Visiting

Huahua and Xiaolin worked efficiently.

Huahua was mainly responsible for Si You's meals and daily needs, while Xiaolin kept an eye on the internet and coordinated with the PR team. Xiaolin spent the entire afternoon sitting in a chair, tapping away on her phone until it died twice.

Si You observed quietly. Once Xiaolin finally let out a breath of relief, he asked, "What's the situation now?"

"Just focus on resting," Xiaolin said. "The online narrative has been brought under control. It's favorable to you."

"Okay." Si You had just taken his medicine, and a hint of drowsiness showed on his face.

Seeing this, Huahua hurriedly said softly, "Want to sleep for a while?"

"Mm." Si You did not let Huahua help him and lay down by himself. "You two should rest too. Go eat."

Xiaolin put away the charging cable and left with Huahua.

After closing the door, Huahua suddenly stopped and took several deep breaths with her mouth slightly open.

Xiaolin found it amusing. "What are you nervous about?"

"Isn't it normal to be nervous at a new job?" Huahua chatted familiarly with Xiaolin. "I thought Si You would be difficult to deal with, but he's so easygoing! Did you see that just now? I was busy organizing his clothes, and he got up to pour himself water."

Xiaolin glanced at Huahua without saying anything. In truth, Si You was not the first artist Huahua had worked with. Before this, she had followed a female artist with a terrible temper who was absurdly demanding. She practically wanted Huahua to wipe her ass after using the bathroom. If Huahua was even a little slow, the woman would start verbally abusing her, humiliating her terribly. She had made Huahua cry from anger several times. Yuan Fei could not stand it anymore and transferred her away. Then he assigned her to Si You. Huahua had been uneasy, afraid she had escaped the tiger's den only to enter a wolf's lair, but Si You really was... easy to get along with.

"And he's so handsome!" Huahua whimpered quietly. "His face is pale, and he always smiles so casually. He'd be perfect for editing clips! Who's fallen for him? Me! Ah!"

Xiaolin lightly smacked Huahua. "You've only known him for a few days. Don't get carried away."

Si You slept fitfully, the ringing in his ears coming and going. In the dimness, he slowly opened his eyes and turned to check the time. He had slept for over forty minutes.

Si You was a tough man. He did not dare show it around others, but he was actually feeling rather unwell, especially in his chest, where it felt as though sharp thorns were bouncing up and down beneath his flesh.

Si You struggled upright and reached for the drawer in the bedside table to his right. The doctor had prescribed some painkillers, and he had seen Huahua put them there.

Si You had no idea when the door had opened. The ringing in his ears had started up again.

He pinched out the bag of painkillers with one hand, deftly opened it with his fingertips, and pressed out one pill. After thinking it over, he pressed out another, intending to take two at once and make things easier. But before that guilty hand could leave the medicine bag, someone gently grasped his wrist.

Si You jumped in fright. He abruptly looked up, and after seeing the familiar face, he froze for a moment before breaking into a violent coughing fit.

Jiang Tingxu hurriedly helped him sit upright, frowning. "Did I scare you? I thought you knew I was here."

Si You took the opportunity to grab his arm and use it to pull himself up a little higher. Panting, he said, "I know now."

Jiang Tingxu swept his gaze around the room. Perhaps it was the lighting, but his expression looked particularly dark. "You're here alone?"

"No." Si You explained, "Brother Yuan arranged two assistants for me. They watched over me all afternoon, and it was a little uncomfortable. It's almost dinner, so I told them to take a break."

Jiang Tingxu nodded lightly. "Then what are you having for dinner?"

"I don't want to eat." Si You's face was pale as he gave Jiang Tingxu a helpless smile. "It's nothing but plain congee. I can't stomach it anymore."

"Then what do you want to eat?"

"Spicy crayfish."

Jiang Tingxu lifted his eyelids. "You're injured. Don't make me hit someone."

