Gu Zhan looked at him quietly for several seconds. “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not kidding. I thought about it for a long time before making this decision.”

“Then if you’re not going to be a model anymore, what are you planning to do?”

Du Zhe rubbed his nose. “Well… I haven’t figured that out yet…”

Gu Zhan’s phone rang. He waved to indicate he needed to take the call, then walked off to the side.

“Mm… I took a rough look at the project evaluation report yesterday. There don’t seem to be any major problems.”

Richard said on the other end, “Mr. Chen Lang sent people over again today, urging us to sign the contract. They said that if we don’t cooperate, Chenglang’s factory needs to purchase raw materials for other projects next quarter, so they want us to give them a definite answer as soon as possible and not delay their other projects.”

Gu Zhan frowned. “Find a way to stall them a little longer.”

“Goodness, Mr. Gu, we’ve already been dragging this out for quite a while. It’s easier when you’re in Beijing because Mr. Chen is willing to give you some face, but you’re not here now, and he may not be willing to give us the same courtesy. I feel like they’re already starting to get a little unhappy. Mainly because Mr. Chen has made quite a few concessions for this project—giving us favorable factory terms and even preparing the marketing plan. If we ultimately decide not to cooperate, we’d better have a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, I’m worried Mr. Chen might…”

Richard’s concern was something Gu Zhan understood all too well. They had several other projects closely tied to Chenglang. If he rashly damaged his relationship with Chen Lang, it could have a considerable impact on Slungshot.

Gu Zhan paced back and forth in the hallway. “How about this? Have a few department managers go over the evaluation report one more time. If there are no problems, contact Chenglang and we’ll sign the contract online.”

Regardless, Chenglang was willing to invest money into Slungshot’s brand, which was a good thing. If the project evaluation was sound, Gu Zhan had no intention of being overly cautious. After all, this wasn’t the first time he had worked with Chen Lang, and he trusted himself to maintain the appropriate boundaries.

Richard said, “Okay, I’ll get everyone together for a meeting. Mr. Gu, there’s also a project progress review later. Do you have time to attend remotely?”

“I’m not free this morning.”

“What about the planning review this afternoon?”

Gu Zhan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Have everyone prepare meeting minutes for those first, and I’ll review them afterward. Prioritize the current workload before sending it to me. If something isn’t urgent, push it back. I may not have time to deal with everything.”

“Okay.” Richard hung up.

Du Zhe walked over. “Was that about work, Brother Zhan? Your company must be really busy at the end of the year.”

“Yeah.” Gu Zhan took a breath and looked at him. “There’s still a lot at the company that needs my attention, and my mom… she might…”

“What’s wrong with your aunt?” Du Zhe asked worriedly.

Gu Zhan leaned against the white wall, his brows tightly knitted. “She’s had pneumonia for a long time, and recently she started coughing up blood.”

Du Zhe’s expression changed immediately.

“Actually, I’m not doing as well as I look right now. I just can’t show my bad side in front of my mom.” Gu Zhan let out a deep breath. “So, Du Zhe, I probably don’t have the energy to deal with your situation right now. You should go back to Beijing.”

“Brother Zhan.”

Du Zhe’s broad palm cupped his cheek, his thumb gently stroking the faint dark circles beneath Gu Zhan’s eyes.

“Then I definitely can’t leave. You have to make decisions about the company, and you have to take care of Auntie. How are you supposed to manage all of that by yourself? I’ll stay and help you take care of her. You don’t need to spend any energy thinking about us right now. Just treat me as an ordinary friend who came over to lend you a hand when you need help. That way, you can breathe a little.”

Gu Zhan raised his eyes to look at him.

Du Zhe gave him a gentle, faint smile. “Brother Zhan, don’t turn down my kindness.”

Gu Zhan really did need someone he could trust to help him. Over the past two days, he had been handling work whenever his mother was resting or at night. But several projects were at critical stages, and they were complicated and difficult—not things that could be solved by giving his subordinates a few instructions. On top of that, his own body wasn’t made of iron. He had been worrying about his mother during the day and work at night. At this crucial moment, he was genuinely afraid he might fall ill again.

Gu Zhan thought for a while, then nodded.

And so two days passed.

With Du Zhe around, someone else could accompany Gu Ru to tests, remind her to take her medicine, and run up and down the hospital to buy meals and supplies. Gu Zhan really did feel much more relaxed.

