CH 42

Translator: Lynn

Long Zichen couldn’t shake off the feeling that he might be cursed. Could it be that person on the forum who cursed him to get hit by a car when he goes out? Otherwise, how else could he explain his current misfortune?

Last night, he had been home alone, enjoying some wine and watching Jian Jie’s new song. Yet, he woke up today in the hospital, in excruciating pain, with his left hand and leg wrapped in plaster like a mummy. Long Zichen struggled to recall the few fragments of memories from last night: he vaguely remembered leaning on the balcony window, gazing at the night sky, stars, and moon. Then, he seemed to have accidentally dropped Xiaojie’s notebook and reached out to retrieve it…

Thankfully, he lived on the second floor, but he couldn’t fathom why a house under 50 square meters lacked protective railings on the balcony! Filled with sorrow and anger, he couldn’t help but think he rented that place specifically for the small balcony. Realizing Xiaojie had probably flown to the other side of the ocean by now, his regret deepened for not seeing him off. He was determined to seek compensation from the old landlord for his mental distress and lost wages – even if it meant bankrupting the old man!

A “slap” sound interrupted his thoughts as an insulated bucket was placed on the cabinet next to his bed. He looked up to see his mother’s smiling face, and with a forced cheerfulness, he moaned, “Mommy, you’re here! I’m so glad… Ow~~~”

His mother, Guan Fen, was visibly worried and furious at the same time. She had rushed to the hospital after receiving a call from the landlord, who claimed Long Zichen had jumped off the building. Although she knew her son well and couldn’t imagine him doing something like that, she couldn’t fathom how he ended up so injured. Guan Fen scolded, “Tell me what happened! Why are you in such a state? Don’t you live on the second floor? Why are you climbing around like this?”

Long Zichen sighed, “I was just having a drink, and I accidentally fell from the balcony. I didn’t intend to jump off the building…”

Guan Fen shook her head and sighed, “You should be more careful! People your age shouldn’t be climbing recklessly. I was scared, thinking you might have jumped off the building because of a broken heart, like people were saying.”

Alarmed, Long Zichen asked, “Do people really say that? I hope it’s not all over social media, like ‘Young man jumps off building due to heartache’! Mom, if reporters show up, please shield me from them!”

Guan Fen was a mixture of anger and amusement as she said, “With your fame, who wouldn’t pay attention to you? Don’t worry about your belongings! I called your company and informed them about your injury and hospitalization. They’ll probably send someone over soon. Now, would you like me to get you something to eat?”

“My stomach hurts; I don’t want to eat,” replied Long Zichen. Worried that Jian Jie might have been informed about his hospitalization, he urgently asked Guan Fen to use her phone to call the company. He wanted to tell them not to inform Jian Jie to avoid causing him any concerns before the big award ceremony. Long Zichen requested, “Mom, there’s something important I need to tell them. Can you call the company and tell them not to inform Xiaojie? Please, don’t mention it at all. Promise me!”

Guan Fen made the call and handed him the phone, assuring him, “You’re busy with your call.”

Long Zichen spoke to Xiao Wang on the other end of the line, “Xiao Wang, it’s me. Did you tell Xiaojie about my hospitalization? Don’t tell him anything; do you hear me? And don’t come back here, I don’t want him to worry.”

Xiao Wang, startled by Long Zichen’s voice, immediately agreed to keep it from Jian Jie and reassured him, “Okay, Brother Chen, we won’t say anything. But everyone wants to visit you. Are you sure you didn’t jump off the building on purpose?”

“I didn’t fall on purpose, and I didn’t jump off a building!” Long Zichen responded in frustration and hung up the phone. He wanted to contact Jian Jie, but his mother’s phone was a simple one that only allowed calls and texts. He couldn’t access the internet or make international calls. He sighed and criticized Guan Fen, “Mom, your phone is almost an antique; it’s useless! You should get a smartphone.”

Unfazed, Guan Fen took back the phone and said, “I won’t stay long once your company comes. I’ll head back to the orphanage; there’s a lot of work to do there. I’ve bought clothes for you and hired a nurse who will come later. If you need anything, just call him. I’ll be back tonight.”

