Everyone is Crazy - Chapter 8

Shan Yingfeng didn’t know why Tan Muxi suddenly became so tense. She straightened up on the lounge chair, took Tan Muxi’s phone, and glanced at the gift box. Just as she was about to ask, Tan Muxi said, “Call Meng Xingci over.”

Shan Yingfeng was confused. “Huh?”

Tan Muxi’s voice was strained. “Get Meng Xingci here now!”

Even Shan Yingfeng, slow as she was, could tell something was wrong. She immediately stood up and hurried toward another tent, her rushed steps drawing the attention of other crew members. After searching two tents, she finally spotted Ye Ying.

Ye Ying wasn’t an assistant, but since Meng Xingci hadn’t acted in five years and had neither an agency nor an assistant, her secretary had been accompanying her. Panting, Shan Yingfeng wanted to call out Meng Xingci directly, but with other artists around, she instead called, “Ye Ying.”

Ye Ying was in the middle of talking to Meng Xingci. She looked up and saw the urgency on Shan Yingfeng’s face. Rising to her feet, she walked over. Shan Yingfeng leaned in and whispered something into her ear, causing Ye Ying’s pupils to widen slightly.

Shan Yingfeng urged, “Hurry.”

Ye Ying nodded. “Okay, got it.”

Shan Yingfeng rushed back to Tan Muxi’s tent ahead of them.

Tan Muxi’s tent had the best location on set. Shaded by a century-old tree during the day and cooled by breezes at night. Thanks to her connection with Liu Shuyun, the director had arranged a private dressing room for her. Though it wasn’t explicitly marked as Tan Muxi’s personal space, artists rarely came in to escape the heat. Tan Muxi sat by the entrance and watched Shan Yingfeng jog back, followed closely by Ye Ying and Meng Xingci.

Passing crew members and artists glanced curiously in their direction.

Normally, Meng Xingci and Tan Muxi barely exchanged greetings when they crossed paths. Why were they in such a hurry today? Meng Xingci’s grave expression only fueled the curiosity. But curious as they were, no one dared to approach and ask.

Seeing Meng Xingci arrive, Tan Muxi stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. Meng Xingci glanced at her, paused for a moment in silence, then went inside. Shan Yingfeng tried to follow but was pulled back by Ye Ying. Though Ye Ying didn’t know what was happening, her instincts as a secretary told her it was inappropriate for them to intrude at that moment.

Pulled back by Ye Ying, Shan Yingfeng’s mind cleared, and she let out a soft sigh.

Ye Ying asked, “What happened to Miss Tan?”

Shan Yingfeng replied, “It’s not about Teacher Tan.”

Ye Ying wanted to ask more, but Shan Yingfeng pressed her lips shut. Ye Ying shot her a glance. Now she was being clever.

Inside, Tan Muxi handed the gift to Meng Xingci and asked, “Have you read the books your sister likes?”

She probably hadn’t. If she had read this one, why would she have been so calm earlier?

Sure enough.

Meng Xingci said, “I’ve read one or two.”

Her reading tastes differed from Meng Yu’an’s, but she had read a couple of her sister’s favorite books to have common topics. Tan Muxi asked, “Have you read this one?”

She showed Meng Xingci the book summary she had searched online. Meng Xingci gave her a puzzled look before lowering her gaze to the phone. After reading the summary, her delicate brows furrowed. “This…”

Tan Muxi cut her off. “This is the gift she gave me tonight. What do you think it means?”

Meng Xingci took the red scarf and the card, immediately recognizing Meng Yu’an’s handwriting. Connecting it with the book’s content, her fingers dug sharply into the scarf, her body tensing. The sharp line of her jaw tightened, accentuating her striking features. Her handsome brows darkened with severity, and her presence turned imposing. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she dropped the scarf and rushed out.

Shan Yingfeng only felt Meng Xingci whiz past her in a flash, and Ye Ying also left quickly. Before she could react, Tan Muxi came out. She placed the scarf back into the box, closed the lid, and tied the ribbon neatly. Then, she sat quietly on the recliner, staring at it. Shan Yingfeng, puzzled, crouched beside her and also looked at the gift box.

