For Wen Xin, it had been a tiring day. She woke up early in the morning and rushed to the company to prepare for the press conference. After everything was ready, she finally went to Tang Zhen’s apartment to pick him up, only to find the key figure unconscious. Wen Xin had to ask for help from one person to another, and in front of the media reporters, she spoke tirelessly. After a whole afternoon and evening of running around, now, Wen Xin sat alone on the balcony of Tang Zhen’s home, staring into space, feeling the evening breeze and gazing at the scattered neon lights outside the window. Suddenly, she remembered something that Tang Zhen Laoshi had promised her the last time they sat here together.
How long ago was it? Wen Xin couldn’t recall for a moment, but she felt a sudden impression slipping into her mind. It had been a significant event for her because when Tang Zhen made the promise, her heart had pounded, and for a while, she couldn’t believe her ears. She had hugged Tang Zhen’s neck tightly, shaking him, while he laughed and pushed her away. Wen Xin didn’t let go, tears welling up in her eyes as she said, “How did you know I wanted to go? I was just dreaming about it yesterday. Tang Zhen Laoshi, are you a bodhisattva? How do you know all my wishes and make them come true?”
As Qi Lu knocked on the balcony door, Wen Xin snapped out of her thoughts.
Turning around and seeing Qi Lu, Wen Xin quickly got up and unlocked the heavily locked balcony door.
Qi Lu held his phone, his own phone, showing a line of text to Wen Xin.
“When is his next program?”
Wen Xin whispered, “The day after tomorrow, ‘Roman Online’.”
Upon hearing that, Qi Lu hesitated for a moment, then swiftly typed a few lines on his phone. He was a fast typist.
“He might not recover that quickly,” Qi Lu finished typing and showed the message to Wen Xin. Then he added a few more words, “There are too many strangers, he might not be able to handle it.”
Wen Xin looked at the message, then raised her head to gaze at Qi Lu. She hesitated as she spoke, “I know.”
Qi Lu had heavy eye-bags under his eyes, and he looked back at her.
“But Guo-jie already made arrangements…” Wen Xin struggled to squeeze out a few words. “Today is only the third day since he was discharged…”
“We’ll do our best to accompany him, never leaving his side. Nothing will happen,” Wen Xin said.
Qi Lu silently observed Wen Xin for a moment, then stood up to leave the balcony. Wen Xin looked at his retreating figure and hurriedly caught up to him. She said, “Nothing will happen, trust me, Qi Lu. Tang Zhen Laoshi’s condition is much better than before he was discharged. He has been smiling these past few days—”
Qi Lu showed her the time on his phone. Wen Xin hesitated and said, “I…”
“Then, I’ll go back for now… Are you really sure I don’t need to take shifts?” she asked.
Qi Lu shook his head.
“Can you handle it?” Wen Xin asked. “If you’re too tired, give me a call.”
“Also, I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow. When Tang Zhen Laoshi wakes up, let him know,” Wen Xin said before leaving.
Wen Xin left, and Qi Lu locked the door and turned off the hallway light.
The living room was empty, with only the balcony doors and windows wide open, allowing a gust of wind to rush in towards Qi Lu. Standing on the steps of the hallway, Qi Lu felt the wind sweep through the living room, passing through the empty TV cabinet, dining table, and every corner of the room, suddenly pouring into his clothes along his sleeves.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qi Lu instinctively took a deep breath.
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The room suddenly grew dark.
Qi Lu tidied up the living room, placing a few cups in the kitchen. Then, he pulled out a makeshift camp bed from behind the TV cabinet and set it up in front of Tang Zhen’s bedroom door. He brought pillows and bedding from the guest room and carefully arranged them on the bed.
Before going to sleep, he pushed open the door to Tang Zhen’s bedroom and walked in, holding Tang Zhen’s phone that Wen Xin had left behind. The screen displayed over twenty missed calls from “Xiao Zhou.” Tang Zhen was sound asleep, lying on his side with his neck bent and his hands spread out beside the pillow.
Qi Lu looked at Tang Zhen and recalled a few hours ago when he carried Tang Zhen from the car. Tang Zhen opened his eyes, still drowsy and half-asleep, and called out to him, “Xiao Zhou.”
