Chapter 56
The emergency room door finally opened.
Lin Ting rushed to the doctor and asked anxiously, "Doctor, how is he? Is it serious?"
The doctor pulled down his mask and said calmly, "Don't worry, it's just a mild concussion. Also, the wound on the back of his head has been treated. He'll wake up once the anesthesia wears off."
“Will the wound on the back of his head leave a scar? He’s a public figure, so if it leaves a scar, we need to find a way to treat it as soon as possible,” Zhang Ke said.
"It shouldn't leave a scar. The wound was sutured by the best cosmetic surgeon in the hospital. As long as the scar is treated carefully afterward, it shouldn't leave a scar. Besides, it's on the head and won't be visible once the hair grows back."
Zhang Ke breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked the doctor, while Lin Ting seemed to have come back to life, showing some signs of vitality.
The hospital bed was pulled out from the inside, and Chen Zhiyi lay on it with his eyes closed, his head wrapped in bandages, and his face as pale as paper, as if covered by a thin layer of frost, revealing an indescribable fragility.
Lin Ting wanted to rush forward and stroke his face, wanting to grab his hand and say so many things to him, whether he could hear her or not, but she held back.
As she entered the ward with the hospital bed, Zhang Ke grabbed her hand to stop her.
“Listen to me, now that he’s alright, you should leave the hospital before the media arrives.”
"What do you mean?" Lin Ting asked, puzzled.
Zhang Ke opened his phone screen to show her, only to realize that the news about Chen Zhiyi's injury had already topped the trending searches on various media platforms.
"I estimate that the area downstairs will be packed with media in a few minutes. We need to handle this urgently. Faye is already on her way to the hospital. We absolutely cannot let the media discover your presence, otherwise they will dig up everything about you. So get out of here quickly."
"But I'm worried, I want to stay by his side."
"But he wanted to protect you even more, otherwise he wouldn't have told me all this before he fainted." Zhang Ke said anxiously.
"Can I still come to see him?" Lin Ting asked timidly.
Zhang Ke's tone softened a bit, "Sure, once the public relations are sorted out tonight, you can come to the hospital to see him a little later tomorrow. Contact me then, and I'll bring you in."
"Okay!" Lin Ting glanced at the person on the hospital bed, then left reluctantly, turning back every few steps.
With a "ding," the elevator doors opened, and a woman in her early thirties stepped out. Her attire and demeanor were completely different from Lin Ting's; she was capable, assertive, noble, and aloof.
Her short, slightly wavy hair, straight eyebrows that exude a heroic air, and two cold, icy black pupils on her fair and delicate face, along with her tightly pursed, fiery red lips and a sharp black suit, all contribute to her imposing presence.
The two locked eyes for a second as they entered and exited the elevator. Perhaps intimidated by her powerful aura, Lin Ting felt as if this woman could see right through her. As the elevator doors closed, the woman suddenly turned around and stopped outside, staring at her with a sharp and even wary gaze.
Just as the elevator doors closed and began to descend, Lin heard Zhang Ke's voice, "Sister Fei, you're here."
Fei Jie, whose full name is Qin Fei, is currently Chen Zhiyi's agent. She is nine years older than Chen Zhiyi and was already one of the top marketing gurus in the industry before working with him. She has been in the industry for more than ten years and has swept through the entertainment circle with her superb marketing skills and shrewd negotiation skills. She has successively discovered and made many high-quality idols popular and is the well-deserved "idol godmother".
Her meeting with Chen Zhiyi is just like any other ordinary person becoming an idol overnight—a common, overused story.
When Chen Zhiyi was a sophomore in college, he saw a notice on the school bulletin board advertising for a cast member for an idol drama. He had no interest in this type of role, but his roommate dragged him to the audition. Coincidentally, Qin Fei's artist was the male lead at that time. She happened to visit the set that day and was also dragged by the producer to audition for an actor. Through these three coincidences, she saw Chen Zhiyi standing outside the door waiting for his friend when she entered the audition room.
The sun shone brightly that day. He stood quietly against the wall, gentle and handsome. The sunlight, like golden silk, gently fell on him, creating a beautiful picture.
Having worked in the entertainment industry for so many years, Qin Fei has seen all kinds of men, but she has never seen a boy as clean, clear, and spotless as a blank sheet of paper. He is like another side of herself, a side that she lost long ago and can never get back.
She longed to regain this side of herself, as if she could still be the same as when she first entered the industry—clean, fresh, and natural.
Instead of wearing lavish clothes and heavy makeup every day, as if wearing a mask that neither crying nor laughing can make it crack in the slightest.
