Chapter 260 – The Runaway Little Sweetheart of the Top Actor – Bai Tang’s Trouble (04)
Pu Hexu took Bai Tang to the hospital for a check-up. The bruise on his waist turned out to be just a superficial injury—no damage to the muscles or bones—which gave Pu Hexu some relief.
Since they were already there, he decided to go ahead with a full-body examination. According to the medical records, the teenager didn’t seem to undergo annual check-ups.
Bai Tang was dragged along for a series of tests. The results showed everything was normal—except for some mild malnutrition.
Pu Hexu looked at the report again and again. Meeting the boy’s slightly aggrieved eyes, he reached out to ruffle his soft hair.
“It’s okay. You’re very healthy, Tang Tang. Let’s go home.”
Bai Tang’s waist was killing him, but with Pu Hexu and so many doctors and nurses examining him, he couldn’t use his healing abilities to treat himself—it would be impossible to explain.
Thinking back to the bitter Chinese medicine he had to drink in past worlds, the boy’s delicate features scrunched up. Being human was so hard. Being a squirrel would be easier.
“What’s on your mind, Tang Tang?” Pu Hexu couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s tragic expression. Sometimes he truly couldn’t guess what curious thoughts were running through that little head.
“Is it okay… if I don’t take medicine?” Bai Tang asked cautiously.
In every world they’d been in, his man always thought Western medicine was too harsh on the body, preferring the gentler nourishment of traditional Chinese remedies. And if medicine had to be taken, eight times out of ten, it was herbal decoction.
Pu Hexu pinched the boy’s cheek. His Tangtang was just too adorable.
“Then we won’t take medicine. I’ll cook you something delicious instead.”
After all, you can’t fix malnutrition with pills alone—diet and nutrition matter too.
As long as there was no bitter medicine, everything was negotiable.
Bai Tang instantly brightened. “Mhm mhm! I want to eat…”
He began counting on his fingers, carefully listing a series of dishes.
Pu Hexu noticed that everything the boy wanted to eat was heat-inducing food.
“You can’t have too many nuts, okay? They cause internal heat. You need a balanced diet.”
Bai Tang pouted. “Alright then…”
Although Bai Tang wasn’t entirely satisfied, there was nothing he could do—once his man made a decision, it was rarely possible to change his mind.
“Nuts and similar dishes should be eaten less, but snacks are allowed,” Pu Hexu said, watching Bai Tang’s eyes light up. He added, “But no more than two bags a day.”
“Ah Xu, you’re the best~” Bai Tang beamed, as long as his eating wasn’t restricted.
Actually, two bags of snacks was already quite a lot—definitely enough for Bai Tang, as long as they were in large packages.
When Bai Tang bought snacks, he always went for quantity and value. After all, Pu Hexu didn’t make money out of thin air, so Bai Tang made an effort to be frugal. Even if Pu Hexu didn’t allow him to eat snacks, with Qiu’er (the doting little ball) around, there’d never be a shortage of treats anyway.
Pu Hexu took Bai Tang home and cooked up a delicious meal.
…
On the other side, thanks to Bai Tang’s pleading, the mall manager didn’t dock Wen Anni’s wages. In fact, he even recommended her for a better job.
That mall was actually part of the Pu family’s business empire. When Manager Wen heard Pu Hexu’s instruction to “take care of her,” he immediately treated Wen Anni differently.
He sized her up—she looked decent, with a delicate, pitiful appearance that also hinted at an inner strength.
“You don’t need to come in tomorrow,” Wen said.
Wen Anni was stunned. “Wait, Manager! I’ve already apologized to the customer, and they said they wouldn’t hold me responsible. I really need this job—please…” She thought of her family, waiting for her to bring money home. Her parents were lazy and greedy. If she returned without money, they’d go around the neighborhood slandering her as an unfilial daughter.
She couldn’t hold her head up with all the gossip and pointing fingers from the neighbors. Even her previous relationship had ended because of her parents.
Wen explained, “I see your situation’s tough, and you’re hardworking. I have another position here. The pay and benefits are decent, but it’s a bit more hectic—lots of small tasks.” He thought of how Adam still needed an assistant. “It’s an assistant job. You’d be managing an artist’s schedule, running errands, things like that…”
It was a blessing that fell from the sky. Wen Anni was so happy she could hardly speak clearly.
