Jiang Jiayu returned to the film crew that night and urgently express-delivered Qiao Shu’s script to the hospital.
Jiang Jiayu said, “Qiao Qiao, even when reading the script, you should take care and focus on recovering quickly so you can leave the hospital.”
Listening to the advice from the other end of the phone, Qiao Shu smiled and replied, “I know. You should also take care.”
Jiang Jiayu responded, “I’ll be waiting for you to return to the film crew.”
Qiao Shu agreed, “Okay.”
Over the next few days, Qiao Shu spent most of his time immersed in studying the script and delving into his character.
Before transmigrating, Qiao Shu had studied film at the university and had played several roles. Although he hadn’t achieved great fame, he had a decent following on Weibo—some were fans of his looks, while others were fans of his acting.
As a result, reading scripts felt like second nature to him.
Interestingly, the original host and Qiao Shu shared many similarities: the same appearance, age, name, and profession. Perhaps it was these similarities that allowed Qiao Shu to adapt well to this new world.
“Hey, Qiao Qiao, let me take care of that,” Assistant Lu Yue said, snatching the items from Qiao Shu’s hands. “You go rest on the side. I’ll tidy up quickly.”
Qiao Shu reluctantly stepped back. “Sister Yue, I’m already feeling better.”
Lu Yue continued packing. “The doctor just said you need to rest even after leaving the hospital.”
“And Yu Yu asked you to keep an eye on me,” Qiao Shu added.
He pouted. “Fine.”
Today, Qiao Shu was finally declared fit for discharge. Although he had spent these days in the hospital reading scripts, he was eager to leave and escape the confines of his room.
No matter what, being in the hospital is never a comfort.
With nothing to do, Qiao Shu looked around. Suddenly, he had an idea and said, “Sister Yue Yue, I’ll go downstairs for a stroll. Give me a call when you’re done packing.”
Lu Yue looked up from her busy work. “Alright.”
The feeling of wandering in the hospital garden area while wearing regular clothes was completely different from being in a patient’s gown. It was as if he had shed the shackles from his body, and both his mind and body felt lighter.
Qiao Shu took a deep breath and purposefully scanned his surroundings.
In the past few days, Qiao Shu had often come down to breathe fresh air and stretch his legs. However, apart from the first day, he hadn’t seen the mummy gentleman with the delightful voice again.
For this reason, Qiao Shu felt a tinge of regret.
Today, Qiao Shu was being discharged, and the chances of encountering the mysterious gentleman with the pleasant voice in this bustling city were almost zero.
He longed to hear that beautiful voice again.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Qiao Shu wouldn’t meet the gentleman today either.
“Perhaps fate isn’t enough,” he mused.
A group of children in patient gowns ran past Qiao Shu, laughing and playing.
His sharp eyes caught sight of the red sugar-coated hawthorn sticks and balloons each child held.
Rarely, Qiao Shu felt a childlike excitement.
He glanced around and finally spotted the source of the hawthorn sticks and balloons just beyond the iron fence.
With light steps, he walked over.
Qiao Shu: “Hello, uncle. I’d like a sugar-coated hawthorn stick.”
The middle-aged man, about fifty years old, glanced at Qiao Shu through the fence and smiled, “Young man, you’re quite good-looking.”
Qiao Shu replied, “Thank you.”
The man carefully examined the stick covered in sugar-coated hawthorns and pointed to a particular string, asking Qiao Shu, “How about this one?”
Qiao Shu nodded, “That one is perfect.”
The man handed the hawthorn stick to Qiao Shu. As Qiao Shu’s gaze shifted to the bicycle next to the man, adorned with several cute balloons, he pointed at one of the red smiley face balloons, “Uncle, can I have one of these balloons too?”
Since the inflated balloon couldn’t fit through the fence, the man fetched an uninflated one and used a tool to fill it with air.
With a balloon in one hand and the hawthorn stick in the other, Qiao Shu happily walked away.
His phone rang.
It was Lu Yue.
Qiao Shu answered with one hand, “Sister Yue Yue.”
Lu Yue’s voice came through, “Qiao Qiao, I’ve finished packing. The driver’s car is waiting at the hospital entrance parking area. The license plate number is XX005.”
“Got it,” Qiao Shu replied.
After hanging up, Qiao Shu took another bite of the hawthorn stick and headed toward the hospital entrance. But after a couple of steps, he paused.
