He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the wound. "You handled it well. It definitely needs stitches. I've brought my medical kit. Mr. Ji will be fine after a short rest."
"Right, does Mr. Ji need anesthesia?"
Ji Zhi Xiu raised an eyebrow and refused, "No."
Jiang Mian asked, "Will it leave a scar?"
The private doctor repeatedly waved his hands. "Not at all, not at all. I'll leave some ointment for Mr. Ji. Just apply it on time, and it'll be fine."
"That's good then."
The doctor opened the medical kit, threaded the needle, and said, "Mr. Ji, it will be a bit painful without anesthesia. You'll have to bear with it."
Ji Zhi Xiu closed his eyes and hummed. He disliked the feeling of his body being out of his control, hence his refusal of anesthesia. Seeing he was ready, the doctor bent down and aimed at the wound on his forehead.
His movements were slow, and he seemed even more nervous than Ji Zhi Xiu. Finally, after about ten minutes, he announced, "Done."
The man hadn't even groaned once from beginning to end. If it weren't for the bulging veins on the back of his hand, one would think he was unaffected. Hearing that it was over, he slowly opened his eyes.
The doctor packed up his things. "Mr. Ji, you need to be careful with your diet. Stick to bland food and avoid certain things. Apply these two ointments morning and night."
Jiang Mian took them for him, her expression serious. "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Doctor."
"You're welcome."
"Let Xiang Long drive you back."
The doctor expressed his gratitude. "That would be wonderful, thank you, Mr. Ji."
He had taken a taxi to get here, and getting a taxi from Ji Zhi Xiu's place now wouldn't be easy. Having someone drive him was ideal.
After the doctor left, Jiang Mian snuggled into the sofa and meticulously read the instructions for the two ointments. "Shall I apply it for you now?"
Ji Zhi Xiu was indifferent to such matters. The fringe of his hair obscured the scar, making it not very noticeable. Seeing how concerned Jiang Mian seemed, he pulled her gently into his arms with a long arm and said with a playful tone, "What, are you afraid I'll be disfigured?"
He had intended to make a joke. After all, seeing the girl's solemn expression, one might think something major had happened.
However, Jiang Mian glared at him, ignored him, twisted open the ointment, squeezed a little onto her fingertip, pushed aside his hair, and gently applied it to the wound.
Ji Zhi Xiu sheepishly touched his nose. Her gaze was focused, and her movements were gentle. Ji Zhi Xiu then buried his head in her shoulder, with a hint of weariness. "When are you leaving?"
"The day after tomorrow." Jiang Mian screwed the cap back onto the ointment and placed it in the tea table's organizer. "Don't forget to apply it. I've left it here for you."
"Okay." He readily agreed.
The man closed his eyes, his long, thick eyelashes casting a faint shadow on his eyelids. When he wasn't speaking, he appeared extremely aloof. But Jiang Mian knew that Ji Zhi Xiu wasn't like that, at least not towards her, never like that.
Therefore, she didn't want to see Ji Zhi Xiu suffer any harm. She wouldn't allow it.
...
Jiang Mian had been on vacation for two days, and Ji Zhi Xiu had also postponed his company affairs for two days, handing them over entirely to Fan Cheng.
Little Black, seeing that the couple had reconciled as before, asked Little White, "Who won our last bet?"
Little White was silent. "I don't know either. Who conceded first between the President and Madam."
"Then why don't you go ask?"
Little White gave Little Black a look as if he were an idiot. "I'm not going."
"Let's call it a tie then."
"Fine."
The two reached an agreement.
Later, Shen Ting Yu also made a phone call.
Ji Zhi Xiu's bad habit of not saving contacts had been completely cured by Shen Ting Yu. The last time she called, it was precisely because he hadn't saved her contact that Fan Cheng had mistakenly identified her, allowing Shen Ting Yu to go with the flow.
After that, Jiang Mian had saved contacts for all the numbers Ji Zhi Xiu knew on his phone. Now, seeing the name Shen Ting Yu flashing on the screen, Jiang Mian held Ji Zhi Xiu's phone and asked, "Do you want to pick up?"
Ji Zhi Xiu flipped a page of the book in his hand without looking up. "If you want to pick up, pick up. If you don't want to, hang up."
So, Jiang Mian decisively hung up the phone.
She had nothing to say to Shen Ting Yu.
This was the first time Shen Ting Yu's call had been hung up by Ji Zhi Xiu. She clenched her phone and, unwilling to give up, dialed again, only to be met with no answer.
Her assistant reminded her, "Sister, the director is calling you."
Yesterday, she was late, and the director was already displeased. She couldn't afford to lose any more points with him. Shen Ting Yu handed her phone to her assistant and calmed herself. "Got it."
After two days, Jiang Mian returned to the film set.
Director Wang saw her and waved her over. "Come quickly. I want to add a scene here between you and Xing Yang."
Jiang Mian went over and looked down at the script. Xing Yang was the male lead in the novel. He was excellent in his studies and came from a good family. Everyone in the class liked him, including the female lead, of course.
But no one knew. Perhaps only Chen Wen Ya's diary knew, only Chen Wen Ya who left a lotus seed candy on Xing Yang's desk after school every day.
As Xing Yang neared the college entrance examination, he fell seriously ill. Everyone was worried, including the female lead, Chen Wen Ya. She was sent by the teacher to bring Xing Yang his notes and personally made him a bowl of soft-boiled eggs.
