TGSS - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Old Acquaintance

When the five o'clock alarm rang in the early morning, Liang Zhouyi stretched an arm out from under the covers. The icy air made her shiver involuntarily, and with her eyes still closed she dragged her exhausted body from the warm bedding.

Sitting up in bed, Liang Zhouyi dug her fingertips into her messy hair and scratched, taking a moment to collect herself before throwing off the covers, slipping into fluffy slippers, throwing a robe over her pajamas and getting to her feet.

Given that her company started work at nine thirty, Liang Zhouyi rarely got up this early. She stayed up late, slept lightly, and worked at a high intensity, and the dark circles under her eyes always had to be covered with makeup, so she had always treasured her morning sleep.

Brushing her teeth with her eyes half closed, almost mechanically, Liang Zhouyi's thoughts drifted of their own accord to Chu He, still in the hospital. She had found that Chu He's tastes were generally very close to her own. At first she had even thought Chu He was doing it on purpose, but as time went on she realized the woman simply did not have that kind of scheming mind. She spat out the foam and looked at the bleary-eyed woman in the mirror, tugging at the corner of her mouth. She did not know why Chu He always unconsciously showed a childish side in front of her, but... it was rather cute.

Carrying the porridge she had cooked, Liang Zhouyi yawned. She glanced at the thermal container in her hand, hesitated, and pressed the button for the first floor. If she really went to the basement to ride her electric scooter, she was afraid the soup would slosh and spill everywhere.

But the hospital was not that close to her home, and the cost of a taxi still made Liang Zhouyi wince. After her mother had come to make a scene at the company over the Gao Mingchen incident, Chu He had transferred the meager ten thousand or so yuan she had painstakingly saved over the past two years to her mother to get her to quiet down. Now she was truly broke, with her pockets cleaner than her face, leaving herself no fallback at all.

Clutching the thermal container tightly, Liang Zhouyi leaned against the taxi window. On a deep winter morning the sky was still very dark, with little light to be seen, and the sky was hazy, but cars and pedestrians were already on the move, and the whole city was slowly waking up.

Liang Zhouyi's gaze traced carefully over every view along the street. Although her whole body ached and she was exhausted, her heart was unexpectedly peaceful, as if a tiny pebble had been tossed into a stagnant pool. The ripples were small, but they spread across the entire surface, bringing the whole pond to life.

Chu He's ward was at the far end of the corridor. Liang Zhouyi wrinkled her nose at the smell of disinfectant. It was only a little past six in the morning, yet many patients were already up. People came and went in the hospital, and judging by expressions alone it was hard to read anyone's mood, only that everyone was trying hard to stay alive.

Chu He, who had not slept well all night, had only fallen into a deep sleep toward dawn, and at almost the deepest point of sleep she heard a rustling in the room. She yanked the covers over her head, irritably trying to shut her eyes and ignore the noise. The next second, cold air swept over her entire body. Chu He snapped her eyes open to find that half her blanket had been lifted, and the warmth instantly vanished without a trace.

Chu He was completely jolted awake. She stared wide-eyed along the hand gripping the blanket to its owner. In the dark she could only make out the woman's general outline. Seeing that she was fully awake, Liang Zhouyi silently tucked the blanket back around her and reached to crank up the bed behind her back.

"You..." Chu He pressed her lips together, feeling stifled, and swallowed a whole litany of curses. She blinked her dry eyes. "You came, so why didn't you turn on the light?"

"I was afraid of waking you," Liang Zhouyi said as she pulled out the folding shelf from under the foot of the bed and unfolded it, setting the thermal container on top. She glanced at the groggy woman as she explained.

So yanking off her blanket and freezing her would not wake her? Chu He clenched her fists, suppressing a flicker of morning irritability, and looked at Liang Zhouyi with resentment.

The white light overhead came on abruptly. Although Chu He had already adapted to the darkness, she still instinctively closed her eyes. She saw Liang Zhouyi with a scarf wrapped tightly around her face, revealing only a pair of cool, clear eyes, her ever unchanged ponytail hanging behind her head.

"I'm so sleepy," Chu He said with a yawn, her eyes slightly damp. She said wearily, "Let me wash up first. Have you eaten already?"

After speaking, she turned over and got out of bed with some difficulty, not daring to make any large movements with her upper body. She had only shuffled two steps when an arm carrying the chill of frost and snow supported her. She looked at Liang Zhouyi in surprise and smiled. "Didn't you say I just have a cracked rib? Surely I don't need help."

Seeing Chu He tease her by throwing her own words from yesterday back at her, Liang Zhouyi's expression did not change. She just held her arm firmly and walked her to the bathroom.

"You're not going out?" Chu He looked at Liang Zhouyi, who showed no intention of moving from the doorway, and suddenly curled her lips into a playful smile. "What, are you going to watch me use the toilet too?"

Liang Zhouyi saw through her bravado at a glance and said lightly, "Then just ignore me. I'm afraid the handsome and energetic President Chu might slip and fall. Better to keep an eye on you."

Chu He nearly choked on her breath. The familiar description left her with an inexplicable sense of shame. "Alright, alright, get out quickly."

Liang Zhouyi gave a soft huff of laughter and finally turned and pulled the door shut for her. She had looked at the scans, Chu He's injury was not too serious, but as the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal a bone or sinew, so she would have to lie in bed for a few days before she could be discharged. Fortunately, the nature of her work meant that having a phone and a computer was hardly a hindrance. Chen Xinluo had not only sent her concerned regards but had also taken the initiative to let Chu He apply to work from home.

