You Are My Omega - Chapter 81

Afterward, there was a brief period of calm, but that peace did not last long before it was broken once again.

Fantuan fell ill and was hospitalized. The pain from the illness wore down her usual self-restraint. Normally, she was mature beyond her age and never wanted to trouble others. But in her feverish confusion, she cried for her mother, her mommy, and her two aunties.

When Liu Lingyan called, Xu Shijiu heard her hoarse voice over the phone. Without hesitation, she got up and left the meeting that had only just begun.

“Xiaojiu, could you bring Xinyi with you? Fantuan keeps asking to see her.”

Liu Lingyan spoke in a hushed voice, afraid of waking Fantuan, who had just fallen asleep with the help of medication.

She knew this request might be difficult for Xu Shijiu. But seeing Fantuan in this state, if she had asked for stars from the sky, Liu Lingyan would have wanted to give them to her.

“I understand, Sister Liu. I’ll find her now and bring her with me.”

Xu Shijiu agreed immediately. She didn’t ask any questions. She simply hung up after saying a few words, intending to head straight to the hospital. On the way, she dialed Lin Xinyi’s number.

Xu Shijiu had only recently removed Lin Xinyi from her blocklist. After all, Lin Xinyi was still one of Xu Entertainment’s artists. If something happened, or if a variety show required phone contact, having her number blocked would be inconvenient.

She told herself this was for the company’s benefit.

The phone rang.

Xu Shijiu thought Lin Xinyi would answer quickly, but to her surprise, the call went unanswered.

Feeling frustrated, she tugged at her collar and called Lin Xinyi’s agent instead. This time, the call was answered right away.

“Hello, President Xu. How can I help you—”

“Where is Lin Xinyi?”

Xu Shijiu interrupted, her voice cold.

“Miss Lin’s gland injury hasn’t fully healed. She filmed a rain scene, got an infection, and caught a cold. She didn’t tell anyone and delayed treatment. It developed into pneumonia. She’s been staying in the hospital since wrapping up the shoot. But don’t worry, President Xu. I’ve arranged a VIP room and made sure the news won’t leak.”

Xu Shijiu didn’t really hear the second half of that explanation. Her mind stopped at the fact that Lin Xinyi was sick and in the hospital.

“Which hospital and which room?”

“De Yi Hospital, VIP Room One.”

The agent sensed something off in Xu Shijiu’s tone and answered honestly without wasting any words.

Lin Xinyi’s condition had been kept very quiet. Nothing had been leaked to the media. There were no rumors, no headlines. If Xu Shijiu hadn’t asked, she might not have known until Lin Xinyi was already discharged.

As it happened, it was the same hospital where Fantuan was staying.

When Xu Shijiu opened the door to Lin Xinyi’s room, the first thing Lin Xinyi thought was that she was hallucinating again.

She stared at Xu Shijiu’s familiar, cold face. Struggling with her fever, she used both hands to push herself up in bed. Her lips were dry and cracked. Her eyes were red from the fever. She looked at Xu Shijiu and said, with a voice full of resentment, sadness, and quiet disappointment, “Still wearing that same cold face.”

There was complaint in her tone. There was pain. There was heartache. But above all, there was loneliness.

Xu Shijiu could barely recognize the person in front of her. This pale, frail woman was the same Lin Xinyi who had once matched Yi Lu in fame. It had only been a short time since they last met, but Lin Xinyi had clearly been worn down to a point that made her almost unrecognizable.

She looked so weak, it seemed like even breathing was hard. The hospital gown hung off her thin frame like a child wearing adult clothes. Her energy had faded so much that even the light in her eyes was gone.

“Why is no one taking care of you?” Xu Shijiu’s voice softened. The cold mask she wore began to crack.

“I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” Lin Xinyi replied with a faint smile. She pointed at the IV and then at the call button beside the bed. “There are nurses here.”

One of the benefits of a VIP room was that nurses were always available.

“You saying something like that is rare. I didn’t expect it,” Lin Xinyi said with a slight smile, but that smile made something tighten in Xu Shijiu’s chest.

“Lin Xinyi.”

“Hmm?”

Clearly, Lin Xinyi still believed this was all just a dream caused by her fever.

“Fantuan is sick. She’s in the room next door.”

Xu Shijiu had to summon all her strength to keep herself from showing too much concern.

“What did you say?” Lin Xinyi froze. Her expression changed as her brows drew together. “You…”

“Xu Shijiu?” she asked, uncertain but with eyes that were gradually clearing.

“Yes.”

“Fantuan is sick? What happened?”

The moment Lin Xinyi realized this wasn’t a dream, she sat up straight. Her dizziness returned from the sudden movement, but she pushed through it and asked urgently.

“I’m not sure yet. I was just about to go over,” Xu Shijiu replied as she looked at Lin Xinyi’s pale, cracked lips and bit down on her own.

“I’m going too,” Lin Xinyi said without hesitation. She removed the IV needle with practiced movements, pressed the cotton pad down, and quickly got out of bed to put on her shoes.

She thought she was moving fast, but to Xu Shijiu, the scene looked painfully slow. Every step was an effort.

