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墨書 Inktalez
"I'm sorry, Director, I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a commotion erupted outside the film set.
Lu Chen entered, dressed in a well-tailored dark blue striped suit paired with a matching wide-striped tie, striding in with long legs and followed by several assistants.
Su Yao's attention was immediately drawn to him, but when she realized he was alone, the hint of anticipation that had just appeared at the corners of her mouth vanished instantly.
Director Li spotted Lu Chen and quickly put on a smiling face to greet him. "Manager Lu, what brings you here today?"
"Just checking on the filming progress," Lu Chen replied politely while casually glancing over at Su Yao.
He walked towards her unhurriedly. Su Yao stood still, pretending to be engrossed in her script, but couldn't help but speak up as Lu Chen approached.
"Manager Lu, is President Lin not coming today?" she asked nonchalantly, as if it were just a casual remark.
Lu Chen gave her a meaningful look. "Jiang Rou has a high fever; Lin Yue is taking care of her."
Those words pierced Su Yao's heart like a needle.
"Oh, I hope Miss Jiang recovers soon," Su Yao said calmly, her face betraying no emotion.
Lu Chen didn't walk away immediately; instead, he lowered his voice. "But Lin Yue is very concerned about this project and appreciates you."
He observed her reaction closely. "If she knew you were in such poor condition today..." He deliberately left his sentence unfinished.
Su Yao seemed to snap back to reality and smiled. "Thank you for the reminder, Manager Lu. I'll make sure to adjust my state."
Satisfied, Lu Chen patted her shoulder and walked over to talk with the crew.
"Again!" Director Li sat back down and called out with little hope.
This time, Su Yao took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was as if she had transformed into another person.
The expression on her face conveyed a mix of despair and stubbornness, as if her heart were torn yet she was determined not to break down—so vividly real. Her gaze was no longer wandering but focused and profound; her lines flowed with emotion rather than dryness; her movements were fluid instead of hesitant.
The atmosphere on the film set shifted dramatically; even the lighting technician couldn't help but peek over to see what miraculous change had occurred.
Assistant Xiao Lin quietly applauded from the side, mouth slightly agape in disbelief at this transformation from the previously distracted Su Yao.
"Cut! Perfect!" Director Li exclaimed excitedly. "That's the feeling, Su Yao! You've truly found the soul of your character!"
The crew breathed a sigh of relief, and Lu Chen nodded in appreciation towards Su Yao, his eyes filled with admiration.
During the break, Su Yao sat alone and took out her phone. She opened the chat window with Lin Yue. She typed a few words but then deleted them. She typed again and deleted once more.
She feared that her concern might seem unnecessary; she worried that Lin Yue might think she was being too proactive and was even more afraid of disturbing Lin Yue while she was caring for Jiang Rou.
"I don't know what to say?" Lu Chen's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Manager Lu." Su Yao hurriedly locked her screen and stood up awkwardly.
"Don't be nervous." Lu Chen waved his hand. "I was just about to call Lin Yue. Do you have any message for her?"
Su Yao bit her lip and shook her head. "No, thank you."
Lu Chen smiled and stepped aside to dial the number.
"How is Xiao Rou doing?" he asked gently.
"She just took her medicine and fell asleep," Lin Yue's voice came through, tinged with fatigue. "Her fever is still a bit high, but it's much better than before."
"That's good to hear." Lu Chen let out a long sigh of relief.
Lin Yue fell silent for a few seconds before finally asking, "How's everything going on the film set?"
"Very smoothly," Lu Chen suppressed a chuckle. "The progress is okay, and Su Yao is doing fine."
Lin Yue on the other end of the line clearly relaxed, her voice becoming lighter. "That's great. Thanks, Brother Chen."
"It's nothing. Just take good care of Xiao Rou." Lu Chen hung up the phone and turned to see Su Yao standing not far away.
Su Yao walked over. "Is she... is she okay?" she finally couldn't help but ask.
"She's fine; she cares about you," Lu Chen said meaningfully before bidding farewell to Su Yao.
Su Yao watched Lu Chen's retreating figure and smiled faintly.
At Jiang Rou's home.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yue looked at Jiang Rou sleeping peacefully.
She knew she should focus entirely on taking care of the girl with a high fever in front of her, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the film set, back to Su Yao.
This feeling of being torn between two places left her both exhausted and guilty.
In her sleep, Jiang Rou turned over and murmured, "Lin Yue... don't go..."
The fragmented words pierced Lin Yue's heart with every syllable.
"Without you... I can't... go on..."
