Chapter 618
will not
In fact, Han Zhou had a legitimate reason for taking leave this time.
Just last night, Lin Anyu called late at night, claiming that he had booked a very risky surgery and insisted that Lin Anyu accompany him.
Han Zhou initially thought it was a joke, but the other party was very confident and repeatedly assured him that it was true. However, whenever he asked what kind of surgery it was, the other party was always vague and only said that "partial necrosis of the body, the situation is very critical".
Otherwise, Han Zhou wouldn't have needed to accompany Lin Anyu to the hospital overnight; he could have asked for leave the next afternoon.
However, as soon as he got on the bus, he realized he had been tricked—Lin Anyu had a rosy complexion and was full of energy, showing no signs of illness whatsoever. He didn't seem to have a serious illness that required surgery, and there wasn't even a hint of a cold.
"You acted so convincingly on the phone last night, I really thought you were going to have surgery."
Han Zhou fastened his seatbelt. Although he had expected this to be a trap, he couldn't help but sigh. "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself."
You know, when he asked Teacher Ouyang for leave this afternoon, he repeatedly assured that there was a legitimate reason for the leave. He gave the same explanation to Guzheng and the others. If everyone knew that the so-called serious illness was purely fabricated, they would not suspect that Lin Anyu was playing tricks, but would be certain that he was deceiving everyone again.
That's what word-of-mouth is.
"What do you mean by acting so realistically? I really need to have surgery."
In the driver's seat, Lin Anyu remained calm, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel, and said in a relaxed tone, "Otherwise, why do you think I would rush home overnight?"
Han Zhou turned his head and looked him up and down again, then said helplessly, "I can't see anything wrong with you."
"You don't understand. Real illnesses are invisible to the naked eye, just like the real me is always misunderstood by everyone."
Han Zhou pondered for a moment: "You said you have localized necrosis, could it be that the necrotic part is your brain?"
Lin Anyu was taken aback: "You also think I've become melancholic?"
“I didn’t say that…”
"But that's what you mean."
"That's not what I meant either... Never mind, what do you want from me?"
Han Zhou said seriously, "Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm busy these two days, especially the day after tomorrow, so I won't have time to help you pick up girls or anything like that."
In his view, Lin Anyu would suddenly find him simply because of these few things.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Lin Anyu shook his head slightly, staring straight at the night sky, his expression gradually becoming solemn. “I’m having surgery tonight, and I need you to stay with me for a while.”
Han Zhou was taken aback and asked suspiciously, "You really want to have surgery?"
"Of course it's true. Why would I lie to you about this?"
Which part of the body was the surgery performed on?
"Local area".
"They're just asking which part you're referring to; maybe I can help."
Lin Anyu suddenly shuddered: "I'm having surgery on my anus, how can you help?"
He said warily, "Let me make this clear first, my charm has indeed been increasing lately, but we're brothers, and we can only be brothers. Please don't have any other thoughts about me, or Guzheng will misunderstand!"
If he weren't driving, he would have jumped up and covered his butt by now.
Han Zhou: "..."
After a moment of silence, he said expressionlessly, "So... you don't mean to say that you're going to have hemorrhoid removal surgery, do you?"
No wonder this guy was so hesitant on the phone, insisting on meeting in person before telling him what kind of surgery he needed. It turns out it really was a "buttock" surgery.
"There's no other way, we have to cut it."
Lin Anyu sighed deeply and said earnestly, "You'll understand when you reach my age. Everyone says a man's ambition lies in all corners of the world, but if you have hemorrhoids on your butt, that's real suffering. You'll never understand what going to the toilet means to me every time..."
"You don't need to tell me such disgusting details."
Han Zhou interrupted him, a hint of wariness also appearing on his face. "You just said that we are brothers and can only be brothers, so why didn't you ask your parents to come with you for this kind of surgery? Why did you insist on having me accompany you?"
“If my parents come, Ya Ya will find out about this from them within half a day, and then she will come to the hospital every day to laugh at me.”
Lin Anyu said with a pained expression, "At that time, I will not only have to endure physical pain, but also suffer mental humiliation. Do you think I can tolerate such a thing happening?"
Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated: "Aren't you overthinking this?"
No, not at all.
Lin Anyu said with a serious expression, "Ever since Ya Ya cried her eyes out when she got her vaccine and I made fun of her for a week, she swore that she would get revenge in this lifetime. Now that the opportunity has been presented to her, I will not give up until she laughs me to death."
Han Zhou's lips twitched: "Then you deserve it..."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "If you need me to take care of you these next few days, I might not have that much time. I probably won't be available from tomorrow afternoon to the evening after tomorrow. Should we tell your aunt and uncle?"
"You value romance over friendship!" Lin Anyu accused bitterly. "Just one meal, and you'd abandon your best friend of many years?"
He didn't know what Han Zhou was going to do tomorrow, but he knew very well where the other was going the day after tomorrow—if it weren't for the surgery, he would have planned to go to Gu Zheng's house for dinner as well.
"Stop acting. You know what that meal means to me. If I don't go, I might end up in the hospital with you that very night."
"Really? Is the guzheng that scary?"
"The guzheng itself isn't scary, but her parents might be."
Han Zhou sighed and turned to look at the rapidly receding night outside the window. "I've basically told you everything about my situation. You should be well aware of my current predicament. To be honest, I've long regarded Gu Zheng's parents as my own, so at least until the truth is revealed, I don't want to disappoint them."
A brief silence fell over the car, broken only by the low growl of the engine and the sound of the air conditioning vents.
Lin Anyu put away his joking expression and said seriously, "Han Zhou, the truth will eventually come out. You can't hide it forever."
"I know."
"Have you thought about when to tell Guzheng the truth?"
"To be honest, no."
Han Zhou shook his head, and after a few seconds said softly, "I plan to resolve Yi Xia's problem first, and then beg Gu Zheng for forgiveness."
"Last time again..." Lin Anyu smiled wryly. "Han Zhou, have you forgotten Gu Zheng's personality? Our class monitor is a very competitive girl who always wants to be number one. You always tell her things last. Have you thought about how she will react?"
Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "Of course."
Have you thought about it?
Lin Anyu turned to look at him and said, "By then, what 'first place' will she still have left?"
Han Zhou remained silent.
Lin Anyu stared straight ahead, shifted his position with difficulty, gasped, and continued, "I used to think you were Guzheng's simp, but later I realized that you two are actually quite well-matched."
He paused, then lowered his voice, as if it were soaked by the night outside the window.
"Do you remember when the relay race was added to the sports meet in the second year of high school? Guzheng said she wanted to win first place as a team and mobilized everyone to go to the playground for training after evening self-study. But at that time, many people in the class already disliked her and no one paid any attention to her. But Guzheng didn't care. Whenever she had time, she would go to the playground to practice by herself."
Han Zhou certainly remembered this incident. At that time, his health was not very good, but he had not yet gone to the hospital for a physical examination, and his relationship with Gu Zheng was also very ordinary.
That match was quite complicated, but their class ultimately won.
“I remember, what’s wrong?” he asked.
"It's nothing, as long as you haven't forgotten."
Lin Anyu shook his head. "I just want to say that it's a miracle that you and Guzheng got together in a sense. If I remember correctly, apart from always being better than you in grades and sports, she has never let you lose."
He paused, then turned to look at Han Zhou seriously. "So Han Zhou, you absolutely can't let Gu Zheng lose too badly."
Han Zhou was taken aback, then chuckled: "You used to always say I was a guzheng fanboy, I thought you hated the guzheng."
Lin Anyu laughed along, "Maybe a little before, but if you really hated her, I would have introduced you to a hundred or eighty girls long ago so you could completely forget about her."
"Then why did you specifically speak up for her today?"
"Who told you to suddenly say you've fallen for another girl and ask me to help you smooth things over this weekend? I can help you occasionally, but if I always cover for you, wouldn't that be the same as conspiring with you to deceive Guzheng?"
Lin Anyu put away his smile and said angrily, "I'm not familiar with your other two acquaintances, so I can be said to be a staunch Gu Zheng party member. Gu Zheng will just liquidate you in the future. I don't want to be beaten along with you."
