Chapter 44

After getting the medicine, Jiang Lai returned once more to the woman’s door.

Ding.

The crisp sound stood out all the more in the quiet room.

It was dark inside; the woman hadn’t turned on the light.

Holding her breath, Jiang Lai closed the door, and with it, the last sliver of light vanished too.

She carefully took a step forward when something under her foot was suddenly kicked aside, clattering loudly. A burst of pain shot through her.

“I—”

The urge to curse rose to her lips, but she swallowed it back and let out a muffled groan instead. The dull ache in her ankle reminded her that she must have hit it hard.

Naturally, the noise woke the person in bed. The woman stirred, then sat up. “Who’s there?”

Jiang Lai hurriedly waved a hand to reassure her. “Aunt Cheng, it’s me. No one else.”

The curtains weren’t fully drawn; through the narrow gap, Jiang Lai seemed to catch the woman’s shoulders relaxing, though she couldn’t make out her expression.

“What happened just now?”

The woman still sounded a little groggy, her voice faint with fatigue.

“Nothing. I just accidentally kicked something.”

Jiang Lai lowered her voice. “I ran into Xiaoman in the hallway just now, and she said your stomach was bothering you. I happened to have medicine with me, so I thought I’d bring you some…”

“No need. You should go back and rest early. It’s already very late, and I’ve taken some painkillers.”

Jiang Lai bit her lip. Faced with the woman’s distant tone, all the words of concern she wanted to say suddenly caught in her throat.

She could only slowly place the medicine on the table. “Then I’ll leave it here. If you’re uncomfortable, remember to take it.”

“Mm.”

“Then you should rest early. I’ll—”

“Wait.”

The woman suddenly cut her off. “Did you just fall?”

“No, I just tripped over a chair leg. It’s nothing serious.”

The woman sat up. The room was too dark to see the girl’s expression clearly; only her outline was visible.

But she was certain Jiang Lai was lying to her.

“Turn on the light so I can take a look.”

As she spoke, she reached for the lamp by the bed.

“Aunt Cheng, really, there’s no need.”

Jiang Lai instinctively pressed down on the woman’s hand, then quickly let go. “I’ll head back first. You should sleep early.”

She turned around, but the movement came too suddenly and tugged at the injury. She couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath.

The woman’s gaze immediately dropped to her ankle, her tone turning anxious. “Did you bump your foot?”

Jiang Lai stubbornly shook her head.

“Turn on the light and let me look. Then I’ll be at ease.”

The bedside lamp clicked on.

Warm yellow light spilled through the room.

Only then did Jiang Lai see the woman’s pale face clearly. Even her lips had lost their color, and the pair of eyes that were usually always smiling now seemed veiled in fatigue.

The woman beckoned to her. “Come here.”

Jiang Lai lingered, unwilling to move.

“Come here.”

The woman called her again. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it left no room for refusal.

With no other choice, Jiang Lai slowly walked over and sat beside her.

“Roll up your pant leg. Let me see.”

Jiang Lai obediently did as she was told and rolled up her pant leg.

Her knee was red, and several patches of skin had been scraped raw.

“You’re already like this and you still said it was nothing.”

Cheng Shuyang couldn’t help sighing. She got out of bed, her steps unsteady, and fumbled for the first-aid kit.

Watching her slightly thin figure, Jiang Lai felt a sour ache rise in her chest. It hurt in waves.

“Aunt Cheng, were you in a bad mood today?”

The woman was bent over, taking out a cotton swab. Hearing the question, she didn’t know how to answer, so she could only fall silent.

How could she answer? Did she really have to tell the girl why she was angry? No, she absolutely couldn’t do that.

Seeing that the woman still ignored her, Jiang Lai called again, “Aunt Cheng…”

The end of her voice lifted slightly, soft and coaxing, with just a hint of grievance.

“You really talk a lot today.”

It sounded like a rebuke, but there was unmistakable indulgence underneath it.

Jiang Lai pouted and glanced toward the bedside table.

On it sat a glass of water that had long since gone cold, with the torn-open medicine wrapper lying lonely beside it.

Her gaze lingered on the glass of water, and something in her chest seemed to tighten.

“You took your medicine with cold water?”

She picked up the glass, and sure enough, it was icy cold.

The woman was lowering her head to apply the medicine to her. In a muffled voice, she answered, “I didn’t take it. I was lying to you just now.”

“Aunt Cheng…”

“Be quiet.”

Jiang Lai’s lips curved, and she couldn’t help leaning closer. “Then scold me a few more times.”

The woman’s hand paused midway through applying the medicine. She looked up at her. “You’re already how old, and you still want to be scolded?”

Though the words were stern, the seriousness from before had faded.

Jiang Lai picked at the bedsheet and didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t as though she could tell Aunt Cheng that being scolded by her felt really good…

Then Aunt Cheng would definitely think she was strange.

“All right. Fortunately, the injury isn’t too serious.”

After applying the medicine, the woman stood back up and tossed the trash into the bin.

“Go back and rest.”

Jiang Lai tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Wait for me a little.”

“What else are you up to?”

“Nothing. If you’re tired, just rest first. I’ll make something and bring it up to you in a bit.”

“No need—”

Jiang Lai leaned closer, smiling brightly. “I think you do need it.”

The woman’s brows furrowed. “Jiang Lai, I said no need.”

Jiang Lai didn’t say anything else. She just got up and headed downstairs, even thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind her.

