Chapter 4

To be honest, it wasn't just Luo Chu'an. Even Xia Xi was a bit bewildered by her first meeting with Luo Chu'an's mother, who kept affectionately calling her "dear daughter-in-law."
Xia Xi looked up at Mother Luo sitting beside her and noticed the older woman observing her with keen interest. Blinking her large eyes, Xia Xi smiled sweetly and said obediently, "Auntie, thank you for coming to see me. But I'm really fine, it's just a common cold and fever."
That soft, kitten-like voice tugged at Luo Chu'an's heartstrings. His hand, which had been peeling the apple, paused. He lifted his head and met Xia Xi's glistening eyes, her fair and delicate skin, and her small, cute nose with a hint of redness at the tip...
A faint, indescribable itch stirred in his heart. Though he couldn't quite put it into words, the feeling wasn't unpleasant.
But why was her tone so gentle now? She never spoke to him like that.
Truth be told, Luo Chu'an and Xia Xi had been getting along quite well recently, and his impression of her was gradually improving.
However, as the saying goes, "Those closely involved cannot see as clearly as those outside." He might not have realized it himself yet.
"Of course, it's only natural. No need to be so polite," Mother Luo replied, her eyes brimming with affection as she gazed at the well-behaved Xia Xi. "Xia Xi, you're sick now, so remember to rest and not worry too much. In the future, if there's anything you'd like to eat, just tell Chu'an, and he'll buy it for you..."
Sitting silently in the corner, Luo Chu'an watched Xia Xi chatting happily with his mother. He had already forgotten his earlier strange emotions. Grinding his molars in frustration, he shot a glare at Xia Xi but wisely refrained from voicing any protest.
To be honest, it wasn't just Xia Xi who found it odd, even Luo Chu'an was puzzled. He couldn't understand why his mother was so invested in Xia Xi this time. Upon hearing from his assistant that his girlfriend was sick, she had canceled all his recent schedules and personally come to visit. This was highly unusual. He still remembered how indifferent she had been when he brought Lin Wei home.
After Mother Luo left, Luo Chu'an approached Xia Xi with a mix of suspicion and curiosity, scrutinizing her carefully. "Have you met my mother before?"
Hearing this, Xia Xi racked her brain, sifting through the original host's memories, and shook her head helplessly. "No."
"That's strange... Why is my mother so fond of you?"
"More than that, I'm curious about how your mother even found out about me. Did you tell her?" Xia Xi blinked, looking at Luo Chu'an with confusion.
"How could that be! I wouldn’t be that bored, and besides..." A flicker of unease crossed Luo Chu’an’s eyes. "She probably heard it from someone else."
"..." What was that unease supposed to mean? Trying to cover it up?

Just as Xia Xi was happily spending over half a month in the hospital, enjoying the peace and nurturing her relationship with Luo Chu’an, an ill-timed phone call shattered her rare tranquility and dragged her back into the noisy, fast-paced reality.
"Xia Xi, you absolute legend! You’ve been lying in the hospital for over half a month, isn’t it time to check out?" Xia Xi’s agent, Da He, roared furiously on the other end of the line. "Do you even realize that 'Fate of Immortals' starts filming in just a week? Are you prepared?"
Xia Xi’s heart trembled at Da He’s voice, and she silently moved the phone away from her tormented ear, replying cautiously, "N-not yet."
"Not yet?!" Da He’s voice rose another octave, dripping with exasperation. "How can you say that so shamelessly? Do you even have a clue how hard-won this role is? Get out of that hospital right now and go home to study the script properly!"
Xia Xi glanced at Luo Chu’an, who was watching her with obvious glee, and replied weakly, "Okay."
Beep, beep, beep...
The call ended without the slightest hesitation.
Listening to the dial tone, Xia Xi sighed gloomily at the thought of returning to work. Once things got busy again, who knew when she’d have time to rest next.
"Wow, your agent is pretty fierce," Luo Chu’an raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth as he watched Xia Xi’s deflated expression. "Want me to help you find a gentler one? After all, I’m your boyfriend, I do care about you."
"No need, he’s fine." Hearing this, Xia Xi lazily lifted her eyes to look at him, her gaze carrying an emotion Luo Chu’an couldn’t decipher, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Then, he watched as his girlfriend blinked and said to him indifferently, "Boyfriend, since you care so much about me, why don’t you go downstairs and handle my discharge procedures? I’ll pack my things here... What are you standing around for? Hurry up."
Seeing the "if you don’t go, you’re a fraud" look on Xia Xi’s face, Luo Chu’an suddenly felt like he’d shot himself in the foot. He let out a sullen "Mm" and turned to head downstairs. As he walked, though, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Xia Xi had been a little upset with him just now, was it his imagination?
Xia Xi watched Luo Chu’an’s retreating figure, lost in thought as she stared at the doorway for a long while before finally suppressing the negative feelings she harbored toward him.
Da He was Xia Xi’s agent. Though he had a bad temper and a sharp tongue, he was incredibly reliable and had helped her out of countless troubles. More than just an agent, he was her friend. During the time when Xia Xi’s reputation was in ruins and everyone avoided her like the plague, Da He was the only one who hadn’t given up on her. He did everything in his power to support her, scrounging for resources and striving to help her stand tall in the entertainment world once again.
One was the person who had cast Xia Xi into the abyss of eternal suffering, while the other was the one who had exhausted every effort to help her escape.
By the time Xia Xi and Luo Chu’an completed the discharge procedures and stepped out of the hospital, fully armed, the nanny van had already been parked at the entrance for a while.
Xia Xi glanced at Da He sitting in the driver’s seat, her heart trembling slightly. She lifted her foot and moved toward the back row with Luo Chu’an, hoping to put a little more distance between herself and Da He, that human cannonball.
But there was no escaping it. When she saw Da He glaring at her from the driver’s seat, she immediately caved, obediently opening the passenger door and climbing in.
Luo Chu’an: "..."
To be honest, Luo Chu’an found it somewhat baffling to see his girlfriend acting so uncharacteristically docile in front of her agent, especially when he compared it to her feisty demeanor around him. His emotions were a tangled mess, part smug satisfaction, part simmering anger. It was a truly complicated feeling.
Driven by this strange mix of emotions, Luo Chu’an remained quiet after getting into the car, merely frowning as he stared out the window, lost in thought. Xia Xi called his name several times, but he paid her no mind.
Xia Xi turned to look at him and realized he was deliberately ignoring her, not just failing to hear. She decided not to press further.
The atmosphere inside the car grew eerily quiet.
"Ring…"
A blaring phone ringtone shattered the silence in the cramped space of the car, startling not only Xia Xi and Da He but even Luo Chu’an, the phone’s owner.
Puzzled, he pulled the phone from his pocket and answered it. After just a moment of listening, his expression shifted. Urgency flashed in his eyes, and his voice rose involuntarily. "Okay, okay... I know where you are! Alright, alright... Wait for me there, you must wait for me. I’ll be right over!"
After hanging up, Luo Chu’an felt as if everything around him had become unreal. He stared blankly at his phone, sensing his long-dormant heart beginning to beat fiercely once again.
After all these years, heaven only knew how long he had waited for this call!