Chapter 19
Lin's father's surgery was successful, but because of the severity of his injuries, he is still in critical condition and under observation.
Lin Zhi has been shuttling between the company, the hospital, and the police station these days, and she has lost a lot of weight. Lin's mother feels sorry for her daughter but can't say anything. She is an overly competent wife, but a very incompetent mother.
That day at the hospital, Lin Zhi saw that woman. The woman looked much older than she had a few years ago, and she no longer had that flirtatious charm she once had.
"You didn't come when he was in the car accident. Let me see... Do you think this old man can still chew on your fruit? I think you would have been more sincere if you had brought your bank card."
Lin Zhi barely looked up when she spoke; she sat there like an iceberg.
The woman was so embarrassed that she couldn't lift her head, but she stood straight and didn't turn away because of Lin Zhi's humiliation.
The woman forced a smile, pretending to be very familiar with Lin Zhi even though they had only met once or twice: "Little Zhi."
Lin Zhi raised her eyes, her gaze sharp: "Don't call me that. Every time I see your face, I'm reminded of what happened back then. It's disgusting."
The woman's eyes were filled with tears, large tears falling easily: "I'm sorry, it was my fault back then, I shouldn't have done that. You can hit me or scold me, but I beg you, save Xiaofeng, he's your brother! He's only thirteen years old, his life can't be ruined like this."
Lin Zhi was somewhat moved. She wasn't a cold person after all, and she couldn't fake it either: "How much?"
"No...it's not money."
Lin Zhi suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She stood up abruptly and looked at the woman in disbelief, a strange emotion welling up inside her, like a flame that had been building up inside her, ready to burst forth at any moment.
The woman knelt down, head bowed: "Please, go get a checkup."
Lin Zhi raised her hand, and the crisp sound echoed in the empty ward. A handprint appeared on the woman's face, but even so, she still dared not look up.
Lin Zhi gritted her teeth: "You want me to donate bone marrow, is that it?"
"This is also your father's intention. You can hate me, you can hate your father, but Xiaofeng is innocent."
Lin Zhi looked at the lifeless man on the hospital bed and smiled bitterly to herself. She ignored the woman's pleas, grabbed her bag, and left the ward. She left gracefully, leaving the woman sobbing in the ward.
In the dimly lit parking lot, Lin Zhi sat blankly in her car, not starting it. She didn't know where to go, as if the vast city couldn't accommodate such a small person as herself.
What exactly is a father?
Do other people's fathers do this too?
She dared not linger in the hospital, fearing she would grab her unconscious father and confront him, demanding to know why he had treated her this way. Lin Feng was innocent; was she guilty?
Perhaps she shouldn't have been born, shouldn't have gone home that day, and shouldn't even be alive.
"Ah!!" she cried out, angrily pounding the steering wheel. The beeping sound echoed throughout the parking lot, startling passersby who muttered that the woman was crazy.
The cheerful ringtone of her cell phone rang. Lin Zhi hastily wiped away her tears, picked up the phone, and answered, "Hello, this is Lin Zhi."
There was no sound from the other end of the phone for a long time. Lin Zhi looked at the caller ID on her phone with a puzzled expression. It was an unfamiliar number from City A.
After a while, just as Lin Zhi was about to hang up, the other end spoke: "Sister Lin."
This call was like a drop of water falling into Lin Zhi's heart, creating ripples: "Jiang Lai."
Neither of them spoke, and the call remained connected.
"Do you need me?" Jiang Lai suddenly asked.
Lin Zhi bit her lip, remaining silent for a long time. Tears had already blurred her vision. She desperately wanted to selfishly say, "Yes, I need to."
"No need, I'm fine. You focus on filming and don't let Sister Nan's hard work these past few days go to waste."
After saying that, she hung up the phone; if she had waited even a second longer, she would have tried to persuade her to stay.
Jiang Lai hadn't spoken to Lin Zhi for a long time. It was as if the person had vanished into thin air, not replying to WeChat messages or posting on Moments. Jiang Lai had to come up with many excuses to get her phone number. She thought that making this call would make her feel much better, but it didn't; instead, it made her feel even worse.
Lin Zhi had cried; she could tell. Sister Nan had said Lin Zhi was very strong and she'd never seen her cry before, but here she was...
No one is absolutely strong; everyone needs companionship during their most vulnerable moments.
Jiang Lai decisively went to Yu Wei and asked for a few days off. After discussing it with the coordinator, Yu Wei gave her two days off. She had to squeeze out those two days. Fortunately, she wasn't the lead actress. Jiang Lai was suddenly glad that she was just a newcomer.
The night before their departure, Qi Chuan suddenly came to see Jiang Lai. She was surprised, but still invited him in.
"I heard you're going home? Is something wrong at home?"
Jiang Lai replied vaguely, "Yes, something's come up, I need to go home."
Qi Chuan nodded: "My schedule is very full."
Jiang Lai was taken aback, unsure of what to say. What did those words mean? Did they mean you were popular?
"Can you take a look at Azhi for me?"
"Azhi?"
"Yes, it's President Lin. You know I've been so busy. It seems like Azhi has run into some trouble these past few days, but she hasn't told me anything. I don't know what to do. Could you please ask her and check on her for me?"
Jiang Lai twitched her lips, the words of curse stuck in her throat, suppressed by her good manners. She had just realized her feelings for Lin Zhi, and only a few days later she discovered her love rival.
