“Let’s take her to the hospital!” An Ji realized the situation was getting serious. “She drank so much alcohol just now. We need to go as soon as possible.”
Inwardly, she prayed silently that Yu Junye had strong physical resilience and wouldn’t suffer any severe adverse reactions, otherwise she was going to have a rough time.
“Alright.” Hearing the tone of An Ji’s voice, Shi Ruirui’s expression turned somewhat heavy.
“Aren’t you her assistant? Go arrange a car quickly,” An Ji said calmly to Shi Ruirui.
“What’s wrong? Are we not heading back?” Han Deyu emerged from the restroom to find several people standing anxiously outside the private dining room door.
“Producer Han, Teacher Yu has a fever! She needs to get to the hospital immediately,” Ai Lin said, turning to Han Deyu upon hearing his voice.
“Ah? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Han Deyu’s brow furrowed into deep wrinkles. Flustered, he rushed inside to grab his coat, saying as he walked, “Ride in my car. I’ll take her to the hospital.”
“I’ll go too!” An Ji was the first to respond.
“Count me in as well,” Ai Lin chimed in, watching Han Deyu’s hurried figure.
“Can you still walk, Xiao Yu?” Han Deyu asked urgently as he approached Yu Junye.
Looking drowsy and weak, Yu Junye did not answer.
Seeing this, An Ji and Ai Lin stepped forward to support Yu Junye as she took a few steps.
“Good, she can walk. Then let’s hurry. I’ll go get the car, you wait for me at the entrance.” Moving with brisk strides, Han Deyu vanished from sight.
Supporting her on either side, An Ji and Ai Lin dragged Yu Junye toward the exit.
By the time they reached the hospital, the hand An Ji used to support Yu Junye already felt an extraordinary, burning heat.
“Doctor, how is she?”
“Frightened and chilled!” the doctor said casually after finishing the examination. “Fortunately, her physical constitution is quite good. But why on earth did you let her drink so much alcohol when she was already running a fever?”
The doctor looked with bewilderment at the people standing around the hospital bed, then glanced at the sleeping person on it, feeling that they all looked somewhat familiar.
“We didn’t know she had caught a chill and fallen ill beforehand. She only had a few cups during dinner…” Han Deyu’s voice gradually trailed off.
Since the others were wearing face masks and it was inconvenient for them to speak, the task of talking naturally fell to Han Deyu.
“If she had drunk just a little more, or arrived a bit later, the trouble would have been huge.” The doctor looked helplessly at Han Deyu. “Her condition is fine for now. Keep her hospitalized for observation for two days, and she can go home once she’s okay. Rest assured!”
“Thank you!” An Ji expressed her gratitude as a wave of visible relief washed over the group.
“You’re welcome. Just keep an eye on the patient’s reactions tonight.”
After seeing the doctor out, Han Deyu walked silently to the window, supporting his forehead in deep thought.
An Ji leaned over the bedside, pulling the blanket up and tucking in the corners to ensure no drafts could get in before straightening up. Glancing at the time, she saw that with all this tossing and turning, it was already past eleven o’clock.
Silently pouring a glass of water, she walked over to Han Deyu and held it out. “Drink some water first.”
Han Deyu raised a hand to take the cup, offering a very forced smile in return.
“Thank you,” he said in a low voice.
“You’re welcome. The doctor said she’ll be fine, so don’t worry too much. These next two days, you can shoot the confrontation scenes between Ai Lin and me, my solo scenes, or other ensemble scenes.” An Ji assumed Han Deyu was worried about production delays, unaware of the backstory behind Yu Junye’s participation in the film. She could only offer comfort from her own perspective.
“Right! I’m not worried about the filming schedule; just let Xiao Yu rest well.” He seemed somewhat comforted.
An Ji smiled faintly and glanced back at the sleeping person on the hospital bed.
“I’ll stay and look after Teacher Yu tonight. It’s getting late, you guys should head back and get some rest,” An Ji said, turning to look out the pitch-black window.
“Xiao Shi should stay here and take care of her. All of you go back first we have the opening ceremony tomorrow!” Han Deyu rejected An Ji’s suggestion.
“Xiao Shi and I should stay here. After all, Teacher An has heavy scenes,” Ai Lin immediately chimed in to object.
“None of you probably have any experience taking care of someone, and she’s been drinking alcohol, so I’ll stay. Besides, aren’t there companion beds here where I can rest?” Though her voice was gentle, An Ji’s tone was firm.
Han Deyu glanced at An Ji and nodded in agreement.
“Very well, then An Ji and Xiao Shi will stay. The rest of us will head back.”
“But ” Before Ai Lin could finish her sentence, Han Deyu had already strode toward the door.
“Let’s go, and let them get some early rest.”
Helpless, Ai Lin had no choice but to follow behind Han Deyu and leave.
“Teacher An, you should go get some sleep! You’ve been busy all day too. I’ll call you if anything comes up,” Shi Ruirui said gratefully, looking at An Ji.
An Ji looked at Shi Ruirui, then at the sleeping person on the bed, and smiled gently. “Alright. Call me if there’s any situation, and I’ll relieve you in the second half of the night.”
The companion bed was right inside the room. Having tossed and turning all day, An Ji was indeed quite tired and fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down.
“No…”
“Don’t…”
“Please let me go…”
Intermittent murmurs drifted over. Being a light sleeper, An Ji woke up immediately. Utilizing the faint light filtering through the window, she turned and scanned the ward.
