CHAPTER 71
As the year-end approached, Assistant Gao was so busy she felt like her feet weren't touching the ground, and of course, the boss was truly busy as well.
In her rare moments of downtime, she reflected that even though her annual salary was in the millions, she was still just a corporate worker, hardly participating in the "Gardener Group" at all.
It's tough being an older corporate worker who also tries to keep up with idols.
Fortunately, she had her little idol's WeChat.
On New Year's Day two days ago, her little idol even sent her a private message.
[Assistant Gao, Happy New Year~]
Assistant Gao was so happy when she received it and replied with several messages, but the other party never responded again. Just thinking about it later, her idol used to call her Alex not long ago, but why has it changed back to "Assistant Gao" after not contacting for a while?
They must have lost touch for too long!
The last time they met was before the little idol went to Bincheng City to film, when she renewed a two-year contract with President Wei.
Thinking about it, the boss and her little idol hadn't seen each other for over two months either!
Assistant Gao suddenly ground her teeth in surprise:
'Wow, they can go this long without seeing each other?'
'Even if things are intense... they shouldn't go this long without contact, right?'
But, it's just something that can't be helped.
At the end of the year, the boss's schedule is packed with year-end reports from all the major groups under Tonghua, leaving her with almost no personal time.
Meanwhile, on her idol's side, Assistant Gao opened the QQ group. The fan group she joined is relatively core, with quite a few people working in the entertainment industry who are more aware of her schedule.
She checked the previous updates from the little idol in the group—still filming in Bincheng City.
Just as Assistant Gao was lost in thought, another update appeared in the QQ group.
[There's been an emergency on set, Xiaoyuan has been taken to the hospital.]
The QQ group immediately erupted, with everyone asking what happened.
One person said, [Apparently, she had a high fever, and the crew took her to the hospital.]
[It was captured by reporters visiting the set, and it's already on Weibo by now.]
[The crew is probably using this opportunity for publicity, right? 'Detective Huo' has been getting a lot of attention, it's good to release some news at the right time.]
Assistant Gao couldn't help but ask, [Does anyone know how Sister Xiaoyuan is doing now?]
The people in this fan group were indeed well-informed. Someone quickly replied, [I have a friend who works as a nurse at that hospital in Bincheng. She said Xiaoyuan's fever reached 39 degrees Celsius, but after getting some IV fluids, it has come down, she should be fine now.]
Assistant Gao let out a sigh of relief.
Another person commented, [Sister Xiaoyuan is from the South and might not be adapting well to the northern climate for a while. Plus, filming is tough. I really feel sorry for her.]
[Yeah, did you all see her recent photos? she has lost a lot of weight.]
"..."
Assistant Gao logged off and walked toward her boss's office.
Wei Zhuang was sitting on the leather sofa in her office. Upon hearing her summary, she looked up.
Assistant Gao added, "She's already been sent to the hospital."
"I think this news is quite important, so..." Assistant Gao observed Wei Zhuang's expression. She looked calm and collected, showing no signs of concern whatsoever.
Almost subconsciously, she dramatized the news she had just received, "There were signs of malnutrition, and she even fainted for quite some time at the beginning..."
She stared at her boss, but Wei Zhuang's expression remained unchanged, except her hand, which had paused while flipping through documents.
......
Xiaoyuan woke up in the hospital, and the doctor came over to check her temperature, reassuring her, "You're fine now. Just rest more and drink plenty of water."
She struggled to get up, wanting to return to the crew.
Cai Juan, worried, told her, "Director Huo said your scenes won't be filmed today. He wants you to rest properly, so just stay in the hospital and get more sleep."
"What's the point of sleeping in the hospital?" Xiaoyuan pouted, and as she sat up, she felt a wave of dizziness.
"Hey, hey, hey," Cai Juan called out and, together with Tiantian, supported her from both sides.
Tiantian urgently said, "Sister Xiaoyuan, the doctor also said you haven't rested well and haven't eaten properly. You need to get some nourishment, please rest a bit longer."
"Yes, just listen to Tiantian." Cai Juan said as she took out her phone and opened the front camera. "Look how haggard you are!"
Xiaoyuan was startled by her reflection on the camera and quickly lay back down. The nurse came over to give her an injection. Xiaoyuan frowned, pouted, and turned her face away, too afraid to look.
Tiantian glanced around and said, "Fortunately, those paparazzi didn't catch Sister Xiaoyuan looking like this, otherwise, they would definitely make a big deal out of it."
"Yeah, yeah, they'd say you look ugly without makeup, that you've always relied on cosmetics. They'd sell those photos to other marketing accounts, and every time you trend, they'd pull them out for comparison and bash you..."
