Chapter 31
As night fell, classes and work ended, and the gym started to bustle with activity. As they made their way there, they ran into several familiar faces along the way.
Li Zihua explained, “These are people we met while working out. We’re from different majors, but it’s fun chatting together.”
Curious, Shen Yiqiu casually asked, “What do you usually talk about while working out?”
Li Zihua started to answer, then stopped abruptly, looking a little embarrassed.
“Ahem, we just complain about our advisors, talk about new things happening on campus, or discuss which brand of protein powder is best.”
Shen Yiqiu didn’t press further, her thoughts returning to Gu Chao.
“Has Gu Chao been acting strangely lately? In his relationship, or with his studies?”
Shen Yiqiu tried to connect Gu Chao and He Chao, but fearing Li Zihua and Ding Song might notice, she casually brought it up.
“Nothing different. He’s still lovey-dovey with Xiao Meng every day, video chatting whenever they have time.” Most people in their dorm were optimistic about this long-distance couple.
Li Zihua thought for a moment, then added, “There’s really nothing unusual, so when Xiao Meng called us saying Gu Chao broke up with her, we all thought she was joking.”
He then looked at Ding Song for confirmation.
Ding Song nodded in agreement, then recalled something else. “Gu Chao rarely gets upset about his relationship. The only times he’s unhappy are because of the distance. He wants to move to Meng City after graduation, saying he doesn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship anymore.”
He paused, then decided to continue.
“But the boss didn’t agree, and Gu Chao has been down about it, even arguing with the boss directly.”
“The boss you’re referring to, is that your advisor?” Qin Qianrou, who had been listening quietly, wanted to confirm the person’s identity immediately whenever a new character was mentioned.
Ding Song froze for a moment, then corrected himself, “He’s our advisor, but we’re used to calling him ‘boss.’ It just slipped out.”
Qin Qianrou glanced at Shen Yiqiu, who happened to be looking at her as well. They didn’t speak, but the meaning in their eyes was clear: He Chao is definitely suspicious.
Arriving at the gym, familiar faces greeted Li Zihua and Ding Song. Some, seeing them with two beautiful women, gave them knowing looks. Fortunately, their expressions were somber, showing no intention of joking around; otherwise, there might even have been wolf whistles.
Unlike usual, they headed straight for the stairs leading to the rooftop. Shen Yiqiu and Qin Qianrou followed, their hearts heavy.
The feeling here wasn’t good. Shen Yiqiu had felt uneasy since entering the gym, a tightness in her chest, but not the usual stinging pain she felt when she had a premonition.
The staircase was narrow, only allowing one person to pass at a time. Qin Qianrou, walking behind Shen Yiqiu, noticed her slowing down and felt uneasy.
She quickened her pace, practically squeezing onto the same step. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, just a little suffocated.”
“Do you need to rest for a bit?”
“No, no, we finally made it here, we can’t waste time.” Shen Yiqiu forced a smile, trying to show she was fine.
Then, without waiting for Qin Qianrou to respond, she took two large strides forward, putting some distance between them again.
Looking at the slender yet determined figure, Qin Qianrou sighed softly and followed.
They usually came up to the rooftop to smoke, complaining about the demanding work in the lab. This was their secret haven. The lingering warmth from their workout and the frustrations in their hearts dissipated after each intense training session. Finally, here, they found a moment of peace.
But today, those who came here weren’t in a good mood.
The rooftop door was ajar. Li Zihua pushed it open familiarly and glanced around, but didn’t see anyone. He looked down to confirm the floor tiles were indeed diamond-shaped and colored.
He stepped aside for Shen Yiqiu to see, afraid he might have misled them.
“This is it, that’s right.”
Hearing Shen Yiqiu’s confirmation, everyone felt a sense of relief. Although they didn’t understand why Shen Yiqiu had suddenly insisted on coming here, Zhang Meng had repeatedly pleaded with them on the phone to cooperate fully with her.
The priority now was to find Gu Chao as soon as possible. If it was just a breakup, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but being inexplicably out of contact for most of the day was definitely not normal. Li Zihua and Ding Song were also anxious, thinking that if they couldn’t find him here, they would have to report it to the university authorities.
“There’s no one here!” Li Zihua was disappointed, and even more worried.
He suggested they split up and search the surrounding area; perhaps Gu Chao had just left.
With that, he and Ding Song left the rooftop. They were more familiar with the surroundings. Shen Yiqiu and Qin Qianrou stayed on the rooftop, hoping Gu Chao would appear.
“You only sensed the rooftop tiles, you didn’t see him?”
Shen Yiqiu shook her head. “That empty box could only give me this much. I tried my best.”
Qin Qianrou sensed her self-blame and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
“There are cigarette butts here, and they look recently discarded. Your intuition was right, he must have been here earlier.” Qin Qianrou carefully examined the area. The cigarette butts were concentrated in one spot, quite noticeable.
“So what if it was right? We still can’t find him.” Shen Yiqiu was frustrated; it seemed she was always one step behind.
“Shh.” Qin Qianrou suddenly interrupted Shen Yiqiu, signaling her to be quiet.
They listened intently and heard a faint sound coming from a corner.
Quietly approaching, they found a secluded spot. Unless you specifically walked over, you wouldn’t be able to see it even if you were on the same rooftop.
And at this moment, the ground here was covered in shredded pieces of paper.
The sound they had heard was the sound of paper being torn.
In the darkest corner, a figure sat, neatly dressed, looking out of place in these surroundings. As he tore at the paper, a glint of light reflected from his wrist – a watch.
“Are you Gu Chao?” Shen Yiqiu didn’t dare to get too close, but her voice was filled with hope.
The man looked utterly dejected, listless. Hearing someone call his name, he looked up blankly, like a puppet.
“You know me?”
