Chapter 21: Hospital
Lan Chen, the second female lead in the drama "Inseparable," mysteriously got injured for no apparent reason, becoming the focus of attention from the outside world. There were several versions of the cause of the injury. Some said Lan Chen was accidentally hit on the right shoulder by a prop while filming. Others claimed she had offended the underworld and was thus beaten. But in recent days, to everyone's surprise, rumors started circulating, with the most popular version being that Lan Chen offended Xiao Moyan, the Vice President of Tian Huang, and was therefore secretly attacked. However, fearing to provoke Xiao Moyan's status, Lan Chen dared not speak up and could only endure silently while recuperating in the hospital.
When Xiao Moyan was asked about this at an awards ceremony, she calmly responded to the camera, "Lan Chen got injured? How come I didn't know? When did this happen?"
Xiao Moyan's proud and disdainful expression at that moment made the questioning journalist wish to gouge out their own eyes.
Xiao Moyan just sneered at the matter, not caring at all, and even refused to clarify the situation. After giving a few instructions to her secretary, she casually left. This put Director Lin in a difficult position. He was sent by Tian Huang to stabilize the situation, spending a week inviting journalist friends for tea. As a result, the filming of "Inseparable" was further delayed. Several actors couldn't voice their grievances. Not only were their roles indefinitely postponed, but according to the contract requirements, they also couldn't take on new roles during this period, leaving them at a loss.
Things always have two sides, and "Inseparable" is no exception. From the twists and turns since the start of filming, the continuous rumors, and the conflicts between the second female lead and the Vice President have greatly increased its popularity, completely hooking the audience's interest. The scenes are also endlessly heated, especially with Lan Chen's injury incident, which pushed it to its climax.
For this, Mrs. Xu often praises Xiao Moyan, saying she is young and promising, daring and bold. She even personally took to the field to avoid the company's pre-promotion costs. First, she angered her lover by eliminating her rival and then took the opportunity to torment Xia Lingying. Xiao Moyan listened, stunned in place for a long time, her eyes dull, silently returning to her room. And the female lead who was tormented, the most frequent place she visited during this time was the hospital.
Lan Chen lazily squinted her eyes as she lay on the bed resting. After a while, she raised her left wrist, glanced at her watch, and then slowly climbed out of bed. She placed the pillow at the head of the bed and leaned against it. Then, she started humming a tune to pass the time. Since Lan Chen was hospitalized, Xia Lingying has been visiting her punctually every day, often bringing supplements, flowers, and other items as requested.
As usual, Lan Chen leaned against the head of the bed, smiling as she pondered what delicious treats Xia Lingying would bring today. Because of her visits, the days in the hospital seemed less unbearable, even acquiring a sense of comfort. Realizing her thoughts, Lan Chen suddenly sat up straight and vigorously shook her head.
No way, an iceberg is not a good thing...
As Xia Lingying walked into the ward carrying things, her eyes immediately fell upon Lan Chen, who was lost in thought, staring at the ceiling. She didn't make a sound, quietly replacing the withered flowers in the vase on the table with fresh ones, changing the water, and inserting the flowers she brought. When Xia Lingying opened the soup pot, Lan Chen, sitting on the bed, became aware. Her straight nose twitched a few times like a puppy's, sniffing around, and then she turned her head and smiled at Xia Lingying.
"When did you arrive?"
"Half a day ago," Xia Lingying replied lightly.
"Why didn't you call me?"
Xia Lingying ignored her and turned to ladle the soup. Lan Chen seemed accustomed to Xia Lingying's indifference and didn't mind, still smiling as she watched her.
Xia Lingying's three feet of black hair cascaded casually over her shoulders. The blue knitted cardigan covered her fair skin, with subtle blue stripes that shimmered with a faint blue light upon closer inspection, enveloping her alluring figure. Her skin was as delicate as condensed fat, with willow-leaf eyebrows drawn in charcoal black, accentuating her fair and smooth complexion. Her captivating bright eyes shone with radiance as they flickered, while her lips were lightly coated with red lipstick, giving her a pure and watery gaze, tinged with a hint of melancholy, arousing a desire to explore.
When Xia Lingying turned around with the bowl of soup in her hands, she saw Lan Chen staring at her in a daze. She paused for a moment, then, she restrained her smile and reverted to her initial coldness.
Feeling the coldness emanating from Xia Lingying's body, Lan Chen snapped out of it, her fair and pretty face flushing red. She coughed lightly, trying to conceal it, and opened her mouth wide. Xia Lingying shook her head, picked up the spoon, and patiently fed her the soup, mouthful by mouthful. Enjoying such treatment was rare for Lan Chen, and she smiled with squinted eyes, savoring the sweetness of the soup, gulping it down without caring about the dribble at the corners of her mouth.
Ever since her right shoulder injury, Lan Chen has been able to enjoy this top-notch treatment. In fact, her right arm had already recovered almost completely, but to manipulate Xia Lingying, she first despised herself severely, then continued to pretend to be "disabled." Watching Xia Lingying, who was always noble and aloof, bowing down to serve her, Lan Chen felt a sense of pride welling up inside her, making the soup, which was already delicious, seem even more flavorful than usual. Halfway through drinking, Lan Chen gently spoke up.