Qiao Shu murmured, “Let me take one more look.”
He turned around, scanning the large activity area carefully.
There was no familiar figure.
He was about to withdraw his gaze, somewhat disappointed.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened.
A familiar white head, wrapped in bandages, emerged from behind a tall tree.
Qiao Shu happily jogged over and stopped in front of the wheelchair.
“Hello,” Qiao Shu greeted the person with delight. “We meet again.”
Gu Chenyan tilted his head slightly.
He remembered this young man who had suddenly appeared. The smile on his face was just as radiant as before.
Dazzling.
Gu Chenyan pondered for a moment, using that adjective.
“You don’t remember me?” Seeing that the person was only staring at him without any other reaction, Qiao Shu felt a bit awkward. He raised the hand holding the sugar-coated hawthorn stick to touch his nose and explained, “Last time…”
Gu Chenyan interrupted, “I remember.”
The pleasant voice made Qiao Shu’s ears perk up. Excited, he beamed even wider. “So you do remember!”
Gu Chenyan didn’t understand why Qiao Shu was so happy.
He scrutinized Qiao Shu’s face, which now bore an even brighter smile, then glanced at the hawthorn stick and smiley face balloon in Qiao Shu’s hands. Finally, he asked patiently, “Do you need something?”
“Ah?” Qiao Shu was taken aback.
What’s the matter?
‘Is it weird to ask if I can hear that voice of yours, which makes my ears tingle and feel like it’s pregnant, before I leave the hospital?’
Gu Chenyan, unusually patient, waited for Qiao Shu’s answer.
‘Should I just be straightforward, or will it come across as creepy?’
Qiao Shu had never approached a stranger just to hear their voice before; usually, he did that online.
This gentleman’s voice is almost as if it’s tailored to his preferences, making it irresistible.
After waiting for a moment, Gu Chenyan asked, “What’s the matter?”
Qiao Shu’s ears tingled again, and he suddenly felt a bit nervous. Clutching the hawthorn stick tightly, his eyes darted around, unable to find a perfect excuse.
Then he noticed his own clothes.
An idea flashed through his mind.
“I—I’m being discharged. I came over to say goodbye when I saw you,” Qiao Shu blurted out, his smile returning to its radiant state. “And I wish you a speedy recovery.”
Gu Chenyan nodded. “Thank you.”
With that said, it was time for Qiao Shu to leave, but he felt a hint of reluctance.
He wanted to hear more.
Just one more sentence.
Seeing that Qiao Shu seemed to have no other business, Gu Chenyan inclined his head, signaling for his assistant, Chen Wenyuan, to push him away.
Chen Wenyuan backed up a few steps, creating distance between Qiao Shu and the wheelchair, preparing to turn.
“Wait! Hold on!” The beloved voice was about to depart, and Qiao Shu’s mouth acted faster than his brain.
The wheelchair came to a halt.
Gu Chenyan asked, “Is there something else?”
Qiao Shu: “…”
There’s nothing… and, sir, how can your voice be so charming?
Almost unable to take another step.
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Qiao Shu: This monotonous tone is simply amazing!
Qiao Qiao wants it even more!
How can you, sir, produce such a seductive voice that makes one’s legs go soft?
Qiao Shu’s heart is pounding, but he manages to maintain a calm demeanor, only his inconspicuous ears turning slightly red and warm.
He clears his throat, “No…”
A gust of wind blows, drawing Qiao Shu’s attention to the balloon string in his hand being tugged.
He looks at the balloon in his hand.
Suddenly he says, “Sir, I want to give you this balloon.”
As the words leave his mouth, Qiao Shu silently applauds his wit, using another excuse to listen to the voice.
Gu Chenyan’s gaze follows Qiao Shu and falls on the red smiling face balloon in his hand.
His gaze has a somewhat strange fluctuation.
“No need.”
One second later, he says.
“Sir, please don’t be polite.” Hearing the voice again, Qiao Shu happily walked over and reached out to hand the balloon to Gu Chenyan.
Perhaps too excited, Qiao Shu’s steps became a bit chaotic as he approached Gu Chenyan. Suddenly, he tripped over himself and fell toward Gu Chenyan.
The proximity was too close for anyone to react in time.
Chen Wenyuan could only watch helplessly as Qiao Shu tumbled toward Gu Chenyan, who was known for disliking physical contact.
