“Hmm, I still remember. Does that mean the content in Gu Fan’s dream is related to his illness? Is it something good or something bad?”
Gu Fan slightly tilted his head to look up at the ceiling, and after pondering for a moment, he said, “I suppose it’s the bad side. After all, the old me believed I was beyond saving, with death right around the corner. Suddenly, it was as if a pie fell from the sky and told me the terminal illness that tormented me for months just disappeared like that. It felt like the heavens played a little joke on me, just to change my overly irritable temper.”
Hearing Gu Fan describe himself as irritable, I pouted unhappily. “No way, Gu Fan, you’re not irritable at all! You’re always super gentle to me, okay? You’re not allowed to talk about yourself like that.”
Gu Fan smiled helplessly and shrugged, not pressing the issue any further.
I had heard others say that back in junior high, Gu Fan seemed to get into fights a lot. Since the students on the bus came from all over town, I was able to overhear some news about Gu Fan.
Basically, it was always Gu Fan beating up some bully who often picked on classmates, and then the parents would come to the school, the teachers would try to mediate, that sort of thing. But because the No. 1 High School where Gu Fan studied had complete surveillance equipment, it was quickly proven that his actions were legitimate self-defense or acts of bravery. Plus, those bullies were often caught on camera bullying others themselves, so the troublemaking parents had to drop the matter.
Every time, he would first provoke the other’s anger in various ways, but without resorting to insults or physical contact, so that the other side would throw the first punch, and only then would he fight back.
Back then, I would listen with a heart full of pity as the students from No. 1 High talked about these stories involving Gu Fan. I wanted so badly to rush to his house and check if he was hurt anywhere, see if he needed me to help put on some medicine.
Unfortunately, the younger me at that time hadn’t yet experienced the shock of Gu Fan’s grave illness and death, and was wishy-washy like a little lady, only daring to play out what I wanted to do in my mind, never taking any real action. Though now, I actually am a lady.
Using milk tea in place of wine, I took a big gulp, “glug glug.” The coolness felt just like beer that’s been chilled for a long time, freezing me from throat to chest and lungs, yet at the same time triggering a burst of heat inside my body.
After giving myself this morale-boosting buff, I took a deep breath and asked,
“So, what exactly did I do in your dream that made you unhappy? Tell me, will you? Just let me learn from it, so I can be more mindful of my words and actions. If I ever slip up again, I can take the chance to reflect and make sure you’re happy.”
“You really want to know? Listen, you’re not allowed to overthink it—it was just a dream I had by accident, just listen for fun.”
Gu Fan’s gaze wandered—something rare for him. He pressed his lips tight and looked around, not focusing on anything in particular, just trying to avoid my direct gaze.
After I replied, “I want to know,” Gu Fan finally looked into my eyes seriously and began to speak.
“In that dream, I was also getting a re-examination, but unlike reality where I suddenly recovered, the result was that my condition worsened, to the point I needed to be hospitalized for observation. The me in the dream refused to accept this, and chose conservative treatment with medicine, trying to buy myself a bit more free time.
After that, just like what happened the other day, we met again and got to know each other, and went to the same school. Only in the dream, after you found out about my illness, you just…”
“What then?”
Totally engrossed, I hurriedly asked.
For once, the usually decisive Gu Fan hesitated. His lips parted, but then he shut them again as if worrying about something.
“It’s okay, go ahead, what did I do that was so bad you can’t say? I’ll apologize to you for her.”
Gu Fan lowered his gaze and thought for several seconds before answering, “You said you wanted to create some truly precious memories for me, then forcibly took me to all kinds of places to have fun, experiencing all sorts of firsts together.”
“Uhm… Huh?!”
Was it the “first time” I was imagining? That thought flashed through my mind in an instant.
I looked at Gu Fan in disbelief. From his hesitant expression, I was almost certain it was just as I guessed—in the dream, I took advantage of Gu Fan’s illness to schedule all sorts of naughty things, and probably even went through with them.
In a way… she was a lot bolder than me. Still, if it were me who knew Gu Fan still had an incurable disease, I’d probably do something similar—do whatever I could to make Gu Fan happy. That was my first goal when I came to this world.
After a brief silence, Gu Fan picked up his mango pomelo sago again and took a few more sips, only to realize he’d already finished it. He casually tossed the empty cup into the trash and cleared his throat in a low voice.
Gu Fan’s dream had gotten me so emotional that I sat up straight, my cat ears on top of my head perked up.
I immediately leaned in and grabbed his hand, my other hand reaching around his back to pat him like a little puppy, anxiously asking, “What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell? Do you need to go to the hospital for a checkup?”
“Cough cough… It’s nothing, really, just a big chunk of coconut jelly got stuck in my throat. Don’t worry.”
I frowned, puffing my cheeks as I glared at Gu Fan. “No lying! If anything feels wrong, you have to tell me immediately. No fibs allowed.”
Gu Fan looked at me, amused, and stared at me for a long while. His stare made me a little nervous. I thought maybe I’d gone too far and made him angry, so I quickly lowered my head and started mumbling “I’m sorry,” “I was wrong,” and other such things.
“What are you apologizing for? I was just surprised, that’s all.”
As Gu Fan spoke, he gently took my wrist and led me back to our seats.
“In the dream, you were just like that—whenever I coughed or coughed up blood, you’d jump up from your seat and rush to my side with tissues and water, insisting I go to the hospital for a checkup. Your expression was exactly the same.”
