At the hospital.
By the time Older Sister and her younger brother arrived, an hour had already passed.
Song Hanzhou had originally planned to take Song Tingwan home before coming over by himself. But he couldn’t talk her out of joining him, so he had no choice but to bring her along.
“Older Sister, Xixi’s really nice. I’m sure you two could become friends.”
“She’s a year younger than me and just graduated from college, but she’s been working in show business for years.”
“She came from a bad family. Her mother’s ill and needs to take medicine and undergo tests year-round, while her father drinks and gambles. She’s supported herself by working odd jobs ever since she was little.”
As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Song Hanzhou launched into his pitch.
Wearing sunglasses, Song Tingwan listened to her Younger Brother go on and on about Bai Xiyuan. She had just two words for him: “What a sucker.”
“Did she tell you all that?” Song Tingwan asked mildly, her tone giving nothing away.
Song Hanzhou shook his head and said earnestly, “Of course I did a background check. Your Younger Brother isn’t stupid!”
At that, Song Tingwan nearly burst out laughing.
He’d been played for a fool and still thought he wasn’t stupid?
She even wondered if the company had managed to stay afloat all these years only because their ancestors were pounding their heads bloody underground.
Next time she went to the old residence, she’d check whether their ancestral grave had been built on a dragon vein[1]In Chinese feng shui, a ridge or landform believed to channel favorable qi; an auspicious ancestral burial site is traditionally associated with good fortune for descendants. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3735986_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3735986_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. How else could he waste money like this?
“Got it. I’m just coming along to meet your friend, not your girlfriend. What are you so nervous about?”
Song Hanzhou silently broke into a sweat. How could he not be nervous?
He didn’t even dare imagine what his Older Sister’s reaction would be when she saw Bai Xiyuan and realized the two of them looked alike!
Thinking of that, Song Hanzhou grabbed Song Tingwan’s sleeve and gave it a pleading little tug. “Older Sister, can I ask you a favor?”
Song Tingwan gave a dry laugh. “What, did you break some heavenly law? You’re even asking me for a favor now.”
Song Hanzhou: Hanzhou: “Older Sister, I’m already twenty-three. If I make you mad, could you wait till we get home to hit me? At least spare me a little face when we’re out.”
Song Tingwan: “…”
In the hospital room, Bai Xiyuan had lost count of how many times she’d checked the time.
Song Hanzhou used to reply to her messages instantly. Whenever she called, he’d pause even a meeting to answer.
And if he heard she’d been hurt, he would have rushed straight to her side.
But today, more than an hour had passed since she called him!
The wait had worn away Bai Xiyuan’s patience, and she was on the verge of losing her temper.
Her assistant approached with a glass of water. After hesitating for a long moment, she finally summoned the nerve to say, “Older Sister Xi, maybe we should just go. You’re not badly hurt, and the photographer’s still waiting.”
The moment she finished speaking, Bai Xiyuan flared up.
She swept her hand out and knocked the glass from her assistant’s hands. “Who asked you to speak? Get out of my sight!”
The crash of breaking glass reached Older Sister and her younger brother just as they arrived at the door.
Song Hanzhou instinctively tensed and hurried inside. “What happened?”
The moment Bai Xiyuan saw him, her heart clenched. A flurry of expressions flashed across her face, then she immediately put on a weak, frail look.
“Hanzhou, what took you so long?” Bai Xiyuan’s eyes reddened as she pouted, looking utterly pitiful.
Leaning against the doorframe, Song Tingwan watched Bai Xiyuan’s top-tier performance and almost applauded.
“I was busy. As soon as I got your call, I cleared my schedule and came straight over.” Seeing how pitiful she looked, Song Hanzhou even forgot to ask where she was hurt.
Song Tingwan clicked her tongue as she walked in, a teasing smile playing at the corner of her lips.
Stopping beside Song Hanzhou, Older Sister fixed her gaze on Bai Xiyuan through her sunglasses. “Xiaozhou, shouldn’t you ask Miss Bai where she’s hurt?”
