Chapter 45 - Study Abroad
It shouldn't have been at this time, nor at this place.
Ji Linxue felt he was too impulsive after saying it, but he didn't regret it at all. If he didn't ask now, he didn't know if he would ever have another chance.
Gu Hengzhi was momentarily stunned for a second, a rare look of surprise on his face. He seemed to have completely not expected Ji Linxue to ask this question. After hesitating for a long while, he shook his head, "No."
In a place where Ji Linxue couldn't see, he squeezed the letter inside his pocket with his right hand.
Gu Hengzhi had thought about this question before too. He was sure he didn't feel anything for other men, so he shouldn't be gay.
For a moment, Ji Linxue didn't know what to say, his face burning hot. If there was a crack in the ground, he would definitely crawl into it without hesitation.
He finally mustered up courage this one time, but unexpectedly it was just a misunderstanding. Everything was just his wishful thinking.
Compared to his embarrassment, Gu Hengzhi's mood was completely opposite, joy spread from his chest, "Why do you ask that..."
Before he finished speaking, he was quickly interrupted by Ji Linxue, "I just said it casually, don't mind it."
Gu Hengzhi was taken aback. Regarding his reply, not only was he not angry, but the corner of his lips curled up into a very pleased smile.
Ji Linxue felt a little inexplicable, but he was in a bad mood right now and didn't understand what Gu Hengzhi's smile represented. As if sulking, he stood up and returned to his room.
Gu Hengzhi hurriedly followed but was still a step too late.
The door panel of the room closed mercilessly in front of him. He knocked a few times, but there was no movement inside.
Gu Hengzhi sighed helplessly. After thinking for a moment, he turned and went to Shen Shaoyan's room.
Shen Shaoyan was sleeping soundly, the quilt twisted into a knot, completely unaware that danger was approaching.
Gu Hengzhi looked at his watch, three in the afternoon.
"Get up."
Shen Shaoyan didn't move at all, scratching his face in his sleep.
Gu Hengzhi raised his eyebrows, "Shen Shaoyan, it's time for dinner."
The next second, the person who was fast asleep suddenly opened his eyes, "What are we eating?"
When he saw that it was Gu Hengzhi standing by the bed, his face instantly fell, "You lied to me again!"
Gu Hengzhi had used this trick more than once. When they lived in the dorm previously, Gu Hengzhi would wake him up using this method.
Speaking of which, Heng Ge hadn't woken him up like this in a long time.
Shen Shaoyan's eyes darted around, instantly realizing something. He rubbed his hands together excitedly, "Did you wake me up for something?"
"I need your help with something."
Without waiting for him to continue, Shen Shaoyan had already spoken first, "I'll go book the venue right now. The flowers are the same as last time, right?"
Unexpectedly, he was so sharp. Gu Hengzhi raised his eyebrows in surprise, "How did you know?"
Shen Shaoyan thought, 'You should put away your peacock tail feathers before talking'.
Of course, he couldn't say that on his face, "Ever since I woke up, you've been touching the ring box in your pocket. Do you think I'm blind?"
Gu Hengzhi's hand stopped. He rarely got nervous, but when he did, he couldn't stop fiddling with things.
The ring box had spun around in his pocket dozens of times.
The two discussed the specific details. They changed the location of the confession to a garden in the suburbs. That place was a very famous wedding sacred ground, known as a sea of flowers, very suitable for creating a romantic atmosphere.
Last time, for Ji Linxue's birthday, they had already prepared everything, but Grandma Bai went to the hospital, and the plan was disrupted. All the arrangements went to waste.
This time, Shen Shaoyan was determined to make this happen successfully.
Because of the tight schedule, they hired many people to decorate. The next morning, Gu Hengzhi and Shen Shaoyan went to confirm the details, and after ensuring everything was ready, Shen Shaoyan dragged Gu Hengzhi to get styled.
Shen Shaoyan felt a bit smug in his heart. Usually, Heng ge always called him vain, wasn't he being vain too?
Indeed, no matter who it was, when they meet someone they like, they couldn't help but show off like a peacock, displaying their best side.
Thinking this, he dialed Lu Yu's number.
Lu Yu also knew about their plan. He didn't go to the library today, waiting at home for their notification.
He lowered his voice, as if he were a thief, "Is Xiao Xue at home?"
Lu Yu heard the whispered voice on the other end and was a little speechless, "Speak up, I can't hear you."
Shen Shaoyan returned to his normal volume and asked again.
"He's not home. He went out very early, said he was going to the hospital to see Grandma Bai," Lu Yu said.
Afraid of disturbing him while visiting the patient, Shen Shaoyan instantly dismissed the idea of calling Ji Linxue, thinking it wouldn't be too late to ask Ji Linxue out in the afternoon anyway, as the other party didn't seem to have anything going on recently.
So when Gu Hengzhi asked in the afternoon, Shen Shaoyan slapped his head, "Thank goodness you reminded me, I almost forgot."
Gu Hengzhi was already styled. He was wearing a white custom-made suit, his demeanor noble and elegant. He looked as if he had stepped out of an oil painting, his face handsome and deep. A large bouquet of red roses was placed by his feet, specially ordered for the confession. There were ninety-nine roses in total, the petals fresh and dewy, each blooming brilliantly and passionately.
