Chapter 42

Chu Ying’s brows knitted themselves tighter.

Su Yi wiped away the tears quickly and, in a normal voice, said, “Give me a moment, I’m not done filming for today.”

However, the man promptly refuted. “No.”

“The staff has worked hard to set up the scene, let’s not waste their efforts.” She raised her moist eyes, and said, “We’ll go back after this.”

As if on cue, the moment she’d finished speaking, a staff came over to knock on the door. “Yi-jie, uh … Director Li had me come over to ask if you’re done with your break.”

After Su Yi went out, Chu Ying was still standing there, narrowing his eyes at the pair on the sofa.

“What happened just now.”

Chu Xi shook her head quickly. “I was in the make-up room the whole time.”

Chu Ying raised an eyebrow and said unhappily, “What’s the point of having you around.”

Chu Xi: “???”

After the siblings finished greeting in the special way they did, Wu Xue went on to describe all that had happened and exactly as it had happened.

Chu Ying was silent, and after listening to the end, said flatly, “Done?”

Wu Xue had a strange feeling of reporting to a higher-up, she automatically replied. “Yes.”

Chu Ying nodded, then turned around and strode out of the make-up room.

“Why doesn’t your brother look mad at all?” Wu Xue mumbled. “Just now at the scene, I could’ve died of anger.”

Chu Xi was, on the other hand, tsking. “It’s been a long while since I saw my brother angry, it’s still this scary.”

“…”

Chu Ying walked to behind the camera, hands in his pocket, expression calm.

As he stood there he realized that regardless of whether Su Yi was sick, or crying, her voice hadn’t changed too much. She said her lines smoothly and naturally, her voice charming with an edge; the Qipao on her really brought out her beautiful curves.

Remembering the wonderful time he had with the beauty wrapped up in that fabric, Chu Ying’s eyes finally softened a little.

Halfway through, Wu Ke suddenly stopped.

A few seconds later, he broke into laughter and said, “I’m affected by what happened just now, I don’t think I can get into the character. Director Li, how about we push this filming to next time … or just delete the scene altogether? It doesn’t seem to be a particularly important part.”

What a joke! What level of seniority was he at – being reproached by Su Yi just now wasn’t something he could just ignore. He wanted to let Su Yi know, those before were just little lessons he was teaching. As long as he wanted to, he could cut her parts anytime he wished.

Su Yi’s mood had already improved by a huge half, so she stonily kept her silence. She took out the little booklet she kept in her heart for keeping track of grudges, and added a huge paragraph on this.

A lady bides her time and waits for the right opportunity to seek vengeance.

[A play on the standard ‘君子报仇，十年不晚’ which is more commonly known in English as ‘one should bide one’s time and wait for the right opportunity to seek vengeance’.]

At this moment she was ill disposed to deal with Wu Ke, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t in the future. The wheel of fortune turns and reverses; those who come out to mix will be repaid in spades.

A few days ago hadn’t she gotten her revenge on Lin Xia – of course, she hadn’t cleared that debt.

“How can this part be changed?” Before Li Min spoke, the middle-aged man sitting beside her spoke up first. “This part is for the plot, and it’s an important time to display Qiu Ji’s feelings when they first appear, it cannot be omitted! And it certainly cannot be changed!”

The middle-aged man was the scriptwriter. Before, the investors forcing in an extra character had already left him in a horrendous mood; after throwing more than half a month of a tantrum, he couldn’t help it today and ended up coming to the set.

He didn’t expect to run into something like this the moment he had arrived – in the past it was the investors that wanted to go against him, now even the actors want to go against him!

Wu Ke let out an ‘ah’, and put on a smile. “Why are you here?”

“That’s not the point.” The scriptwriter looked really displeased. “It’s time to talk about the show now.”

“If you say we can’t cut it, then of course we have to keep it.” Although Wu Ke was uncomfortable in the bottom of his heart, he kept his smile. “I’m just afraid that Su Yi cannot act it out properly, and would end up ruining what you originally intended.”

Su Yi let out a cold hng, and was about to say something before someone beat her to it.

“What’s wrong with Su Yi? I think she’s acting really well.” The scriptwriter was not like Li Min, he didn’t care about the primary and secondary relationships in the crew. He just said whatever that needed to be said. “It’s you, what are you even acting?! You can’t get into your role and then you want to cut her part, I don’t understand your professional etiquette, I do not accept your reasons!”

Li Min hurriedly pacified. “All right okay, let’s not argue, we’ll schedule this filming for another time.”

“No need.”

Chu Ying’s cold voice sounded.

It was only now that everybody realised behind the camera stood a man, wearing a black suit, and veiled by the shadows. Now that he had spoken up, his presence and aura stood out at once.

Upon seeing him Li Min paused too. She knew about Chu Ying’s and Su Yi’s relationship, and in her heart knew that this wouldn’t bode well. It looks like this can’t be turned into a small problem.

It’d become such a big thing on the news, that Wu Ke naturally would know at least a little about it. He started at first, but then calmed down immediately afterwards.

At the level he was, he wasn’t that easily shaken. The most he wouldn’t take any shows backed by the Chu Corporation; this industry was so huge the Chu Corporation wasn’t the only investors – the producers that wanted him were so many that he was spoilt for choice.

Here, his confidence came back.

Li Min tugged at the corner of her lips. “Director Chu, ah, you are here… you didn’t tell us beforehand. Little Liu, fetch Director Chu a chair.”

Chu Ying said, his expression unchanging, “We don’t need to reschedule, if it’s not filmed well we can just cut it.”

