CH 41

TL: Hua

The night when “Eat Light on the Road” was released, the country had just entered the morning of a new day.

Everyone didn’t have time to check Weibo. They all got up at six o’clock, put on their makeup hastily, and went out with sleepy eyes.

According to the arrangement of the program team, the guests can go out on the weekends after earning enough travel expenses from the previous week.

The designated activity for this week’s program is diving.

New Zealand has a long and beautiful coastline and many dreamlike islands. The clear, pristine water and beautiful coral reef make it particularly suitable for various types of diving.

The island they chose to dive on this time is about an hour away from the mainland.

The driver drove the speedboat as if it were flying, facing the wind and splitting a white path in the blue sea, taking the six people to a small island in the sea.

After arriving in New Zealand, they were finally able to come out and let off some steam after five consecutive busy days, so everyone was in a good mood.

Gu Meiling and Xue Qingchu took selfies from various angles, while Lu Tongtong and Jiang Sicheng urged the driver to drive faster and wilder.

In comparison, Qi Xiaoyu was much quieter, sitting on the edge all the time without saying a word.

In fact, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Yesterday, after wearing wet pants and wet shoes while cooking for the whole day, he felt a headache when he returned to the dormitory at night. He thought he was too tired and would get better after a nap, but this morning, when he woke up, his head was still groggy.

He didn’t say anything about being unwell. Firstly, it was inconvenient to see a doctor abroad. Secondly, according to the schedule of the program team, they would return to China for the New Year in a few days of recording, and the remaining parts would have to wait until after the Spring Festival. He didn’t want to delay everyone’s progress because of his illness.

Having been out for so long, it was obvious that everyone wanted to go back, and he kind of wanted to go back himself. After all, it was going to be New Year’s Eve, and they all wanted to spend time with their family and friends.

After arriving at the island, it was followed by several hours of deep diving.

Although the whole process is fun, and the underwater world is uniquely beautiful, it’s quite tiring.

You have to carry an oxygen tank and dive to a depth of ten meters under the guidance of an instructor. The whole process is very physically demanding, and your ears hurt from the pressure of the sea water.

By the time they got back from the fun, they were all wet, and then it was another nearly hour-long speedboat ride through the wind and waves.

After getting off the speedboat, Qi Xiaoyu felt a little dizzy and wanted to vomit.

But since he hadn’t eaten lunch, he couldn’t vomit anything.

Xue Qingchu, who was walking next to him, saw his pale face and asked with concern, “Xiaoyu, are you sick?”

Qi Xiaoyu swallowed and suppressed the feeling of nausea. “Maybe I’m a little seasick. I’ll just take a rest later.”

But when they got to the car, Qi Xiaoyu didn’t get any better.

He originally closed his eyes and wanted to rest for a while, but ended up sleeping until he got off the bus, his head falling deeper and deeper into sleep.

Xue Qingchu put her hand on his forehead and said, “It seems he has a fever.”

Jiang Sicheng was a little jealous, but when he heard that Qi Xiaoyu was sick, he asked anxiously, “How about going to the hospital for a checkup?”

Gu Meiling, who was sitting in the front row, heard this and turned her head. “Is Xiaoyu sick?”

“It seems he has a cold and a fever.” After Xue Qingchu finished speaking, she glanced at Jiang Sicheng and remembered that yesterday, when Jiang Sicheng was repairing the sluice gate and the kitchen was flooded with water, Qi Xiaoyu spent the whole day cooking with his shoes and trouser legs wet. His illness may have something to do with it.

But Xue Qingchu didn’t say anything.

“Then go to the hospital quickly.” Gu Meiling had already arranged for the driver to change the route and go to the hospital first.

****

Qi Xiaoyu was already awake when he arrived at the hospital.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that it wasn’t the restaurant, and when he inclined his head again, he saw Gu Meiling discussing something with someone while the others were surrounding him.

When Lu Tongtong saw him waking up, she pushed him back into the chair.

Xue Qingchu explained the situation and asked Qi Xiaoyu to wait patiently, saying that Sister Meiling was trying to make contact.

But it’s not convenient to see a doctor abroad. New patients need to make an appointment to see if they have insurance and what kind of insurance they have. If there’s no insurance or it doesn’t match, the doctor won’t necessarily see them.

