Against the Light - Chapter 156
Chapter 156: A Home at Last
Before long, they arrived at the hospital and found a doctor they knew.
The moment Xiao Ye saw the doctor, she immediately hid behind Gu Xinran, terrified of being seen.
"Well, isn't this the Little Milk Bun? Are you sick again? Come over and let Auntie have a look."
"Wuu, it's not me, I didn't, I don't want a shot, Mama…" she cried, anxiously hugging Gu Xinran's leg.
Gu Xinran smiled and scooped her up. "Don't scare our Little Milk Bun."
Gu Xinran glanced back and gestured to the doctor, indicating that the young camerawoman standing behind them should come in and sit down.
"What's wrong?" the doctor asked.
"She has a bit of a fever. Could you take a look at her?"
Hearing this, the doctor took out a thermometer and had her hold it under her arm, then picked up a pen to make notes in a notebook.
"What's her name? How old is she?"
"Lin Yuqing, eighteen," Gu Xinran said.
The moment she said this, both the young camerawoman and Bai Yilan froze.
Lin Yuqing looked up at her, a flash of surprise in her eyes. If she remembered correctly, she had never told Gu Xinran her name…
"Lin Yuqing?" Bai Yilan's eyes widened.
"Ah." Gu Xinran glanced at her, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. She cleared her throat and nodded.
"Take off your mask and open your mouth so I can see," the doctor said.
Lin Yuqing hesitated for a moment before obediently removing her mask.
"Hee~" The little one in Gu Xinran's arms suddenly giggled.
"Hm? What are you laughing at?" the doctor asked curiously.
"My auntie is so pretty!"
"Huh??"
"Tsk, how old are you? You're not allowed to say things like that." Bai Yilan's expression turned stern, her face darkening in a rare display of displeasure.
"Mmph." The little girl blinked her big eyes, not understanding why Mommy was suddenly angry. She scratched her little ear, looking slightly embarrassed.
Lin Yuqing's eyes were fixed on the little girl. Seeing her expression, she couldn't help but smile. The next second, she received a harsh glare from Bai Yilan. She was a little confused, but she obediently suppressed her smile and looked away.
The doctor examined her and ran a routine blood test.
In the hospital room, Lin Yuqing lay on the bed, staring at the IV drip hanging from the stand. This all felt like a dream.
So, Xinran and Yilan were living happily in this world. Finally, no one was speaking ill of them, and no one was trying to tear them apart.
They had a warm home, their little angel, and their own careers. They had finally achieved their happy ending.
"Auntie Lin, does your hand hurt?" Xiao Ye leaned obediently by the bedside, looking at the needle taped to the back of her hand.
A faint smile touched Lin Yuqing's lips, her gaze toward the little girl filled with a warm, gentle light. "It hurts a lot. What should I do?"
"How about I blow on it for you?"
"Okay."
When Bai Yilan came in and saw this scene, her expression stiffened. "Xiao Ye, what are you doing? Don't disturb Aun—Sister's rest." She immediately walked over and pulled the little girl away.
"Mommy, Auntie's hand hurts a lot! Xiao Ye wants to blow on it for her. If I blow on it, it won't hurt anymore!" Xiao Ye explained earnestly, her little brow furrowed.
Bai Yilan glanced at Lin Yuqing and saw her pale face. She couldn't bring herself to be cold to her any longer. After all, in their past life, she was Xinran's most trusted friend, someone Xinran had doted on like a real sister. After the two of them passed away, she had fulfilled Xinran's request, raising Xiao Ye to adulthood, and then even ran off with her…
Bai Yilan's expression had softened, but the moment she thought about how Lin Yuqing had run off with her little milk bun, her face turned cold again.
Lin Yuqing watched her face, seeing her expression change again and again, completely bewildered.
"Are you uncomfortable anywhere else?" Bai Yilan asked.
Lin Yuqing shook her head. "Much better, thank you, Sister Lan. It's getting late, you should go home and rest. I can go home by myself after the IV is done."
Just as Lin Yuqing finished speaking, the door was pushed open and Gu Xinran walked in, her head lowered as she stared at the lab report in her hand, her expression displeased.
