Chapter 6: I’m here, you don’t have to be afraid of her

Seeing Jiang Wenting’s bewildered look, Yi Lan’s anger flared up.

“Speak! What reason did you have to betray this general?!”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but the decisive, murderous aura she exuded was something no ordinary person could match.

Even a seasoned actress like Jiang Wenting was captivated by her heroic spirit in that instant.

She really… was like a general, a female general whose body was damaged and whose heart was filled with unwillingness after countless battles.

“Yi Lan,” Jiang Wenting said, afraid she would lose control of her emotions, quickly trying to reason with her.

“This is a hospital. There’s no assassination or betrayal like you said. Everything you saw before was just a play I was acting in. It wasn’t real. You’re sick now and need to rest well.”

“A play I was acting in?”

When Yi Lan heard these words from her mouth, her heart still ached.

Her sharp phoenix eyes turned red.

She stared at her, stared straight into her eyes.

“But Jiang Wenting, the lives of seventy thousand people… how do you expect me to answer to them… How do I answer to them? What do I have to answer to them with…”

In the end, all the questioning turned into a series of murmurs and self-blame.

Her tone softened, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

Jiang Wenting was shaken by her unconscious display of genuine emotion.

She leaned over and wiped her tears, her actions and tone very gentle.

“I’m sorry, Yi Lan. It was my script that affected you. I apologize. Don’t be sad, okay? Your body is too weak right now, you need to recuperate.”

Yi Lan’s emotions did not subside with her apology.

Tears welled up one after another.

Jiang Wenting leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around her.

“I will stay with you until you slowly get better.”

She could feel the trembling in her chest, the fragile heart beating one after another.

A year or two, if not less.

This girl before her only had a year or two, if not less, to live.

Although she had no conscious awareness, her latent emotions were so full.

She would travel a thousand miles for a play, for a character, to demand an explanation.

Her heart was filled with righteousness.

She was more sentimental and loyal than anyone in this world.

Unconsciously, a hint of moisture appeared in Jiang Wenting’s eyes, and her usually stable emotions became slightly uncontrollable.

Yi Lan took a long time to calm down, the sadness in her heart subsiding a little.

She wanted to push Jiang Wenting away, but vaguely felt the other person sobbing.

Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed, an unbearable sour and swollen feeling.

She struggled, hesitated, and finally mustered the courage to push her away.

“Jiang Wenting, I don’t care who instructed you, you must pay for the lives of the seventy thousand soldiers!”

Jiang Wenting belatedly sniffed, her arms around her loosening.

She sat up, her slightly red eyes looking at her, and nodded.

“Alright. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll give my life to you, for you to do with as you please, okay?”

Her words carried a hint of pampering and reassurance.

The two looked at each other like this.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the ward door.

The next second, a familiar voice came from outside.

“Jiang Wenting, open the door!”

It was Xiao Ru.

She had driven over as soon as she got the location.

Jiang Wenting had an expression of impending doom and was about to go open the door when Yi Lan suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Jiang Wenting turned her head, glanced at her, and smiled reassuringly.

“It’s okay, it’s a friend of mine. She’s not a bad person.”

Yi Lan held her hand without letting go, her rigid gaze carrying a hint of dominance.

After a few seconds, she finally spoke.

“You don’t have to be afraid of her,” her tone was cold.

Worried that the other person wouldn’t listen, she emphasized again, “With me here, you don’t have to be afraid of her!”

Jiang Wenting was stunned for half a second, then reacted and couldn’t help but chuckle.

She held her hand and nodded as if coaxing a child.

“Alright, I’m not afraid of her. Yi Lan will protect me, I’m not afraid of anyone!”

Knock, knock, knock~

Outside, Xiao Ru didn’t get a response and knocked on the door again anxiously.

“Jiang Wenting?!”

“Ah, coming!” Jiang Wenting answered loudly, looked at Yi Lan, and asked in a negotiating tone, “Then I’ll go open the door and let her in, okay?”

The fingers on her wrist slowly loosened.

Jiang Wenting went to open the door.

Yi Lan’s gaze followed her.

She thought, ‘She’s just a weak woman, what’s there to be afraid of? Even in my current state, if she really dares to harm Jiang Wenting, I’ll still run her through with my spear.’

Spear—

Yi Lan’s murderous aura rose.

She looked around but didn’t see her long spear.

At this moment, Jiang Wenting had already opened the door.

The person outside, wearing a baseball cap, squeezed in through the gap, stood there with her arms crossed, and looked at Jiang Wenting with a cold face.

Jiang Wenting looked at the sweat on her face under the brim of her hat and leaned in, fanning her with her palm to cool her down.

“You’ve worked hard, Xiao Ru. To have you come pick me up in such hot weather.”

“Hmph!” Xiao Ru snorted with a cold face, squeezing out a few words from between her teeth.

“You know it’s hard work now? What were you doing earlier!”

Jiang Wenting giggled, her attitude overly fawning.

This behavior of hers was taken in completely by Yi Lan on the hospital bed.

“Jiang Wenting.” She called her name in a tone that was neither light nor heavy.

Jiang Wenting looked over at the sound.

She saw the person lying sideways on the hospital bed, so tired she didn’t even have the strength to breathe, yet her gaze was as cold as an ice cave.

“Come here,” Yi Lan paused for half a second, trying her best to sound imposing.

“Stand by my side!”