Gu Meiling has been at it for half a day and said they would have to wait a little longer.

Qi Xiaoyu looked at the time and saw that it was already past four in the afternoon. He did some calculations and realized that if everyone stayed with him in the hospital, the night shooting would not be able to proceed as scheduled.

But if he just said he was going to leave, the others probably wouldn’t agree, so he tried to appear spirited and gave a compromise suggestion: “Sister Meiling, I don’t need to see a doctor. Can you help me buy some cold and fever-reducing medicine?”

After he finished speaking, the others were still hesitating. Zheng Peizu glanced at Qi Xiaoyu and walked over to pull the person up, then he said to Gu Meiling, “Just do as Xiaoyu said, buy the medicine, and go back to the restaurant.”

After saying that, he took the initiative to help Qi Xiaoyu and walked to the car.

Zheng Peizu used to think that Qi Xiaoyu was smart and reliable among the younger generation, but now he appreciates Qi Xiaoyu even more.

In the situation just now, if he insisted that he wanted to see a doctor, it would delay the recording of the program. If he tried to show himself off and insisted on not seeing a doctor, it would make everyone worried and make it difficult to decide what to do. Perhaps after the broadcast, the audience would even accuse the cast for being too indifferent. Instead, what he did was take the initiative to give a compromise suggestion, taking every aspect into consideration without revealing any traces.

Zheng Peizu has been in the industry for the longest time and has met all kinds of people. He knows how rare it is to be good at dealing with others while also taking them into consideration. This sense of propriety and hidden kindness are rare among the masses, not just younger people.

****

After taking medicine to reduce fever and treat colds, although Qi Xiaoyu’s condition did not improve significantly, it didn’t get worse, and he looked better, so he pushed through the filming for the next few days successfully.

In a blink of an eye, New Year’s Eve arrived, and they were ready to return to their country.

Qi Xiaoyu’s destination is S City.

Others either return to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year or, like Xue Qingchu, rush to other cities to participate in Spring Festival programs.

After more than ten hours of flight, the plane landed at S City Airport at six o’clock in the afternoon.

The thin sunlight shines on the huge glass of the airport, covering the glass with layers of orange film, making the empty ground look even colder.

As soon as he got off the plane, Li Kun quickly found the down jacket from the suitcase and put it on Qi Xiaoyu.

Qi Xiaoyu had already sneezed four or five times in a row. The long-distance flight was very tiring, and the cold that was suppressed before seems to be on the rise again.

Li Kun looked at Qi Xiaoyu’s slimmed-down figure with a worried look on his face and said, “You’ve been holding off your cold for too long; otherwise, you should go to the hospital tonight.”

Qi Xiaoyu pulled the zipper of the down jacket to his chin and put on the mask again. “No, let’s go back today. You have been out with me for so long this time, so go spend the new year with your family. They must have missed you a lot. Go home quickly.”

Li Kun really wanted to go home. His family had already called him several times to ask him if he would come back for the New Year and what time he would arrive at the airport.

But he was still worried about Qi Xiaoyu. He dragged his luggage and walked beside Qi Xiaoyu while saying, “If it’s still not good after two days, remember to see a doctor yourself. Don’t delay until after the new year because there will be more work arrangements. I’m afraid you won’t be able to bear it. By the way, Xiaoyu… Is there anyone in your family to accompany you to the hospital? If there’s no one… call me, and I’ll pick you up. I have nothing else to do during the spring festival other than go to my grandma’s house…”

Li Kun remembered that Yu Xiaosheng said that Qi Xiaoyu’s mother died early, and his father didn’t care about him when he started a new family. He didn’t know where Qi Xiaoyu would go during the New Year.

But before he could ask more questions, the scene outside the airport attracted all his attention.

From the distance where he and Qi Xiaoyu stood, one could see groups of fans holding Qi Xiaoyu’s banners and posters standing outside the railing for his arrival.

At a glance, the rows and rows of people were like small mountains.

When Qi Xiaoyu left City S, no one was there to see him off. Of course, this was because his itinerary was kept secret, so no one knew he was taking off that day.

When he came back this time, there was unexpectedly a huge queue to pick him up.