“Thank you, Manager, thank you so much…”
Hearing Adam’s displeased tone, Wen Anni felt a bit wronged. She had only wanted to save some money by riding her little scooter instead of taking a cab. How was she supposed to know it would break down halfway? Plus, the filming location was so far away—it had taken her a lot of effort to get there.
Adam led Wen Anni to Pu Hexu’s private lounge, where the makeup artist was applying makeup to Bai Tang.
“Tang Tang, your personal assistant is here.”
At first, Adam had wondered if Bai Tang was just someone who had latched onto Pu Hexu for fame—those with powerful backers usually weren’t easy to deal with. But after several interactions, he realized Bai Tang had a kind personality, didn’t cause trouble, and was extremely easy to work with.
Adam loved artists like that—low-maintenance and drama-free. On top of that, the boy was exceptionally polite, speaking in a soft, sweet tone. Every time he called him “Brother Adam,” it just melted his heart.
“Brother Adam, you’re here~ Ah Xu’s gone to change into his costume. He’ll be back soon.” Bai Tang smiled, two faint dimples appearing on his cheeks. With the makeup accentuating his features, his innocent, sweet look came across even more clearly.
Adam instinctively clutched his chest, his heartbeat quickening. Now he finally understood why Hexu had chosen Bai Tang—where had this little angel come from?
If the makeup artist hadn’t already finished his look and if they weren’t about to start filming, Adam would’ve been sorely tempted to pinch those soft, fair cheeks.
“Hello, I’m the new assistant. My name is Wen Anni. I look forward to working with you,” Wen Anni suddenly interjected, reciting a line she had picked up from watching TV shows.
Adam frowned, for the first time questioning Wen’s judgment. There was nothing wrong with being humble, but context mattered. Her job was to handle trivial tasks for Bai Tang on set—saying “I look forward to working with you” sounded too formal and mismatched. What, did she expect Bai Tang to personally teach her how to do everything?
Upon hearing Wen Anni’s name, Bai Tang froze for a moment and mentally contacted the two systems who were still sulking.
“Qiu’er, Xiao A—help me check. Is this the female lead? Or is it just someone with the same name?”
There was no hotel incident with the male and female leads in this world, so how was the female lead still appearing on set—and as his assistant, no less?
Qiu’er, who had just coaxed Xiao A into a better mood, gave a displeased hum. Then, upon seeing the female lead, it let out a shriek.
“It’s the female lead! Definitely her! Why is she here?! Wasn’t their first meeting with the male lead already scrapped?!”
Why was the female lead appearing anyway? Could it be that the storyline in this world was irreversible? If that were the case, wouldn’t Tangtang be suffering all for nothing?
“I’ll go check. It can’t really be irreversible, right?” Qiu’er muttered, diving headfirst into its system database.
Xiao A said, “Don’t panic, Host. The female lead has her own protagonist halo, so meeting the male lead is normal. As long as we don’t give them a chance to develop feelings, everything will be fine.”
Bai Tang nodded. “Alright, go keep Qiu’er company. You’ve got this.”
Xiao A still hadn’t managed to coax Qiu’er into a good mood, which made Bai Tang increasingly anxious. Since he didn’t have anything urgent going on, he figured it was best to let the two systems spend some time together and work on their relationship.
Xiao A nodded and, after tossing out a quick “Call us if you need anything,” disappeared into Qiu’er’s system archive.
“Hello, I’m Bai Tang. I look forward to working with you,” Bai Tang said politely.
Wen Anni hadn’t expected her boss to be so easygoing. That made her even more determined to do a good job.
Just as she was thinking this, Pu Hexu walked out in his costume. The white robe with silver embroidery made him look even more otherworldly—like a true immortal descended to earth.
“Tang Tang,” Pu Hexu called, his eyes briefly flashing with amazement. In that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to hide Bai Tang away, not wanting anyone else to see him.
“Pu Hexu—Best Actor, my idol—!”
An abrupt female voice shattered the beautiful moment of eye contact between Pu Hexu and Bai Tang.
Pu Hexu turned, frowning at the overly excited Wen Anni. His displeasure was plain on his face.
“Pu Hexu, I’ve liked you for so long! Could I get your autograph?” Wen Anni fumbled to open her bag, and as she pulled out a notebook and pen, the contents spilled out—including a pink sanitary pad that landed on the floor.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
Author’s Note:
The worst thing is when the air suddenly goes quiet… and the female lead suddenly shows up… 😅