"What's wrong?" Bai Yilan asked quickly.
"Malnutrition and anemia." Gu Xinran handed her the report, then looked at Lin Yuqing with a worried frown.
Seeing her expression, Lin Yuqing's heart warmed, and she smiled at her. "Sister Ran, thank you."
"What's there to thank me for? Just take good care of yourself from now on, you hear me?"
"Okay."
"Mama, is Auntie very sick?" Xiao Ye looked at Gu Xinran with wide, teary eyes.
"No, it's not very serious. She just hasn't been good at taking care of herself and is lacking nutrients," Gu Xinran patiently explained to Xiao Ye.
"Doesn't Auntie eat vegetables and fruit?"
Hearing the little girl's innocent question, the adults all chuckled softly.
"That's right. Auntie doesn't eat those things. She's not as well-behaved as Xiao Ye," Gu Xinran said, stroking her daughter's little head.
"Where are you living now? I'll take you back later and take a look at your place," Gu Xinran said.
"There's no need, Sister Ran, really. You've already done so much for me. I'm very grateful. You don't have to worry about me anymore."
Gu Xinran pulled her aside and gave her a meaningful look. The two of them stepped outside.
"Yilan, she's all alone with no one to rely on. I was thinking…"
"I know what you mean, and I don't object to your decision."
Gu Xinran breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
"Xinran, do you think…" Bai Yilan frowned slightly.
"Hm?"
"Do you think she might also have memories of her past life?"
"Eh?" Gu Xinran was taken aback. She hadn't considered that. But if Xiao Qing also had memories of her past life, wouldn't she have come to find her and reveal herself?
"I just feel like the way she looks at us is very complicated, filled with a lot of emotions."
Gu Xinran pursed her lips. "I'll find a chance to ask her."
"Okay."
Back in the hospital room, the little girl wriggled and squirmed by the bed until she finally managed to climb up. She lay beside Lin Yuqing, cupping her cheeks with her little hands and blinking her big eyes as she watched her.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Yuqing asked.
"Auntie, you're not being good. Mama said you have to sleep when you're sick. Sleeping helps you get better faster. You need to sleep." Xiao Ye furrowed her little brow and held a hand in front of Lin Yuqing's eyes, signaling for her to close them.
Lin Yuqing smiled. "Okay, I've closed my eyes."
The little girl tentatively moved her hand away. Seeing that her eyes were closed, she let out a businesslike sigh of relief.
When Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan came in, they saw their little milk bun lying on the bed, staring at Lin Yuqing with an infatuated look. Both of their expressions stiffened, and they couldn't help but facepalm.
This was just too much.
The little girl let out a big yawn, snuggled closer to Lin Yuqing, and let her head droop, landing beside her shoulder. It looked like she was planning to sleep with her.
Bai Yilan walked over, lifted the little girl into her arms, and patted her. "Be good, baby. Go to sleep."
"Wuu, I want to stay with Auntie," the little girl whimpered, rubbing her eyes. She was clearly sleepy and getting fussy.
"Okay, you can sleep here and stay with Auntie." Bai Yilan sighed helplessly and soothed her in a gentle voice. She sat on the nearby sofa, lightly patting her little body and lulling her to sleep.
"You should get some sleep too," Gu Xinran said to Lin Yuqing.
Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang. She quickly switched it to silent mode, afraid of waking the Little Milk Bun.
She looked down and saw it was a call from Qu Qi. She stepped outside to answer it.
"Hello?"
"What's going on? Where are you guys? I looked away for one second and you all disappeared. And what's with that camerawoman? Why are so many people arguing about her online?"
"Hm? Arguing about what?" Gu Xinran was confused.
"They're saying she was putting on a show, deliberately chasing clout and grabbing attention. The things they're saying are pretty nasty. I'm just calling to ask what you think. Hey, where are you right now?"
"At the hospital, with her."
"? What's going on, do you know her?"
Gu Xinran didn't answer, remaining silent for a moment. "Tell those bored netizens that no one would use their own body to grab attention. I hope they'll check their own conscience before saying such things in the future."
"I'm hanging up now. I'll come to the company tomorrow to talk."
