Zhao Muqing initially sent a message to Jian Shigu, but the other person did not reply for a long time. Worried that something might have gone terribly wrong, he thought it over and ultimately decided to go to the hospital in person to see if he could run into him, hoping the other person might need his help.
Although it sounded somewhat far-fetched, Zhao Muqing still hailed a cab and headed to the Dongyuan City Central Hospital. Before coming, he deliberately sprayed on perfume. Having entered hospitals twice before, he truly disliked the smell of disinfectant and hoped to slightly mask it with his own scent.
Stepping out of the cab and walking into the hospital lobby, he ran straight into Jian Shigu, who was sitting on a bench with his head propped in his hands, completely silent. Even before getting close, Zhao Muqing could feel a wave of gloomy despair radiating from him.
Zhao Muqing did not make a sound, quietly taking a seat beside Jian Shigu instead. It was unknown how much time passed before the other person finally noticed his presence. “Muqing, are you here to see a doctor?”
“I came to see you. The office retoucher said you would be here.”
Jian Shigu paused. “I am fine.”
“And you still say you are fine.” Zhao Muqing let out an imperceptible sigh. “I have been sitting here for how long, and you did not even notice me.”
Jian Shigu managed a strained corner-of-the-mouth smile, seemingly trying to pull himself together. “I mentioned my elder sister to you before. Her condition right now is extremely terrible.”
“Your sister?” Zhao Muqing could not help asking, only realizing after the words left his mouth that he probably should not have responded like that.
Just as he was scrambling to find a way to make up for it, Jian Shigu spoke up to save him the trouble. “Forgot, huh? That is normal. I only casually brought it up once. After all, this is my family business, and there is no need for you to have your mood ruined just by listening to me talk about these things.”
Feeling almost infected by the other person’s mood, Zhao Muqing raised a hand and gently patted Jian Shigu’s shoulder in comfort. This was completely unlike the Jian Shigu he usually knew; the man had practically zero energy left. “If talking about it makes you feel a bit better, you can tell me.”
Jian Shigu fell silent for a moment. “Let us find a place to sit down and talk.”
Needing to buy a meal for the patient anyway, Jian Shigu chose an economical small diner and sat opposite Zhao Muqing.
“My sister was diagnosed several years ago,” Jian Shigu stared at the glass pitcher filled with cold water on the table. “The cost of medical treatment is an astronomical figure for our family, and what is more, back when my sister was just transferred to the hospital in Dongyuan City, finding a job as a newcomer was extremely difficult. Thankfully, Mr. Shen let me work at the studio.”
Zhao Muqing was slightly startled. So Jian Shigu was personally recruited into the studio by Shen Guanzhi.
Jian Shigu’s elder sister was named Jian Shixia. Diagnosed with cancer several years ago, her condition deteriorated at an alarming rate, forcing her into long-term hospitalization. Leaving aside medical expenses, the hospitalization fees alone constituted a financial burden ordinary people could never withstand.
To shoulder Jian Shixia’s medical bills, Jian Shigu and his mother had constantly worked outside, never once thinking of giving up no matter how bitter or difficult things got. Seeing Jian Shigu on ordinary days, Zhao Muqing could never have imagined this side to him.
“I cannot just go around with a funeral face every day,” Jian Shigu flashed another smile that looked worse than crying. “My sister encourages me every day too. She is smiling even while this severely ill, so what reason do I have to be depressed?”
Zhao Muqing patted the back of his hand, hoping to offer Jian Shigu as much psychological comfort as possible. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“Do not worry about me. Mr. Shen gave me a black card, so money is not an issue, and he even specially invited very good doctors here.”
Zhao Muqing had not expected Shen Guanzhi to help Jian Shigu to this extent. The two were unrelated strangers, yet a black card with no spending limits was handed over just like that without any promotional fanfare, making it look nothing like charitable marketing.
Perhaps Shen Guanzhi himself was even better than he had imagined. Yet he still felt something was amiss; ordinary social donations usually involved giving a certain sum of money, but handing over a credit card directly, wasn’t that a bit too generous?
“I just do not know if she can pull through this hurdle.” When Jian Shigu reached this point, his voice dropped abruptly.
Zhao Muqing accompanied Jian Shigu for a long time. When the other person stood up to pick up the food, Zhao Muqing gave him a comforting embrace.
The meals had already been packed into takeout boxes, consisting of light dishes very suitable for patients. Zhao Muqing followed Jian Shigu back to the hospital, where the latter pressed the elevator button, ascended to the inpatient ward, and finally pushed open the door to a certain room.
Jian Shixia lay on the bed with her eyes closed, seemingly fast asleep. Various tubes ran into her body, and just seeing her haggard, emaciated face allowed Zhao Muqing to imagine the extent of her suffering.
“She does not wake up very often,” Jian Shigu said, sitting down by the bedside. “Maybe she is just too tired.”
Although Jian Shixia was a complete stranger he was seeing for the first time, having heard Jian Shigu’s description and witnessing such a scene in person, Zhao Muqing found it hard not to feel a surge of compassion.
Jian Shigu did not move, and neither did he. Zhao Muqing stayed by Jian Shigu’s side until Jian Shixia opened her eyes and was carefully helped up into a sitting position by her younger brother. “Jie, time to eat.”
“What good dishes are there today?” Jian Shixia let out a soft laugh. “I can already smell the aroma.”
