Married in a Daze - Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Lu Ruyun had been hospitalized. News of this spread like wildfire. Before Qin Zhenzhen had even left the company building, she saw countless news headlines popping up, along with endless speculation.
—Was Lu Ruyun critically ill?
—Lu Ruyun hospitalized, Qin Zhenzhen not seen accompanying her?
—Lu Ruyun collapsed on set, suspected of serious illness?
A series of conjectures were blatantly thrown online. The media, like crocodiles smelling blood, churned the once calm waters into turbulent waves. Netizens also spared no effort in wild speculation, with some even surmising that Lu Ruyun had cancer.
Although these baseless comments were quickly suppressed by Lu Ruyun's fans, a few rumors still managed to circulate.
When Qin Zhenzhen arrived at the hospital, Lu Ruyun was still unconscious.
The hospital room wasn't occupied only by He Shuangshuang. Duan Qiuhan and Zhang Yiyao were also there. Duan Qiuhan was pacing back and forth in the room. Zhang Yiyao sat by the hospital bed, holding Lu Ruyun's hand, her delicate brows tightly knit with worry, her pretty face pale, with tear stains not yet fully wiped away.
After Qin Zhenzhen entered, Duan Qiuhan stood before her with a face full of remorse. "I'm sorry, I didn't take good care of Ruyun."
Qin Zhenzhen's hands, hanging by her sides, clenched slowly. "What happened?"
He Shuangshuang walked up behind her. "The doctor says it's exhaustion from overwork. She just needs to rest for a couple of days."
Hearing this, Qin Zhenzhen let out a sigh of relief. The heart that had been hanging in her chest finally settled.
She turned her gaze towards Lu Ruyun. Counting all the days, it had been a full month since she last saw her. The person lying on the hospital bed gave her a feeling both familiar and strange.
Seeing Qin Zhenzhen's eyes fixed on Ruyun, He Shuangshuang turned to Duan Qiuhan. "Qiuhan, why don't you take Yaoyao back first? I'll let you know if anything comes up."
Duan Qiuhan's handsome face still wore an apologetic expression, his demeanor heavy. "Alright. If you need anything regarding the media, you can also contact me."
He Shuangshuang nodded and walked over to Zhang Yiyao, patting her shoulder. "Yaoyao?"
Zhang Yiyao gave Lu Ruyun a complicated look, then stood up, picked up her bag, and bid them farewell. Qin Zhenzhen watched their figures disappear through the doorway before retracting her gaze.
After the two left, He Shuangshuang made phone call after phone call. Worried about disturbing Lu Ruyun, she signaled briefly to Qin Zhenzhen and stepped out of the room. Qin Zhenzhen understood she was likely dealing with the online controversy.
After He Shuangshuang left, the room contained only herself and the sleeping Lu Ruyun.
Complete silence filled the space.
Qin Zhenzhen stood for a moment longer before finally sitting on the stool previously occupied by Zhang Yiyao. She looked up at Lu Ruyun. After being apart for so long, this was the first time she could look at her so openly and directly.
Perhaps due to her busy work schedule, Lu Ruyun had lost a noticeable amount of weight. Her face was pale, almost matching the white of her hospital gown. Faint dark circles lay under her eyes, not entirely concealed even by makeup.
She looked utterly exhausted.
Qin Zhenzhen had thought that after all this time, her shallow fondness for Lu Ruyun should have long since settled. Yet, seeing her vulnerability, she still felt distressed. Her heart ached uncontrollably.
It was like being pricked by a fine needle—not heart-wrenchingly painful, but impossible to ignore.
Like a fishbone stuck in her throat.
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her eyelids. A knock sounded at the door. She turned her head to see a doctor in a white coat pushing the door open. He was somewhat older, around fifty, with a kind expression.
Qin Zhenzhen hurriedly stood up. Ding Wenwei waved his hand. "Sit, sit."
"How is she? Still not awake?"
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "Not yet."
Ding Wenwei made a sound of acknowledgment, walked over, and performed a simple check-up. After finishing, he scribbled something on the medical chart. Looking up at Qin Zhenzhen, he said, "She can't push herself like this anymore. You have to keep an eye on her. Don't let her run wild."
Qin Zhenzhen agreed. "Alright."
After speaking, Ding Wenwei looked at Lu Ruyun with a hint of pity. "Also, she's recently increased her medication dosage. Has something happened?"
A look of surprise crossed Qin Zhenzhen's face. "Increased her dosage?"
She then remembered the medicine bottle she had retrieved from Lu Ruyun's suitcase during the Star Showdown recording. Could it be that medication?
What was that medicine for, anyway?
Her expression grew somewhat confused. Ding Wenwei frowned. "You didn't know she increased her dosage?"
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "No."
In fact, she didn't even know what medication she was taking.
Ding Wenwei sighed. "She probably kept it from you because she didn't want you to worry. But you need to pay extra attention to her recently. Her condition has been very stable these past few years. It's only recently that there's been fluctuation."
"Come to think of it, she happily told me not long ago that she'd found a way to stop taking medication. I didn't expect her condition to relapse in such a short time."
His tone held regret, but Qin Zhenzhen only latched onto the words 'not long ago'. She pursed her lips. "When was 'not long ago'?"
Ding Wenwei thought deeply for a moment, looked down at the chart, found the date, and looked back at Qin Zhenzhen. "Mid-August. She seemed to be recording some show around that time..."