"Hey? Wait? So you mean you're going to protect her? Huh?"
"Yes."
"I understand." Qu Qi said, then hung up.
Gu Xinran sat on the sofa and sighed. Setting aside the fact that she had taken care of Xiao Ye for a lifetime in their past life, just based on their relationship as close as sisters, she had to protect her!
The next morning, Xiao Ye was sound asleep.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan were already awake.
"How is it? Does it hurt again? Did you walk too much yesterday?" Bai Yilan knelt by the bed, unwrapping the bandage on Xinran's ankle to examine it before applying some more medicine and re-wrapping it.
"It's fine, it's not a big deal anymore. Hey, why don't you wrap a few more layers for me? I have to go to the company today. If Qu Qi sees that I'm almost better, she'll start pushing me to work again," Gu Xinran said with a laugh.
Bai Yilan shot her a look. "Trying to fake an illness again? Look at what a bad example you're setting for our child."
"When did I… okay, fine." Gu Xinran pouted. She was about to argue that she hadn't done it 'again,' but on second thought, it seemed it really wasn't the first time…
"Did you go check on Xiao Qing?" Gu Xinran asked.
"I did. She's fine. She slept quite peacefully last night," Bai Yilan said.
Hearing this, Gu Xinran smiled knowingly. She knew Yilan had a sharp tongue but a soft heart; deep down, she was very concerned about Xiao Qing.
As the two were chatting softly, the little girl sleeping soundly on the bed suddenly woke up with a start. She sat up halfway, staring blankly at them.
"Oh, the Little Milk Bun is awake?" Yilan smiled. Just as she was about to go pick her up, she noticed the Little Milk Bun's brow was tightly furrowed, her little hands clenched into fists as if she were straining…
A moment later, the little girl lay back down, broke into a wide, contented grin, and chirped, "Hee~"
Bai Yilan facepalmed and walked over resignedly, lifting the little ancestor into the bathroom with a look of disgust.
As Yilan was giving the little girl a bath, she wouldn't sit still. Her wet little body kept rubbing against Yilan, soaking her clothes, and she just giggled mischievously.
"Ah, Mommy, where's Auntie!" After she had her fun, the little girl suddenly remembered her auntie!
"Auntie… is probably still sleeping."
"Where is she?"
"At our house." After Yilan said this, she saw the little girl's eyes light up.
"What's with that expression?"
"She's at our house?" the little girl pressed.
"That's right. It was very late after her IV drip finished yesterday, and Mommy didn't know where she lived, so we had to bring her back to our house."
"Ahhh! Mommy, hurry and get me dressed, I want to see Auntie!!" The little girl jumped up and down excitedly, hugging Yilan, eager to leap out of the bathtub.
"Alright, alright, Mommy will dry you off." Yilan sighed, wrapping the little girl in a bath towel and carefully drying her.
"Xiao Ye, why do you like that auntie so much?"
"Huh? I just do. Xiao Ye doesn't know why either," Xiao Ye said earnestly, her little brow furrowed.
Hearing this, Bai Yilan's heart bled. Was this fate? Was her little milk bun going to be stolen away by Lin Yuqing in this life too?
Xiao Ye urged Yilan to dress her. Yilan, distracted, put on her little undershirt and a diaper. The little girl then wriggled out of her arms, opened the door, and dashed out of the bathroom.
"Hey! You haven't put on your pants yet! Xinran, grab her!"
Gu Xinran was sitting on the bed rubbing her ankle when she saw the diaper-clad Little Milk Bun sprint out of the bedroom at the speed of a hundred-meter dash. She hadn't even had time to react. Grab her? That was a joke.
"Where'd she go?"
"She ran out. What's she doing, rushing around like that?"
"…What else could she be so excited about!" Bai Yilan shot her a dissatisfied glance and hurried out after her.
In the guest bedroom, Lin Yuqing stirred, thinking she heard a child's shout. She opened her eyes and looked around, completely unaware of where she was.
Just as she was wondering, the door was suddenly pushed open. A tiny figure stood in the doorway, holding the doorknob and looking at her with excitement. "Auntie!"
