Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Qin Shu nearly collapsed upon hearing of Jun Li’s situation. It was almost too much to bear. First, it was her husband, and now it was her good friend. Indeed, it is as the wise sages once said: blessings do not come in pairs; misfortunes never come singly.

  “I thought his condition had stabilized. How could he have spat blood and fainted?”


  “Tdon’t know… Jun Li is unconscious. The doctor says he won’t live more than a few days…” Lan Qi’s voice sounded raw and choked.

  “Don’t worry. I’l book the earliest available flight and have Gu Yan accompany me.”


  She ended the call with Lan Qi and dialled Gu Yan’s number post-haste.

  “Qin Shu, is there any news of Tingyu?” Gu Yan had not stopped searching for Fu Tingyu, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not find a trace of him anywhere.

  Qin Shu shook her head anxiously, “No – Jun Li suddenly vomited a lot of blood and fainted. The doctor says he won’t live for more than a few days. Could you go with me, please?”


  Gu Yan had a clear grasp of Jun Li’s physical condition; there should not be any reason for him to vomit blood and lose consciousness. If anything, the attending doctor’s prognosis sounded suspect.

  Although Jun Li did not have much time, it was not as if he was about to drop dead. He still had some time to go before his illness became terminal.

  “TIl go with you.”


  “Tl meet you at the airport.”


  Qin Shu put down the phone and booked the first flight she could. The best she could manage was a flight departing the next day at around eight o’clock in the morning.

  There was nothing she could do now but wait with bated breath.

  She had other things to worry about in the meantime.

  It was ten in the evening when she finished all that needed completing, Fu Tingyan had already returned to his private villa.

  Qin Shu returned to the master bedroom to pack her luggage. Xiao Jiu poked his head in from outside. When he saw his mother packing her bags, he asked, “Mom, where are you going? Why do you need to pack your luggage?”


  Qin Shu looked up and saw Xiao Jiu leaning against the door frame. As she packed her luggage, she said, “Mom is going to Imperial City. Your Uncle Jun isn’t well.”


  Upon hearing this piece of news, Xiao Jiu stepped into the room and stood by his mother’s side. “Is Uncle Jun very ill? Won’t you take me with you, Mom? I want to see Uncle Jun too…” He entreated his mother earnestly.

  Qin Shu stopped packing her clothes and regarded Xiao Jiu seriously. Ever since his father’s accident, he had been the picture of obedience. He never made a fuss or caused or scene. Even his school teachers had noticed this improvement.

  Not only did she receive fewer complaints of fights between him and his peers, but he also did not skip school half as often. Xiao Jiu had matured tremendously in a short span.

  Back then, when Fu Tingyu fell off the cliff, it was his cries that gave her the strength to forge ahead.

  Squatting down in front of her son, she said, “Of course, you can come with me. Xiao Jiu, if you want to visit Uncle Jun, you’ll need to pack your things too. Mother’ll help you once she’s packed her things.” She had been so busy with work of late that she had not had the time to interact with Xiao Jiu. It

  made her feel guilty.

  Xiao Jiu was very happy when he heard this. He hugged his mother and smiled brightly. “Mom, Xiao Jiu will go and pack his bag now.”


  “Xiao Jiu is ahead of things, it seems. Mom is glad.” Her son’s independence was gratifying, and it made her proud of him.

  Qin Shu booked five plane tickets. This number included tickets for Xiao Jiu and Ye Luo.

  Bringing Ye Luo along would make things easier for her if she needed someone to keep an eye on Xiao Jiu. She had a hunch that she would not be able to take care of him even if she wanted to.

  At the break of dawn the very next day…


  Qin Shu, Xiao Jiu, and Ye Luo rushed to the airport.

  Ye Luo brought President Ba along. They had been together for five years and shared a special relationship where either one of them knew the other’s personality like the back of their hands (or paws).

  Ye Luo expressionless mask was still the same. Even while teasing President Ba, he still wore that dull, dispassionate expression.

  President Ba was still as proud as ever with his head held high and nose in the air. He was the uncrowned king of the world. If Ye Luo made him unhappy, he would perch atop a wall and look down on him like a sneering monarch.

  Qin Shu met Gu Yan at the airport.

  Gu Yan’s assistant, Ji Fei, stood by his side. He also served Gu Yan in the capacity of a butler, taking care of Gu Yan’s daily needs. If that was not enough, he also happened to be Gu Yan’s bodyguard. He was a man of many talents, indeed.