After seeing Qiao Shu’s posture during the fall, Chen Wenyuan’s eyes widened, and he almost forgot to breathe: “!!!”
This was a big problem!
Qiao Shu felt a bit dazed from the fall. His hands instinctively avoided Gu Chenyan’s bandaged body and tightly gripped the wheelchair’s armrest. However, the momentum of the fall was beyond his control, and his head still collided with Gu Chenyan.
His entire face pressed against Gu Chenyan’s body.
Qiao Shu felt warmth.
Thinking about the bandages wrapped around Gu Chenyan, he realized the severity of the injuries hidden beneath. His face turned pale, and panic washed over him.
Ignoring the pain in his own knee from hitting the stone pavement, Qiao Shu quickly dragged his knee back a few steps and lifted his head.
Then he noticed the strange expression on Chen Wenyuan’s face behind the wheelchair.
Following Chen Wenyuan’s gaze, Qiao Shu looked down at the spot where he had just fallen.
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
In an instant, Qiao Shu’s face turned bright red.
He had just done it! He had actually fallen right between the other person’s legs!
His face was buried right in the middle!
Social death scene!
There was a brief silence at the scene.
Finally, Gu Chenyan, whose entire face was covered and expressionless, spoke. He looked at Qiao Shu, who was still kneeling on the ground, with an emotionless gaze: “Get up.”
“Ah!”
Qiao Shu, devoid of any soul, clumsily scrambled to his feet, still clutching the balloon string in his hand.
As for the candied hawthorn skewer, he had no idea where it had fallen.
Qiao Shu stood there, feeling utterly lost and awkward.
But the embarrassment only lasted a few seconds. The blood rushed to Qiao Shu’s face, and he suddenly remembered that he had just collided with a severely injured patient.
“Are you okay? I’m so sorry!” Qiao Shu apologized frantically. “Let me call a doctor for you.”
He turned to go fetch a doctor.
Gu Chenyan stopped him: “No need.”
Qiao Shu insisted: “I should.”
Gu Chenyan replied calmly: “I’m fine.”
Qiao Shu hesitated and turned back: “Really?”
His phone rang.
Qiao Shu hurriedly apologized: “I’m sorry.”
He took out his phone; it was a call from Lu Yue.
Lu Yue: “Qiao Qiao, where are you?”
Qiao Shu replied: “I have something here, Sister Yue, please wait for me.”
He hung up the phone and looked back at Gu Chenyan: “Sir, are you really okay?”
Gu Chenyan: “Yes.”
“You can go now.”
Qiao Shu felt flustered and embarrassed, completely ignoring whether the other person’s voice was pleasant or not.
He wanted to call a doctor. Hitting someone with such severe injuries on the head would surely have consequences.
But Gu Chenyan declined.
Gu Chenyan signaled for Chen Wenyuan to push him away.
Chen Wenyuan, who had calmed down, immediately complied.
The wheelchair moved away a short distance.
Qiao Shu turned around and caught up.
He ran back to Gu Chenyan, his face still red: “Sir, let me give you my phone number. If your injuries worsen, you can hold me responsible.”
Gu Chenyan: “No need.”
Qiao Shu insisted: “I want to. What if I hurt you? The injury I caused, I must take responsibility for it.”
In the end, Gu Chenyan turned to Chen Wenyuan and said, “Take his phone number.”
Chen Wenyuan pulled out his phone and recorded the number.
After leaving his contact information, Qiao Shu introduced himself, “I’m Qiao Shu. I’m truly sorry for what happened earlier.”
“Well, then I’ll leave now.”
Gu Chenyan responded with a simple “Hmm.”
As Qiao Shu took a couple of steps away, he suddenly turned back. Under Gu Chenyan’s gaze, his face flushed, and he handed the balloon to Gu Chenyan, saying, “Wishing you a speedy recovery, sir.”
After speaking, Qiao Shu hurriedly ran off.
Gu Chenyan watched Qiao Shu’s figure disappear.
Then he turned to Chen Wenyuan and handed him the balloon, his voice cold: “Dispose of it.”
Chen Wenyuan replied, “Yes, sir.”
But Gu Chenyan stopped him: “Wait.”
He pursed his lips slightly and said, “Give me the balloon.”
⌈Weekend chapter: 0⌋
