Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"We've had so many fans these past few days, the coffee shop downstairs is completely booked!" Xiao Chao said as he pushed open the door and entered.

Actually, you could just buy a few ice creams from the convenience store next door; they'd have the same effect. But Xiao Chao, being so simple-minded, wouldn't think of that.

When he looked up, he saw an unusually harmonious scene:

Shen Qingyuan held the script and read the lines to Ye Chuyang, who was on the physiotherapy bed.

Her voice was soft, clear, and pleasant, and she pronounced each word clearly and precisely.

Ye Chuyang listened quietly, her eyelids half-closed, whether she was engrossed in the scene or simply trying to calm herself.

Perhaps they were too focused, because neither of them reacted to Xiao Chao as he entered.

"I feel like I'm a bit superfluous..." Xiao Chao muttered.

It took Shen Qingyuan a moment to react. She turned to look at Xiao Chao and asked, "Is the ice coming?"

"I waited forever to get the ice..." Xiao Chao wasn't very interested in describing the long queue. He took out the plastic bag containing the ice and put it on the coffee table.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

With no bookmark at hand, Shen Qingyuan folded a corner of the page she had just read and closed the script.

She got up to get some ice.

Medical ice packs are more convenient because they're wrapped in high-density plastic, preventing water leakage. Using regular plastic bags can cause leakage. I'll have to order some medical ice packs online later.

She found two plastic bags in the refrigerator and wrapped them around the ice cubes. Then she wrapped them in a towel.

"Can you turn over?" Shen Qingyuan walked to Ye Chuyang's side with an ice pack. Due to its size, the ice pack couldn't be stuffed under her. Although lying face down wasn't very comfortable, it was convenient for applying ice.

He was so capable; he felt like he could run two laps downstairs right now. Ye Chuyang propped himself up with one hand and rolled over, trying to make the movement as graceful as possible. After all, he was the prince of period dramas; even though his back wasn't doing so well right now, he could still look cool.

Shen Qingyuan placed the towel on his sprained area and adjusted its position to make it more secure.

"Is the temperature alright?"

It wasn't too cold when it was first placed on the towel.

Ye Chuyang clicked his tongue for a moment, "It's alright."

"Don't keep it iced for too long; take it off after three to five minutes," she reminded me again. After thinking for a moment, I decided to keep an eye on it myself. Xiao Chao wasn't very meticulous, and as for Ye Chuyang? Forget about him.

She picked up the script again, sat down beside the therapy bed, and continued reading the passage she had just read. It was a completely conscious and natural process.

The chill seeped into the sprained area, numbing the pain. Ye Chuyang rested his chin on the pillow, comfortably squinting his eyes, thinking:

The world is in ruins, and you're the only one patching it up, Shen Qingyuan!

-

When Ye Chuyang was three or four or five or six years old, a flu outbreak occurred, and his parents took him to a clinic near his home for an injection.

One of the childhood nightmares for every child is getting a shot.

He must have received vaccinations as an infant, but he has no recollection of it. He only vaguely remembers that the clinic had a terrifying atmosphere and smelled terrible.

A female doctor wearing a mask, with long hair and big eyes, examined him. The doctor smiled and complimented him on his cute appearance.

Looking back now, I realize he was attracted to pretty female doctors back then...

The small clinic had only one doctor who both treated patients and gave injections. When she took out the syringe, little Ye Chuyang instinctively became frightened and struggled and cried in his parents' arms.

"Don't cry, you brave little man!" the female doctor comforted him with a smile, took a lollipop from the drawer, tore off the wrapper, and gave it to him. "It won't hurt at all, you can trust me."

later……

A chill ran down her backside, followed by a sharp pain. Ye Chuyang wanted to cry, but with a lollipop in her mouth, she couldn't make a sound, so she silently endured it, her beautiful eyes filled with tears.

Sugar-coated bullets!

Pretty female doctors are the best at lying.

Suddenly, time and space became chaotic. The blurry-faced female doctor transformed into Shen Qingyuan, who also held a long syringe, her large eyes blinking as she smiled.

"Ye Chuyang, it's time for your shot! Be brave, little man!"

No way, my pants are going to be pulled down, my butt is going to be seen... Even though his muscles are beautifully developed, every single one of them is absolutely worthy of the audience's attention...

When I get anxious, I wake up.

Thankfully, it was just a dream; she had just dozed off. Ye Chuyang felt a small sense of relief. Then she felt a cool sensation on her side, as if water seeping from an ice cube had seeped out, and a few drops slid down her waistline onto the bed.

It seems to be a spring... um... dream! Ugh, so embarrassing!

He's clearly sexually frustrated. After years of not dating and focusing solely on work, this young man, full of youthful vigor, is bound to be a bit thirsty.

He buried his pink face in the pillow and remained motionless, perfectly playing the dead pig.

-

"Oh no, what happened? I'm going to die! Ye Chuyang subdued the pervert and saved the damsel in distress! Tell me the story!"

Shen Qingyuan had just managed to find a moment to rest in her room when she was bombarded with a barrage of phone calls from Song Ting.

Song Ting, a journalist, was particularly excited about this kind of news and felt very regretful that she wasn't at the scene.

"It's what they said on the news. Someone must have filmed it at the scene." Shen Qingyuan was a little tired, so she kicked off her shoes and buried herself in the blanket.

The first short video uploaded has already garnered over a billion views.

"Trending at number one! Your Ye Chuyang is really something!" Song Ting exclaimed excitedly, "His boyfriend-like strength, his reaction speed, his powerful yet graceful figure—absolutely stunning! Absolutely amazing!"

