Chapter 29
On his way back to the program team, Xia Wansheng also bought a piece of tanghulu, beautifully crafted. Just as he was about to take a bite, he heard the piercing siren of an ambulance.
[Translator’s Note: Tanghulu is a Chinese dessert of fruit skewers coated in hardened sugar. It’s traditionally made with hawthorn berries, but you can use many other fruits]
His hand slipped, and the vivid phoenix-shaped tanghulu shattered into two pieces.
“！！！” His happiness shattered along with it.
The program staff, noticing Xia Wansheng’s return, quickly informed him of the situation.
“Mr. Xia, you’re finally back! Mr. Zhang suddenly collapsed while preparing ingredients!”
Although Zhang Siwu had enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, he still hadn’t been idle, volunteering to help prepare dinner and even demonstrating his skills.
He didn’t show any signs of muscle soreness, just moved a bit slowly at times.
After finishing the preparations and starting to rest, he suddenly collapsed from his chair without warning.
The cameramen filming him were stunned.
They were still livestreaming!
“We were terrified! We immediately called an ambulance. Hopefully, Mr. Zhang is just overworked.” The staff member said, still shaken.
They had been admiring his work ethic, and before they could even be inspired to work harder, Zhang Siwu himself collapsed.
“What about the program now?” Xia Wansheng asked.
He knew filming would likely be suspended.
A new guest being taken away by ambulance on his first day, the media could easily blow this out of proportion, criticizing the program’s intensity and schedule.
They might even be accused of bullying newcomers.
“Well, filming is suspended for now, we’ll deal with the rest later. The director wants everyone to visit Mr. Zhang at the hospital.” The staff member quickly said.
Visiting a colleague was the guests’ task. They, as staff, had to work overtime to write press releases to address the media and public opinion. They couldn’t hide anything now, the less they said, the more suspicious it seemed.
On their way to the hospital, Xu Yiran sighed: “I was like him before, working day and night without rest, I should get a checkup too.”
He felt like he was constantly on the verge of a health crisis, but he valued his life.
“Hopefully he’ll be fine.” Xia Wansheng sighed.
He wasn’t close to Zhang Siwu. They simply had different personalities. He didn’t expect him to push himself to this extent.
“Ding dong.”
Xia Wansheng’s phone notification sounded.
It was a message from Yu Congyan, asking where he was.
“We’re on our way to the hospital with the ambulance, he’s fine, don’t worry.” Xia Wansheng replied.
The director must have already told Yu Congyan what happened. Was he also planning to visit Zhang Siwu?
Yu Aotian was quite caring.
Yu Congyan, after sending the message, thought he was probably overreacting, he must have misheard.
He had confirmed Xia Wansheng’s emotional stability this morning, how could he be injured again after just half a day?
He must have misheard.
But he still felt uneasy and sent a message.
He was about to put away his phone, lamenting how easily his emotions were affected now, detrimental to making rational decisions in critical moments.
Then his phone notification sounded.
Yu Congyan immediately opened his phone and, seeing the reply, abruptly stood up from his chair, staring at the message.
“！！！”
“He’s” fine?
This was Xia Wansheng’s phone, why would he refer to himself as “he”?
Something must have happened, someone else must be replying on his behalf because he was injured!
Yu Congyan wouldn’t believe these comforting words. He quickly called his driver.
He was too agitated to drive himself; it might lead to even worse consequences.
Half a minute later, looking at the CEO’s grim expression, the driver, already imagining a dramatic scene of the CEO chasing his runaway wife and child, didn’t dare to waste a second.
The hospital was brightly lit.
They arrived quietly without disturbing anyone. After the examination, the doctor said it was sinus tachycardia caused by overwork and anxiety. It was likely a temporary loss of energy, nothing serious, he could be discharged after a day of observation.
The doctor, mistaking them for his heartless boss and colleagues, said with a hint of disapproval: “This isn’t how you work people. People need rest, having insurance doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”
Seeing their confused expressions, he realized his words were futile and shook his head, leaving.
Even in the hospital bed, Zhang Siwu still looked energetic, greeting everyone:
“I’m fine, probably just not very healthy, a bit anemic, don’t worry.”
He subconsciously looked for the cameras while speaking, assuming this scene would be included in the program. He couldn’t let his resilient persona falter.
His agent’s call had bombarded him the moment he woke up:
“What did I tell you? I told you to observe Xia Wansheng and make sure you stand out, what happened?!” His agent scolded him on the phone.
It was already difficult to get him into the program halfway through, and now, not only had he failed to use Xia Wansheng as a stepping stone, but he had even fallen ill!
“Normally, you could play the victim, but the program is almost over and you haven’t gained any traction. If you’re not popular enough, I can’t get you that second lead role!” His agent reminded him.
Zhang Siwu had always been lukewarm. He was chosen for this program specifically to create a contrast with Xia Wansheng and generate buzz.
