Chapter 36

Chapter 36

6 AM, the streetlights in the garden were all switched off, and the patients who had been walking in circles around the garden stopped. They all sighed in unison.

Then they heard a nurse calling out, "Go back to your rooms. After breakfast and rounds, if you want to come down again, you need to apply with us."

Everyone lined up and slowly and quietly entered the inpatient department. The morning fog gradually lightened, and the first hints of daylight started to emerge.

An Ye and Chi Tuo were sitting on a bench in the garden pavilion, each holding a bottle of milk that had already gone cold. An Ye took small sips, while Chi Tuo tore open a bag of bread from his pocket, and without asking An Ye if she wanted any, placed the bag between them. He took a small piece out and ate it, occasionally drinking a sip of milk when he choked.

An Ye was thinking that she probably shouldn't feel so relaxed right now.

She hated Chi Tuo. In the eighteen years of her life before, he had been part of her world. Although his genius aura was a bit annoying because he always seemed to think she could be just like him and become a genius too, and when her grades weren’t as good and she was placed in a middle-level class in the second year of high school, he had arranged weeks of targeted tutoring for her. It was really annoying.

But for the most part, Chi Tuo had been a part of her life.

Because of him, she always had the confidence to do things without fear. That part of her childhood self, who was forced to grow up, was sometimes mismatched with the environment around her. She would be reckless and bold.

When things got difficult, she could always call on Chi Tuo, and there would be a mature, composed boy who would stand up, furrow his brows, and tell her, "It’s fine, don’t be scared, I’m here."

But that part of her life, that part of Chi Tuo, disappeared during her most difficult days.

She never really understood goodbyes. She genuinely thought that using WeChat, video calls, and emails should be just as good as face-to-face communication. In the beginning, it did feel that way, but when she needed to immerse herself in the role of Lin Luo, repeatedly killing fish, and after finishing her closed training, she cried and called Chi Tuo over video.

At that time, Chi Tuo’s eyes were also red. The hospital walls were still behind him, and everyone around him spoke in English. He told her that he hadn’t slept for four or five days, and over the phone, he asked her to pinch her face to see if she was dreaming.

She swallowed all the complaints she had been holding in for over a month and, pinching her face, smiled and said, "Chi Tuo, you’ve become a wild man, your beard is going to grow from your ears."

This was how estrangement gradually took root.

The first time she didn’t speak out, the second time, she wouldn’t mention it.

After a few times, there was nothing left to say.

By the time she immersed herself fully in her role using the method Chi Tuo had taught her, and couldn’t pull herself out anymore, she even hated Chi Tuo.

She knew this kind of resentment was unreasonable, but emotions had no reason.

So, during the most difficult times, she forgot about Chi Tuo. When she thought to reach out to him again, she didn’t know where to begin with the wreckage of the past year. So, she could only send him a red envelope.

She had lost that part of herself, the reason she didn’t need to be afraid, and had begun to get used to walking alone in this harsh world, with her back exposed and vulnerable.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad.

Most people in this world don’t have someone like Chi Tuo. They entrust their backs to people with similar interests, briefly walk together, and when interests diverge, they find someone else to walk with.

After her back was stabbed through with countless holes, she finally became familiar with this survival rule. She recruited Qi Wei because Qi Wei hated Yan Wan, and Qi Wei’s biggest wish was to crush Yan Wan and bring out an artist like herself. So, satisfying Qi Wei was like satisfying herself.

She didn’t push Lan Yifang away because Lan Yifang, with her personality, probably couldn’t survive in the industry unless she stuck with her. Lan Yifang had no other choice, so she made An Ye feel safe. People with no way out, even if they’re a bit dull, will still do everything they can to protect that last bit of safety.

As for Chi Tuo, she knew that the moment he came back, she just wanted to see if his obsessive-compulsive promise to always follow through had changed.

After all, he had given her several promises: he would protect her, he would help her with auditions, and he would help her solve those legal issues in the entertainment industry.

She sought him out to get those promises, even if she had a narcoleptic episode. She still remembered why she was contacting him—moral kidnapping, emotional blackmail.

But he wasn’t angry. He told her that he was on her side, that he had looked into the background of Huanyou Entertainment. After she suddenly wanted to audition, he told her to eat something, or else she would get hypoglycemia.

He treated the ten years of separation as if they didn’t exist. His every word and action towards her was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago.So she was also in a daze, and in that daze, she could find a bit of the ease she had when she was eighteen. At that time, she hadn’t experienced being sold around, hadn’t been treated like a mental patient, hadn’t gone through being considered a commodity that needed to be preserved. Back then, she naively thought that as long as she made money from acting, bought her mother a house, and never had to worry about food and clothing, that would be the happiest thing in the world.

She had achieved all of that, but she never even touched the edge of happiness.

So this feeling of ease now was actually quite out of place.

"Chi Tuo." An Ye finished half a bottle of milk, screwed the cap back on the remaining half, and placed it next to the bread bag, looking at him.

"Hmm?" Chi Tuo was eating his second piece of bread.

His appetite was better than it had been ten years ago.

"You’ve changed a lot," An Ye said. "Compared to ten years ago, you’ve changed a lot."

Chi Tuo took a sip of milk and raised his eyebrows.

He hadn’t used to raise his eyebrows like that; he thought it looked frivolous. When she raised her eyebrows, he would tell her to put them back. She had once thought that Chi Tuo was the type of person whose face muscles never moved, so when he got older, he wouldn’t need Botox and wouldn’t have wrinkles.

But since they reunited, his facial muscles were much more active.