Qin Zhenzhen's mind went blank for a second.
Mid-August. Recording a show.
That was when she was living together with her in the apartment.
Could the method to stop taking medication... be related to herself?
Seeing Qin Zhenzhen silent, Ding Wenwei added a few more instructions. A knock came from outside the door, and a head peeked in, calling out, "Vice Dean Ding, the meeting is starting."
"Alright."
Ding Wenwei acknowledged, gave Qin Zhenzhen a few more words of advice, and then left the room. Qin Zhenzhen sat on the stool, her features tense, her delicate brows drawn together. The look she directed at Lu Ruyun was complex.
She took out her phone from her pocket, deliberated for a few minutes, and called He Shuangshuang. "Do you have a moment to talk?"
Lu Ruyun didn't wake up until well past midnight. She had slept deeply, for nearly twelve hours. Upon waking, her mind was foggy. She stared at the ceiling for a good while before realizing she was in a hospital.
That pungent smell was all too familiar.
She closed her eyes. A voice sounded beside her ear. "You're awake."
Lu Ruyun turned her head. Qin Zhenzhen was pouring a glass of water from the tea table. She walked over to the bedside with a normal expression. "Have some water."
"Thank you."
Only as she spoke did she hear her own coarse, raspy voice, accompanied by a couple of light coughs. Qin Zhenzhen sat on the stool by the bed, took a straw from the nightstand, inserted it into the cup, and handed it to Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun took it and drank half the cup. Looking up at Qin Zhenzhen, she asked, "Why are you here?"
"Where's Shuangshuang?"
Qin Zhenzhen took the cup back after she finished. "He Shuangshuang went to handle the online situation. As for why I'm here, Teacher Lu has perhaps forgotten that we're still in a legally recognized relationship."
Stopped by her words, Lu Ruyun remained silent for a long moment, her gaze following Qin Zhenzhen's movements.
Qin Zhenzhen looked at Lu Ruyun. "Are you hungry? I'll have Ji Lu bring over some food."
Lu Ruyun shook her head. "Not hungry."
Qin Zhenzhen picked up her phone and made a call. "Ji Lu, bring two servings of congee to the hospital room."
Lu Ruyun: "I don't need any."
Qin Zhenzhen succinctly cut her off. "I'm hungry."
Lu Ruyun: ...
Ji Lu soon delivered the congee. Lu Ruyun also called He Shuangshuang. Just as she hung up, Qin Zhenzhen handed her a pair of chopsticks. She stiffened for a moment before reaching out to take them.
Ji Lu very tactfully left the room.
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head to eat, her demeanor no different from usual. Lu Ruyun glanced at her profile, unable for the moment to discern what exactly she was up to.
After they finished eating, Qin Zhenzhen picked up her pajamas and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Outside the window, a cold wind howled, scraping against the panes with intermittent noises. When Qin Zhenzhen emerged from the bathroom, she wore only a thin, sleeveless nightgown. Standing before Lu Ruyun's bed, she reached up and removed the clip holding up her hair. Her smooth, long hair cascaded down, spreading over her shoulders and back.
Lu Ruyun stared fixedly at Qin Zhenzhen. "What are you doing?"
Qin Zhenzhen placed the clip on the nightstand and took out a set of pajamas from the cabinet. "Go freshen up."
Lu Ruyun's expression darkened slightly. "Qin Zhenzhen."
Qin Zhenzhen looked up at her, her clear eyes bright and watery. She explained, "Don't misunderstand. Because you're hospitalized, there are paparazzi everywhere outside right now. They're all camped at the entrance. What do you think the headlines will be tomorrow if I leave at this hour?"
"I just don't want to invite trouble."
Her reasoning was sound and logical. Lu Ruyun also knew that her hospitalization had thrown the outside world into chaos. Every media outlet was undoubtedly staking out the hospital entrance, wanting to get the first-hand scoop on her condition.
Even though He Shuangshuang had already clarified on Weibo that she had merely fainted from exhaustion, plenty of people still believed she was seriously ill.
Under these circumstances, it would indeed be inappropriate for Qin Zhenzhen to leave in the middle of the night.
Thinking this, Lu Ruyun gripped the pajamas. "Fine. I'll have someone arrange a separate room for you."
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her eyelids. "Don't go through the trouble."
Lu Ruyun tightened her grip on the pajamas, her fingertips turning white. "I'm not used to sharing with others..."
Qin Zhenzhen looked up, her eyes clear and bright. "Just make do. It's only for this one night. I don't want any complications."
Every sentence carried the scent of maintaining distance, a completely business-like attitude, as if they were truly just partners, with no emotional entanglements whatsoever. A flicker passed through Lu Ruyun's bright eyes.
Qin Zhenzhen didn't give her time to react. She simply lifted the blanket and got into bed.
After that, not another word was exchanged between them. The entire room was quiet, filled only with Qin Zhenzhen's soft, even breathing. She had already fallen asleep.
Lu Ruyun sat like that for a long time. Looking down at Qin Zhenzhen, she lifted one hand to push the blanket aside, preparing to get out of bed. Her other hand was gently held—not with any force, just three of her fingers lightly pulled. Lu Ruyun's movement to get out of bed paused. She heard Qin Zhenzhen murmur in her sleep, "Don't go."
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