Chapter 276: 第121章 昨日重现（感谢盟主algernon的打赏）_2

He planned to rest for a bit before going to the school to get his bike. The hospital wasn’t too far from the school, less than a ten-minute walk away.

And while a bicycle was much slower than a motorcycle, they weren’t in a rush. He just had to get Gu Qiuyan there before dawn.

So, that was the plan.

He explained a bit more to Qingyi, who replied with a "good night." Zhang Shutong put his phone away and returned to the hospital room.

Inside, the young nurse was talking to Gu Qiuyan. She saw him walk in, waved, and stood up.

"Sorry to trouble you again," Zhang Shutong thanked her once more. "Where can I find some hot water?"

"Oh, there’s a thermos in the dispensary. Find a cup and help yourself later," the young nurse said. "Come with me for now. It’s not busy, so big sis here will take you two."

With that, she led the way, her low-heeled nurse’s shoes tapping out a light rhythm. Her tedious night shifts hadn’t seen something this interesting in a long time. It was a bit of a hassle, sure, but it was better—much better—than dealing with drunks who choked on their own vomit.

It reminded her of her school days. Every girl dreams of her Prince Charming coming to whisk her away, and every boy hopes to take the girl he likes to the ends of the earth. Of course, those dreams rarely come true.

She glanced curiously at the girl behind her out of the corner of her eye.

She was such a pretty, radiant young lady, with jet-black hair and fair skin. Even though she was bundled up in several thick layers of clothes, it couldn’t hide her special aura, which was completely out of place in this old hospital room.

A girl like her would naturally be the center of attention in any crowd, yet here she was, wearing a pair of cheap, bright red cotton slippers. The slippers were probably brand new; you could still catch a faint whiff of plastic.

At first, she’d assumed the girl was just a sweet, well-behaved type, like a little sister from next door. Showing up here in the middle of the night, she must have been hiding it from her family, right? She must be nervous and scared being with a boy, right? The nurse had planned to go over and comfort her, but she quickly realized she was wrong.

The girl had simply nodded, quietly said "Sorry for the trouble," and even proactively asked for her name, saying she would mention her to the hospital director later to express her gratitude.

The young nurse was genuinely stunned. *Kid,* she thought, *what kind of girl did you manage to run off with?*

She had to admit, the girl was quite aloof and cool. It was only when she spoke to the boy that she would smile, pout, or glare—acting just like a young girl in love. Watching the two of them talk was actually pretty entertaining.

So, she felt a little inclined to help this "stranded" young couple. The nurse reached the end of the hallway and opened a door.

"Here we are. The hospital’s V-VIP room. To be honest, I sometimes sneak in here to slack off."

As she spoke, she flicked on the light. A medicinal smell hit them even faster than the light.

Zhang Shutong peered inside. It was an observation room, furnished with a bed and two chairs. The bed was a narrow, hard single, covered with a blue disposable medical sheet. It was quiet and spartan, but it solved their immediate problem.

Not having to squeeze into a ward full of strange smells was a godsend.

He really needed a place to get some proper rest. Just as he began to relax, the young nurse teased them.

"You two better not get up to any trouble."

Gu Qiuyan’s ears turned a little red at her words, and she shot him a fierce glare. *She’s the one who said it, why are you glaring at me?* Zhang Shutong thought.

But the nurse had already waved and walked off, the sound of her heels cheerful.

"Let’s go," Gu Qiuyan whispered, giving him a little push from behind.

Zhang Shutong noticed the remote on the windowsill and turned on the air conditioner. Then he saw the window was cracked open, so he closed it. After that, there wasn’t much else to do.

Zhang Shutong was someone who was good at making plans, but his plan had only gone as far as "how to get Gu Qiuyan out safely." He hadn’t thought at all about what to do after he got her out.

He closed the door, and the room fell silent, save for the *whoosh* of warm air from the wall-mounted AC unit.

Gu Qiuyan also sat down in a chair. They were sitting neither too close nor too far apart. She stared blankly at her red cotton slippers. When Zhang Shutong glanced over, she noticed and tucked her feet in slightly.

"You should sleep first," Zhang Shutong said, pointing to the bed. "I’ll watch over you."

"Who asked you to watch..."

"Cookies, then?" He tore open the bag and offered it to her.

Gu Qiuyan picked one up and took a small bite.

Zhang Shutong rummaged through a drawer and found two disposable paper cups, then asked if she wanted some hot water.

But she snatched the cups from him.

"I’ll go get it. You sit still and don’t move."