When he got old, he’d probably need Botox.

"You’ve become a lot more relaxed now," An Ye said.

Then she didn’t speak anymore.

Chi Tuo paused with the milk in mid-air, strangely feeling that her words just now were a bit like a white cat showing its claws. He probably only felt that way because he had drunk half a bottle more milk than her and eaten a few more pieces of bread, and now she had stretched out her claws and scratched him.

"When we were teenagers, we didn’t have money or ability," Chi Tuo thought for a moment. "Back then, there were always things to be afraid of, so it was normal to be a bit tense."

"Actually, there are still things to be afraid of now, but with more solutions than before, people become a bit more relaxed," he said sincerely.

An Ye buried her face in his black scarf, stretching her legs and looking down at her short boots.

"Are you a little more relaxed now?" An Ye heard herself ask.

She didn’t know why she asked. Ten years ago, An Jiujiu would have asked this question without hesitation, but the current An Ye hadn’t done that in ten years.

Words had to have a purpose. She had learned the social rule of listening carefully and not revealing too much of her emotions in the ten years she had been dealing with people.

It was not about asking such meaningless questions.

"You should be more relaxed," Chi Tuo continued. "Compared to ten years ago, it's already much better."

An Ye lowered her head and didn’t move.

She hadn’t thought about this issue. Since she had succeeded in getting the role of Lin Luo, she had been so busy with a tight schedule that she hadn’t had much time to think about these things.

Much better?

Why did she feel like she was still stuck in that mess?

"Jiujiu," Chi Tuo didn’t continue the topic. He finished the milk and asked, "Would it be painful for you to keep playing a character with such emotional ups and downs, immersing yourself in such a role?"

An Ye froze for a moment as she was practicing core exercises with her legs in the air, then turned her head to look at Chi Tuo.

"Actually, I’m a mid-level member of your fan club," Chi Tuo said, not bothering with any roundabout approaches. "Before you contacted me, I heard that you were going to collaborate with Yang Zhengyi for the third time. This time, your role is that of a split-personality patient."

An Ye stopped propping her legs in the air and turned her body to look at him.A mid-level officer in the fan club?!

"Then someone in the group started worrying about your mental health, saying that the character eventually commits suicide." Chi Tuo frowned, "This is probably part of Yan Wan's plan. After all, if someone knows the character's ending before it's even officially announced, it's likely someone within the industry."

An Ye raised her hand to signal for a pause and brought the topic back, "What do you mean you’re actually a mid-level officer in my fan club?"

Chi Tuo: "I couldn't get into the high ranks, so being in the middle is already pretty high."

An Ye gritted her teeth: "…Do you think that’s the main point here?"

Chi Tuo sighed: "I originally planned to finish my master’s in Canada and then come back to China, but after sending out my resume everywhere, either I had to start from the bottom or the jobs weren't related to entertainment law. I couldn't find anything suitable, and since my supervisor wrote me a letter of recommendation for a big local law firm, I thought instead of coming back and causing you trouble, I might as well stay in Canada and gain some more experience."

An Ye blinked: "And then?"

"During that time, I couldn’t reach you, so I had no choice but to join the fan club." Chi Tuo said smoothly, as if An Ye suddenly cutting off contact wasn’t a big deal at all, "Otherwise, when I came back, I’d have to start gathering information from scratch, which would have wasted time."

"But Fantasy Entertainment does manage its fan club really professionally. I’ve been in for over five years. Aside from your public schedule, it’s only been in the last year or two that the management started feeling a little disorganized, and those strange rumors about you have been increasing."

An Ye was silent for a long time.

Chi Tuo had been studying for his master's in Canada, and the first year he was there was exactly when she was going through her darkest period. During her company switch, she kept finding new loopholes in her previous contract every day, had frequent arguments with Wang Shanshan, and couldn’t fully immerse herself in the role in the movie because parts of it overlapped with her childhood. She was so frustrated that she ended up sleeping for over a month.

At that time, she had no mood to contact a friend so far away, especially since it seemed like he was doing well. After surviving the initial adjustment period, the academic genius had started to perform normally, with excellent grades, scholarships every year, becoming financially independent in his second year, paying off his uncle's debt by his senior year, and having no setbacks in applying for graduate schools.

She didn’t want to drag him into her troubles.

And yet, the person she hadn’t contacted ended up joining the fan club to learn about her recent situation.

He even became a mid-level officer.

"You... didn’t come back because Jin Ding gave you a good offer?" she asked.

"...I was in investment and mergers and acquisitions before. Do you think an investment and mergers lawyer in a capitalist country would have bad treatment?" Chi Tuo countered.

An Ye: "...So you really came back just to be my lawyer?"

Chi Tuo: "...Mm."

An Ye’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched into a fist.

It was after six o’clock, and the hospital staff were busy distributing breakfast, administering medications, and doing rounds. The day shift doctors hadn’t arrived yet, and the park was empty except for the two of them.

But she still lowered her voice and shouted, "Are you crazy? You really came back just because of that promise you made to me back then?!"

"I've always had a problem," Chi Tuo whispered back, "You see, who else have I ever made promises to other than you?"

An Ye: "...You’re really quite shameless!"

Chi Tuo: "...So, do you want my help or not?"

An Ye: "...I already asked you to be my lawyer!"

Chi Tuo: "Yeah! And you're even paying me!"

An Ye: "…"

She stared at Chi Tuo for a while, and in the end, she couldn’t hold back and silently laughed while covering her face.

What is going on?How did this guy come back and make her so childish all of a sudden!