Chapter 68 – Can you eat enough

Tang Tang was so scared by the man’s words that she even forgot what she wanted to say. “There is…… poison?”

“No poison.” Zhou Jinchen repeated with a straight face.

“……”

There was a moment of eerie silence around.

Looking at Tang Tang who was in a circle, An Xumo reached out to take the lunchbox from her arms. When he wanted to take the second one, Tang Tang subconsciously tightened her fingers and didn’t let An Xumo take away the lunchbox Zhou Jinchen brought.

Her body was a beat faster than her brain. Only when An Xumo who let go of his hand, showed a puzzled expression did Tang Tang react.

She hurriedly explained, “No, Xiao Mo can’t eat this now.”

An Xumo was just about to speak when he heard Zhou Jinchen ask, “Why?”

This is a separate dinner prepared when ordering. It tastes good with low calories, less oil, and less flavor. It’s packed in a small insulated box which enjoys special treatment. However, this specially prepared dinner was not appreciated. Tang Tang directly said, “Xiao Mo has gastritis. Recently, he can only eat porridge or egg custard, and others are difficult to digest.”

An Xumo held the lunchbox with egg custard in his hand and felt his brother’s line of sight without looking up.

The man’s voice was still magnetic with a faint low voice, “This happened after the last fever?”

An Xumo hesitated and nodded.

Tang Tang looked around and saw that no one noticed their side before continuing to explain, “The doctor said that there is no quick treatment for chronic gastritis, he can only slowly recuperate. Xiao Mo is taking medicine now and he can gradually resume a normal diet in another week, but not now.”

She handed the lunch box back to Zhou Jinchen. “Thank you for your care Brother Zhou, you better take this dinner back first ba.”

An Xumo also said thank you but his eyes were still glued to the lunch box in Tang Tang’s hand and failed to successfully retrieve it.

Zhou Jinchen glanced at the eager boy and asked Tang Tang, “Can’t touch it at all?”

Tang Tang apologized, “It’s probably not possible now.”

Zhou Jinchen raised his hand and took back the lunchbox. He looked at the insulated box An Xumo was holding which was so small that one hand could cover most of it, and then said to Tang Tang, “What did the doctor say he could eat now? Send me the recipe.”

Tang Tang blanked for a moment but when she thought of the fact that Zhou Jinchen was An Xumo’s brother, she quickly reacted and nodded. “Okay.”

Since the diagnosis of gastritis, An Xumo’s meals were taken care of by Tang Tang. She discussed it with Sister Liu and canceled An Xumo’s boxed meals and brought them back from the outside three times a day.

An Xumo felt a little sorry and was evaded by Tang Tang with “If you post more Weibo, I’ll send you a year’s worth of meals”. An Xumo knew that Tang Tang really cared about him so even after drinking rice porridge and egg custard for more than a week, he didn’t complain about anything but just silently endured the hunger that followed him.

However, after Zhou Jinchen took the list of food prescribed by the doctor from Tang Tang’s hand, the latter’s takeaway business was taken away.

Zhou Jinchen paid a month’s money in advance at a long-established porridge shop two or three kilometers away from the Film and Television City and asked them to deliver the customized stomach-nourishing meals on time, for three times a day.

This porridge shop is known for its medicinal food. The ingredients are really not mentioned, but the price is also very good. In addition, the insulated porridge bowls sent every time are exquisite and exceptional; the shape of the bowl also matches the color of the porridge ingredients. Their intentions can be seen just from the object.

Not to mention, these porridge aren’t cooked in a big pot but in accordance with the information provided by Zhou Jinchen, a specially designed personal recipe for An Xumo who has chronic gastritis. Three meals a day were delivered for seven days in a row, without repeating for a whole week.

From the time the first meal was delivered, An Xumo felt a little sorry. He didn’t want to trouble his brother and he doesn’t want to let himself fall deeper into the past. But after he plucked up the courage to explain to Zhou Jinchen, the man did not agree to his proposal, only saying that he should get well quickly.

The actors in the cast are basically eating together. An Xumo originally ate with them, it’s a bit too deliberate if he avoids them now. But in this way, within two days, everyone around knew that he had a stomach problem and had to drink porridge.

Some actors were attracted by the aroma of the porridge and came to ask the shop selling the porridge and its price. An Xumo didn’t know anything when asked^[1]lit. to reply “don’t know” whatever the question (idiom); fig. absolutely no idea of what’s going on; complete ignorance. so the next time the staff of the porridge shop came to deliver the food, someone was curious and asked the employee a few more questions.

The result was predictable.

An Xumo was not the only one who was surprised by the price of the porridge. Soon, the story of Zhou Jinchen specially ordering meals for the sick An Xumo almost spread throughout the crew.

The brand of the porridge shop cannot be faked and there is a never shortage of porridge delivered three meals a day. This is really obvious to all and it’s more impactful than the kissing scene where only long-term staffs were present at that time.

