Uncle Li arrived at the filming base that evening to pick Lin Muci up and take her home, sighing with deep concern.
“Little Ci, I know you’re busy with your own affairs and I shouldn’t bother you, but that classmate of yours, he’s truly pitiful. And he’s so proud, he never accepts money when offered. Oh, his mother is on the brink of death, and seeing him try his best but feel so powerless is truly heartbreaking.”
Lin Muci had never stopped paying attention to Zhou Yuan’an.
“Is Zhou Yuan’an’s mother still in the hospital?”
Considering the time, she’d been hospitalized for quite a while.
Uncle Li shook his head.
“She’s not in the hospital anymore. They say they brought her home to care for her, but this can’t go on. It’s just watching her weaken day by day, perhaps one day she won’t have the strength to open her eyes again.”
Lin Muci hadn’t expected this.
Zhou Yuan’an’s mother’s condition had deteriorated so rapidly.
She asked the system.
“Is there some hidden reason behind this?”
“I remember his mother’s illness is one that’s very difficult to cure, and acupuncture alone can’t fix it. I’ve asked Uncle Li to keep an eye out for rare medicinal herbs in the market. With the power of medicinal herbs, we can slowly nourish her body.”
“But why has his mother’s illness suddenly worsened so quickly now?”
“Could someone be causing trouble?”
The system made a sound.
“So, does the host want to go and see?”
Lin Muci made up her mind immediately.
“Uncle Li, let’s go take a look at Zhou Yuan’an’s home.”
The luxury car drove into the alleyway.
Lin Muci had passed by Zhou Yuan’an’s house before when she dropped him off, but she hadn’t gotten out of the car that time. Uncle Li parked, and led her through the narrow alleyway.
“We’re almost there, house number 999. This is it!”
The young man happened to be standing outside the door with a live crucian carp. He was filled with surprise, but also a bit of embarrassment, upon seeing Uncle Li and Lin Muci carrying gifts.
“Uncle Li? Little Ci? Why have you come?”
A moment later, four dishes and one soup were laid out on the table.
The young man nervously rubbed his hands, very shy.
“Please, eat whatever you like, eat whatever you like.”
The soup was crucian carp soup, and the dishes were all vegetables. He had bought them at the market in the evening when they were cheap.
But they were all delicious. Uncle Li ate with gusto. Lin Muci ate a couple of bites and heard a cough from the room.
She stood up, her appetite gone.
“I’ll go take a look.”
Zhou Yuan’an pulled back the curtain for her. On the innermost bed, a woman struggled to sit up. She was delicate and beautiful, but her face was as pale as snow, etched with worry.
“Are you… Little An’s classmate? I’m afraid I can’t entertain you properly with my health, I’m truly sorry.”
Lin Muci could see her weariness, but it was more than just a simple illness. She went over and held her hand, speaking and taking her pulse. Within a few sentences, she frowned deeply.
Zhou Yuan’an’s mother’s condition was much more serious than she had imagined.
Zhou Yuan’an pulled back the curtain and came in.
“Little Ci, you haven’t eaten properly tonight. I have some snacks from the physical training center, would you like to try them?”
The night sky was filled with twinkling stars. Zhou Yuan’an brought her a stool and sat outside the door, scratching his head.
“Little Ci, I watched the show. You danced so well. And you sing well too. I wanted to vote for you, but you need a membership to vote, and memberships are expensive. You even need VIP to skip the ads.”
Lin Muci chuckled.
“It’s okay if you don’t vote. Your intention is enough.”
Zhou Yuan’an still looked up at the stars.
“Little Ci, do you know, I don’t want my mom to leave. I want her to be well, to stay with me, to watch me play ball, to watch my live broadcasts, to watch me win games, to watch me win awards.”
Under the brilliant starlight, the young man beside her was lost and bewildered. He was a nearly two-meter-tall young man, but his voice was laced with an irrepressible sob.
“Will I succeed? I don’t even know myself.”
“But how can she wait that long? She’s about to die.”
“I see her secretly coughing up blood at night. She doesn’t want me to know, afraid I’ll hear her cough, so she covers her mouth with a pillow. But I saw the bloodstains on it, and I could only pretend not to know.”
Lin Muci knew that the young man beside her would succeed.
He would break many records, he would create history.
She couldn’t tell him about the future.
But she would save his mother.
The girl turned to look at him.
“The fifth performance is about to start. For the finals, I’ll top up your account. Use your VIP to vote for me, okay? Actually, just come and watch the live event. Shout for me with all your might, you have a loud voice, I need to hear you!”
The young man smiled too, innocently rubbing his head.
“I can’t watch it live, I still have to take care of my mom.”
“Never mind that, Little Ci, is filming fun? Did that big star Ling Qianhe bully you? They say the entertainment industry is very messy, with many drama kings bullying newcomers. When my mom gets better, I can go and back you up, be your bodyguard. People will see I’m tall and strong and have big fists, they’ll think I can knock ten people away with one punch, and they won’t dare bully you!”
Mentioning Ling Qianhe.
Lin Muci gritted her teeth again.
“He…”
“He didn’t bully me in reality.”
The young man was puzzled.
“What do you mean he didn’t bully Little Ci in reality? Did he bully you in your dreams?”
Lin Muci:
“How do these men always manage to speak the truth so easily? Have they practiced some special skill called ‘Opening Spirit’!”
The system laughed heartily. The somber atmosphere was unexpectedly diluted. Lin Muci rubbed her temples, looking at the honest and earnest face of the young man opposite her, and gritted her teeth.
“Not in my dreams either!”
“I’m so fierce, who would dare bully me!”
A cute girl trying to act fierce is the most lethal.
Zhou Yuan’an nodded foolishly.
“Little Ci, you are indeed much fiercer than ordinary girls. That’s right, no one dares to offend someone who curses like a shrew… no, Little Ci isn’t a shrew, she just curses a lot.”
“If Ling Qianhe really bullies you, just scold him fiercely!”
“Spit at him! Hit him where he’s weakest! Hit him hard!”
The school bully was online, imparting self-defense secrets.
Lin Muci silently thought about Ling Qianhe’s weakest spot, her cheeks flushing slightly. Fortunately, it was dark, so the young man opposite her couldn’t see much. Brother Qianhe looked lean, but that area was truly spectacular.
Quite astonishing.
She took a deep breath, the midnight wind chilling.
Lin Muci swiftly went inside and, in one go, wrote several Chinese medicine prescriptions for Zhou Yuan’an. She instructed him to get the medicine. His mother’s illness was deep-seated and difficult to cure, but her medicine could at least maintain the current state and prevent further deterioration.
Zhou Yuan’an was still asking.
“Huangjing, what is Huangjing?”
“It sounds yellow…”
Lin Muci finished writing and threw down her pen.
“Go read a book! Yellow yellow yellow, you associate everything with yellow! Why isn’t the national anti-pornography campaign sweeping you up!”
Zhou Yuan’an looked bewildered.
“Little Ci, I meant the color yellow. What are you thinking of?”
Lin Muci, her face burning red, bolted out the door.
“Damn, that was embarrassing!”