This refinement, however, was different from what people usually called beauty, reminding Ren Yuanhao of Kikyo from Inuyasha, who was reborn from clay and needed to consume souls to sustain her body.
"Did she have any adverse reactions before? Had she seen a doctor?"
Ren Yuanhao's questions seemed to fall into a bottomless pit. After a while, Guan Ying, who was resting her leg on Qingluo, whispered, "As you can see our situation here, Qingluo has always been frail. Coupled with the poor conditions here, the continuous heavy rain, and the demanding rehearsal schedule, she must have been exhausted."
"Did you call for an ambulance?"
"Yes, but it's been almost half an hour and the vehicle still hasn't arrived. It's probably because this place is quite remote, so..."
Without further ado, Ren Yuanhao picked up Qingluo and said gravely, "There's no time to waste. I have a car; I'll take her to the hospital now."
"I'll go too." Guan Ying stood up, her face also looking unnaturally pale.
Ren Yuanhao knew she was worried he might be a villain, so he didn't object. He then carefully navigated through the narrow passageway, rushed out of the room in a few strides, and returned to his car.
The car was a Land Cruiser, a mission vehicle dispatched specifically for the terrain. Its V6 engine provided powerful performance.
After placing Qingluo properly, just as Ren Yuanhao was about to drive, Pang Wei also ran out and squeezed into the car.
"Hey, it seems you still don't quite trust me. That's understandable, after all, I suddenly appeared claiming to be Qingluo's boyfriend, which was rather abrupt."
Ren Yuanhao released the handbrake, smoothly reversed, and headed straight for Aidicheng.
...
The group soon arrived at the hospital.
Pang Wei looked up at the hospital sign, her brow furrowing, and her voice became particularly uncertain.
"The fees here are probably not low, are they?"
"As long as Qingluo can be cured, nothing else matters. Tonight, our lives are all in her hands."
Ren Yuanhao was confused by her words, but now was not the time to ask. He held Qingluo in his arms and walked swiftly, quickly leaving the two women behind.
After the complicated process of registration and other formalities, Ren Yuanhao took her to the attending physician.
Following a routine examination, the doctor concluded that her collapse was indeed due to malnutrition and a pre-existing heart condition.
"Doctor, how long will it take for Qingluo to wake up? How long until she can get out of bed, how long until..."
Upon hearing Pang Wei's questions, the doctor suddenly slammed his hand on the desk, his expression stern and his words sharp. "She's this weak, and you're still pushing her so hard? If you continue like this, you might harm her for a lifetime!"
"Is... is it that serious?" Pang Wei's face flushed, but the thought of the performance instantly turned it pale again.
"Of course. Let's start with some nutrient fluid and see."
The doctor wrote out a prescription and handed the slip to Guan Ying.
As Guan Ying looked at the prescription, her hand trembled inexplicably. Pang Wei immediately sensed something was amiss, leaned closer to her, and her eyes fell on the slip.
"Two thousand?" Pang Wei exclaimed almost in a roar, then whispered into Guan Ying's ear, "Guan Ying, can we even scrape together that much for our living expenses right now?"
Guan Ying's pale face was etched with anxiety. She nodded, then seemed to recall something and immediately reached for the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"Guan Ying, what are you doing? That's from your grandmother!" Pang Wei, having known her the longest and being her junior high school classmate, knew her inside and out. How could she not know Guan Ying intended to pawn the bracelet to pay for Qingluo's treatment?
Guan Ying knew what the bracelet meant to her. Memories of dusk, fiery clouds, deep waters, autumn bamboo rustled by the wind, dog barks, chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, the person returning home at night – it carried so much, having accompanied her through countless difficult nights.
However, it was ultimately just an object, an inanimate thing. Compared to a life, Guan Ying felt it was insignificant. Moreover, if it were to save the "Han Zhi Yun" troupe, to save Qingluo, she would not hesitate.
All she felt was reluctance.
"You stay here and watch Qingluo. I'll be back soon."
Guan Ying's expression, as Ren Yuanhao saw it, was like a warrior resolutely heading to her death, filled with determination. As she walked out the door, Ren Yuanhao quietly grabbed her shoulder from behind.
"Where are you going?"
"You wouldn't understand, being a spoiled young master."
"If you don't tell me, I certainly won't understand. However, I'm guessing you want to pawn your bracelet, right?"
Guan Ying's eyes were distant. Most of these girls, filled with dreams, came from rural areas across the country. Their education was not high, and coming to the city was merely to serve as cheap labor, with no hope in sight. Or, as Ren Yuanhao speculated, with their good looks, they could find a man from a well-off family to be a mistress, or sell their bodies for considerable money.
But this was not the life these girls wanted. Despite their poverty and humble origins, it didn't stop them from chasing their dreams. They wanted to make up for all the gaps through legitimate means, through their sweat.
Even if that was just a dream miles away.
They could afford to wait and to pursue it.
Thinking of this, Guan Ying became a little lost in thought. It was then that Ren Yuanhao suddenly took the bracelet from her hand.
"What are you doing? Give it back!"
"Since you were going to pawn it anyway, why not sell it to me? You'll get a better price. Come on."
Ren Yuanhao pulled Guan Ying to the card payment area and, without the slightest hesitation, used his legendary top-tier Visa card to make the payment.
"Don't worry. I've taken your bracelet. Qingluo is now my responsibility."
Although Guan Ying had lived in the big city for two years, she still retained the simplicity of the countryside in her personality, thanking Ren Yuanhao profusely.
"Don't mention it. Go give Qingluo her medicine, and then I want to hear your story."
...
The story took a long time to tell. Ren Yuanhao listened intently. These inspiring stories reminded him of his fearless self ten years ago. However, he admired these girls even more.
After all, lacking formal education and relying only on their passion, it was truly a struggle to get by in the mega-city of Aidicheng. Ren Yuanhao, at least, had an accounting certificate and a college degree.
When the story concluded, Ren Yuanhao remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "It seems tonight's performance is indeed very important to you all."
"Yes, you know our current situation. If there's no improvement this time, our troupe will be finished, and all our efforts will have been in vain."
Pang Wei looked downcast, which explained her urgency when she first heard that Qingluo couldn't be discharged immediately.
"Han Zhi Yun, Han Zhi Yun. Promoting our nation's culture, I think you are remarkable."