"Take good care of my three horses for me."
Wu Yang's footsteps fell again.
Xi Jia ignored him and went to the riverbank alone.
Wu Yang went to the mound by the river, from which he could see Xi Jia. She squatted on the steps by the bank, splashing water in the river with her hands.
The afternoon sun shone on the entire horse ranch, riverbank, and hills, but offered no warmth.
Wu Yang took out his phone, thought for a long time, and then sent a message to Yu An. It was a new number he got before the New Year, just to send her a birthday greeting.
Thank you for taking care of Xi Jia. Take good care of yourself too.
Yu An didn't want to go back, but it was the only way she could find out about Xi Jia's condition. She asked Wu Yang, "How is Xi Jia now?"
Wu Yang: [Completely deaf, and divorced Mo Yushen.]
Yu An stared at the line of words, lost in thought for a long time.
"Yu An! Pour some hot water!" Zhou Mingqian's stomach hurts. It's worse than yesterday. He hasn't been able to eat anything today.
He called out once, but Yu An didn't respond.
Zhou Mingqian turned his head and looked the assistant up and down. She had learned from Xi Jia and was now automatically ignoring him.
"Yu An!"
Yu An was immersed in sadness. Her birthday wish, less than a month ago, had already fallen through.
Zhou Mingqian stared blankly into Yu An's eyes, his gaze filled with sorrow.
She has no relatives, no ties, and her only concern is her money. Is this a case of the bank sending a spending alert because money was stolen from her card?
Zhou Mingqian stood up and glanced at his phone screen.
After that, he and Yu Ancheng had the same expression.
Zhou Mingqian didn't care whether Xi Jia was divorced or not; it had nothing to do with him. What he wanted to know was the meaning of the first half of that message.
What do you mean, she can't hear at all?
Zhou Mingqian sat down and handed Yu An a stool. "Sit down and let's talk."
I can't keep quiet about it. It's no secret anymore.
Yu An: "Sister Xi Jia was sick before she joined the crew."
Zhou Mingqian: "Migraine?"
Yu An shook her head and told Zhou Mingqian everything she knew, without missing a single word.
The more time went on, the less Zhou Mingqian wanted to listen; he felt psychologically and physically resistant.
He didn't want to know that she wrote every day not because she had nothing better to do.
He didn't want to know that she had forgotten he asked her to revise the script because she had lost her memory.
He didn't want to know that she hadn't responded to him in time because she couldn't hear him.
Zhou Mingqian leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
It would be so much better if he were the one who lost his memory.
In this way, he could forget how he used to sneer at Xi Jia, how he attacked and mocked her, and how he ruthlessly yelled at and criticized her in front of so many people.
At that moment, he felt like he was lying on an operating table, halfway through the surgery, when his anesthesia wore off. The feeling was worse than death.
"Director Zhou."
Over there, Xiang Luo and Huo Teng finished their scenes, but Zhou Mingqian remained silent. Someone called out to Zhou Mingqian; they wondered if the take would pass, waiting for his response.
Yu An put away his phone and patted Zhou Mingqian on the shoulder. "Director Zhou, call a stop."
Zhou Mingqian nodded, opened his eyes, and sat up, supporting himself on the armrests of the chair.
President Fu came over and noticed Zhou Mingqian's expression was off. "What's wrong?"
Before Zhou Mingqian could speak, Yu An interrupted, "President Fu, Director Zhou's stomach has been hurting for a week. He hasn't been able to eat these past two days, and the medicine isn't helping. I think we should go back to Beijing to get it checked out; this can't go on like this."
President Fu scolded, "Why didn't you say so sooner!"
Yu An pursed her lips. "Director Zhou told me not to say anything, afraid of delaying the filming."
Mr. Fu has worked with Zhou Mingqian for many years. He understands Zhou Mingqian well. Filming is Zhou Mingqian's life. Unless absolutely necessary, Zhou Mingqian will not be distracted on set.
In its current state, it's clear that it can't hold on any longer.
President Fu took it upon himself to have Yu An book Zhou Mingqian's flight back to Beijing.
Zhou Mingqian rubbed his stomach. "I'm not being that dramatic. There's no need to go back to Beijing. I'll go to the county hospital tomorrow."
Yu An: "I've booked the tickets. Director Zhou, let's go back to Beijing for the treatment. The medical conditions here aren't as good as in Beijing." Most importantly, there's a good medicine available in Beijing.
The medicine cured the disease.
Chapter 55
Xi Jia hesitated when Ji Qingshi asked her for a favor.
After the meal, she still hadn't made up her mind.
