Chapter 60: Owing Her a Life

After Luo Xing finished changing her clothes, Gu Shiyan finally opened the door and came in.

“Where’s my phone?” Luo Xing asked.

Gu Shiyan handed her the phone in silence.

Luo Xing turned it on, and all she saw were messages from Yun Cai. She didn’t need to guess to know that Yun Cai was talking about Qi Zhi. Besides those, there were also messages from Shen Que.

Luo Xing checked Yun Cai’s first, her fingers tapping on the keyboard.

Because of the Qi Zhi incident, the social platform was already down; she couldn’t even log in. Before Qi Zhi jumped into the lake, some fans had exposed that he was being abused. The abuse incident had already reached a boiling point, and now with the lake incident, millions of fans erupted.

Qi Zhi was still in the hospital. Online, many fans posted to ask about Qi Zhi’s condition, but the company only gave vague, perfunctory answers. After a lot of words, it all boiled down to one sentence: “Still under observation.”

Yet, Luo Xing had someone before her who knew Qi Zhi’s true condition. She looked up at Gu Shiyan.

Before she could ask, Gu Shiyan already knew what she wanted.

“He’s not dead.”

Just two simple words.

Luo Xing clutched her phone. “Why did he jump into the lake?”

“How should I know?” Gu Shiyan replied, head bowed as he typed on his phone, casually asking, “Want something to eat?”

“I’m not eating.”

The hands that had been typing paused, and he lifted his thin eyelids to look at Luo Xing.

Luo Xing stubbornly held her ground.

Gu Shiyan nodded. “Alright, I’ll ask for you.”

Luo Xing’s brow relaxed. “I’d like some seafood porridge.”

Gu Shiyan looked at her and chuckled softly.

Luo Xing continued replying to messages on her phone.

After ordering food, Gu Shiyan sent a message to Lu Yuan Yi’s younger brother, Lu Xing Jian, asking about Qi Zhi.

[Why are you suddenly asking about this, Yan-ge?]

[I’m just gossiping.]

[Uh, I’m not too sure myself. Judging by my sister, it was probably her who made him jump.]

Gu Shiyan looked at Luo Xing. “It was Lu Yuan Yi who made your idol jump. Don’t worry, he wasn’t seeking death.”

Luo Xing gripped the spotless bedsheet. “Why? You said you’d tell me about Qi Zhi.”

Gu Shiyan sighed. “Even if you know, you can’t change anything.”

“You definitely know something, don’t you? Please tell me.”

Luo Xing lifted the quilt, trying to get out of bed.

Gu Shiyan lowered his brows, his voice heavy. “Lie down.”

Luo Xing looked at him.

Gu Shiyan, helpless, avoided her gaze.

“He owes Lu Yuan Yi a life.”

This matter had been the top topic of gossip in their circle years ago, back when Qi Zhi had just entered the entertainment industry. At that time, he was an unknown, bottom-rung actor.

Lu Yuan Yi, on the other hand, was already beginning to take over the Lu Group, wielding considerable power.

Qi Zhi’s father, drunk driving, killed a man Lu Yuan Yi was keeping.

Though their families weren’t matched, and Lu Yuan Yi would never actually marry the man she kept, she was deeply infatuated at the time. The man died at the peak of her feelings, turning her love into eternity.

Unable to bear the exorbitant compensation demanded by Lu Yuan Yi’s team of lawyers, Qi Zhi’s father jumped to his death. Qi Zhi’s mother suffered an acute cerebral hemorrhage, sent to the hospital, bedridden with medical bills running into tens of thousands a month.

Lu Yuan Yi had no one to take revenge on; Qi Zhi needed huge sums to pay for his mother’s surgery. He found Lu Yuan Yi and signed a twenty-year contract of servitude, becoming an entertainer under her company.

Even now, Qi Zhi could make millions from a single advertisement, but according to his contract with Lu Yuan Yi, all the money he earned belonged to the company.

Hearing this, Luo Xing felt suffocated.

Her nose stung. If she had gone through such things, she would have lost the will to live long ago.