Lin Yuqing froze, staring at the little girl who was still in a diaper, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Auntie—ah! Mommy, let me go, I want to go to Auntie, wuu, Mommy!"
"Be good, don't shout. We'll go see Auntie after you put on your pants." Bai Yilan quickly pulled on her little pants and set her down. The little girl then bounced happily into the bedroom.
"Hey, good morning, Auntie!" Xiao Ye ran to the bedside, looking at Lin Yuqing excitedly.
"Good morning, Xiao Ye." Lin Yuqing sat up and looked around. "Did I stay here yesterday?"
"Huh? Yes! Did you sleep well, Auntie? Did you dream of Xiao Ye?"
"Can Xiao Ye come up?" The little girl's eyes sparkled.
Lin Yuqing nodded and held out her hand, pulling her onto the bed.
"Does Auntie's hand hurt?" Xiao Ye asked with concern, seeing the tape still on the back of her hand.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Then are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Not anymore," Lin Yuqing answered with a smile. She raised her hand to pat Xiao Ye's head. After just two pats, her expression changed, and she quietly withdrew her hand.
She turned her head and, sure enough, saw Gu Xinran standing in the doorway, looking at her with a displeased expression.
"Good morning, Sister Ran. Thank you."
Gu Xinran waved her hand. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better. I'm fine now."
Gu Xinran walked over and touched her forehead, then nodded. "Get up. There's no filming today. After breakfast, I'm taking you somewhere."
"Eh?"
"Okay." Lin Yuqing agreed immediately. Just as she was about to move, a soft little paw reached out and touched her forehead, mimicking Gu Xinran's gesture.
"Mm, you're fine now." The little girl nodded, and her serious expression made the two of them laugh.
During breakfast, Xiao Ye's big eyes kept stealing glances at Lin Yuqing. She would take a few sips of soup and then giggle. "Auntie, eat more!"
"Okay, thank you, Xiao Ye. You eat more too."
"Mhm!"
Bai Yilan couldn't stand it anymore. She put her hand in front of Xiao Ye and threatened her with a dark face, "Eat your food properly, or Mommy will get angry."
"Mmph." The little girl grunted in acknowledgment and finally behaved.
After breakfast, seeing Gu Xinran and Lin Yuqing dressed and ready to leave, Xiao Ye grew anxious. She pattered over and hugged Gu Xinran's leg. "Where is Mama going? Take Xiao Ye with you!"
"Be good, Xiao Ye. Mama is going to the company for a bit and will be back soon. Today, Xiao Ye is going to visit Grandma's house with Mommy. Grandma hasn't seen you in two days, she misses you a lot."
Xiao Ye's lip trembled. "Mama…"
Gu Xinran remembered what Yilan had said about Xiao Ye being very sensitive. She crouched down and hugged the little girl. "Be good, Xiao Ye. Mama is going to work. Mama has to help settle your auntie in so she won't be bullied outside anymore."
"Hmm?"
Seeing that Xiao Ye didn't seem to understand, Gu Xinran stroked her head. "Don't worry, Mama won't go and hug any other little girls. Mama only has one precious baby, Xiao Ye. I don't have any other children, remember?"
"Really? You better not be lying to me," Xiao Ye pouted.
"Really, Mama isn't lying. Auntie can be my witness," Gu Xinran said, looking at Lin Yuqing.
"Yes, that's right. Your mama only has you. You are their most precious treasure."
Hearing this, Xiao Ye couldn't help but grin. She looked up at Bai Yilan, who also nodded at her, giving an affirmative answer.
"Then Mama, work hard and come back early."
"Okay."
"And, and, you have to bring my auntie back too," the little girl added, still worried.
"Okay, Mama knows." Gu Xinran tapped Xiao Ye's little nose. This little girl never forgot her auntie for a moment.
She turned to look at Lin Yuqing, who was also watching Xiao Ye with a doting gaze. When she noticed Gu Xinran looking at her, she immediately averted her eyes.
Gu Xinran narrowed her eyes.
"We're leaving. Call me when you get to Mom's house," she said to Yilan.
"Okay."
