Chapter 11: The Recruitment Notice

Chapter 11: The Recruitment Notice

Brother Next Door’s words didn’t sound like a question.

Chen Bai stretched out his fingers to indicate a minuscule distance, saying, "Just a little bit soaked."

Brother Next Door made no comment on the minuscule distance Chen Bai had indicated, asking instead, "Are you uncomfortable anywhere else besides your throat?"

Chen Bai gestured again, saying, "A little dizzy, a little hot."

Facing the inquisitive gaze of his good neighbor, he widened the gap between his fingers slightly and rephrased, "Perhaps it's rather dim and hot."

Xu Sinian's only thought was that he had quite a knack for descriptive language.

The person before him had red-rimmed eyes and was radiating heat; they didn't seem to have any connection to the phrase "rather hot."

He asked, "Do you have any family or friends nearby?"

The steaming man, though perplexed by his query, answered nonetheless, saying no.

No family to speak of, he had only been in this world for so little time, and there were no friends living nearby either.

Then he saw his neighbor lower his head, whispering something to him.

---

Upon leaving his home, Chen Bai arrived at the film set right on schedule.

Having worked for years, he'd encountered colds before, and he knew his limits. He was aware that he could endure filming a couple of shots; he could still hold up under the strain.

The assistant director, who was in charge of his scenes, checked on him, with the main director specially coming over to assess his condition.

Some people walked as if they were floating, yet delivered their lines perfectly, their voices hoarse. Those around them would instinctively rub their necks, feeling as if their throats were also turning dry.

Despite these conditions, the actors pushed through, and the rest of the crew became even more focused than usual, wary of causing any retakes during such a critical time. The first take went off without a hitch, and while the art department needed to reset the scene, the actors took a break on the spot.

During the interlude, the makeup artist came over to touch up his makeup lightly, remarking, "You should really go to the hospital with how you're feeling."

Chen Bai nodded. "I'll go after we finish the next scene."

The makeup artist felt the scorching heat from his touch and her eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "Are you going alone?"

There were no hospitals nearby; the nearest one required a car ride. This person didn't look like he could make it to the hospital in one piece.

"No,"

Chen Bai smiled. "Someone is coming with me."

The makeup artist glanced at him. "A friend of yours?"

"Mmm," his almond eyes curved into a smile as Chen Bai replied, "Someone very easy to get along with."

The second scene was also completed in one take. The person who should be rolling off to the hospital immediately grabbed his phone and sent a message, bidding farewell before leaving. Out of concern for their gossipy camaraderie, the makeup artist, having nothing else to do at the moment, escorted him to the set's entrance.

The man, who seemed to be walking on air when he said someone would accompany him, wasn't lying. As the gate opened, the makeup artist saw through the thick curtain of rain that a figure was already standing not far away.

Tall and long-legged, clad in a black coat, his face obscured by the darkness, blurred by the rain, his aura appeared even colder than the downpour itself.

By intuition alone, it was easy to sense that this was someone difficult to get close to.

He asked the person beside him, "Is this your exceptionally amiable friend?"

Chen Bai also saw him, and upon hearing this, he nodded vigorously. Turning around, he waved at the makeup artist and said, "I'm off now."

After bidding farewell, he held up his umbrella and jogged away.

Some people were bedridden by fever, while others could still leap about, moving freely in the rain.

—It might not have been entirely smooth either, the makeup artist watched helplessly as Erbai veered off course, only to straighten himself back up again afterward.

That particularly easygoing friend seemed to say something, and the two of them left together.

Just before leaving, the person whose walk was unsteady turned around and waved with a smile one last time.

The studio gates closed once more.

Chen Erbai got into his good neighbor's car.

Strapping himself in, Chen Bai slumped deep into the seat, instantly turning into a limp heap. Even in his state of collapse, he didn't forget to express his gratitude to his kind neighbor for using his precious day off to take him to the hospital.

The good neighbor, having taken his seat behind the wheel, removed his hat and advised him to conserve his strength and talk less.

But for some people, the agony of having company yet being unable to chat is akin to watching their bank balance dwindle.

Despite his breathlessness, Chen Bai persisted in making conversation, receiving a thermos cup from his neighbor during a red light.

Taking a sip of the warm water to soothe his throat, he finally entered a much-needed intermission.

Before the halftime break was over, the vehicle pulled into the hospital's parking lot.

Upon entering the hospital, Xu Sinian registered, saw the doctor, and after a check, his temperature read 38.5 degrees Celsius.

Xu Sinian looked down at the patient who had once gestured that he was only slightly warm.

The patient ran his hand through his hair and could only manage a weak smile.

Due to excessive sweating from his fever, the doctor prescribed medication for him and recommended an intravenous drip.

Chen Bai followed the doctor's instructions to the letter.

He went for his intravenous drip, the medicine prescribed by the doctor fetched by his good neighbor on his behalf.

No matter when he came, the hospital was always bustling with people.

Seated in a chair, Chen Bai had one hand occupied by the IV drip, while the other propped up his cheek as he gazed at the ceaseless flow of people around him.

In times past, he would have been pushing a mobile cart down the corridors to collect his medication. Visiting the hospital alone could be slightly inconvenient at times, but he had grown accustomed to it; he could manage everything solo now.

Today, with an extra person around, he suddenly found himself idle, unsure what to do with his newfound free time.

