Volume One, Chapter 75: Foolish

When Song Qingyu and Pei Jingmo arrived at the hospital, Xie Liuzheng had just come out of the emergency room and was transferred to a regular ward.

Chen Xiaorou’s eyes were red from crying, and Xie Liuzheng weakly comforted her.

“All right, all right, stop crying. See? I’m fine.”

Her head was wrapped in white gauze, her leg suspended in a plaster cast, her face pale as paper—she looked utterly pitiful.

Seeing Xie Liuzheng in such a state, Song Qingyu’s nose tingled. “Zhengzheng—”

“Qingyu darling—”

Pretending to be strong, Xie Liuzheng’s grievances flooded in the moment she saw Song Qingyu. Like a child, she reached out to her, and Song Qingyu hurried over to embrace her.

Spotting Pei Jingmo behind Song Qingyu, Xie Liuzheng sniffed. “Why did you bring your scruffy little guy along?”

“I thought if anything happened, it’d be good to have him here for support.”

Even Song Qingyu hadn’t realized how much she depended on Pei Jingmo, beyond the bounds of mere collaboration.

Besides, it was so late; Pei Jingmo would never let her go out alone.

“What happened to you? How could you fall off the wire harness out of nowhere?”

“Just my luck.”

Recently, Xie Liuzheng had taken a role in a historical drama full of intrigue, playing twins—one, the adopted daughter of the prime minister, the other, a member of an assassination syndicate.

Separated at birth due to family tragedy, they met again as adults, only to be parted forever.

Her assassin character had many fight scenes, and wirework was routine. The crew had never had an accident, but tonight, during a rooftop jump, the wire suddenly snapped.

She plummeted down.

Fortunately, she landed on grass and only broke her leg. Had she hit the hard ground, she might have lost her life.

“Isn’t the security team supposed to check the harness before you go up? How could it snap so easily?”

“The director is investigating and promised to give me an explanation.”

Chen Xiaorou remained silent.

Noticing Chen Xiaorou’s hesitant expression, Song Qingyu frowned. “Xiaorou, do you know something?”

“I... I just heard something.”

“Tell us what you heard.”

Choking back tears, Chen Xiaorou said, “After Zhengzheng got hurt, I overheard some actors saying she offended the heiress of the Lu Corporation and was targeted.”

“Lu Rongrong?”

“Damn—ow, ow—” Xie Liuzheng shouted in anger, the pain shooting through her head.

“Don’t get agitated,” Song Qingyu gently comforted her.

“She wouldn’t try to kill me just because I’m the Crown Prince’s first love, would she?”

Song Qingyu recalled seeing Lu Rongrong at the CEO’s office—those cold, terrifying eyes when she suspected Song Qingyu was Gu Yuandong’s first love.

If that were true, Lu Rongrong was truly frightening and reckless.

“All right, until the truth comes out, let’s not jump to conclusions. Your health is the priority.”

Xie Liuzheng didn’t want to wrong anyone. “You’re right, Qingyu darling. I’ve missed you so much; will you stay with me tonight?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of going home with you like this.”

Pressing her cheek to Song Qingyu’s, Xie Liuzheng murmured, “It’s wonderful to have you here right now.”

Then she turned to Pei Jingmo, who stood like a guardian at the door. “Mister Scruffy—Pei, Qingyu’s sleeping with me tonight; you won’t be upset, right?”

Song Qingyu caught a hint of tea fragrance from Xie Liuzheng. Pei Jingmo smiled slightly. “Not at all, but her health isn’t great; she’ll need a bed in the ward.”

Song Qingyu laughed awkwardly and pulled Pei Jingmo outside.

“Thank you for coming with me. As you saw, Zhengzheng’s situation means I must stay. You have work tomorrow; you should get some rest.”

“You need decent sleep. If it’s too much, we can call for a caregiver?”

“No, no, it’s not about caregivers—it’s Zhengzheng needing me emotionally. Don’t worry; I’ll be fine.”

Seeing Pei Jingmo’s deeply furrowed brow, Song Qingyu instinctively wanted to reach out and smooth it, but held back.

“You look like a grumpy old man when you frown—not attractive at all.”

Pei Jingmo relaxed and smiled. “All right, I’ll listen to you.”

Once outside the inpatient ward, Pei Jingmo called Fu Linhan. “What’s really going on with Xie Liuzheng?”

“We checked the surveillance. The person responsible for her wire was a stranger in a mask. Everyone was busy, no one noticed. After the accident, he vanished without a trace—it was clearly deliberate.”

“What about Lu Rongrong?”

“She claims she doesn’t even know who Xie Liuzheng is, says she couldn’t possibly harm anyone, and accused us of false charges. She’s practically gone into hiding.”

Pei Jingmo narrowed his eyes. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know Lu Rongrong well, but someone truly innocent wouldn’t talk so much.”

Fu Linhan turned to Bai Yinian. “Hey, did you have anything to do with Xie Liuzheng’s injury?”

Bai Yinian shot him a cold glare. “If you’re brain-damaged, go get treated!”

“See, now that’s how a normal person responds.”

Bai Yinian: “...”

Pei Jingmo: “...”

“Ah—” Fu Linhan sighed heavily. “I guess this is my fault too.”

When Xie Liuzheng came to thank Fu Linhan, he thought, since she was Song Qingyu’s best friend, he’d tell her that signing with Panhai was Pei Jingmo’s idea. That way, when Pei Jingmo’s identity was revealed, she’d remember his kindness and help him with Song Qingyu.

Who would have guessed they’d mistake her for the Crown Prince’s first love?

Those two were truly best friends—a pair of genius misfits.

The rumor grew wilder and wider, and many believed it.

“You started this, so you have to fix it.”

“Huh? How am I supposed to fix it?” Fu Linhan was at a loss. “Besides, nobody would believe me even if I explained. Why don’t you clear it up yourself?”

Pei Jingmo knew how much Song Qingyu cared for Xie Liuzheng and didn’t want her to suffer unjustly because of him.

“All right.”

As it turned out, Song Qingyu was still too young.

Staying overnight in the hospital was nothing like she’d imagined.

She already had trouble sleeping, but now she had to keep an eye on Xie Liuzheng—every time Zhengzheng turned over, she jolted awake.

On top of that, nurses came in and out several times during the night; she probably didn’t get more than an hour of sleep.

The next day.

Xie Liuzheng was in good spirits, while Song Qingyu’s face was pale and bloodless.

Seeing this, Xie Liuzheng felt distressed. “Darling, maybe you should go home and sleep tonight. If you collapse before I recover, it won’t help.”

Song Qingyu wrung out a towel and wiped Xie Liuzheng’s face. “Don’t worry about me—focus on getting better first.”

“Mmm—” Xie Liuzheng hugged Song Qingyu’s waist, moved. “Darling, have I ever told you that meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life?”

Song Qingyu smiled. “Me too.”

Their bond was more than friendship—it was the kinship of kindred spirits.

Back in middle school, when Song Yanfeng completely neglected her and Liu Yue’e forbade her from eating at home, she was always hungry.

Xie Liuzheng’s family situation was poor and complicated, but she’d sneak food from home for Song Qingyu.

Even in high school, though they attended different schools, Xie Liuzheng would visit whenever she could.

Once, Song Qingyu was sick and couldn’t afford medicine. Xie Liuzheng, caught stealing money at home for her, was beaten harshly.

The image of her, bruised and battered, feeding Song Qingyu medicine, was something Song Qingyu would never forget.

So, she’d never let anyone bully Zhengzheng.

Not even the Crown Prince’s fiancée!