Qi Bailu left Room 3236. Ruan Qiuji walked him all the way to the elevator. While they waited for the car to ascend, Ruan Qiuji asked, "Do you have any time on the 21st of next month?"
Next month was May. *Fierce Springs* wouldn't wrap until June, so he would be staying in Xiamen until then. Qi Bailu replied, "I should."
Was that day a special occasion? Qi Bailu thought for a moment before suddenly remembering that the 21st of next month was his birthday. He glanced at Ruan Qiuji. Seeing that Qi Bailu had realized it, Ruan Qiuji said, "I know you’ll be very busy."
It was indeed impossible to have time for a proper date; it would be the same even if Zheng Kunyu came. He would likely eat cake with the crew and then return to the hotel for a live stream. That birthday stream had been arranged by Cheng Wenhui a year ago.
"You don't need to celebrate my birthday."
At least he didn't say, "I don't need *you* to celebrate my birthday."
"How about the 20th? A day early. I just want to invite you to a ballet."
Qi Bailu had intended to refuse, but Ruan Qiuji added, "It’s a lucky coincidence. A Russian dance troupe is scheduled to perform in Xiamen on their tour that day. I’ve already booked the tickets."
Ruan Qiuji was perceptive; this time, he maintained a respectful distance. He knew Qi Bailu would agree. Although he didn't know exactly what ballet meant to Qi Bailu, judging by the younger man's reaction to that music box, it was something very important—or at least a very significant image to him.
This move of catering to his interests clearly worked. Qi Bailu remained silent for a moment before saying, "Okay." Ruan Qiuji watched the elevator doors open and held the button for him. "See you tomorrow morning, then?"
Qi Bailu hadn't brought his phone when he went out. After returning to the 30th floor, he wanted to check the time, but his pocket only held his room card. He shared a suite with Cheng Wenhui and Lydia. Lydia was already asleep, but Cheng Wenhui was waiting for him in the sitting room, dressed in pajamas and sleeping socks. When he saw Qi Bailu enter, he immediately stood up, clutching his phone, and scanned him from head to toe.
His gaze was like a scanning device, whirring back and forth. Seeing the phone in his hand, Qi Bailu’s first reaction was that he had snitched to Zheng Kunyu, and his expression turned cold.
Cheng Wenhui sat back down. He didn't ask if he had been fooling around with Ruan Qiuji. Instead, he said, "Your phone wouldn't go through, so Mr. Zheng’s secretary called me. I went to your room to check—"
The scene he found was: phone present, person absent.
At that moment, Cheng Wenhui had nearly gone mad with anxiety. He had seen Qi Bailu return earlier and had gone to his own room to rest, relieved. He hadn't expected the boy to sneak out again. If he had gone to spend the night with Ruan Qiuji, how could he possibly explain that to Zheng Kunyu?
Zheng Kunyu’s secretary hadn't specified what the matter was, but his tone hadn't been leisurely. It didn't sound like a sudden impulse to send warm regards. Thus, Cheng Wenhui was certain that Zheng Kunyu couldn't get through to Qi Bailu and was searching the world for him.
"I see."
Qi Bailu moved to go back to his room. As he passed Cheng Wenhui, the manager happened to spot the bruise on his neck—a mark so dark it was unclear how many layers of powder would be needed to cover it. Cheng Wenhui hesitated, then followed him inside. Qi Bailu noticed his gaze and said with cold irony, "We didn't sleep together."
Cheng Wenhui stared at him silently and closed the bedroom door behind them.
The phone lay quietly on the bed. Qi Bailu picked it up and saw that the first missed call was from Zheng Kunyu; the rest were from Zheng Kunyu’s secretary. He didn't understand what this display was about, but he braced himself and called the secretary back.
After two rings, the secretary picked up quickly. Qi Bailu expected to hear a storm of cold words, but the person speaking was indeed the secretary himself. His style was much like Zheng Kunyu’s—blunt and weary as he got straight to the point. "Mr. Qi, I apologize for calling so late. Did you know Mr. Zheng is ill?"
How could he know? Ill? With what? It couldn't possibly be lovesickness. Qi Bailu remained silent. The secretary paused before continuing, "Mr. Zheng has had a persistent high fever for the past two days..."
"Did he ask you to call?"
"No, this was my own decision. I hope you’ll give him a call. Just talk to him."
"It would be better if you let the doctors and nurses talk to him," Qi Bailu said, intending to hang up.
"Mr. Qi." The secretary helplessly softened his tone. "He’s been lying in the hospital for two days. The first thing Mr. Zheng did after regaining consciousness was call you. He waited a long time, but you didn't answer..."
*Then it seems he wasn't very conscious when he called,* Qi Bailu thought expressionlessly.
"Did he throw things or lose his temper?"
"Mr. Zheng didn't say anything. Since you aren't in Beijing, his days have been very difficult." Seeing that Qi Bailu didn't respond, the secretary added, "You can't avoid each other forever. Just say a few words..."
Coming from a bystander, it sounded as if he owed Zheng Kunyu something. While the secretary waited, Qi Bailu hung up the phone. Cheng Wenhui watched silently to see what he would do next. Qi Bailu stood up with some irritation and walked to the curtains with his phone. He paced a few steps, and after calming down, he exchanged a look with Cheng Wenhui.
As it turned out, Cheng Wenhui’s gaze only fueled his anger. After a long while, Qi Bailu turned around and dialed Zheng Kunyu.
As he waited for Zheng Kunyu to pick up, Qi Bailu’s grip on the phone tightened. What could they even say once the call connected? Just as he began to regret it and moved to press the end button, the long ringing suddenly stopped. Qi Bailu lifted the phone to his ear. After a few seconds of silence from the other end, he took the initiative to say, "Hello?"