Qi Lu remembered seeing “Xiao Zhou” sitting behind him through the rearview mirror while he was driving earlier in the afternoon.
Tang Zhen was unconscious. Zhou Zike held onto Tang Zhen’s waist, trying to wake him up by calling his name anxiously. Tang Zhen woke up a few times, saw Zhou Zike, and then fell back asleep, leaning against him.
Qi Lu placed the phone next to Tang Zhen’s hand, beside his palm. He left the bedroom and closed the door.
The camp bed was not very comfortable, but Qi Lu had gotten used to it. He turned off the living room light, placed his shoes under the bed, and slipped his feet under the blanket.
In the darkness, Qi Lu stared at Tang Zhen’s bedroom door.
Suddenly, he remembered the morning from the day before.
After returning from work, Qi Lu hadn’t slept all night. He sat by the bedroom door, waiting for Tang Zhen. When Tang Zhen woke up and opened his eyes, he saw Qi Lu in a dazed state. It was their first meeting after Tang Zhen was discharged from the hospital, and the first reaction Tang Zhen had towards him was a smile, which made Qi Lu feel uncomfortable.
In the middle of the night, Wen Xin sent him a text message, saying that Tang Zhen’s condition had improved significantly compared to before his suicide attempt, and that Qi Lu didn’t need to blame himself or worry too much.
Qi Lu looked at Tang Zhen, who was trying hard to smile at him, and thought to himself, “Is this what they mean by ‘improved significantly’?”
He poured a glass of water and walked over to Tang Zhen, crouching down in front of him with the medicine box Wen Xin had left behind. Tang Zhen was still smiling at him. Qi Lu shook his head and made a “shh” gesture to Tang Zhen.
Tang Zhen looked at him blankly, his mouth slightly agape, and his smile gradually fading away.
Since the night of Tang Zhen’s suicide attempt, Qi Lu refused to believe in any facade that Tang Zhen put up.
“You’ve already deceived me once,” Qi Lu would have said those words to Tang Zhen if he could speak.
Qi Lu wrote in the text message, “He doesn’t want to see a doctor.”
Wen Xin stood outside the Lan Zhuang Hotel, peering around nervously. She lowered her head and replied to Qi Lu, “He hasn’t gone to see one since being discharged. It would be safer for him to meet with Dr. Cao. Tang Zhen Laoshi met so many people yesterday, and he has more meetings tomorrow. I’m afraid he won’t be able to handle it.”
Qi Lu quickly responded, “I’ve tried to persuade him, but he refuses to go.”
The hotel receptionist at Lan Zhuang Hotel led Wen Xin to the gift department and introduced her to a manager who could address her issue. As they had previously spoken on the phone at the front desk, the manager reached out his hand across the table when he saw her and said, “Miss Wen Xin from Asia Star Entertainment?”
Wen Xin nodded hurriedly, adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, and shook hands with him.
She explained her purpose for coming, but she didn’t expect the manager to immediately state that the gift bags from Lan Zhuang Hotel were not for sale and had no price.
“Uh,” Wen Xin stumbled a bit, “then… the two people who came to collect the gifts yesterday, they are from our company. How did they negotiate with you? Did they not pay at that time?”
The manager smiled, “Are you referring to Mr. Zhou Zike?”
“Yes,” Wen Xin nodded.
“He did express such a desire,” the manager said, “but our superiors considered the situation to be special. Moreover, the hotel gift bags are meant for guests as complimentary gifts, and there is no precedent for pricing. Therefore, it was decided to temporarily set it aside.”
Wen Xin sensed a hint of helplessness in his words.
“The contact information Mr. Zhou left for us is still unused at the moment because we don’t have a solution yet,” the manager explained. “So we haven’t contacted him temporarily.”
Wen Xin pondered over the situation and speculated that Zhou Zike wanted to pay, but the staff at Lan Zhuang Hotel were hesitant to accept the payment.
This meant that the situation between Zhou Zike and his family wasn’t as serious as Guo-jie had portrayed it to be.
Wen Xin thought that although she hadn’t spent Zhou Zike’s money, Guo-jie had emphasized multiple times yesterday that she needed to resolve the issue.
