Chapter 65: For Whose Sake, After All

A frown settled between my brows, leaving an unsettled, bitter taste in my mouth.

Just a moment ago, she had come looking for me, bringing soup and professing her devotion.

And the result?

Barely had she left my side when she rushed to find Ning Yuanzhou instead?

I let out a soft laugh, though I didn't take it too much to heart.

Entering the hospital, I found Director Zhao. After a routine physical examination, he wrote me a prescription.

"Mr. Gu, your health... you really need to take better care of yourself."

"If this continues, the outlook is not promising."

"Especially your emotions; you must avoid drastic fluctuations."

"Honestly, I still advise you to be admitted for inpatient care."

How could I possibly stay in the hospital?

"Thank you for your trouble."

I took my medicine and left.

As I walked toward the stairwell, preparing to head down, I never expected to see Liu Zhuyin and Ning Yuanzhou standing there, deep in conversation.

Ning Yuanzhou seemed rather agitated.

"Ayin, you... you can't just abandon me."

"Gu Yichen clearly has no intention of letting me live. You have to find a way to secure that liver donor!"

Ning Yuanzhou had no one left to turn to except Liu Zhuyin.

Aside from her, he had nowhere else to go.

I had heard whispers of how he spent his days frantically trying to find out who the anonymous organ donor was.

Fortunately, Director Zhao had locked down the information tightly, otherwise, he might really have uncovered the truth.

"I know... please don't panic."

"I'm already trying my best right now."

Liu Zhuyin spoke with a heavy heart, feeling utterly helpless herself at this moment.

"How can I not panic?"

"Ayin, you'll help me, won't you?"

"With all the history between us, you won't just watch me die, right?"

Ning Yuanzhou pleaded bitterly.

Liu Zhuyin's heart ached with discomfort as well.

Of course she didn't want to watch Ning Yuanzhou die.

"Of course! I won't let anything happen to you."

"During this time, I've... I've been trying to please him."

"Once my relationship with him eases up, I'll find a way to get the donor liver for you."

Left with no other choice, Liu Zhuyin could only try to pacify Ning Yuanzhou first.

"Really?"

"That's wonderful, thank you Ayin, you're so good to me!"

Ning Yuanzhou was overjoyed.

"Gu Yichen loves you so much. As long as you treat him well, he'll definitely listen to you."

"Ayin, I've wronged you."

Liu Zhuyin shook her head, at a loss for words.

She did indeed feel wronged, but not because of Ning Yuanzhou.

She was genuinely and willingly trying to salvage this marriage, this relationship.

Yet... she wasn't a fool.

She understood all too well that this attempt at reconciliation was inextricably tangled with the matter of the donor liver.

She was terrified... that I would overthink it.

As for me, my entire body felt chilled to the bone.

I turned around and walked away.

I could understand Liu Zhuyin seeking a liver donor for Ning Yuanzhou.

Only...

What was the true purpose behind the kindness she was showing me now?

Was it for my sake? Or for Ning Yuanzhou's?

Or perhaps a bit of both?

And if it was for me, was it out of love? Or a lingering attachment to the comfort I provided?

All these remained questions.

I simply couldn't be bothered to ponder them anymore.

I got into my car and drove away from the hospital.

"Ayin, can I ask you a question?"

"Are you doing this for me, or do you genuinely want to get back together with him?"

Ning Yuanzhou had posed this question before.

The answer she gave him last time remained unchanged.

"Of course I'm doing it for him."

"I desperately want to salvage our relationship."

Liu Zhuyin answered with absolute firmness, causing a pang of grief in Ning Yuanzhou's chest.

"Ayin, you know how I feel about you."

"If... if you truly can't win Gu Yichen back, would you give me a chance?"

Ning Yuanzhou retreated to a secondary option, hoping these words might capture Liu Zhuyin's heart.

However, Liu Zhuyin shook her head with unwavering resolve.

"No!"

"I will definitely win him back."

"And... A-zhou, things between us are already over."

"I have let go of the past. We are just friends now—childhood friends."

"You are also my savior."

"In the future, I can only wish that you find a better partner."

"Don't waste any more time on me."

Today, Liu Zhuyin drew a definitive line.

She had finally come to understand her own heart completely.

The person she loved was not Ning Yuanzhou, but me.

As for Ning Yuanzhou, her feelings were strictly rooted in gratitude.

Over and over again, regret washed over her now.

Regret for how she had treated me during those five long years.

Regret for how she had shattered such a wonderful marriage into pieces.

Had she only realized it sooner, she would have been so happy!

"I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself."

Gripping his fists tightly, Ning Yuanzhou's expression grew increasingly dark and gloomy.

Liu Zhuyin left the place.

She drove to the farmers' market, intending to buy groceries herself.

She had never set foot in a place like this before.

Not in her childhood, nor after her marriage.

Her life had always been one of being waited on hand and foot.

Such a life was fine, of course.

Yet suddenly, she felt it lacked the warmth of ordinary human existence.

Cooking, in truth, was quite difficult for her.

Even with all her hard work learning lately, she was barely holding on.

Whenever she thought about how I had persevered through that for five whole years—

Even studying hard to earn professional chef and nutritionist certifications just for her—

Her heart swelled with an emotion that made her nose sting.

After buying the groceries, she returned home and followed an online video step by step.

Watching her older sister behave like this, Liu Hanyue felt a flicker of surprise and couldn't resist pulling out her phone to record a video, which she then sent to me.

Inside the kitchen.

Flustered and clumsy, Liu Zhuyin was nonetheless putting her utmost earnestness into the task.

I stared at the video on my screen.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed this was Liu Zhuyin.

Previously, the kitchen had been strictly forbidden territory to her.

She would simply turn a blind eye to it.

Now, wearing an apron with her long, wavy hair tied into a ponytail, she genuinely looked like a newlywed housewife.

Yet my heart still ached bitterly.

Wasn't she doing all this simply to secure the liver donor more easily?

"Well?"

"Why aren't you replying? Did you see it?"

"My sister is putting in so much effort, and she's doing it all for you."

"You have to come home for dinner tonight! Don't make me come drag you back."

Liu Hanyue sent a voice message, practically forcing me to return.

I laid my phone on the desk, leaning back in my chair in a daze.

I had no idea what to do.

When I left my messages unread for a long time, Liu Hanyue sent a flurry of new ones.

I ignored them all.

Finally, Liu Zhuyin sent me a voice message herself.

"Yichen, if you aren't busy, please come home for dinner."

"Even though my cooking skills aren't great."

"I know that what you ever resented about me... was never my cooking."

"I'll be waiting for you at home."

Her gentle words drew a long, heavy sigh from the depths of my chest.

Some things, once said, were useless.

Other things simply could not be said at all.

I had truly trapped myself in a vicious cycle.

From the very beginning, once I chose to leave, I should never have come back.

Now, regret weighed heavily on me.

Yet, in the end, I still did not keep the appointment.

"What on earth is wrong with this jerk?!"

"How dare he ignore me!"

Furious, Liu Hanyue picked up her phone, ready to call me directly.

"Don't..."

Liu Zhuyin hurriedly grabbed Liu Hanyue's arm to stop her.

"Sis! My words still carry weight, I refuse to believe—"

"I know!"

Interrupting Liu Hanyue, Liu Zhuyin shook her head with a gaze full of sorrow.

"Even if you forced him back, it wouldn't be because he wanted to return of his own accord."

"This is a mistake I made in the past, and I must make amends for it myself."

"Little sister, I know you're looking out for me and your brother-in-law, but I still hope you won't interfere anymore."