Zhou Guzuo (GL) · Conversa

The afternoon sun beat down with scorching cruelty, waves of sweltering heat rolling across the dilapidated building materials market, baking the stagnant air until it stifled the lungs. A haze of cement dust mingled with the coarse, gritty reek of rust and sand, clinging relentlessly to everything—settling on dark work clothes, and dusting a pair of slender-knuckled hands weathered far beyond their years. With her back arched, Zhou Guzuo held the heavy solid-wood lumber firmly in place. Standing tall at 176 cm, she stood out distinctly among the other laborers. Years of heavy manual labor had stripped away the fragile innocence typical of a nineteen-year-old, leaving behind only the rugged resilience and quiet steadiness forged by hardship. Beads of sweat seeped from her sun-browned skin, trickling slowly down her jawline and dissolving into the thick grime. She had long grown accustomed to such days. Ever since dropping out of school and entering the workforce, she had confined herself to this dusty, clamorous grind, toiling day in and day out. The deafening roar of machinery and the bustling clamor of voices filled her ears. Though the tedious, backbreaking labor wore down her body and soul, Zhou Guzuo held on to a single thought in her heart. Just hold out for another half hour. Once her shift was over, she could head back to their tiny rented room, cook for Shen Wei, keep her company while she rested, and savor the few precious moments of peace she had. Yet an untimely buzz from the phone in her pocket quietly shattered all her hopes. The screen lit up, casting a piercing white glare. It was a message from the person etched into the depths of her heart—cold, final, without the slightest prelude, appearing so abruptly. 【Zhou Guzuo, I don't love you anymore. Let's break up.】 A single short sentence, light as a whisper of wind, yet heavy enough to crush every defense Zhou Guzuo had strained to hold for years. All surrounding clamor was instantly cut off; a deafening silence fell over her ears. The blazing sun still scorched her skin, the heat waves remained searing, yet the blood in her veins seemed to freeze entirely in an instant, chilling her from the tips of her fingers to the bottom of her heart. The heavy timber nearly slipped from her grasp. She looked down at her calloused hands. These hands had hauled timber, borne crushing burdens, scraped together lifesaving medical funds, and shouldered the lives of two people—always capable of anything. Yet at this moment, as grievance, terror, panic, and helplessness surged like a tidal wave, she was so pitifully helpless that she couldn't even wipe away a single tear. The person she had staked her entire life to protect was about to cast her aside just like that, without a second thought. She couldn't even vent her emotions or demand an explanation. Ground down to this point by life, all that remained in her heart was a humble, desperate plea for you to stay. Her throat tightened, moisture welling up in her eyes. Forcing down the overwhelming wave of collapse, her dusty finger cautiously pressed the voice message button. "Can you wait until I get home before we talk? I don't have a free hand to wipe my tears right now." "Jiejie, can you wait until I get home so we can talk things through properly, please?" "Just wait for me, my shift ends in half an hour." Her words were a bit disjointed, but in the end, it all boiled down to three simple words—just wait for me.