Therefore, Qin Fei had the idea of taking the painting for herself, an idea driven by self-interest and selfishness.
At that time, Chen Zhiyi was always hitting walls when applying for roles and his career was not progressing. He was very happy to be favored by a well-known agent. In addition, the two were able to talk about their career plans and signed a contract.
Soon, Chen Zhiyi got the movie rights to "Secretly in Love with You," which made him an instant star. Although it has been more than three years since its release, the male lead is still the "white moonlight" in the hearts of many girls, and the movie is also known as the top pure love film.
However, the two gradually developed differences in their plans. Qin Fei wanted him to pursue an idol career, which would attract a lot of fans and keep him in the spotlight. In the entertainment industry, being in the news meant having resources. But Chen Zhiyi didn't like that. He preferred to take the path of acting with real talent. He liked to challenge himself with different characters to hone his acting skills and enjoyed watching veteran actors perform on set. Even if it was just a supporting role, he would take the part if he was interested, regardless of the size of the role. Qin Fei, on the other hand, felt that this was a waste of time. She believed that artists without exposure and buzz would be quickly eliminated from the industry. As a result, the two often argued. Considering Qin Fei's kindness, Chen Zhiyi tried his best to cooperate with her work as long as he didn't violate his own bottom line.
Later, Chen Zhiyi realized that meeting Qin Fei was both his good fortune and his misfortune.
Qin Fei, such a ruthless character, is not only cruel to herself, but also shows no mercy to her subordinates.
She went into the ward first to check on Chen Zhiyi, talked to the doctor, and after confirming that he was alright, she called Zhang Ke out of the room.
Zhang Ke lowered her head timidly, not daring to look at the gloomy face opposite her. She had always been afraid of Qin Fei. She was not hired by Qin Fei to be Chen Zhiyi's assistant. It was when she was being bullied on set that Chen Zhiyi saw it, stepped in to help, and eventually took her in as his assistant.
She never dared to look up or meet Qin Fei's gaze when they were together.
"Look up, what's going on?" Qin Fei's voice was cold and gloomy, sending chills down one's spine.
Zhang Ke slightly raised her head, only to see that her tiger eyes were wide open and her face was full of anger.
Zhang Ke: "I was hit by a chandelier on the filming set."
"Be more specific, how did you get hit? Were you hitting someone while rescuing them or was it an accident?" Qin Fei's voice rose.
Zhang Ke was taken aback. "Sister Fei, you already knew?"
"I already contacted the director before I came. It was the girl who just left."
Zhang Ke nodded, "Actually, it's not the girl's fault. The chandelier suddenly fell down. It's just that the set designers were careless."
Qin Fei: "You still have the nerve to explain that this is your dereliction of duty? Why did you allow unrelated staff to enter the filming location?"
Zhang Ke: "This girl is the designer who collaborated with the M brand. She came here to submit her design drafts."
Qin Fei frowned, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Is that the girl Zhi Yi chose to dance with?"
"Yes".
A hint of seriousness flashed across Qin Fei's expression; it couldn't all be a coincidence.
She was wary of any girl who suddenly appeared next to Chen Zhiyi and whom she didn't know.
She always believed that Chen Zhiyi was someone she had discovered and who had brought him to his current position, and that he should be grateful to her and submit to her.
Subtly, he came to regard Chen Zhiyi as his own private property, a private property that no one else could covet, and of course, he couldn't have any disloyal thoughts towards him.
"Sister Fei, what should we do about this? The injury is already trending on social media." Zhang Ke was more concerned about how to handle the situation. Having worked as an assistant for a long time, she understood that even the slightest disturbance in this industry could escalate into a huge uproar, and it was crucial to contain it as quickly as possible.
"Immediately notify the publicity team to issue an official statement on the studio's Weibo account, saying that Chen Zhiyi was injured on set while protecting crew members, and that the injury was minor and nothing to worry about; he can return to normal work after a period of rest."
“They weren’t even staff members, isn’t this just making the production crew take the blame? Besides, Teacher Chen said before he fainted that it was an accidental injury.” Zhang Ke didn’t understand Fei Jie’s approach at all. It was the simplest thing to do, why didn’t she do it?
Qin Fei crossed her arms and looked at Zhang Ke with disdain. "An accident? How do you explain an accident? Do you think the media and fans are all illiterate and so easily fooled? Besides, so many people saw it today, do you think they could all keep their mouths shut? The fact that he was injured while saving someone can't be hidden. Fortunately, no one in the crew has ever seen this girl before. I've already talked to the director, and we'll say she's a handyman who just joined the crew today. We won't reveal her real identity. This explanation will also improve Chen Zhiyi's image in the public eye. Girls love heroes who save damsels in distress, and we can also use this as a good publicity opportunity to increase the crew's popularity in advance."