Hearing this, he frowned, a bad premonition rising in his heart, "I'll call him."
He dialed Ji Linxue's number. One second, two seconds. He didn't hear the expected clear voice, only the notification that the other party's phone was turned off.
Shen Shaoyan was waiting eagerly next to him. Seeing his face instantly turn dark, he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu Hengzhi put down his phone, his eyes filled with an impenetrable darkness, "Where did you say he went this morning?"
Shen Shaoyan was startled by his appearance and answered almost instinctively, "The hospital, he went to see Grandma Bai."
Gu Hengzhi directly called Bai Chutang's number. Bai Chutang answered quickly. Before she could even say "Hengzhi ge," she heard an urgent voice on the other end of the line, "Is Ji Linxue at the hospital?"
Bai Chutang didn't think much, "No, Linxue ge just left."
Gu Hengzhi's tone was cold and heavy, "Where did he go?"
He made no attempt to hide his emotions. Coldness and dominance were originally his nature, but Ji Linxue liked him when he wore a mask, so he became gentle and kind. Even when retaliating against those beasts, he only dared to do it secretly behind the scenes.
He was most afraid of Ji Linxue discovering his true nature.
This kind of Gu Hengzhi was completely unfamiliar to Bai Chutang. She said weakly, "Hengzhi gege, can I ask what happened?"
The air opposite seemed to freeze. The next second, a voice so cold it was almost chipping away came through, "Where is he!"
Every word seemed ground out from between his teeth. Bai Chutang didn't dare to ask again and spoke quickly, "Linxue ge came to say goodbye to my grandma today. He said he's going abroad to study and told us to take good care of Grandma. His flight is at 6 PM. He just left a little over ten minutes ago."
Six in the evening...
Gu Hengzhi hung up the phone with a cold face. The screen showed the current time, half past two in the afternoon. A little over ten minutes ago should be around two o'clock.
There were two airports in C City. One airport was an hour's drive from the hospital, while the other was three hours away.
Ji Linxue could only have gone to the first one.
Gu Hengzhi quickly told the driver to drive to the first airport. Shen Shaoyan also got into the car, asking urgently, "Where did Xiao Xue go?"
"He went abroad."
These four words were squeezed out from between his teeth. Gu Hengzhi couldn't understand why Ji Linxue left just like that, without even saying goodbye.
Could it be that in his heart, he really didn't have any weight at all?
"Why so sudden? When did Xiao Xue get his visa behind our backs?" Shen Shaoyan was utterly confused. Why would he suddenly go abroad? This news was too unexpected, making him think it was fake when he first heard it.
Just then, his phone rang. It was Lu Yu calling.
"I found a letter on the table in the restaurant. From the handwriting, it seems Xiao Xue wrote it."
Shen Shaoyan said urgently, "What does it say?"
"Just one sentence," Lu Yu read from the letter, "I applied for an exchange student program for one year. See you next year."
This sentence was like a basin of cold water, completely chilling Shen Shaoyan's heart. He sighed, "Why didn't he tell us in advance?"
Lu Yu said, "If he told you in advance, you would cry and howl in front of him every day and annoy him to death."
Shen Shaoyan scratched his head, "Then Xiao Xue really knows me well. If I knew he was going abroad for a year, I would definitely pester him every day to make delicious food for me and eat my fill at once!"
While talking, the two finally arrived at the airport. Disregarding the strange looks from others, they started running after getting out of the car.
Shen Shaoyan panted, "Heng ge, slow down."
Gu Hengzhi tightly pursed his lips. He seemed not to have heard him, his eyes staring straight ahead, searching for a familiar figure.
But there was none. Ji Linxue was like a needle in a haystack. No matter how they searched, they couldn't find him.
Shen Shaoyan propped his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, "Brother... Heng... Xiao Xue's phone... still can't get through... what should we do?"
Gu Hengzhi finally stopped. He took out his phone. There was a new message on WeChat. He clicked into it eagerly, his gaze pausing. He read the short sentence over and over again several times before saying hoarsely, "No need to look."
Hearing his almost calm tone, Shen Shaoyan felt a chill, "...Why?"
"The plane took off early."
"Damn it! We even encountered such an uncommon thing!" Shen Shaoyan stomped his foot in anger, "Is God deliberately going against us? Always messing up our plans."
Gu Hengzhi didn't speak. He silently watched the people coming and going around him, gripping the envelope in his pocket tightly. His palm slowly tightened, and the carefully selected paper instantly turned into wrinkled waste paper.
They stood there for a long time before leaving. Shen Shaoyan didn't dare to say a word, following silently behind Gu Hengzhi. Gu Hengzhi was even more silent than him. Not until they left the airport did he see Gu Hengzhi raise his head and look at the vast sky.
He also followed the other person's gaze.
In the clear blue sky, a plane broke through the clouds and slowly flew towards the distance.
***
On the plane, Ji Linxue slowly exhaled. He looked out the window. The landscape on the ground got farther and farther away from him, gradually becoming just a layer of white clouds, covering everything.
Bai Chutang and Gu Hengzhi were now getting along harmoniously. He was just an outsider who had stumbled into this plot. When the time came, he should leave.
Moreover, it was only for one year abroad.
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