"Guzheng won't beat you up," Han Zhou said.
"I'd rather she beat me up to vent her anger."
Lin Anyu sighed, "Otherwise, think about it, how would she feel after all of us conspired to deceive her for so long?"
"I will explain this to Guzheng seriously," Han Zhou said, shaking his head. "In the end, I'm the only bastard. I won't let this ruin our relationship."
"It's good that you've thought about this."
Lin Anyu didn't say much, and after a few seconds he continued, "But Han Zhou, I think this kind of thing is like hemorrhoids. You can't wait until the pain is unbearable before you think about having surgery to solve all the problems at once. The longer you delay, the deeper the wound will be, and the slower it will heal. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I see."
Han Zhou nodded. "I will confess to Gu Zheng as soon as possible."
He knew very well that the most powerless defense in the world was the embarrassment of being exposed on the spot. Rather than standing in front of Guzheng at that moment and explaining the past that she shouldn't know like a stranger, it would be better to turn himself in as soon as possible, so that he might be able to get lenient treatment.
As the car entered a tunnel, the surroundings suddenly darkened, and overhead lights swept by, casting interlaced shadows on the two people's faces.
Lin Anyu shifted his position again and suddenly said, "Although I'm very curious about how fast you mean by 'as soon as possible,' it's ultimately a matter between you two, so I won't interfere. But there's something I really want to know."
Han Zhou pulled himself out of his chaotic thoughts: "What?"
Lin Anyu hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Do you think... she'll cry the day you confess to Gu Zheng?"
Han Zhou was stunned, and after a long silence, he finally gave his answer.
"will not."
……
The car drove into the hospital's underground parking garage, the engine sound echoing low in the enclosed space.
The car door opened, and Lin Anyu's movements were noticeably slower. His leg muscles were tense when he got out of the car, clearly reminding him of the pressure in his "anus" with every tug. Han Zhou didn't say much, but silently took out his luggage and followed behind him.
The admission process went smoothly. After changing into a blue and white striped hospital gown, Lin Anyu was wheeled into the operating room.
Han Zhou sat on a cold plastic chair in the corridor, staring blankly at the glaring incandescent light overhead. The waiting time was boring, so he took out his phone to chat with someone, but he didn't know who to message.
However, Gu Zheng and others sent messages asking what kind of surgery Lin Anyu had undergone. In order to keep Lin Anyu's secret, he could only answer that it was an appendectomy.
In fact, the reason Lin Anyu insisted on having him accompany him was to make him take the blame at a crucial moment and tell everyone that he was the one who actually performed the hemorrhoid removal surgery, so as to avoid the news leaking in the future and being ridiculed by his sister Lin Youya.
Although he agreed, he emphasized that he would never take the blame unless someone insisted on asking.
After the surgery, he saw Lin Anyu, who was pale.
Because he was unable to sit upright after the surgery, Lin Anyu could only lie on his side or prone, which severely limited his posture.
"Damn, this position is terrible."
He was barely breathing, his voice tinged with shame, "Han Zhou, don't look at me, please don't look at me..."
"Stop making a big deal out of it."
Han Zhou sighed helplessly, adjusted the pillow height for him, then went to the pharmacy window to queue for his medication, checked the list of contraindications on the doctor's order, and then returned to the ward.
As night deepened and the IV drip finished, Lin Anyu fell asleep under the influence of the pain pump, while Han Zhou went out of the ward for some fresh air.
The hospital was completely quiet late at night. The wall lamps at the end of the corridor were dim and yellow. Occasionally, the suppressed sobs of family members would leak out from a ward. They could not be heard clearly through the heavy door, but they were still disturbing.
Han Zhou sat on the plastic chair, listening to the intermittent sobbing. Suddenly, the question Lin Anyu had asked not long ago flashed uncontrollably through his mind—
"Do you think... will Guzheng cry the day you confess to her?"
He shook his head, finally managing to banish certain images from his mind, leaned back in his chair, and slowly closed his eyes. (End of Chapter)