Chapter 99

Chapter 99: Gu Zechuan Attempts Suicide (Revised) After returning from Linyuan Ancient Town, Gu Zechuan was diagnosed with severe depression and had to be hospitalized for treatment. Many people came to visit him during that time. But not one of them was Ruan Chutang. Every time someone opened the door to his hospital room, Gu Zechuan would hold his breath nervously, gazing at the door with expectation. But every time, he would lower his eyes and slump his shoulders in disappointment. From dawn until dusk, he never got to see the person he longed for. Gu Zechuan's heart clenched with pain. He thought in despair—his Chutang really was never coming back. Chutang, without you, what meaning is there left in my life? ... At dinnertime, Meng Yaqin brought food for Gu Zechuan with a caregiver. The moment the door swung open, Meng Yaqin suddenly let out a piercing scream, dropped the insulated food container in her hand, and rushed forward. "Zechuan!" Meng Yaqin grabbed hold of Gu Zechuan. "Zechuan, don't do anything stupid! Don't scare your mother like this! Don't do this!" Just now, when she walked in, she saw Gu Zechuan holding a fruit knife in his hand, slashing his own wrist! Meng Yaqin sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "You silly child, why are you so foolish? What's so hard that you can't get past? If you do this, what am I supposed to do? Wuwuwuwuwu..." Blood stained the bedsheet red. A large gash had been cut across Gu Zechuan's wrist, and blood flowed out endlessly. Gu Zechuan's eyes were vacant, his expression numb. He didn't take in a single word Meng Yaqin said. His mind was filled with only one thought—Chutang didn't want him anymore. Chutang was never coming back. The pain made it hard for him to breathe. He felt there was nothing left to live for, no meaning in being alive. It hurts so much, Chutang. My heart really hurts so much. The caregiver was terrified and rushed out screaming for help. Doctors and nurses arrived quickly. Gu Zechuan was wheeled into the emergency room. Meng Yaqin wailed inconsolably in the hallway. "What a tragedy! This is truly a tragedy! Zechuan, how could you be so foolish!" ... When Chutang received Meng Yaqin's call, she had just come out of the hospital. It was minus five degrees outside. Chutang got into the car and turned on the heater, warming up for a while. Her phone showed an incoming call from an unfamiliar number. "Hello?" "Ruan Chutang, please come to the hospital to see Zechuan. Zechuan tried to kill himself over you. He was barely saved, but the doctor says he has no will to live now. Wuwuwuwu... What happened before was my fault. I apologize to you. Can you please save Zechuan? He's my only son!" Chutang paused. "Suicide? What suicide?" Gu Zechuan attempted suicide? Chutang felt like she hadn't heard correctly. She simply couldn't connect the words "suicide" with Gu Zechuan. Someone like him—how could he possibly try to kill himself? Meng Yaqin was sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. "Did Zechuan go to find you last night?" Meng Yaqin asked, struggling to suppress her crying. "Yes." The sound of whimpering sobs came through the phone again. "He collapsed in the snow last night. When I came to see him today, the moment I walked into the room, I saw him slashing his wrist in a suicide attempt. What did you do to him last night? Why would he want to kill himself?" Chutang frowned. "What could I possibly have done to him?" Meng Yaqin said tearfully, "Ruan Chutang, before this I didn't know you were the young miss of the Ruan family. I admit I'm a snob and I looked down on you before. I apologize to you. I'm begging you—please come to the hospital to see Zechuan. He was saved, but he has no will to live and doesn't want to wake up. Can you come to the hospital and help me persuade him?" "I'm sorry. That has nothing to do with me." Hearing Ruan Chutang say this, Meng Yaqin instantly flew into a rage. She raised her voice and accused shrilly: "Ruan Chutang, how can you be so vicious? Don't you have a heart? Zechuan tried to kill himself over you, and you're still so cold-hearted that you won't even come to see him!" Chutang laughed in anger. "I'm vicious? If that's what you want to think, I can't help it." With that, she didn't waste any more words on Meng Yaqin and hung up the phone decisively. ... At the hospital. Gu Zechuan lay on the hospital bed. Between hazy consciousness, he thought he heard Chutang's voice. Chutang... Chutang... He struggled to open his eyes. What met his gaze was the snow-white ceiling. A clear pain came from his wrist, and the smell of disinfectant and medicine filled his nostrils. He moved his fingers. "Zechuan, you're finally awake! You silly child, why would you be so desperate? Wuwuwuwuwu..." Meng Yaqin's eyes were swollen red from crying, like a sorrowful frog. Gu Zechuan spoke with difficulty: "Mom, why is it you? Where's Chutang?" Just now, he had clearly heard Chutang's voice. Gu Zechuan's eyes darted around, scanning the hospital room. His father and mother were there, along with Lin Zheng'an, Jiang Yuzhou, and his other brothers. Even Chen Wan, who had gotten into a big fight with him that morning, had come. But the person he longed for with all his heart was nowhere to be seen. Hearing that Gu Zechuan's first words upon waking were asking about Ruan Chutang, Chen Wan's face filled with grief, and she turned her face away, tears streaming down. Gu Zechuan's father, Gu Minghua, scolded him with bitter disappointment: "Attempting suicide over a woman! How could I, Gu Minghua, have raised such a worthless son!" "Say less. Your son just came back from the brink—are you trying to kill him?" Meng Yaqin turned and shot Gu Minghua a displeased glare. Gu Minghua had dark circles under his eyes, clearly the result of days without proper sleep. He said sternly, "It's because you spoil him too much. Look what you've turned our son into—his head is full of nothing but women, and he even tried to kill himself over one! It's embarrassing to even talk about!" Meng Yaqin wasn't having it. She glared at Gu Minghua with her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. "What do you mean, 'what I've turned our son into'? Isn't he your son too? Have you ever bothered to take care of him? If anything, you're the most irresponsible father!" Lin Chenan quickly stepped in to mediate: "Alright, alright, Uncle and Auntie, please don't argue. Zechuan just woke up—he needs peace and quiet to recover." Jiang Yuzhou chimed in, "That's right, Uncle and Auntie, please stop arguing." From Jiang Yuzhou's phone came Ruan Chutang's voice. Gu Zechuan's expression froze, his gaze locking tightly onto Jiang Yuzhou's phone. "Did Chutang just call?" His eyes flickered with hope, a faint light suddenly kindling in those lifeless pupils. Jiang Yuzhou scratched his head. "No. The doctor said you had no will to live and wouldn't wake up, so I came up with an idea." With that, Jiang Yuzhou turned the phone screen around to face Gu Zechuan. On it was playing a video of Ruan Chutang. It was filmed on Chutang's birthday, back when they had first gotten together. Back then, Chen Wan hadn't returned to the country yet, and he hadn't been fooling around outside either. He had genuinely loved Chutang. Chutang had loved him too—he was all she saw, all she thought of. They had been so sweet back then, just like any ordinary couple. They went on dates, took photos and videos to capture the sweetness and beauty of their daily life. In the video, Chutang wore a pretty little dress with delicate makeup, holding a birthday cake in her hands, smiling sweetly at the camera. "Zechuan, thank you for celebrating my birthday with me. I'm really happy today." "This is the first time I've celebrated a birthday with a boyfriend, you know. It's really memorable." Gu Zechuan's voice came through from the video: "Chutang, I'll celebrate every birthday with you from now on." "Okay." So the voice of Chutang he had just heard was coming from the video. Gu Zechuan's tears fell uncontrollably. Three years had passed, and everything had changed. Watching this video again, his heart ached until it spasmed.