Zhang Shutong didn’t argue, just watched Gu Qiuyan leave the room.

Finally, everything was okay,

he thought.

The tightly wound string in his mind could finally loosen up a bit.

Zhang Shutong’s eyelids started to feel heavy again.

He stood up and moved around the room, taking a look around. Only then did he understand why the nurse had called it the "V-VIP" room.

This observation room actually had a color TV.

It was small and wall-mounted, but finding a color TV in a hospital on the island was as rare as seeing a high-class young miss wearing cheap cotton slippers.

Okay, Zhang Shutong had to admit the slippers he’d bought were pretty ugly. Gu Qiuyan probably hated them too, but her original pair had gotten wet.

He turned on the TV. It was showing a cartoon on CCTV-14. Looks like the young nurse was young at heart.

He idly flipped through the channels and found CCTV-6. He remembered this channel often showed movies, and Gu Qiuyan liked watching movies.

It was on a commercial break. He wondered what would be playing next.

Spending the rest of the night watching a movie wouldn’t be so bad, Zhang Shutong thought.

Just then, Gu Qiuyan came back, carrying two cups of hot water.

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Drink your water first," she said, wrinkling her nose in disapproval.

"...Okay."

Zhang Shutong took the cup, feeling that the young miss was getting more and more imposing, while he, her lackey, was still just a lackey after all this time. The water was the perfect temperature. While he slowly sipped his water, Gu Qiuyan had already pulled her chair over.

The TV here was just too small. If they sat far apart, they’d have to crane their necks. So they sat side-by-side, quietly staring at the screen, waiting for the commercials to end.

Zhang Shutong offered her the cookies again, and she took one, nibbling on it.

"What kind of cookies are these?"

"I didn’t look closely. Breakfast biscuits, I think? Jujube-flavored?"

"I’ve never had them before."

*Of course you haven’t,* Zhang Shutong thought. *You can get a huge bag of these breakfast biscuits for five yuan. They’re filling, a great value for the money, like chocolate made with cocoa butter substitutes—hidden away in a world a young miss like her would never come into contact with.*

Just like how a young miss shouldn’t be watching TV in a tiny observation room in a small hospital. People would laugh if they heard. Was the Sony color TV in her villa not big enough, or was the calfskin leather sofa not soft enough?

But she ate the cookie so naturally, and her eyes were fixed intently on the TV. The room gradually warmed up. Zhang Shutong watched her take off her jacket, revealing a delicate sweater underneath, which only heightened the contrast.

"You’re not wearing that scarf?" Zhang Shutong glanced at her.

"The scarf is downstairs."

"Oh."

Gu Qiuyan had been wearing a long down jacket and a slim-fitting little vest, with another padded coat wrapped over that. No wonder Zhang Shutong had said she looked like a little dumpling tonight.

Feeling warm in the room, she took all these layers off. But with them all off, it was a little cold. With a knowing glance, Zhang Shutong handed her his black down jacket. She took it and draped it over herself.

"Why is it so dirty?"

"I used it to hold sunflower seed shells," Zhang Shutong said weakly.

"And it stinks."

"Does it?" Zhang Shutong thought he’d taken pretty good care of this jacket.

"Of course it does," she sniffed the collar of the down jacket and glared. "It smells completely like you. It stinks."

"Sorry, sorry. I didn’t think I had a smell."

"You just can’t smell it on yourself," she huffed.

"Want to wear the vest instead?"

But the girl just pressed a finger to her lips.

"Geez, you’re so noisy. Don’t interrupt my movie."

So Zhang Shutong just watched her, bundled up in his down jacket, nibbling on a cookie. When she finished one, he would proactively offer her the package again. She would take another while staring at the TV, even laughing at a funny commercial. It was a quiet night. The moonlight was beautiful.

After the opening credits, Zhang Shutong also turned his attention to the screen.

"Oh, it’s this one," they both murmured at the same time.

CCTV-6 loved to play classic foreign blockbusters.

The movie was *Roman Holiday*.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but ask.

"I think I’ve seen this movie before."

"Even I’ve seen a classic like this, let alone you."

"No, I dreamed about it. I think I watched this movie at school, at night."

Zhang Shutong was taken aback.

"For real?"

"Believe it or not. You’re always talking about your dreams, too."

"Was anyone else there?"

"I can’t remember clearly." Gu Qiuyan frowned slightly, trying to recall. "And I don’t think I finished it."

"Is that so?" he said softly. "Then let’s watch it again. I’ll watch it to the end with you."

"Mhm."