Chapter 53: Zhang Zifeng 1

Lin Family Residence

Lin Miaomiao sat in front of her desktop, scrolling through the photos taken earlier.

She vividly recalled the surprise on her mother's face when she returned home. Wang Shengnan was astonished by her new look and hairstyle. They even took a photo together on the sofa to capture the moment.

Opening her WeChat moment, Miaomiao posted a selfie without Ye Bai. They had discussed not posting photos together for now.

As she browsed through the images Ye Bai had taken, one particular photo caught her eye. It was the snapshot from the Ferris Wheel where she had kissed Ye Bai's cheek. Lin Miaomiao couldn't help but giggle at Ye Bai's surprised expression. She set it as her phone wallpaper with a smile.

While scrolling, Lin Miaomiao found a notification on her phone—it was a message.

Xiaoqi liked your photo.

Xiaoqi: "Wow, Miaomiao, you're so beautiful."

Xiaobai liked your photo.

Haozi liked your photo.

Alien123 liked your photo.

Meowmeow: @Xiaoqi, you are the most beautiful.

Haozi: Brother Miao, I mean you are Elder Sister Miao now 😆

Meowmeow: @Haozi, I'm still your Big Brother Miao ᕙ⁠(⁠⇀⁠‸⁠↼⁠‶⁠)⁠ᕗ

Xiaobai: Big Brother Miao is great.

Meowmeow: @Xiaobai, I am always great. ᕙ⁠(⁠＠⁠°⁠▽⁠°⁠＠⁠)⁠ᕗ

Lin Miaomiao enjoyed replying to their comments on her picture. She chuckled softly as she typed out her replies. Then, with a satisfied smile, she opened her message and clicked on Xiaobai's.

Meowmeow: Thank you, Xiaobai, for an unforgettable date today. o⁠(⁠(⁠*⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠*⁠)⁠)⁠o

Xiaobai: Thank you for making it unforgettable. See you at school.

Lin Miaomiao furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she read the message, but then she smiled and looked around her room for a hidden camera.

Xiaobai: Don't furrow your eyebrows; sleep well. I love you.

She giggled at the message, her cheeks flushing with happiness.

Meowmeow: I love you too. See you at school (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

Lin Miaomiao's heart raced as she looked at her phone wallpaper, the image of her and Ye Bai on the Ferris wheel bringing back a rush of emotions. Unable to contain her excitement, she let out a small squeal of delight.

Suddenly, her bedroom door swung open, and her mother, Wang Shengnan, entered with a concerned expression. "What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with worry. "I heard you shout—is there a problem?"

Startled by her mother's sudden appearance, Lin Miaomiao's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Mom, can you knock first?" she replied, trying to compose herself.

"I heard you; I thought you fell or slipped on the floor," her mother explained, her tone softening.

Lin Miaomiao's blush deepened at her mother's assumption. "It's nothing, Mom," she reassured, hoping to divert the conversation.

"Then wash up before you go to bed," Wang Shengnan instructed, shaking her head at her daughter's weird demeanor.

"Yes, Mom," Lin Miaomiao replied, hastily looking at her hairstyle one last time before grabbing her towel and heading to the bathroom. She knew her mother wouldn't approve of this kind of hairstyle that takes a long time to fix.

With a resigned sigh, she entered the bathroom, ready to wash away the day's excitement and prepare for bed.

...

Qian Sanyi was staring at the photo on his phone. A while ago, as he opened his phone, he saw a notification that his friend had uploaded a WeChat moment. Opening it, his eyes were caught off guard by the cute photo of Lin Miaomiao smiling silly, holding a Hello Kitty stuffed toy. His heart thumped loudly. He put down his phone and glanced at his drawer.

Opening the drawer of his table, he retrieved the broken Hello Kitty hair clip, a smile drawing across his face. He grabbed some glue to fix the broken pieces, carefully applying it to each fragment. Blowing gently on the glued parts to speed up the drying process, he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of his mother entering the room, carrying a bowl of nutritional soup.

Startled, he quickly hid the broken clip in his hands as his mother approached.

"Mom," he greeted.

Pei Yin placed the soup on his desk. "Drink this," she instructed.

"Okay."

With a smile, his mother brushed his head affectionately and bid him goodbye as she left the room.

Watching her go, Qian Sanyi slowly opened his hands, only to find that the broken clip was glued to his hand. Chuckling to himself, he carefully peeled it off and placed it on his desk.

"This cat sure knows how to cause trouble," he mused, smiling as he admired the Hello Kitty clip.