Yet Qi Zhi still interacted with fans, never speaking of his suffering. Every candid shot of him by fans showed him smiling.

“Then… why did Lu Yuan Yi make him jump into the lake?” Luo Xing’s voice was dry.

“Luo Xing, this is life and death for Qi Zhi. For Lu Yuan Yi, it’s just a game.”

That’s why Gu Shiyan didn’t want to say more.

Luo Xing choked up. “What does it have to do with him?”

Gu Shiyan looked at Luo Xing, who was wiping tears with the corner of the sheet, unsure how to respond.

Luo Xing stared at him. “Do you think Lu Yuan Yi is right to treat Qi Zhi like this?”

Gu Shiyan sighed softly, walked over, and pulled two tissues from the counter for Luo Xing. “I don’t judge.”

He didn’t say that if Luo Xing hadn’t helped Qi Zhi that day, Lu Yuan Yi wouldn’t have pushed him so hard.

At this moment, any help for Qi Zhi was like a whip striking him, and Lu Yuan Yi was the barbed tip, carving bloody wounds on Qi Zhi.

Sunlight poured in through the window, spreading across the floor.

The food delivery arrived; the attendant thoughtfully set up a table for Luo Xing on the bed and arranged the cutlery.

The seafood porridge was rich and fresh, not greasy at all, and Luo Xing quickly finished a bowl.

The utensils were cleared away by the staff.

Afraid that Luo Xing would get bored, Gu Shiyan turned on the TV for her, which immediately played one of Qi Zhi’s movies.

Gu Shiyan glanced at Luo Xing, seeing she hadn’t noticed while playing on her phone, and quickly switched to another film.

Once Qi Zhi’s face was gone from the screen, he set the remote down.

Luo Xing lay in bed, watching TV attentively, occasionally replying to messages.

Gu Shiyan lounged on the tatami nearby, playing games.

The atmosphere was unexpectedly pleasant.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the blue sky and white clouds gradually shifted to the golden hues of sunset, then faded into darkness.

Gu Shiyan turned on the lights.

Seeing Luo Xing asleep, he switched off the TV.

Sitting by the bed, he observed her closely.

She lay quietly with her eyes closed, her brows relaxed, long lashes casting shadows beneath her eyes. Gu Shiyan switched off the main light, leaving only the bedside lamp glowing softly.

The doctor had warned she might have a fever again tonight; he needed to watch carefully.

Gu Shiyan lay on the sofa at the foot of the bed, setting a vibrating alarm to go off every hour.

The first few times he woke, Luo Xing slept peacefully, showing no sign of fever.

At three o’clock, the alarm woke Gu Shiyan. He routinely checked Luo Xing’s temperature.

Standing over her, thermometer in hand, his gaze fell on the girl’s face nestled in the covers.

Her fine brows were furrowed, making her look restless in sleep. Her hair was scattered over the pillow, some strands falling across her neck.

Seeing the number 39 on the thermometer, Gu Shiyan’s sleepy mind snapped awake.

She was feverish again.

He fetched warm water, fever medicine, and a cooling patch.

Placing them on the bedside table, he gently helped Luo Xing up.

Luo Xing slumped unconsciously into his arms, soft and limp, unable to sit upright.

Gu Shiyan held her, shook her gently. “Luo Xing? Wake up and take your medicine.”

Luo Xing’s small, flushed face burned red; holding her felt like hugging a hot coal.

She didn’t respond, her brows tightly knit, lips pressed shut.

Even when Gu Shiyan tried to feed her medicine, she couldn’t swallow.

Adjusting his posture, Gu Shiyan let Luo Xing lean against him, tilting her chin.

He tried giving her a sip of water.

Luo Xing was jolted awake, coughing.

“Cough, cough…”

“Take your medicine.” His voice was muffled.

Gu Shiyan’s tone was hardly gentle. Waking up several times through the night had left him irritable and foggy-headed.

But Luo Xing tilted her head to look at Gu Shiyan, grabbing his collar, her eyes red and glistening with tears.

“Gu Shiyan, what a tragic death you had.”

“…”