An Ji, Ling Chuchu, and Irene chatted idly back and forth in the hospital room.
Time slipped away quietly while Yu Junye remained fast asleep.
In the hospital room, An Ji no longer gave any thought to rushing home to check on her children. Her attention remained firmly fixed on the person in the hospital bed until Mai Jianhua called, prompting An Ji to massage her forehead in exasperation.
“What time is your flight tonight?” Mai Jianhua asked in a low voice.
“I’m not going back today. We’ll see how things look tomorrow,” An Ji replied, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a helpless tone.
“Did something hold you up?”
“Mhm! Someone from the crew ran into a bit of trouble, and we’re at the hospital right now.” Standing out on the balcony to take the call, An Ji glanced back into the room.
“What happened? Is it serious?”
“She hasn’t woken up yet, so I don’t know the exact details,” An Ji answered truthfully.
“Who is it? Don’t they have producers and directors for that kind of thing? What can you do there as an actress?” Hearing the cautious tone in An Ji’s voice, Mai Jianhua couldn’t help his curiosity flaring up.
“My co-star, Yu Junye,” An Ji said without any concealment.
Hearing Yu Junye’s name, a chill ran through Mai Jianhua’s heart. It was indeed her who was disrupting An Ji’s travel plans.
Panic gradually crept into Mai Jianhua’s eyes as his sense of unease intensified step by step.
“Then what good does staying there do? The production team will handle it!” Mai Jianhua blurted out, the agitation evident in his voice.
“What kind of remark is that? We’re on the same production crew, and she’s my co-star—isn’t staying behind to look after her just human decency?” Hearing Mai Jianhua speak like that, An Ji clearly disagreed, her voice unconsciously rising a notch.
Hearing the sudden spike in An Ji’s tone, Mai Jianhua knew she was on the verge of anger. He closed his eyes, let out a deep sigh internally, and steadied his emotions. “It’s fine, you’re right, I was just speaking off the cuff. Just take good care of her over there, and take care of yourself too. Don’t worry about things at home.”
Mai Jianhua understood that An Ji’s sudden flash of anger proved she didn’t feel any different toward Yu Junye, which offered his heart a tiny bit of comfort.
Hearing Mai Jianhua soften his tone, An Ji realized she might have overreacted a bit, and her voice gentled accordingly. “Mhm! Don’t worry, I will. Please take extra good care of the kids, and just give me a call if anything comes up.”
By the time Yu Junye woke up, twilight had already deeply blanketed the sky.
She cast a glance around the room, it was a wash of stark white, filled with the cold equipment of modern medicine. She was in a hospital.
Ling Chuchu, Irene, and Shi Ruiru were chatting softly on a nearby sofa, the television playing quietly in the background with the volume turned way down.
Is An Ji not here? Yu Junye wondered to herself.
Then she remembered that tomorrow was the weekend; An Ji must have gone back home, a tiny ripple of small disappointment brushing through her heart.
As she struggled and prepared to sit up, Ling Chuchu who was facing her caught the movement with sharp eyes, sprang up, and rushed over in a single stride.
“Oh, my goodness, my dear ancestor, you’re finally awake,” Ling Chuchu said, stepping forward to support Yu Junye as she tried to sit up. “Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? Old Guo is all the way overseas and practically blew up my phone.”
“Try pulling a disappearance stunt like that again next time, see if I don’t give you a piece of my mind when we get back.”
Yu Junye didn’t reply as Ling Chuchu rattled off a string of complaints.
When Ling Chuchu finally stopped to catch her breath, a now-seated Yu Junye offered her a weak smile.
“You’re still smiling!” Ling Chuchu gave the blanket in front of Yu Junye a light, exasperated swat.
Irene and Shi Ruiru, who had followed closely behind, stood nearby and smiled as they watched the two of them.
Yu Junye turned her head to look at Irene and asked, “Did you guys wrap up work?”
“We asked for leave this afternoon to come see you, so we didn’t film,” Irene replied.
Shi Ruiru’s eyes began to turn red again.
“Today is Friday, which means tomorrow is the weekend, right?” Yu Junye looked at Irene and asked out of the blue.
“Yeah, tomorrow’s the weekend,” Irene answered hesitatingly.
Only a second later did she process what Yu Junye was getting at, quickly adding, “Teacher An came too.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than she saw a distinct flash of joy cross Yu Junye’s expression, a bright spark returning to her previously calm and wave-less eyes.
Irene was just about to mention that An Ji was out on the balcony making a phone call when An Ji walked back inside, holding her phone. Seeing that Yu Junye was already awake and sitting at the head of the bed with her gaze shifting toward her, their eyes met. Yu Junye’s expressive eyes were shining brightly as they looked straight at her. An Ji’s heart skipped a beat, and the weight that had been crushing her chest for a day and a night finally lifted. Meeting that familiar, unchanging gaze, she broke into a radiant smile. “You’re awake?”
“Mhm! Teacher An is here too.” Yu Junye offered a polite, semi-formal greeting before looking around at the others gathered by the bedside with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for making you all worry.”
“You know you made us worry?” Ling Chuchu watched the bright light in Yu Junye’s eyes, a heavy feeling settling in her chest as her dissatisfaction showed plainly on her face. “What on earth happened to you? How did you manage to tangle with the police and end up in the hospital?”
