My Wealthy Ex-Girlfriend Knelt and Begged Me to Come Back [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 23

Ji Jiayu’s brows furrowed slightly, her fingers tightening around her phone. A faint uneasiness stirred in her chest as her fingers quickly tapped across the screen.

[Ji Jiayu]: Lining up to register, can’t chat now.

Just then, Song Tingyu returned with a basket full of game tokens. The little plastic basket was so heavy that it jingled with every step—ding ding, the crisp sound of metal coins colliding.

“Which one do you like? I’ll win it for you.”

Ji Jiayu lifted her lashes and glanced at the claw machine. Her fingertip lightly tapped on the glass, pointing to a purple plush bunny.

“Alright.” Song Tingyu cradled the basket of tokens in her hands. “Then I’ll win that one.”

They had 200 tokens in total. Each attempt cost three tokens. At most, they could try sixty-six times.

Song Tingyu bent forward, half-squatting in front of the claw machine until her legs grew sore and weak.

Unfortunately, each time, the claw either missed the purple bunny by just a fraction, or managed to lift it only for the toy to slip out midair and tumble back down.

Busy and restless, yet all for nothing.

At last, only five tokens remained. When it came to the final attempt, Ji Jiayu bent down and took the basket from Song Tingyu’s hands. “Let me try.”

Song Tingyu frowned slightly, but still passed the basket over. “There aren’t many left. It… might not work.”

“It’s fine.” Ji Jiayu plucked out three tokens and dropped them one by one into the machine.

Her hand was small, her fingers slender—barely enough to grip the game’s control stick.

Her movements were delicate yet sure. She adjusted the claw’s position with a steady turn, her gaze locked onto the metal claw as she confirmed the distance through the glass. Then her right hand pressed the red button gently.

The claw opened, descended, closed, and began to rise.

Bang! A sound echoed as something struck the metal chute.

She had caught something.

Ji Jiayu crouched down to retrieve the prize. But instead of the purple bunny, it was a plush fox tucked away in the corner—pink fur, big blue eyes, equally cute and enchanting.

“Jiayu…” Song Tingyu murmured, “you’re still so clever…”

Still clever, still captivating.

That brightness and hidden wit of hers would always capture anyone’s heart.

“There’s no need to always insist on one toy,” Ji Jiayu said, lifting the little pink fox in her hand and showing it to Song Tingyu with a smile. “If you can’t catch that one, another similar one will do just as well.”

But no matter what, “similar” was still only similar.

It would never be the same as the very first one.

Song Tingyu reached out and brushed the fox’s soft fur, her palms faintly damp with sweat.

“Ah… you’re right.” She picked up two remaining tokens from the basket, then shyly handed one to Ji Jiayu. “There’s still two left. I’ll save one for you—as a keepsake.”

“Mhm.” Ji Jiayu didn’t refuse. She took the coin from her hand. It bore the embossed image of a goldfish, the weight of the metal cool and solid against her palm.

She casually slipped it into her jacket pocket, then turned toward the arcade’s exit.

Her body had been feeling uncomfortable for a while now—her head dizzy, a wave of nausea stirring.

She’d fallen into the water earlier, then ridden through the wind with Song Tingyu.

So… was she running a fever after all?

“What’s wrong?” Song Tingyu, having returned the basket to the front desk, quickened her pace and supported Ji Jiayu’s swaying figure.

Her fingers brushed against Ji Jiayu’s bare arm. Her skin was smooth and fair as always—but now, faintly burning hot.

She was feverish… her body temperature wasn’t normal.

“It’s nothing… just a bit dizzy,” Ji Jiayu said softly, turning her head toward her. Her long lashes trembled, and her light chestnut eyes seemed misty, hazy with fatigue.

“Tingyu, can you take me to the hospital?”

Half an hour later.

Inside a ward, Ji Jiayu slipped off her shoes and loosened her hair tie. Her hair spilled over her shoulders as she quietly sat down on the bed.

The blanket sank slightly beneath her, her pale legs tucked under for warmth. A needle was inserted into her hand, an IV drip steadily feeding into her vein.

She could’ve just sat in a chair, but Song Tingyu’s family owned a medical equipment company. At the hospital, she had immediately secured a private room with its own bathroom for Ji Jiayu, insisting she rest comfortably.

“The doctor said it’s stomach spasms, maybe from catching a chill—also a mild cold.” Ji Jiayu sniffled lightly and wanted Song Tingyu to leave. “It’s not serious, I don’t need to be hospitalized. I’ll be fine. You should go first…”

She was so petite, sitting quietly on the bed in white sheets, looking obedient and delicate.

Song Tingyu’s fingers clenched, her gaze lingering on Ji Jiayu before she finally turned and left the room. She clearly didn’t want to go—she wanted to stay.

“You rest. I’ll get you some hot water.”

Ji Jiayu pulled the blanket tighter around herself, unbuttoned her thin jacket, and folded it neatly to the side.

Ding-dong—

The coin slipped from her pocket, striking the floor with a crisp ring.

It rolled across the floor, circling and circling until it finally stopped at someone’s feet.

A pair of elegant lambskin low-heeled shoes.

The figure was tall and slender despite the low heels. A cropped black blazer hung open over a buttoned-up white shirt, paired with a sheer black skirt whose segmented design revealed faint glimpses of long straight legs.

A professional black outfit—sharp, with a trace of understated femininity.

Qiu Miaoran stood at the ward’s doorway, one hand tucked into her pocket.

Ji Jiayu tilted her chin up, her light brown eyes following the coin’s path. “That one’s mine.”

She stretched her hand toward Qiu Miaoran, fingers slowly uncurling to reveal her soft palm. “Give it to me…”

“Yours?” Qiu Miaoran’s brows lifted slightly. She bent down, picked up the coin at her feet, and tossed it lightly in the air before catching it. Her fingertips rubbed across its cool, textured surface—the embossed goldfish carved into the metal.

She handed it back, gently placing it in Ji Jiayu’s palm. Her fingers brushed against Ji Jiayu’s thumb, a fleeting, almost unintentional touch.

“A game token? Who did you go out with this afternoon?”

Ji Jiayu curled her fingers around the coin, zipped open her bag, and tucked it into an inner pocket. A pink plush toy peeked faintly through the zipper.

“A friend. She just came back to the country recently.”

At the same time, footsteps approached from outside the ward. Even before reaching the door, a woman’s voice rang out:

“Jiayu, I fetched some hot water and dissolved your cold medicine. Drink it while it’s warm.”

There was a strange eagerness in her tone, a warmth that burned uncomfortably in the chest—like a flame being stoked.

She called her “Jiayu.”

So intimate…

Qiu Miaoran herself had only started calling her “Jiayu” just a few days ago.

Standing by the bed, Qiu Miaoran’s lips pressed downward slightly. She adjusted her glasses with one hand, the thin golden chain swaying faintly at her neck. The lenses caught the light, flashing with a cold glint.

“Miss Ji,” she said softly, “seems you already have someone looking after you.”

“Won’t you introduce me to this… friend of yours?”

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