Xing Yang ate them as if they were medicine and returned to school the next day.
Xing Yang always thought that after the college entrance examination and once things were settled, he would confess to Chen Wen Ya. Unfortunately, there was no "after."
Youth is inevitably filled with regrets, sadness, and bittersweet romance. Jiang Mian had genuinely cried several times while immersing herself in this script. She had no objections to the director's added plot. "What does Actor Song say?"
"Oh, he? Xing Jia's flight was delayed. He'll probably arrive later. Don't worry about him. If you agree, he won't have any objections." Director Wang waved his hand.
"You prepare for this scene first. We'll film the rest after Xing Jia arrives."
Jiang Mian nodded. "Okay."
Li Lai Di stood behind the crowd, her gaze following Jiang Mian. Suddenly, her legs weakened, and she was about to collapse. Xiang Long, who was next to her, quickly caught her, a hint of nervousness appearing on his face. "Didn't you eat? Low blood sugar?"
Li Lai Di felt dizzy for a moment and instinctively grabbed his hand. "I just didn't eat breakfast. It's fine."
Xiang Long helped her to a seat a short distance away. He took a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and fed it to her. It was from the captain this morning.
"It's quite sweet."
"You should eat more." After a long silence, Xiang Long managed to say five words. Li Lai Di was very thin, making one think the young girl was definitely malnourished.
She tilted her head back and grinned. "Thank you, big brother. I will."
If she could, she would eat well. But it would get better soon. As long as she got her wages, she would unhesitatingly take her mother away.
"Mhm." Xiang Long replied dryly.
Then he turned and got Li Lai Di a cup of water, handing it to her.
Li Lai Di's heart warmed as she took the cup. She smiled sweetly. "Big brother, you're so kind."
Xiang Long, for some reason, suddenly wanted to talk to her. "Where do you live?"
Li Lai Di felt a little awkward seeing him standing, so she placed a stool in front of him and motioned for him to sit. Hearing his question, she smiled. "I live in the slums of the capital."
She spoke the truth. Xiang Long was stunned and lowered his head. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about."
She smiled faintly. As long as she worked with Sister Mian for a long time, she could apply for accommodation with the company and leave that place.
She took a sip of tea, patted the stool, and said, "Sit down."
Xiang Long sat down.
Li Lai Di, uncharacteristically, felt like confiding. She lowered her voice. "Actually, our family used to be well-off. In the capital, we could say we had no worries about food and clothing. But later, my father was influenced by his bad friends and got addicted to gambling. It spiraled out of control, and he always lost. He quickly squandered the family fortune, sold the house, and quit his job.
"When he lost, he would be in a bad mood. When he was in a bad mood, he would beat my mother. He borrowed money for gambling, and those relatives who used to be close would turn their heads and walk away. Occasionally, a few kind-hearted ones would give us some money. But before we could use it, my father would find it and then beat us severely, accusing us of hiding money.
"He was like a dog. Money was like a bone to him; he could smell where it was.
She didn't elaborate on how badly they had been beaten before. She didn't dare to resist then, but after seeing her mother injured, she gradually dared to confront her father.
She didn't say much, but Xiang Long felt very pained.
"Men who hit women are really scum."
Li Lai Di drank the water in her cup in one go and agreed, "Yes."
Unfortunately, she couldn't choose her birth. Her greatest regret was that she had the blood of such a person flowing through her veins.
"Everything will get better," Xiang Long comforted her.
"Everything will get better."
Since meeting Jiang Mian, Li Lai Di felt that everything was developing for the better. When she went back this time, her mother also said that she would leave this man with her in the future.
Even life felt hopeful.
When Song Xing Jia arrived, Jiang Mian had just finished filming a scene. The man, graceful and elegant, clapped his hands to attract attention and announced loudly, "Sorry for being late today. I've asked my assistant to prepare some milk tea and desserts for everyone as afternoon tea."
Behind him followed three burly men carrying boxes.
Someone rushed forward to take a look and exclaimed, "It's Yishengtang milk tea!"
Yishengtang was a local milk tea brand in the capital, with limited daily supply. Song Xing Jia being able to bring so much for them suggested his background was extraordinary.
While Jiang Mian was still contemplating, she saw Song Xing Jia's large hand pat her head and then ask her, "What flavor milk tea would you like?"
Jiang Mian froze for a second at his sudden action, but she didn't feel it was intimate. It felt more like an elder treating a younger person. She then came back to her senses and replied, "Do you have Mango Sago?"
"Yes," Song Xing Jia bent down, found a cup of Mango Sago, and handed it to her.
Jiang Mian took it and inserted the straw. "Thank you."
Song Xing Jia stood beside her, his gaze gentle, a smile on his lips, and invited her, "If you have the chance, you can come to our Hong Kong city for milk tea. The Mango Sago is also great. There are also many snacks, much more authentic than what's sold outside Hengdian."
This was the first time Jiang Mian learned that Song Xing Jia was from Hong Kong city. She hadn't specifically searched for Song Xing Jia's information. Song Xing Jia himself was quite low-key and rarely revealed his private life.
Hong Kong city was not too far nor too close from the capital. Jiang Mian had never been there. She heard it was a playground for the rich in the country, with extremely extravagant food, drink, and entertainment. She blinked, slightly playfully, "If I go, will you be my tour guide?"
"Of course," Song Xing Jia smiled dotingly.