After about ten minutes, Shan Yingfeng asked, “Teacher Tan, what are you looking at?”

Tan Muxi turned to her and replied indifferently, “Nothing.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw a message from Qi Yu: “Still filming?”

Tan Muxi replied, “Not anymore.”

Qi Yu: “Huh? Didn’t you have a night scene tonight? Did Teacher Meng show up late again?”

Tan Muxi responded, “She wasn’t late! Something happened to her.”

Qi Yu: “What happened!!!!!”

The tension was palpable through the screen. Tan Muxi: “…”

She asked, “Didn’t you say you stopped being her fan? Why so nervous?”

Qi Yu sent an awkward emoji. Tan Muxi said, “It’s not about her. I’ll tell you later.”

On the other end, Qi Yu obediently sent an “OK” gesture.

Tan Muxi said, “Get the car ready.”

Shan Yingfeng was confused. “Huh? The car? Now?”

Tan Muxi said, “Mm.”

Shan Yingfeng said, “But we still have to film later.”

Tan Muxi lowered her eyes. “We won’t be filming tonight.”

Before Shan Yingfeng could ask why, the director’s assistant hurried over to their tent, looking apologetic. He informed them that the scenes with her and Teacher Meng couldn’t be filmed tonight and asked her to return to the hotel to rest.

Tan Muxi said, “Mm.”

The assistant cautiously glanced at Tan Muxi. Seeing she wasn’t angry made him even more nervous. He still remembered how she had sneered the last time Teacher Meng was late. He had expected Tan Muxi to lash out this time, but she remained unusually calm.

Shan Yingfeng snapped back to reality. “Then I’ll get the car ready.”

Tan Muxi, expressionless, picked up the gift from the table and went to the dressing room at the back to change. When she came out, Shan Yingfeng asked, “Why did Teacher Meng go to the hospital?”

Tan Muxi leaned closer to her phone and saw Meng Xingci’s name trending on the hot search list with a sensational headline: “Meng Xingci Injured During Filming, Rushed to Hospital.”

Just as Shan Yingfeng clicked the link, the page went blank. She exited, and the trending topic had disappeared.

Clearly, Meng Xingci’s team had sprung into action.

Tan Muxi said, “Let’s go.”

Shan Yingfeng nodded and followed behind Tan Muxi, asking, “Should I take you straight back?”

Tan Muxi said, “Let’s go to the hospital.”

Shan Yingfeng abruptly stopped walking, stumbled, turned around, and looked at Tan Muxi. “The hospital?”

Then, with concern, she asked, “Teacher Tan, are you feeling unwell?”

Tan Muxi took a deep breath, exasperated by her lack of perception. Shan Yingfeng finally understood. “Is it about Teacher Meng?”

Thankfully, she wasn’t completely hopeless.

After getting in the car, Tan Muxi called Meng Xingci, who gave her the hospital address not the one mentioned in the hot search, but a private hospital instead. Tan Muxi had Shan Yingfeng set the GPS, then leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. As the car swayed, the gift occasionally bumped against her leg. Tan Muxi crossed her arms and remained silent the entire time.

Shan Yingfeng glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, wanting to speak but not daring to.

They arrived at the hospital half an hour later. Ye Ying was already waiting at the entrance. When she saw Tan Muxi, she hurried over and said quietly, “Miss Tan, this way.”

Tan Muxi followed her.

Ye Ying tilted her head to observe Tan Muxi’s expression. Initially, she had thought Meng Yu’an was a fan of Tan Muxi, which explained the dinner that evening. But the events of the night seemed to overturn her assumptions, especially after learning that Tan Muxi had come to this hospital. Ye Ying was genuinely surprised.

Meng Xingci was a partial shareholder of this hospital, all for Meng Yu’an’s sake.

