Although Jiang Li had taken a seat, she couldn't think of a topic for the moment.
The two sat in the hospital ward in silence.
After some thought, Jiang Li took the initiative to ask about her condition. Only then did she learn that the woman's surname was Tang, named Tang Yuxue, and she was in the advanced stage of liver cancer.
All the current medical treatments were ineffective for her. She could only live one day at a time. Fortunately, she could accept her situation and even seemed quite optimistic.
Jiang Li felt a pang of sadness. She wanted to say something comforting, but couldn't think of the right words.
Most of those comforting words were too superficial. At best, they could only make herself feel better, but were hardly able to console others. So, it was better not to say them.
Noticing the atmosphere growing dull, Tang Yuxue stopped talking about herself and instead asked, "Miss Jiang, are you not feeling well?"
Jiang Li shook her head. "It's not me. A friend of mine had a car accident this afternoon. I'm here to accompany her."
Seeing that the conversation was running out of steam, Jiang Li started to feel restless. She was about to say a few more words and then leave.
"Ms. Tang, it's quite late now. I'll come and chat with you again if I'm free tomorrow."
Tang Yuxue looked at her. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Li for a moment, then she suddenly smiled. "Actually, I saw you this evening. You were standing at the ward door, and then Yan Zhi took you away."
Jiang Li's body stiffened.
She didn't expect Tang Yuxue to bring up Xiao Yanzhi on her own initiative. She panicked a little. "Xiao Yanzhi and I are..."
"Don't be nervous. I don't mean anything else."
Noticing Jiang Li's reaction, Tang Yuxue quickly burst into laughter. But her smile was so faint, even fainter than the moonlight outside, as if it could disappear at any moment. "It's my fault that I let that boy down. My existence ruined his family and also affected his relationship with his father."
"Actually, if we're talking about when we got to know each other, Yuan Feng and I knew each other earlier. But I couldn't marry him. He had better prospects and choices." Tang Yuxue shook her head and smiled. "Yan Zhi has never blamed me, but I feel so guilty that I always can't face him."
Not knowing the whole story, Jiang Li didn't comment.
After leaving Tang Yuxue's ward, Jiang Li still felt a tightness in her chest. It was even more suffocating than before she entered.
Back in the ward, Xiao Ye was actually awake. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and asked where Jiang Li had been. She had been gone for so long.
Jiang Li casually replied that she had gone to the restroom. She lay back on the bed. Her mind was filled with Tang Yuxue's face. Then she recalled the "story" Xiao Yanzhi had told her last night.
He said he was worried that he would fail in the fight against his family and couldn't give her the marriage she wanted.
So that's why he had once suggested that she be his mistress and he would keep her outside for the rest of her life, repeating his father's mistake and making her repeat Tang Yuxue's mistake?
Jiang Li was shocked by this thought. She took a deep breath. She recalled Xiao Yanzhi's expression at that time and always felt that there had been a moment when he had such a thought.
But even if Xiao Yanzhi wanted to do so, she wouldn't agree.
The pride in her bones wouldn't allow her to be an underground mistress.
...
Early the next morning, Jing Yi came to relieve Jiang Li. She also brought breakfast from home. Jiang Li took a few bites and then rushed to the drama troupe.
There was a play to be performed this afternoon, and they had to rehearse it once in the morning. Her condition was quite good. The sprained ankle the day before hadn't affected her performance state at all. She had even forgotten about it.
During the break, a little girl came over to ask if she was feeling better. Only then did she suddenly remember that she had sprained her ankle yesterday. It was Xiao Yanzhi who had given her first - aid treatment, which was why she had recovered so quickly today.
In a flash, she suddenly recalled the scenes of yesterday, as well as the strength and warmth of his fingers kneading her ankle. Her earlobes immediately turned a little red.
How strange! Why hadn't she felt shy yesterday?
Not only had she not felt shy, but she had also boldly slapped him.
... Now that she thought about it, it was really embarrassing.
After everyone had lunch together and took a short break, they all took their positions, and the play started on time.
This was a play targeting a relatively young audience. The whole performance went very smoothly. The audience also interacted during the performance, and the curtain call at the end was a complete success. Some people even shouted Jiang Li's name below.
Jiang Li had been in retirement for some time. Her fans wouldn't be able to find her here for a while. Moreover, the stage makeup in the play was very thick, so no one should recognize her.
But she didn't care. Anyway, she was making a living openly, and there was nothing to hide.
After the audience had left, the other drama actors began to pack up and prepare to go back. Jiang Li walked with a few female actors who were close to her. Just a few steps out of the theater, a slightly chubby man suddenly rushed in front of Jiang Li enthusiastically.
"Jiang Li, I'm your fan. Can I have dinner with you?" The man was holding a bunch of flowers with a pungent and cheap fragrance, but there was a lewd look in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to be acting in plays now. You're still as beautiful as ever."
In an instant, Jiang Li's alarm bells went off.
A crazy fan, definitely a crazy fan who had followed her here.
Jiang Li instinctively wanted to run.
But the man was obviously more excited. He directly grabbed her hand. The sticky feeling on his hand made Jiang Li feel uncomfortable all over. "Let go of me. I don't want to have dinner with you."
Seeing this, the few girls around immediately went over to push the man away and shouted a warning that they would call the police if he continued to make trouble.
"You're not a big star anymore. Why are you acting so coy?"
His words were also extremely explicit and disgusting. "I'm rich. If you sleep with me for one night, you'll earn more than acting in plays."
After saying that, he pushed the few female actors who were blocking him away. "Get out of the way. I'm not here for you."
How could these little girls possibly beat a strong man? The girls exchanged glances and motioned for Jiang Li to run quickly.
Seeing that she was about to escape, there was a glint in the man's eyes. He directly threw away the flowers in his hand, rushed over and hugged Jiang Li's waist. His hands were also restless.
Jiang Li's hair stood on end instantly. Without any hesitation, she used all her strength. She pressed her elbow against his abdomen, quickly turned around, and immediately kicked the man hard in the crotch with her knee!
The man's face immediately distorted in pain. In a fit of rage, he was about to raise his hand to slap Jiang Li.
It was at this moment that Xiao Yanzhi arrived.
He directly grabbed the man's collar, squinted his eyes slightly, as if sizing him up or examining him.
The man had looked angry just now, but the moment he saw Xiao Yanzhi, his eyes started to panic. "Mr. Xiao... Mr. Xiao..."
"Do you know me?" He asked coldly, but didn't wait for an answer. He just picked the man up and then threw him out like garbage.