Chapter 271 – The Runaway Little Sweetheart of the Top Actor – First Meeting with the Future In-Laws (15)
Wen Anni wasn’t able to visit Bai Tang the next day as promised. The reason was simple: her vampire-like parents were acting up again.
Wen Anni hadn’t been able to go out to work and earn money for several days. Ever since her parents had been laid off early, they had done nothing but loaf around and constantly demanded money from her.
Left with no choice, Wen Anni had to take on odd jobs. Everyone knew Zhou Mengsi, but no one knew Zhou Mengsi’s temporary assistant. During the few days Wen Anni spent doing part-time work, no one paid her any attention.
After handing over several days’ worth of daily wages to her parents, they were finally somewhat satisfied. Upon learning she was going to visit Bai Tang at the hospital, they even reminded her not to forget to “fish for a golden husband.”
In their eyes, anyone working in film was a big star, and all big stars were rich. Wen Anni wasn’t bad-looking, and as long as she had a goal, snagging a rich husband should be a piece of cake.
Several days had passed since Wen Anni’s nightmare, and she finally had time to go to the hospital.
She thought to herself that no one had recognized her while she was doing part-time jobs, so it was unlikely anyone would know who she was now either.
With that in mind, Wen Anni let her guard down and went out without any disguise.
But just as she arrived at the hospital entrance, a group of journalists who had been fruitlessly staking out the place for days immediately perked up when they saw a familiar face. They readied their microphones and questions, determined to dig out some inside scoop.
A few days ago, when the Pu family’s car pulled out, they hadn’t dared to block it. But an assistant? They had no such qualms.
Wen Anni hadn’t even made it through the door before she was surrounded by a swarm of reporters, flashbulbs going off in every direction.
“Miss Wen Anni, you were with Bai Tang at the time—how exactly did he get injured?”
“As Zhou Mengsi’s assistant, why were you with Bai Tang?”
“You were an assistant to both Bai Tang and Zhou Mengsi—what was the reason for that?”
“Are Bai Tang and Zhou Mengsi really not getting along, as the rumors online suggest? What’s their relationship like on set?”
“Miss Wen Anni…”
The chaotic barrage of questions overwhelmed her. Flustered, Wen Anni clutched her ears and shouted to drown out the noise.
Her reaction only excited the reporters further. If she had nothing to hide, why couldn’t she answer their questions?
They pushed their microphones even closer, desperate to capture more details.
The hospital entrance was packed so tightly that even actual patients had difficulty getting in or out, seriously disrupting normal operations.
The security team rushed out, trying to disperse the crowd. But the reporters, having finally caught someone who might know something, had no intention of letting Wen Anni go so easily.
“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know! I just came to see Tang Tang…”
Wen Anni had no idea what the reporters around her were saying. She kept repeating that she didn’t know anything.
In the end, it was the hospital staff who called the police, and only then were the reporters finally dispersed from the entrance.
Wen Anni took the opportunity to dash inside the hospital. She still remembered the purpose of her visit.
“I’d like to ask—what room is Bai Tang in?”
The nurse at the front desk looked in shock at the disheveled woman standing in front of her.
“Hello, may I ask what you need help with?” Wen Anni’s appearance had become so messy in the chaos that the nurse hadn’t clearly heard what she said and politely repeated her question.
“I’m looking for Bai Tang.”
The nurse searched Bai Tang’s name on the computer. “Sorry, there’s no one by that name in our hospital.”
“That can’t be right,” Wen Anni said. “Bai Tang and Zhou Mengsi were definitely sent to this hospital.” She muttered to herself, “Don’t tell me I went to the wrong one…”
“Is Zhou Mengsi here then?” Wen Anni wanted to confirm whether she was at the right place.
Zhou Mengsi was a celebrity—no need for a computer to know that. The nurse replied, “Ms. Zhou Mengsi is currently in the intensive care unit. Without an appointment, visits are not allowed.” In other words: You have no appointment, please leave.
