CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 73: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

While he was lost in thought, Xu Qingqiu raised her head. Her eyes brimming with tears, she looked at him pitifully and asked, "Chu Tian, do you have a mirror? Can I take a look at my wound?"

"Of course not!" Chu Tian refused without a second thought.

What a joke! How could she look at it when her wound is wrapped up so tightly? Open it up to check? He wasn’t a doctor. Sure, he could open it, but the problem was he didn’t know how to rebandage it. Besides, what if it got infected after he opened it?

"Why not?"

"If I open it, I can’t rebandage it. Plus, who knows how many germs are in this hospital room? What if it gets infected after I open it?"

"But it really hurts, and I want to see how bad it is. Please, Chu Tian~"

Xu Qingqiu was a star, and a very beautiful one at that. As someone from the same industry, Chu Tian certainly understood the impact appearance had on a celebrity. Without exceptional talent, a single scar could ruin someone’s career. But he couldn’t agree just like that. Eventually, after much pleading and persuading from Xu Qingqiu, he had no choice but to call the nurse over.

"Nurse, can we unwrap it for a look? She just wants to see the wound and find out if it will leave a scar."

The nurse looked at Xu Qingqiu’s worried face. Knowing that as a star, Xu Qingqiu definitely needed to know the outcome, she sighed helplessly and said, "Taking a look is no problem. It’s also a good time for me to observe the wound. You mentioned you’re in a lot of pain—it could be the local anesthetic wearing off, or it could be an infection. I’ll take your temperature first, then help you unwrap it for a look."

While speaking, the nurse took out a thermometer for Xu Qingqiu to hold under her arm. Then, as she began to unwrap the bandage on Xu Qingqiu’s leg, she said, "When Doctor Li was stitching you up earlier, he had already taken your situation into consideration, Miss Xu. He deliberately used cosmetic sutures to minimize scarring. This can ensure the scar is relatively small and not too noticeable, but it’s impossible to have no scar at all.

"Besides, the recovery process will be critical. It’s best if there’s no infection. If it gets infected, it will be more painful and more likely to leave a scar. We’ll have to see."

As she spoke, she finished unwrapping the bandage.

Chu Tian craned his neck, curious to look. Since Xu Qingqiu had been brought in, he had been busy running around with paperwork. By the time he returned, she was already bandaged up in the hospital room. He actually hadn’t seen what the treated wound looked like.

Xu Qingqiu, on the other hand, was tightly gripping Chu Tian’s arm, her body tensed as if this could give her a sense of security.

"AH!..."

When the wound was revealed, Xu Qingqiu took just one glance and was startled. She quickly covered her mouth with her left hand to avoid making any noise, but a visible look of shock appeared in her eyes.

It wasn’t just her; even Chu Tian gasped at the sight.

At the accident scene, because of the adrenaline rush and the freshness of the wound, he hadn’t been too affected by its appearance. But now, he saw the entire lower leg dyed yellow with iodine. A ghastly wound was embedded straight on the outer side of her calf. Despite the use of cosmetic stitches, a wound was still a wound, and the difference from normal skin was stark.

There wasn’t just a pale trace but also dried bloodstains. Most crucially, the skin on either side of the wound showed signs of redness and swelling. This clearly indicated inflammation, which they could see without the nurse needing to point it out.

"I didn’t expect it to actually be inflamed. Wait a moment, I’ll get the doctor to take a look at this."

The nurse hurriedly went out and soon returned with an older doctor.

He glanced at the wound, said it wasn’t a big deal, then asked the nurse to disinfect it before re-bandaging it with 0.5% iodophor gauze. After checking the thermometer, he noted no obvious signs of fever, so he didn’t prescribe antibiotics.

Chu Tian and Xu Qingqiu, who had witnessed the whole process, thought inflammation was a big deal and didn’t expect it to be dismissed so lightly.

"Is it all better now?" Xu Qingqiu asked.

"Yes, this is fine," the doctor replied. "This is quite normal. The wound had already been cleaned and treated when she was brought in, and the bandaging to stop the bleeding was very timely, so it wasn’t a major problem to begin with. Theoretically, it shouldn’t have become inflamed. It’s likely just a minor infection after the stitching, which is normal and easily treated. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s better to avoid antibiotics, as it’s better for the body."

"Then, Doctor, how long will it take to recover? Will it delay my performance?"

At this time, Xu Qingqiu was still concerned about her performance. After all, her career had just started to look up when this mishap occurred. Frankly, anyone in her shoes would have been just as unhappy. This was especially true since Sister Hua had gone to great lengths to secure her a spot on The Sound of Nature. They had already missed recording one session today, and now the future was uncertain.

If she couldn’t perform soon, the consequences would be severe. She would lose her spot on the show at the very least, and future opportunities could suffer a significant setback. Even her recently gained popularity might completely dissipate. In this era of rapid consumption, disappearing for half a month wasn’t a big deal. However, without the show’s momentum, relying only on a few songs meant it would no longer be a matter of just half a month; it might be difficult for her to appear on screen again for half a year or even a year.

Not being seen obviously meant no popularity. Even more worryingly, if Sister Hua couldn’t come to an agreement with the show’s producers, it was quite possible that her past songs could be taken down as well. At that point, if the show claimed she dropped out due to injury, they would face no issues, but Xu Qingqiu herself would be stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Well... healing will take at least half a month," the doctor said. "As for performing, you’ll have to wait at least a week. Plus, you can’t put any weight on your left leg, or the stitches might burst. It would be best to use crutches or a wheelchair."

"..."

After the doctor left, Xu Qingqiu was sullen and quiet, her thoughts unclear. Chu Tian didn’t know what to say either. After all, this was her problem, and he was just a junior assistant; it wasn’t his place to comment, nor was it necessary.

Besides, he didn’t have any good solutions for this kind of situation. Should he stand up, make a magical gesture, and declare the wound instantly healed? Or suggest the show halt recording until she recovered? What nonsense. He couldn’t do either of those things.

Just then, Zhou Yiyi rushed in.

"Sister Qiu?! You’re awake? That’s fantastic!" As soon as Yiyi entered, she saw Xu Qingqiu sitting up on the bed, eyes open and lost in thought. Yiyi then shouted happily, nearly sending the items she was carrying flying.

"Oh, Sister Qiu, you scared me to death..." Yiyi sniffled, tears welling up.

"Alright, alright, why are you crying? This is a hospital; keep your voice down," Xu Qingqiu said gently.

"Sorry, I was just so happy. You’re alright, aren’t you?"

Watching Yiyi hover cautiously by the bedside, looking like she wanted to hug her but didn’t dare, Xu Qingqiu reached out, cradled Yiyi’s head, gently stroked her hair, and said soothingly, "I’m fine, see? I’m doing very well. I’m sorry for worrying you all."

"I was so scared," Yiyi sobbed. "If it hadn’t been for Chu Tian, I wouldn’t have known what to do. Sister Qiu, do you know? When I saw you lying there, my whole body went limp. I didn’t have any strength, and my mind went blank. Am I useless?"

"It’s alright now, isn’t it? Who says you’re useless?" Xu Qingqiu said, trying to distract her. "I think I smell something delicious. Did you make me something good to eat? I’m starving!"

"Oh! Right!" Yiyi exclaimed. "The nutritious meal I made for you! I carefully selected the ingredients and worked really hard to prepare it!"