“Your leg is injured, so it must be painful to walk,” Jiang Yin said. For some reason, she seemed a bit embarrassed. She averted her gaze and coughed lightly as she repeated herself. “Anyway, there are no cameras here. I will just carry you on my back to the entrance of the residential complex, and then we can take a taxi to the hospital.”
Jiang Zhen’s brain, which had momentarily frozen, slowly regained its senses. Under Jiang Yin’s sincere gaze, Jiang Zhen suddenly felt too embarrassed to refuse her kindness. They were sisters, so she comforted herself by thinking that this kind of behavior was perfectly normal. She nodded and said somewhat nervously, “Then I will trouble you.”
“It is no trouble,” Jiang Yin replied, appearing relieved. She immediately turned around and bent down with her back toward Jiang Zhen. “Get on.”
Feeling a weight on her back, Jiang Yin successfully lifted Jiang Zhen up. “I thought it would be more of a struggle for you,” Jiang Zhen said, surprised by how steadily Jiang Yin walked. “It turns out you are actually quite strong.”
“When I was little, I always helped Mother with her work,” Jiang Yin paused for a moment before continuing the small talk. “When I was about eight or nine years old, she worked as a stock clerk at a supermarket. After school, I would follow her and help her carry things. After doing that kind of work for so long, the strength just came naturally.”
Listening to her, a wave of bitterness surged in Jiang Zhen’s heart. “Besides,” Jiang Yin’s voice softly interrupted her thoughts, “you are very light.”
Beneath her chest, separated only by thin summer clothes, Jiang Zhen could feel Jiang Yin’s body heat. She relaxed against Jiang Yin’s back, feeling an unexpected sense of security. It was similar to the feeling of nesting in a warm bed on a winter day.
“As actors, do you all have to strictly control your diet?” Jiang Yin asked casually, not wanting the atmosphere to become too heavy.
Jiang Zhen thought for a moment and replied, “The requirements for female celebrities are even stricter. The camera makes people look much heavier, so I usually eat only one meal a day, mostly just boiled green vegetables. If I get hungry at other times, I just eat fruit or drink water.”
For some reason, Jiang Yin suddenly went silent. Just as Jiang Zhen thought she had killed the conversation, Jiang Yin spoke up again. However, she did not continue the previous topic; instead, she asked about something else. “Why did you want to become a celebrity?”
Jiang Yin had always been curious about this. Given the Jiang family’s wealth and influence, they could have easily found a relaxing job for Jiang Zhen. Being a celebrity was not easy because she could not eat the food she wanted and had to maintain a perfect appearance in front of the camera at all times.
Jiang Zhen clearly had not expected this question. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly answered, “There does not seem to be a specific reason. I like acting, so I entered the industry. I remember my first time acting was because my brother wanted to film a promotional video for a new beverage. I volunteered to be in it, and he agreed. I think I was only nine back then.”
“Then I was spotted by a director and invited to act in a movie, and after that, I made my debut,” Jiang Zhen paused. Finding that Jiang Yin had no intention of interrupting, she continued, “But I was young then, so I only had cameos in a few films. It was not until I was seventeen that I played a supporting role in a movie, and I have been acting regularly since then.”
“Is it hard?” Jiang Yin suddenly asked.
“It is not too tiring. Some directors know my family background and do not dare to scold me during filming,” Jiang Zhen laughed. “But many directors and producers now do not know, so they still scold me when they should.”
“Compared to my life, yours must be much harder, right?” Jiang Zhen shifted the topic back to Jiang Yin.
“Mine?” Jiang Yin gave a light chuckle. “My life, we are at the entrance of the complex. I will put you down.”
The topic came to an abrupt halt. Jiang Zhen wanted to know more about her past, but Jiang Yin had already pulled out her phone to call a ride, bringing the conversation to an end. I will just have to wait for next time, Jiang Zhen sighed inwardly.
“There is a bench over there. Should I help you over to sit for a while?” After booking the car, Jiang Yin turned to look at Jiang Zhen.
“No need, it does not hurt just standing here,” Jiang Zhen frowned as she noticed the red marks on Jiang Yin’s hand. “What about you? Does your hand still hurt?”
If Jiang Zhen had not asked, Jiang Yin would have almost forgotten about the injury. These scratches were really nothing to her. She had endured much more painful times in the past, so this minor injury was insignificant.
“If we went to the hospital any later, I am afraid they would have already healed,” Jiang Yin teased, holding the back of her hand out for Jiang Zhen to see.
Amused by her remark, Jiang Zhen’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Looking at the hand Jiang Yin held out, Jiang Zhen simply grabbed her wrist and pulled it close to her eyes. The kitten’s claws had not been trimmed, so they were very sharp. They had left several deep gashes on the back of Jiang Yin’s hand. She was lying, as these scratches had not healed at all.
Jiang Zhen could not help but feel a bit angry. “You lied to me. How is this almost healed?”
“I was teasing you,” Jiang Yin laughed, looking at the puffed up Jiang Zhen. She withdrew her hand and naturally patted Jiang Zhen’s hair. “Do not be nervous. I was scratched by a cat at school before, but that was over half a year ago, so I still need to get the vaccine again.”