Tears welled up in the corners of Jiang Rou's eyes, trailing down her flushed cheeks and leaving dark streaks on the pillow.
Lin Yue felt a tightness in her chest and quickly grabbed a tissue from the bedside, carefully wiping away Jiang Rou's tears. "I'm here, Xiao Rou."
Her fingers brushed through Jiang Rou's damp hair as she whispered comforting words. "I'm not going anywhere."
It seemed Jiang Rou heard her voice; her brow relaxed slightly, but the tears continued to flow as if she were enduring unbearable pain in her dreams.
Just then, Lin Yue's phone vibrated.
She instinctively glanced at it—it was Su Yao.
In that moment, Lin Yue felt a strong impulse to answer the call.
The heart raced violently, her fingers hovering over the screen, ready to swipe gently. But Jiang Rou suddenly clutched at the hem of her shirt, her tear-filled eyes glancing at the phone screen before looking up at Lin Yue with a hurt expression.
Lin Yue stared at the phone until it finally stopped vibrating. She set it down and gently wiped away Jiang Rou's tears, her tone softening. "I'm sorry, did I wake you? Would you like some breakfast, or do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"Lin Yue," Jiang Rou said weakly, struggling to sit up. "I know you have feelings for Su Yao; I can see it."
"But Lin Yue," she coughed a few times, "after all these years together, do you value our relationship less than a newly acquainted celebrity?"
"Xiao Rou!" Lin Yue frowned, wanting to stop her from continuing.
"We've been through so much together!" Jiang Rou spoke as if she couldn't hear Lin Yue, growing more aggrieved and agitated with each word. "Who was there for you during your first bout of depression?"
"It was me!" she almost cried out. "When you tried to take your own life, who pulled you back from the brink? It was me!"
Lin Yue fell silent; everything Jiang Rou said was true, and she couldn't argue against it.
"Xiao Rou," Lin Yue finally spoke up, taking Jiang Rou's hand. "I have never doubted our feelings for each other, but..."
Jiang Rou struggled to pull her hand away from Lin Yue's grasp, tears streaming down her face. She didn't sob but stared quietly at Lin Yue, her gaze piercing like an invisible knife into Lin Yue's heart.
"Lin Yue," her voice was surprisingly calm, "are you really going to leave me?"
Lin Yue reached out to wipe away Jiang Rou's tears, feeling a pang of heartache. "Stop thinking like that; you need to rest now."
"Okay." Jiang Rou suddenly became calm. "You can go."
She tried to push Lin Yue away forcefully, but in the next moment, she collapsed onto the bed as if drained of energy and fainted.
"Xiao Rou!" Lin Yue panicked as she touched Jiang Rou's burning forehead and face.
Lin Yue quickly dialed Doctor Zhang's private number.
Doctor Zhang was the head of their shared private medical team and had been responsible for their health for many years.
"Doctor Zhang, Jiang Rou has a high fever and has fainted!" Lin Yue's voice was filled with panic.
"Don't worry; I'll be there right away. Call an ambulance to go to the Lin Family Hospital," Doctor Zhang instructed calmly.
The ambulance arrived with a wail just as Doctor Zhang reached Jiang Rou's home. After a brief examination, Doctor Zhang confirmed that the fainting was due to a high fever and immediately rushed her to the hospital with the ambulance.
On the way, Lin Yue held Jiang Rou's hand tightly, filled with guilt and heartache.
The ambulance drove straight into the entrance of Lin Family Private Hospital, where several nurses were already waiting.
Lin Yue's family hospital was the most upscale medical institution in the city, with decor comparable to a five-star hotel and top-notch medical equipment and staff.
Jiang Rou was wheeled into the emergency room while Lin Yue stood in the hallway as if lost.
She dialed Lu Chen's number: "Brother Chen, Xiao Rou's condition has worsened; she's at the hospital now."
"I'll be there right away." Without hesitation, Lu Chen hung up and rushed from the film set to the hospital.
Su Yao watched as Lu Chen hurriedly left, sensing that something was amiss. She recalled that Lin Yue had not answered her calls earlier and, after much hesitation, decided to send Lin Yue a message on WeChat.
The top-floor lounge of the hospital was lavishly decorated, equipped with comfortable sofas, a high-end coffee machine, and imported snacks. Lin Yue sat on a leather sofa wearing only a black silk nightgown, her bare feet in Loro Piana slippers. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face drawn with fatigue. Even in such a state, she maintained the elegant demeanor of a young lady from a prestigious family.