Just as the two arrived at the underground garage, Fang Jinghai showed up. She was a little surprised to see the person standing next to Gu Xinran, but then she remembered her boss's order from yesterday to protect the young camerawoman's reputation, and it all made sense. It seemed the boss really liked camerawomen.
"Sister Ran! Hey, hello, little camera sister~" Fang Jinghai waved at Lin Yuqing. She had a pretty good impression of her, since they were both in the same profession!
"…Sister Fang, hello," Lin Yuqing greeted her.
Fang Jinghai clutched her chest, overcome with excitement.
"What's with you?"
"Hehe, I've finally been promoted to the 'Sister' ranks! I'm so happy!"
Gu Xinran smiled. "Look at you, getting excited over so little."
"Hey!"
Before long, the three of them arrived at Heart Entertainment headquarters.
Fang Jinghai got out of the car first and opened the door for Gu Xinran.
Standing in front of the Heart Entertainment building, Lin Yuqing couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Heart Entertainment was the same company she and Xinran had belonged to in their past life.
As Lin Yuqing was looking, she sensed a gaze beside her. She turned her head and saw that Xinran was also looking at her.
Their eyes met.
"Have you been here before?" Gu Xinran asked.
"Hm? No."
"Let's go inside and take a look."
"Why did you bring me here?"
Gu Xinran didn't answer, simply leading her inside.
As soon as they entered the lobby, many people saw her and rushed over to greet her.
"Good morning, Sister Ran! Hey, why aren't you at home with the Little Milk Bun today?"
"Sister Ran, your little baby is so cute! How did you raise her so well?"
Gu Xinran smiled and chatted with everyone for a while. Just then, the elevator arrived. She gave a slight nod to the crowd and led Lin Yuqing into the elevator, heading straight for the top floor.
Just as the three of them stepped out of the elevator, they saw a woman with stylish short hair in a wine-red suit walking toward them. Lin Yuqing stopped in her tracks.
"You know her?" Gu Xinran had been quietly observing her. Seeing her surprise at the sight of Fang Yi, she felt a little puzzled herself.
"I've seen her on TV," Lin Yuqing replied with a smile, unable to resist looking at Fang Yi a few more times.
Gu Xinran nodded and led her on a tour of the company.
"Since you don't have any family here, why don't you join me? From now on, you'll be part of Heart Entertainment. This will be your home, and we will be your family."
Lin Yuqing was visibly stunned by her words, finding it hard to believe. After a long silence, she asked, "Why are you being so good to me?"
Gu Xinran frowned, thought for a moment, and then smiled helplessly. "Let's call it fate. And besides, the Little Milk Bun likes you so much."
"So, what do you say? Will you join?" Gu Xinran asked.
Lin Yuqing smiled faintly. There was no reason to refuse. Once again, when she was helpless, Xinran had extended a hand to her.
"Okay. I promise, I won't let you down," Lin Yuqing vowed solemnly.
Gu Xinran smiled and gave her another look. "No rush. You're still young. Focus on your studies for now."
Lin Yuqing took a deep breath, desperately wanting to tell her that she could act, that her acting skills were no worse than any of the current A-list stars. If she was just given a chance, she could become Heart Entertainment's money tree! She could immediately repay Xinran for this opportunity!
"Oh, the boss is here. And this is… oh, this must be that camerawoman, right?" Qu Qi happened to be coming out of her office. When she saw Lin Yuqing, her gaze lingered on her for a moment, and she raised an eyebrow imperceptibly.
"Perfect timing. From now on, she's part of Heart Entertainment. This is Qu Qi. You two should get acquainted."
"Sister Qi, hello."
"Hello, hello. Tsk, you're quite good-looking, just a bit thin. Your eyes are very bright, and you have a great presence. It's really a waste for you to be a camerawoman!"
"You're too kind."
Seeing the two of them chatting, Gu Xinran felt relieved and turned to enter her office.
"Oh, right, Xinran, I couldn't find that Lin Yuqing you asked me to look for, but I did find a Lin Qingqing. Will she do?" Qu Qi shouted after Gu Xinran, but she didn't seem to hear.
Lin Yuqing, standing beside her, froze. "Why did she ask you to find Lin Yuqing?"
"Oh, she told me to break her dog legs."
"…???"
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