Meng Yu’an spent half of each year in the hospital. An entire floor upstairs was reserved for her rehabilitation and recuperation. She stayed there longer than she did at home. Meng Xingci often came to keep her company, but in the three years Ye Ying had worked for her, she had never seen any of Meng Xingci’s friends visit. This place felt more like a safe house for the Meng sisters. And now, the door to that safe house had opened for Tan Muxi.

Was it because of Meng Yu’an?

Ye Ying didn’t think so.

What exactly had happened between Tan Muxi and Meng Xingci five years ago? Ye Ying couldn’t quite figure it out. Over the years as Meng Xingci’s assistant, she had never been involved in the entertainment industry, only dealing with business associates. But it wasn’t as if she was completely unfamiliar with Tan Muxi. For one, Tan Muxi was currently the hottest female star. Even if one didn’t follow her work, her name was unavoidable. Secondly, Tan Muxi’s relationship with Liu Shuyun was a constant topic of discussion. Yet, she never expected her boss to become part of that conversation.

Though back in the day, they had been an incredibly popular CP that broke beyond their usual circles.

But Meng Xingci had never used that for publicity. In recent years, she barely made headlines and had no ties to Tan Muxi, so Ye Ying had always assumed the two weren’t particularly close.

Now, that assumption was being thoroughly debunked.

Those who could come to this hospital were either trusted confidants or close friends. Clearly, Tan Muxi wasn’t a confidant.

Ye Ying’s thoughts dragged on so long that she didn’t notice the elevator had arrived. Shan Yingfeng whispered, “Ye Ying?”

Snapping back to reality, she apologized to Tan Muxi, “Sorry.”

Tan Muxi’s expression remained neutral. As they stepped into the elevator, she asked, “Does Miss Meng often act like this?”

It was clear she wasn’t referring to CEO Meng. Before tonight, Ye Ying wouldn’t have answered, but since Meng Xingci had allowed Tan Muxi to come to the hospital, there was no need for secrecy. She replied, “She was relatively stable the past two years, but this year, her condition relapsed.”

Tan Muxi didn’t press for details about the illness and instead skipped to, “What happened?”

Ye Ying glanced at Shan Yingfeng.

Shan Yingfeng wished she could vanish into the floor. Did they think she wanted to hear this? In dramas, those who overheard their superiors’ secrets never lasted long! She desperately wanted to cover her ears!

After a brief silence, Ye Ying said, “Are you aware of the recent Guangfa acquisition case?”

Tan Muxi hadn’t paid much attention but had heard Qi Yu mention it. There were all sorts of absurd rumors, the most ridiculous being that Meng Xingci had an unpleasant blind date with Guangfa’s youngest son, which led her to acquire the company.

It painted Meng Xingci as some super CEO who could ruin anyone she pleased.

Ye Ying said, “It’s that one. The outrageous rumor.””

Tan Muxi: …

She was momentarily stunned. “Because of a blind date?”

Ye Ying explained, “During the blind date, Mr. Zhao somehow found out about Miss Meng’s condition and said some very harsh things. So…”

Tan Muxi understood.

Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

Ye Ying continued, “Later, Miss Meng found out as well.”

Hence the relapse.

No wonder, during their meeting tonight, Meng Yu’an had inexplicably said, “It’s my fault for holding her back.”

It turned out those words weren’t meant for her, but for Meng Xingci. She was using this method to declare her own pain, preparing for farewell. Tan Muxi stared at the elevator floor numbers climbing one by one until—ding—it arrived.

Exiting the elevator revealed a corridor with plain white walls on both sides. At the far end sat a slender woman on a bench. Hearing the elevator, the woman turned her head, locking eyes with Tan Muxi as the doors slid open.

Once, when Tan Muxi held a script, she had asked Meng Xingci: “Teacher Meng, why do movie protagonists always carry such a strong sense of destiny?”

Meng replied: “Because the creator of the story wants them to fall in love with each other, no matter what happens.”

Tan Muxi nodded and asked another question: “Teacher Meng, have you ever experienced a moment with an overwhelming sense of destiny?”

Meng Xingci snapped back to the present, hearing their approaching footsteps, and rose to meet Tan Muxi.