Chapter 4: Jiang Wenting, why don’t you recognize me?

Jiang Wenting quickly tended to the scratch on her neck, changed into clean clothes, and went with Captain Lu’s team to the station for the investigation.

They sat in the back of the police car.

Yi Lan was held by an officer, and Jiang Wenting sat opposite her.

Captain Lu sat in the same row as Jiang Wenting.

Facing each other, Yi Lan’s gaze remained fixed on Jiang Wenting, making Jiang Wenting herself feel a bit unnatural.

Her peach blossom eyes curved slightly as she said in a joking tone,

“Jiejie, don’t look at me like that. I’m just acting. You’re making me really nervous.”

Yi Lan didn’t speak, her gaze still sharp.

The police officer beside her tried to mediate.

“It’s alright, Ms. Jiang. We’ve basically figured out the whole story. Captain Lu just asked you to come along to go through the motions. Don’t be nervous.”

Captain Lu gave a light cough, feigning seriousness.

“Mm-hmm, I know,” Jiang Wenting explained with a smile.

“I just saw that she was very tense and wanted to talk to ease the mood.”

When the spear was at her neck earlier, she had indeed been terrified.

Now, looking at the other person at such a close distance, she only felt that this girl was born with a cold, heroic air, yet drifted through this world alone and helpless.

She was a little pitiable.

But wasn’t she the same?

Jiang Wenting leaned forward slightly, her eyes meeting hers.

“What’s your name?”

Faced with her casual question, a flash of surprise crossed Yi Lan’s eyes.

She lifted her eyelids to look at her, her direct gaze carrying a strong sense of accusation.

“Alright, alright, I won’t ask,” Jiang Wenting waved her hands and apologized with a smile.

“I’m sorry, don’t be angry, okay~”

Her tone was very gentle and patient, just like her personality—soft and gentle with a hint of an older sister’s maturity and tolerance.

Usually, even people she didn’t know well would find her affable and easy to get along with after just a few words.

But the person in front of her seemed to be the complete opposite.

Faced with Jiang Wenting’s show of weakness and apology, Yi Lan clenched her fists in anger, the veins on her temples bulging.

Seeing this, Jiang Wenting quickly dropped the joking manner, formally said “I’m sorry,” and sat up straight on her own accord.

The police officer beside her offered some comfort.

“Ms. Jiang, her mental state isn’t very good. She probably saw your recent drama and got a little too invested. Please don’t mind her.”

Jiang Wenting nodded and said no more.

The car left the film and television city, speeding along the flat, wide road.

The car fell silent, and the humming sound of the speeding car became particularly clear.

After about three to five minutes, Jiang Wenting glanced at the person opposite her out of the corner of her eye and was suddenly startled.

“Captain Lu, what’s wrong with her? Is she unwell?”

Hearing her, Captain Lu raised his eyes for a look.

He saw Yi Lan opposite him biting her lip, her face pale, with large beads of sweat rolling down her temples.

Even her pupils seemed to have lost focus.

Without thinking, he quickly called out to the officer driving in front.

“Xiao Liu, turn around, go to the nearest hospital!”

Just as he finished speaking, a call came in from the bureau.

“Captain Lu, we’ve verified it. The suspect is indeed Yi Lan, a patient from Yunshan Sanatorium. She has a congenital heart condition and went missing during a transfer to the city hospital for a check-up. The director’s side was planning to look for her themselves first and then report it if they couldn’t find her.”

“Speed up!” Captain Lu received the information and urged anxiously.

The driving officer stomped on the gas, and the car sped towards the nearest hospital at a life-or-death pace.

The hospital had already received the news in advance.

As soon as Captain Lu and his team got out of the car, Yi Lan was wheeled into the emergency room by medical staff.

Jiang Wenting waited in the hallway with Captain Lu and the others.

She didn’t know why.

This was clearly just a stranger, at most a fan who was not mentally stable, but her heart’s reaction at this moment was one of genuine panic, just like when her mother was sent into the emergency room all those years ago…

“Yes, okay, I understand. The director is already on her way, right?”

Beside her, Captain Lu was constantly on the phone with his colleagues at the bureau.

By this point, Jiang Wenting could be said to be completely cleared of suspicion.

After Captain Lu finished his last call, he was ready to let her go.

“Ms. Jiang, I apologize for taking up your time. We have already investigated the matter thoroughly. This person is indeed Yi Lan, a mental patient from Yunshan Sanatorium. She became obsessed after watching some of your films, rode a shared bike all the way from Yuncheng to Yacheng, and after arriving at the film city, she stole a horse from the neighboring set and rode it into your studio. There were also some security lapses on our side. In short, we deeply apologize for the harm and trouble this incident has caused you.”

“Oh, it’s alright.” Jiang Wenting was a bit out of it.

She had only taken in a little of what Captain Lu said and responded casually.

“If Ms. Jiang has no other questions, you can leave first. As for compensation matters, we will have specialized personnel contact you. Xiao Liu,” Captain Lu said, calling over the officer beside him, “you can take Ms. Jiang back to the film city!”

“Yes, Captain Lu!” The officer accepted the task and turned to Jiang Wenting.

“Ms. Jiang, shall I take you back then?”

“Yes, okay.”

Jiang Wenting was still not in a good state of mind.

