Lin Zhi took the phone and compared them. They were indeed similar, but there were still obvious differences. Otherwise, she might have faced a lawsuit.
"Can we still buy it in China?" Lin Zhi asked.
The assistant shook his head: "Domestic stores have already removed it from their shelves; you have to buy it overseas."
Lin Zhi took a pen from the pen holder, removed the cap, and signed her name on the paper. Her sharp pen strokes were completely different from her appearance.
After signing, she handed it to her assistant: "Here, deliver it and then you can go home."
The assistant was touched; her boss was so kind today, signing so quickly. But the next second, she regretted it.
"Buy that bag for me."
"ah?"
"It must be obtained within three months."
"Okay, Sister Lin..."
Waaaaah, the boss is in trouble again.
Jiang Lai will be finishing filming in about three months, so this is a perfect wrap-up gift. It's a bit expensive, but we can just cut back on food and drink.
After get off work, Lin Zhi ate a simple meal at a roadside stall. She was wearing a women's suit, and her long curly hair was casually tied up and draped over her back.
Her demeanor was completely out of place at a roadside stall. She was quiet and gentle, and even when eating noodles, she was very elegant, like a refined lady who had fallen from grace. The stall owner watched her for a long time before finally unable to resist asking, "Girl, are you experiencing life here? Are there any cameras around?"
Lin Zhi tucked a stray hair behind her ear, looked up and smiled: "No, I just took a bite."
The proprietress said "oh," but her expression clearly showed disbelief.
Lin Zhi was too lazy to explain. After finishing her noodles, she wiped her mouth, paid the bill, and left.
The hospital was eerily quiet at night. Lin Zhi had just parked her car when she heard the siren of an ambulance approaching from afar. The flashing blue light was dazzling. The ambulance stopped at the emergency room, and doctors and nurses rushed out, racing against time.
Lin Zhi dared not look; life was too fragile, and you never knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.
She took a breath before getting out of the car. As she passed the emergency room, she could hear the woman's heart-wrenching cries from afar. The nurses kept telling her to stay calm and trust the doctors, but the crying never stopped.
Lin Zhi would guess whose husband and whose father that was. The woman was crying so sadly, so that person must love her very much. Lin Zhi was not sad for her father. Even if her father's heart rate became a flat line tonight, she would calmly handle her father's funeral arrangements and then comfort her mother.
Wang Chunmei, that mistress, might be heartbroken. No one is forcing Lin Zhi to give her money anymore, and no one is forcing Lin Zhi to donate bone marrow to her son.
Lin Zhi looked at her reflection in the glass. She had the kind of face that made her easy to bully, but only Lin Zhi herself knew that she was not as gentle and kind as she looked. Wang Chunmei wanted her bone marrow unless she died. Lin Feng was pitiful, but she had done what she could. She was not a saint. Today Wang Chunmei wanted her bone marrow, tomorrow she wanted a kidney, and the day after tomorrow, would she want her heart?
Damn it, I'll give you my life.
Lin Zhi rarely swears; she usually keeps it to herself. Her good manners don't mean she has no temper.
Some people are just unpredictable. Lin Zhi had just stepped into the elevator when Wang Chunmei followed her into the same elevator, and there were only the two of them.
Lin Zhi didn't look at her, afraid that if they made eye contact for even a second, she would remember that day when this woman shamelessly asked her for bone marrow.
Wang Chunmei also didn't look at her or say a word, which was very unusual, as if she was avoiding Lin Zhi.
The elevator doors opened, and Wang Chunmei strode away as if the elevator would explode if she stayed even a second longer.
Lin Zhi was puzzled, but this was for the best. After being bothered for so many years, it was finally quiet. She was just afraid that she had some bad intentions that she hadn't used yet.
The elevator doors opened again, and Lin Zhi immediately saw her mother: "Mom, I'm here. You should go home and rest."
Lin's mother nodded, getting up with some difficulty, her dark circles particularly noticeable: "Xiao Zhi, the doctor said your father's vital signs are all stable, and he may wake up in the next few days."
