"Okay," Ye Qichen replied, then he took out an unopened phone card from his briefcase and handed it to him. "A complimentary phone card."
"Thank you." Gu En happily accepted it and immediately opened the phone, inserted the SIM card.
Ye Qichen patiently taught him how to register the phone, then download WeChat and other apps. They exchanged WeChat and phone numbers.
Gu En was a fast learner; he could do some things without Ye Qichen's instruction. The two of them got along very well.
Ye Qichen felt he quite liked this child, always having a sense of inexplicable closeness to him. This closeness made him always want to spend more time with the child.
Gu Yan watched Ye Qichen interact with her son, her heart warming.
Gu En was still young and might truly believe Ye Qichen's words that the phone was a gift from a business partner, but Gu Yan was not foolish.
When Ye Qichen first said the phone was from a business partner, she was skeptical. Now that he even provided the SIM card, it was clearly something Ye Qichen had specially prepared, he just said that to avoid them refusing.
Such thoughtful consideration and care made Gu Yan unable to help but admire him.
She even couldn't help but wonder if they would have been a happy family of three if Ye Qichen hadn't rejected her back then.
But the moment she thought of Ye Qichen rejecting her confession back then, the sweetness that had just surged in her heart was instantly tinged with a sliver of unease and worry.
She felt conflicted. If Ye Qichen truly had feelings for her, then his interactions with their son would strengthen the father-son bond.
But if it was just her wishful thinking and she had misunderstood Ye Qichen, and the father and son became close, it would be difficult for her to take Gu En away.
"Young Master Ye, Miss Gu, while the food is hot, why don't you feed the child first. I've brought food for all of you too, let's eat together." Aunt Gui opened the insulated box.
"Okay," Ye Qichen replied, helping out.
Gu En got off the bed, washed his hands, returned, sat on the hospital bed, and ate with them.
The small table on the hospital bed was cramped for three people eating together, but for Gu En, this meal was the most delicious dinner he had ever had.
He couldn't help but wonder if he had a dad, would he be like Ye Qichen?
...
Three days later, Gu En's health had recovered, and he could be discharged from the hospital.
Gu Yan went to handle his discharge procedures. Not only did she not spend a single penny, but the hospital also refunded the advance hospitalization fees Ye Qichen had paid.
She requested a detailed list of all expenses incurred during Gu En's hospitalization. After a three-second pang of heartache at the nearly ten thousand yuan bill, she opened the apps of various banks, scraped together the funds, and together with the refunded money, transferred it to Ye Qichen via WeChat.
Two hours later, she received Ye Qichen's reply: [No need.]
Then a system prompt indicated the money had been returned.
Gu Yan knew Ye Qichen wasn't being condescending. But until she was sure if there was any possibility between them, she didn't want to owe him. She planned to use the money to buy a gift of equivalent value for him.
Coincidentally, Aunt Gui had encouraged her to be more proactive, and she also felt she should. So, she gathered her courage and sent a message:
[Gu En is being discharged today. Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? To celebrate, and also to thank you.]
After sending it, Gu Yan stared at her phone, feeling a little nervous.
She hoped he would agree, as it would mean there was still a chance for them.
She thought Ye Qichen would likely agree. In the past few days, no matter how late it was, he would come to see the child after work, and also bring her a meal or a late-night snack.
It was evident he liked Gu En a lot.
If possible, she hoped their father and son could acknowledge each other, and then they would be a happy family of three.
As she thought this, Gu Yan's nervousness intensified as she watched the words "对方正在输入" (The other party is typing) appear on the chat.
After a wait, "The other party is typing" was replaced by the other party's name, and finally, two words were sent.
Ye Qichen: [No.]
Those two concise words were like a bucket of cold water doused over Gu Yan.
He refused!
Had she misunderstood?
A wave of sadness washed over Gu Yan. Fearing her son would notice any abnormality, she deliberately went to the restroom and washed her face with cold water to calm herself down.
It made sense. He, the esteemed Ye, was in his late thirties. His choice to remain unmarried for so long indicated he truly didn't want to marry. How could a child change that and lead to anything between them?
If he had truly liked her, why would he have rejected her twelve years ago?
Realizing this, Gu Yan's mood plummeted to the bottom, making her feel terribly upset.
But no matter how upset she was, she had to pull herself together, help her son pack, and prepare for discharge.
"Mom, will Uncle Ye be coming today?" Gu En asked after packing, clearly also waiting for Ye Qichen's arrival.
Gu Yan: "He's busy and can't make it. Let's go."
"Oh." Gu En replied, his face showing evident disappointment.
As the mother and son left the hospital room, Gu Yan's phone rang.
She glanced at it; it was another message from Ye Qichen: [I'm back in Bei City. Perhaps next time.]
Seeing this explanation, Gu Yan's mood, which had just hit rock bottom, instantly saw a glimmer of hope.
She quickly replied: [So sudden, I thought you were still in the capital.]
Ye Qichen: [Something urgent came up at the company. I had to return. Once I'm done, I'll come to the capital to find you.]
Seeing his words that he would come, Gu Yan couldn't help but smile.
In just ten minutes, her emotions had been like a roller coaster, soaring and dipping.
Gu Yan: [Okay.]
Seeing his mother smile, Gu En asked, "What's wrong?"
"Your Uncle Ye said he has something to do and can't come, but he'll come to find us for dinner next time," Gu Yan said.
Upon hearing this, Gu En's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Gu Yan: "Mhm."
Gu En couldn't help but reveal an expectant smile.
—
The day after being discharged, Gu En returned to school.
However, the scabs on his face made him look a bit frightening. His former admirers at school, seeing his current unsightly appearance, started to worry he would be disfigured and stopped liking him.
But Duoduo didn't mind. During recess, she specifically went to Gu En's classroom and said to him, "Gu En, wait for me after school, and we'll go home together."
"No need." Gu En refused.
Duoduo frowned displeasantly and reminded him, "Gu En, have you forgotten? We are friends! Good friends walk to school and go home together!"
Gu En was somewhat speechless. "My home isn't in the same direction as yours."
He usually took the subway, and Duoduo was driven by a chauffeur. Not only were their modes of transportation different, but their directions were completely opposite. How could they go home together?
Duoduo didn't see it that way. "We walk from the classroom to the school gate together. This segment of distance can also be considered going home together~"
"..." Gu En was completely speechless, unable to comprehend her logic. What kind of "going home together" was this? Da Feng Novel Network
"Okay?" Seeing his silence, Duoduo pressed further.
Her large peach blossom eyes looked at him, glistening and filled with pleading, making Gu En unable to refuse. He finally said, "Whatever you want."
"Yay, then it's happily decided!" Duoduo cheered with a V-sign, then seized the opportunity to request, "After school, you have to wait for me in the classroom, and we'll go home together! In the morning, whoever arrives first has to wait for the other at the school gate, and then we'll go to the classroom together, counting as going to school together."
"..."
This was too troublesome. Gu En suddenly regretted agreeing so hastily.