Chapter 12: Isn't It Just Taking Care of Someone?

"That night, I went to see her, and she dragged me inside for tea. It seems I underestimated her. I originally thought she only wanted to ruin my reputation, but I never expected that what she truly wanted was my life!"

Ran Xing frowned deeply, her voice tinged with a delicate, mocking lilt.

Seeing the woman with her head bowed and her spirits low, Xiao Yi raised his hand, wanting to comfort her, but after hesitating in mid-air for a moment, he drew it back. A trace of subtle, almost imperceptible anger flickered in the depths of his eyes.

When the words reached his lips, Xiao Yi simply sighed, his expression heavy: "Sister Ran, the car was burned, the dashcam is gone, and that stretch of road has no surveillance cameras, so..."

Before Xiao Yi could finish, Ran Xing retorted, somewhat unwillingly: "So, I’m just supposed to accept my fate, is that it?"

"That’s not what I meant," Xiao Yi explained calmly before shifting the topic to the production. "By the way, the director knows you're in the hospital. He asked me to tell you that this project cannot be delayed. The director's intention is either to recast the role or..."

Seeing Xiao Yi falter, Ran Xing’s face darkened as she pouted and teased, "What? Are you expecting me to crawl to the set to film?"

"He said he would only give you a month to recover. During this month, they will film the scenes for the other actors first," Xiao Yi said, shaking his head as he patiently relayed the message.

"Heh, a month?" Ran Xing raised her eyes in disdain, muttering, "I’m a person, not a beast of burden."

As she spoke, her stubborn temper flared. She reached out with her left hand to grab her phone from the nightstand, intending to negotiate with the director again. Before she could dial, however, Xiao Yi’s sharp eyes and quick hands snatched the phone from her grip first.

Ran Xing’s eyes widened, her entire body freezing, her hand still suspended in the air in the position of holding the phone. It was only when she came to her senses that she frowned slightly. After all, no one else had ever snatched her phone like that, except for Xu Ting when he was joking around with her.

"What are you doing?" Ran Xing reached out to grab it back. Unfortunately, she hadn’t fully recovered, and she lacked the strength in her hands, so she swiped at empty air.

Xiao Yi leaned down, one knee resting on the edge of the bed, one hand bracing himself against the mattress, while the other held the phone high. His long, narrow eyes were crinkled with a hint of playfulness: "Don’t be in such a hurry, Sister Ran. Actually, as long as you take your medicine on time and rest well, you’ll be mostly recovered in a month or two. It’s just that..."

He stopped abruptly mid-sentence. Upon hearing the strong beating of his heart, Ran Xing cleared her throat, deliberately looked away, and leaned back. Her chapped lips parted as she asked, "Just what?"

Seeing that she had taken the bait, Xiao Yi suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and sighed with feigned difficulty: "It’s just that you need someone to take care of you; otherwise, you’ll have trouble with your daily life."

Ran Xing raised an eyebrow and pointed at the phone. "So, if you won't give me my phone, how am I supposed to find a caregiver?"

Xiao Yi spun the phone with a flourish, skillfully sliding it into his own pocket as he stepped closer to Ran Xing. His tired voice was laced with a touch of huskiness: "Isn't the most suitable caregiver right in front of you?"

As he finished speaking, their eyes met. Ran Xing blinked, forcing herself to break eye contact. Despite having known this man for only a few days, her heart seemed to have developed a mind of its own—leaping and racing as if she were seeing an old friend she hadn't met in years.

An ambiguous, misty atmosphere rose between them. Feeling her face burning hot, Ran Xing reached out to push against Xiao Yi’s chest, pretending to be composed. "Do you always like to talk to others from so close?"

"No," Xiao Yi replied, his voice lazy and careless. "It depends on who it is."

He then sat down on the stool beside the bed as if nothing had happened, a smile lingering on his lips. "Sister Ran, what do you think of me?"

Ran Xing was stunned. Was he really asking so directly? However... she looked the man up and down and asked casually, "How old are you?"

Although Xiao Yi didn't understand why she was asking about his age, he gave a polite smile and answered obediently: "Twenty-seven."

Ran Xing’s expression shifted slightly, a layer of melancholy tinting her eyes as she muttered to herself, "Twenty-seven? If Xu Ting were still alive, he would be twenty-seven too."

Xiao Yi interrupted softly, "Sister Ran, what did you say?"

Ran Xing shook her head and began to explain in a serious tone: "I admit, you do look decent, but you are three years younger than me. It’s not that I can’t accept the age gap, but also..." As she spoke, she raised her right hand. "See this?"

Seeing her hold up her hand, which was wrapped like a rice dumpling, Xiao Yi couldn't help but laugh. "Sister Ran, what are you trying to show me?"

Ran Xing turned her head and saw her own swollen hand. It looked just like a pig's trotter. She lowered it immediately, bracing herself with a sense of pride, and said with feigned calm: "My right hand already wears a ring. I’m truly sorry. So, you understand, right?"

For the sake of him having saved her several times, Ran Xing didn’t reject him outright, but instead offered a rare, tactful refusal. In her heart, there was no room for anyone else but Xu Ting. She only hoped that she had made her point clear enough that even if the man were a block of wood, he would be able to sense it.

Seeing that she had misunderstood his intentions, Xiao Yi burst into laughter. "Sister Ran, did you misunderstand something? I was asking if you think I would be a good caregiver for you."

Ran Xing’s face turned bright red, and she hurriedly tried to cover for herself: "I... is that so? I... I meant that as well."

As Ran Xing offered a strained smile, a rosy flush bloomed on her fair face, making her look as refreshing as a spring breeze. Seeing her rare smile, Xiao Yi’s eyes filled with tenderness, and he couldn't help but say, "Sister Ran, you look very beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often."

Noticing his burning gaze, Ran Xing收起了 (withdrew) her smile, returning to her former cold demeanor. "I will find a caregiver myself; you don't need to trouble yourself."

"But I can take better care of you than anyone else. Sister Ran, won't you reconsider?" After saying this, he blinked with clear, innocent eyes, acting coquettishly.

Ultimately, Ran Xing’s reason conquered her emotions. She had no parents, and aside from Xu Ting’s mother, she had no family left. She lived now only for revenge. And this path of revenge was destined to be difficult. It was better not to involve someone like Xiao Yi, who appeared innocent and easily deceived. Furthermore, they were merely professional partners; once the filming was over, they would go their separate ways. Besides, she didn't like owing favors.

Thinking of this, Ran Xing refused decisively: "No need. You have your own work to attend to."

Seeing the other person fall silent, a flash passed through her bright eyes, and she added coldly: "Besides, we are just working partners. There is no need for you to make me owe you a favor."

Xiao Yi, however, ignored her words. With a doting smile, he began to speak to himself: "Sister Ran, you like millet porridge with sugar for breakfast, but only a small spoonful of sugar. You like rice and pasta, but not Western food. When you eat vegetables, you like to add cilantro. You don't like snacks, and you like to drink coffee in the evening. You like to soak in the bath for half an hour, you like listening to sad music, you can't drink alcohol because you have to take medicine, and more importantly, you go crazy when you're drunk..."

"Stop!" Ran Xing interrupted his endless stream of words, her face full of disbelief. "How do you know all of this so clearly?"