Chapter 123: Frost and Rain*
*霜 (shuāng) - Frost, 雨 (yǔ) - Rain
The two left Ruan Yesheng’s hospital room and walked toward the nurses’ station on their floor.
On the wall across from the nurses’ station, there was a board showing all the doctors and nurses working on that floor, with their names and photos. They had to look there first to see if they could find anything, and maybe also ask the nurse on duty for some information.
Ruan Yesheng stood under the board and asked Xi Mo, “Is the doctor you mentioned in here?”
Xi Mo carefully looked at all the photos, starting from the first one, going down slowly. “Not yet. She was wearing a mask at the time, so it’s not easy to recognize her right away.”
She could only remember some things about the doctor. On the ambulance, she had seen some fine lines on the skin around the doctor’s eyes. She probably wasn’t too young, but not very old either. Maybe in her thirties.
Also, the doctor had come with the ambulance. Usually, different parts of the hospital had different jobs. A doctor from the ambulance team might not be working on the same floor as the patients who got brought in. But Xi Mo still wanted to try. She didn’t want to miss even one clue.
After looking through all the photos, Xi Mo looked a bit disappointed and said, “She’s not here.”
That doctor’s eyes were very special. If her photo was on that wall, Xi Mo believed she’d be able to tell.
“It’s okay. She probably wasn’t on this floor anyway,” Ruan Yesheng said softly to comfort her. “Let’s go ask the nurses.”
Xi Mo nodded.
She wouldn’t give up. Even if she had to search the whole hospital, she had to find that doctor.
They walked up to the nurses’ station. Xi Mo asked one of the nurses, “Hello, sorry to bother you. Do you know who the doctor was on the ambulance that brought me in today?”
The nurse looked up and saw Xi Mo. Her eyes lit up with surprise, and she stood up straight right away.
Xi Mo is so famous. How could she not recognize her?
During the shift change, she had already heard that two stars were admitted to their floor today. One of them was the super famous Xi Mo. Even though this hospital was close to the film set and it wasn’t rare to see stars, this was the first time that nurse saw Xi Mo in person. And now Xi Mo was talking to her? She felt like she was dreaming.
The young nurse wasn’t a die-hard fan. At most, she was just a casual one. But still, regular people get excited when seeing a big star. But now was working time. She had to follow the rules of her job. So she tried hard to stay calm and politely said, “H-Hello. The thing is, after you came down from the ambulance, you were sent straight to the emergency room. There were many doctors taking over during that time, so I don’t really know who was in the ambulance with you.”
Xi Mo’s eyes dimmed a little, but she still gave a small smile. “I see. Thank you.”
The two of them didn’t get any answers and were about to leave to ask somewhere else when the nurse quickly stopped her. “Please wait! Even though I don’t know, I… I can ask my friend. He knows the schedule for all the ambulance teams. Everything is recorded. If you need, I can ask him to check it for you.”
Xi Mo seemed to see a bit of hope and turned back, saying with thanks, “Yes, I really need that. Thank you so much.”
To help the nurse ask better, she also told her all the details, like the time the ambulance arrived and the license plate number.
The young nurse felt like she was bathing in spring breeze just listening to Xi Mo talk.
Oh my god, how could Xi Mo’s real voice be this nice? She was also so polite. Every move was graceful. She was even more charming and friendly than on screen. This casual fan was about to become a true fan in a second.
“N-No trouble at all,” the nurse said, while secretly sneaking glances at Ruan Yesheng who was standing beside Xi Mo.
She didn’t know much about Ruan Yesheng, but her eyes lit up the moment she saw her. She thought this girl was just too beautiful. Xi Mo’s beauty was already dazzling, yet standing next to her, Ruan Yesheng wasn’t overshadowed at all. In fact, she looked even brighter. The two of them together were like a perfect picture, making each other shine even more.
As the nurse admired them secretly, she called her friend. After asking about everything, she quickly told Xi Mo, “I found out. The doctor who went with the ambulance that time was Dr. Zhao Yinchu. She’s a doctor from the cardiology department, on the eleventh floor. My friend said she usually doesn’t go out with the ambulance. She works in the inpatient department. But that day, the family member who called for help was really emotional. She said her dad had stayed in the hospital before, and it was Dr. Zhao who treated him. Now that her dad was sick again and about to die, she insisted that Dr. Zhao must go with the ambulance. She said if her dad died, she’d go after Dr. Zhao. She made such a huge scene, and since the hospital didn’t want any delay in treatment or trouble for Dr. Zhao, they asked her if she was willing to go. Dr. Zhao happened to be free at that time, so she agreed to go.”