She just mechanically accepted and followed the officer to leave.

As she walked, she subconsciously turned back to look at the emergency room door.

In that instant, an image flashed in her mind from the studio earlier—the woman using her spear to block the jade sword, striding over in a few steps, and frantically grabbing her to check for injuries.

The look in the other’s eyes was filled with hatred, yet she would subconsciously make protective gestures.

This was an instinctual reaction that no skilled actor could ever portray.

Although she knew that all of this was fake, and the other person was just an unconscious mental patient…

With a “click,” the emergency room door opened from the inside.

Jiang Wenting saw the doctor take off his mask and was about to speak to Captain Lu.

Without thinking, she went up to them.

“Captain Lu, the patient is out of danger for now. However, prolonged strenuous exercise and emotional agitation in a state of starvation have accelerated the rate of her heart failure. She probably has at most a year or two left, if not less.”

The doctor’s words clearly reached Jiang Wenting’s ears.

Jiang Wenting was stunned.

At this moment, the police officer escorting her back also returned and called out,

“Ms. Jiang.”

Only then did Jiang Wenting come back to her senses.

Captain Lu beside her also noticed her.

“Ms. Jiang, is there anything else?”

Jiang Wenting shook her head and asked in a daze,

“Captain Lu, can I stay and help?”

Hearing this, Captain Lu hesitated for half a second and looked to the doctor for guidance.

“You can, Captain Lu. Having Ms. Jiang stay might be helpful to the patient to some extent. In the patient’s cognition, she is a relatively familiar person.”

Only then did Captain Lu nod.

“Then we’ll have to trouble you, Ms. Jiang.”

Jiang Wenting expressed her thanks.

A short while later, Yi Lan was wheeled out of the emergency room by the medical staff.

She was unconscious.

Her armor had been torn off during the rescue and replaced with a blue vertically striped gown.

Although she was out of danger, the face under the oxygen mask looked incredibly fragile.

They moved her to a regular ward and put her on an IV drip.

Captain Lu was getting instructions from the medical staff.

During this time, Jiang Wenting stayed by the bedside, watching the clear liquid drip from the transparent glass bottle, flowing drop by drop through the infusion tube into her body.

‘A year or two, if not less. She only has a year or two, if not less, to live…’

Jiang Wenting’s thoughts drifted off again until the phone in her pocket vibrated frequently.

She took out her phone and belatedly glanced at it.

It was a call from Xiao Ru.

Her voice on the other end was very anxious.

“Jiang Wenting, are you alright? Why aren’t you answering my voice calls or phone calls?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Jiang Wenting’s reaction was a bit slow.

She glanced at Yi Lan on the bed and lowered her voice.

“Xiao Ru, I’m dealing with something here, I might be back a little late. Can you let the director know for me?”

“What happened?” Xiao Ru asked nervously. “Do you need me to come over?”

Jiang Wenting quickly refused.

“Ah, no, no, I’ll be back as soon as I’m done. Just wait for me at the hotel!”

She hung up the phone after speaking because she knew that if Xiao Ru found out she was in the hospital taking care of a madwoman who had hurt her, she would definitely get a stern lecture.

Yi Lan truly woke up half an hour later.

Her heavy eyelids lifted slightly, and a blinding white light pierced her retinas.

She subconsciously raised her hand and found her fingertips gently held.

Only when she saw clearly that the person holding her hand was Jiang Wenting did her instinctive tension ease slightly.

“You’re awake?” Seeing her wake up, Jiang Wenting went over and asked cautiously,

“How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

Yi Lan came to her senses and prepared to pull her hand out from the other’s grasp.

“Mmph…” Her mouth was covered by an oxygen mask, making it inconvenient to speak.

She wanted to struggle to sit up but found she had no strength at all.

Jiang Wenting held her hand and didn’t let go, her gentle voice soothing.

“You’re sick, Yi Lan. The doctor put you on an IV drip. You can’t move around, it’s very dangerous.”

She followed her gaze and only then noticed a long tube inserted into her right arm.

Above the tube hung a glass bottle, and the transparent liquid inside dripped down the side of the bottle.

Seeing her gaze fixed on the IV drip, Jiang Wenting thought she was scared.

She stood up, gently patted her with her other hand, and said in a tone as if coaxing a child,

“Be good, you can only get better after the infusion. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the whole time, okay?”

The hatred and tension built up in Yi Lan’s bones dissipated with her words.

Broken teardrops streamed unbidden from the corners of her eyes, hitting the pillow.

Jiang Wenting was a bit bewildered.

She reached out to wipe her tears.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, I’m here.”

Yi Lan’s chest began to heave.

All her grievances seemed to be infinitely magnified at this moment.

She was inconsolably sad, and the oxygen mask fogged up with white mist.

Jiang Wenting panicked a little, stroking her chest and constantly comforting her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you well…”

The word “protect” was too heavy.

Yi Lan didn’t know where she got the nerve to say it, but when she thought of the moment she had stood in front of her as the arrows flew, she still felt a lingering fear.

This woman, Jiang Wenting, was her tribulation, no matter when.

“Get… get away,” she gasped for breath under the oxygen mask.

“I don’t need your protection, Jiang Wenting.”

[Ding, it has been detected that Host Yi Lan’s attitude towards the mission target is negative. Life value -1.]