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Shen Huai posted the requirements for an assistant position through the company. Of course, he couldn't be as casual as Ye Cang. His requirements were more stringent, and it would be difficult to find a suitable candidate in a short time.
However, Shen Huai was not in a hurry. Before the finals ended, Ye Cang didn't really need an assistant, and there was still a period of adjustment before he could really use one.
However, trouble has arisen again in the semifinals.
Ye Cang's song selection has been submitted, but there's a problem. Li Jun, the lyricist and composer of "The Dying Traveler," has passed away, and the song wasn't released when he was alive, so they can't find the instrumental version.
Ye Cang had to create the score and arrangement on the spot, and the band had to rehearse urgently. As you can imagine, after this performance, the musicians on site probably hated Ye Cang to death.
Fortunately, Ye Cang was unaware of this matter. However, based on Shen Huai's understanding of him, even if he did know, he probably wouldn't care.
Shen Huai could only pay out of his own pocket to buy drinks for the musicians, hoping to at least reduce Ye Cang's hatred towards him.
As the competition approached, whether it was because Ye Cang was too hated or because he was too tired from the consecutive competitions, he caught a cold after the rehearsal. He didn't pay attention to it at the time, but he suddenly developed a fever in the middle of the night.
The next morning, Shen Huai noticed that he hadn't left his room for a long time, so he went in to check on him, only to find that he was delirious with fever.
Shen Huai didn't care about Cherry and the others who were still filming, and quickly helped the person to the hospital.
Ye Cang's physical condition was not good. He had died once from excessive blood loss before. Although he seemed to be fine afterward, he actually had underlying health problems. He hadn't taken good care of himself and often stayed up all night to adapt the songs "Mulholland Drive" and "Meow Meow". At this point, his body simply couldn't take it anymore.
Shen Huai didn't know what to say, and he felt somewhat guilty. As the manager, he should have been more concerned about the artist's health, but he hadn't noticed Ye Cang's problem, which was really wrong of him.
Ye Cang had an IV drip attached to the back of his hand, his face was pale, his lips were chapped, and he looked listless.
He didn't think it was Shen Huai's fault. Having been a ghost for so long, his perception of human bodies had become dulled. In fact, his body had already sent out signals, but he hadn't paid attention to them. Moreover, this outburst was actually a good thing, though it made him realize once again how weak his body was, and that he really should work on exercising more in the future.
Cherry and her team followed Ye Cang into the hospital with cameras. This unexpected event was a major highlight of the show. Upon learning of it, the director immediately issued instructions to make sure to film Ye Cang receiving an IV drip, and ideally, to interview him as material for the trailer.
Cherry steeled herself and stepped forward: "Ye Cang, you've suddenly fallen ill. Aren't you worried about the upcoming matches?"
Ye Cang revealed his usual nonchalant smile, but then coughed twice, showing that he was indeed quite ill.
Shen Huai looked at him with some concern.
After coughing, Ye Cang's face looked even worse, and he said in a hoarse voice, "There's nothing to worry about. I can still win even when I'm sick."
Cherry: "...Haha, you really are very confident."
Ye Cang smiled but didn't reply. This wasn't confidence; it was a reasonable judgment based on his own abilities.
Because Ye Cang was ill, Yingtao didn't go too far. She asked a few questions and then left with her people, not wanting to disturb his recovery.
Only Ye Cang and Shen Huai remained in the ward.
Shen Huai glanced at his watch; it was lunchtime. Ye Cang hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since morning, and considering his health, he couldn't eat anything else at this time, so Shen Huai ordered some plain porridge.
While waiting for his takeout, he went out to get some hot water. When he came back, he saw Ye Cang lying casually on the bed, holding his phone in the hand that wasn't used for the injection, playing games with great interest.
Seeing Shen Huai come in, he quickly put his phone under his pillow and covered his forehead, saying, "Ugh, I'm a little dizzy."
Shen Huai: "..."
He ignored the drama queen, poured water into a cup, and waited until the water became warm before saying to Ye Cang, "Drink some hot water first."
Ye Cang leaned against the pillows, weakly saying, "I don't have the strength. Manager, can you feed me?"
Shen Huai said coldly, "I don't think so. Weren't you very energetic when you were playing the game just now?"
Ye Cang: "No, no, I just forced myself to play for a bit."
Shen Huai: "..."
He felt that his self-control would always be very weak in front of Ye Cang. He could still maintain it in the past, but ever since the halo of "rock 'n' roll tyrant" above Ye Cang became weaker and weaker, he often wanted to beat this guy up.
But in the end, Shen Huai couldn't resist Ye Cang's shamelessness. He propped up his pillow and brought the water glass to Ye Cang's lips.
Ye Cang's gaze swept over the slender fingers holding the water glass, and then over the wrist joint.
Shen Huai was dressed very neatly, with even the buttons on his sleeves fastened meticulously. A sliver of skin was sparingly exposed from the cuff of his shirt, where a delicate men's wristwatch was fastened. The black strap of the watch contrasted sharply with his fair skin, and one could even vaguely see the pale blue veins beneath his skin.
Ye Cang stared, somewhat lost in thought.
Shen Huai held the water for a long time, only to find that Ye Cang hadn't drunk any of it. Just as he was about to put it down, someone grabbed his wrist.
Ye Cang raised his eyes and said lazily, "Ah Huai, can't you be a little more patient with me?"
Shen Huai almost got goosebumps from the intimate address, and he couldn't even hold the water glass in his hand. Fortunately, Ye Cang held his wrist firmly, so he didn't spill the water on the hospital bed.
Ye Cang didn't let go and drank the water from his hand.
Perhaps because he still had a fever, Ye Cang's body temperature was a bit high, but his hands were clenched so tightly that he didn't look like a patient at all.
After he finished drinking the water, Shen Huai awkwardly pulled away from him and placed the water glass on the table. However, even so, he could still feel the lingering warmth on his wrist, making him awkwardly put his hand behind his back.
Seeing his expression, Ye Cang's face revealed a hint of inscrutable meaning.
Shen Huai, having looked away, didn't notice the expression on his face. He cleared his throat, his expression somewhat serious: "I just asked the doctor, and you have quite a few health problems, including anemia and malnutrition. I'm planning to hire a nutritionist to properly treat you. And more importantly, you can't stay up late anymore. I will strictly supervise your schedule."
Ye Cang's face immediately fell: "No...no need."
However, Shen Huai, who was usually easy to talk to, did not back down at all on this issue: "No, you are not the same as before. Since you are starting over, you should follow the rules of humanity."
Ye Cang: "..."
No, something sounds weird coming from me. It's like I just got released from jail.