Gu Lanshan did not refuse this time; she took the lead and walked toward the garden. It was winter, and most of the hospital lawns were yellowing and withered, looking rather desolate; only the evergreen shrubs surrounding the garden remained a lush green.
Han Chengchi and Gu Lanshan arrived under a thick-trunked tree with dry branches above and a long bench below.
Han Chengchi gestured toward the long bench, signaling Gu Lanshan to sit.
Gu Lanshan shook her head, not sitting, and directly asked Han Chengchi, "What do you want to say, just spit it out."
Han Chengchi did not heed Gu Lanshan's advice to speak his mind directly. Instead, he took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a couple of slow drags before he, shrouded in a haze of smoke, looked intently at Gu Lanshan. The cherry-red glow of the cigarette butt reflected in his eyes, flickering uncertainly. After a moment, he finally spoke, asking, "Lanshan, have you decided to be with Shi'er?"
