Chapter 70: Coming to Take You Home

Chapter 70: Coming to Take You Home

"..."

In that instant, the agent's hand froze mid-air, neither up nor down, mirroring her heart.

Seeing her pause, the two assistants were momentarily confused and turned their heads to look through the glass window.

The room was dimly lit, but the figure bending over the bedside was clear enough that they didn't need to think much to know who it was.

Now they understood why the agent hadn't knocked and entered.

In this situation, even a deity would have to stand outside and ponder the relationship between these two.

Little Meng tried to speak, "Friends... sometimes they..."

She wanted to say that it was normal for friends to hug, but as she spoke, she found it hard to believe herself, and eventually chose to remain silent.

At least she had never hugged any of her friends like this. This kind of embrace reminded her of the couples she used to see in the dormitory courtyard during college.

Witnessing such an intense scene first thing in the morning, she wasn't sure if it was good for brain stimulation or detrimental to normal thought processes, but one thing was certain: they were now wide awake.

As they stood outside, the person inside who was bent over the patient slightly turned his head and noticed them.

Caught in the act, they couldn't continue standing outside, eliminating the option of waiting a bit longer before entering. The agent thus gave a symbolic knock on the door, turned the handle, and walked into the room.

Hearing footsteps, the patient sitting on the bed leaned against his Good Neighbor's shoulder and sat up slightly, peeking out from the side of the man's shoulder with a smile to greet them.

He had recovered remarkably quickly overnight. Although his face still lacked color, his spirit was back to its usual self.

The agent guessed that it might be because he was happy to see his friend, making him seem more vibrant.

"..."

Recalling the scene she had just witnessed, the agent couldn't help but slap her face.

Following the patient, Xu Sinian, the good friend, nodded in greeting.

With everyone already in the room, he slowly released his hold and straightened up. Glancing at his watch, he said, "I'll go get breakfast."

The megastar lived up to his title, remaining calm and unhurried in this situation.

The patient nodded, and the agent and assistants watched him leave.

Once the door closed, with some time left before the doctor arrived, the agent quickly sat down by the bedside and asked, "What was going on just now?"

"What was going on," Chen Yibai scratched his head, "just a hug."

Just a hug. He said it so casually and openly that it left the others momentarily stunned.

"..."

The agent sensed something amiss and cautiously asked, "No other meaning, just to confirm again, what is your relationship with Xu Sinian?"

Friend Brain opened her eyes wide in disbelief, not understanding why she was asking this question, and nodded without hesitation, "Good friends."

"..."

The agent rubbed her face, guessing as much.

The situation was roughly clear. Friend Brain was still pure Friend Brain, but this good friend of his seemed less than pure.

At least this friend appeared to want more than just friendship, harboring greater ambitions.

The agent probed delicately, "What if your friend doesn't want to be just friends anymore?"

Friend Brain waved his hand, "How could that be."

He said it with genuine confidence, leaving even the assistants unable to resist rubbing their faces.

The brief conversation ended as the doctor entered the room to check on the patient, providing medication to be taken half an hour after the meal. The patient's low fever had subsided, and there were no major issues; he could be discharged in the morning.

Once the doctor left, the Good Neighbor returned, carrying breakfast.

The patient received the treatment due to him. Sitting on the bed, his Good Neighbor helped set up a small table tray and placed the breakfast on it.

Breakfast consisted of everyone's favorite soy milk and other stomach-soothing snacks, along with porridge. The soy milk came in a mini version, not much, while the porridge was in a rather large bowl. Between the mini soy milk and the porridge, Chen Yibai predictably chose the soy milk without hesitation.

In reality, it was a typical patient who didn't particularly enjoy porridge and relied on soy milk to sustain him in the mornings.

The agent looked on with wide eyes and said, "That's how you got gastritis."

Sitting to the side, the Good Neighbor pushed the porridge slightly forward, saying, "Aunt Song made it for you; it's good for your stomach."

