Chapter 209 Spreading Rumors

Ji Wanqing was fiddling with the new phone Pei Yu had bought for her. The SIM card should be Pei Yu's secondary SIM card, but she hadn't gone to the service center to get a replacement card yet.

She had just called her mother to let her know she was safe when she heard a noise at the door.

"Sunny." Duan Ye walked in slowly, glancing around the ward. "Why are you alone? Didn't you say you'd have someone with you?"

"Brother Qingye?" Ji Wanqing was a little surprised. Although Meng Chao had told her he was coming, she didn't expect it to be so soon. "How come you..."

"The club hasn't had much going on these past few days, and when I heard about your accident... I bought the earliest available plane ticket."

Duan Ye put his backpack on the chair, walked closer to the hospital bed, and carefully looked her over. "Are you alright now?"

Ji Wanqing nodded, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "It's nothing serious, thank you for coming to see me."

"It's good that you're alright." Duan Ye didn't ask any more questions. He naturally picked up the kettle on the bedside table, found that there wasn't much water left, so he turned around to refill it. He then tested the water temperature before handing the glass to Ji Wanqing.

"Thank you." Ji Wanqing took the water glass, the warmth spreading through the glass to her palm.

"What did the doctor say?" Duan Ye pulled up a chair and sat down, at a comfortable distance that made him feel at ease.

"It's just a superficial injury. She's a bit weak and shaken. She'll be observed overnight and can be discharged tomorrow," Ji Wanqing replied.

Duan Ye hummed in response, his gaze lingering on her bandaged wrist for two seconds before shifting away.

“He’s still a patient, after all, and someone needs to stay with him at night.” He stated this calmly, not as a question, but as a decision.

"I'm fine, you should go find a hotel to rest, no need..." Ji Wanqing subconsciously wanted to refuse, not wanting to trouble him too much.

"Go to sleep." Duan Ye interrupted her, his voice gentle but not allowing her to refuse. "I rested on the plane, don't worry."

Ji Wanqing stared at him for a while, then silently nodded.

Having been held captive by the kidnappers for a night, she certainly doesn't feel safe now.

Sitting here, Duan Ye felt a sense of warmth and peace, unlike the oppressive and tense atmosphere emanating from the other people.

She said no more, gently lay down, and pulled the blanket up.

The ward fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of the central air conditioning running.

Ji Wanqing closed her eyes, but she wasn't sleepy at all.

She quietly opened her eyes a crack and looked at Duan Ye sitting in the chair. Caught off guard, she met his gaze, and Ji Wanqing's face flushed slightly.

"Can't sleep?" Duan Ye smiled slightly and spoke in a gentle voice.

Ji Wanqing was a little embarrassed and gave a soft "Mmm".

“It’s normal to be startled,” Duan Ye said understandingly, leaning forward slightly with his elbows resting on his knees. “Would you like to chat? Or, I can find you some soothing music?”

His thoughtfulness was always just right, neither overly enthusiastic to the point of being overwhelming, nor indifferent to the situation.

Ji Wanqing felt a warmth in her heart and shook her head. "No need for music... just talking like this is fine." She paused and asked softly, "Are you... really okay with the club? Why did you suddenly come here like this?"

"The training matches just ended, and I happened to have some free time." Duan Ye's tone was relaxed, as if this was really just a casual visit. "The manager knew I was visiting a friend and didn't say anything."

Ji Wanqing was deeply moved. She knew very well that Duan Ye said this to ease his psychological burden.

"Thank you, Brother Qingye," Ji Wanqing said sincerely. She could feel the heartfelt sentiment of someone who had traveled so far to see you.

Duan Ye shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on the bandage on her wrist again, this time without immediately looking away.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

Ji Wanqing subconsciously curled her fingers and answered honestly, "A little bit, it's burning, but it's much better than before."

"Yeah, change the dressing on time, and you'll get better soon." He paused, as if remembering something, and his tone became slightly sarcastic and cold. "Next time you do a live stream, you can use this as an excuse to legitimately slack off for a few days."

His sudden joke startled Ji Wanqing for a moment, then she couldn't help but chuckle. The gloom that had been weighing on her heart for days seemed to be dispelled by the laughter.

"Brother Kiyono, you can joke around too."

"Do I look like a block of wood?" Duan Ye raised an eyebrow and asked, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.

“I’m not a blockhead,” Ji Wanqing quickly explained. “It’s just that you don’t talk much usually, and you’re quite…composure.”

She chose a more euphemistic word.

“Talking a lot isn’t necessarily helpful,” Duan Ye said calmly, his gaze softening again. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

Silence fell between them again, but this time it was not unsettling; instead, it was filled with a comfortable tranquility.

Looking at his calm profile, Ji Wanqing suddenly recalled the almost frozen atmosphere in the ward earlier, and spoke softly, with a hint of dependence that she herself did not realize.

“Brother Kiyono, I feel much more at ease with you here.”

Upon hearing this, Duan Ye looked up at her. In his usually indifferent eyes, there seemed to be a slight flicker of emotion, like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating shallow ripples.

He didn't respond immediately, but just looked at her quietly. After a few seconds, he gave an almost inaudible "hmm".

“Go to sleep,” he said. “I assure you, it’s safe here.”

His promise was simple yet powerful.

Looking into his earnest eyes, Ji Wanqing's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

She closed her eyes again, and this time, drowsiness washed over her like a gentle tide.

She could feel Duan Ye's gaze still gently falling on her, but that gaze no longer made her nervous; instead, it felt like a silent protection.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but just before she was about to drift off to sleep, she felt someone gently approach her. The person gently tucked the blanket around her shoulders, and their fingertips brushed against her hair, leaving a slightly cool touch that strangely made her feel warm.

She eventually fell into a deep sleep, and her breathing became even.

Duan Ye made sure she was really asleep before slowly withdrawing his hand and silently sitting back in his chair.

When Ji Wanqing woke up the next day, the ward was empty, and she suddenly felt a little lost.

She took out her phone and logged onto the Boiling Point platform, intending to open her fan group and tell everyone that she needed to take two days off.

But I saw several posts about her with sensational titles, saying she had been kidnapped and disappeared overnight.

The details are too vague to explain; let everyone fill in the blanks with their own imagination.

She watched for a while and found that some posts disappeared shortly after they were published, which must have been seen by some big shot who was suppressing the hype behind the scenes.

However, after experiencing that incident, Ji Wanqing is no longer affected by posts like this.

Compared to the fear of death, the harm caused by spreading rumors and slanderous posts seems like nothing at all.