...

Ye Bai's mother took hold of his phone, her eyes lighting up as she skimmed through the photo taken that morning.

"Son, Miaomiao is really beautiful. Good thing you caught her," Wu Qian remarked, her smile growing wider as she admired the image. "Send this to me, so that I can show it to your aunts when we celebrate New Year at your grandparents' house." She pointed to a particular photo of Miaomiao on his phone.

Ye Bai obediently followed his mother's command and sent the photo to her phone. "Do you receive it?" he asked, glancing at her.

Wu Qian nodded, a fond smile on her face as she looked at the photo once more. "Yes, you two are really cute together," she commented warmly. "Tell me when Miaomiao will visit, and I will prepare delicious food for her."

.

.

.

*****

Zhang Zifeng, Zhao Jinmai, and Ye Bai walked happily along the pedestrian lane. They had just celebrated Maimai's acceptance into Central Academy of Drama, with her being the top scorer in their entrance examination.

"Congratulations, Maimai! You ranked first in your entrance exam," Zifeng congratulated her proudly.

Maimai beamed with a wide smile. "Of course, I did my best there, and thanks for all the tips," she replied while clinging to Zifeng's arms.

Zifeng is a year older than Maimai, while Ye Bai is two years older, making him the oldest among them.

Maimai glanced at Ye Bai and noticed that he was holding hands with Zifeng. "Ye Bai, did you get a role?" she asked him.

Ye Bai turned to her, "Not yet. I'm focusing on school right now. If I get one, I'll join a group, but if not, I'll focus on my studies," he replied.

Since becoming Zifeng's boyfriend, Ye Bai has been spending most of his time pampering her and learning painting from her. This became their usual bonding activity. He also didn't rush to fame, preferring to live a simple life.

Zifeng, on the other hand, was fine as long as she was with Ye Bai. But things changed last month when a photo of her and Ye Bai together spread around.

While walking, Ye Bai glanced back and noticed a suspicious vehicle following them since they left the restaurant, making him more alert.

Zhao Jinmai is now in the middle of shooting 'Youth Pi 2' and everyone knows it, they also visited her shoot. "What's the new project you'll be joining, Zifeng?" Maimai asked her.

"We're about to start shooting 'Detective Chinatown 3,' but due to the issue, it's been rescheduled," Zifeng replied, sounding disappointed.

Ye Bai felt somewhat guilty upon hearing this because he was partly responsible for Zifeng's problem.

Zifeng sensed the change in Ye Bai's demeanor, so she squeezed his hand. Ye Bai looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile. But he was surprised when Ye Bai suddenly pushed them away.

As they stumbled to the ground, Ye Bai's sudden absence sent shockwaves through the group. The sound of screeching tires echoed in the air as a car hastily fled the scene, leaving them bewildered and panicked.

Zifeng's heart raced as she frantically scanned their surroundings, her mind reeling with fear and confusion. Through the chaos, she spotted Ye Bai lying motionless in the distance, his figure barely visible amidst the crowd.

With trembling hands and tears welling up in her eyes, Zifeng dashed towards Ye Bai's side, her heart pounding with dread. The sight of him bleeding filled her with anguish and desperation.

"YE BAI!" she cried out, her voice trembling with emotion as she knelt beside him, her hands hovering over his injured form. The gravity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt a surge of fear and helplessness wash over her.

...

Zhang Zifeng's hands trembled as she watched Ye Bai being loaded into the ambulance, her mind reeling from the shock of what had just happened.

Her agent, Li Ming, approached her with concern. "Are you okay, Zifeng? The police have caught the person who hit Ye Bai," he informed her.

Zifeng turned to him, her voice trembling with worry. "How is Jinmai? Is she alright?" she asked, her concern for her friend evident.

"She just suffered a slight concussion but she's already awake and the doctors say she'll be fine," Li Ming replied. "Zifeng, you need to prepare. News of the attempted attack on both of you is spreading. This could be a great opportunity for you."

Zifeng furrowed her brow at her agent's words. "How can you talk about seizing opportunities when my boyfriend is in the hospital? I won't take any jobs right now. I need to be with Ye Bai and make sure he's okay," she insisted.

Li Ming shook his head, disappointed that Zifeng wasn't seeing the bigger picture. This could be a chance to turn things around for her career, especially after the recent love scandal. He thought of ways to leverage the situation to their advantage.

"I'll arrange for the car to take you to the hospital," he said, reluctantly accepting her decision.

