Chapter 91

Kong Xiyan lay in the hospital bed, mulling it over for a long time, but she still couldn't figure out why Chi Xuan's attitude had changed so drastically.

Just moments ago, the girl had been glaring at her with fury, and the next, she was respectfully calling her "sister-in-law"?

No matter how she looked at it, it was abnormal.

Strangely, one of the two people at the center of it all had returned and, without a word, fed her dinner and helped her wash up before falling asleep on the sofa.

At this moment, she was sleeping soundly.

Kong Xiyan stared at Chi Wanzhao's delicate figure, curled up on the sofa, but got no reaction.

Instead, she ended up feeling sleepy herself.

The ward was completely silent, broken only by the sound of their faint breathing. Moonlight streamed in through the window. It had snowed during the day, making the light especially bright. Kong Xiyan let her gaze drift to the windowsill and, before long, sank into a deep sleep.

The next day, she was awakened by her phone.

In a daze, the ringtone kept playing. Without even opening her eyes, she saw a shadow standing in front of her, and then the phone was pressed against her ear.

"Xiyan, are you okay?"

It was Tong Yue's voice.

Kong Xiyan opened her eyes, thinking she might still be asleep, then saw Chi Wanzhao standing beside her, holding the phone up for her. She took it and said, "Sister Tong."

Tong Yue sighed in relief. "Are you in the hospital? How are you now? Why didn't you tell me?"

The barrage of questions left Kong Xiyan, who had just woken up, feeling bewildered. She asked weakly, "Sister Tong, how did you know I was in the hospital?"

Tong Yue frowned. "Haven't you checked Weibo?"

Kong Xiyan: ...

She really hadn't checked Weibo.

During her years in the countryside, she'd broken the habit of playing with her phone. Even after returning to City B, it hadn't come back. The only time she'd scrolled through Weibo recently was to check her own matters; she rarely held her phone for anything else.

When Tong Yue saw that Kong Xiyan wasn't speaking, she had to say, "I'll be at the hospital soon."

"Tell me your room number."

Kong Xiyan hung up and sent the room number to Tong Yue, then logged onto Weibo.

Logically, news of her hospitalization shouldn't have leaked.

This was a private hospital, and she was in a private room; there was no possibility of a privacy breach. Otherwise, the hospital would have been swarming with paparazzi yesterday.

But now, there was news on Weibo that she'd been admitted.

Kong Xiyan clicked on the trending topic, puzzled.

The cause turned out to be a fan who had posted a photo online, tagging Kong Xiyan's official fan account, and asking if something had happened to her.

The photo was of her just arriving at the hospital, an unclear shot of her profile.

There was only one photo; after that, she'd been rushed inside.

Initially, it was just a caring message from a fan, but unexpectedly, it set off a chain reaction, and the internet quickly became abuzz.

Fortunately, her fan had blurred out the other people and objects in the photo, so the paparazzi hadn't been able to locate the hospital quickly, nor had they come to bother her.

Up until this morning, there had been no response online about her hospitalization. Netizens let their imaginations run wild, giving full play to their gossip mentality. Looking at their guesses, Kong Xiyan found it both laughable and ridiculous.

Chi Wanzhao saw her lying in bed with the phone, a helpless expression on her face, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kong Xiyan shook her head. "Nothing."

Chi Wanzhao asked, "Is your head feeling better?"

Kong Xiyan touched the back of her head. "Much better."

It didn't hurt as much as yesterday. Remembering that Tong Yue would be arriving soon, she got out of bed to wash up in the bathroom. When she came out, she found another person in the room.

Zhou Sheng stood off to the side and greeted, "Good morning, ma'am."

Kong Xiyan nodded. "Morning. Why are you here?"

Chi Wanzhao said, "I asked Zhou Sheng to come. Let's have breakfast first; then Zhou Sheng and I will head back to the apartment."

Kong Xiyan understood.

Chi Wanzhao helped her sit back on the bed, propping a pillow behind her. Zhou Sheng, reading the situation, handed over a small bowl of congee. As Chi Wanzhao took it, she gave him a cold glance. Zhou Sheng said, "CEO Chi, I'll wait outside."

After greeting Kong Xiyan, he opened the door and went out.

Chi Wanzhao, expression unchanged, began feeding Kong Xiyan the congee.

Her movements were incredibly practiced.

As if she had been serving her for a long time.

A little embarrassed, Kong Xiyan took a sip and said, "I can do it myself."

Chi Wanzhao refused her request, frowning lightly. "It's fine."

Then she asked, "Who was on the phone just now?"

Kong Xiyan glanced away. "It was Sister Tong."

"There's news on Weibo—about me being admitted to the hospital."

Chi Wanzhao gave a noncommittal hum.

Kong Xiyan looked at her reaction and asked, "You knew?"

Chi Wanzhao said, "Zhou Sheng told me just now."

Kong Xiyan nodded.

After feeding her one bowl of congee, Chi Wanzhao noticed her worried look and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Kong Xiyan lifted her eyes. "I'm thinking about what excuse to use this time."

She couldn't just tell people she'd gotten into a quarrel with someone.

As she cleared away the items on the tea table, Chi Wanzhao said, "Didn't you sign on for 'Dawn'? Filming starts after the New Year."

Kong Xiyan looked at Chi Wanzhao, a flash of insight hitting her. "You mean...?"

Chi Wanzhao nodded. "Since it happened, we should make the most of it. What do you think?"

Kong Xiyan fixed her gaze on her profile and pressed her lips together. "You truly are a merciless businesswoman."