Lin's mother was in a good mood, so Lin Zhi didn't say anything: "Okay, you can go home now. Be careful on the way. I won't see you off."
"well."
After her mother left, Lin Zhi stood in front of the glass for a long time, her heart filled with mixed feelings. She both hoped that the man lying inside would wake up and hoped that he would never wake up. Lin Zhi was terrified by this thought, after all, the man inside was her biological father.
Please wake up, just don't wake up in front of me.
Lin Zhi's legs were a little sore from standing, so she sat down and took out her phone. She found two missed calls, one from Jiang Lai and the other from Qi Chuan.
After hesitating for a moment, I chose Jiang Lai, but unfortunately she didn't answer. Judging from the time, she must have been asleep, since she has to film a movie tomorrow.
Lin Zhi rubbed her thumb over the two characters "Jiang Lai" and felt a pang of sadness. It was like when she was a child, she loved a toy, but her father forcibly took it away and gave it to her younger brother. She could see it occasionally, but she could never have it again.
Jiang Lai is the same. Lin Zhi can see Jiang Lai everywhere. Maybe in the future she will see her posters in shopping malls, see her news on Weibo, and maybe one day she will see her make an official announcement, whether it is a woman or a man, but it will not be Lin Zhi.
They are like two intersecting straight lines, destined to meet one day, but after that, they will drift further and further apart, never to meet again.
Let's cherish this brief encounter, so that even if we part ways in the future, we won't have any regrets.
Lin Zhi fell asleep on the bench and was woken up by her mother. The sun was rising, and the morning light shone into the hospital corridor, turning the white floor tiles a warm yellow.
She looked at her father as soon as she opened her eyes, but he was still asleep. Lin Zhi didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.
She understood that this kind of mentality should not exist.
At seven o'clock, Lin Zhi went home to wash up and eat breakfast. Jiang Lai called while she was at the film set. Judging from her voice, she was already getting her makeup done. There were also sounds of the makeup artist and Anna chatting on the other end of the line.
Jiang Lai's hair was clipped up, and she had just applied foundation to her face. When she woke up, she wanted to call Lin Zhi back, but she was worried that Lin Zhi hadn't woken up yet, so she held on until now.
As the makeup brush gently swept across her face, it tickled. Jiang Lai couldn't help but flinch, put her phone away, and said to the young lady, "Miss, it tickles a little."
The young woman said, "Just bear with it."
"oh..."
As Lin Zhi listened to the voice on the other end, the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up.
"Sister," Jiang Lai called out, her voice sweet.
"Hmm, are you putting on makeup?"
"Yeah, sister, let me tell you, this morning when I went out, there was a little calico cat downstairs, it was so cute, so I went to the supermarket next door and bought it some sausages. It was so happy eating them, but when I tried to pet it, it turned around and ran away. Waaah, you jerk cat, it broke my heart."
Lin Zhi burst out laughing after hearing this, as if she could see Jiang Lai's aggrieved little face: "I'm not even familiar with you."
Jiang Lai protested, "It ate my sausage even though we don't know it! I don't care, just don't let me see it tonight, or I'll teach it a lesson about how to be a human, no, how to be a cat!"
"Okay, be careful not to get scratched by the cat."
Jiang Lai spoke flippantly and dismissively: "It's nothing. I got scratched when I teased the kitten downstairs during the New Year. I just got a shot, so I'm fearless now. I wouldn't even be afraid if it scratched me to death!"
Lin Zhi found it amusing; how could an adult fight with a cat, especially one they'd never fought before?
Lin Zhi laughed and said, "Oh~ that's true, it fits Yu Xin's character perfectly, she fights not only with people but also with cats."
Jiang Lai had just smiled when the makeup artist slapped her on the shoulder. The makeup artist frowned slightly and pretended to scold her, "Don't smile, your makeup is going to cake up!"
Jiang Lai was scolded and quickly apologized: "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I won't laugh anymore."
It was just a joke, actually. Jiang Lai's skin is great, and there was no cakey makeup.
Hearing the sound, Lin Zhi said, "Are you laughing? Getting scratched by a cat is so funny?"