Aunt Song was the auntie who specialized in preparing breakfast for Aunt Jiang and Mr. Xu's household. During the New Year, when he stayed there for a few days, he had successfully befriended Aunt Song.

With a friend who had gone to great lengths to make the porridge, Chen Yibai closed and then opened his eyes, quickly taking a few sips.

He drank as if facing a heroic death, and the watching Good Neighbor smiled, praising him.

"..."

The gaze of this good friend was not overly concealed, or perhaps too intense to hide, and the agent looked over, her eyes twitching fiercely.

She wondered why she had always felt something subtly off before. Misled by Friend Brain's constant references to 'friends,' she hadn't considered this possibility much. Now that her thoughts had turned, she felt as if she had been blind.

To pursue someone so obviously, she had actually believed the 'good friends' explanation before.

To treat Friend Brain, one must use a friend. The patient, who usually consumed only soy milk and black coffee in the mornings, finished the entire bowl of porridge in stages, collapsing onto the bed afterward.

Half an hour after the meal, he took his medication. His patient experience card had expired, and he changed back into his own clothes, once again becoming the freshly minted Chen Yibai.

Collecting his medication and checking out of the hospital, when returning to the hotel, his friend got into the car of a close acquaintance.

The agent watched as the person got into the car, observing the close acquaintance considerately opening the door. Leaning against the company-provided vehicle behind her, she falsely lit a non-existent cigarette, casually remarking, "Should I say it's a lamb entering the tiger's den, or a tiger being released back into the wild, or a foolish dog returning home."

The assistant, standing by her side, said, "They might not end up together... right?"

This was said hesitantly, with even herself somewhat doubtful.

The agent exhaled an imaginary smoke ring, waving her hand dismissively, "Once Chen Yibai pays off his debt, Xu Sinian should make his move."

When paying off debts, one doesn't think about dating, nor can they. Afterward, others have their chance.

The assistant pondered this, then attempted to analyze the situation, feeling that it was still uncertain. After all, this side was dense and showed no signs of enlightenment, treating people as friends. These matters were truly unpredictable.

The agent waved her hand, looking over, "If he gets rejected, what do you think Xu Sinian would do?"

What would happen.

The assistant said, "He'd be heartbroken?"

Thus, the agent said, "Look at Chen Yibai's mind, would he let someone get hurt?"

"..."

The assistant was initially taken aback, but as her thoughts turned, she suddenly gained a profound understanding.

The agent sighed, slapping her forehead, "All the romance is colliding with a wooden post."

Chu Mingyuan collided and was directly bounced away, seemingly still not recovered. It was rumored that he had already given up on the habit of falling in love on set. Others hadn't even collided yet; they were shattered before they could reach the wooden post.

The assistant said, "Why can't these people see reason?"

The agent nodded. The other car left, the patient sitting in the passenger seat waved at them.

She followed suit, symbolically waving her hand, turning to the assistant and saying, "Let's get in the car."

The wooden post jumped into the good neighbor's car. Just as the vehicle started, he managed to wave at the agent who seemed to be constantly looking this way. After waving, he closed the window, and the sound of a vibrating phone rang inside the car.

Two phones placed together, the one vibrating belonged to the good neighbor.

As he was driving, Chen Yibai kindly glanced at it.

There was no name saved, but the profile picture was familiar. After all, they chatted almost every day. He recognized it as Ms. Jiang, so he looked up and said, "It's Aunt Jiang's call."

The good neighbor was driving, so he answered it for him. Upon answering, he greeted her first.

"Yibai?"

The voice on the other end was initially surprised, then with a click, the voice call turned into a video call, and Ms. Jiang's face appeared on the screen.

Chen Yibai smiled and waved, slightly tilting the phone to the side, explaining, "Old Xu is driving, it's not convenient for him to answer the call."

Ms. Jiang acknowledged, asking, "Are you heading back from the hospital?"

