Upon seeing this message, Lin Jinran's heart skipped a beat. She stole a furtive glance at Su Qinian, who was closing his eyes and resting.
"What, are you afraid I'll peek at your phone?" Su Qinian slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were as calm as still water. "I'm not that despicable."
"Who are you chatting with? You look so nervous," he sneered, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Nothing. Just browsing casually," Lin Jinran replied, lowering her eyes and forcing a smile.
Staring out of the car window at the fleeting scenery, she felt a little absent - minded, perhaps because she had just met her former deskmate, with whom she had a relationship somewhere between friendship and love.
Scenes from the past flashed through her mind like a movie.
"Guys, how are you all?" she asked.
Among all the contacts on her phone, apart from Qiao Songyue, the rest were all from Wannan City.
"Jiang Xiubin and Xie Wanyu have already got their marriage certificates and are currently preparing for their wedding," Su Qinian said.
"Tao Wan had several break - ups with scumbags. She's disheartened about love. Due to work frustration, she quit her job and has been traveling alone across the country recently."
"Lu Youchuan has fallen in love with a girl. That girl loves to tease him, so his pursuit has been quite a spectacle."
"As for Qiao Songyue, she has a boyfriend abroad. I don't know much else. I heard about her from my mom."
"As for the others... let me think. Most of our classmates are doing okay. As they approach their thirties, some are getting married, and some are establishing their careers. Some of them are already parents."
Su Qinian spoke calmly, recounting the experiences of their classmates over the past decade word by word.
Happiness, sweetness, pain, and bitterness were all mixed in those ten missing years.
Lin Jinran listened intently.
After all, ten years had passed. She had thought about reaching out to everyone, but over these years, they had become almost strangers to each other.
Lin Jinran was a bit scared.
"What about you? How have you been in the past ten years? Where did you go after the college entrance examination?"
The man's deep and sexy voice slowly rang in her ear.
"Me? I've been doing fine. I just entered the entertainment industry but never really made it big. It's a pity," Lin Jinran said nonchalantly, forcing a smile.
Afraid that Su Qinian's sharp eyes would see through her disguise, she quickly changed the topic to the entertainment industry.
Actually, there was a reason why she couldn't become popular. Someone was restricting her resources behind the scenes, not wanting her to become a big star.
The future seemed like a mirage. Once something was gone, it was gone for good.
Once again, she chose to evade. Lin Jinran didn't want to say more and turned her head to look out of the window.
"Do you want to attend Jiang Xiubin and Xie Wanyu's wedding and be their bridesmaid?" Su Qinian asked. "Don't worry. Xie Wanyu and Jiang Xiubin haven't invited many people. They're all our old friends, and they'll keep it a secret."
"Let me think about it," Lin Jinran replied vaguely with these three words.
After arriving at the private hospital, Su Qinian picked up Lin Jinran in a princess - carry again and rushed into the building. He found a trustworthy doctor to examine Lin Jinran's ankle.
"You've sprained your ankle. It's quite serious. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to rub on," the doctor said after the examination, then wrote down the names of the medicines and handed the note to Su Qinian.
"Mr. Su, could you please go and get the medicine? It's inconvenient for the patient to go."
Su Qinian nodded and strode out. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, stared at Lin Jinran, and said hoarsely, "Lin Jinran, stay here. Don't run away."
I'm afraid that once I turn around, you'll disappear.
"I know. Look at me. Where can I go? I'd be in too much pain," Lin Jinran said, both amused and annoyed, urging him to go.
After getting a definite answer, Su Qinian let out a sigh of relief and quickly went to get the medicine.
Watching his departing back, Lin Jinran felt her eyes sting and her eye sockets swell.
It seemed that her sudden departure back then had left a deep shadow on Su Qinian.
Su Qinian came back with the medicine and then said to the doctor, "Do you think she should be hospitalized for a few days? After all, the sprain is quite bad."
Lin Jinran: "???"
She just sprained her ankle. Why did she have to be hospitalized?
The doctor nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's better to be hospitalized for observation for a few days. We're afraid there might be some sequelae, which would be a pity."
"Then arrange a single - room ward for her. The environment should be good and there should be few people."
The doctor checked the available beds on the computer. "Room 501 on the fifth floor. Do you want me to show you the way?"
"No, I'll take her there," Su Qinian said.
The two of them chatted about the hospitalization as if nothing had happened, while the patient seemed to have become a transparent person.
Lin Jinran tugged at the corner of Su Qinian's clothes, looked up at him, and said, "I think I'm okay. I don't need to be hospitalized."
If she had to be hospitalized for a few days, all her previous schedules would have to be postponed.
"No, the doctor said you need to be hospitalized," Su Qinian said.
Isn't the doctor just saying this because of your authority? Lin Jinran silently complained in her heart.
"If you're worried about being discovered, don't worry. I often come to this private hospital. It has good privacy protection. Most other injured celebrities also choose this hospital."
"I'll ask a nurse to bring a wheelchair. You can turn left and go straight. You'll see the elevator. It's better to take the elevator up," the doctor said, then made a phone call.
Soon, a nurse came with a wheelchair.
When she saw Su Qinian, she was stunned for a moment. Then, looking down and seeing Lin Jinran, her pupils dilated suddenly. She stammered to the doctor, "Dr. Xu, here's the wheelchair you asked for."
Dr. Xu nodded slightly and gave her a stern warning with his eyes. Only then did the nurse realize that she had overreacted. She quickly lowered her head and left.
"That new nurse is a bit inexperienced. Don't worry. We guarantee that we won't disclose any information to the outside world. It's the hospital's rule," Dr. Xu said.
Su Qinian nodded, carefully helped Lin Jinran sit in the wheelchair, and pushed her out. They turned left and walked straight ahead.
While waiting for the elevator, Lin Jinran tugged at his clothes again. "Su Qinian, aren't you afraid of the rumors outside?"
Su Qinian scoffed. "They're just rumors. What should I be afraid of? The only reason I entered the entertainment industry was to find you."
"Later, ask your assistant to bring you some change of clothes. You're still wearing a evening dress. It's inconvenient for washing up."
"Ding!" The elevator arrived. He pushed Lin Jinran into the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor.
The elevator was made of reflective material, so everything inside could be clearly seen.
Looking at Su Qinian's handsome face, Lin Jinran remembered his question about where she had gone after the college entrance examination.
She had chosen to evade.
It was because back then, she didn't do well in the college entrance examination and only got into a second - tier college...