"I talked to godfather, and we decided it's better for him to accumulate more strength overseas before coming back."
"Mm."
Xia Lingying nodded lightly, unfazed. She knew early on that her father's return to the country wouldn't be easy. She understood the kind of person Xiao Moyan was and the power she possessed through their interactions during this period, not to mention Xiao Nian, that cunning old fox. Rather than sneak back into the country and live in fear, it would be better to take some more time, accumulate enough strength, and return openly and confidently.
"Also—" Lan Chen looked up at Xia Lingying, her eyes filled with some confusion. "You've been with the Xiao family for so long, but you haven't seen Xiao Nian?"
As the spoon continued to stir the steaming chicken soup in the bowl, Xia Lingying lowered her head and looked quietly. After a moment, she finally raised her head to meet Lan Chen's gaze and gently replied, "Xiao Nian has been here before. He thought I wouldn't recognize him, so he pretended to be Dad's friend coming to visit me, and I didn't let on."
Lan Chen nodded, looking into Xia Lingying's eyes and secretly thinking, indeed cunning.
"Did he say anything?"
"No—"
As Xia Lingying mentioned this, a hint of pain flashed in her eyes, and her voice lowered.
"I just had a big argument with Xiao Moyan."
Upon hearing Xiao Moyan's name, Lan Chen paused, swallowed the soup in her mouth, and carefully looked at Xia Lingying.
"You and Xiao Moyan—"
Xia Lingying's hand stiffened, quickly raised her head, and looked at Lan Chen expressionlessly. A huge cold aura swept over, causing Lan Chen to stiffen, not daring to ask any more questions, and could only open her mouth again. Xia Lingying pursed her lips and didn't say much, just handed over the soup in her hand.
Ten minutes later, seeing the large bowl of chicken soup devoured by Lan Chen, Xia Lingying couldn't help but smile. She stood up, tidied up the bowl and chopsticks, nodded to Lan Chen, picked up the empty water pitcher next to her, and went out to fetch water. Just as she pushed open the door, a familiar hint of mint fragrance hit her. Xia Lingying's body stiffened, her heart skipping a beat. Nervously, she looked around but saw no one. She bit her lip, carried the warm water pitcher, and walked calmly towards the water room.
Xia Lingying appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil. She knew Xiao Moyan had come, but she didn't understand why she was avoiding her. What happened that day was her fault, but Xiao Moyan shouldn't have...
Standing by the hot water pool, Xia Lingying stared into the mist-covered mirror, lost in thought. Even as the boiling water overflowed into the warm pitcher, she remained unaware, until a searing pain pierced her skin, causing her to cry out in surprise. She staggered back two steps, gasping in pain, and looked down, only to see her left hand's fair skin covered with blisters of various sizes.
But in the next moment, the still-hot faucet was quickly twisted shut by someone, and her left hand was grabbed and forcefully pressed into the cold water pool. The icy cold water rushed down instantly, pounding on her still-painful left hand. Startled, Xia Lingying froze, wanting to pull her hand back, but then the familiar scent wafted into her nose, causing her entire body to relax in an instant, letting the person hold her left hand without resistance.
Gradually, under the chilling impact of the cold water, the burning pain eased slightly. Xia Lingying looked up, staring blankly at Xiao Moyan's profile, watching as she tightly held her left hand, her anxious expression visible through the mist. Unable to move her gaze away, the two hadn't been together in such close proximity for a long time. Xiao Moyan looked much more tired, but it didn't diminish her beauty. Her cascading waves of coffee-colored hair, captivating eyebrows and eyes, and alluring, rosy lips—all of it was so familiar.
After about ten minutes of rinsing, Xiao Moyan's hand was almost cramping from soaking in the cold water, completely numb. She finally lifted her head, glaring at Xia Lingying, and shouted angrily,
"What's the matter with you?!!!"
Xia Lingying was shocked back to her senses by her shout. She looked up, staring at Xiao Moyan's exhausted eyes filled with red threads, feeling a pang of pain in her heart. Without saying a word, she lowered her head and pulled her hand back towards herself.
Xiao Moyan tightly gripped Xia Lingying's left hand, looking at the once fair skin now swollen and covered in blisters, feeling deeply distressed. She turned her head and saw the broken water pitcher in the center of the pool, a strong sense of bitterness rushing to her heart, fueling her anger even more. Xiao Moyan gritted her teeth, forcefully grabbing Xia Lingying's left hand and pulling her out. Xia Lingying stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, overwhelmed by the grievances she had endured in recent days. She quickly withdrew her left hand, lifted her head, and stared coldly at Xiao Moyan.
"Why are you here?!"
Author's Note:
╮(╯▽╰)╭, Yezi has been eating chicken legs more aggressively recently and gained four pounds. No one is allowed to tempt Yezi anymore, /(ćoć)/~~, time to lose weight.