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

273. Heartless?

"Yes, sir!" Yin Shixiong saluted him over the phone out of habit.
Yin Shixiong ended the call and looked out the window. It was already past five o'clocktime for him to pick up Gu Nianzhi.
He called He Zhichu again. "Professor He? Thank you so much for your help today. Is Nianzhi better now? I'll head over to pick her up"
"That won't be necessary," He Zhichu said coldly. Yin Shixiong could almost feel the icy coolness radiating from him on his face. "She already left."
"She left?" Yin Shixiong was taken aback. "When did she leave? Why didn't you drive her home? She's a young girl who's just been injured how can you be so heartless?!"
"Me, heartless? Haha, very funny," said He Zhichu, and promptly hung up. He put his hands behind his head and leaned into his spacious swivel chair. He swung the chair around and rested his long legs on the window sill, ignoring the ringing of his phone as he gazed at the scenery beyond the window.
Yin Shixiong called again, but no one answered.
He flew into a panic. The sudden change in He Zhichu's attitude was mystifying, but he did not have the time to think about it now. He opened the door and rushed out of his room.
He reached the front door and did a double-take.
He stared at the small shoe cabinet beside the door.
The Under Armour cherry blossom sneakers Gu Nianzhi had worn to the softball game were back in the cabinet. Her panda indoor slippers, on the other hand, were missing
Gu Nianzhi must have returned to the apartment.
Yin Shixiong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that He Zhichu had been telling the truth: Gu Nianzhi had, as he said, left his house and returned to the apartment.
Then he remembered that He Zhichu's house was three miles away. It was a considerable distanceso how had Gu Nianzhi made her way back to the apartment, all by herself?
Yin Shixiong walked to Gu Nianzhi's room and knocked lightly on the door. "Nianzhi? Nianzhi? Are you in there?"
Gu Nianzhi hugged her panda pillow. She was curled up on the sill of the bay window, securely hidden behind the curtains.
Yin Shixiong had to call her name several times before she finally replied with a sullen "Yeah."
Yin Shixiong quickly opened the door.
He was glad she had left the door unlocked.
Yin Shixiong scanned the room as he entered, but did not see Gu Nianzhi.
He looked again and spotted the panda slippers lying on the floor in front of the bay window.
She was evidently hiding on the window sill.
Yin Shixiong slowly walked over. He said, his voice gentle, "Nianzhi, what's wrong? Don't you want to see me?"
He stopped before the window and opened the curtains.
Gu Nianzhi looked up at Yin Shixiong. The swelling in her right cheek had worsened. Her large, dark eyes shone like mirrors; Yin Shixiong could see himself reflected in them.
"Why is the swelling worse now?" Yin Shixiong kneeled so that his eyes were level with Gu Nianzhi's. "Didn't Professor He take you to the hospital?"
The doctors had given her some medicine, but Gu Nianzhi had forgotten to take them with her when she left He Zhichu's house. She realized her mistake and became even more depressed. She muttered sulkily, "Brother Xiong, where were you when they locked me up?"