"Hmm~" Jiang Lai thought for a moment and said, "I'm not happy because I was scratched by the cat, but I'm happy chatting with my sister. When I'm happy, I'll laugh."
Lin Zhi paused for a moment, then said reproachfully, "You're so good at talking."
--------------------
Author's Note:
Thank you everyone for your support! I'm asking for your favorites! Two more chapters will be updated later! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-03-22 22:01:53 and 2022-03-24 22:07:26!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Xiao Leng Loves Fish 1;
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Zhang Yizhi (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 28
Lin's father had already undergone two surgeries, and finally one afternoon, he opened his eyes and regained consciousness.
Lin's mother called Lin Zhi immediately, her voice very excited, as if she had been crying. She asked Lin Zhi if she had time to come and visit, but Lin Zhi just said "oh" and dismissed her mother with the excuse that she was too busy. She was not ready to see her father and did not know what to say when they met, fearing that she might upset him and end up in the ICU.
She delayed for more than two months, until her father was discharged from the hospital, before coming to pick up her parents and take them home.
The temperature in City A in October was just right, not too hot. Lin Zhi drove to the hospital, parked the car in the parking lot, locked the car, and then entered the hospital.
Lin's mother had already packed her luggage and was waiting for Lin Zhi to arrive. Lin's father had not yet recovered and was in a wheelchair, but the doctor and the traffic police brigade had agreed to let him be discharged from the hospital to recuperate at home.
Standing at the door, Lin Zhi knocked. Lin's mother turned around, smiled, and nudged Lin's father, saying, "Xiao Zhi is here."
Mr. Lin looked up, nodded, and remained silent.
Lin Zhi rolled her eyes inwardly, said nothing, and went straight into the ward to get her mother's luggage: "Let's go."
Lin's mother nodded repeatedly: "Okay."
Throughout the journey, Lin's mother tried to mediate the relationship between her husband and daughter, talking incessantly about trivial matters of daily life, but neither of them appreciated it, only saying "uh-huh" and "oh" and nothing else.
The half-hour drive was agonizing for Lin Zhi. She really didn't know how to talk to her father, and she would rather not talk to him at all.
Lin Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief after driving to her parents' house.
At the door, Lin Zhi didn't go in. After piling her luggage in the entryway, she was in a hurry to leave: "Mom, I have something to do at the company. I'll go back first."
Lin's mother was visibly disappointed, but not wanting to delay her daughter's work, she could only nod and agree.
After keeping a straight face and not saying a word, Lin's father finally spoke up: "Come home for dinner tomorrow."
It was a commanding tone, and his face was still as sour as ever.
Lin Zhi's tone was equally unfriendly, just like at the negotiating table: "No, the company's new actress is finishing filming and returning to City A tomorrow, and I need to pick her up."
Lin Zhi turned to leave, but heard a noise behind her. Her father, his face flushed with anger, slammed his hand on the table and roared, "You unfilial brat! The company's artists are more important than your old man!"
Lin Zhi stopped in her tracks, turned around to look at her father, her eyes showing no emotion, as if that man had nothing to do with her: "Yes, at least she won't force me to have my bone marrow extracted."
When his daughter saw through his thoughts, Lin's father deflated like a punctured balloon and lost his assertiveness.
Lin's mother quickly tried to cover for her, caught in the middle between the two, and said, "Xiao Zhi, don't talk nonsense. Your health is not good, and your father loves you the most. How could he possibly ask you to have your bone marrow removed?"
"Heh." Lin Zhi sneered: "Then you should ask my dear father what he was thinking on the day of the car accident that made him take the wrong path."
After Lin Zhi finished speaking, she closed the door and left. The room fell silent. Lin's father, panting heavily, cursed under his breath, "I should have strangled her back then! How could I have given birth to such a heartless and cold-blooded thing!"
Lin's mother took two steps back, her face ashen: "You really want Xiaozhi to donate bone marrow to Xiaofeng!?"
Mr. Lin looked up, not seeing anything wrong with it at all: "Yes, so what! She's the only one who can save my son's life right now!"