After tidying up, Chi Wanzhao walked over and sat on the edge of Kong Xiyan's hospital bed, moving closer to her, and said softly, "Is that a compliment?"

She looked at Kong Xiyan's lips; sunlight filtered in, making her lips look pink and tender.

Kong Xiyan didn't notice her gaze and lifted the corners of her mouth. "I suppose."

Chi Wanzhao smiled at that, pressed her lips against Kong Xiyan's, and lightly nibbled on her lower lip with her tongue. Kong Xiyan's face immediately flushed bright red.

She tried to push Chi Wanzhao away, but Chi Wanzhao took hold of her hands, pulled them to her chest, and pressed them against her heart as it beat.

The kiss ended.

Chi Wanzhao pulled back slightly and said softly, "Next time you compliment me, remember to include a reward."

Kong Xiyan: ...

She shot Chi Wanzhao a reproachful glare but didn't respond. Her lips tingled, and she knew without checking a mirror that her face was undoubtedly burning red.

Chi Wanzhao didn't linger long. After some more teasing, she left. Not long after, Tong Yue arrived.

And she wasn't alone.

Behind her came—Gu Ling?

Kong Xiyan was taken aback at the sight of Gu Ling, and only after a moment said, "Why are you here?"

Gu Ling gracefully sat on the edge of her bed and said with a smile, "What, am I not welcome?"

Kong Xiyan gave her a curious look.

It wasn't a question of whether she was welcome or not.

The issue was that they hadn't reached the point of private visits and friendly intimacy.

Tong Yue, seeing her confusion, explained, "Yesterday, when I went to negotiate the contract with Director Lin's assistant, I ran into Miss Gu. As it happens, she was there too."

Kong Xiyan nodded and asked, "You also took a role in 'Dawn'?"

Gu Ling hummed in acknowledgment. "Playing a college student."

She clearly didn't want to dwell on the topic. She dropped her smile and asked, "So, are you feeling better? What exactly happened?"

Somewhat sheepish, Kong Xiyan said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."

She looked much better than yesterday, with more color in her face. Apart from the white gauze wrapped around her head, she really didn't seem badly off. Tong Yue let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you're okay. I'll go check with your attending physician first."

Kong Xiyan said, "Alright."

Tong Yue clicked her high heels as she left the room.

Hearing the door close, Gu Ling turned to look at Kong Xiyan, scanning around and asking, "Is there no one here to take care of you?"

Then she remembered that Kong Xiyan's parents had passed away long ago.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gu Ling noticed Kong Xiyan's expression shift slightly, and she quickly changed the subject. "Do you need me to take care of you?"

Kong Xiyan smiled wryly. "Aren't you busy?"

Gu Ling shrugged. "Busy with what? Not busy at all."

The disbanding of 'Breaking the Cocoon' because of Xiao Cheng had still affected them. Recently, there had been far fewer job offers, which was why Gu Ling had time to spare.

When Kong Xiyan heard her mention Xiao Cheng, she seemed to ask casually, "How is he doing now?"

Gu Ling shook her head. "Not well."

Before Kong Xiyan could ask, she continued, "After his scandal broke a while back, he also got tangled up with an underage fan."

"Did you know about that?"

Kong Xiyan nodded.

That, she did know.

She just hadn't expected there to be more to it.

Seeing her nod, Gu Ling said, "The girl's family background isn't ordinary."

"So Xiao Cheng..."

Kong Xiyan gave an understanding hum.

So it wasn't just that Xiao Cheng would be blacklisted; it was probably more than that.

No one could escape the consequences of their own misdeeds.

With that topic closed, Gu Ling noticed the atmosphere was off and raised an eyebrow. "So, how about it? Will you consider my suggestion? Want me to come take care of you?"

Kong Xiyan smiled. "No need."

Gu Ling flicked her long hair. "Anyway, I don't have anything to do recently. Didn't your little assistant go back? With no one by your side, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"It's fine, I have..."

Before she could finish, there was a knock at the door, followed by Wang Haining's voice calling, "Xiyan."

Kong Xiyan said, "Come in."

Wang Haining pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing not Chi Wanzhao but another woman sitting in the room, Wang Haining paused for a moment but said nothing, quickly regaining her composure.

Kong Xiyan introduced the two of them.

Gu Ling's gaze swept over Wang Haining for a long moment before she casually looked away.

Wang Haining had brought some nourishing soup. She set it on the tea table and had just exchanged a few words with Kong Xiyan when the door opened again. This time, it was Tong Yue who came in.

Tong Yue glanced at Kong Xiyan, her eyes seeming to say something. Kong Xiyan, catching on, immediately said, "Haining, could you wash some fruit for me?"

Wang Haining nodded, looked at Kong Xiyan, and smiled. "Of course."

With that, she picked up the fruit bowl and was about to head out when Tong Yue raised her eyes and said to Gu Ling, "Miss Gu, why don't you go help as well?"

Gu Ling hummed in agreement and followed Wang Haining out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Only then did Tong Yue speak. "Your hospitalization was too sudden this time. I've prepared several draft statements. See which one you'd like to choose?"

As she spoke, she took out her phone. Kong Xiyan smiled. "Sister Tong, aren't we starting filming 'Dawn' after the New Year?"

"How about we release the news now?"

Tong Yue was stunned for a few seconds before meeting Kong Xiyan's clear eyes. Comprehension dawned on her. "That's a great idea. Xiyan, why didn't I realize you were this clever before?"

Kong Xiyan: ...

It was clearly a compliment.

But somehow, it didn't sound quite right to her.