“All your favorites. Here, I will feed you.” Jian Shigu picked up a mouthful of food with his chopsticks, but before he could even reach Jian Shixia’s mouth, she noticed Zhao Muqing sitting not far away. “Who is this?”
“My friend, Zhao Muqing. He is a male model, and he came to see you too.”
“A male model? He really is handsome. This is my first time seeing one in real life.” Jian Shixia tremulously reached out a hand toward Zhao Muqing, wearing a very amiable smile. “Since he is Shigu’s friend, can he be considered my friend too?”
Zhao Muqing hurriedly stepped forward, gently clasping the hand that was reduced to mere skin and bones. “Of course.”
Jian Shigu fed Jian Shixia bite by bite, asking numerous questions along the way, such as whether she was in pain today or if there was anything she wanted to eat. Jian Shixia chewed very slowly, waiting until she finished swallowing a mouthful before leisurely replying, “I like everything you buy. I trust you.”
She paused. “It is bound to hurt a little bit, but I have pushed through all these years. Do you not remember? The doctor originally said I had at most three years to live, but this is already my fourth year alive. I am pretty amazing, right?”
“Right, right. You are the capable one.” Jian Shigu finally broke into a genuine smile.
Watching from the side, Zhao Muqing realized that had he not heard it with his own ears, he could never have imagined how heavy a burden lay behind these two individuals who maintained such a cheerful atmosphere.
Having matters to attend to back at the studio, Zhao Muqing bid farewell to the siblings and rode the elevator down alone.
There was a dedicated parking lot not far from the hospital. Passing by it inadvertently, Zhao Muqing suddenly noticed a very familiar car. He walked up to the driver’s side and raised his hand to tap tentatively on the window.
The window slowly rolled down. “Why are you here?”
“I want to ask you the same thing.” Shen Guanzhi’s gaze swept over Zhao Muqing. “Sick?”
“No, came to see a friend.”
“Get in the car.” Shen Guanzhi rolled the window back up. Zhao Muqing climbed into the passenger seat. “You really care quite a bit about Jian Shigu.”
Shen Guanzhi turned his head to look at him. “What are you trying to say?”
“I mean, you are actually a pretty good person.” Zhao Muqing met Shen Guanzhi’s gaze and spoke with genuine sincerity.
“It seems your impression of me was quite poor before.”
“Because you always boss me around.” Zhao Muqing could not help frowning, seemingly using this to convey a sense of grievance. “Wherever you want me to go, I have to go. Just like now, you wanted me to get in the car, so I got in.”
“You did not want me to give you a ride?” Shen Guanzhi’s movements paused for a split second.
“That is not it.” Zhao Muqing was not stupid; he would not turn down a free ride. “You could ask for my opinion first, though.”
“You are free to refuse things not covered by the contract.”
Seemingly surprised that Shen Guanzhi would agree so readily, Zhao Muqing felt his mood lift for no particular reason. “You said it yourself.”
“Want to try right now?” Shen Guanzhi asked with a hint of amusement.
“You are going to make a demand of me?” Zhao Muqing’s ears instantly perked up. “Alright, let us hear it.”
Shen Guanzhi leaned his upper body forward toward Zhao Muqing, clearly catching the faint, cool scent radiating from the other person. “Do not let anyone else smell this scent.”
That request was absurd enough to leave Zhao Muqing speechless. Not letting anyone else smell his perfume, what was the point of wearing it then? “That makes zero sense. I am rejecting this.”
“You learn fast.” Shen Guanzhi let out an inaudible scoff, quickly putting on an indifferent facade again before starting the car.
The car parked in the studio’s underground parking garage. The moment Zhao Muqing stepped out of the vehicle, he hurried to catch up with Shen Guanzhi’s pace. “You still have not told me why you were at the hospital.”
“Same reason as you.” Shen Guanzhi walked into the elevator on his own and pressed the floor for his office.
Zhao Muqing pressed the floor where the photography studio was located. Shen Guanzhi was funding Jian Shixia’s medical treatment, so dropping by to check on her made complete sense logically.
He exited the elevator ahead of Shen Guanzhi. Some time ago, Li Shuqiao had arranged a modeling gig for him, reportedly a small local exhibition where he would pose wearing jewelry and accessories, with the photographs to be used as promotional material.
On his way to the photography studio, Zhao Muqing took a moment to check the studio’s official website. Since Jian Shigu was on leave, other photographers had taken over the task of shooting his profile pictures, and they had now been compiled into a personal bio placed on the final page of the relevant website section.
Taking a deep breath to mentally prepare himself, he clicked on the comments section.
[Shen Guanzhi has finally gone crazy. Why did he sign such a piece of trash who has zero talent and a massive attitude?]
[This freeloader is just a connection hire. All those jobs of his were obtained by cozying up to people. Has Shen Guanzhi gotten this low now?]
Zhao Muqing: “…” Never mind, better not look.
The scheduled shooting time was 3:00 PM. It was currently 2:40 PM, and most people had already arrived inside the studio.
Soon, a young boy with a tattoo on his left forearm approached him. “You must be Mr. Zhao, right? The wardrobe and makeup artists are all ready.”
Based on what Zhao Muqing had learned during this period, the person before him was likely an assistant brought by the shooting crew.
Following the tattoo-bearing assistant toward the dressing room, he found that the production crew had prepared a burgundy suit for him, provided by the sponsor.
Changing into it, Zhao Muqing discovered that the sizing was more than a little too large.