Chapter 11: Departure
Page 1 of 3
After leaving the Liu residence, I went to the hospital.
The attending physician brought over several organ donation agreements.
“Mr. Gu, you need to sign each of these. Every organ will be allocated after you sign.”
“If you haven’t made up your mind, there’s still time to—”
I shook my head and took the documents.
“No need. I’m in a hurry.”
My flight was about to depart, and I didn’t want to delay my journey.
After signing, I left.
I didn’t have much time remaining. I needed to relax and enjoy it properly.
…
The moment I signed my name, a call was placed to Ning Yuanzhou.
“What? You’re saying… you found a liver that matches me?”
Ning Yuanzhou cried out in surprise.
Liu Zhuyin, who had been peeling fruit, startled. Her face instantly lit up with joy.
Ning Yuanzhou had suffered from liver problems since childhood. After donating a kidney to her, his health had deteriorated even further.
She had been heartbroken and had constantly searched for a suitable liver donor. She never expected good news to come today!
She hurriedly set down the fruit knife and leaned toward Ning Yuanzhou, pressing her ear close to the phone.
“Yes. A gentleman has donated all of his organs.”
“However, this gentleman is still alive. The donation will take place after his death.”
Ning Yuanzhou frowned. “After his death? What if he never dies? Wouldn’t that mean I’d never get the liver?”
The person on the other end quickly explained.
“That won’t happen. This gentleman has a terminal illness and doesn’t have much time left.”
“And besides… he doesn’t seem interested in pursuing treatment. My impression is that he has lost all hope and no longer wishes to go on living.”
Ning Yuanzhou was overjoyed. After hanging up, he shared the news with Liu Zhuyin.
“Ayin, I’m going to have a liver soon. My health will definitely recover!”
Liu Zhuyin was sincerely happy for him. Yet, remembering the doctor’s words, she suddenly felt inexplicably troubled.
“Yuanzhou, tell me… someone willing to donate all of his organs must be a very kind person.”
“But why would he have no hope of continuing to live?”
Ning Yuanzhou did not care in the slightest.
“Who knows? Maybe both his parents died, or his wife cheated on him?”
“Or perhaps he’s simply a heinous criminal, donating his organs to accumulate virtue.”
Liu Zhuyin knitted her brows. For some reason, she suddenly thought of Gu Yichen.
Unable to resist, she touched the gift she had prepared in her pocket and began to consider going back.
“Yuanzhou, if you have nothing else to do, I’ll go home first.”
Ning Yuanzhou immediately put on a pitiful expression. “You’re leaving after only being here for a little while? Can’t you stay with me a bit longer?”
“I… I’m not feeling very well.”
Liu Zhuyin looked troubled. She wanted to go back, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon Ning Yuanzhou.
“How about this… Let’s go celebrate your good news, all right? After all, you received such wonderful news today. What do you say?”
“All right!”
Ning Yuanzhou was thrilled, never imagining that Liu Zhuyin intended to invite that man as well.
“I’ll call Gu Yichen and ask him to come too.”
A flicker of reluctance crossed Ning Yuanzhou’s face, but he still pretended to nod.
“I just don’t know whether he’ll be willing to come…”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Liu Zhuyin smiled faintly.
“You’ve found a liver donor. He’ll surely be happy for you. Why wouldn’t he come?”
“Besides, we can celebrate Yuanzhou tonight and give Gu Yichen a proper apology.”
As she spoke, she took out her phone.
But the moment the call connected, it was hung up.
“He didn’t answer?”
Liu Zhuyin frowned. Could Gu Yichen be angry because she had stayed out so late?
How could that be?
Gu Yichen wasn’t narrow-minded.
“Did he not answer?” Ning Yuanzhou asked.
Liu Zhuyin did not respond. She called me again.
But I hung up once more and simply switched off my phone.
Liu Zhuyin’s expression darkened.
“Is he angry because you came to keep me company?”