Although Li Kun saw on the Internet that Qi Xiaoyu’s Weibo followers were increasing, it was one thing to see it online and another thing to actually experience Qi Xiaoyu’s current popularity in person.

Li Kun was a little shocked, a little proud, and a little nervous. He hurriedly asked, “You’re not feeling well, and there’s only two of us, so it wouldn’t be good if there was chaos. Otherwise, it’s better to use the VIP channel; I’ll go and contact the people at the airport.”

Qi Xiaoyu stopped him. “It’s their first time picking me up at the airport, and the queue is neatly arranged. It wouldn’t be good if I just avoided them.”

Li Kun looked outside and saw that the fans were indeed very orderly, so he reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I’ll go in front, and you follow me.”

The fans who came to pick him up were of all ages.

It can be seen that after the broadcast of “Eat Light on the Road,” the number of Qi Xiaoyu’s mother fans increased rapidly. Among the people who came to pick him up at the airport, there were many fans in their thirties and forties.

They lined up neatly in several rows along the exit, holding Qi Xiaoyu’s support posters and waving to him enthusiastically.

Knowing that Qi Xiaoyu had returned from a long journey, everyone was neither noisy nor fussy, and even their voices were gentle. They all wished Qi Xiaoyu a happy New Year and asked Qi Xiaoyu to go home early for the New Year, pay attention to his health, and have a good rest.

Others noticed that Qi Xiaoyu had a cold and asked him to take care of himself.

Qi Xiaoyu also took off his mask and patiently greeted everyone, stopping at intervals to let Li Kun help him take photos with fans.

After spending more than ten minutes saying goodbye to everyone, Qi Xiaoyu went to the parking garage to pick up the car he had parked here before and drove back to Xun’s house.

****

The distance from the airport to Xun’s home is nearly 70 kilometers, which takes more than two hours.

It started to rain lightly during the journey, and coupled with the lingering fog in the winter night, it wasn’t easy to drive.

While Qi Xiaoyu was waiting at the red light, he quickly took out a bottle of Fengyoujing and applied a large amount to his temples to get rid of the feeling of dizziness and nausea.

Although he wasn’t feeling very well and the weather wasn’t very good, he was in a good mood.

When he thought of going home, even though it was Xun Qian’s house, I immediately felt a sense of stability and peace.

After staying in a foreign country for almost half a month and being sick at a later stage, now when he thinks of the bed in the bedroom, the small orange lamp beside the bed, the noisy and clingy White-browed Hero, and those familiar people, his heart… is filled with warmth.

He just wants to hurry back home, have a meal, take a hot bath, and then roll around on the bed with the little black dog in his arms. The next day, he will be full of energy to welcome the arrival of the new year.

Finally, before nine o’clock, the Xun family villa appeared in sight.

After scanning the Lexus license plate, the huge, carved iron door opened automatically.

Qi Xiaoyu made a neat and smooth turn, and the car slid along the driveway to the villa.

He didn’t even want to drive the car into the garage, and he got out of the car somewhat impatiently. He also forgot his mask, so when he got out of the car, he was hit by the cold wind and sneezed several more times.

He took a few steps up the stairs with his luggage, pushed open the door of the villa, and peeked inside. The dog is sometimes kept on the first floor, and it might rush out to greet him at any time.

He waited for a while, but the villa was quiet, as if there was no one here.

Qi Xiaoyu sneezed, and a strange feeling arose in his heart as he walked through the hall towards the inside.

The person who came out was not the White-browed Hero, but Mama Li.

When she saw Qi Xiaoyu, she immediately shouted, “Oh, Mr. Qi, why are you back today? Why didn’t you tell us? Luckily, I’m not going back to my hometown this year; otherwise, you wouldn’t even have dinner when you’re back. Quickly, give me the luggage.”

Qi Xiaoyu waited for a long time and finally waited until Mama Li finished speaking before he interrupted, “I told Uncle Cheng that I would come back today.”

Mama Li’s eyes widened, and she asked in surprise, “Then why didn’t Butler Cheng tell us?”

“He didn’t say anything?” Qi Xiaoyu frowned slightly, then realized why he felt so strange just now: “Where’s Uncle Cheng?”

Mama Li was startled for a moment and felt something was wrong. “Butler Cheng is out, and so is the Third Master…”

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. “Xiao Hei was also taken away.”