When Zhou Li saw Gu Changheng waking up, he quickly extinguished his cigarette and said, “Tomorrow, I… I want to go with you,” then cautiously added, “Is that okay?”
Gu Changheng was stunned for a moment.
“You… you don’t think I’m a burden?”
Zhou Li hurriedly explained, “I’ve searched about AIDS online before. Since you got really sick last time, I think you should have someone to take care of you. Even if you don’t want to live in the same house as me, I can rent a place a bit farther away in the same city where you are and find a job.”
“This way, if anything happens and need to call someone, I can get to your side quickly.”
The more Zhou Li spoke, the smaller his voice became.
Gu Changheng didn’t know what he was thinking.
Perhaps at this moment, Zhou Li’s gaze suddenly reminded him of the reckless times he had chased after Zhao Yunfeng without a care.
He agreed to Zhou Li’s request to accompany him.
…
The next day, they simply packed up their things and took the high-speed train to leave Gu City together. Gu Changheng casually chose the name of an 18th-tier city that he had never heard of before to settle down with Zhou Li.
Zhou Li felt that he was intruding too much into Gu Changheng’s life and might be causing his annoyance. So once they arrived in that city, he rented a place a thirty-minute walk from Gu Changheng’s apartment.
Since graduating from university, Gu Changheng hadn’t worked a day. After searching for several days, he finally found a clerical job that accepted his old age.
Although the monthly salary was only 1,800 yuan, Gu Changheng really felt that at this moment, he had completely detached himself from being a freeloader and could support himself. This was something worth celebrating.
Zhou Li, who had never been very ambitious, began to contemplate how to make more money.
His idea was very simple. Gu Changheng’s future medical expenses would likely be a large amount. He wanted to make sure he could take out money when Gu Changheng needed treatment. He couldn’t just stand by and watch him die.
So, Zhou Li continued working as a security guard in a big hotel during the day, and he grilled skewers and set up a small stall on the street at night. Whenever he had a break from his security job, he also did some housekeeping gigs. He was willing to do any work just to earn money, regardless of how tiring and hard it was.
Zhou Li made sure to spend an hour every week to visit Gu Changheng, and the two maintained a casual friendship.
Life gradually got back on track.
Before they knew it, half a year had gone by.
After work one day, Gu Changheng returned home and cooked himself a simple bowl of instant noodles, adding an egg.
He turned on the TV and instant noodles while watching a silly and romantic drama.
Just as he was halfway through his bowl of noodles, the doorbell rang.
Gu Changheng rushed to the door and found Zhou Li standing there with a big birthday cake in his hand and a smile on his face. “Young Master Gu, happy birthday.”
Gu Changheng looked up at Zhou Li with a smile on his face.
Probably knowing that he might not have much time to live, he had become indifferent to many things, but at this moment, Gu Changheng felt his nose turn sour.
“How did you know today was my birthday?”
“When I bought the train tickets, I saw your ID and noted it down.” Zhou Li smiled and said, “I wanted to come earlier to celebrate your birthday, but your colleague said you were busy working overtime today. I was afraid of disturbing you. As soon as I found out you were back, I immediately took a taxi over. Luckily, I made it before midnight.”
Zhou Li followed Gu Changheng inside. Upon seeing the instant noodles on the coffee table, he paused for a moment, his eyes slightly misty. He swallowed the words, “Why are you eating this on your birthday?”