A nurse had thoughtfully draped a cashmere blanket over her, but she seemed oblivious to it, mechanically tapping her fingers against the armrest of the sofa, her lips pale with anxiety. The minute hand ticked away, and Lin Yue's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out to check; it was a message from Su Yao: "Lin Yue, are you okay? I heard Miss Jiang is ill; I hope she gets better soon."
Lin Yue stared at the message for a long time before finally putting her phone back into her pocket without replying. In the lounge, she slumped on the sofa, her eyes still red and her face weary.
"Lin Yue." Lu Chen called softly as he walked into the lounge. Lin Yue looked up, tears streaming down her face: "Brother Chen, it's all my fault; I didn't take good care of her."
Lu Chen sat beside her and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "It's not your fault; she'll be fine."
Lin Yue shook her head, tears continuing to fall. "I don't know what to do, Brother Chen. Am I terrible?"
Lu Chen understood but remained silent, simply patting her back and allowing her to lean on his shoulder.
Finally, the door to the emergency room opened, and the director stepped out. He was the most renowned internist in the city and had rushed back to the hospital to oversee the rescue upon learning that it was a member of the Lin family.
"Miss Lin, Mr. Lu, Miss Jiang is out of danger," the director said gently.
Lin Yue felt a wave of relief wash over her, but the director added that Jiang Rou was now extremely weak and recommended that she be hospitalized for observation for a few days.
Jiang Rou was wheeled out and transferred to a VIP ward on the top floor. The facilities and decor in the ward rivaled those of a luxury hotel suite—spacious and bright with an en-suite bathroom, complete with a sofa, television, and vanity.
Jiang Rou lay quietly in bed, still pale, an IV drip attached to her wrist. Lin Yue carefully sat by the bedside and gently held Jiang Rou's hand, afraid to wake her.
Lu Chen stood by the bed watching this scene unfold and softly said, "Lin Yue, why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll stay with her."
Lin Yue shook her head. "I'm not leaving."
"Then I'll stay with you," Lu Chen said as he pulled up a chair to sit down.
"Brother Chen, we can't have all three of us away from the company," Lin Yue replied. "You should go back; if anything comes up, I'll call you."
Lu Chen hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. "Alright then; make sure you eat something and lie down on the sofa for a bit."
Lin Yue agreed but kept her gaze fixed on Jiang Rou.
Lin Yue gently caressed Jiang Rou's cheek, the touch and warmth, along with the rhythm of her breathing, felt so familiar. Jiang Rou's high fever persisted until the early morning of the next day before showing signs of improvement.
She opened her eyes and looked around, realizing she was in a hospital. Then she saw Lin Yue, who had been holding her hand, sleeping by the bedside. A satisfied smile spread across Jiang Rou's face. She reached out to stroke Lin Yue's soft hair, and Lin Yue slowly lifted her head, excitement lighting up her face upon seeing that Jiang Rou was awake.
"Xiao Rou, you're awake? How do you feel? Are you still uncomfortable?" Lin Yue's voice was slightly hurried with concern.
"I feel so tired, my body is weak, and I'm a bit hungry," Jiang Rou replied weakly, but her eyes were filled with joy.
Lin Yue pressed the call button for a nurse to bring breakfast to the room. Before long, a neatly uniformed nurse pushed a food cart into the room. The cart was laden with exquisite millet porridge, milk, a fruit platter, sandwiches, and soup noodles, each presented in beautiful porcelain dishes.
"What would you like to eat, Miss Jiang?" the nurse asked respectfully.
"What do you want? Millet porridge, milk, or soup noodles? If you don't want any of those, we can change it," Lin Yue asked, her eyes full of concern.
Jiang Rou pointed to the millet porridge, and Lin Yue took it from the nurse. She gently blew on it before bringing it to Jiang Rou's lips.
"Lin Yue," Jiang Rou said weakly, "thank you."
Lin Yue wiped away a drop of porridge from the corner of her mouth with a napkin and smiled. "Don't say silly things; taking care of you is what I should do."
Jiang Rou lowered her head as tears dripped onto the blanket. "Lin Yue, I'm sorry. I know I lost my temper with you last night."
"Xiao Rou..." Lin Yue quickly set down the bowl and wiped Jiang Rou's tears away.
Jiang Rou spoke with a pleading tone, "Promise me you won't leave me no matter what."
Lin Yue gazed into Jiang Rou's reddened eyes and recalled their more than twenty years together—the laughter, tears, reliance, and companionship; the shared secrets and promises; the understanding that only they had for each other.
Finally, she nodded gently. "I promise you."
Only then did Jiang Rou relax; she leaned forward and nestled into Lin Yue's embrace, displaying an expression of peace.
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