Chapter Fourteen: Testing the Waters

At last, I carried her all the way to the Red Cross Hospital.

Xu Shu, knowing she was far too famous, feared being recognized in the hospital. She turned to me and said, “Could I borrow your scarf for a moment?”

I didn’t immediately grasp her intention, and though I wanted to ask her why, I was already so exhausted that I could barely speak. I just grunted my assent, and she took the scarf—gifted to me by Qiu Jieqin—from around my neck, wrapped it twice around her face, concealing most of her features and revealing only her eyes. Now, it would indeed be difficult for anyone to recognize her.

I set her down in the emergency room and let the doctor examine her. Excusing myself to register her at the front desk, I stepped outside, gasping for breath. My whole body ached with exhaustion, sweat dripping in large beads from my forehead despite the bitter cold, and my undershirt was soaked through. Never in my life had I exerted myself to such a degree; I felt as if I could collapse anywhere and never move again. But thinking of the registration slip the doctors were still waiting for, I knew I couldn’t rest yet.

After a few deep breaths, I registered at the emergency counter, bought a medical record booklet, and handed it to the doctor. At that moment, a slightly overweight middle-aged doctor was applying a dark ointment to Xu Shu’s ankle. I caught sight of her bare foot—pale as condensed snow, delicate as a lotus blossom, each toe exquisitely beautiful. If not for the slight swelling at her ankle, it would have been flawless. After just a few glances, I felt I’d trespassed upon something divine and quickly looked away.

By then, my breathing had steadied and my heart rate had returned to normal, though sweat still lingered on my brow. Suddenly, I felt a gentle tap at my waist. Turning, I saw Xu Shu extending her hand toward me with a packet of tissues. Her face was hidden by my scarf, so I couldn’t read her expression, but her bright eyes radiated gratitude.

I accepted the tissues, and in that moment, all the hardship of the night seemed worthwhile for that small gesture. I smiled and nodded, taking one to wipe the sweat from my face. Xu Shu watched me in silence, her enchanting gaze filled with emotion.

But barely three seconds later, she cried out, “Ouch!” and turned to the doctor with a delicate complaint, “Doctor, please be gentle! It really hurts.”

Once the medication was applied, the doctor reassured us that it was just a minor sprain. With rest, regular application of the ointment, and some prescribed herbal medicine, she’d recover quickly. He printed out the prescription and asked me to collect the medicine. I helped Xu Shu to a waiting chair before heading off to the pharmacy.

When I returned with the medicine, I found Xu Shu on the phone, saying, “…I will. Yes… Red Cross Hospital, emergency room… How are things on your end? Has everything been handled? Good, come pick me up. Oh, and don’t bring the Bentley—just use something ordinary, hurry!”

I placed the medicine on the seat next to her. Xu Shu snapped her phone shut and looked at me. “My agent will be here soon to pick me up, but I really must thank you for tonight. Without you, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

“It was nothing,” I replied. “No need to thank me.”

She continued, “You really are a good person. May I ask what you do for a living?”

At the time, I didn’t know why she was asking, but I answered honestly, “Me? I’m just a junior staff member—a salesman. But I was recently laid off.”

As I spoke, Xu Shu gazed intently into my eyes. After a pause, she asked, “Laid off? Why?”

I sighed. “Well, my sales numbers were at the bottom of the company for half a year. According to the rules, I’m out. I’ve been waiting at home for the dismissal letter.”

She kept her eyes fixed on mine. “Which company? That’s so heartless!”

“Lady Green Beverage Company, under the Huasheng Group. I was a salesman there.”

“Huasheng Group? Isn’t the chairman named Hua Qiming?”

“That’s right! You know him?”

Xu Shu’s manner suddenly relaxed, her eyes glinting with a mysterious smile. “That old rascal—I know him even if he’s reduced to ashes. Don’t worry, I’ll have a word with him. Let’s see if he dares let you go.”

She clearly did know the chairman of our group, but I could only sigh. “That’s kind of you, but there’s no need. I know I’m not cut out for sales. Even if I went back, I’d be of no use to the company. Losing my job is my own fault—I can’t blame anyone else.”

Xu Shu’s smile faded. “If you lose your job, how will you live?”