Once Zifeng was in the car, Li Ming dialed a number on his phone, already thinking of ways to spin the situation to their advantage.

When she arrived at the hospital, she saw Jinmai with bandages wrapped around her head. She accidentally hit her head on the floor when Ye Bai pushed them out of the road when the vehicle tried to hit them. She approached her friend and asked about her condition. "How are you feeling?" she inquired with concern.

Jinmai looked up at Zifeng, her eyes reflecting a mixture of relief and fear. She hugged her friend tightly, feeling grateful for her presence. "I'm okay, but they said Ye Bai is in critical condition," she replied, her voice trembling slightly.

Zhang Zifeng took a seat nearby, her heart heavy with worry as she waited for updates on Ye Bai's condition.

Shortly after, Jinmai's mother arrived, rushing to her daughter's side upon hearing the news of the accident. "Maimai," she said, caressing her daughter's face, "are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked, her concern palpable.

"I'm okay, Mom. Ye Bai protected us, but he got hurt," Jinmai explained tearfully, recounting the events that had unfolded.

Jinmai's mother glanced towards the operating room with a worried expression, then turned to Zifeng.

"Let's go home for now," she suggested, eager to remove Jinmai from the distressing situation.

"But Mom, I want to wait for Ye Bai," Jinmai protested, but her mother's tone was firm.

"No, this is between them. You got involved because of them," her mother insisted, leading Jinmai out of the hospital. Maimai reluctantly followed her mother out.

Zhang Zifeng overheard their conversation, feeling a pang of guilt knowing that both Jinmai and Ye Bai were suffering because of her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she waited anxiously in the hospital hallway, hoping for positive news about Ye Bai's condition.

"His condition is now stable, but because of the concussion on his head, he's in a comatose state. We can only wait for him to wake up," the doctor explained to Ye Bai's mother, Wu Qian, and Zifeng, who stood beside her.

"How long until he wakes up?" Wu Qian inquired anxiously.

"I can't provide a definite answer to that," the doctor replied solemnly. "He could awaken within a week, a month, or even longer. The best news we can hope for is for him to regain consciousness."

As tears streamed down Zhang Zifeng's cheeks, Wu Qian couldn't bear to see her suffering. She embraced the young girl tightly, offering what little comfort she could in the face of such uncertainty.

"It's going to be okay, Zifeng. We're all here for him," Wu Qian whispered soothingly, her heart aching for both Ye Bai and his girlfriend. She knew this girl wait for here for the whole night.

Feeling overwhelmed by exhaustion and emotion, Zifeng eventually succumbed to sleep in Wu Qian's embrace.

Concerned about Zifeng's well-being, Wu Qian turned to the doctor, seeking an explanation for her sudden collapse. "Doctor, what happened to her?" she asked, her voice tinged with panic.

The doctor examined Zifeng before calmly responding, "She's simply exhausted and in need of rest." He signaled for a nurse to bring a bed for her. "Let her sleep, and she should recover."

Wu Qian gently touched Zifeng's face, feeling a pang of pity for her. Despite her initial anger towards the situation, seeing Zifeng's vulnerable state softened her heart. As Zifeng drifted into sleep, Wu Qian silently prayed for Ye Bai's recovery and for strength for all involved.

A nurse helped Wu Qian settle Zhang Zifeng into bed, ensuring both patients were comfortable. With Ye Bai in the ICU and Zifeng in her care, Wu Qian felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.

Using a wet tissue, Wu Qian gently wiped away the dried tears and smudged makeup from Zifeng's face. It had been two years since she became her son's girlfriend, and during that time, Wu Qian had grown fond of her. Despite her initial shyness, Zifeng had proven to be a lovable and caring companion to her son.

Wu Qian stayed by Zifeng's side until she woke up. Seeing her stir, Wu Qian offered her a bowl of porridge she had bought from outside.

"Zifeng, here. Have some porridge to fill your stomach," Wu Qian said softly, handing her the bowl.

Gratefully, Zhang Zifeng accepted the porridge. "Thank you, Auntie," she murmured before beginning to eat.

Just then, Zifeng's parents entered the room. Despite their strained relationship due to the love scandal, they were deeply concerned for their daughter's well-being.

"Mom," Zifeng exclaimed, surprised to see them.

Her mother rushed to her side, enveloping her in a warm embrace. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

Zifeng nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "But Ye Bai," she choked out, her voice breaking with emotion. Her mother gently stroked her hair, offering silent comfort and support as she poured out her sadness to her mother's embrace.

****