She scrutinized him closely, then asked, "How did you develop gastritis? How are you feeling now?"

She genuinely seemed anxious, her brows not as relaxed as usual, slightly furrowed.

"We're heading back to the hotel."

Chen Yibai nodded, the hair above his eyes curved in a smile, saying, "My recent schedule and diet haven't been regular, but it's nothing serious. A few more days of medication should do the trick."

His demeanor was calm, smiling as usual, but his complexion was pale, and his lips were lightly colored. Ms. Jiang studied him carefully, saying, "You've lost a lot of weight."

She attributed the cause to the production crew mistreating the actors.

This conclusion carried some subjective judgment. Chen Yibai, sitting in the passenger seat, slid down a bit, gently defending the crew, laughing and saying, "There hasn't been much change."

In the eyes of elders, no change meant losing weight. Ms. Jiang asked, "When will Yibai finish work?"

She said, "After you're done, Auntie and Uncle will come pick you up to go home. We'll take good care of your health."

—It seemed her theory of the production crew's guilt wasn't entirely dispelled.

Before answering, the good neighbor, who had been quietly listening, suggested taking a break for a while. Thus, Chen Yibai smiled, didn't say much more, nodded, and agreed, saying that filming would probably end around mid-August.

Ms. Jiang lowered her head to jot down the time. She seemed to be in an office, with paper and pen readily available. As she wrote, she said, "Remember to tell Auntie and Uncle if there's anything in the future. Your driver, who travels everywhere and is often absent, isn't as reliable as us."

If it weren't for her son calling Aunt Song to prepare breakfast, she wouldn't have known he was hospitalized.

The driver, Xu, held the steering wheel, glancing sideways at the person chatting animatedly beside him. His gaze lingered on the slightly curved eyebrows and eyes of the person smiling, then moved away.

Chen Yibai nodded repeatedly, smiling and agreeing.

—

With work still at hand, the close acquaintance arrived early in the morning and left late that night.

After a brief meeting, Chen Yibai continued working the next day, taking his medication while working.

During these few days of resuming work, the production team mysteriously seemed to have struck gold, with daily deliveries of fruit and snacks. When shooting outdoors, large fans blew continuously.

The weather was hot, but under the shade of trees, it was cool, with a breeze blowing.

Holding a fruit plate and munching, during the break, Chen Yibai squatted by the roadside with his agent, glancing at the nearby fan swaying back and forth and the staff still moving the outdoor portable air conditioner, asking, "Has our production team struck it rich?"

The agent looked at him, saying, "There's been a donation from a socially conscious individual."

Poking another piece of apple, Chen Yibai raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The agent explained, "You can consider him a fan... well, he should count as one. He's the one who sent it."

The two assistants remained silent, tactically taking sips of water.

Unexpectedly, it was an individual who had footed the bill. Chen Bai slightly lifted his gaze. "How generous."

The agent gave a faint acknowledgment.

One couldn't be stingy when pursuing someone.

Although he didn’t know who it was, Chen Yibai still expressed his gratitude. He continued to munch on his apple. As he lowered his head, the phone placed next to the script on the table lit up, prompting him to pick it up and take a look.

It was a message from the God of Wealth. Their last conversation was indeed the last time they had spoken. The other party, somehow having gotten wind of his hospitalization, had sent words of comfort. This time, they inquired about his current condition.

He couldn’t fathom how the God of Wealth, who was busier than a living Superman, found the time to extend such concern to a mere contractor. Nonetheless, he truthfully replied that he felt completely fine now.

The God of Wealth didn’t elaborate further, simply responding with a single word: "Good."

Putting away his phone, Chen Yibai set aside thoughts of the God of Wealth. He looked up and saw the director passing by with a watermelon, the cool sweetness of which he could faintly smell. His eyes involuntarily followed the person until the watermelon disappeared from sight.

Repeating what he had said to the God of Wealth, he looked at his agent with certainty. "I’m better now. I should be able to eat watermelon."

