Upon entering the elevator, I set Le Yao down after pressing the down button and glanced at my watch—it was already two in the morning.

Leaning against a corner of the elevator, Le Yao said to me, “Zhao Yang, I just had a fever, and you rushed over from Suzhou in the middle of the night. I’m really touched!”

I smiled nonchalantly and replied, “Considering the discounted airfare at night, a 306 yuan ticket from Shanghai to Beijing at 11:30 PM.”

“Would you not have come if there wasn’t a discounted ticket?”

“Of course, I would have. You’d reimburse me for the ticket, right?”

Le Yao chuckled without saying more, and I tightened the blanket wrapped around her.

The elevator continued its descent, and I leaned against another corner, pondering: Perhaps to others, my rushing to Beijing to see Le Yao in the middle of the night seemed absurd, but I didn’t see it that way. Some affections are incomprehensible to those who lack certain emotions, and I, Zhao Yang, have always lived by my feelings, not by what’s considered rational.

Moreover, since Le Yao had asked, I felt I should come. Over time, through mutual care, we had developed a kinship-like bond. Therefore, my feelings should follow this hard-earned kinship and guide my actions.

…

In a clinic open all night, Le Yao lay on a hospital bed receiving an IV drip, while I pulled the doctor aside to ask with some confusion, “Doctor, she gets fevers and colds quite often. What’s the problem?”

The doctor explained, “The fever is due to high work intensity and irregular rest, leading to a weakened immune system. She should exercise more and pay attention to her diet.”

I nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

However, the doctor then asked me, “Does she have any significant medical history?”

After thinking, I answered, “I don’t think so.”

“Has she ever been seriously chilled before?”

Then I remembered something: Le Yao had jumped into the icy river water less than a month after having an abortion while filming in Hengdian.

My heart clenched, and I finally said to the doctor, “Can you keep a patient’s privacy strictly confidential?”

“We have professional ethics.”

I then revealed, “She had an abortion once, and less than a month after the surgery, she had to jump into a river for a film shoot, and it was in early winter!”

The doctor’s expression turned serious and he asked, “Are you her family member, or her boyfriend?”

“Family… Doctor, can you just speak plainly? I’m anxious.”

“Don’t be too nervous. I just want to remind you to take extra care of her daily life in the future. She could also take some warming Chinese medicine to help restore her bodily functions.”

I nodded and looked over at Le Yao, who had fallen asleep on the bed, feeling a surge of sympathy: Perhaps to others, her path to stardom seemed smooth, but the sacrifices behind it were unimaginable to most.

After the IV was done, I helped Le Yao up from the bed and put her shoes on. Looking out the window, I saw the first light of dawn in the eastern sky.

I sought Le Yao’s opinion, “Shall we find a hotel to rest for a bit? After the locksmith opens the door, I’ll take you back.”

“The apartment is rented by my agent; he has a key card too. Just call him.”

“Do you remember his phone number?”

Le Yao nodded and reached out for my phone.

I handed her the phone, and she quickly dialed a number and made the call.

After a short while, she handed the phone back to me with a smile, “We can go back now.”

I nodded and we both headed out of the clinic.

…

Back at Le Yao’s apartment, I didn’t go up with her right away but waited downstairs for her call, to avoid any misunderstandings with her agent.

About fifteen minutes later, I saw a fashionably dressed man with the air of the entertainment industry emerge from the apartment elevator. He got into a black Mercedes and quickly disappeared from my sight, while Le Yao’s call came through promptly.

Returning to Le Yao’s apartment, I boiled water for her and only relaxed after watching her take her medicine.

…

The sky outside the window brightened further. It was five in the morning. Spring was nearing its end.

I wiped my face to ease the fatigue and said to Le Yao, “You should rest well. I’m heading back.”

“You haven’t slept all night. Sleep a bit before you go.”

“It’s fine. I’ll sleep on the plane.”

But Le Yao insisted I shouldn’t leave.

I didn’t want to waste another day in Beijing, especially with the rent due soon. I said to Le Yao, “The inn is busy. Please don’t keep me here, okay?”

“Weren’t you always out of business? How busy can it be?”

“That’s exactly why I need to be busy!”

Le Yao’s expression darkened as she said, “Enough with the act… I know your inn has been having some trouble lately. Sleep first, and when you wake up, I’ll help you solve this problem.”

“Did Tongzi tell you?”

Le Yao nodded, “If he could get your number from you, why couldn’t he tell me?”

I was speechless for a moment, guessing that Tongzi had snooped through my phone contacts without my knowledge.

Le Yao softened her tone, “Zhao Yang, why didn’t you tell me when the inn was in trouble?”

“I can’t always ask you for money… You have your own life.”

Le Yao smiled, “I recently landed a commercial endorsement deal, a seven-figure payment!”

Her earning power made me feel embarrassed. After a while, I said, “If you’re so capable, don’t rent. Buy a house in Beijing’s second ring now.”

Le Yao looked at me incredulously and after a long pause replied, “Why are you so stubborn?”

I stared at Le Yao and suddenly understood, pointing at her, “Oh… You wanted me to come to Beijing. Being sick was just a pretext; this was your real purpose, right?”

Le Yao half-jokingly and half-seriously replied, “If you didn’t come to Beijing, I wouldn’t have brought up lending you money… because I’m not a foolish big sister with too much money to spend!”

I still didn’t commit.

“Zhao Yang, only with sincerity can you receive another person’s sincerity… You could rush to Beijing from Shanghai in the middle of the night to take care of me. Doesn’t this affection outweigh a mere 70,000 yuan?… We’ve known each other for many years. The first time in the bar, when I couldn’t pay the bill after drinking, you and Robben helped me out. Then you recommended me to your department store for a promotional poster, which helped me out of a financial emergency… Later, you were with me during my abortion, and when there was trouble at the bar, you still stood in front of me with your impoverished body…”

Le Yao’s voice choked up, and she couldn’t continue.

It took me a while to say, “Maybe over the years… I’ve come to see you as my sister without even realizing it.”

Tears fell from Le Yao’s eyes, “I know… That’s why the thing I regret most in my life is letting you sleep with me when you were drunk!”