Haggard, despondent, and despairing. The person before them was completely different from the sunny, warm, humorous, and considerate boyfriend Zhang Meng had described. Yet, they must be the same Gu Chao.
“We’re Zhang Meng’s friends. She couldn’t find you, so she asked us to come check on you.”
Hearing his girlfriend’s name, a spark of light flickered in his lifeless eyes, but it quickly faded, making the contrast even more stark, and Gu Chao seemed even more dejected.
“I’ve already broken up with her, so there’s no need to look for me. I’m fine.”
Looking at him, Shen Yiqiu couldn’t, in any way, describe his state as “fine.”
“Do you… look fine?”
Gu Chao looked up irritably, his voice hoarse. “Who doesn’t feel down for a few days after a breakup? I’m already doing pretty well.”
His tone was filled with defensiveness and resistance. If not for his ingrained politeness, he might have already started cursing.
Qin Qianrou squatted down, picking up the shredded pieces of paper. Just as she was about to examine the contents, she heard Gu Chao’s low growl.
“Don’t touch that!”
Shen Yiqiu felt a surge of displeasure. She couldn’t stand seeing others treat Qin Qianrou like this; it was even more uncomfortable than being yelled at herself.
“We came all the way from Meng City to find you. Even if you’re not happy to see us, you should at least show some basic courtesy.”
She even started to wonder if Zhang Meng’s positive impression of Gu Chao was simply due to the romanticized distance between them.
Gu Chao glared at her for a moment, then, without saying anything more, lowered his head and retreated back into his own world.
Qin Qianrou quickly scanned the contents of the paper. It seemed to be a lab report or a thesis.
“Are you under too much pressure from your studies?”
Gu Chao’s head twitched slightly, but he didn’t respond.
“If it’s too difficult to continue, you can apply to change majors, or take a leave of absence.”
The increasing pressure on students was related to the rapid development of society and the fierce competition among peers. Students, sheltered within the ivory tower and lacking real-world experience, were more prone to collapse under the weight of expectations.
This type of news had become increasingly common in recent years, and Qin Qianrou understood their struggles.
“Change majors? Take a leave of absence?” Gu Chao looked up, a bitter smile on his lips, as if envisioning a beautiful future, or perhaps having heard a joke. “That’s impossible. How could the boss agree?”
At this point, there was no need to ask. The “boss” Gu Chao referred to was the same person Ding Song had mentioned: He Chao.
Shen Yiqiu was all too familiar with He Chao’s hypocrisy. She only regretted realizing it too late in her past life. Seeing Gu Chao tormented like this, she couldn’t bear it.
“If you really don’t want to continue, you can just drop out.”
Gu Chao muttered to himself for a moment, then frantically shook his head. “I can’t drop out! How can I drop out? I worked so hard to get in, everyone is expecting me to graduate!”
Pressure, it must be the immense pressure! Shen Yiqiu frowned, wanting to comfort this person who appeared strong but was actually incredibly fragile.
Qin Qianrou thought for a moment, then walked over.
“Are these evaluations from your advisor?”
Gu Chao remembered what he had been tearing up and no longer bothered to hide it, nodding dejectedly.
Shen Yiqiu glanced at the shredded pieces of paper in Qin Qianrou’s hand. They clearly stated: Insufficient innovation, lack of data, incomplete experimental process, recommend redo.
There were other fragmented phrases, such as: unremarkable, mediocre aptitude, difficulty graduating…
These were all very negative comments, but hadn’t Zhang Meng said that Gu Chao had been personally recruited by his advisor because of his excellent undergraduate grades?
Shen Yiqiu felt Qin Qianrou tugging lightly at her sleeve. Looking over, she saw her silently mouthing the words, “Advisor problem.”
Absolutely despicable! Recalling He Chao’s sanctimonious appearance, Shen Yiqiu felt a wave of disgust. If not for her past life experiences, she might not have so readily believed that the renowned Professor He, the expert, could drive a bright young man to this state.
“One person’s evaluation doesn’t mean anything, and an advisor’s opinion isn’t always right. You should believe in yourself, don’t take these comments too seriously.”
Gu Chao looked at Qin Qianrou gratefully. Others had offered him similar comfort, and he understood the logic. If he completely believed He Chao’s evaluation, perhaps he wouldn’t be so tormented.
“I know some of it isn’t true. He’s just saying these things to make us work harder for him, to be obedient, and not to raise any objections.” Gu Chao choked back sobs, as if recalling past experiences. “But my future is in his hands, I can’t fight back!”
Shen Yiqiu understood this feeling of being controlled all too well and couldn’t bear to see Gu Chao torturing himself like this.
“He’s just threatening you with your degree. You can always retake the entrance exam. It’s not worth it for an advisor who doesn’t respect or appreciate you.”
Gu Chao gave a weak, bitter smile. He had considered these options countless times.
“I’ve been thinking about these things for a long time. Sometimes I even dream about it and wake up laughing. But I can’t do it. Too many people have placed their hopes on me. I don’t have time to waste, and I can’t turn back.”
This… was a bit too dramatic.
Shen Yiqiu was speechless. After a moment of consideration, Qin Qianrou asked, “Did He Chao tell you these things as well?”
Gu Chao was about to shake his head, but then he realized it was indeed the case.
His advisor, besides constantly finding fault with his reports, would often instill these thoughts in him. Subtly and gradually, Gu Chao hadn’t even realized how afraid he had become of making a different choice.
It was as if, apart from He Chao, he had no better place to go, no better path to take.
And He Chao, as if having grasped Gu Chao’s strong sense of responsibility, would frequently use the people he cared about to encourage and push him. Yet, he would also constantly make him feel guilty and inadequate, as if everything was his fault, as if his shortcomings were the reason for his current predicament.
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