When he needed to review documents, he would sit quietly beside Gu Ru’s hospital bed with his laptop. When he had remote meetings, he would go somewhere else for a while. He could set aside some time during the day to deal with more work, and then get to bed earlier at night.

Taking care of a patient looked easy, but it actually wasn’t. The advantage of having two people was that when they were exhausted, they could take turns resting their eyes.

Du Zhe was also very good at making elders happy. Whenever Gu Ru felt bored, he would watch videos with her or play a couple of rounds of cards, often making her laugh until her eyes crinkled with delight.

One evening after dinner, Gu Zhan held a laptop and sat beside his mother, squinting at a contract.

Gu Ru poked him with her hand, glanced toward Du Zhe on the sofa, then pointed at the small blanket by her feet.

In the single-seat sofa against the wall, Du Zhe was sitting with his head tilted back, already fast asleep. His long legs were stretched wide, and although his sleeping posture wasn’t particularly graceful, it looked completely natural.

Understanding what his mother meant, Gu Zhan picked up the blanket and gently covered Du Zhe with it before returning to the bedside.

Gu Ru narrowed her eyes and smiled at Du Zhe. In a lowered voice, she said, “Little Du has worked hard these past couple of days.”

“Yeah. Once things settle down, I should take him out for a good meal.”

Hearing this, Gu Ru stared at Gu Zhan for a while. “You two aren’t… you know?”

Gu Zhan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “Mom, you seem to like Du Zhe quite a lot?”

“Yes. That kid seems sincere. But I heard the little nurses who’ve been giving me IVs talking. Is Little Du some kind of celebrity?”

“He’s acted in a few things. His main job is modeling.”

“Mm, no wonder he’s so tall.” Gu Ru muttered to herself, then asked, “What about you? Do you like him?”

“Mom, let me peel you an apple.”

“Stop changing the subject. I’m asking you a question.”

Gu Zhan had just stood up from his chair when he was forced to sit back down. He furrowed his brows and thought for a moment.

“Mom, would you like to move to Beijing? Live with me?”

Gu Ru’s gaze drifted into the distance.

“Going to Beijing wouldn’t be impossible, but I’m an old woman. If I eat at the same table as you every day, wouldn’t you get sick of me?”

“How could I? Mom, I want to buy a big house. Once you retire, you can raise more cats and dogs. Then we can have a big family and make the place lively.”

“Tsk.” Gu Ru shot him a look. “So you mean you want me to live with you and that… whatever-he-is, and watch you two be lovey-dovey every day?”

Gu Zhan gave a helpless laugh before turning serious and looking at his mother.

“I hope you can like him the way you like me. Then our family can live harmoniously and have a happy little life together.”

Gu Ru gazed deeply at her son.

“Then what kind of person do you think your mother likes?”

Gu Zhan pulled up the photo on his phone.

“This is someone my friend wants to introduce me to. He’s a PhD and works at a research institute. Take a look at his photo. What do you think?”

Gu Ru took the phone and squinted at the photo for a moment.

“I think he looks pretty good. What do you think?”

“I think he’s pretty good too.”

“Then do you like him?”

“I…” Gu Zhan lowered his head. “I haven’t even met him yet. I can’t really say whether I like him or not.”

Gu Ru took his hand and said earnestly, “A-Zhan, you’re the one looking for someone, not me. Why do you care whether I like him? You’re the one who’s going to spend your whole life with him. What matters most is whether you like him.”

Gu Zhan looked at his mother, his eyes filled with indescribable emotion.

Like him?

How was he supposed to tell his mother that the person he liked was completely incompatible with him and could never give him the kind of life he wanted?

They were like two intersecting lines that had already crossed each other. From now on, they could only grow farther and farther apart.

Gu Zhan had originally planned to stay in Suzhou for a few more days, at least until Gu Ru’s examination results came back. But the next day, Richard called him several times, saying that there was a problem with an important project.

Seeing Gu Zhan’s phone and email notifications going off nonstop, Gu Ru became annoyed too.

“Why don’t you just go back to Beijing first? Your mother isn’t dying. What are you guarding me here for?”

Gu Zhan glared at her, sat down beside the bed, and held her hand.

“Mom, don’t say things like that.”