  Jun Li’s condition had always been under Gu Yan’s care. Chinese medicine was practically synonymous with Jun Li at this point.

  Unfortunately, it had been some time since he took Jun Li’s pulse. Therefore, he did not know Jun Li’s present condition. He would only know what happened when he saw Jun Li in the imperial city.

  It was noon when they arrived at the imperial city.

  After getting off the plane, Qin Shu and the others made a beeline for Qi Manor.

  Qin Shu had visited Qi Manor once. It was sometime before Xiao Jiu was born. Hence, it was her second visit.

  Lan Qi was 1.77 meters tall but looked like a youth no older than 15.

  Five years had passed, but Lan Qi had not changed at all. He still looked as he did back then, with no change to his height. He resembled a clean-faced youth, unsullied by worldly experience.

  ‘The one thing that had changed was his personality. He was not as unreasonable as he had been in the past.

  When Lan Qi found out that Qin Shu was coming, he sat by the windowsill and waited. No one could persuade him otherwise.

  ‘As soon as he saw Qin Shu get out of the car, he hopped off his makeshift seat and ran out to greet her. “Jun Li is not awake yet.”


  Qin Shu recovered from her momentary confusion and gave Lan Qia once over. His fair cheeks glowed red from the stinging cold. It did not take rocket science to deduce that he had been waiting out in the blistering wind for a long time.

  “Let’s go and see Jun Li.”


  “Okay.”


  Lan Qi nodded vigorously, leading them into Qi Manor.

  Jun Li’s room had not changed. It was the corner room on the second floor, overlooking the forest.

  The door was open, and from the outside, Qin Shu could tell the furnishings had not changed much in the years since her last visit. Thick curtains were half-drawn, allowing light to filter through the window, adding colour to the lifeless room.

  Su Ying was removing Jun Li’s IV drip when the entourage led by Lan Qi arrived. The drip contained a nutrient solution ordered by the doctor.

  “Master Lan Qi, you…” Su Ying looked up and saw Qin Shu and Gu Yan following Lan Qi into the room. He quickly got to his feet. Hope blossomed in his eyes. “Miss Qin, Professor Gu, Master Jun suddenly vomited blood yesterday and is now unconscious.”


  “Let me have a look.” Jun Li’s complexion had taken on an ashen hue, not unlike the tint of a dying man.

  Gu Yan sat down by the bed and checked Jun Li’s pulse by placing two fingers over his wrist.

  Qin Shu clutched Xiao Jiu’s hand worriedly as she stared at the man lying in bed. Those eyes, so filled with warmth, were clenched shut. He was so thin and pale it looked like he would pass on at any moment. Death was a cloak shrouding Jun Li in its cruel embrace.

  Anyone who saw him in this state would feel pity.

  Jun Li lay quietly on the bed. A silver quilt covered him, doing little to conceal his emaciated figure. The quilt practically engulfed him!

  How long had Jun Li suffered in silence? No one wastes away in a day; it takes a considerable amount of time for a person to reach Jun Li’s deplorable state.

  While Gu Yan checked his pulse, a grave expression overcame his features. He pursed his lips, not understanding how Jun Lit’s condition could have deteriorated so quickly. It was almost… unnatural.

  Gu Yan released his hold on Jun Li’s wrist, laying it gently on the quilt.

  “Gu Yan, how is he?” Qin Shu’s anxiety bled into her voice.

  Gu Yan met Qin Shu’s tremulous gaze. He could not lie to her. Sighing, he said, “His condition deteriorated too quickly. He doesn’t have much time left.”


  Qin Shu felt like a sledgehammer had struck her. Deep down inside, she knew there was a distinct possibility that Jun Li was at the end of the rope, but she hoped against hope that it would not be so. Gu Yan’s words tolled the funerary bells ringing in her mind.

  Su Ying fell to his knees and pleaded with Gu Yan to do something, anything, “I beg Professor Gu to save Master Jun…


  “Twould save him if I could, but his condition has taken a tum for the worst and so rapidly at that. There’s nothing I can do to stop the inevitable. His bodily functions are slowing down, and there are signs of necrosis. I may have a way with medicine, but I’m not god. I cannot revive the dead or put flesh

  onto bones. I’m sorry.”