"Boyfriend material?" Shen Qingyuan corrected her, "He's not Ning Xin's boyfriend."

Song Ting: "I know, I know. Boyfriend power doesn't mean someone's boyfriend, it just means the kind of charm that girls find attractive."

Shen Qingyuan said "Oh," and then added, "You're also very girlfriend-like." Song Ting went on and on, but somehow she caught the key word "boyfriend-like."

Song Ting shouted, "Shen Qingyuan, it's rare for you to praise me. What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Can't I even praise you?" Shen Qingyuan thought for a moment, and realized that it wasn't without its provocations. For example, Xiao Chao's comment, "Do you think Yang-ge likes Ning Xin? He even rescued her as a hero."

Moreover, after Shen Qingyuan went up, Ye Chuyang asked her to check on Ning Xin's condition first.

That's pretty suspicious.

Then I thought, how did she become so gossipy like Xiao Chao? What a waste of time.

"Shen Qingyuan, are you... I mean, just a tiny bit..." Song Ting carefully chose her words, "...jealous?"

So, that subtle discomfort can be summed up with this common term.

Shen Qingyuan remained silent for a while.

Song Ting tentatively asked, "Shen Qingyuan, are you still there?"

After a few seconds, Shen Qingyuan suddenly said, "Song Ting, Ye Chuyang has 30 million fans, nearly 90% of whom are female. Does that mean he can easily make women fall for him?"

This question seems completely nonsensical. Would the exceptionally intelligent Shen Qingyuan ask such a question? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

"It's not that easy. At least you don't like him!" Song Ting chimed in with a dissenting voice. "I admire people like you, Shen Qingyuan. Even if there are thousands of people against you, you will still go. Maintain your unique aesthetic preferences and don't follow the mainstream route!"

Though there be thousands of people, I will go. Shen Qingyuan pondered this sentence, never expecting it to be used in such a context.

"I'm not going to talk to you anymore, I'm going to take a shower."

Shen Qingyuan hung up the line, feeling a little strange. She had been in the sun all day and was covered in sweat; her clothes and skin were practically sticky.

Let me take a shower first.

-

When Ning Xin first gained some fame, her team marketed her with the label of "Goddess of Geeks".

The press release described her as having a pure and innocent image and a hot figure, accompanied by several bikini photos taken at the beach.

"Why are all the photos they're using the same few?" Ning Xin wrapped herself in a blanket and curled up on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.

She frowned, her small face pale and bloodless. Even without makeup, her skin was still radiant and clear, but her features were lighter, making her look less energetic.

After dealing with the "concern" from several media outlets, Sister Xu came over and sat on the sofa next to Ning Xin. "That's how marketing accounts are, they just pick the most eye-catching ones to post! It's not like we're in bad shape, let them post whatever they want. Who wouldn't want a free wave of PR?"

Ning Xin didn't speak. She put down her phone, tilted her head back, leaned against the sofa, closed her eyes, and sighed.

Sister Xu, observing the situation, said, "President Cao just called to ask how you are doing and if you need to rest for a couple of days." President Cao is the big boss of the brokerage company.

The fact that the big boss personally intervened immediately demonstrates Ning Xin's status in the company.

"Oh, right, I need to make a call later. President Cao has asked the company's best lawyer to help us handle this. We're definitely going to fight for our rights to the end, Xin Xin, the company absolutely supports you!"

Sister Xu had handled similar cases before, and she figured the pervert would only get administrative detention, not jail time. It's truly a helpless situation, like "a toad jumping onto your foot—it doesn't bite, it's disgusting."

However, if you look at it from a different perspective, it seems alright.

The male lead, Su Liao, is so prominent that the female lead, with her limited screen time, seems like a mere extra. All the publicity surrounding the opening ceremony focused on Su Liao, leaving Sister Xu wondering how to release press releases about Ning Xin.

As if on cue, the perverted man delivered a major news story. According to online data, this forced hug incident has certainly made Ning Xin even more famous.

That's why people say the internet age is a chaotic mess; things like streaking are things that our predecessors have already done.

"Okay, eat something first. You've been fasting for so long. If you keep going hungry, you'll get low blood sugar..."

Sister Xu asked Xiao Yu to heat up the takeout in the microwave and bring it over for Ning Xin to eat.

Ning Xin had no appetite at all, but she still obediently picked up her chopsticks.

Coincidentally, one of the dishes was zucchini and scrambled eggs. Ning Xin stared at the zucchini and scrambled eggs, her mind wandering.

In a daze, a young man's voice rang in her ears: "Ning Xin, try it! Although it's my first time cooking, I consulted a master chef, so it's sure to be delicious!"

The old range hood, though long dead, is still kept by the landlord in the kitchen as a decorative element.

The ceiling of the small kitchen and the drainpipes near it were covered in greasy, black stains. At night, they would become a breeding ground for cockroaches.

Fortunately, the floor was clean, and the young couple had cleaned up their small area thoroughly.

Ning Xin, who looks radiant even in the simplest street vendor T-shirt, is completely out of place in a place like this.

However, having love makes a difference.

There are so many stories of struggle, and this is just one of them. In fact, the stories are all similar, but for the people involved, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

In an interview, Ning Xin recalled her time as an extra, saying, "Actually, I miss myself back then."

The host was surprised: "It must be tough, right? Living in a house like that, and having to rely on your family for support every month."

Ning Xin's eyes showed a hint of bewilderment, and her smile seemed to contain a touch of regret. "Of course there were hardships, but it was different. Back then... there was a kind of blind naiveté, a lot of fighting spirit, as if every day the sun was new."