Chapter 42: Compassion.

~ One Month Later ~

The students had already completed their exams ready to go for the summer break. Almost like a tradition, the four friends gathered at Xiao Hui and Li Yunxi's apartment for their farewell dinner. Xiao Hui and Liu Daxun offered to cook while Gu Shan and Li Yunxi prepared the ingredients.

The kitchen was lively with the clattering of utensils and their chit chat as theirs hands got busier.

"Yunxi why don't you cook for us? You're the best cook among all of us ,"Liu Daxun proposed.

"Didn't we agree you two would do the cooking?"Li Yunxi retaliated.

"But apart from my aunt and the aunty at the food stall your food is the third best."

"What kind of compliment is that?"Li Yunxi laughed. It was one of the few times he laughed genuinely. Over the past weeks,he had become strangely quiet and most of his smiles and laughs were forced especially when Gu Shan was around.

By the time they were done cooking,the kitchen was messier than usual.

Xiao Hui and Li Yunxi plated the food and they settled down to eat.

"Guys what are your plans for the summer?"Liu Daxun started eagerly.

"The club will be closed for renovations and stuff so I'll go to Tianjin,"Xiao Hui was the first one to answer,"And you?"

"I'm going to my parents place for the first three weeks then I will come back to my aunt's place later,"he informed.

Liu Daxun leaned back and turned to look at Gu Shan expectantly. Gu Shan understanding his friend's gesture,decided to reveal his plan. He was going back to Shenzhen. Li Yunxi had been deliberately delaying to reveal his plans to them. He felt sad that he had nowhere else to go like the others. He had no parents,no dependable relatives to rely on. He didn't feel the need to say anything because his plans didn't sound as interesting as theirs.

"What about you Yunxi?"

Li Yunxi smiled slightly to mask his sadness before replying,"I don't have any exciting plans. I'm going to work at a restaurant."

"What restaurant?"

"Noble Nosh."

"It's a pretty classy restaurant. I think the pay is good there,"Xiao Hui commented.

"Mm."

"By the way Yu Xin is coming with me to Tianjin,"Xiao Hui revealed beaming with pride and the others howled excitedly in reaction.

"You're so much in love, aren't ya? I wish I had a girlfriend too,"Liu Daxun commented pretending to be sad.

"You'll get one, one day,"Xiao Hui consoled him.

Gu Shan and Li Yunxi glanced at each other and looked away immediately and focused on their plates while the other two guys continued chatting happily oblivious of the tension between the two.

"So when are you guys leaving?"Liu Daxun asked again.

"Tomorrow,"Gu Shan and Xiao Hui answered in unison.

"Me too. ShanShan what time is your flight?"

"In the morning around nine."

Their little hang out was concluded by a movie and this time it wasn't a pornographic one it was a sensible and fun crime detective series and they all enjoyed it. Although they couldn't complete it in one night they had a fair watch of the episodes in the first season. Coerced by the following day's travel plans,they paused the series to go back to their rooms to pack and prepare for whatever that was needed during their journeys.

The following day,a bright Tuesday morning,Li Yunxi decided to report at his new job immediately after bidding farewell to his three friends who were travelling that day. He did feel a little sad to part with them because that meant he would have no one to hang out with at home. At his new job he wasn't sure if he would find anyone friendly there but it would surely take some time to find friends who he could hang out with freely.

*****

A week had passed since Li Yunxi started working at the restaurant. So far,the workplace was convenient. The restaurant was bustling with both regular and new customers visiting to have different meals. It was a well known restaurant strategically located near companies , schools and a hospital. The restaurant was mostly occupied by either company employees in need for a decent meal,high school students trying out new eateries and hospital nurses and doctors occasionally showing up or ordering take outs from the hospital. The waiters and chefs were quite friendly and hardworking too.

Li Yunxi would leave the apartment early in the morning and return at night mostly sleeping afterwards. It actually made him occupied and he didn't have time to think about how lonely he was and how pathetic his life was.

One night when he was coming back from work,he noticed an unfamiliar car parked at the small parking lot in front of the apartment complex. The place where he lived there were few people who actually owned cars because most of those who lived there were most financially unstable students who wanted an unrestrained life free from strict dorm rules.

Of the people who owned cars two were students and they had probably gone for the summer break and also their cars didn't look as sleek as the one he saw parked there. The landlady's car was white so it was definitely disqualified from the list. The car was black and shining under the security lights. For some unknown reason Li Yunxi found himself stop in his tracks to watch the car. He didn't know why he stood there just to look at a motionless car. Probably because he admired it. But there was tugging feeling at the pit of his stomach that there was probably something happening in the car and he couldn't tell what it was. But also, many things happen inside cars- people kiss and make love in cars, people have chats in cars and so on. He really needed to mind his business but he couldn't.

What he couldn't imagine even if it was the end of the world was that the person inside the motionless car was Gu Shan. Gu Shan had been staying in the car for the past thirty minutes. His right hand rubbed his aching tummy in soothing circles. His head was pressed against steering wheel with his left hand covering it. He was feeling dizzy and had a splitting headache. It felt like Thor was hitting his head with a hammer. He felt the world around him revolve faster than usual.

When he left his uncle's place,he was completely okay and energetic but then suddenly on the way, he started experiencing the symptoms and with time they became so worse that he could barely move. He thought staying calm in the car for a while would lessen the pain but it only got worse with every passing minute.Gu Shan hissed in pain as he reached for his shoulder bag on the adjacent seat. He had to get out of the car otherwise he would pass out there and no one would realize it.

He weakly grabbed the bag and pushed the car door open and dragged himself out of the car. He walked sluggishly leaning against the car but when he was past the car,he tripped over himself and fell. Li Yunxi who had been watching this,out of compassion ran towards Gu Shan without realizing it was him. As a human it was normal to hold compassion towards another human being especially at times like that when they are highly vulnerable.

Li Yunxi crouched beside Gu Shan who was struggling to get himself up. Gu Shan feeling the presence of the other raised his head weakly and their eyes met. Li Yunxi almost jumped in horror.

"Gu Shan!"

"Yunxi-ge,long time no see,"he responded smiling weakly.

Li Yunxi watched him silently for a while still stunned by the boy's presence. Gu Shan, ignoring the other's probing gaze tried to lift himself from the ground but failed.

"Let me help you."

Li Yunxi took the bag and slung it over his shoulders,then took the boy's arm wrapping it around his neck to offer him support and then helped him get off the ground. They walked slowly with most of Gu Shan's weight entirely on Li Yunxi. Seeing that the boy was too weak to walk,he scooped him up and carried him in bridal style. Surprisingly Gu Shan was light so he didn't have much trouble moving upstairs with him in his arms. He felt anxious as he kept glancing at the boy whose face was now grimacing while his eyes were tightly closed. The boy kept wincing and whimpering in pain.

Li Yunxi swiftly opened the door to his apartment and carried Gu Shan inside. He carried him straight to bedroom and lay him on his bed. On top of the tummy ache and headache,Gu Shan's body was burning. he was having a freaking fever. Instinctively,Li Yunxi brought a soft towel and water in a pail and gave him a sponge bath to calm his fever down.

"I feel like dying,"Gu Shan batted his eyelids weakly,his vision becoming blurry.

"Hang in there,"he said with compassion but he was too late ,the boy closed his eyes ,his muscles relaxed and he collapsed there.

"Gu Shan!"Li Yunxi yelled in horror.