Chapter 19: Not Even a Single Glance

Filming was temporarily suspended, and both the guests and the production crew were stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Ji Wushan was carried away by Xue Erbai, while Yi Fan was still sitting on the ground. She had always looked a little meek and sweet, and now that her eyes were brimming with tears, she seemed even more restrained and pitiful.

As an outdoor show, there was naturally a traveling doctor on standby. Even so, with two people injured, most of the attention was still on Yi Fan.

Aside from Xue Erbai, only Zhong Dai and Fu Lingnan followed. Cong Yuan trailed behind as well, and Lv Wan even pulled her aside for a few quick instructions before letting her keep up more closely.

After all, Ji Wushan was from the station; she was one of their own. Right now, calming Yi Fan down was more important.

A handful of fans had gathered by the shore, and when they saw what was happening, they all rushed over.

Lv Wan simply couldn’t keep up with Ji Wushan.

But Xue Erbai had already forgotten all that. She knew someone was behind her, but both her body and her mind were focused entirely on Ji Wushan.

Even though her breathing was a little uneven, she still held her very tightly.

She even began to regret not having the accompanying doctor stay right beside them. Could the temporary infirmary the production team had set up really make sure Ji Wushan was all right?

She was worrying too much. Ji Wushan had only just recovered!

The more Xue Erbai thought about it, the tenser her expression became. Held in her arms, Ji Wushan could clearly see that tight look and feel the tension rolling off her as well.

The arm around her neck tightened slightly.

Hot. Burning.

Like sunlight; like Xue Erbai’s urgency.

"You... put me down."

"It’s not that serious. I can walk."

Ji Wushan explained softly.

Beyond Xue Erbai’s anxiety and impatience, she could also feel other gazes on them; some were appraising, while others seemed to have already drawn conclusions.

Xue Erbai stopped and took a breath, then looked at Ji Wushan in disbelief.

Honestly, she hadn’t even seen it clearly. All she remembered was Ji Wushan falling, and her own heart lurching in response before she carried her away.

By now, they were dozens of meters from the infirmary.

She really didn’t want to let go.

But since Ji Wushan had said so, and after hearing her ask, she still nodded and set her down in the end.

Even so, she didn’t fully withdraw her hand. She kept one arm around her and slowly walked forward with her.

As it turned out, she had worried for nothing.

The bruises and scrapes weren’t serious. Ji Wushan only needed to rest for two days.

Xue Erbai gradually relaxed.

But then her gaze moved behind them. Zhong Dai and Cong Yuan were following closely, and so was Fu Lingnan.

If she and Ji Wushan were staying in the same room, then over these two days of rest, would Fu Lingnan be the one taking care of Ji Wushan?

Her gaze warmed a little. Fu Lingnan, who had originally been watching Ji Wushan, couldn’t help looking back.

Their eyes met, and Xue Erbai was the first to look away.

After all, she and Ji Wushan were secretly married. No one knew.

Not even Zhong Dai, whom she had just reunited with, knew that she and Ji Wushan were married.

It was hard to say.

Hard to explain.

Even wanting to care for Ji Wushan had to be done very carefully.

After the doctor finished treating Ji Wushan’s wounds, Yi Fan was also helped into the infirmary by Deng Lu, Chang Zichen, and her assistant.

Unlike Ji Wushan’s composure, Yi Fan had clearly cried. When she saw Ji Wushan, she still spoke in a choked voice: "Sister Ji, I’m sorry. Just now, I..."

Xue Erbai hadn’t seen the whole thing clearly, but she knew one thing: the first person to lose her footing and stray out of line had been Yi Fan.

Ji Wushan wasn’t the type to charge ahead so recklessly.

But there was also the possibility that her heart was biased.

Biased toward Ji Wushan, to the point that after one accident, she couldn’t look at anyone else without finding them irritating.

A shadow crossed her eyes. Zhong Dai moved closer and said quietly, "Keep it in check."

At the same time, Ji Wushan’s calm voice rang out: "No need to apologize. It was only a game; I bumped into you too."

"I know."

"I know."

Xue Erbai said it twice, once to Zhong Dai and once to herself.

She still hadn’t figured out how to take care of Ji Wushan, and she didn’t have much patience for anything else.

Being petty was her own problem, but this really had just been an accident.

An accident no one had wanted.

"Back to the room to rest?"

Xue Erbai swallowed the ache in her chest and asked Ji Wushan in a low voice. Ji Wushan showed no expression, as if the injured one weren’t her at all. She nodded and stood up.

Xue Erbai reached out to support her, and Fu Lingnan did the same.

Ji Wushan paused, lightly catching Xue Erbai’s wrist with one hand while taking Fu Lingnan’s hand with the other.

The two different pressures were easy to feel. Xue Erbai’s hand fell away a little listlessly.

She followed behind them in silence.

