Jiang Ruoning abruptly stood up from her chair. She moved too quickly and felt dizzy for two seconds, her body swaying. She still clutched her phone in one hand as a buzzing filled her ears and her vision went black. Zhao Miaomiao immediately reached out to steady her. Jiang Ruoning gripped Zhao Miaomiao’s wrist tightly with her left hand, her face deathly pale.
Two years earlier, she had been at the center of a scandal when she received a call from the hospital about Jiang Qin. When she rushed there, Jiang Qin was in a frenzy, smashing things. As Jiang Ruoning approached, Jiang Qin hurled the bedside tissue box at her head, and blood immediately flowed out.
That was when Jiang Qin finally calmed down.
Zhao Miaomiao and Wu Jie’s voices sounded distant and near. Jiang Ruoning stared blankly at them, unable to make out their words.
Wu Jie pressed her back into the chair. Jiang Ruoning tried to stand again but was firmly pushed down. She looked up, and Wu Jie asked, “What happened?”
“My mom.” Jiang Ruoning’s voice was very soft, sounding weak. “My mom’s in the hospital.”
Wu Jie frowned.
Zhao Miaomiao glanced at Wu Jie.
Wu Jie kept her hand on Jiang Ruoning’s shoulder and took the phone from her grasp. Jiang Ruoning watched her as Wu Jie asked the person on the other end, “What’s the situation?”
Jiang Ruoning stood up to pack her things, but Zhao Miaomiao held her hand—her hand was ice-cold.
Wu Jie noticed Jiang Ruoning’s movements and yanked her wrist, shaking her head at her. The Fengshang stylist saw their serious expressions and sensed something was wrong. She waved at the staff, and everyone went back to their tasks.
Wu Jie pulled Jiang Ruoning along while speaking into the phone. “Has she woken up?”
Her tone was calm as she pleaded, “We’re rushing over now, but it’ll take some time. Please keep an eye on her for us in the meantime.”
Soon after.
She hung up, fiddled with her phone for a moment, then squatted in front of Jiang Ruoning to reassure her. “It’s okay, Ruoning. They say it’s low blood sugar. She’s already on an IV drip at the hospital. I just booked the earliest flight, but it’s still two hours from now. Let’s finish shooting the last two sets first, then head straight to the airport.”
Jiang Ruoning’s complexion was still poor. She looked at Wu Jie, her eyelashes trembling as she lowered her head with a self-mocking smile. “Sorry, Wu Jie.”
Wu Jie shook her head at her.
She hadn’t expected Jiang Ruoning to react so strongly.
Older people always dealt with various health issues. Wu Jie had received sudden calls about her own parents being hospitalized before—it was panic-inducing, but not to this extent. Jiang Ruoning’s reaction seemed more like a stress response.
Wu Jie said, “Your mom—is there something else going on with her?”
Jiang Ruoning looked at Wu Jie and nodded lightly. “My mom has a history of mental illness. She hurts herself sometimes.”
Wu Jie understood. She said, “Finish shooting the last two sets calmly first. I’ll stay in touch with the hospital and update you right away.”
Jiang Ruoning’s face was still pale, but she had calmed down considerably. She knew her earlier tension and agitation had been excessive—perhaps because the moment she heard the call, that dream from the morning flashed in her mind.
The one that had jolted her awake.
They said bad premonitions always came true.
No wonder Qin Zheng always called her a jinx.
Jiang Ruoning’s lower lip hurt from biting it. She released it, and a faint metallic taste filled her throat. Wu Jie rubbed her shoulder and told Zhao Miaomiao, “Go get a cup of hot water.”
Zhao Miaomiao hurried to the break room, fetched a cup of hot water, and handed it to Jiang Ruoning. It wasn’t too hot, but with her bitten lip, even the warm water stung, making her eyes well up. She pressed a tissue to the corners of her eyes and sat in front of the mirror.
Wu Jie patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry too much. It might just be low blood pressure.”
Jiang Ruoning thought it might be low blood pressure too.
But she felt so guilty, like a thief with a guilty conscience.
She was more afraid than she realized.
Jiang Ruoning let her hands hang at her sides. Unable to twist her clothes, she clenched her fists tightly. When it was time to shoot and pose, she opened them—several nail marks etched into the clear lines of her palms.
After finishing one set, Wu Jie handed her the phone. Jiang Ruoning’s eyes were still slightly red at the corners. Wu Jie said, “Call your mom. She’s awake now.”
Jiang Ruoning’s heart leaped. Afraid of losing control, she told Wu Jie, “I’ll take it over there.”
Wu Jie looked at Zhao Miaomiao. “Take Ruoning to the next resting room.”
Jiang Ruoning gripped the phone tightly and followed Zhao Miaomiao into the adjacent resting room. Zhao Miaomiao watched her worriedly and asked, “Ning-jie, do you want me to stay with you?”
“It’s fine.” Jiang Ruoning said, “Close the door for me.”
Zhao Miaomiao went to the door and shut it.
Jiang Ruoning’s heart raced chaotically. After steadying herself, she dialed the number. It rang once, and her heartbeat skipped. After four or five rings, the other end picked up. “Is that Ningning?”
Hearing her mother’s clear, lucid voice, Jiang Ruoning let out a breath. Then her nose tingled, and she blurted out, “Mom…”
Her voice carried a sob.
Jiang Qin sat up in the hospital bed upon hearing it. “Mom’s fine, really fine.”
Jiang Ruoning was upset. “What happened!”
Jiang Qin said, “Climbing the mountain—probably too hot, chest felt tight.”
Jiang Ruoning said, “You scared me to death!”