Wen Anni became even more confused. If Zhou Mengsi was here, how could Bai Tang not be? Could it be that her nightmare had come true—that Bai Tang hadn’t survived…?
She wanted to ask the nurse to check again, but front desk nurses didn’t have the authority to access patient privacy information. Whether a patient had been discharged or had passed away, their details couldn’t be disclosed casually.
Left with no other choice, Wen Anni could only return home.
But in today’s internet age, news spreads fast. The footage of Wen Anni being swarmed at the hospital entrance, accompanied by a slew of sensational headlines, quickly shot to the top of the trending searches.
#Zhou Mengsi’s assistant reappears after days of disappearance
#Zhou Mengsi’s assistant visits Bai Tang in the hospital
#Dispute between Bai Tang and Zhou Mengsi reportedly caused by a fight over their assistant
Headlines like these suddenly made Wen Anni famous—and added more fuel to the fire in the ongoing war between Bai Tang’s fans and Zhou Mengsi’s fans.
At Oka Films, people were fuming. They had just managed to suppress the public attention surrounding the incident and were waiting for Zhou Mengsi to wake up. But thanks to Wen Anni, the whole scandal was dragged back into the spotlight. On top of that, the company was now facing a double crisis: suppression from Dizhou Films and public outrage from the outside. They even received an official court summons—Zhou Mengsi had been formally charged with intentional assault.
As Zhou Mengsi’s managing agency, the company took a heavy hit. Its reputation plummeted overnight, and its stock prices hit rock bottom.
Meanwhile, none of this seemed to affect Bai Tang’s life.
His parents, living in the countryside, had been brought to the city by people sent by Pu Hexu and were settled into an apartment owned under his name.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai, both with graying hair, were moved to tears the moment they saw their son.
They knew Bai Tang was a filial child—he sent money home every month. But they had never imagined that he had been living such a hard life in the city.
And now they heard he’d even been injured while working on a film set.
Mrs. Bai grabbed Bai Tang and looked him up and down. “Tang Tang, why don’t we just go back home? Back to the countryside. I don’t care about being rich or successful. I just want you to be safe and sound.”
Women tend to be emotional; men, rational.
Although Mr. Bai didn’t say the same thing out loud, his expression and eyes made it clear that he agreed.
Standing off to the side, Pu Hexu watched the scene like a soldier on high alert, terrified that Bai Tang might get emotional and agree to go back with his parents.
“Uncle, Auntie, it must’ve been a tiring trip. After several hours on the road, you’re probably hungry too. I’ve ordered some dishes at Tenghuang Pavilion—why don’t we go eat first?”
Reporters were still staking out outside, and Bai Tang hadn’t fully recovered yet. If not for the worry that bringing the two elderly parents directly to the Pu residence might make them uncomfortable, Pu Hexu really wouldn’t have brought Bai Tang out at all.
Bai Tang nodded and said, “Mom, Dad, let’s eat first~”
Mr. Bai thanked him, “You must be Mr. Pu? The assistant mentioned you on the way here. Thank you for taking care of our Tang Tang…”
Mrs. Bai took Pu Hexu’s hand and said repeatedly, “Thank you, thank you…”
They’d heard that if Mr. Pu hadn’t arrived in time, their Tang Tang might’ve been trapped much longer—he could’ve died from blood loss.
Thinking about this, Mrs. Bai felt a wave of fear and became even more determined to bring Bai Tang back to the countryside. The city was nice, yes, but nothing was more important than staying safe.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai simply saw Pu Hexu as a kind person who had helped their son. At the dinner table, they expressed endless gratitude toward him, their words full of admiration.
Had it been someone else, Pu Hexu wouldn’t have minded. But today, the people admiring him happened to be Bai Tang’s parents—making it feel like he and Bai Tang belonged to two separate worlds. This made Pu Hexu rather frustrated, though he couldn’t show it.