Ning Yuanzhou was ecstatic inside, yet he pretended to be the picture of self-sacrificing innocence.
“Taking care of you is only natural. What right does he have to be angry?”
Liu Zhuyin sounded displeased, but for some reason, unease stirred in her heart.
In all these years, this was the first time she had been unable to reach him.
“Why don’t you go back and check on him?”
Ning Yuanzhou tried to retreat in order to advance, never expecting Liu Zhuyin to agree.
“All right!”
Picking up her bag, Liu Zhuyin walked straight out the door without looking back.
Ning Yuanzhou stood rooted to the spot, his face instantly turning gloomy.
On the way, Liu Zhuyin kept calling again and again.
“Gu Yichen, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Suppressing her anger, she soon returned home.
But when she pushed open the door, she did not see the person she had expected to find.
Helpless, she called for the butler.
“Where is he? When did he leave?”
The young lady had never concerned herself with the master’s whereabouts before. Her sudden inquiry caught the butler completely off guard.
“Um… I believe I only saw him around noon.”
“I haven’t seen him since then.”
Liu Zhuyin understood. He must have been angry because she had broken her promise, which was why he had turned off his phone and disappeared.
“Find a way to contact him. Tell him I’m waiting for him at home!”
Liu Zhuyin sat on the sofa, anger still written across her face.
She couldn’t understand what had gotten into Gu Yichen.
Hadn’t she explained everything clearly to him?
“Since when did he become so petty?”
…
I had already turned off my phone and boarded the plane.
At that moment, I felt lighter than I ever had before, and an involuntary smile spread across my face.
A woman about my age sat beside me. Seeing my expression, she asked coldly,
“What are you smiling about?”
I took a closer look at her. She was beautiful.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Her large eyes were like stars, and her ethereal air made her seem like a fairy untouched by the mortal world.
Yet her eyes were rimmed with red, clearly showing that she had just been crying.
Seeing me smile, displeasure filled her features.
I felt somewhat awkward, but I still answered her.
“I’m smiling because… the world is beautiful.”
My answer only made her expression uglier.
“So you’re saying you’re happy?”
She was so confrontational that I felt even more helpless.
“How about I change seats?”
Sitting beside someone like her was pure self-inflicted torment. I didn’t have enough time to put up with her foul temper.
But just as I was about to ask the flight attendant for another seat, she grabbed me and pulled me back.
“No!”
“You have to answer me!”
“Why are you allowed to be so happy? Why am I the one who has to suffer?”
She glared at me angrily, as though she would never let me go without a satisfactory explanation.
“Sigh…”
“Miss, then let me ask you this: Why aren’t you happy?”
She immediately shot back, “Why should I tell you? So you can laugh at me? Dream on!”
“Besides, I asked you first!”
She was unreasonable and overbearing, but refreshingly outspoken.
I wasn’t angry.
Perhaps I had grown tired of Liu Zhuyin’s indifferent attitude toward me. Her relentless questioning had piqued my interest.
“What if I told you I’m forcing myself to be happy?”
I settled into a comfortable position, leaned back in my seat, tilted my head, and answered her.
“Forcing yourself?”
She seemed unable to understand my reply.
That made sense.
She had the innocent air of someone who had yet to experience the harshness of the world. She had never gone through what I had.
How could she understand…
Happiness wasn’t something others gave you.
It was something you had to learn to give yourself.
I had only arrived at that realization after making up my mind to divorce.
“That’s right. I’m forcing myself.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but what good will it do to be angry and complain?”
“You’ll only wear yourself out for nothing.”
“In this life, apart from birth, aging, illness, and death, everything else is a minor matter.”
I closed my eyes. That answer should have been enough.
I believed that even if she had become trapped in a dead end of her own making, she could still understand what I meant.
But instead, she shook me awake.
“Stop lecturing me with your grand principles!”
“I just want to know why you’re so happy!”
“If you don’t explain yourself clearly today, I won’t let you off easily!”