I laughed. “I’m a grown man, with two hands and two feet—surely I won’t starve. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Xu Shu laughed aloud this time, stretching languidly, then said in a playful tone, “I wouldn’t have thought of food if you hadn’t mentioned starving. Big man, after singing and dancing all night, I’m famished. I saw a stall selling pancakes outside—would you mind buying one for me? Please?”

A beautiful girl’s request is never easy to refuse. “Wait here,” I said, and went out for her.

When I returned with a hot, freshly made pancake, I found three people standing before Xu Shu: two women and a man, the latter reaching out to help her up. I paused, realizing her friends had arrived, and hesitated to approach.

Xu Shu’s view was blocked by her friends, so she didn’t see me. But I could clearly hear her saying, “Don’t worry, I tested him—he’s just an honest guy, not a paparazzo. Honestly, your call scared me for a second.”

A cold shock ran through me. In that instant, I understood all the meaning behind her earlier glances. I felt a chill inside. I had exhausted myself tonight to help her, nearly to the point of collapse, yet she hadn’t trusted me! She’d guarded herself against me!

A wave of stifling frustration rose in my chest. I set the pancake down on a bench and left the hospital without another word.

I walked briskly into the cold, early morning wind, which bit through my sweat-soaked clothes and chilled me to the bone. My teeth chattered uncontrollably as I pulled my coat tighter. Instinctively, I reached for my neck—empty. Only then did I recall that the scarf from Qiu Jieqin was still wrapped around Xu Shu’s face.

I gave a bitter laugh, thinking that scarf was probably lost to me forever, and that I would never cross paths with this superstar again. As I walked, I replayed the entire unexpected encounter with Xu Shu in my mind.

Gradually, I realized I had been too emotional. Putting myself in her place, I saw that she had done nothing wrong. If she were an ordinary person, my efforts on her behalf would have warranted true trust, and I would have every right to be upset. But she was not an ordinary person.

She was a superstar.

She had to assess everyone who treated her well or showed her kindness, to judge if they had ulterior motives. Her world was so much more complicated than ours.

She was a public figure, always on guard lest her every word and action be scrutinized by the masses. She had almost no space for freedom, with much of her life spent dealing with the paparazzi, who would stop at nothing to uncover her private life and expose it to the public. She, in turn, had to do everything possible to evade their pursuit. Suspecting every stranger was a necessary survival skill.

Her testing me earlier was perfectly normal for her. In comparison, I had been small-minded. Walking along, I gradually made sense of it all, and the frustration in my heart eased.

Suddenly, I felt something cold on my face. I reached up and found it damp. Looking up, I saw snowflakes drifting down from the sky.

After a lull that lasted most of the night, the snow had begun again. I suddenly craved a cigarette, so I pulled one out, shielded my match with my coat collar, and took a long drag.

Not a single taxi passed me on the road, and my home was still a long way off. The snow was falling harder and harder.

Yet my mood was the opposite of what it had been just minutes before.

After all, I had, by sheer chance, met a superstar. That in itself was something—a reward of sorts. My sister and her friends, all die-hard fans of Xu Shu, would kill for such an encounter.

Smoking contentedly, I made my way home.

When I finally reached my door, I decided not to mention this strange adventure to my family, to avoid unnecessary trouble. Especially to my little sister, lest she scream and make a fuss.

I slipped quietly inside, tiptoed back to my room, changed my damp clothes, and slipped into bed, thinking I’d fall asleep instantly from exhaustion. But as I tossed and turned, my mind was filled with thoughts of Xu Shu—her fairy-like beauty constantly flickering before my eyes, impossible to dispel.

I thought of her resting on my back, softly singing to me, and couldn’t help but smile with delight.

I thought of her not trusting me, probing and testing me, and felt a pang of disappointment.

I thought of her delicate, snowy-white feet, and felt my heart tremble.

I thought of the look in her eyes—the deep emotion—when she handed me those tissues, and my heart was warmed.

In short, I lay awake until dawn without sleeping.

Later, I asked myself, “Tang Qian, have you fallen for that superstar?”

And then I answered myself, “Tang Qian, don’t be foolish. She’s a superstar, living in a different world from you. Do you really think you could be worthy of her? Besides, perhaps you’ll never see her again in this life.”