It was not that Liang Zhouyi had not been offered leave; she simply had no luck enjoying it. The work group chat bombarded her with urgent messages that made her head buzz.

Liang Zhouyi sighed, opened the thermal container and stirred it with a spoon, ladling out the pale yellow millet porridge. The soft, well-cooked porridge gave off a faint fragrance in the white porcelain bowl. Chu He sat back on the bed and quickly pulled the covers over herself, and at the sight and smell of that fragrant porridge she suddenly forgave Liang Zhouyi for waking her so early.

"I can't move," Chu He collapsed against the pillows and looked at Liang Zhouyi with pleading eyes, indicating that washing up had already left her completely drained.

A quick smile flashed through Liang Zhouyi's eyes. She asked tentatively, "Do you want me to feed you?"

"Can you?" Chu He's eyes lit up at once.

"In your dreams," Liang Zhouyi rubbed her wrist, pulled out her phone from her pocket and tapped out rapid replies. She spared Chu He a glance. "Hurry and eat. I'll clean up when you're done."

Chu He's expression twisted slightly. She reached out discontentedly for the spoon and said indignantly, "I am your boss. Who are you replying to all day with work messages?"

Liang Zhouyi laughed. "Is President Chu pulling rank on me now? And who says I can only be replying to work messages?"

"What else could you be replying to, messages from friends?" Chu He did not believe it. The impression Liang Zhouyi gave her was that of a lone wolf, a woman solitary to the extreme.

Liang Zhouyi had no way to answer that, so she chose to ignore the question, quietly cleared the dishes, and said to Chu He, "I won't come at noon. Tan Qing said he will come to see you with Chen Xinluo."

"What kind of combination is that, employee care?" Chu He mocked with some dissatisfaction.

"Not at all. I expect they are bringing you your work computer," Liang Zhouyi said with a trace of schadenfreude.

Chu He stared wide-eyed. Seeing that Liang Zhouyi had already reached the door, she clutched the blanket tightly and shouted, "Wait, you're really not coming at noon? Are you really going to be so heartless? I did this for you..."

The sound of the door closing cut off the rest of Chu He's words. Liang Zhouyi carried the thermal container and walked quickly toward the bus stop at the hospital entrance. She had checked when she came, the bus ran about every twenty minutes, and catching this one would get her there just in time to not be late.

Sitting on the bench waiting for the bus, Liang Zhouyi swung the container in her hand. Even with her scarf on, the irrepressible smile in her eyes was visible. How could she not come? It was just that she selfishly did not want to come together with Chen Xinluo and the others and have them steal Chu He's attention. She wanted Chu He's gaze to remain completely, entirely on her alone.

After returning to the company, Liang Zhouyi ran into an unwelcome guest at the entrance. The exquisitely dressed Zheng Xinyan was linking arms with Chen Xinluo, smiling as she leaned close to look at Chen Xinluo's phone. The moment her peripheral vision caught Liang Zhouyi, the smile on her face vanished without a trace.

"Oh, where have you been so early in the morning?" Zheng Xinyan stared fixedly at her thermal container as if trying to bore a hole through it.

"The company shouldn't have a rule that even private matters have to be reported in detail, right?" Liang Zhouyi did not look at her, her gaze falling on Chen Xinluo as she asked.

Chen Xinluo gave a slight nod and tugged at Zheng Xinyan. "Xinyan, if you're willing, you can come with us at noon to visit Chu He."

Zheng Xinyan's expression grew a little unnatural, and she nodded with a faint blush.

Seeing that shy look, Liang Zhouyi's eyes darkened a little as she followed the two into the elevator.

"Has it been confirmed that Wen Xiaoying will be coming over?" Chen Xinluo glanced at Liang Zhouyi and did not intend to avoid her, since they would have to coordinate work later anyway.

"Yes, she has already transferred to our guild, but she is still shooting abroad these past few days and is expected to report to the company next week," Zheng Xinyan said with a smug smile. She had been trying to recruit Wen Xiaoying for a long time. There were only so many top streamers in total, and countless media companies were fighting desperately to sign them.

Chen Xinluo nodded. "I heard she and Tan Qing have some... friction?"

"That's all a misunderstanding," a trace of disdain flashed in Zheng Xinyan's eyes. "Xiaoying is just like that, overly nice to everyone. Tan Qing actually thought she was chasing him and ran off quickly. I'll explain it to him."

The two chatted as if no one else were there, treating Liang Zhouyi as completely invisible. For one thing, this news was not overly confidential, and for another, everyone had some sense of what Liang Zhouyi was like. She never participated in any gossip and never had much private interaction with any colleague.

Chen Xinluo looked pleased as she praised, "As expected of Xinyan. Once Xiaoying arrives, your department will be the heroes of our company. I'll help you apply to President Qin for more event funding then."

Zheng Xinyan smiled without betraying her feelings and accepted the goodwill. Wen Xiaoying was now one of the hottest influencers on a major short video platform, having shot to fame with a single glance back video from her university days and now successfully transformed into a mainstream influencer. Her ability to attract fans and monetize far exceeded that of many celebrities. Zheng Xinyan had brought her into the company at the lowest signing fee, and that achievement had now completely secured her position in the company.

The two were enjoying their conversation, and no one paid attention to Liang Zhouyi's expression. Most of her face, covered by her scarf, had turned deathly pale, the knuckles of the hand gripping the thermal container white, her pupils somewhat unfocused, and she returned to her workstation almost mechanically on instinct.

Wen Xiaoying was going to join Dark Color Culture? Liang Zhouyi tugged at the corner of her stiff mouth, never expecting that this old acquaintance, whom she had only heard about for many years, would one day cross paths with her again.

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