A dark figure emerged from the corner.

It was his good neighbor returning, carrying the medicine he had picked up.

Chen Bai patted the space beside him.

Xu Sinian glanced at the drip bottle, then took a seat next to the person.

The time spent on the drip was long, and by the time their throats were parched from constant chatter, the bottles hanging above them had barely emptied halfway. Chen Bai finally decided to break out the ultimate time-killer: a simple game of Ludo with his neighbor.

In one room, four people played. When the dice rolled an even number, your plane took off. The first player to get all four planes to the finish line won, but players could also send each other's planes back to base by landing on them.

As the first game began, the patient said, "It's just a little game, a fun way to pass the time."

Halfway through that same game, it was the same patient who, after having his plane sent back to base, fervently urged his nearby companion to stomp on others' small planes in retaliation.

The one who often stomped on the patient's plane was Huang Fang's Xiao Huang. When the good neighbor stomped on Xiao Huang, the patient got his sweet revenge, letting out a long breath in relief.

He looked quite spirited at this moment, and the little game seemed more effective than the prescribed medication.

It was helpful, but only when his deep-seated grudge could be avenged. As if his painstakingly piloted aircraft, nearing its destination, had been stomped on once again, the patient leaned back, coughing weakly twice, and said, "Feels like the fever's gotten worse."

Xu Sinian: "…"

Xu Sinian stomped on Xiao Huang again.

The man who had slumped back in his seat propped himself up again, giving Xu Sinian a thumbs-up. "I'm feeling better now, Doctor Xu! You're a miracle worker!"

Dr. Xu chuckled softly, a sound so faint that it was inaudible to the patient, who was engrossed once again in his harmless little game.

Due to the extreme emotional fluctuations, after one round of the game, the patient couldn't continue playing the much-loved 'Flying Chess' with everyone else.

Unable to play Flying Chess, he could only sit and chat with his good neighbor.

The hospital was bustling with people, warm, and filled with the muffled sounds of conversation and movement. He could also hear the pleasant voice of his neighbor.

The person sitting in his seat gazed half-open-eyed at the passing figures, his vision gradually blurring.

"..."

Xu Sinian noticed the sound from beside him growing fainter, gradually becoming intermittent. He turned his head and saw the closed eyes beneath the disheveled strands of hair next to him.

They had fallen asleep.

After a couple of glances, he retracted his gaze, slightly lifting his eyes to glance at the half-drained drip bag.

In that brief moment, a weight, neither too light nor too heavy, pressed against one side of his shoulder. The fine hairs, not his own, brushed against his neck, causing a slight tickle.

He raised his hand, intending to adjust the person's position. As soon as he moved, the eyelids of the closed eyes beside him also stirred.

"..."

Xu Sinian ultimately refrained from further movement.

The rain that had persisted all day finally ceased as evening approached.

When Chen Bai awoke again, the needle that had been in his hand was gone, and so was the drip bottle.

His good neighbor stood up and told him, "You can go back now."

Still groggy from sleep, he nodded without quite understanding, getting to his feet and returning to his good neighbor's car.

It wasn't until he fastened his seatbelt that it dawned on him the medical procedures for the day had concluded.

He felt somewhat detached from reality. Glancing at the tiny wound on the back of his hand, he muttered, "I actually fell asleep."

Xu Sinian started the car, stealing a glance at him sideways.

Chen Bai said, "I haven't slept at all while getting my IV drip before."

He added, "It's actually quite dangerous to fall asleep while having an IV drip alone."

Falling asleep during an IV drip is indeed perilous; one might risk backflow if they oversleep even slightly. Although hospitals have doctors and nurses around, they cannot constantly monitor every patient when they're busy. It's ultimately the patient's responsibility to be vigilant, especially for those undergoing treatment solo. Valuing his life dearly, Chen Bai had always been cautious.

All in all, it was all thanks to his kind-hearted neighbor. Chen Bai once again expressed his gratitude for the great kindness bestowed upon him by his benevolent neighbor.

His kind neighbor glanced at him and said, "Go home and get some rest early."

The patient in the passenger seat nodded, his eyes sincere and upright.

Resting early is not something that can be done easily.

After taking a day off yesterday, Chen Bai had to go live no matter what. After bidding farewell to his neighbors at his doorstep, he returned to his room and turned on his computer as soon as possible.

He casually took the medicine prescribed by the doctor while waiting for his computer to boot up. Once the screen lit up, he put on his headphones, holding a cup of water in one hand and clicking on the livestream software with the other.

Apart from numerous private messages, there were new system notifications in the background.

One was an invitation from the streamer named Qingzhou that he had previously encountered but failed to comprehend, and the other was a call for streamers, specifically targeting those in his division who possessed a certain number of followers, himself included.

The world championship of the game he played had just concluded, its fervor lingering, and the platform seized this opportunity to issue the call, aiming to ride the wave of popularity.

In essence, the call was a competition, albeit one between streamers rather than players. Streamers would form teams of two, banding together freely, and engage in a series of eliminations. The victorious duo would be awarded a grand cash prize, a sum denoted by an impressive string of zeros.

"…"

After meticulously recounting the string of zeros following the cash prize, Chen Bai slowly straightened his posture, his gaze returning to the invitation he had just glanced at.

Author's Note:

Xiao Huang: Is there no one to speak for me?