Having her head patted, Jiang Zhen did not hear a word of the latter half of the sentence. Because of Jiang Yin’s sudden gesture, she froze in place, blinking blankly before looking up into Jiang Yin’s eyes. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Jiang Yin became nervous. “Did I overstep?”
“No, no,” Jiang Zhen lowered her head in a flurry, hurriedly tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “It is just that very few people pat my head. I just did not react in time.”
“Do you dislike it? If so, I apologize.”
“No, no, no,” Jiang Zhen waved her hands frantically. “No, I do not dislike it. It was fine.” She was somewhat incoherent, unable to explain why she was so flustered.
“That is good then,” Jiang Yin breathed a sigh of relief but apologized anyway. “Sorry, I will still be mindful of my behavior.”
Just then, their car arrived. “Let me help you over, okay?” Jiang Yin’s tone was very gentle. Jiang Zhen did not refuse and took the hand offered to her. The texture beneath her fingertips was somewhat rough, feeling like calluses left behind from manual labor. Jiang Zhen thought of her sister Jiang Ling’s hands, which were as delicate as her own, like smooth silk.
After ensuring Jiang Zhen was seated comfortably, Jiang Yin got into the car. Once she provided the last four digits of her phone number, the driver started the car and headed toward the nearest Jinghe Medical University Affiliated Hospital.
Song Xi, wearing stiletto heels, sprinted all the way into the hospital. Liu Yin and Zhang Xuan, both in flat shoes, followed panting behind her, wondering how Song Xi could run so fast. “General Surgery on the second floor. You two hurry up; I am going up first.” Seeing the two out-of-shape women stopping to catch their breath, Song Xi frowned helplessly and turned toward the escalator.
After gasping for air and making it to the second floor, the two found Jiang Zhen at the location Song Xi had specified. The young woman looked guilty, sitting obediently and upright while listening to Song Xi’s lecture. Both of her knees were wrapped in gauze, and there was a treated but uncovered wound on her left shin.
“Look at you, landing yourself in the hospital while filming a variety show?” Since she could not be loud in a hospital, Song Xi kept her voice low, though she was clearly fuming.
“I was just anxious to save the kitten. Sister Song, would your heart not ache for such a tiny, sick kitten?” Jiang Zhen looked up at Song Xi with pitiful eyes. “Are they still filming normally over there? Did I delay the progress?”
“Four guests have not brought back the animals they are rescuing yet. The other artists are resting, so you have not delayed anything,” Song Xi sat down beside her and took a bottle of water from her bag. “Where is your sister?”
“She is in the emergency room,” Jiang Zhen took a sip of water, returned the bottle to Song Xi, and prepared to stand up. “I am going to go see her.”
“Can you walk?” Zhang Xuan asked worriedly.
“It is no problem. It does not hurt much anymore,” Jiang Zhen smiled. “I can go by myself. Do you all want to rest here for a bit longer?”
“I will sit a bit more,” Liu Yin said, clearly not recovered yet as she slumped in her chair. “You guys go down first.”
“I told you to go to the gym with Tingting, but you refused,” Song Xi said with disdain. “Starting tomorrow, you and Zhang Xuan will exercise for one hour each!”
Amidst their groans, Song Xi and Jiang Zhen headed downstairs. After getting her vaccination, Jiang Yin walked out of the treatment room and ran straight into Jiang Zhen and Song Xi.
“Is your wound treated?”
“Are you done with your shot?”
The two asked simultaneously. Jiang Yin smiled and gestured for Jiang Zhen to speak first.
“Are you finished? My wounds are all bandaged, and it does not hurt to walk anymore.” She lifted her leg slightly to show Jiang Yin her new decorations.
“It is good that it does not hurt,” Jiang Yin said. “I am finished with the shot, but I have to stay for observation for half an hour. If you are in a hurry to go back to filming, you can head out first.”
“No rush,” Song Xi waved her hand. “You two finished your task relatively quickly. Several groups are still filming the second round. You both can take a rest for now.”
“Then let us sit for a while.” Jiang Yin led them into the observation room. Since she was the only one there for a rabies vaccine today, the room was empty. After sitting down, Jiang Yin suddenly remembered something her roommates had asked of her.
“Um, Sister Zhenzhen,” Jiang Yin started, feeling a bit shy. “My roommates are all fans of yours. Would it be too much trouble to get some autographs for them?”
“Of course not,” Jiang Zhen smiled brightly and looked at Song Xi. “Sister, did you bring my photos?”
Song Xi pulled several photos of Jiang Zhen from her bag and handed over a marker. “Here, I always keep them on hand.”
“Do you want me to write anything besides the signature?” Jiang Zhen opened the cap and, just as she was about to write, looked up. “Do they want personalized signatures?”
“What do you mean?” Jiang Yin did not understand.
“It means writing who the signature is for,” Jiang Zhen explained. “Since we have time anyway, I can write a bit more.”
“That would be great, thank you.” Jiang Yin nodded and gave her the names of her roommates.
After finishing six photos, just as Jiang Zhen was about to put the cap back on the pen, Jiang Yin spoke up again. “Sister Zhenzhen, I want one too.”