Bai Tang sat beside him, stifling a laugh—Even my dear husband has days when he’s not in control, huh.
Mrs. Bai kept piling food into Bai Tang’s bowl. Wanting to help him regain his strength, nearly nine out of ten bites she served were meat. Now it was Bai Tang’s turn to look distressed.
Looking at his mother’s concerned face, Bai Tang couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He lowered his head and began stuffing the meat into his mouth like a condemned man accepting his fate.
Mrs. Bai was overjoyed. Bai Tang had never liked meat and used to be a picky eater. But now? He was eating both meat and vegetables—he’d surely recover well.
Encouraged, Mrs. Bai began serving him food with even more enthusiasm. Bai Tang cast a pleading look at Pu Hexu, who was talking to his father.
Pu Hexu said, “Tang Tang, how’s the sweet and sour crucian carp?”
That dish was on the far end of the table, far from Pu Hexu. Bai Tang eagerly shoveled the fish—along with other meat from his own bowl—into Pu Hexu’s bowl. “It’s pretty good, Ah Xu, give it a try~”
There’s nothing wrong with sharing food with someone you’re grateful to. But transferring meat from your own bowl to theirs? That was plain bad manners.
Mrs. Bai said, “Tang Tang, that’s very rude. Apologize to Mr. Pu.” Then she turned to Pu Hexu with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pu. We didn’t teach Tang Tang proper manners.”
Pu Hexu smiled. “It’s all right.”
This was food Bai Tang had given him—how could Pu Hexu possibly mind?
He ate with great enjoyment, which made Mrs. Bai’s suggestion of “maybe use a different bowl” awkward—she couldn’t bring herself to say it, but not saying it also felt wrong.
Pu Hexu ladled a bowl of vegetable and nut congee for Bai Tang, then peeled a boiled egg for him. As long as it wasn’t too greasy or fishy, Bai Tang was still able to eat it.
Their intimate interactions didn’t go unnoticed by the two middle-aged parents. Mrs. Bai began to feel a bit uncomfortable—Aren’t these two boys a little too close? Mr. Bai, however, had seen a bit more of the world, and during the car ride over, the assistant who picked them up had casually brought up a certain “orientation” topic.
Could it be…?
The more Mr. Bai observed, the more convinced he became. They weren’t relatives, and even the best of friends wouldn’t go so far as to eat food the other disliked.
“Mr. Pu, you and our Tang Tang…” Mr. Bai asked cautiously, testing the waters.
At those words, Bai Tang tensed up, a nervous look appearing on his face.
From his memory, both of his parents were quite conservative. He wasn’t sure if they could accept a same-sex relationship.
But Pu Hexu responded openly and confidently, nodding. “Yes.”
An awkward silence settled over the table. Mrs. Bai paused, her hand frozen mid-air, and looked helplessly at her husband.
“Mr. Pu, I think we need to have a conversation,” Mr. Bai said seriously.
Though he didn’t have much formal education, he had always respected well-mannered and cultured people—and tended to feel a bit timid around them. But this involved his son. As a father, he couldn’t stay silent. If Pu Hexu was sincere, then fine. But if this was just a game to him, then it concerned a lifetime of consequences.
Pu Hexu gently coaxed the nervous Bai Tang into eating a few more spoonfuls of congee. “It’s easy to digest—eat a bit more, or you’ll get hungry quickly.” Then he turned to Mrs. Bai and said, “Tang Tang’s still recovering. Light food is best—it’s not good for him to eat too much meat.”
Attentive to every detail, Pu Hexu had Bai Tang’s needs perfectly handled. When he and Mr. Bai went into the other room to talk, he spared Bai Tang from facing Mrs. Bai’s overwhelming “motherly love” alone.
Author’s Note:
Bai Tang: Eating meat is torture~~
Pu Hexu: Don’t like it? Give it to me—I’ll eat it for you.
Bai Tang: Ah Xu, you’re the best~