When she said this, the young nurse was full of anger. “I’ve never seen a patient’s family make such an unreasonable request before. But Dr. Zhao is way too kind. She really went. And who knew, after she went there, she couldn’t even find the patient. The family’s phone couldn’t be reached either. It was a wasted trip. Now the hospital is trying to figure out who called 120 with a fake emergency.”
Xi Mo listened carefully to every detail. She kept feeling that the patient’s family who made the call seemed very strange.
“But luckily, Dr. Zhao went. That’s how she met you two and brought you back in time. That’s really lucky,” the young nurse said. “Dr. Zhao mainly works in the cardiology department, but she’s really good at all kinds of emergency care. She’s amazing.”
“Is Dr. Zhao working on the eleventh floor tonight?” Ruan Yesheng asked.
The young nurse made another call. She was very eager to help since she was talking to her favorite star.
“I asked the nurse upstairs for you. Dr. Zhao is on tonight’s duty list. You can go and take a look,” the nurse said.
“Thank you so much.” Xi Mo gave her a smile.
The young nurse’s heart almost melted from that smile. If she wasn’t on duty, she would’ve rushed over to ask for an autograph for sure.
The two of them took the elevator upstairs and went to the cardiology department on the eleventh floor. The first thing they did was rush to the staff board.
This time, with a clear target, Xi Mo quickly found the photo of Dr. Zhao Yinchu.
In the photo, Dr. Zhao wasn’t wearing a mask. The intro said she was 37 years old, had medium-length hair hanging down her shoulders, and looked very good. Her pair of gentle, pretty, smiling eyes were really unforgettable.
Xi Mo reached out her hand and covered the lower part of Dr. Zhao’s face to simulate how she looked when wearing a mask back then.
She looked carefully several times, and finally couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. She turned to Ruan Yesheng and said, “That’s her. The doctor on the ambulance is her. I’m sure of it.”
Ruan Yesheng also got happy with her and said, “Then let’s go find her quick.”
Right now, she felt a kind of satisfaction, like she and Xi Mo were facing everything together.
Tonight, Zhao Yinchu was on duty. If she wasn’t doing rounds in the ward, she should be in the doctors’ office.
The two walked down the hallway toward the office. When they got to the door, they saw a woman pushing a wheelchair coming out from inside.
The woman pushing the wheelchair was dressed fancy, her long hair neatly done, and she wore very fine light makeup. Her looks and figure were very eye-catching, the kind that draws people’s attention right away. The patient in the wheelchair was also a woman. She didn’t look much older or younger than the woman behind her. She was very young too. Her delicate face looked pale, her eyes had no spirit, and she was leaning to the side in the wheelchair.
The two quickly stepped aside.
The woman pushing the wheelchair lifted her eyes and looked surprised. “Xi Mo?”
Xi Mo stopped walking at once when she heard someone call her name. Ruan Yesheng also looked over with her.
The woman gently turned the wheelchair to face Xi Mo. Her face was full of joy. She said, “I met you a few times before. I even did an exclusive interview with you. Do you remember me?”
Exclusive interview?
When she heard the words “exclusive interview,” Xi Mo instinctively thought the woman in front of her was probably a reporter or host. But she had seen way too many reporters and hosts to remember them all. This woman did look a little familiar though. It wasn’t like she had no impression at all — she seemed kind of familiar. Maybe they really had met before.
“I’m the director of Nan Ting Entertainment. My name is Lin Tingyu,” the woman pushing the wheelchair quickly introduced herself when she saw Xi Mo not reacting right away. She smiled and said, “Back in September two years ago, I was in charge of one of your interview promos, just one week before your movie "Hidden" came out.”
Nan Ting Entertainment. Lin Tingyu.
Xi Mo thought about it and did remember something like that.
Nan Ting Entertainment wasn’t one of the top media companies in the country, but their online marketing was top-notch. Especially in entertainment — they had tons of marketing accounts, and each one had a huge fanbase. More importantly, they had clear divisions of work. Some focused on serious entertainment news, some did gossip and rumors, and others were all about shipping couples and sweet moments. They had all types covered.
They even had a special team that tracked stars’ daily activities. If they found any big news about a celebrity, they’d give that celebrity a chance to buy the story first. Some celebrities, scared of scandals, had to pay big money just to stop the leak. But if the deal didn’t go through, Nan Ting Entertainment would let their marketing accounts post the news anyway. Even if they didn’t earn money, they’d still get tons of traffic.
