The Deputy Director froze. Gu Cheng released him, and due to the height difference, the Deputy Director staggered back a step, almost falling over.
The others watching the Deputy Director’s fate were all frightened into silence, not daring to utter a word.
Gu Cheng’s phone buzzed in his pants pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was Qi Yuan.
That name glared at him boldly. Gu Cheng paused for a moment before pressing the screen to turn it off.
A message from Qi Yuan came in: Gu Cheng, answer the phone.
Along with it was another message from Xingyao’s CEO: Xing He won’t budge, hasn’t softened on the contract, nor mentioned any conditions. They’re not lacking resources or money at all.
Gu Cheng’s thin lips pressed tightly together as he looked toward the closed CT room. A few seconds later, he picked up his phone and sent a message to Xingyao’s CEO: Find Xing He’s director, tell him I want to meet.
The CEO hesitated for a moment. Such a big move?
Looks like Young Master Gu really is determined to resolve this matter for his girlfriend. He replied: Alright.
The CT room door opened, and the nurse pushed Wen Chu out. Wen Chu had passed out in pain at first, but now she was awake, though half her body still ached.
Gu Cheng stepped forward. Wen Chu’s eyes flickered when she saw him. Her emotions surged, complicated and tangled. She slightly averted her gaze.
Gu Cheng took the hospital bed and gently stroked her hair, then looked up to ask the nurse, “How is she?”
The nurse said, “No signs of consciousness impairment for now. The major bleeding has stopped; we’ll run some other examinations first.”
Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Cheng did as well. The Deputy Director handed over a form, Chen Shu took it, and the group hurried off to another department for tests.
Wen Chu closed her eyes, not speaking to Gu Cheng. He kissed her forehead, and she could feel it. He softly asked, “Is it very painful?”
She didn’t reply. She was exhausted. Throughout all the tests, she drifted in and out of sleep.
The results showed Wen Chu had a small periosteum injury in her foot and a minor bone crack in her shoulder.
Fortunately, no bones were completely broken, but the pain was intense. Half her arm couldn’t be lifted. The periosteum injury was even worse.
When the drowsiness wore off, only the pain remained. Wen Chu could endure pain, but tears silently fell.
Gu Cheng’s heart ached seeing her cry in pain. Wen Chu didn’t want to pay him any attention but couldn’t resist drawing warmth from him.
He held a towel to wipe her sweat, gave her painkillers, fed her water, and she nestled against him, enduring it all.
Auntie also arrived at the hospital with food.
Xi Ning came in with dark circles under her eyes. Her fiery red lips contrasted sharply with her pale, tired face. She walked to the bedside and asked, “How are you feeling?”
Wen Chu held the candy Gu Cheng gave her on her tongue and weakly said, “It hurts. Too much.”
Xi Ning also felt sorry for her and said, “You’ve always been very careful before. What happened this time? You really have to be careful with those action scenes—one careless move and you’ll end up like Qi Yuan, with lasting aftereffects.”
Wen Chu’s eyes were moist. She hadn’t yet told Xi Ning what she had discovered, and softly admitted, “I was indeed a bit distracted this time. Didn’t pay enough attention.”
“It’s not all your fault. Your man star Xingyao released a lawyer’s letter accusing the Qingping Chronicle crew of unsafe conditions. The Film Supervision Committee has intervened.”
Wen Chu was stunned and looked toward the man on the phone by the window. Xi Ning also watched him sit down, then handed Wen Chu a cup of water.
“You’re lucky to have a boyfriend with influence. If you were just a Substitute Actress, no one would care if you died without a sound.”
Wen Chu watched Gu Cheng’s back as he loosened his collar, still on the phone. That anger inside her faded a little.
In the afternoon, Xi Ning and Auntie were with Wen Chu during treatment. Gu Cheng carried her into the treatment room.
The hospital gown was pulled down at the shoulder, revealing a large area of red swelling and bruising.
Wen Chu closed her eyes as the doctor cleaned the wound and applied a cast to her shoulder.
The worst pain was still the periosteum injury. A thick layer of medicine was applied, but it still hurt. The painkillers had little effect.
Tears brimmed in her eyes. Gu Cheng gently wiped them away with his fingertip and asked the doctor if there was any other way to ease the pain.
The doctor said, “If the pain is unbearable, we can do an IV drip and keep her hospitalized for a couple of days for observation. After falling from that height, it’s lucky it’s only this severe.”
Gu Cheng replied, “Alright.”
Back in the ward, Gu Cheng adjusted the bed’s height. Xi Ning stood nearby, arms folded, watching. Today Gu Cheng wore a black shirt and trousers, no jacket, giving him a somewhat wild edge.
Sometimes Xi Ning felt she couldn’t quite read Wen Chu’s boyfriend.
Most of the time, he was gentle and refined, but his methods could be ruthless and sharp, hitting straight at the heart.
