The song ended, and a wave of warm applause erupted. Quan Jiu then noticed that the other guests had retreated, leaving the stage to them.
After their performance, the praise continued unabated.
Only Mai Su spoke up, smiling, "Sister Quan, you were so dismissive of our CEO earlier today. What did he do to make you surrender so quickly?"
Quan Jiu smiled enigmatically. "So you don't like noise. Perhaps you should go back to your tent and rest, so you won't be bothered by our chatter."
Mai Su choked, her face flushing with anger. She retorted, "I've been lively and cheerful since childhood. I can't sit still."
The male guest playing the guitar lost his enthusiasm. He put down the instrument and began discussing work with the female guest he was interested in.
The other guests also engaged in conversations about topics that interested them.
Meng Pinglang started chatting with Quan Jiu, while Chu Rong chimed in occasionally, causing Meng Pinglang's expression to shift between green and white, clearly saying unpleasant things.
Mai Su found herself alone, filled with hatred and annoyance. However, she was thick-skinned enough to grab a stool and sit beside Chu Rong, trying to numb herself.
A night of sound sleep followed.
The next day, at six in the morning, the guests began to stir. The reason was simple: the sky had been full of stars the previous night, and today was bound to be sunny. Being in the mountains, how could they miss the sunrise?
Quan Jiu also woke up early. As she emerged from her tent, she saw the sun rising.
The other guests around her were excitedly taking pictures. She scanned the surroundings and realized one person was missing.
Chu Rong's tent remained zipped shut. Had he not woken up yet? That shouldn't be the case; he wasn't the type to sleep in.
Quan Jiu hesitated for a moment. Thinking of his unwell appearance the previous night, she still felt uneasy. She found Qi Fei and asked him to check on Chu Rong.
As it concerned his future boss, Qi Fei took it seriously. He abandoned his photography and went to Chu Rong's tent. He called out a couple of times, but there was no response from inside. He then unzipped the tent and crawled in to check.
A moment later, Qi Fei poked his head out, looking anxious. "Do we have a thermometer? He seems to have a fever."
Quan Jiu's heart skipped a beat. Forgetting about everyone else, she hurried over, kicked off her shoes, and crawled into the tent.
Chu Rong's usually fair and stern face was now flushed with an abnormal redness. Touching his forehead, it was scorching hot; he clearly had a fever.
"He really has a fever. It must be from getting caught in the rain yesterday, wearing wet clothes for too long. I'll go get some medicine from the production crew."
Quan Jiu spoke as she started to get up, but her hand was caught.
Although Chu Rong's eyes were closed, he seemed conscious. He mumbled, "Don't go."
Seeing this, Qi Fei quickly said, "I'll go get it."
After he left, the other guests also gathered around, looking at Quan Jiu and asking with concern.
Qi Fei soon returned with a staff member carrying a bag of various common medicines and a thermometer.
Quan Jiu took the thermometer and measured it in Chu Rong's ear. She exclaimed, "38.5°C. A moderate fever. Give me the medicine."
The staff member quickly handed over the entire bag of medicine to Quan Jiu.
Quan Jiu rummaged through it and found only simple cold remedies. She said, "Given his current condition and the difficult mountain terrain, it's not advisable to go down the mountain to a hospital. Please send someone fast to buy a box of ibuprofen."
"Ibuprofen? Which ibuprofen?" The staff member quickly took out a small notebook to record it.
"Ibuprofen suspension, please hurry."
The staff member repeatedly said, "Okay," and then asked, "Do you need anything else? Just ibuprofen?"
Quan Jiu thought for a moment. He currently had a moderate fever, which might develop into a high fever later, requiring an IV drip. She then said,
"Send two people. One to buy ibuprofen. Once they get it, they can come back first. The other person should go to a hospital or clinic to buy ceftriaxone sodium for injection, along with the matching IV equipment, just in case. If the fever reaches 39°C, an IV drip will be necessary."
As the staff member took notes, they asked, "If an IV drip is needed, then we should bring a doctor too."
"No need," Quan Jiu paused. "I'm a medical student. I can do it."
The staff member was pleasantly surprised, their initial anxiety instantly calmed. "Alright, I'll find someone right away."
Quan Jiu then addressed the other guests who were still watching, "It's okay, I'm here. You can disperse and let the air circulate."
The group dispersed after expressing their concern in twos and threes.
Seizing the opportunity, Quan Jiu pulled her hand free, went out to mix a packet of cold medicine, and returned to feed it to Chu Rong bit by bit. She then prepared a basin of warm water and had Qi Fei wipe down Chu Rong's entire body.
While Qi Fei was busy, the director, Zhang Xin, hurried over, anxiously inquiring about the situation.
Seeing his sweaty forehead, Quan Jiu comforted him, "Don't worry, it's just a common cold and fever. Medicine has been sent for, and we're currently using physical cooling methods."
Zhang Xin, still uneasy, crawled into the tent to check personally. He emerged with a troubled expression.
Quan Jiu guessed what he was worried about and said, "I'm a medical student, I know how to take care of him. I'll stay. You should proceed with the program's arrangements as planned."
Zhang Xin sighed with emotion, "Thank goodness for you. Thank you for your trouble."
After breakfast, the other guests packed their belongings and set off. Today's plan was cave exploration. Although someone was sick, work had to continue, but now there were four groups of guests instead of five.
Mai Su also wanted to stay, but as soon as she voiced it, she received a glare from Zhang Xin. She had to awkwardly claim she was just worried and then abandon the idea.
After everyone else had left, Quan Jiu ate a simple breakfast, then prepared another basin of warm water. Every fifteen minutes, she wiped Chu Rong's entire body until, after the third wipe, his temperature finally dropped to 38°C.
However, he still had not woken up.
Quan Jiu wrung out the cloth, placed it on Chu Rong's forehead, and quietly watched his sleeping face.
"A'Jiu... A'Jiu... Don't go, don't go."
The person on the bed suddenly began to murmur, his expression looking very pained, and his hands flailing about.
Startled, Quan Jiu grabbed his wildly moving hands and whispered softly, "I'm here, I'm right here."
"A'Jiu... Don't go, don't go."
His voice choked, and the hand gripping Quan Jiu's exerted more force, as if afraid she would fly away if he let go.
Quan Jiu tried to pull away, but with a slight effort, those strong hands pulled her into his burning embrace.
"Don't go..." Chu Rong murmured unconsciously, holding the person in his arms tightly.
Watching the man who was usually as steadfast as Mount Tai now so fragile, like an infant, Quan Jiu's originally cold heart couldn't help but soften.
She sighed softly. Fine, considering you're a patient, I'll tolerate this one time.
Quan Jiu didn't know when she had fallen asleep. What she didn't know was that after her eyes closed, the person holding her tightly curled a subtle, triumphant smile at the corner of his lips.