Sister Chen had been standing at the door for half a minute and had heard every word of that exchange. She knocked gently.

Jiang Tingxu turned back. "Come in, Sister Chen."

Sister Chen clearly saw the trust and unrestrained ease on Si You's face gradually fade, replaced by a faint distance and wariness.

In that brief exchange, relying on her many years of experience, Sister Chen sensed that something was off.

Jiang Tingxu had insisted on coming to the hospital. Checking on a partner from a variety show could be justified, but Sister Chen knew Jiang Tingxu too well. He was someone with clear boundaries around others and never offered care or affection without reason. He was cool and detached by nature. After all these years in the industry, he only had a handful of friends. Yet when Si You got into trouble, Jiang Tingxu had gone with the search-and-rescue team. Afterward, he had carried him out, causing a massive uproar. Now, disregarding the online public opinion, he had come to visit him at the hospital despite the risk of being photographed by paparazzi.

A few days of knowing each other should not have led to this, Sister Chen thought, but Jiang Tingxu's attitude said a great deal.

"This is my manager. You can call her Sister Chen," Jiang Tingxu said.

Sister Chen was in her early thirties, a classic strong career woman. She wore a sharp, professional pencil skirt, and her high heels were at least ten centimeters tall. Her features were clean-cut, but she had plenty of presence.

"Hello, Sister Chen," Si You said.

Sister Chen gave him a businesslike smile. "Hello."

Sister Chen carried a wooden lunch box bearing the logo of an upscale restaurant.

"Preserved egg and lean pork congee. Want some?" Jiang Tingxu asked.

Si You said, "Yes!"

After he had taken only two bites, a nurse came in to make rounds. Seeing the congee Si You was eating, she did not say much. Everyone working at a private hospital had signed confidentiality agreements, so no one made a fuss no matter whom they saw.

Jiang Tingxu picked up the medicine bag on the table. "What medicine is in here?"

Si You guiltily raised his eyes.

The nurse said, "Oh, painkillers. I remember you took some at noon and this afternoon. You can't take any more."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Tingxu cast Si You a dark look.

Sister Chen: "..." Something was not right!

As soon as the nurse left, Jiang Tingxu was about to say something when the door opened again.

This time, Yuan Fei personally led someone in, as though some important figure was following behind him.

The Xue Household had a daughter, Xue Boyu's cousin. After Xue Boyu's uncle passed away, Xue Boyu's father brought her home to raise as his own daughter. Her name was Xue Ling, and she doted on Xue Boyu. She had been in Country B negotiating business when she heard that her younger brother had been injured and immediately flew back. From checking on his condition to holding the production team accountable, she had been busy for quite some time. Only now did she finally have the chance to visit her younger brother's savior.

Xue Ling had originally planned to settle the matter by offering some resources or money, but when Xue Boyu woke up, he praised Si You to the skies in front of her. Xue Ling understood.

After receiving the news, Yuan Fei had personally gone to pick her up, thinking that Si You's luck had truly turned around. Then he turned his head and discovered two more people in the room.

The moment Yuan Fei saw Sister Chen, the two rolled their eyes in perfect unison.

Yuan Fei and Sister Chen had once worked at the same management company. Their relationship had been one of intense competition.

When Yuan Fei saw Jiang Tingxu, he stumbled.

Why was Best Actor Jiang here?!

Xue Ling also saw Jiang Tingxu and raised her brows slightly. She had crossed paths with him before, but not because of endorsements or anything like that. It was fine for Jiang Tingxu to be in the entertainment industry now, but he would still have to take over the Jiang Household in the future. Did people think Jiang Tingxu only knew how to act? Wrong. Jiang Tingxu's Best Actor halo had made many people forget that he had graduated from A University as the top student in both economics and financial management. This man had been born as though he had cheats enabled.

Xue Ling greeted Jiang Tingxu first. "Long time no see."

Jiang Tingxu said, "Mm."

Everyone: "..."