So those big gossip accounts fans always saw online — a lot of them were probably run by Nan Ting Entertainment behind the scenes.
Now, film and TV promotions rely more and more on online marketing. Right before and after a movie comes out, there’s a huge chain of interests involved. Many companies use a win-win promotion style. So, every time there’s a campaign, some studios go to these marketing-focused entertainment companies to work together. They use the massive traffic from these companies’ marketing accounts to advertise the project.
Two years ago, Xi Mo’s movie "Hidden" was a suspense film. Pure suspense films usually don’t sell very well. Even with a top-tier star like Xi Mo, if the promotions aren’t done well, the box office can still flop. So, the promotions team went to Nan Ting Entertainment.
Nan Ting Entertainment arranged a super fun interview with the female lead Xi Mo and handed it over to their many marketing accounts. It worked really well. In that interview, Xi Mo said a lot of cool things and even made it to the hot search because of it.
"Hidden" didn’t earn the highest box office in Xi Mo’s film history, but the movie didn’t rely on special effects. The story was the main strength, and the budget was low. Actually, the biggest cost of the whole movie was Xi Mo herself. The companies that worked on the movie all got a very good share of the profit. Even better than some big-budget films. The bosses were all super happy.
The plot of "Hidden" was very clever, full of twists. Xi Mo’s acting in it was especially strong. The final suspense part left the audience chilled and wanting more. Even now, many fans still hope there’ll be a second movie.
“Miss Lin, hello.” Xi Mo remembered now. She reached out her hand politely to greet Lin Tingyu. “Sorry, I wasn’t feeling good today and didn’t react right away.”
Lin Tingyu was one of Nan Ting Entertainment’s founders. She had a lot of power in the company. She also managed tons of marketing accounts. Having a good relationship with her was always a plus.
“It’s okay.” Lin Tingyu smiled warmly and said, “I heard you had an allergy and were admitted to the hospital today. Are you feeling better now?”
“Much better,” Xi Mo said. “Thank you.”
"Hello, Miss Ruan." Lin Tingyu looked at Ruan Yesheng again and reached out her hand. "How’s your body doing now?"
"Very good." Ruan Yesheng hadn’t had contact with Lin Tingyu before, but she had heard of Nan Ting Entertainment. She smiled lightly. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Lin."
"What are you doing here at the cardiology department?" Lin Tingyu asked them. "I remember your rooms aren't on this floor."
No wonder she worked in entertainment marketing—she was super clear about all the details.
Xi Mo stayed careful, her face calm, and said, "We came to find Doctor Zhao Yinchun. She was the doctor on the ambulance that brought us here. We want to thank her in person."
"I see," Lin Tingyu said. "My sister and I are also looking for Doctor Zhao. She's my sister’s attending doctor."
Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng both looked at the woman in the wheelchair. So this woman was Lin Tingyu’s little sister.
Ruan Yesheng’s eyes fell on the woman’s wrist. She wore a hospital patient ID bracelet. On it was her name: Lin Tingshuang.
Lin Tingshuang had no reaction. Her eyes were blank.
"I asked the nurse station. They said Doctor Zhao is working tonight. Did she go to do rounds?" Xi Mo asked more because she thought Lin Tingyu must know something about Doctor Zhao since she was her sister’s doctor.
"Doctor Zhao already went home. Her coworkers in the office just said so," Lin Tingyu answered. "She was very busy this afternoon. When she came to check my sister, her face didn’t look good, and she seemed tired. Doctors work really hard. She was probably too exhausted and took leave to go home and rest."
Xi Mo stood at the door and looked inside the office. Just like Lin Tingyu said, Doctor Zhao Yinchun wasn’t there.
She felt a little disappointed, but her face stayed calm. She said, "Then we’ll come back next time when she’s on duty again."
"If Doctor Zhao comes to check on my sister, do you want me to tell you?" Lin Tingyu asked. "She comes every day."
Letting someone tell them meant they might need to give Lin Tingyu their phone number. Xi Mo hesitated a little, but Lin Tingyu noticed right away and quickly said, "No need to give me your number. I hired a caretaker for my sister. If Doctor Zhao comes, I can ask the caretaker to go downstairs and let you know. It’s not far anyway."
She was so thoughtful that Xi Mo didn’t feel right turning her down. She said, "Then thank you."
"It’s no trouble, just a small favor." Lin Tingyu’s eyes were bright. Her manners were graceful and kind.