Meeting his gaze, the agent smiled. "Keep munching on your apple."

Chen Yibai continued munching on his apple.

The production team’s good fortune came in stages. The first phase improved working conditions and added fruit and small snacks. Then, starting from a certain meal, the catering suddenly improved, transitioning from nearby restaurants to direct deliveries from hotels.

The executive producer made a round later, essentially visiting the set to check on the cast and crew. After confirming that everyone was eating well, they left.

Thanks to the continuous influx of socially enthusiastic individuals, the production team was experiencing unprecedented prosperity. They took advantage of this period to shoot outdoor scenes. By the time June and July rolled around, most of the remaining scenes were indoors, filmed in peace at the air-conditioned film studio.

In the sweltering August, the production officially wrapped up.

On the day of the wrap party, Chen Yibai experienced the busiest wrap party in his career.

Aside from routine socializing, he spent hours acting as a walking photo spot and a ruthless flower-receiving machine.

When it came time for dinner, the most exhausting part of the process, he found himself relatively relaxed. This time, the investors were unusually amiable, especially the executive producer. Sitting at the same table, Chen Yibai didn’t even have to use juice as a substitute for alcohol; he just focused on eating. The question he was asked most frequently was whether the food suited his taste.

Amiable, but still, Gao Qian drowned them all equally with her massive amounts of alcohol.

The hotel was noisy, with the clinking of glasses echoing continuously. Most of the people at the table had fallen, and when Gao Qian put down her glass, it was like sheathing a sword. She turned to look at the person beside her, who was quietly eating, and asked, "We can leave soon. How are you planning your evening? Is your friend coming to pick you up?"

Given that this person was always swiftly picked up by that good friend after every wrap party, she had learned to ask before they could mention it.

"No, he’s out of town these past few days."

Meeting the agent’s gaze, he rubbed his hair. "Someone else is coming to pick me up."

The agent glanced at the others at the table. "Wait for me to finish two more drinks, then I’ll see you downstairs."

Her "two more drinks" was a figurative number. Everyone still seated had one more drink each, thoroughly satisfying their thirst, before being taken away by their respective secretaries and assistants.

As the table emptied, she put down her glass and stood up. "Let’s go."

The room arranged for Chen Yibai was upstairs. He had already packed his luggage before the wrap party began, fitting everything into a single suitcase. The two assistants were still eating, so he didn’t bother them, carrying his suitcase and taking the elevator down. On the way down, he sent a message.

The agent asked, "Has the person picking you up arrived?"

With a nod, he replied, "Just arrived."

Then he added, "They’re downstairs. Should be easy to find."

The sky had completely darkened, and the streetlights were already on. Exiting the elevator and stepping out of the hotel lobby, the agent only saw a long business car parked quietly by the roadside. Apart from its length, the vehicle was extremely low-key.

But its actual price wasn’t quite as modest.

Disregarding it, she asked the person beside her, "Where is it?"

A woman stepped out of the business car first, wearing a beige coat and trousers. After getting out, she looked over here, quickly identified them, and smiled, waving her hand.

She had excellent poise, and her wave was eerily similar to someone else’s.

Well. There was no need for an answer; the agent already knew. She turned her head and whispered, "Who is this?"

Following the woman, a bespectacled man also got out of the car. Chen Yibai introduced them with a smile. "My friend’s parents, also my friends."

"Hmm."

The agent responded, "...hmm?"

Mysteriously, she met the family of a major actor under strange circumstances and at an odd time, engaging in friendly exchanges. She learned that although they hadn’t met, she already had a name among them, and surprisingly, their opinion of her was quite positive.

Initially worried about a brainless Chen following some strange person, the agent was relieved to learn that Mr. and Mrs. Xu were there to pick him up. She handed him over without hesitation, remembering that she smelled of alcohol, so she didn’t linger. After the friendly exchange, she proposed leaving.