Jiang Lai suddenly felt that she had no chance of winning. The other party was a very outstanding man. She was unsure whether Lin Zhi was completely straight, but she was certain that she was not gay for the time being. Although she did not know what had happened to Lin Zhi that had left her with a trauma, she only disliked being touched by men but did not dislike men in general. Jiang Lai despised herself for maintaining an ambiguous relationship with Lin Zhi through therapy.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Qi Chuan raised his hand and waved it in front of her eyes: "Jiang Lai?"
"Okay, sure." Jiang Lai snapped out of her reverie and agreed to the request, since she didn't have Qi Chuan's contact information anyway.
Upon hearing her agree, Qi Chuan immediately took out his phone and opened the WeChat QR code: "Then let's add each other on WeChat and keep in touch anytime."
Jiang Lai's smile froze. Who gave her the confidence to think Qi Chuan was an idiot?
Reluctantly, I added them on WeChat.
After Qi Chuan left, Jiang Lai immediately opened Baidu search: Can deleting a friend on WeChat be detected?
The answer is yes.
Jiang Lai didn't want to communicate with Qi Chuan all the time. She worried all night and went out the next day with dark circles under her eyes. Anna thought she had seen a national treasure.
"Anna, rest for a couple of days after you get back. Have you booked your return flight?"
Anna nodded: "Everything's booked. Don't you need me to come with you?"
"No need, get some rest. You've worked hard these past few days."
The plane took off on time and arrived in City A at 10:00 AM. After getting off the plane, Anna took Jiang Lai back to her apartment, and the two went their separate ways. Jiang Lai cherished her time and left as soon as she put down her luggage.
The cars parked in the parking lot were covered in dust, but Jiang Lai didn't even look at them before opening the door and getting in.
Find Kevin in the list.
Jiang Lai: [Brother Kevin, is Sister Lin at the company?]
After waiting a few minutes, my phone rang.
Kevin: [Yeah, what's up?]
Jiang Lai unconsciously smiled and replied, "[It's nothing, just asking. You're busy, right, bro?]"
Kevin: [You're such a weird little girl.]
Judging from Kai's words, he probably doesn't know what happened to Lin Zhi either. It seems I'll have to ask him myself.
In the office, Kevin looked at Jiang Lai's profile picture and felt like he'd seen it somewhere before. Maybe it was because his mother used the same profile picture?
Kevin felt incredibly wronged whenever he thought of his mother. He had planned to start his own company to fund his coming out, hoping to break free from his father. He had finally gotten his father to offer him start-up capital, but the naive young Kevin had only casually mentioned a small amount, and his mother was laughing beside him! She hadn't even bothered to remind him!
Kevin was filled with regret after things matured. No wonder the company was struggling; it turned out there wasn't enough start-up capital. Lin Zhi really had a tough time...
Twenty minutes from home to the company, Jiang Lai wished she could floor the gas pedal. If she had wings, she probably could fly right to Lin Zhi. Unfortunately, she was too late and missed Lin Zhi.
Just as she turned off the engine and was about to get out of the car, she saw Lin Zhi start up the car and prepare to leave. Jiang Lai immediately turned on the engine again and followed behind Lin Zhi like a paparazzi.
The distance between the cars was kept quite well, and Lin Zhi didn't recognize her car and didn't pay any attention to her the whole way.
Finally, Lin Zhi's car stopped at the Baiyang Hotel. This hotel was decorated in a magnificent style, like a palace. Many wealthy people entertained guests, socialized, and discussed cooperation here, which was very prestigious.
After Lin Zhi got out of the car and chatted with the waiter for a few minutes, she was led up to the elevator. Jiang Lai wanted to follow, but then stopped.
Jiang Lai, an unknown newcomer, might only mess things up if she went along, so she didn't dare to act rashly.
Another waiter walked over to Jiang Lai and asked if she had a reservation. Although she had a smile on her face, Jiang Lai could imagine that if the waiter knew that she was a penniless and unknown actress, he might call security to kick her out.
"I'm going to treat my friends to dinner."
The waiter bowed slightly: "You can register here. When your friend arrives, we will escort her to your private room."
Jiang Lai was stumped by the question. She quickly racked her brains and concluded that You Yi was the most suitable person. If she had said that she was inviting Min Xuehua or Jiang Chuanmin to dinner, the manager of the restaurant would probably have come out to greet her personally.
Having overly powerful parents can sometimes be a source of trouble.
"You Yi, when she comes to see me, just bring her here."
He lies without thinking.
The waiter paused for two seconds, then asked, "You Yi? The heiress of Youdun Films?"
Jiang Lai hesitated for a moment. Youdun Planning shouldn't be a very big company, right? Knowing the boss is one thing, but how does she also know You Yi? This woman has eaten here so many times that even the waiters remember her.
Jiang Lai nodded without saying anything, though she was clearly a little guilty.
The waiter did not take her to a private room, but instead went to the front desk and asked the front desk to call the waiter on the third floor.
"There's a lady in the lobby who said she wants to invite Miss You from room 303 to dinner. Go and confirm."
Jiang Lai, who was listening nearby, was completely convinced of its truth and was almost petrified.
You damned You Yi, why did you have to come and eat right on time today of all times!
Isn't this doomed?
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Author's Note:
Jiang Lai: Ah Zhi~ I want to be called Ah Zhi too~ Ah Zhi Ah Zhi Ah Zhi~
Lin Zhi: So despicable... I really want to hit her... But I can't hit her, my image will be ruined...
Chapter 20
While the waiter was on the phone, Jiang Lai quickly sent a WeChat message to You Yi.
Jiang Lai: [Sisters! Don't let them take me to you! I'll just book a private room! I'll explain later!]