Maybe because she knew she worked in entertainment marketing, and they were both celebrities, which made things a bit sensitive, she added another sentence: "Don’t worry. We’re just talking privately now. I won’t say a word to anyone. I promise you that."
The two of them saw how sincere she looked, and they both felt a bit more at ease than before. They said, "Thank you."
Ruan Yesheng thought the woman in the wheelchair looked a bit pitiful, like she was really sick. She is soft-hearted so she looked a few more times. She wanted to ask about Lin Tingyu’s sister’s illness, but didn’t think it was proper to say anything.
Lin Tingyu noticed Ruan Yesheng’s eyes. Her bright gaze dimmed a little and said, “My sister right now isn’t very clear-minded. She can’t feel that you’re here. It’s an old problem. I came to Hengdian recently to take over a project, and she insisted on coming with me. I had no choice but to bring her. In the end, she got sick again and had to stay in this hospital for a while. I plan to take her back once she’s a bit better and can recognize people. The medical care in Shanghai is still much better than here.”
Xi Mo remembered that Nan Ting Entertainment’s headquarters was in Shanghai. She had been wondering why Lin Tingyu didn’t just have her sister treated in one of the big hospitals there.
“She probably needs rest,” Ruan Yesheng said. “We won’t bother you. You should take her back to rest.”
Lin Tingyu nodded and pushed Lin Tingshuang as they walked out. She said, “If Doctor Zhao comes tomorrow, I’ll ask my caretaker to find you.”
The two thanked her again and watched the Lin sisters leave.
They still hadn’t found Doctor Zhao Yinchun, so they had no choice but to go back. On the way, they ran into a nurse. Xi Mo recognized her. She was the one who had talked to her in the ambulance. Later, this nurse and her coworker had even fallen asleep.
The nurse saw them and greeted them kindly: “Are you feeling better?”
Looks like she remembered what happened in the ambulance.
Back in the ambulance, things were urgent, so no one looked carefully. Now Xi Mo looked at the nurse’s nametag and finally knew she was called Chen Congcong.
Chen Congcong looked at Ruan Yesheng and said, “You’re from the floor downstairs, right? Why are you here? Are you trying to find Doctor Zhao who came with the ambulance?”
Earlier in the ambulance, Xi Mo had talked to Chen Congcong using Ruan Yesheng’s identity. Ruan Yesheng could feel Chen Congcong being warm toward her, so she guessed Xi Mo probably spoke with her back then. She said, “Yes, we want to thank Doctor Zhao.”
"Doctor Zhao took leave. She won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon." When Chen Congcong said this, her voice got softer. Her face turned red as she looked at Ruan Yesheng and said, "Um… can I ask you a favor? Me and my coworker… when we were on the ambulance, we fell asleep. That’s not allowed. Can you please keep it a secret? If someone finds out, we’ll get our pay cut. We really didn’t mean to. Sorry… maybe we were just too tired."
"It’s understandable. You’ve worked hard." Ruan Yesheng smiled and said, "I won’t say anything."
Chen Congcong finally relaxed. She chatted with them for a bit and then left.
The two of them returned to the room. Feng Tangtang had already finished cleaning up. She asked if they needed anything else. It had been a long night, so Ruan Yesheng told Feng Tangtang and Gu Qisong to go home and rest early.
After Feng Tangtang left, Xi Mo sat on the chair to rest. She didn’t say anything. Ruan Yesheng poured a cup of hot water for both of them. Then she saw a message from Yan Mu asking how she was doing. She casually chatted with Yan Mu for a bit.
"We went around the whole place and still didn’t find her." Xi Mo took a sip of the water. Her eyebrows were tightly furrowed.
"At least now we know the doctor’s name. We can try again tomorrow afternoon." Ruan Yesheng comforted her. "It’s getting late. Do you want to take a shower and rest?"
"Mm." Xi Mo looked at the time. It was about time to head back.
She raised her eyes and looked at Ruan Yesheng for a moment. She suddenly felt that staying in Ruan Yesheng’s room was actually pretty nice. It even felt warmer than her own room.
"Ai." Ruan Yesheng lazily stood up and went to the storage box to grab her pajamas. She sighed, "It’s still best to be back in my own body. When I shower later, I can finally open my eyes again. That’s worth celebrating. I won’t have to worry about being blind and accidentally dropping the shower gel."
Xi Mo: "…"
Ruan Yesheng held back her laugh and looked back at her.
Author's Note:
Oh, I updated again~ In addition, Dr. Zhao has no connection with the character in my other book. Please note that she is a character in this book.
Or please leave a comment~