Shi Ruirui was sitting beside the hospital bed, propping her head up as she dozed off, her head bobbing up and down.
The dream-talk was coming from Yu Junye.
An Ji threw off the blanket and turned on the light, only to find Yu Junye covered in sweat, muttering to herself as if she were having a nightmare.
With her delicate brows slightly furrowed, An Ji picked up a towel and gently wiped Yu Junye’s face.
Half-dreaming and half-waking, Yu Junye sensed movement. Dizzily raising her heavy eyelids, she hazily saw a graceful figure standing before her bed under the warm yellow light, moving gently and tenderly around her much like when she used to fall ill as a child and her mother would bustle about her side. Instantly, a warm current seemed to flow into her body, comforting her limbs and bones.
“Mom…” Yu Junye curled the corners of her lips and murmured softly.
In the dead of night, even the quietest sounds were exceptionally clear in the silent room, causing the busy figure to freeze.
An Ji’s hand holding the towel stopped mid-air. She clearly saw Yu Junye with her eyes half-open, her gaze hazy and expression filled with contentment. With a smile at the corners of her lips, Yu Junye shifted her cheek to rub against An Ji’s hand, feeling attached and deeply satisfied.
“Teacher Yu?” An Ji asked tentatively in a soft voice.
There was no response.
An Ji slowly withdrew her hand, watching as Yu Junye’s head followed the movement for a short distance before coming to a halt. The faint smile on her lips slowly faded, and after a moment, her gaze grew clear.
“Teacher Yu?”
Yu Junye was likely still lost in a pleasant dream and had not fully woken up. Suddenly faced with a changing scene she couldn’t immediately process, she blinked rapidly, looking somewhat bewildered.
“Teacher Yu, would you like some water?” An Ji picked up the warm water she had poured earlier and asked softly.
Yu Junye stared at An Ji for a long moment before speaking. “Thank you, sorry to trouble you.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re partners and friends now; it’s only right that I take care of you.”
Yu Junye didn’t reply right away. The corners of her mouth curved slightly into a vague smile, and her eyes sparkled.
“Here, have some water first.” Holding the cup in one hand, An Ji used her other hand to help prop Yu Junye up.
After Yu Junye took the cup, An Ji placed a pillow behind her back and adjusted it before taking a seat on the chair beside the bed.
“How are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable?”
Yu Junye took a small sip of the water. Finding the temperature just right, she tilted her head back and finished it in one go, then smiled and replied, “Much better. After sweating it all out, my whole body feels a lot lighter.”
“Would you like some more?” An Ji asked, reaching out to take the cup.
“No, thank you.” Weakly leaning back against the support, Yu Junye felt soft and comfortable.
“You should go get some sleep! You must not have slept well at all tonight,” Yu Junye said with a hint of apology in her voice.
“I slept enough just now; I’m not tired anymore.”
“How can that do? You have several scenes to film tomorrow!” Yu Junye’s tone turned somewhat serious.
“I’m really fine.” An Ji stood up and walked into the restroom with the cup.
Yu Junye kept her eyes fixed on An Ji’s busy figure, lost in thought.
“Would you like to sleep a little longer?” An Ji asked, wiping her hands as she emerged from the restroom.
“Yes!” The reply was firm, as if she feared An Ji might renege and forbid her from sleeping.
“Did you have a nightmare just now?” An Ji asked hesitantly, recalling Yu Junye’s murmured words when she first woke up.
Yu Junye was momentarily stunned. After a brief recollection, her gaze darkened, but she quickly managed to compose herself. “I don’t know, I can’t remember.”
With that, she turned up the corners of her mouth into an obedient, innocent smile.
An Ji caught the shift in Yu Junye’s expression. Knowing full well that she was putting on an act, she didn’t press further and returned the smile.
“Then go back to sleep for a bit.” An Ji walked over, ready to help Yu Junye lie down.
“I can manage myself. If you do that, I’ll start feeling like I’ve contracted a critical illness and can’t even take care of my own daily life,” Yu Junye said, her tone carrying an unconscious intimacy.
“Alright!”
Despite saying “alright,” An Ji still waited until Yu Junye lay back down before reaching out to pull up the blanket and tuck in the corners. Only after making sure it was properly tucked did she straighten up.
“I’m turning off the lights.”
“Good night, Teacher An,” Yu Junye said with a stuffy, congested voice.
“Good night.”
The room grew dark, and An Ji’s figure vanished toward the adjacent companion bed.
All around was dead silence. With sparkling eyes, Yu Junye stared in the direction of the companion bed, watching the lump formed by the blanket and listening as An Ji’s breathing gradually grew steady. Quietly, she turned over to lie flat on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Before her eyes, a string of snakes reappeared, flicking their blood-red forked tongues, intertwining, and slowly crawling in all directions.
She gripped the blanket tightly, her body sliding deeper beneath it until her entire head was buried inside, not leaving even a single strand of hair exposed. Curling herself tightly into a ball, she hugged herself close, gritted her teeth, and shivered uncontrollably as she waited for time to slowly tick by.
Normally, time always felt as though it flew by in an instant, but tonight every second dragged on like a year. She could clearly hear the steady thumping of her own heart beating relentlessly like a battle drum during wartime.
After what felt like centuries of agonizing torture, a sudden knock sounded at the door. Startled, Yu Junye, cowering beneath the blanket, nearly leaped out of bed.