Xue Ling wore black pants and a black suit, with chestnut-colored waves cascading over her shoulders. Her features were exquisite, her lips a blazing red, and her presence far outstripped Sister Chen's.

She was proud and sexy, always lifting her chin slightly like a queen. Xue Ling looked at Si You, though her tone was somewhat gentle. "Thank you for saving my younger brother."

Si You shook his head. "I still couldn't hold on to him."

"No," Xue Ling said. "My brother told me that if you hadn't shielded him halfway through, he might have been crippled from the fall."

Si You smiled without commenting.

"This is my business card." Xue Ling handed it to Si You. "Call me if you ever need anything."

Yuan Fei blinked frantically, signaling Si You to accept it.

Si You accepted it with both hands. "Thank you, Miss Xue."

Xue Ling had assistants and bodyguards behind her. They came in and out one after another, filling a corner of the hospital room with fruit baskets and nutritional supplements.

Si You discreetly pressed a hand to his chest. Then a shadow loomed over him as Jiang Tingxu pressed the call button beside the bed.

Everyone: "..."

The doctor and nurses arrived quickly. With these three groups standing together, the spacious hospital room suddenly felt cramped.

The doctor stepped forward. "Where are you feeling unwell?"

Jiang Tingxu said, "He can't take painkillers. Is there any stronger medication?"

The doctor looked at Jiang Tingxu, then at Si You. "Hm?"

"Isn't it a problem that his chest has been hurting all this time?"

Everyone: "..." How did you know that?

Si You's heart sped up a little. He had thought he had hidden it well.

The doctor asked Si You, "Does it hurt badly?"

Si You first met Jiang Tingxu's gentle eyes, and the words of weakness slipped out before he could stop them. "Yes. It mainly affects my sleep. I can't catch my breath lying flat, and I can't sleep for long."

Jiang Tingxu frowned.

The doctor understood. "All right. Prop yourself up higher tonight, and get another CT scan tomorrow. Your physical readings are normal, though. As for the painkillers... take another one before bed tonight."

"Okay," Si You said.

Seeing this gathering, the doctor did not linger.

Si You wanted to talk to Jiang Tingxu, but Xue Ling and the others were not leaving...

Jiang Tingxu asked, "What is it?"

Everyone: "..." How did you know?!

"Is the show gone?" Si You thought about it and decided it was not a secret, so he asked directly.

"It needs to be rectified," Jiang Tingxu said. "Either way, you and Boyu can both get some proper rest now."

"Mm," Si You replied.

Jiang Tingxu said, "Get better soon. I'll take you to audition."

Si You said, "Hm?"

Everyone: "???"

"The Sixth Prince, Yun Si," Jiang Tingxu reminded him.

Si You's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"I'll speak to the director, but you only get one chance," Jiang Tingxu said.

"No problem!" Si You said.

Seeing him suddenly so spirited and without the slightest trace of timidity, Jiang Tingxu knew he had made the right choice.

In fact, the director had recommended someone for Yun Si and even held an audition, but Jiang Tingxu had not been impressed. With Si You's performance that night as the standard, the other actor's emotions had seemed superficial.

Yuan Fei's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "An... audition?"

Jiang Tingxu said, "Focus on recovering. I'll be leaving first."

Si You looked up at him. "Mm."

The young man's eyes were clear, but in that instant, they seemed to carry a hook.

Si You's hidden trust in Jiang Tingxu was something he might not even have noticed himself.

Jiang Tingxu rubbed his fingertips together, wanting to ruffle Si You's hair. But with so many people around, he held back.

Xue Ling left with Jiang Tingxu.

The moment the door closed, Yuan Fei strode to the bedside in two steps. "What audition?!"

"Journey?" Si You said. "I don't know whether they'll change the title. I'll only know for sure after I go try out. Brother Yuan, keep it secret."

Yuan Fei said, "...Are you the manager, or am I the manager? Do you think I wouldn't understand the implications here?!"

Si You: "..."