“How am I saying anything wrong? Mom knows what you’re worried about. Even if I really have some serious illness, it’s not like I’ll just suddenly…” Gu Ru didn’t finish the sentence. “If you really need to, come back in a couple of days.”

Gu Zhan lowered his head and was silent for a moment.

“The report comes out next Wednesday?”

Gu Ru nodded. “Yes.”

Gu Zhan affectionately rubbed his mother’s shoulder.

“Then wait for me to come back. We’ll go see the doctor together and look at the results. I don’t want you to have to face everything alone.”

“Okay.” Gu Ru smiled at him and nodded.

Gu Zhan thought for a while.

“I’ll probably have Du Zhe come back to Beijing with me. How about I find you a caregiver who can stay here twenty-four hours a day?”

“Actually, I…” Gu Ru stretched her arms, intending to say that after spending several days in the hospital, she felt much better and could completely take care of herself in daily life. But when she saw the worry in Gu Zhan’s eyes, she nodded.

“Okay. You arrange it.”

“Good. Then, Mom, take an afternoon nap. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”

The corners of Gu Ru’s mouth curved upward as she snuggled beneath the covers.

Gu Zhan tucked the blanket carefully around her, sat quietly for a while, then returned to the hotel and woke Du Zhe. After packing their luggage, the two of them headed back to Beijing together.

Du Zhe had originally wanted to stay behind and continue taking care of Gu Ru, but after Gu Zhan discouraged him, he didn’t insist.

Gu Zhan felt that Du Zhe might have sensed something over the past couple of days, or perhaps after calming down, he had realized that his decision back then had been too impulsive. Either way, Du Zhe seemed somewhat different from when he had first arrived in Gusu.

Even on the return journey, he was unusually quiet. As soon as they boarded the plane, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

The first-class cabin wasn’t full. Seeing that no one was nearby, Gu Zhan thought it might be a good place to have a conversation.

He patted Du Zhe’s arm.

“You’re not asleep, are you?”

Du Zhe opened his eyes and turned to look at him.

“No. Brother Zhan, what’s up?”

“We have some time now. Let’s talk.”

Du Zhe lowered his head and mumbled, “Actually, that night, when you were talking with Auntie, I heard you.”

“Oh? How much did you hear?”

Du Zhe pursed his lips.

“From when you said you were going to peel an apple…”

Gu Zhan gave an awkward laugh, then said frankly, “Then you should already understand what I think. So what do you think now?”

“I…” Du Zhe asked unwillingly, “Brother Zhan, so in your eyes, I’m not even qualified to be with you? I’m not even as good as someone you’ve never met? I’ve liked you for so long. Don’t you have even the slightest bit of affection for me?”

“That’s not it…” Seeing the sadness on Du Zhe’s face, Gu Zhan immediately felt guilty.

“Du Zhe, if you’re willing to give up the runway for me, I’m genuinely touched. I don’t care whether my partner has a social status or financial ability that matches mine. If he wants to, he could even do nothing at all—I can afford to support him.”

“But what about you, Du Zhe? When it comes to love and the value you find in your own life, which matters more to you?”

Du Zhe fell into deep thought.

Yes. If he gave up modeling and left the cameras behind, what could he do?

His grades had always been average when he was young. The first time he experienced a real sense of accomplishment was when he earned money modeling for books and used it to buy new clothes for his family for the New Year.

From then on, he had become addicted to that sense of accomplishment. He wanted to work hard and improve himself. He wanted to make the most of his youth and go out into the world, so that he wouldn’t feel he had wasted his life.

Once again, he asked himself: Was he willing to have someone else support him for the rest of his life?

The answer was definitely no.

He had to be himself first. He had to be “Du Zhe” first. Only then would he have the right to like someone and love someone.

Gu Zhan had rejected him not because he looked down on him in the slightest, but because he understood him. He had seen through Du Zhe’s heart long ago, which was why he had always gently refused him—because he didn’t want to hurt him.

Gu Zhan reached out and rested his hand on the back of Du Zhe’s head.

“Have you made up your mind? Once you have, go do what you ought to do. I believe in you.”

Du Zhe nodded, his eyes filled with emotion as he looked at Gu Zhan.

He wanted, for the last time, to look at his Brother Zhan with that gaze.

The other man’s lips curved upward too, a confident and composed smile on his face as he looked back at him.

Beyond the airplane window behind him stretched an azure sky, vast and brilliant above the sea of white clouds.