Part 2 Hello, Mr. Major General I'm Gu Nianzi

255. Another leave!

Bai Shuang was slightly disappointed as she stood in the airport terminal with a giant bouquet of oriental lilies. Her face, however, showed no outward sign of this, and continued to give the standard smile of a diplomat as she glanced around. There was no sight of the chief's tall and muscular figure, nor Secretary Zhao's handsome face. She looked down to hide the sadness in her eyes. Under the protection of several police officers, she went inside another Ministry of Foreign Affairs' vehcile and left the airport.
Gu Nianzhi was completed exhausted by the time the International Teleommunicatons Conference. Dhe slept a full two days before she finally recovered.
Yin Shixiong knew that she had worked hard and was both proud yet worried about her, so he called He Zhichu to request sick leave.
"Another leave? Is she really ill?" He Zhichu picked up Yin Shixiong's call, and he sounded displeased.
"Of course it's true, why would I need to lie to you?" Yin Shixiong was also unhappy. "She's even running a fever; if it doesn't break by the afternoon, I'm taking her to the hospital."
He Zhichu thought about it for a bit and gave a noncommittal grunt before hanging up, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Yin Shixiong. He sat alone in his office and had countless emails to take care of, but his eyes kept wandering to the small and tidy desk in the corner of his office. Gu Nianzhi would sit there, with her little laptop and her bowed head fervently poring over her books while studying. He Zhichu looked away and began to work meticulously. He only shut off his laptop when it grew dark outside, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't hungry at all, but still drove to a decent Chinese restaurant to pick up a couple orders of congee that he felt were suitable for the ill, and drove to Gu Nianzhi's apartment.
"Professor He?" Yin Shixiong saw He Zhichu from the window and openedthe door with great surprise. "You came? Please come in!"
He Zhichu gave the giant takeout box to Yin Shixiong. "There's a few orders of light dishes and congee; please see if Nianzhi wants any."
"Ok!" Yin Shixiong hastily took the containers from him to place them in the kitchen, then offered He Zhichu a seat. "Professor He, would you like tea or coffee?"
"Water is fine." He Zhichu sat elegantly on the long couch in the living room and his eyes scanned the magazines on the coffee table before him.
Yin Shixiong brought him an unopened bottle of spring water and a glass. "Please make yourself at home." He continued and said, "I'll see if Nianzhi is awake."
He Zhichu was about to follow him, but stopped himself when he saw Yin Shixiong's vigilant expression. He looked up slightly. "Don't wake her."
Gu Nianzhi was actually awake and lazing around in bed as she stared off in a daze. Her black long sleeved T-shirt was baggy on her body, and her long legs swung over the bedside. Her mind calm and her thoughts few. The last couple of days of intense brain activity had taken a toll on her. Although she was usually very healthy, she couldn't hold up to such great pressure for extended periods of time.
Yin Shixiong knocked on her door and gently opened it to see her sitting on the edge of the bed. The curtains were tightly drawn, cloaking the room in darkness. As soon as the door opened, light from the outside crept through the crack. Gu Nianzhi reflexively covered her eyes and called in a raspy voice, "Brother Xiong?"
Her face was colorless and the color of her lips was barely distinguishable. Her raised arm was as thin as a stick and so pale that the greenish veins were visible.
"You're awake?" Yin Shixiong watched her with a pained expression. "Do you want to get some more rest? Do you still have a fever?"