The doctor’s words hit me like a bomb, shattering all my hopes.
For sixteen hours, I had been reassuring myself that Gu Yu would be fine. But it seemed heaven hadn’t heard my prayers, leaving me to face this cruel reality.
When the nurses wheeled Gu Yu out, his head was covered in tubes. Seeing him like that, tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. This boy, who should have had a bright tomorrow, now had nothing left.
This summer, which should have been radiant, was instead shrouded in darkness.
Li Zi, hearing about Gu Yu’s accident from who-knows-where, came to keep me company on the third day and stayed with me all day. When she left, she said, “Yun Hao, I know you’re heartbroken about Gu Yu. But your life has to go on. It’s almost the end of August—you should start picking yourself up and preparing for a new chapter.”
Li Zi’s words were something I understood all too well, but seeing Gu Yu and his mother’s state, I couldn’t bring myself to rest easy. I could never forget the look of despair on Gu Yu’s mother’s face when she awoke and learned about her son’s condition—it was as if her entire world had died before her eyes. If I were to leave them at a time like this, I wouldn’t deserve to call myself Gu Yu’s friend.
I heard about Chen Qiao Luo again a week later. Aunt He Pei called me, asking me to talk some sense into him. Over the phone, she told me with worry in her voice that Chen Qiao Luo had been shutting himself in his room for days, not eating or drinking, and ignoring everything she said. That day, he finally came out, only to announce that he wanted to change his university plans and study in City X instead. Aunt He Pei asked me to speak with him, but my heart was filled with bitterness.
I reassured her, promising I’d talk to him, but after hanging up, I turned off my phone. I knew it wasn’t right, but at that moment, I had no idea how to face him.
Even now, I couldn’t forgive him. I couldn’t imagine how he must have felt that day, standing there as Gu Yu drowned.
If he had reached out a hand, maybe Gu Yu wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed now, covered in tubes.
I don’t know when Chen Qiao Luo left. I only heard about it later when Li Zi mentioned it, looking regretful. She didn’t know what had happened between us—she only thought I must be heartbroken to lose two close friends at once.
I asked my dad to request an extended leave of absence from school for me. I spent day and night at the hospital, taking care of Gu Yu and his mother.
Gu Yu never woke up, and his mother’s condition deteriorated further. The incident had taken a toll on her already fragile health. On her better days, she would ask me to help her visit Gu Yu. Those visits always ended with her in tears, reminiscing about his childhood as she spoke to me.
I listened to her stories, one after another, feeling an ever-deepening emptiness in my heart.
Under Li Zi’s and my dad’s persistent persuasion, I finally returned to school, but every day after class, I rushed to the hospital. Over time, they became my responsibility—something I took on willingly but also as if to atone for Chen Qiao Luo’s actions.
When my dad decided to marry Aunt Shen, he was the first to ask for my opinion. Holding my hand, he spoke at length, and for the first time, I noticed the fine wrinkles around his eyes.
He spoke like an old man, rambling: “My dear, ever since your mom left us, I’ve been afraid you’d face hardships at school. So, I tried my best to treat you well—perhaps even spoiling you. I worried sometimes that it wasn’t the right approach, but then I’d remind myself that you’re my only daughter, my only treasure. If I don’t spoil you, who will? Thankfully, you’ve turned out well. Though you still have your little temper tantrums, your heart is pure and kind.”
He sighed and continued, “Over the past two years, I’ve noticed you’ve really grown up. You keep more and more things to yourself. But whenever I see you sad or upset, I feel like such a failure as a father, unable to keep you happy. I know Gu Yu’s situation has been hard on you. I’ve tried to cheer you up, but you’re still weighed down by it. Aunt Shen and I have both noticed and felt helpless. We’ve wanted to talk to you many times, but when the moment came, we didn’t know where to start.”
Hearing him speak, I felt a pang of guilt.
From a young age, my dad had been especially kind to me. Just as he said, because my mom was gone, he had doubled his efforts to give me the love I had lost. Whatever I wanted, he would find a way to give me. I knew how much he loved me, and I loved him just as much. But as time passed and I grew older, I began to feel the distance growing between us—a natural cost of growing up, I supposed. There were things I couldn’t tell him, burdens of adolescence and the loneliness of youth that I chose to keep to myself.
I hugged him tightly and, with a lump in my throat, said, “Dad, I’m sorry for making you worry these past few days.”
“Oh, my silly girl, what are you saying?” He sighed. “I didn’t say all this to make you sad. I just want you to know that no matter what happens, Aunt Shen and I will always be here for you.”
His words brought tears streaming down my face. I hugged him tightly and repeated over and over, “Thank you, Dad. Thank you so much.”
Thank you for being my dad.
Thank you for all the love you’ve given me.
Thank you for supporting me unconditionally, no matter what I do.
Seeing me like this, he hugged me even tighter. After a while, he let go and said, “Actually, I didn’t just come to talk about this today. There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”
“What is it?” I asked, puzzled.
“It’s about Aunt Shen.” He ruffled my hair gently, looking at me with a loving smile. “You’re grown up now, and you have your own opinions. Aunt Shen and I have known each other for a long time. When you were younger, I didn’t introduce her to you because I was afraid you wouldn’t accept it. But she’s always been quietly by my side. Now that you’re older, I want to ask if you’d be okay with giving her a proper place in our family. It’s not fair for her to stay with me without any title or recognition.”
His words took me by surprise. I had always thought he’d only recently met Aunt Shen. I never realized they’d known each other for so long. I understood what he meant—when I was younger, I wouldn’t have been able to accept a stranger as my mom. Now that I was grown, he felt it was time. Though I felt a little hurt at being kept in the dark, I was genuinely happy for him. Everything he’d done had been for my sake, and I believed Aunt Shen would treat me well if she joined our family.
Thinking this, I smiled and said, “Dad, you’re so old, yet you’re still asking your daughter for permission to get married. Aren’t you embarrassed? Do whatever makes you happy—if you’re happy, I’ll be happy too.”
Hearing this, Dad laughed heartily and said, “I just wanted to put you first. If you said no, I wouldn’t have gone through with it. After all, you’re my one and only treasure. Nothing is more important than you.”
His words filled me with a deep sense of gratitude. I sniffled and, trying to lighten the mood, teased, “Alright, Dad, go ahead and marry Aunt Shen. Just don’t forget to give me a big red envelope at the wedding!”
“Of course, you’re such a good daughter!” He kissed my forehead and stood up. “Now go to bed. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”
Watching his eager expression, I laughed and said, “Alright, alright, I’m going to bed. Go on, call Aunt Shen and tell her the good news.”
“You’re truly my little angel,” he said with a smile, closing the door behind him.
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