Ideally, push both of them into the spotlight, with the company reaping the benefits.
“Sorry… I’ll try my best.” Zhang Siwu replied.
He knew maintaining this persona was tiring, but backing down now would expose his true self.
Since he had chosen this path, he had to continue.
Hearing Zhang Siwu still trying to persevere, the others couldn’t say anything more, just offering a few words of concern and filming some footage.
As they were about to leave, Zhang Siwu suddenly said he was also interested in songwriting and wanted Xia Wansheng to introduce him to a teacher.
“I know a bit about songwriting and have even tried composing before, I just need systematic training now.”
He then, without hesitation, bypassed Shao Huan, who had been boasting about his songwriting skills, and directly expressed his desire to learn from Xia Wansheng.
Shao Huan rolled his eyes, thinking, here comes another arrogant fool.
Xia Wansheng was just lucky to have learned quickly, when it came to systematic theory, he was still the best.
The netizens, initially uncomfortable with Zhang Siwu, were now anticipating a good show.
“Being entangled with a workaholic is a lifelong commitment. I’ve been force-fed that ‘they’re better than you and work harder than you’ chicken soup for years, my body is exhausted, my hair is falling out…” someone commented, wiping away tears.
“But lying flat isn’t easy either. My roommate plays games all day, but he still checks if I’m studying.”
Everyone agreed that being a slacker wasn’t easy, especially when a workaholic wanted to learn something from you.
Xia Wansheng felt like he was being dragged into a workaholic spiral in the final stage of the program.
He truly disliked interacting with this kind of person who practically had “scheming” written all over their face. Every conversation felt like overtime work.
It was exhausting.
What could be worse than saying he wanted to eat, and his teammate replying that it would be better to grow his own wheat, then turning around and actually going to plant wheat…
“Don’t you ever feel tired?” Xia Wansheng asked curiously.
He didn’t think Zhang Siwu had endless energy, but he was constantly busy with something.
This self-inflicted busyness was beyond his comprehension.
“No, I feel happy when I complete a task perfectly.” Zhang Siwu gave a positive answer, his actions becoming even more deliberate.
“But you never seem to express any emotions.” Xia Wansheng sat down beside the hospital bed and said calmly.
Having lived in an orphanage, he had learned to read people’s expressions early on. Most people’s emotions were evident, even Shao Huan, when competing with him, was full of life.
But Zhang Siwu barely showed any emotional fluctuations. He was either on his way to complete a task or completing one.
What a well-oiled machine.
Xia Wansheng thought he must have never worked a proper job, otherwise where did he get all this energy?
“Oh, is that so? Maybe my reactions aren’t very fast, and my emotional changes are a bit slower than others.” Zhang Siwu said with a faint smile.
He thought, how could a celebrity in the entertainment industry have genuine emotions? His persona didn’t allow for excessive displays of feelings, he always had to be positive and optimistic.
“You can try being yourself, the real you might not be so unpleasant, at least you’ll like yourself.” Xia Wansheng said after a moment of silence.
Instead of constantly trying to please a faceless audience, why not focus on oneself?
Seeing Zhang Siwu lost in thought, Xia Wansheng, having just dispensed some wisdom, didn’t say anything more, grabbed two oranges from the fruit basket, and prepared to leave the ward.
He was about to put the oranges in his pockets when he suddenly ran into someone leaning against the railing in the corridor.
Yu Congyan’s expression was grim, his usually meticulous hair slightly disheveled, he was wearing headphones and replying to messages.
Seeing Xia Wansheng emerge, he quickly took off his headphones.
“Want one?” Xia Wansheng offered him an orange.
He suddenly remembered Yu Congyan was probably here to see Zhang Siwu.
He arrived so quickly, did he also like the workaholic, sunshine persona?
“When did you arrive?” Xia Wansheng asked curiously.
“I left as soon as I saw your reply, I just got here.” Yu Congyan’s expression remained unchanged.
He had rushed here, then ran into the program team, who had already finished their visit, but he didn’t see Xia Wansheng.
The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind, and he froze, unable to think.
The sharp-eyed director, noticing him, quickly approached: “Xia Wansheng is upstairs in the ward with the patient, we’re about to head back.”
Seeing the investor’s unusual expression, he nervously added, “CEO Yu, this was just an unforeseen circumstance, we’ll try our best to minimize the impact on the program’s ratings, about the investment… CEO Yu!”
Yu Congyan nodded and left, the director reaching out but failing to grab even a corner of his coat.
“I misunderstood, I thought you were the one injured.” Yu Congyan took the orange, offering an explanation.
That was why he was so worried.
He hadn’t had the patience to listen to the director’s explanation earlier, he only believed what he saw.
Now, seeing Xia Wansheng safe and sound in front of him, he finally relaxed.