There was no response, making Qi Bailu think he had dialed the wrong number. He pulled the phone away to check the contact name—it was indeed "Zheng Kunyu." What was this? Did a common cold make him so delicate that he couldn't even speak?
Since he didn't speak, Qi Bailu didn't either. In fact, if he listened closely, he could hear very faint breathing on the other end, so Qi Bailu instinctively lightened his own breath. He reached out to pull back the curtain, seeing the scattered lights of the street lamps below. they highlighted the loneliness of the night, like fireflies floating over a pond full of rotting grass.
Time seemed to pass for a long while in the silence. Finally, Qi Bailu heard a nurse’s voice come from the other end, distant and muffled: "Mr. Zheng, it's time to remove the IV."
Qi Bailu heard footsteps approaching, and then Zheng Kunyu hung up.
Qi Bailu stood there for a moment longer before turning back, only to find Cheng Wenhui peering at his face. Qi Bailu couldn't help but curl his lip. He walked to the bed and, without even taking off his clothes, collapsed face-down into the duvet.
He had no idea when Cheng Wenhui left, but two minutes later, the manager returned. This time he brought a tube of ointment and sat on the edge of the bed. "Apply this to your neck. You have to be on camera tomorrow."
Seeing that Qi Bailu didn't refuse, Cheng Wenhui applied it himself. Qi Bailu lay there playing with his phone. Cheng Wenhui glanced at the screen and saw that he was looking at flights to Beijing for the next day.
"Do you want to take leave? You haven't taken a single day off since joining the crew. You could... you could take a whole day..."
"I don't want to."
Qi Bailu abruptly turned off his phone. He sat up, snatched the ointment, and frowned, though it was unclear who he was angry at. Cheng Wenhui was used to his occasional moodiness. He stood up and warned, "Then get some rest. Don't forget that filming is the most important thing right now—and you’d better not have been photographed with him."
Photographed with whom? It was impossible to be photographed with Ruan Qiuji; Qi Bailu knew Ruan would never allow his face to appear in any gossip or scandal.
After Cheng Wenhui left, Qi Bailu looked at the back of his neck in the bathroom mirror. No wonder Cheng Wenhui had looked at him like that; he had been kissed into such a state. He would have to apply some concealer to get through the meeting with the makeup artist tomorrow.
He had been restless the whole time. Only after he finished applying the ointment did he remember he hadn't showered yet; it had been a waste of effort. He tossed the tube onto the vanity, but he used too much force, and it rolled off with a clatter. Qi Bailu bent down to pick it up, thinking how unlucky he was. Right now, he found both of them eyesores. He thought bitterly: *Love is a curse. I’m never falling in love again.*
Although insomnia was a regular occurrence for him, after lying there for four long hours after his shower without falling asleep, Qi Bailu finally sat up, switched on the lamp, and took a sleeping pill. He opened WeChat and saw a message Ruan Qiuji had sent at midnight:
*I just remembered there’s a good Tu Sun Dong place nearby. If you want to try it, you can have your assistant go buy some for you.*
The shop's address followed. Qi Bailu had never eaten Tu Sun Dong, though he had heard people in the crew mention it. He typed: *What is Tu Sun Dong?*
His finger hovered hesitantly over the send button. After a thought, he deleted it and searched for it himself. He had thought it was some kind of "bamboo shoot," but when he saw the description stating that Tu Sun Dong was a snack made from worms, his expression froze.
Great. Now he really couldn't sleep. He checked the time; it was already three in the morning.
He suspected Ruan Qiuji had intended to scare him, especially after seeing those pictures. Sometimes people simply cannot reconcile over small things. Qi Bailu had been terrified of bugs his entire life; at the very least, he would not be reconciling with Ruan Qiuji tonight.
In the end, Qi Bailu didn't reply to Ruan Qiuji’s message. He tapped on his chat with Zheng Kunyu and found that their last conversation was from last year. Zheng Kunyu had said: "Come to my room."
*Has it really been that long?* Qi Bailu thought aimlessly. *No wonder he was so angry when he saw my chat history with Ruan Qiuji.* Finally, he sent a message to Zheng Kunyu:
"Regarding today, your secretary called me. If you’re sick, take your medicine on time and stay in the hospital."
Qi Bailu figured Zheng Kunyu must be asleep by now. He put his phone down after sending it, but to his surprise, the phone vibrated on the pillow. It was a reply from Zheng Kunyu. Three large characters appeared on the screen: "I know."
*Doesn't he sleep?* Qi Bailu replied with a string of mental ellipses in shock, but for the sake of appearances, he sent back a "moon" emoji, meaning it was time to sleep. Just as he sent it, the phone vibrated again. Zheng Kunyu had sent a photo.
It was a casual snapshot taken from a hospital bed. Judging by the bright light outside, it had been taken at sunset. It showed the hospital window and a green tree outside. Tangled in the branches was a kite with a broken string. The kite was shaped like a wide-grinning Peppa Pig...
Zheng Kunyu didn't say anything else after sending the photo. Qi Bailu stared blankly for a moment before realizing Zheng Kunyu’s meaning: he was indeed "staying in the hospital."
But—
Qi Bailu held his phone, staring at Peppa Pig for a few seconds. For some inexplicable reason, he couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
:--- | :--- | :---
泉水凶猛 | Fierce Springs | The title of the film/drama Qi Bailu is filming.
土笋冻 | Tu Sun Dong | A local Xiamen delicacy; "sea worm jelly" made from sipunculid worms.
小猪佩奇 | Peppa Pig | The popular children's cartoon character.