Although Zhang Ke feared Qin Fei, she genuinely admired her. As expected of a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry, she handled everything with ease, possessing exceptional public relations skills. When other artists under her management were involved in scandals, she could reverse public opinion overnight, turning them into infamous figures. No one in the entertainment industry could compare to her.
"Okay, Sister Fei, I'll arrange it right away." After saying that, Zhang Ke picked up her phone and walked to the side.
Qin Fei stopped her, "By the way, any contact this girl has with Zhiyi, no matter how small, must be reported to me."
Zhang Ke sensed a chill. She already knew Lin Ting's identity and was well aware that the two would inevitably become entangled. The entertainment industry wasn't a place where true love could blossom, especially since the girl was an unknown outsider. If she told Fei Jie the truth, she would do everything in her power to break them up, and Chen Zhiyi, being deeply in love, would surely cause a huge uproar, damaging her career. After all, he had been kind to her, and she couldn't let that happen. Keeping it a secret was the only thing she could do at the moment.
Zhang Ke is also a pitiful person. Growing up in a poor family, and being the eldest daughter, she dropped out of school at sixteen or seventeen to work as an assistant to support her family. To outsiders, working for a celebrity seems glamorous and high-paying. But in reality, it's like being a nanny, responsible for the celebrity's daily life, on call 24/7, and often subjected to beatings and verbal abuse from a bad-tempered boss. Zhang Ke's previous boss was an arrogant and domineering female celebrity who routinely insulted her in public. Even more outrageous, she once abandoned Zhang Ke on a highway because she was in a bad mood, and made Zhang Ke sleep in the bathtub with her because she was afraid of the dark in a hotel.
Later, because the female celebrity had worked with Chen Zhiyi on a drama, she was accidentally caught by Chen Ziyu hiding in a corner crying, and he handed her a tissue.
"I don't have an assistant yet. I don't know if you would be willing to work for me. The salary and benefits may not be very high since I am just a newcomer, but it should be enough to make a living."
When Zhang Ke heard these words, it was as if she had been walking in the desert for days and nights, and just when she was about to die, an oasis appeared before her eyes and life began. She was very grateful to Chen Zhiyi for helping her at that time, because female celebrities, regardless of their seniority or status, all have a certain position, and not everyone dares to steal the person next to them.
When Zhang Ke signed her assistant contract with the female celebrity, there was an unfair clause. At the time, she was young and inexperienced and didn't notice it, so she signed the contract without fully understanding it. The clause stated that if Zhang Ke resigned before the contract expired, she would have to pay a penalty, which is why she hesitated to resign.
Chen Zhiyi gave her the money, allowing her to leave the female celebrity smoothly.
Chen Zhiyi's help was the first warmth she experienced, and this warmth has stayed with her for the rest of her life.
You helped me, and I will protect the people you love in return.
“Sister Fei, this girl is just a designer who came to collaborate with us, not a member of our team. We only have contact when she comes to deliver design drafts, so there’s nothing else to report.”
Qin Fei was well aware of Zhang Ke's loyalty to Chen Zhiyi, which was also one of the reasons she disliked Zhang Ke. She wouldn't report every little detail of Chen Zhiyi's daily life to her, so Qin Fei had always wanted to fire Zhang Ke and replace her with her own trusted confidante.
Qin Fei's desire to control Chen Zhiyi has long exceeded the level of a manager's control over an artist.
She repeatedly reminded herself to control herself and not to interfere too much. Chen Zhiyi was a person with independent consciousness; he could have his own ideas instead of completely following her lead.
But she just couldn't do it; her obsession and darkness towards Chen Zhiyi were on full display.
“I’m just asking that this kind of situation must not happen again. You need to be careful and cautious with anyone who comes into contact with Chen Zhiyi. I’m not referring to any one person, understand?”
"Okay!" Zhang Ke nodded solemnly. She felt very guilty about what happened today, and how could she allow it to happen a second time?
"Alright, you stay here with him today. I'll handle the statement release."
After speaking, Qin Fei went into the ward and took one last look at Chen Zhiyi. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly and had no other aftereffects, she left the hospital, and Zhang Ke breathed a sigh of relief.
After leaving, Qin Fei made a phone call, speaking very decisively.
"I'm not going to waste time with you. I need you to investigate someone for me, the female designer who collaborated with the M brand this time. Her name is Lin Ting, Lin as in double wood, and Ting as in 'hearing.' Find out everything about her." He hung up the phone without giving the other party a chance to refuse.
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