Unable to watch her stumble any longer, Xu Shijiu pulled a wheelchair out of the corner of the room and rolled it in front of her.

“Sit down.”

Lin Xinyi froze for a moment before hearing Xu Shijiu continue.

“Your health is tied to your career. Xu Entertainment doesn’t take on losing investments.”

Lin Xinyi’s smile faltered. Her heart ached again, but she was used to this kind of pain by now. Without saying another word, she sat down in the wheelchair.

“Don’t worry, President Xu. Once I’m discharged, I’ll make up for all the missed work.”

Xu Shijiu’s brows furrowed even more. So, Lin Xinyi was only staying in the hospital because the doctor had ordered her not to leave. The moment she was given permission to be discharged, even if her body still needed rest at home, she would immediately rush back to work and catch up on her scheduled appearances.

This was not the outcome Xu Shijiu wanted, yet it was a decision Lin Xinyi made because of her own words.

Lin Xinyi had always been someone who followed through on her promises, and she was especially hard on herself. Even when she realized she had a fever, she pushed through and kept it from everyone. It was not until she collapsed on set that people discovered she was sick. Even after fainting, she refused to take time off and insisted on finishing her scenes. She held out until filming wrapped up, but the prolonged fever developed into pneumonia. Only when she was forcibly admitted to the hospital did she finally stop.

All of this was told to Xu Shijiu by Lin Xinyi’s agent.

She was clearly a fragile Omega, yet she pushed her body so hard. How could her health possibly withstand it? This kind of strain could even affect her future during heat periods.

As Xu Shijiu pushed Lin Xinyi’s wheelchair toward the VIP room next door, her expression remained cold, but her mind was filled with frustration. When Liu Lingyan saw the state Lin Xinyi was in, she was visibly shocked.

“Xinyi, what happened to you?” Liu Lingyan asked softly, her tired eyes full of concern.

“Sister Liu, I’m alright. Just a fever,” Lin Xinyi brushed it off with a single sentence. Anyone could see that Liu Lingyan’s eyes were red and swollen from crying and that she had clearly stayed up all night watching over Fantuan. Lin Xinyi didn’t want to give her another reason to worry.

“Sister…”

When Xu Shijiu entered the room, her eyes immediately landed on a familiar figure standing beside the bed.

“Sister?” At first, Lin Xinyi didn’t quite register it. But once she turned her head and saw Xu Manyue, her eyes widened in shock.

She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t even dare to imagine it.

Lin Xinyi had been away for three years and didn’t know whether Xu Manyue had maintained any contact with Liu Lingyan. But Xu Shijiu knew clearly that her sister had never had any direct connection with Liu Lingyan. The only thing she did was go to the bank once a month and deposit a large amount of support money into Liu Lingyan’s account.

She insisted on doing the transfer in person at the bank, even though mobile transfers were much more convenient. Still, every month without fail, Xu Manyue made that trip.

At home, Xu Manyue would often receive visits from acquaintances in the business world, most of whom brought nutritional supplements, since it was widely known that she stayed out of the public eye due to health reasons.

Xu Shijiu had seen her sister eat those supplements and at first thought she was genuinely taking care of her health. But when she later saw her carefully selecting the best products and placing them in her car trunk, she understood that Xu Manyue was planning to bring them to Liu Lingyan during her visits to the Liu household.

At that moment, Xu Manyue’s hand was being gently held by Fantuan’s small fingers. Afraid of waking the sleeping child, she did not dare move. When she saw Lin Xinyi looking so frail, her brow furrowed with worry. Considering Fantuan’s rest, she mouthed the words without speaking aloud.

What happened to Xinyi’s health?

Lin Xinyi understood her subtle gesture and shook her head slightly, indicating that she was fine.

“Fantuan wouldn’t stop asking to see her during her injection earlier, so I called and asked her to come,” Liu Lingyan explained, noticing their unspoken exchange and sensing their confusion.

For years, Liu Lingyan had raised Fantuan alone. The child had always been healthy, rarely even catching a cold. No one expected that she would suddenly fall ill and be hospitalized.

Liu Lingyan had never dared to imagine reaching out to Xu Manyue, yet when she did, Xu Manyue rushed over without hesitation. Now, standing in front of her, Liu Lingyan could not even describe how she felt.

“How did Fantuan end up in the hospital?” Xu Shijiu asked from the doorway. She didn’t enter the room further, afraid her voice might disturb Fantuan’s sleep.

“She suddenly developed a high fever that wouldn’t go down. The fever kept coming back. The doctors are still investigating the cause,” Liu Lingyan replied, her voice thick with emotion. Everything had been normal, and then, in the middle of the night, Fantuan spiked a high fever without any warning.

Holding her daughter in her arms, watching her cry and struggle in pain, her voice hoarse from sobbing, Liu Lingyan’s heart felt like it had been crushed. She would have gladly taken her daughter’s place if it meant sparing her from that suffering.

“Fantuan will get better soon. This hospital’s pediatric department has some of the best doctors in the country,” Lin Xinyi said softly to comfort her. She had wanted to stand up as she spoke, but her body was so weak that even moving a finger felt exhausting.

Xu Shijiu stood nearby with a deep frown that never left her face.

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