“Huh?” Jiang Wenting was stunned for a moment but still obediently walked over and stood by her side.

Beside her, Xiao Ru’s eyes widened.

‘Hmm? What’s going on?! Is Jiang Wenting… infected by this madwoman?’

Yi Lan forced herself to hold on, trying to get up from the bed, but her weak arms were not enough to support her heavy body.

She tried repeatedly, struggled repeatedly, almost forcing out the needle in her hand, but still couldn’t get her wish.

Seeing this, Jiang Wenting quickly held her down.

“Don’t move, Yi Lan. You still have a needle in your hand. This is very dangerous!”

Yi Lan had already exhausted what little energy she had.

Now, when she spoke, she didn’t even have the strength to say a complete sentence.

“You are not allowed to be subservient to her. I forbid you…”

“Alright, alright,” Jiang Wenting comforted her, stroking her chest.

“I’ll listen to you, I’ll listen to whatever you say. Don’t get excited, don’t get excited, okay?”

She turned her head and gestured for Xiao Ru to go out first.

In her urgency, although Xiao Ru was unwilling, she still obediently left.

The ward door was gently pulled shut.

It took Jiang Wenting a long time of coaxing to calm her emotions down.

At this moment, Yi Lan lay quietly on the hospital bed, the last bit of stubbornness in her eyes replaced by vulnerability.

She realized that she had no strength to protect her, let alone demand an explanation from her.

This sense of powerlessness made her feel desperate and afraid.

Tears flowed involuntarily from the corners of her eyes, one drop after another, hitting the pillow.

Jiang Wenting was always by her side, her slender fingertips wiping away the tears from her eyes.

“Don’t be sad, okay? The person who just went out is my assistant. She helped me when I was in trouble. She rushed over and was fierce with me just now because she was afraid I wouldn’t be safe outside alone. I wasn’t fawning over her, I was just afraid she would be angry and sad.”

She knew the other person wouldn’t understand, but she still patiently explained to her, “There aren’t many people in this world who are good to me. I don’t want to disappoint them. Of course, I don’t want to make Yi Lan sad either.”

Yi Lan’s low spirits were slightly lifted by her words.

She raised her eyes, glanced at the other person, and found that her gentle eyes were unusually calm.

She said there weren’t many people in this world who were good to her.

She said that woman had helped her when she was in her most difficult time.

She said she didn’t want to make everyone sad.

What exactly had she been through?

Could her previous betrayal have been beyond her control?

But with the seventy thousand soldiers dead, what could she do?

“Don’t say so much,” she repeated in a hoarse voice.

“Jiang Wenting, don’t say so much, I don’t want to hear it.”

Jiang Wenting smiled and nodded, gently rubbing her dry, chapped lips with her fingertips.

“Alright, I won’t say any more. Are you thirsty? Shall I go get you a glass of water?”

Yi Lan didn’t speak.

She tucked her into her blanket, found a disposable cup from the pile of daily necessities the officer had brought back, and went to the water dispenser to get water.

It turned out the water dispenser wasn’t plugged in.

After fumbling with it for a bit and plugging it in, it would still take some time for the water to boil.

Jiang Wenting took the empty paper cup and walked back to the bedside, squatting down to explain to her, “Yi Lan, the water dispenser is broken. I’ll go get you a cup of water from outside. Be good and lie still, don’t move around. Wait for me to come back, okay?”

The other person didn’t say yes or no, just closed her eyes slightly, tacitly allowing her to leave.

Jiang Wenting gently patted her on the head and went out to get her some water.

Xiao Ru was leaning against the opposite wall playing on her phone.

When she saw Jiang Wenting come out, she lifted her eyelids and glanced at her, asking in a rather annoyed tone, “How’s that madwoman? Is she alright?”

Jiang Wenting shook her head.

“She’s fine. The water dispenser inside isn’t plugged in. I’m going to get her a cup of water.”

“You’re so considerate!” Xiao Ru said fiercely, but her hand subconsciously reached out, took the disposable cup from Jiang Wenting’s hand, and walked towards the water dispenser in the hallway.

Jiang Wenting followed her, trying to communicate with her.

“Xiao Ru, she has a congenital heart condition. She probably only has a year or two left, if not less.”

“Mmm,” Xiao Ru replied as she walked.

“What does that have to do with you, Jiang Wenting!”

Jiang Wenting was choked by her words and patiently tried to reason with her.

“What I mean is, she’s all alone in this world, without anyone to rely on. It’s quite pitiful…”

“Isn’t the director on her way?” Xiao Ru suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

Jiang Wenting hesitated, stammering, “I want to…”

“No!” Before she could finish, the other person denied it.

“You’re exhausted after a day of filming, and you still have the energy to meddle in other people’s business!”

“Xiao Ru~” Jiang Wenting tugged at her arm, her tone a little coquettish.

“Isn’t it just the opening scene of the Flower Goddess these few days? There are no other scripts after that.”

“What do you mean it’s just the opening scene of the Flower Goddess? Are you made of iron? Don’t you need to rest, Jiang Wenting!” Xiao Ru started to get agitated, her tone non-negotiable.

“Jiang Wenting, don’t meddle in other people’s business. After filming the opening scene tomorrow afternoon, for the rest of the time, just rest at home for me.”

“Xiao Ru…” Jiang Wenting wanted to say more, but was interrupted by the sudden sound of a camera shutter from across the way.

She subconsciously covered her face with her hand.