“Well, that just means I really care about you~”
“I know. I’m also very happy to be treated and cared for so sincerely by Zhi Nian. That’s why I can laugh from the bottom of my heart. The cough just now was purely because of the leftover coconut jelly at the bottom of the milk tea, don’t overthink it.”
“Fine, fine, but Gu Fan, you also have to go get another checkup at the hospital when you get the chance, just in case.”
I had long since forgotten all about Gu Fan’s grave illness, but his story had reawakened all those days of worry and anxiety in my memory—like an assassin hiding in a dark corner waiting for a chance, it suddenly rushed out and hijacked my mind. I started watching Gu Fan’s health with fear and trembling, ready to pour all my concern on him at the slightest hint of trouble.
“I had a checkup last month—everything’s normal. If you want the report, I can bring the results to school for you to see tomorrow. Oh, and about today’s missed lessons, I’ll give you the notes tomorrow too. Just because we took the afternoon off doesn’t mean you can slack off.”
“Ugh… fine…”
One of my main goals right now is to study hard and get into the same university as Gu Fan, but I’m really not good at studying. Even with three years of experience backing me up, reviewing is still so painful. Maybe I really am a hopeless idiot?
On the way home from shopping, hand in hand, we happened to pass a photography studio specializing in wedding photos. The poster and signboard hanging above caught my eye.
If it were a normal day, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. Even if I felt tempted, I’d tell myself to be patient—wait until Gu Fan and I were truly a couple, or until we really got married, then bring my husband here for a set of beautiful wedding photos, put them in an album to look back on later.
If I had kids someday, I could open the album and tell them in detail how handsome and gentle their dad was back then, what a great figure he had—eight-pack abs, no less.
But in this moment, having just been shaken by Gu Fan’s dream about his illness, and still holding his hand as we walked past, I couldn’t help but have some daydreams that probably shouldn’t appear at a time like this.
Looking at the poster, the girl in a pure white wedding dress was being held in her suited husband’s arms. The smiles on their faces were so sweet it was as if honey was about to drip out. If it were me being held by Gu Fan like that, I’d definitely smile just as happily. Hmph~
“Zhi Nian? What are you looking at?”
Gu Fan’s voice drifted into my ear, and I snapped out of it. I’d been so focused on the loving couple on the poster that I’d stopped walking without realizing, which naturally caught Gu Fan’s attention. He followed my gaze.
Then, I saw his warm amber eyes suddenly widen. I worried that he might think I was the kind of shallow girl who just wanted to take wedding photos with him—though I wasn’t sure if “shallow” was the right word here, but there was no time to worry about that now.
“Gu, Gu Fan, um… I’m not saying I want wedding photos! I just happened to see this studio, and then thought of your unlucky dream, so I figured, why not go inside and have a professional photographer with a high-res camera take a picture of us to capture this moment? It’s not that I don’t like your photo skills, it’s just that the mini camera I gave you has terrible resolution, and even the phone pictures aren’t great. So why not spend a little money for better quality? Also, there’s an old fortune-teller back in my hometown who can use photos to tell our fortunes—see if our studies will go smoothly. There’s even a temple where we can pray for blessings. That’s the real reason I want us to take a photo together.”
I squeezed all those poorly organized thoughts out of my small brain and blurted them out. Thankfully, I didn’t say what I really wanted deep down.
Gu Fan didn’t seem suspicious. He nodded, as if convinced by my explanation, and calmly led me straight toward the bright studio with the sign “Wedding Photos.” Uwah, this is so embarrassing.
Inside, we were greeted by an auntie in a floral plaid robe, holding a lazy orange Garfield cat in her arms. The corners of her eyes drooped a bit, making her look rather tired.
The studio’s automatic door chimed as we entered. The auntie, absorbed in a drama on her tablet, glanced up at us, then focused on the cat ears on my head fluttering in the breeze. She immediately stood up with a warm smile and approached us.
The Garfield cat, who’d been dozing and yawning, slid off her chair at her movement, blinked sleepily at us, then crawled over to rub against Gu Fan’s legs. It quickly circled around him, rolling over and showing its belly for a rub with practiced skill. I couldn’t help but wonder if it always welcomed guests this enthusiastically.
“Hoh? Xiao Huang is actually welcoming guests? That’s rare. Usually, if someone wants to pet him, they have to buy some cat treats from me. Once he’s eaten, he runs right back to his bed for a nap. Looks like your gentleman is very popular with cats.”
The auntie first stared in surprise at the rolling Garfield, then gave me a knowing look, clearly interested in my catgirl traits. With her kind face, I couldn’t say much, so I just glared at the fat show-off Garfield a few times.
It actually dared to rub against Gu Fan’s hand right in front of me, and even licked him several times! Unforgivable! I’d definitely make Gu Fan wash his hands thoroughly later, or else I’d have to be a little mad at him.
Maybe because it was so chubby, Garfield looked at me with contempt from under its droopy eyes, then continued enjoying Gu Fan’s petting.
Luckily, the auntie was quick with preparations. She opened up the shop, set up the lamps and screens, and then called us over to the counter.
“What kind of wedding photos are you taking? Western or Chinese style? Renting a dress depends on the style—our prices are cheaper than other studios! The sets are on the second floor. If you want outdoor scenes, you need to book in advance. We’ll send a photographer with you to special locations. You can pick your own spots, too, but it’s only free within the county. If you go outside the county, you’ll have to pay extra for travel and labor.”
The auntie rattled off her sales pitch, leaving me, who just wanted a regular photo, at a loss for how to interrupt.
Thank goodness Gu Fan was with me today. He listened patiently until the auntie finished, then said coolly, “We’re not taking wedding photos. We just want to take a picture together.”