Song Hanzhou came to his senses and quickly asked, “Oh, right. Where are you hurt? Is it serious? Did they take X-rays?”
Until then, Bai Xiyuan had been so focused on covering up the fact that she’d lashed out at her assistant that she hadn’t noticed someone else had come in with Song Hanzhou.
Now that she saw Song Tingwan, the hand hidden beneath the blanket clenched tight. She nearly lost control of her expression.
“Xixi, I asked you where you’re hurt. Should I go get a doctor?” Song Hanzhou said, turning as if to leave.
Bai Xiyuan hurriedly caught his arm. “No, it’s fine. They’ve already checked me. It’s nothing serious.”
She hadn’t been hit at all. When the prop fell, a bit of debris had merely brushed against her.
She’d called Song Hanzhou over because she wanted to use the opportunity to find out who this woman who’d suddenly appeared was, and what her relationship with him was.
But she hadn’t expected Song Hanzhou to bring the woman along!
“Then let me see where you’re hurt.” Song Hanzhou sat down by the hospital bed.
Song Tingwan leaned forward curiously, wanting to see what kind of injury Bai Xiyuan had that was bad enough to make her cry and call her Younger Brother to the hospital.
Bai Xiyuan’s face stiffened. She suddenly felt like a thief caught red-handed.
“Come on. If it’s serious, we should get the doctor to take another look,” Song Hanzhou urged.
With her arms folded, Song Tingwan took one look at Bai Xiyuan’s reaction and knew this was a trick the white lotus[2]Chinese slang for someone who presents a pure, innocent image while secretly acting manipulative or hypocritical. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3735986_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3735986_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); used all the time.
She wondered when her foolish little brother would finally see the truth. It looked like she’d have to give him some lessons and teach him how to spot a fake.
In the end, under Song Hanzhou’s urging, Bai Xiyuan awkwardly rolled up her sleeve.
There were a few barely visible scrapes on her arm. The worst one had already scabbed over; it hardly even counted as an injury.
Song Tingwan: “Wow, that’s serious. If we’d come any earlier, we might’ve beaten the healing process.”
The hospital room fell completely silent.
Bai Xiyuan wasn’t the only one who felt her face burn. Even the assistant standing behind her did.
Song Hanzhou’s expression was unreadable as he stared straight at Bai Xiyuan’s arm without saying a word.
“Hanzhou, the doctor said it might be a soft-tissue contusion, so there aren’t any obvious wounds,” Bai Xiyuan said, trying hard to salvage the situation.
Honestly, Song Tingwan admired Bai Xiyuan’s composure. She really was suited to show business.
After a long moment, Song Hanzhou let out a quiet sigh and said helplessly, “Be careful at work from now on. I can’t always rush over right away.”
“I know. I just wanted to see you so badly, so…” Bai Xiyuan began to cry again.
She rubbed her eyes, her shoulders trembling faintly as she choked out, “Am I being too selfish? Or are you starting to get sick of me? You sounded so harsh just now.”
The moment Song Hanzhou saw her cry, he was at a loss again. He even started wondering whether he really had sounded harsh.
“I’m not sick of you, honestly. I just want you to be more careful. I’m worried something unforeseen might happen if I can’t get here in time.”
The incident that had happened to Song Tingwan had left an indelible shadow on Song Hanzhou’s heart.
He patiently tried to comfort her. “Don’t cry. You won’t look as pretty. Besides, I’ve already arranged a time for you to meet Director Zheng.”
As soon as she heard that, Bai Xiyuan quickly wiped away her tears. Biting her lip, she looked at him with an expression that was both happy and unhappy. “Really?”
Song Hanzhou smiled gently. “Of course. So take good care of yourself, and you’ll be able to keep pursuing your dream.”
At that, Bai Xiyuan leaned softly against him. “Hanzhou, you’re so good to me.”
And once Song Hanzhou’s attention was elsewhere, Bai Xiyuan shot Song Tingwan a taunting look.
References[+]