Xiaoyuan's eyes widened, "...Huh?"
Taking advantage of the distraction, the nurse skillfully finished the injection and gently told Xiaoyuan, "All done, I'll come back later."
Xiaoyuan smiled at her, "Thank you."
The nurse also returned a smile, stood up, and walked out.
"Alright, sleep for a bit. Tiantian will keep an eye on you. I'll go get you something to eat. What do you want?" Cai Juan said, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, the boss is calling."
He answered the phone. "Oh, Sister Ruan Qing, yes, I'm in the hospital. Uh-huh, uh-huh..."
He handed the phone to Xiaoyuan and whispered, "Take this."
Xiaoyuan half-sat up, and Tiantian stuffed a pillow behind her back.
"Sister Ruan Qing."
Ruan Qing gently comforted her on the phone: "Make sure to rest well and don't think too much, your health is the most important thing."
Xiaoyuan obediently responded with "mm-hmm" and listened to her comforting words before hanging up.
Cai Juan said, "The boss really acts like a mother. Alright, tell me what you want to eat, I'll go buy it."
Xiaoyuan looked at him, tilting her head.
Cai Juan immediately refused, "Acting cute won't work. Spicy food is not allowed."
"I... haven't had spicy food in a long time." Xiaoyuan said quietly.
"Even so, it's not allowed."
"When was the last time you had any spicy food?" Tiantian asked.
Xiaoyuan's answer got stuck in her throat. The last time she had eaten was at Wei Zhuang's place, prepared by her chef, and a flood of memories rushed back.
"Forget about the spicy food, have some congee instead, it's nutritious and good for your stomach." Cai Juan said.
"Sister Xiaoyuan, what kind of congee do you want to eat?" Tiantian asked. "Brother, can we choose the congee?"
Xiaoyuan replied, "I want to eat fish maw and yellow croaker soup."
Cai Juan said, "...You can't get the most authentic version here. Choose something else."
Xiaoyuan insisted, "I just want this!"
Cai Juan fell silent.
After Cai Juan left, Tiantian also stayed quiet, playing with her phone beside her. Xiaoyuan closed her eyes to rest, then turned on her side and started scrolling through her phone.
She scrolled back and forth, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart, unable to quite explain why, and eventually gave up.
That night, Xiaoyuan returned to the hotel, ready to continue filming the next day.
The schedule for the "Detective Huo 3" crew was tight, and Xiaoyuan had signed on for only 60 working days, so she couldn't take too many days off. Besides, once her momentum was interrupted, it would be hard to regain, so she had to persevere.
Time quickly passed to mid-January, and this year's Spring Festival came early, with the crew planning to celebrate it in Bincheng.
Xiaoyuan's chilblains on her hands had not healed, and her sleep was poor. However, as soon as the camera started rolling, she immediately got into character. Off-camera, she became increasingly quiet, often spending time alone.
The crew members were aware that her health was not great but didn't dare to disturb her.
Cai Juan had called Ruan Qing several times. Ruan Qing told him to just take care of Xiaoyuan, saying there was no other good way to handle it for now, and they would adjust and rest after filming was done.
On a private plane.
Wei Zhuang was wearing a gray-black coat, and under the lights, her skin looked as pale as cold jade.
She glanced at the night sky outside the window, picked up the intercom, and said to the cockpit, "Make a stop in Bincheng for a bit."
This was the first time the plane had made a mid-route stop on its usual flight path, so it had to negotiate and apply for permission. By the time it landed in Bincheng, it was already 11 PM.
Wei Zhuang dialed on her phone. "Alex, I'll head over now. Check the time and let her know when I arrive."
Xiaoyuan wasn't in a deep sleep. When she saw the WeChat message, she was stunned for a moment. Once she reacted, she hurriedly got out of bed, changed her clothes, and just as she was about to leave, she remembered something, hurried back to look in the mirror, and ran her fingers through her hair.
Her skin seemed a bit dry, so she grabbed a spray and spritzed her face, gently patting her cheeks.
Her complexion wasn't great, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. She picked up a powder puff and applied a layer of powder to her face, then put on some lipstick.
Worried that Wei Zhuang would wait too long, she stopped fussing with her appearance and hurried out.
Outside, she put on a down jacket and pulled up the hood, the fluffy fur collar covering most of her face.
She soon found the car.
There was some residual snow on the road, and when the wind blew, droplets of melting snow from the locust tree branches fell down.
Inside the car, the cabin was lit with warm-colored lights, and Wei Zhuang's gaze fell on her as she entered.
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