Ji Qingshi: [That aunt's experience is unlike most people's. She married her first love, who then had an affair shortly after their marriage. Their illegitimate child is a year older than her child with her first love. After her divorce, she was left with a grown-up child. She suffered from depression and took medication for several years to alleviate it. Now she wants to find someone to confide in.]
Xi Jia looked at the message, feeling conflicted and conflicted.
Ji Qingshi: [Perhaps you're the best person to confide in. She'll pour out her troubles, and you'll forget about it the next day; she has no lingering guilt. Jiajia, for the sake of that immature man, help this auntie.]
Xi Jia looked up and asked, "Giant baby? What do you mean?"
Ji Qingshi: [The aunt's son has a tendency to withdraw into himself and doesn't speak.]
Xi Jia: "I'll think about it some more." She was also in pain and couldn't get over it. She really couldn't find the best state to help others relieve their sadness.
Ji Qingshi nodded, without pressuring him.
He found some pills and handed them to her.
Xi Jia took the medicine, drank a few sips of water, and stared at the water glass. After a moment of silence, she said, "When I was riding a horse this afternoon, I couldn't remember what Mo Yushen looked like. Even now, I still can't remember."
She couldn't hear the sound of horses' hooves.
The person you love can no longer be remembered.
She lost everything that was most important to her in life, one by one.
Xi Jia put down her water glass and went upstairs.
Ji Qingshi stared at the empty staircase; he had forgotten to screw the cap off the medicine bottle.
He sat at the dining table for a long time until Mo Yushen returned.
Mo Yushen came from his mother's place and told her what to say to Xi Jia. His mother was busy preparing lessons and didn't have time to cook, so she told him to eat at a restaurant. He was in a hurry to get here and didn't have time to cook.
There were leftovers on the table, which Xi Jia had eaten, and Mo Yushen took them to the kitchen to reheat them.
Ji Qingshi screwed the bottle cap back on. "Jiajia doesn't remember what you look like." This also meant that her memory was deteriorating again, and her condition was worsening faster than expected.
What's the use of having money?
There's no way to save her.
We could only watch helplessly as she slowly descended into despair.
Mo Yushen was about to turn off the microwave oven when his hand froze in mid-air.
Ji Qingshi: "She may not live to see the drug developed."
"No." Mo Yushen turned off the microwave.
Ji Qingshi had been deceiving himself like this every day for several months. During this time, he didn't want it to be dark or dawn; he just wanted time to stand still.
"How much funding do you need to deal with Mo Lian? How much do you need? I have all the funds I need," Ji Qingshi changed the subject.
Mo Yushen turned to Ji Qingshi and asked, "How do you use this?" He pointed to the microwave oven.
Ji Qingshi: "..."
When it comes to upgrades and replacements, he doesn't know how to use it.
Calling him a giant baby is not an insult at all.
Ji Qingshi went to the kitchen and touched a few buttons.
Mo Yushen continued the previous topic, "No need, I don't lack money."
The confrontation between him and Mo Lian has reached a fever pitch.
Mo Lian attempted to use the pharmaceutical company to control him, forcing him to relinquish his management control of the Mo Group and withdraw from the Mo Group's board of directors. He acquired shares in companies under Mo Lian's personal name, forcing Mo Lian to abandon his ambitions to seize the pharmaceutical company.
Now, neither side is backing down, and the situation is deadlocked.
Ji Qingshi: "How did the talk with Professor Xiang go?"
Mo Yushen met with Professor Xiang again today. They reached an agreement on the cooperation model, but the conditions were harsh. He understood Professor Xiang; it wasn't just his achievement, but the result of the entire team's hard work.
With Mo Lian and his father present, such stringent cooperation conditions would be difficult for the Mo Group's board of directors to approve.
Ji Qingshi: "You need to find Mo Lian's weakness and attack him."
Mo Yushen: "He has no weaknesses."
Ji Qingshi didn't believe it. Everyone has a weakness, but Mo Yushen hated Mo Lian's existence from the bottom of his heart, and he couldn't be bothered to even glance at anything related to Mo Lian.
"Leave this to me, I'll investigate."
Ji Qingshi handed the melatonin to Mo Yushen, saying, "Remember to give it to Jiajia; I'm going on a business trip in a few days."
Mo Yushen took the medicine bottle and casually asked, "Where are you going?"
Ji Qingshi glanced at him, "I don't need to report to you where I go." He picked up his trench coat and left.
Mo Yushen ate all the leftovers from Xi Jia, and he also drank the half bowl of soup she had left. The food she ate was so bland that it had lost all its oil and salt.
The aunt came downstairs and told Mo Yushen that Xi Jia was already asleep. She had just stayed upstairs with Xi Jia for a while and talked to her. She had watched Xi Jia grow up since she was a child and raised her single-handedly.