Jiang Qin glanced at Zhang Zhilan beside her. “I said not to call you, but Auntie Zhang insisted on contacting you because she was worried.”
Jiang Ruoning asked, “Auntie Zhang?”
Jiang Qin said, “Yeah, a friend I met on the tour. She’s a really nice person.”
Zhang Zhilan sat beside her and waved embarrassedly upon hearing this. Jiang Ruoning relaxed knowing there was a friend with her. “Mom, rest up then. I’ll come find you after I finish shooting.”
“No need, no need.” Jiang Qin said, “No need to come. I’ll be home after the IV drip.”
Jiang Ruoning stammered, “B-back… home?”
“Yeah.” Jiang Qin said, “Lost the mood to play. Auntie Zhang said her friend can take us back—she’s heading back too. Plus, it turns out she’s from our neighborhood.”
Jiang Ruoning was surprised. “What a coincidence?”
Jiang Qin laughed. “Who says it isn’t.”
Hearing the light laughter in her mother’s voice, Jiang Ruoning fully relaxed. As long as the fainting wasn’t caused by her relationship issues, it was fine. Relaxed, she grew chatty. “Then be safe on the way back.”
Jiang Qin said, “Mm, I know.”
Jiang Ruoning wasn’t reassured. “You can pack your luggage, right? Make sure you get everything—don’t leave anything behind.”
Jiang Qin chuckled. “Ningning, you think I’m you?”
Jiang Ruoning pouted. “Anyway, keep in touch when you’re heading back.”
Knowing her daughter was worried, Jiang Qin’s tone turned serious, losing its playfulness. “Got it, Ningning. Mom will definitely come back safely.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ruoning felt like it was jinxing something. She smacked her forehead to dispel the random thoughts. A knock sounded at the resting room door, and Jiang Qin heard it too. “Go back to work first.”
Jiang Ruoning said, “Then I’ll go shoot.”
Jiang Qin hung up and saw Zhang Zhilan still there. She smiled awkwardly. “Acting like a kid.”
Zhang Zhilan said, “In our eyes, they’ll always be kids who never grow up.”
Jiang Qin smiled down at her lap. Earlier, bad memories had triggered her emotions, causing brief shortness of breath. At the hospital, the doctor hadn’t found anything major—just that the mountain climb had exhausted her, leading to low blood sugar and fainting.
Seeing her color return, Zhang Zhilan joked, “I thought I scared you.”
Jiang Qin looked at her. “Scared me?”
Zhang Zhilan said, “Yeah, when I told you about my daughter—I thought that shocked you.”
Jiang Qin’s expression stiffened for a second, then she gave an awkward smile. “How could it? It’s not like I didn’t know.”
Zhang Zhilan noticed her off color and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Qin looked at her and asked, “Has your daughter been in relationships before?”
Zhang Zhilan said, “Yes, one right after she started working.”
Jiang Qin lowered her head, her face bloodless, even her lips pale. She murmured, “How did they break up?”
Zhang Zhilan thought for a moment. “That girl was moving to another city for work. Long-distance is tough, and they lost contact over time, so they split.”
Jiang Qin looked at Zhang Zhilan. “Her family agreed?”
Zhang Zhilan blinked. “Her family?”
Then she laughed. “You mean the girl’s parents.”
Jiang Qin nodded.
Zhang Zhilan said, “Her parents were way more open-minded than me. At first, when I found out my daughter had a girlfriend, I forced her to break up. I caught them on dates a few times. Once, the girl’s parents happened to be in Shangjing. They all had dinner together—my daughter sitting across from them. The girl’s mom really liked my daughter, kept piling food on her plate, even bought her new clothes, and took them out to play.”
The floodgates of memory opened, and Zhang Zhilan didn’t notice Jiang Qin’s changing expression. She continued, “That moment, I felt like the outsider—they were like family.”
Perhaps the scene had too great an impact.
Zhang Zhilan said, “That’s when I realized if I kept opposing, my relationship with my daughter would grow distant. That wasn’t my intention—I just wanted her to be happy and well. If this made her truly joyful, I could try to accept it.”
She summed up her feelings from back then in a few short sentences.
But Jiang Qin knew it was a long process.
So long that…
Even now, she couldn’t let it go.
Zhang Zhilan sat by her bed, smiling warmly. “Asking such detailed questions—are you vetting me for a relative?”
Jiang Qin was speechless but nodded. “They’ve been hurt a lot in the past.”
“I get it.” Zhang Zhilan said, “Kids have it hard enough—how could I, as her mom, keep making it worse? Don’t worry, if it works out, I’ll be the perfect, doting mother-in-law.”
Jiang Qin couldn’t keep up. “What do you mean ‘doting mother-in-law’?”
Seeing her puzzled by the slang, Zhang Zhilan laughed and waved it off. “Picked it up from my daughter. She’s always joking around—I can’t corrupt you too.”
Jiang Qin listened and asked, “Your daughter seems like she has a great personality.”
Zhang Zhilan said, “Not to brag, but she’s the best kid I’ve ever known.”
Not bragging.
Jiang Qin felt the same—Jiang Ruoning was the best child she’d ever known. That’s why she couldn’t bear to see Ruoning wronged, couldn’t stand her being bullied at the Shi Family, head bowed, not daring to speak up. Her daughter, always so bright and confident in her heart, stood in the Shi Family living room like she’d committed a grave sin. Ruoning used to argue over nothing, but in front of that woman, she was like a broken record player, smiling and accepting every insult.
How could she?
How could she watch Jiang Ruoning degrade herself like that!
She couldn’t.
She couldn’t do it.