The rest of the day was free, but Xue Erbai stayed heavyhearted until she saw

#Ji Wushan injured Yi Fan#

#Yi Fan issues clarification#

After checking the trending searches, she immediately came back to life.

She lay on the bed and watched the whole thing unfold.

The story was simple. Yi Fan had picked up some buzz, though not much; still, it was better than nothing.

First, someone leaked photos from the scene, and then rumors spread that Ji Wushan had injured Yi Fan; that was the first trending topic Xue Erbai saw.

After that, Yi Fan issued a clarification, saying she had apologized because it had been her own fault and that she was the one who had bumped into and injured Ji Wushan.

They were candid shots taken during a game, and with several people on the beach, the positions were messy; at a glance, it was impossible to tell what had happened.

So even after Yi Fan clarified and apologized, the comments still overwhelmingly leaned one way.

Pity for the baby, pity for the sister, pity for...

In any case, no one was pitying Ji Wushan.

That, however, nearly worried Xue Erbai to death.

"Don’t worry so much."

Zhong Dai had been quietly keeping her company, but when she saw Xue Erbai’s expression darken, she could only pat her gently in comfort. As an old internet friend, even though they had just met in person, she still understood Xue Erbai to some extent.

Xue Erbai didn’t show it, but she could grind herself down inside.

Xue Erbai turned to look at her, nodded, then shook her head.

How could she not worry?

After thinking it over, Xue Erbai made a trip to Wonderful House.

This was one of the businesses she ran, and everything inside came from her own family’s supply; she had prepared a lot in advance.

She couldn’t show up empty-handed, so she prepared snacks, as well as Ji Wushan’s favorite blueberry egg tarts.

It was a pity they weren’t freshly made.

Still, fortunately, the staff at Wonderful House were there. She quietly asked someone to buy fresh blueberries and other fruit, as well as fresh pork trotters.

-

Because of the accident, filming was suspended, and Xue Erbai spent the entire afternoon shut away in the kitchen.

Following the tutorial, she simmered the pork trotter soup until the meat was so tender it fell off the bone, the broth milky white and rich-looking; Zhong Dai occasionally came by to check on her.

"You really don’t need help?"

"No. I want to make it for her myself."

After the two of them met in person, they basically brought each other up to speed on the situation. Xue Erbai’s concern for Ji Wushan—how could anyone with eyes not see what that meant?

What’s more, Zhong Dai was the person she had been using as a sounding board for all those years.

She knew perfectly well.

"Then I’ll wash the fruit for you."

"Okay, thanks, Xiaopu!"

Zhong Dai: "..."

A little speechless, but no one on the show knew that nickname, let alone what it meant.

Whatever.

Besides, running into Xue Erbai in person had been a surprise; she was happy.

It was just that she hadn’t had time to be happy before something unpleasant happened.

And then, even more unpleasant things.

When she finished washing the fruit and set it on the platter, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Fu Lingnan came downstairs in a red long dress. When she saw the two of them, she stopped.

"You’re busy?"

"I have something to handle and need to leave. I won’t be back until tomorrow night, so Ji Wushan’s in your care."

Fu Lingnan’s words landed heavily, and her gaze was mostly on Xue Erbai.

Xue Erbai’s eyes lit up.

The gloom of the past few days faded quite a bit. It seemed that carrying Ji Wushan from the beach to the infirmary had made some impression. She curved her lips slightly and nodded again and again. "Okay, Lingnan-jie."

"May everything go smoothly~"

"May everything go smoothly..."

The second line was said by Zhong Dai.

Although Fu Lingnan also waved before leaving, she didn’t give her a chance to finish the sentence, and Zhong Dai couldn’t help pouting.

When she turned around, she just happened to catch the amused look on Xue Erbai’s face.

"I guessed right, didn’t I?"

"You’re crazy~!"

Zhong Dai scolded her. Xue Erbai snorted, and then Zhong Dai shot back, "So Ji Wushan’s fan is fake?"

"The admiration is real, or maybe it was childhood love, yo—mmph!"

She rushed over and covered Zhong Dai’s mouth before she could finish.

Her hand came around from behind, and Zhong Dai was briefly cut off from air, grabbing at her wrist as she muffled, "Mmph, let go... mmph!"

The gesture was a little too intimate, but the two of them, caught up in their tussling, didn’t seem to notice until two familiar figures appeared in their line of sight.

The two of them sprang apart as if shocked by electricity.

Fu Lingnan, who had hurried back in, widened her eyes slightly as she looked over, then turned her gaze away and said with some irritation, "Ji Wushan, why did you go to the trouble of coming downstairs to bring me..."

Xue Erbai and Zhong Dai turned their heads in unison.

Ji Wushan was standing on the very last step of the staircase.

She hadn’t spared them even a single glance.

Author’s Note:

--

Someone’s in trouble.

No update tomorrow. There’s still one chapter before V, on Tuesday.