The room fell quiet again. Sitting on the sofa, the woman looked at the medicine Jiang Lai had left behind and, as if under some spell, picked it up.

When Jiang Lai had forcefully stuffed it into her hand earlier, the medicine box was still warm, carrying the unique body heat of a young person; it was so much like Jiang Lai herself.

Passionate and dazzling, yet impossible not to like.

The print on the box was very clear; it was the same kind she had mentioned to Xiaoman.

The girl was in good health. The woman had never heard of her having a stomach problem, much less needing to carry medicine around.

So the answer was obvious. Jiang Lai had prepared this medicine especially for her.

She let out a soft sigh and put the box back in place, but her fingertips lingered over it, stroking the surface and refusing to leave for a long time. Complicated emotions swelled like seawater, rising and then quickly receding.

Just like the night outside; hidden beneath the darkness, unwilling to let anyone peer inside.

The guesthouse was very quiet. Jiang Lai was afraid of waking the others, so even when she went downstairs, she stepped carefully.

There was leftover food from dinner in the fridge. She glanced at it and immediately ruled it out.

Too oily, too heavy; no wonder Aunt Cheng hadn’t eaten much at night.

Thinking that, she closed the fridge and kept scanning the kitchen.

“Ah Lai?”

A man’s voice sounded behind her, making her jump. She turned around and saw Director Zhang standing neatly dressed at the foot of the stairs.

“Director Zhang? It’s so late. Are you heading out?”

“Mm, something came up.”

The man had a black backpack on his back. Hearing her, he nodded. “Mm. I’m going to pick someone up. What about you? Why aren’t you resting yet?”

She gave an awkward laugh and scratched the side of her nose. “I’m a little hungry, so I came down to find something to eat.”

The man took two steps down the stairs. “Young people really do have better constitutions. Still, eat less, or you’ll get indigestion and feel uncomfortable when you sleep.”

“I know.”

He reminded her carefully, “There’s oatmeal in the fridge. You can cook it with milk; it should be quick. But don’t drink too much, or you’ll definitely look puffy on camera tomorrow.”

She quickly agreed. “Got it. Please be careful on the road.”

The man’s back disappeared at the entrance. Standing where she was, Jiang Lai’s gossip-loving spirit flared to life, and she rested her chin in her hand to think.

“Who is Director Zhang going to pick up so late?”

Usually, the man was either on set or in the dormitory; he lived like an old man, so disciplined it was almost eerie. This was the first time she’d seen him go out to pick someone up so late. Looks like that person must be important.

The pot on the gas stove was making a sizzling sound.

“Oh no, my congee!”

Only then did Jiang Lai react. She didn’t have time to care about gossip anymore; she rushed over in a flurry to turn off the heat, but the congee had already boiled over and covered the stove.

With a mournful face, she looked at the ruined pot of congee with deep regret, but there was nothing she could do. She could only scoop the burnt mess into the trash.

“It’s all because I got so absorbed in thinking just now. Forget it, I’ll make another pot.”

Muttering to herself, she kept blaming her own distraction.

Not long after, she carried the white congee she had finally managed to make and returned to the woman’s room.

The door was half open, not fully closed. She pushed it gently. The woman was sitting on the sofa, reciting her lines.

Hearing the movement, the woman turned to look at her. “Why haven’t you gone to rest yet?”

Jiang Lai gave a couple of laughs and held the bowl out to her. “It’s not good for your health to take medicine on an empty stomach. I specially made some congee for you. Would you do me the honor of trying it?”

“Ah Lai, I already said there’s no need…”

Jiang Lai didn’t pull her hand back; she just held the bowl there.

The woman looked at the bowl in front of her, then at the girl.

After a moment, she reached out and took it. “Then I’ll trouble you.”

Jiang Lai blinked, a little deflated. “Why are you being so polite to me today? I don’t like it at all.”

Just as the woman had spooned up a mouthful of congee, she paused for a long moment after hearing the question.

The dim yellow light fell over the girl’s slightly disappointed face; the downturned corners of her eyes looked almost abandoned, and it softened the woman’s heart.

“No, you’re imagining things.”

The woman lowered her head and took a sip. The soft, glutinous aroma of rice, mixed with a faint sweetness, spread across her tongue.

“How is it? Is it good?”

Jiang Lai looked at her, almost unable to hide the anticipation in her eyes.

“Mm. It’s very good.”

The woman lowered her head and took another sip.

“I was worried you might not like it.”

Only then did Jiang Lai feel fully relieved. She stood up, poured out the cold water left in the glass on the table, then filled it with fresh warm water and handed it to the woman.

“Just right for taking your medicine.”

Warm water slid down her throat, carrying heat with it. She took the medicine box from the girl’s hand, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.

She didn’t know whether it was just her imagination, but she felt as though her stomach really did feel much better.

Jiang Lai poured out the remaining water, washed the cup carefully, and put it back where it had been. When she turned around, the woman was looking at her.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

The woman lowered her eyes, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow beneath them.

“Don’t think too much.”

Jiang Lai helped her to the bed. “You should get a good sleep first. I’ll stay here with you; if anything comes up, just call me.”

The desk lamp had been dimmed a little by the girl.

“Aunt Cheng.”

“What is it?”

Jiang Lai rested her chin in her hand, her eyes sparkling. “I’m very happy to have met you.”

The woman froze at that and looked at her.

The dim yellow light only outlined the girl’s features roughly, but her eyes were like shattered starlight, beautiful enough that one couldn’t look away.

She was silent for a long time before softly answering, “Me too.”