Wen Chu opened her eyes and met Gu Cheng’s gaze. He softly asked, “Still in pain?”
She nodded, “Yes.”
His eyes showed his concern. He handed her a straw and quietly said, “Drink a bit to soothe your throat.”
Wen Chu bit the straw and drank lightly.
Seeing this, Xi Ning knew her presence wasn’t needed anymore. Wen Chu had finished treatment, and Xi Ning had her own script to work on, so she left first.
That night, Gu Cheng stayed by Wen Chu’s side. The next morning, Auntie came to accompany her. Gu Cheng took a call and went to the company but said he’d be back by noon to be with Wen Chu.
Outside the hospital, however, the world was already turned upside down.
Xing He’s director wanted to meet Gu Cheng. Qi Yuan had learned of this and sped straight to Gu Group, but Gu Cheng was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Xu Dian, President of Li City Huaying, had come to Jing City. As Gu Cheng’s friend, if Huaying got involved, Qi Yuan and Shu Mei might not be able to hold their ground.
Qi Yuan stepped down in high heels into the glaring sunlight. Wearing sunglasses and a hat, she was stylish and curvaceous in designer clothes.
She smoked a cigarette at the entrance.
Shu Mei held an umbrella over her and said, “This isn’t going to work if you keep this up. Have you really thought about it? Has anything happened between you and Young Master Gu recently?”
Qi Yuan looked toward a distant building—that was Wen Family Group. These four families wielded terrifying power in Jing City. She shook her head, “Nothing happened. I haven’t even had time to do anything…”
She said, “If it’s not me, then it’s her.”
Shu Mei was taken aback.
She immediately knew who “she” was.
Shu Mei’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Wen Chu wasn’t as soft as she seemed. She did have her own spirit. Ever since Qi Yuan stopped paying attention to her, Wen Chu’s responses had also become sometimes distant.
Shu Mei sometimes got angry seeing Wen Chu’s attitude—what was a Substitute Actress so proud about?
She said, “Her greatest luck is probably having Young Master Gu as a boyfriend.”
The Qingping Chronicle crew had been in chaos these past two days, filming temporarily halted because of Xingyao’s lawyer’s letter. Only after supervision could filming resume.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow as she descended the steps. Her hat cast a shadow across the stairs. She said, “Really? Let’s go visit her then.”
***
The afternoon was beautiful—blue skies and white clouds. The ward was on a high floor, and turning her head Wen Chu could see the building across the way.
Auntie had arranged a vase of roses on the table, the flowers Gu Cheng had ordered carefully unpacked and placed inside. The ward instantly felt vibrant.
One of Wen Chu’s arms couldn’t move, but the other was still hooked up to an IV.
Auntie hummed softly as she worked.
Listening to Auntie’s humming, Wen Chu felt the pain lessen a bit.
At that moment, the sound of high heels clicking at the door caught her attention. Wen Chu looked up.
Qi Yuan entered wearing a black hat and fiery red lipstick, a tight-fitting dress outlining her figure.
Shu Mei carried a basket of fruit and smiled gently, asking, “Feeling any better?”
Wen Chu paused, then said, “So-so.”
Her tone was calm, detached.
Auntie stepped forward to take the fruit and nodded at Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan pulled out a chair and sat down nearby, glancing around the ward.
“Nice environment. A good place to recover.”
Wen Chu replied quietly, “So-so.”
She didn’t want to say more. Shu Mei frowned beside her, but Qi Yuan was used to Wen Chu’s attitude.
Crossing her long legs, Qi Yuan leaned forward, playing with her hat, still wearing sunglasses.
She raised her eyebrows at Wen Chu. Wen Chu couldn’t see the expression in her eyes, only those red lips.
Qi Yuan said, “You’ve been with Gu Cheng for over four years now, right?”
Wen Chu’s hand gripping the IV rail tightened slightly. She asked, “What do you want?”
Qi Yuan studied her face—long hair tied up, bare face, somewhat pitiful—and smiled.
“You must really want to break the contract, huh?”
Wen Chu pursed her lips.
“I do.”
Qi Yuan smiled again.
“It’s hard. If I don’t let go, you can’t leave.”
Wen Chu’s face paled, but she didn’t show it.
“I knew that a long time ago.”
Qi Yuan smiled once more, spinning her hat in her hands.
Looking at Wen Chu’s face, which resembled her own in some ways, she said, “You’re probably thinking, no matter what, you have Gu Cheng. He gives you shelter from the storm, protects you, and even sends lawyers’ letters when accidents happen on set.”
Wen Chu’s grip on the rail grew tighter and tighter. Qi Yuan had hit the mark. It was as if her soul had been stripped open and laid bare.
Seeing Wen Chu’s expression, Qi Yuan knew she’d guessed correctly.
She smiled and said, “But you probably didn’t expect…”
“You’re just a Substitute Actress.”
In that instant, Wen Chu felt as if her soul had been sucked away.
“What?”