodie outside as he came downstairs.
He opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
“Let’s go, my knight,” Gu Jiahe’s mood seemed good.
“Okay, princess,” Li Zhao replied casually.
This earned him a glare from Gu Jiahe.
Li Zhao quickly added, “Is my princess ready to beat up a few people tonight?”
Gu Jiahe scoffed, “Do you think I’m like you? We’re having a civilized match. The opponents chosen for me are similar in physique.”
Before the match in the evening, Gu Jiahe grabbed a light meal at a convenience store near the club. Li Zhao, on the other hand, kept asking questions, appearing more nervous than him.
Although it was just an internal club competition, there were still some spectators who came to watch. The originally spacious lounge area suddenly filled up with about twenty or thirty people.
As they were about to go on stage, Li Zhao patted Gu Jiahe’s arm, “Give me your hand.”
Gu Jiahe was puzzled, “Why?”
Li Zhao’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, “If you can’t handle it, just come down. Don’t worry too much about winning or losing.”
Gu Jiahe smiled, “Got it.”
Gu Jiahe opened the ring rope and stepped onto the boxing ring.
That day, he was dressed in all black, which made him appear more aggressive than usual.
But as soon as Li Zhao saw the opponent, it was clear that he was not “similar in physique” as Gu Jiahe had said. While they were about the same height, the opponent was obviously more muscular.
The internal challenge match was conducted in rounds, short and fast-paced.
Gu Jiahe kept his eyes on his opponent, assuming a defensive stance.
When the match started, for the first fifteen seconds, both of them were testing each other out, neither throwing punches.
But obviously, the opponent couldn’t hold back as well as Gu Jiahe did. Taking advantage of a slight step back from Gu Jiahe, he quickly threw punches.
Gu Jiahe dodged to the right, protecting his head.
The opponent didn’t miss this opportunity for a more aggressive attack, quickly stepping forward for a series of strikes.
Gu Jiahe found himself on the defensive, almost the entire time.
Li Zhao stood below the stage, his heart clenched.
The opponent’s punches were obviously full-force, the loud sounds of impact echoing.
Gu Jiahe’s weakness was his lack of strength, and under this fierce attack, his waist and abdomen couldn’t handle it.
Li Zhao saw his knees start to bend, and the muscles in his arms were trembling.
The coach on the side showed no intention of calling a timeout.
The opponent seemed to think he had the upper hand and was about to increase his advantage with an elbow strike.
But in the next second, Gu Jiahe seized the opportunity to step back to the left and landed a beautiful straight punch.
Crack! The sound echoed throughout the arena.
The opponent instantly lost his balance, his steps faltering, and he fell directly on his back.
3-2-1-
The referee’s whistle blew.
Gu Jiahe won.
Cheers erupted in the small arena.
Gu Jiahe stood on the platform, smiling and panting, waving to Li Zhao after removing his gloves.
Only then did Li Zhao’s tense shoulders finally relax completely.
Gu Jiahe basked in the spotlight, wearing an unusually cheerful smile on his face. As he stepped down from the platform, his shoulders moved lightly, like a handsome young general.
This was the first time Li Zhao had seen him exuding such charm. The boxing gloves seemed like a hilt in his hands.
When they came out of the club, it was already past nine in the evening.
The prize for winning the match was a free recharge card for five classes. Gu Jiahe was ecstatic, as if he had won a jackpot.
He took a shower in the club’s shower room, his body exuding the scent of lemon, his hair still slightly damp.
Outside, there was a light breeze blowing. He took a few steps forward, and Li Zhao helped him put on his hoodie.
When they reached the parking lot, Gu Jiahe volunteered to sit in the driver’s seat.
Li Zhao happily sat in the passenger seat and teased him, “Shouldn’t you buy a car too? Let’s go to the car show this weekend.”
Gu Jiahe shook his head hastily, shifting gears and starting the car, “No, I don’t want to. I want to save money to buy a house.”