When she suggested leaving, Ms. Jiang didn’t detain her. Smiling, she nodded and said, "Thank you for taking care of Yibai."

Her eyes were sincere, not merely saying polite words. The agent reciprocated the smile, saying it was no trouble. Her assistant was sending messages, so she truly needed to depart. Saying goodbye, she quickly headed back to the hotel.

Watching the person’s silhouette disappear, Ms. Jiang’s eyes were clear. Turning her head, she said, "He has a very reliable friend."

Chen Bai smiled and nodded. Before he could say more, Mr. Xu, who spoke little but acted promptly, had already picked up the suitcase left by the side during their chat, asking before the driver reached out, "Is this the only one?"

He sounded strangely regretful.

Chen Yibai thanked him, affirming that it was.

"Do not thank me," Ms. Jiang gently tapped the brim of his cap and said, "It's hot outside, let's get in the car first."

Thus, Chen Yibai got into the car.

The air conditioning was on inside, the lights bright, and as soon as he entered, a chill greeted him. He greeted the driver first.

After staying there for a few days last time, he had already familiarized himself with everyone in the household, his memory serving him well as he could still match names to faces even now. The driver, chatty and outgoing, also greeted him with a smile.

The extended business van had ample seating, but Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu chose to sit in the back with the person who came to pick them up, making it convenient for conversation.

After sitting down and removing his hat and mask, stuffing the latter into his pocket casually, Chen Yibai asked, "Given how I'm dressed, how did Aunt Jiang recognize me?"

Ms. Jiang smiled. "I can recognize you no matter what you wear."

She asked, "Did you eat on time today?"

Ever since his bout of gastritis, this question became a daily inquiry, one that Chen Yibai had grown accustomed to. Indeed, he had eaten on time today, and he nodded confidently.

The vehicle started, returning to the road. Taking advantage of the journey back, Ms. Jiang took out her tablet and began sharing the clothes she had recently purchased.

They weren't for herself, but for a certain Bai. From pajamas to loungewear, she bought a pile of each, ensuring equal attention to all.

Chen Moubai followed along, his eye twitching slightly, and promptly raised his hand to indicate that the previous sets of clothes were sufficient.

"Let her indulge," Mr. Xu leaned over and whispered, "This is her only hobby now."

His eldest son hadn't needed her to buy him clothes for many years, and now Xu Lang had his own preferences, disliking colorful attire just like his brother, sticking to black, white, and gray, or his school uniform. There was no room for Ms. Jiang's input.

Now that she had the opportunity, she enjoyed looking at these items whenever she had free time, unknowingly accumulating a large collection.

Chen Yibai saved face, retracting his previous words manually, and gave a thumbs-up. "They all look great."

Ms. Jiang was delighted. "Right?"

Amidst their laughter, she placed an order for another piece of clothing, satisfied only when she put away the tablet and began discussing the menu for the upcoming period with Mr. Xu.

The menu had been arranged previously, but she felt there was room for improvement, wanting it to be more perfect, ideally able to quickly nourish the person's body.

"..."

The tall buildings outside receded continuously, the sound of conversation in the car reminiscent of faded memories from over a decade ago. Chen Bai originally sat listening to the two people talking, until they entered a tunnel and emerged again, his half-open eyes gradually drooping shut.

"What does Yibai want to..."

Having decided the menu for the next few days, Ms. Jiang turned her head, her words abruptly halting mid-sentence, the latter half sinking into the silence.

The person beside her had fallen asleep, slumped into the backrest, the usual curve of his eyebrows under his tousled hair faint, exuding a coldness formed over the years.

Mr. Xu looked over and said, "He must be tired."

Jiang Nian nodded, reaching out to adjust his position for comfort, lowering her head just in time to see his neck. Pale and slender, it seemed as if the slightest touch would cause some issue.

She gently withdrew her hand, exhaling slowly, suddenly understanding why her son insisted on keeping the person close, unable to let go of worry when away from home.