Long Zichen was annoyed by his mother’s refusal to rest, “My own son is in this condition, and you won’t even take a break! So heartless!” Suddenly remembering something, he asked, “By the way, Mom, did I bring a big songbook when you brought me to the hospital yesterday? It’s a song written by one of our company’s singers. Don’t lose it.”

Guan Fen retrieved a staff book from the bedside cabinet with “Jian Jie” written on the cover and asked, “Is this the one? It belongs to Xiao Jie.”

“Yes,” replied Long Zichen happily, relieved that it wasn’t lost. However, he was embarrassed by the large dark red blood stain on the cover and decided to make a new copy later.

Upon seeing Long Zichen’s joyous expression, Guan Fen couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

A while later, Yuan Chao arrived with a group of people from the company to visit Long Zichen. With Long Zichen’s mother present, everyone put on a show of concern, bringing flowers and fruit baskets, and sincerely wishing him a speedy recovery. However, once Guan Fen left, their curiosity got the better of them, and they were eager to know how Long Zichen ended up in such a state.

“Dachen, you’re a real daredevil, jumping off a building!” Yuan Chao burst into laughter, “From which floor did you jump, and you still managed to survive? Next time you jump, give me a call—I’ve never seen someone jump off a building before!”

The room stifled laughter, while Long Zichen, weakened by his injury, could only shoot daggers with his eyes and replied angrily, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to drag you along when I jump next time!”

After some lighthearted banter, Long Zichen asked Xiao Wang to retrieve his mobile phone from home and then promptly drove his colleagues back to the company. He couldn’t bear the thought of being the center of everyone’s amusement. Yuan Chao was the only one left, relishing the opportunity to continue teasing Long Zichen.

“Did you jump off the building because Xiaojie eloped with that foreign producer due to heartbreak?” Yuan Chao asked, baiting Long Zichen after everyone else had left.

Long Zichen couldn’t muster any more anger and retorted, “Get lost!”

“I can’t die just yet; I want to witness you jumping off a building again!” Yuan Chao jokingly replied.

Long Zichen decided to ignore Yuan Chao, and as soon as Xiao Wang returned with his phone, he couldn’t wait to call Jian Jie.

Jian Jie had arrived in the United States at 8 o’clock in the morning after a long plane journey. He was exhausted and decided to rest in his hotel room along with the rest of the group. After waking up from a nap, Jian Jie received a call from Long Zichen.

“Brother Chen, is everything alright? Did something happen yesterday?” Jian Jie asked, concerned.

“What could go wrong? Haha, I had a party with some old classmates yesterday, and I had a bit too much to drink. I completely forgot to see you off. I’m sorry,” Long Zichen said with a cheerful tone, seemingly oblivious to the previous incident. Yuan Chao, standing nearby, silently grumbled about Long Zichen’s foolish grin.

“Oh,” Jian Jie couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Throughout the long flight, he worried incessantly and tried calling the company as soon as he landed in the United States, but received no response. Now, hearing Long Zichen casually claim he had just been drinking, Jian Jie felt a mix of emotions and couldn’t shake off the lingering unease.

Later on, Long Zichen engaged in a lengthy conversation with Jian Jie. He had so much to talk about, but Jian Jie wasn’t feeling well, having slept poorly. His responses were brief, “I see,” and he hung up the phone.

Unaware of Jian Jie’s mood, Long Zichen noticed that his usual gentle and smiling voice sounded a bit cold and puzzled. After pondering for a while, he turned to Yuan Chao and asked, “Why did Xiaojie sound unhappy? Did something happen to him?”

“Maybe he’s upset that the company didn’t get him a first-class ticket? The cost for five people would be over 300,000 yuan, but business class is also pretty good!” Yuan Chao speculated, unintentionally misleading Long Zichen.

Long Zichen scowled, “I told you not to be so stingy. What if Xiaojie thinks I’m being stingy and starts to ignore me!”

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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