Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Shen Qingyuan swapped shifts with her colleagues, took a flight that night, and rushed to the film set without stopping.

After getting off the plane, she switched her phone back to normal mode and saw several missed calls. She checked WeChat messages first.

Xiao Chao: Sister Chen? Why can't I get through to you on the phone?

Yang is fine. I just went to the hospital with him for a check-up.

Ye Chuyang didn't text her or answer her calls. She sensed something was wrong and hailed a taxi at the airport. She'd left in a hurry, without even taking her luggage, and as she got into the car, her mind was still hazy.

Having previously sent something to Ye Chuyang, Shen Qingyuan found the address and gave it to the driver.

In the latter half of the night, it was still dark, with no sign of dawn.

By the time she arrived at the hotel, it was already daylight. Shen Qingyuan felt disheveled and her hair was greasy. She tidied her hair with her fingers in the elevator.

Then she called Xiao Chao and told him that she had arrived at the hotel.

-

The door opened, and Shen Qingyuan tiptoed inside.

Xiao Chao whispered, "Sister Chen, why did you get here so quickly!"

She waved to Xiao Chao and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Where is he?"

She didn't believe Xiao Chao's claim that he wasn't injured, thinking he was lying to her, or perhaps lying to her at Ye Chuyang's behest.

I must see him with my own eyes that he is alright!

Xiao Chao nodded and pointed to the living room.

The living room is a typical executive suite layout: an L-shaped sofa is bathed in morning light, medicine boxes and ice packs are scattered on the coffee table, and the mini bar is empty except for a half-cold glass of water. Further inside, behind a slightly ajar door is the bedroom.

"Yang Ge hasn't woken up yet, the crew gave him a day off." Xiao Chao hesitated, "Should I... go and wake him?"

"No." She shook her head, her gaze fixed on the door. "Let him sleep."

Xiao Chao hesitated, then asked, "Shall I get you a room?"

"No need." She took off her shoes and curled up on the sofa. "I'll wait here."

Only by getting closer to him can my heart return to its place.

Xiao Chao scratched his head and smiled wryly: "Yang Ge will definitely scold me when he wakes up..."

"I will protect you." Shen Qingyuan closed her eyes, and the corners of her mouth finally curved into a smile.

-

Around 7 a.m., Ye Chuyang's biological clock woke him up on time.

He stood up, supporting his back, his steps still a little unsteady. As he walked toward the restroom, he suddenly stopped.

A person was curled up on the living room sofa.

Her hair was disheveled and hung loosely in the nape of her neck. Her breathing was so light it was almost inaudible, but she was tense all over, as if she might wake up at any moment.

He stood there, stunned, his Adam's apple bobbing – she had flown in overnight, yet refused to even wake him.

My heart felt both sore and burning, as if it were about to burst.

He leaned down, his fingertips hovering above her cheek, not daring to touch her.

But she still woke up, her eyelashes fluttering, and she grabbed his wrist tightly, her knuckles turning white:

"Ye Chuyang..." her voice was hoarse and incoherent, "Where exactly are you injured?"

Her eyes were red-rimmed, with dark circles under them. She looked extremely tired, but her eyes were unusually bright, alert, and straining.

She quickly got up from the sofa, stared at him from head to toe, and examined his hands and feet.

There was a wound on his calf wrapped in sterile gauze, which must have been broken. The anti-inflammatory medicine on the table was probably for this wound.

"I'm fine," he forced a bitter smile, holding her arms firmly with both hands, pretending to be relaxed. "Why did you come all night? Look how tired you are. Get up and go to bed."

In the video, he fell from a height, landing face-first on the hard stone steps. In the fan group, some said, "He looks like he has a broken bone," others said, "The wire came loose, it's too dangerous," and still others dug up old news, saying that the production crew's safety measures have always been lax…

How could she not be anxious? How could she possibly wait patiently until dawn?

"Xiao Chao said he's finished the examination. Where are the MRI images? Can I see them?" She wanted Xiao Chao to show her the images as soon as she arrived, but she refrained from asking for them for fear of waking him.

Ye Chuyang paused, not answering immediately. He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a small shadow in the morning light, his fingers tenderly stroking the back of her hand.

"...It's nothing serious, just a minor soft tissue contusion. The doctor said I just need to rest for a few days."

"I don't believe it!"

He didn't seem too seriously injured yet, but he had been injured before, and at his worst, he had to use a wheelchair. She was worried that this accident might aggravate his old injuries, and that his doctors might overlook the subtle changes in the X-rays.

Everyone is afraid.

Ye Chuyang went to the bedroom to get the film bag and gave it to her. While she was looking at the film, he poured a cup of hot water and placed it on the coffee table in front of her.

Ye Chuyang: "Have some water first. I'll have Xiao Chao buy some food later. After you've had breakfast, you can get some more sleep."

She gave a perfunctory reply and focused intently on the film. Frame by frame, from T10 to L2, the bone was intact, the intervertebral space remained in its previous state, with no fractures or nerve compression.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She had estimated the height of the fall and thought he might be injured; thank goodness.

"I told you it was nothing." Ye Chuyang leaned back on the sofa, her voice still tinged with laughter. "Doctor, can we go home now?"