Guo Xiaoli had that kind of temperament. When she believed that things had to be done according to certain principles and rules, she wouldn’t compromise even if it saved money or effort. For Guo Xiaoli, Zhou Zike had already done a great favor by bringing so many well-packaged gift bags in such a short period. Guo Xiaoli didn’t want to take advantage of him financially.
Wen Xin said, “Could you provide me with the contact information of your superiors? My boss is very strict. If we don’t resolve this gift issue today, I won’t be able to fulfill my responsibilities, and I’ll definitely have to come back tomorrow.”
The manager hesitated, and seeing Wen Xin’s pitiful plea, she even took out her work ID card.
“Let me inquire first,” the manager said.
Wen Xin waited for a full half hour. People were coming and going, but no one approached her. Just as Wen Xin began to worry if she had been forgotten by the hotel staff, several people walked in and stopped in front of her.
Wen Xin was startled and stood up. A woman walked in from the door. She had brown wavy hair and was dressed in an upscale suit that accentuated her figure. Wen Xin was mesmerized by her exquisite makeup, and even someone from the entertainment industry like Wen Xin was momentarily stunned by her beauty.
For a brief moment, Wen Xin felt that she somehow recognized this woman. She seemed familiar, but Wen Xin couldn’t place where she had seen her before.
However, someone as beautiful as her should be memorable.
“Hello,” Wen Xin reached out her hand and shook hands with the woman in front of her. “I’m Wen Xin from Asia Star Entertainment!” she said, hurriedly flipping her work badge.
The woman looked at her with great interest.
“Are you in charge here?” Wen Xin asked.
The woman smiled at her, causing Wen Xin’s heart to skip a beat. Then she explained, “I’m not in charge here.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Miss Wen. I am Zhou Zike’s sister,” the woman said. “You can call me Ziyuan.”
Wen Xin was stunned. It was the first time she had met Zhou Zike’s sister, and the first time she realized how beautiful she was. It was also the first time she heard that Zhou Zike’s sister was a fan of Tang Zhen.
“Is it… is it true?” she couldn’t believe it. Although Tang Zhen had captivated countless girls nationwide, Wen Xin found it too coincidental that Zhou Zike’s sister turned out to be a fan of Tang Zhen. “Zike has never mentioned it before.”
Zhou Ziyuan also seemed a bit uneasy and asked, “Has Zike ever mentioned his family to you?”
Wen Xin immediately said, “No…” Seeing Zhou Ziyuan’s disappointment, Wen Xin quickly added, “Zike rarely talks about himself, so we actually don’t know much about him either.”
Zhou Ziyuan nodded. While Wen Xin was sipping her tea, she secretly asked Zhou Ziyuan if it was true that she was a fan of Tang Zhen.
Zhou Ziyuan seemed a bit nervous as she confirmed it.
“In that case, when Tang Zhen is feeling better, I’ll introduce you to him!” Wen Xin said.
Zhou Ziyuan was thrilled and nodded repeatedly.
Wen Xin noticed that Zhou Ziyuan’s demeanor was completely different from their first encounter. She was straightforward and easy to get along with.
Zhou Ziyuan mentioned that Lan Zhuang would provide a solution for the gift bag matter, and they would directly contact Asia Star Entertainment. This way, Wen Xin could go back and report her work today.
Wen Xin happily exclaimed, “That’s great! Otherwise, Guo-jie wouldn’t know when she would let me off the hook.”
Zhou Ziyuan smiled and said, “Zike has caused quite a bit of trouble for Xiaoli-jie.”
Wen Xin replied, “Actually, Guo-jie really likes Zike. Sometimes she’s just a bit impatient and speaks harshly.”
Zhou Ziyuan nodded in understanding.
She asked someone beside her for a business card and handed it to Wen Xin, saying, “If you and Tang Zhen, if you… encounter any difficulties or need any help, you can contact me using the information on the card.”
Wen Xin, surprised, took the business card and said, “You… truly live up to being siblings. Zike has told me something similar.”
Zhou Ziyuan’s eyes widened, and upon hearing Wen Xin’s words, she froze on the spot.