Everybody present stilled, only Su Yi was smiling.

She didn’t want to hear what they were discussing. It wasn’t a hallucination from being sick. This man really did come to find her.

Chu Ying watched her smile in that silly manner, and curved his lips up with her.

“Cut the male lead’s part, the scriptwriter can rewrite this scene and find a new way to develop the plot.”

His words threw everybody into a shock.

Li Min laughed drily. “How is it that I don’t understand …”

“Right!” The scriptwriter slapped his thigh. “I’ve always wanted to change this too, I was even hesitating when I was writing – was the male lead to discover Qiu Ji’s feelings, or the female lead? Either way it’s unrequited, wouldn’t it be more beautifully depressing if from the start to the end the male lead never knew about it?”

Li Min didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry. She had almost forgotten that every time the scriptwriter was talking about the emotions and feelings of the characters, he had very straightforwardly mentioned that his favourite character was Qiu Ji, the female supporting character.

No wonder he threw such a tantrum just now!

The outcome was certainly not what Wu Ke had expected either. Wait, they are going to axe my part?

“No …”

Even before he could even finish his words, Wu Ke was mercilessly cut off by the scriptwriter.

“We’ll just put it here first,” he said, hurriedly getting up. “Let me think about how to change it, you can film the male and female leads’ parts first, I’ll finish changing Qiu Ji’s part tonight and get it back to you latest by day after tomorrow.”

“… Sure.” Li Min said, with a smile, “It’s just nice that Su Yi’s taking a break tomorrow. Then I’ll wait for you.”

Seeing that it was decided, Su Yi didn’t say a single word more and hurriedly walked over to Chu Ying.

The man patted her head familiarly. “Let’s go back.”

…

Su Yi was unceremoniously shoved into the car with her bag.

When she was filming she didn’t feel it, but now that she sat down she felt that her head was feeling heavier; even her breathing was ragged. Although she was facing Chu Ying, her eyes were closed. It was hard to say if her cheeks were red from blushing or the fever.

Chu Ying reached out a hand and, using a finger, rubbed a few times.

Her eyelashes trembled. Eyes still closed, she slowly reached to open her bag and rummaged around. “Where are we going? The key card is in my bag.”

Chu Ying withdrew his hand and started the car. “We’re not going back to the hotel.”

Su Yi nodded. She didn’t ask where they were going, just let out a small ‘wu’.

The guy pursed his lips, and stepped harder on the gas.

Soon, Su Yi was helped down the car.

She leaned against Chu Ying, blearily opening her eyes. After seeing the building clearly, she mumbled. “Hospital?”

Chu Ying made a sound of agreement and closed the car door with a ‘bang’, then walked her in with his arms tightly around her waist.

He felt that he was holding a space heater. He chided himself for going soft on her and letting her film even for that little while that she had.

Su Yi said, “It’s just a little over 38 degree Celsius, it’ll get better if I just take a bit of medication, there’s no need to come to the hospital … you smell so good, it’s my body wash.”

Her words were unrelated, Chu Ying simply quickened his pace in response. He had already called ahead and informed the friend he had in the hospital, thus skipping the time he needed to spend in the queue.

In the examination room, upon seeing them enter, the doctor got up at once.

“Is it serious?”

“Yeah,” Chu Ying said. “It’s a fever.”

The chief doctor said, “… you specially had me take some time out for a fever?”

Chu Ying’s eyebrow quirked. “A fever is not serious?”

“Serious, serious.” He had known Chu Ying for so long, but this was the first time the other had called him, he had thought it was some emergency.

He took out a thermometer, and checked Su Yi. “39.3, it is pretty serious.”

“We’re not doing an injection first.” Chu Ying made his stance clear.

“Yeah, I don’t recommend it either, I’ll prescribe something – does she get ill often?”

Chu Ying remembered that when she opened her bag just now, it was filled to the brim with meds. “Yeah, often.”

Su Yi said softly, “Not very often …”

“How about we analyze her blood?” As he finished speaking he picked up his pen and started writing down a prescription, taking a new single-use face mask with his other hand while he was at it. “She’s a public figure, you didn’t just bring her in like that, did you? Just put that on first, it’ll help keep infections away at least.”

At his concluding words, Su Yi reached over and took it. After putting it on, with her voice muffled by the face mask, she said, “Thank you doctor.”

After prescribing, the doctor said smilingly, “My wife really likes you, could I trouble you for an autograph?”

Chu Ying side-eyed him and was just about to refuse when Su Yi took over the pen and wrote down a name carefully.

Chu Ying: “…”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The chief doctor’s lips twitched. “It’s really quite serious, hurry up and go get your meds.”

With a smile, Chu Ying picked up the prescription and prepared to leave. When he reached the door, he stopped and asked, “How’s Hui-zi’s wife doing?”

“We have found a suitable match for her bone marrow, we’ll do the surgery in a while.”

Chu Ying nodded. “Help take care.”

“Relax, I know, we’re all friends.”

After finishing everything, Chu Ying sat on the long bench in the hospital, picking out the medicine one by one and putting them in Su Yi’s palm.

“Eat your meds.”

Su Yi obediently ate everything in one gulp.

“Oh yeah, why are you here? Didn’t you say something was on tomorrow?”

Her reaction time was shockingly long.

“Yeah.” Chu Ying poured her another cup of warm water. “That thing is called Su Yi.”

At those words, Su Yi felt that her body temperature might have risen a few degrees more.

edited by larkspur!

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