She ignored him, carefully tucked the film back into the paper bag, and turned away with slightly red eyes: "Last night...it scared me to death..."

Before he could finish speaking, he choked up.

She was never that afraid. Even when the man who caused the medical dispute threw an unknown liquid at her, the fear was only momentary.

She stayed up all night, receiving no new messages on the plane, her heart pounding. She admitted that the usually calm Shen Qingyuan found herself panicking and at a loss.

He froze, then felt a pang of heartache. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head: "Silly you... You rushed over here overnight before you even understood what was going on. I even had Xiao Chao send you a message because I was worried you'd be upset if you saw the news. Sigh, all that hair has gone to waste."

Shen Qingyuan felt wronged, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. She grabbed his pajama belt to wipe her tears.

"You also said... you didn't send it yourself, but let Xiao Chao send it. How am I supposed to know if you're lying?"

He panicked, wiped away her tears, and felt heartbroken: "Okay, it was my fault. Dr. Shen, please forgive me this time."

"You can't do this again. If it happens again, call me immediately! No—it can't happen again, promise me, Ye Chuyang!"

"Okay, I agree!"

He lowered his head and kissed her, kissing away her tears.

-

Neither of them reacted the moment the door was pushed open.

Xiao Chao, carrying soy milk and fried dough sticks in one hand and a steaming hot beef bun in the other, pushed open the door and called out, "Brother Yang, Sister Chen, breakfast is ready..."

The words came to an abrupt halt.

On the sofa, a handsome man and a beautiful woman are embracing and kissing, creating a romantic atmosphere.

The air froze for three seconds.

Xiao Chao, with his eyes closed, frantically backed away, his face flushed red: "You guys continue! Continue! I didn't see anything!"

He then turned to close the door and slip away.

"Stop!" Ye Chuyang stopped what she was doing, turned her head slightly, and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her eyes showing a hint of impatience at being disturbed. "Leave your breakfast! You can leave now."

Xiao Chao chuckled, placed the bag in the entryway, and waved with his back to them: "Alright! Let's go!"

The door clicked shut.

The room fell silent.

Ye Chuyang chuckled softly, his chest trembling slightly. He then looked at Shen Qingyuan, whose face was completely red.

Hehe, this little girl is so shy.

On the way to the airport with Shen Qingyuan, Xiao Chao said, "I'm really impressed by you two, it's like an idol drama. Sister Shen, do you know what the first thing Yang Ge said to me on the way to the hospital after he fell down?"

"Hmm?" Shen Qingyuan looked up at him, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

“He said, ‘Don’t tell Shen Qingyuan.’” Xiao Chao imitated Ye Chuyang’s pained and nervous tone, exaggerating it several times over. He closed his eyes, paused, and continued, “‘It should be fine; she doesn’t read gossip news.’”

The air fell silent for a moment.

She said, "I didn't watch it before, but I do now."

-

The Spring Festival will arrive shortly after filming wraps up for the new movie.

Prior to this, several provincial satellite TV stations had invited Ye Chuyang to perform on their Spring Festival Gala.

Ye Chuyang politely declined all offers, citing the reason that he wanted to spend the Chinese New Year with his family.

Money can never be fully earned. He spends most of the year away from home and has very limited time to see his family. Besides, he has other plans for this year.

-

"Isn't it too early..." Shen Qingyuan hesitated.

"Shen Qingyuan, I've already met your parents. It's only right that you return the favor, so you can't not come to my house, can you?"

“You came of your own accord…” she protested softly.

He was the one who rushed over; he only called Shen Qingyuan when he arrived at the entrance of the residential area.

In traditional thinking, meeting the other party's parents is quite symbolic. The last time Ye Chuyang and Shen Qingyuan's parents bumped into each other in Jicheng was by accident. But if someone were to make a special trip to meet and offer New Year's greetings, that would be far more significant.

He reassured her, "It's nothing, just a meeting and a meal. My parents are very easygoing, they don't make a fuss. You've met my mom, she's not the kind of wicked mother-in-law you see in TV dramas."

Perhaps because her previous experience meeting Sun Zhi's mother was too unpleasant, Shen Qingyuan frankly admitted that she was a little apprehensive about meeting her boyfriend's parents.

"That works... How about I visit you as your former private doctor, instead of as your girlfriend?"

Wow, you can do that?

Ye Chuyang was really on high alert when she went to the Shen family to pay her New Year's visit. Standing at the door, she silently prayed: This isn't a film set, there are no retakes, I have to get it right in one take today.

From choosing gifts to chatting with Dad before meals, cooking with Mom, and washing dishes after meals, she was quick-witted, sweet-talking, and always ready to help.

He consoled himself, saying that every prospective son-in-law goes through this phase. Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Shen were quite satisfied with him.

Thinking about it, the pressure is indeed immense.

"Fine, doctor it is then." He said sullenly, but also found it quite amusing.

"Don't let it slip!"

"Yes, ma'am! Don't worry, don't underestimate my acting skills."

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Ye Chuyang went to the Shen family to pay New Year's greetings. On the fourth day, Shen Qingyuan decided to go to the Ye family.

She inquired about the preferences of Ye's parents in detail, bought gifts at the mall in advance, and arrived at their home on time as agreed.