“Where are you hurt? Does it still hurt?” Waiting for Ling Chuchu to finish, An Ji immediately followed up with a question.
Yu Junye moved her lips, unsure which question to answer first. She swallowed hard, searching her memory for the sequence of events to organize her thoughts.
“Why don’t you have some water first? Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll go prepare it.” Noticing Yu Junye’s movements and her still-pale complexion, An Ji poured a cup of water and handed it over.
“Thank you!” Yu Junye accepted the cup, gave An Ji a grateful smile, and lowered her head to take small, gentle sips.
As if suddenly remembering something, she turned her gaze toward Ling Chuchu and asked, “Why are you here?”
Ling Chuchu froze for a moment before replying, “It’s the weekend, and Old Guo isn’t around. Figuring you probably wouldn’t go back home, I came to visit the set.”
“But today is only Friday, and you didn’t tell me you were coming.” Yu Junye certainly didn’t buy the excuse of a casual set visit at this hour.
“Well, um it was a whim. People always say Nanshi is a great place to explore, so I figured I’d stay and play for a few extra days.”
“Really?” Looking at Ling Chuchu’s deadpan expression, Yu Junye remained half-doubtful.
“Really.” Fearing that Yu Junye wouldn’t believe her, Ling Chuchu nodded with utmost certainty.
“Well, then you can go out and enjoy yourself starting tomorrow.”
“That has to wait until you’re better and discharged from the hospital. How am I supposed to go play when you’re like this?”
“How am I ‘like this’? I’m fine.”
“Ending up in the hospital while claiming you’re fine who’s going to believe that?”
An Ji watched the two of them bickering with an amused smile. It looked so much like the usual dynamic between Yu Junye and Irene. It seemed the scandal truly was nothing more than a pure scandal at least on Yu Junye’s end, there didn’t seem to be any hidden complications.
“Can the two of you stop for a second!” Irene stared wide-eyed at the pair, thinking: There are so many people watching you bicker, don’t you feel the least bit embarrassed?
The two women turned their heads toward the source of the voice, and the other two followed suit.
“I just wanted to ask what on earth happened to you? Where were you hurt? Why are you in the hospital?” Under the scorching gazes of several pairs of eyes, Irene’s initially self-righteous voice gradually tapered off.
Finished with Irene’s interruption, the group redirected their collective stare right back at Yu Junye.
Yu Junye still held the water cup in one hand while unconsciously clutching the blanket tighter with the other. She darted a quick glance at An Ji, handed the cup back to Ling Chuchu, lowered her gaze, and spoke in a soft murmur, “I saw a young girl getting bullied, wanted to step in and help, and ended up getting targeted along with her.”
“What? Were you hurt anywhere? Tell us clearly.” After setting the cup down, Ling Chuchu whirled around and reached to pull back Yu Junye’s blanket, only to be blocked by Yu Junye herself.
“A knife just grazed a little skin, it’s no big deal.”
Hearing this, An Ji anxiously stepped forward, grabbed Yu Junye’s hand, and asked, “Where is the wound?”
Seeing the look of genuine concern in An Ji’s eyes, Yu Junye gave her hand a reassuring squeeze in return, then pointed toward her side-waist.
An Ji instinctively raised a hand, ready to lift Yu Junye’s clothes. Her fingers caught the hem of the fabric before abruptly stopping, realizing that doing so in front of a crowd was indeed inappropriate and far too impulsive.
“It’s fine, just a superficial wound. A little rest and it’ll be right as rain, you guys don’t need to worry.” Yu Junye felt a wave of dizziness when she noticed An Ji’s motion to lift her top, her face flushing hot. Thankfully, she hadn’t actually gone through with it in public.
Watching An Ji’s actions, Ling Chuchu’s brows knitted tightly together. She stepped forward, sat on the edge of Yu Junye’s bed, supported her, and said, “You should just lie down and rest. Try not to move around too much while the wound is healing. The police are coming back tomorrow to take statements.”
“Lie down and get some rest. I’ll go buy some congee; you haven’t really eaten anything all day, have you?” An Ji stood up, took a step back, and spoke.
“Yeah, I’m getting a bit hungry too. I’ll go with you.” Watching the three of them harboring their own private thoughts, Irene had been secretly amused inside for ages.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Teacher An!” Ling Chuchu helped Yu Junye lie back down before offering her thanks to An Ji.
“Is there anything specific you’d like me to bring back?” An Ji offered a faint, inquiring smile.
“Just bring whatever you’re having, no dietary restrictions. Thank you for the trouble.”
An Ji nodded gently and cast one final glance at the person in the bed.
Looking back at An Ji, Yu Junye asked, “Is it convenient for you two to go out?”
“It’s fine, it’s already dark out. We just need to put on our masks,” An Ji replied warmly.
With that, she and Irene walked out together.
The moment they left, Ling Chuchu leaned in close to Yu Junye and whispered, “An Ji is genuinely gorgeous.”
“Isn’t that common knowledge?” Yu Junye looked at Ling Chuchu as if she were a fool.
“Do you think someone like her could charm both men and women?” Ling Chuchu stared directly into Yu Junye’s eyes as she asked.