Once he had set his mind on buying a house, it was impossible to extinguish his desire. Every time Gu Jiahe passed by the real estate agency near the neighborhood entrance, he would stop and look at the listings posted on the signboard.
Although the current house was comfortable to live in, it was still under someone else’s name on the property deed, and they couldn’t make any changes or buy furniture they liked.
His finances had improved recently, and his grandmother’s health was still good, reducing their expenses. Last time he asked a doctor in Pingcheng, he said that the stent implant surgery could be done in the next two years, and due to technological advancements, the cost had decreased significantly, no longer as expensive as previously estimated.
When they encountered a red light, Gu Jiahe lightly stepped on the brake, “By the way, didn’t you say you were going back to Pingcheng this spring?”
Li Zhao nodded, “Yeah, probably soon. Do you want to come with me…”
Li Zhao stopped halfway and swallowed his words.
Gu Jiahe turned to look at him, “What’s wrong?”
Li Zhao shook his head, “It’s nothing.”
For Gu Jiahe, Pingcheng was not a place of fond memories. Li Zhao didn’t want to bring it up in front of him again.
The radio broadcast in the evening was lively, probably because some singing and dancing group had released a new song. Gu Jiahe switched between two stations, and both were playing the same song.
When the green light came on, he stepped on the gas pedal, “I can’t keep up with the trend anymore. These young idols keep popping up one after another.”
Li Zhao seemed to remember something and chuckled, “Yeah. Whenever there’s money to be made in any industry, everyone rushes in. Liu Qing took on a client a while back, a trainee from an entertainment company, who was causing trouble with the company over contract termination. It’s been over a year, and the lawsuit still hasn’t been settled.”
Gu Jiahe laughed, “If I were a few decades younger, I’d go participate in those talent shows too.”
Li Zhao said, “Go ahead, and then as soon as you sign up, your ex-boyfriend from years ago will be dug up online. What would you do? Your reputation isn’t even built yet, and it collapses straight away.”
Gu Jiahe joked, “Where did you learn that? Don’t crush people’s dreams of getting rich.”
They bantered back and forth, neither giving in to the other.
After the lively dance song on the radio finished playing, the car fell into a brief silence.
However, Li Zhao’s phone suddenly rang, and Gu Jiahe glanced at the flashing name on the screen, instantly holding his breath and falling silent.
—Song Ling, Li Zhao’s mother.
After Li Zhao answered the phone, a faint female voice could be heard from the other end.
But the voice was somewhat noisy, and he didn’t turn on the speakerphone. Gu Jiahe couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end.
Li Zhao initially responded with a word, then spoke in a low voice, “Don’t panic, tell me what’s going on.”
After listening to a long string of words, Li Zhao’s face visibly darkened, and even the hand holding the phone trembled slightly, “Okay, send me the bed number now. I’ll rush back immediately.”
After Li Zhao hung up the phone, Gu Jiahe hadn’t had a chance to ask what happened.
Li Zhao hoarsely said, “My dad had an accident.”
Gu Jiahe hurriedly asked, “What happened? He was fine just a few days ago.”
Li Zhao took a deep breath, but couldn’t stop the trembling in his voice, “The specific reason is unclear. It was previously said that there was inflammation in his lungs, but it wasn’t serious. But yesterday afternoon, he suddenly had difficulty breathing and went to the hospital for a chest CT scan, and the results… were not good. The doctor just declared him critically ill.”
Gu Jiahe’s heart sank, “Do you have your ID with you?”
Li Zhao nodded, “Yes.”
Gu Jiahe glanced at the traffic conditions, quickly turned the steering wheel, and drove back.
Li Zhao asked hurriedly, “Where are we going?”
Gu Jiahe replied, “The high-speed rail station.”
Seeing Gu Jiahe accelerating all the way, Li Zhao quickly said, “I can go back by myself. You’re too tired today.”
“No, I have to go with you.” Gu Jiahe’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.