Although there is still no sense of directly mentioning this matter in front of Zhou Jinchen, the crew’s eyes are clearly different from the two people. When An Xumo helped to get the props, he also heard Ma Zechi ask Zhou Jinchen if he was serious. Zhou Jinchen who always disliked emotional rumors did not deny it, and he seemed to consent to it.

But Lin Rui who was standing beside the two first saw An Xumo passing by and greeted him with a smile.

An Xumo pretended to run away calmly but his heart became more and more clear about what the film emperor Lin had said before.

This kind of thing can fool others but not those who really like Zhou Jinchen.

Within a few days, almost everyone in the crew was aware of Zhou Jinchen’s special treatment towards An Xumo. If the object had not been Zhou Jinchen, I’m afraid everyone would have already made a fuss. However, most people dare not to joke with Zhou Jinchen but not with An Xumo who is easy to get along with. In less than a week, many people in the cast and crew from top to bottom were teasing An Xumo in public and in private.

Everyone has a gossipy heart and curiosity about this kind of thing that is difficult to be suppressed. Coupled with the fact that these two obviously don’t have any cheating and messy dog blood drama, they are in a sweet normal love. Everyone thinks that as long as they don’t expose it to the media, looking at Zhou Jinchen’s current attitude, it doesn’t matter if they openly talk about it.

The majority of the crew has a good impression of An Xumo, when they talk about gossip, they will not mix too much malice. There are even people who have mentioned a few things to An Xumo, saying that they were envious of Zhou Jinchen.

In most people’s eyes, the act of remembering to send porridge when you’re sick is more loving than sending roses on holidays.

An Xumo knows the truth but he could only hide it with a smile.

The more people around him take this as truth, the more smoothly Zhou Jinchen’s plans will be. Although An Xumo did not dare to pick up the candy from his brother, he would never refuse to help his brother.

An Xumo understood the reason why his brother chose him to act is that they have a brotherly relationship in which his brother thinks he will not like him. The fake act will not come true and it also avoids the trouble caused to his brother who loathes the feelings of others.

If he wants to continue to help Zhou Jinchen, he must hide his feelings.

An Xumo had already thought about this matter as early as when he had a high fever so he dutifully played the role of a lucky man who was admired in everyone’s eyes. Even if he was teased kindly over and over again, An Xumo never revealed anything.

But there is only one thing that An Xumo has no control over.

—— The porridge which was carefully prepared, privately ordered, and delivered on time, made him find it harder to swallow every time.

As time went by, many people met the staff of the porridge shop that came over to deliver. They looked at An Xumo with curious and ambiguous eyes, reminding An Xumo all the time of the real reason why the porridge was delivered.

An Xumo is not really stupid. Zhou Jinchen had long ago identified those fake things, how can he not understand that these porridges are such good props.

Sleeping in the same room, explaining the script, real kissing scene, plus one more, attentive after getting sick.

Who would not find them sweet after listening to it?

An Xumo understands all of this so he must continue to cooperate. The off-cam acting is no less stressful than the pressure on-cam, and there is no chance for NG to start over. As long as there is an outsider present, An Xumo must be acting.

He learned to ignore other people’s eyes a long time ago but now he is forced not to miss each and every gaze that are thrown at him.

As time went on, An Xumo even began to miss the porridge that Tang Tang brought to him at the start.

After the one-week time limit was up, An Xumo began to take new stomach medication according to the doctor’s instructions. He was finally able to end his days of eating porridge and slowly began to return to a light, normal diet.

An Xumo easily finished the last bowl of porridge delivered by the porridge shop and waited eagerly to eat the crew’s lunch box again. Even if Tang Tang stared at him and carefully picked out the meat slices, he was no longer surrounded by people saying those roundabout or straightforward compliments and envy.

It’s just that after the crew finished work, Tang Tang didn’t let An Xumo who finished filming, receive the lunch box. She said that the crew’s meal still has a heavy taste which is not quite suitable for An Xumo who was in the recovery stage.

“Xia Mo, you haven’t reached the stage where you can eat casually so be careful for a while more.”

An Xumo was a little confused, “Didn’t you say I’m not drinking porridge?”

“Not drinking, not drinking.” Tang Tang hurriedly said, “I can’t even stand it anymore.”

Even if it’s done in different ways, drinking porridge for more than two weeks in a row is hard to accept, Xiao Mo has been able to persist enough. Seeing An Xumo get increasingly harder for him to swallow as he drank porridge, Tang Tang also felt unbearable.

She did not know that An Xumo was having a hard time drinking it, not just because of the porridge itself.

Tang Tang said, “There is a new recipe today which had been arranged in advance. You do not need to worry.”

An Xumo breathed a sigh of relief, he thought Tang Tang brought him another meal. He was still wondering that the other party seemed to have been present and did not leave; perhaps Xiao Zhang had gone to help get it?

While he was thinking about it, he heard Tang Tang smash her palm with her fist.

“Come!”

An Xumo followed her line of sight and look over, he froze directly in place.

The one who came over with the lunch box was no longer the already familiar porridge shop employee but it wasn’t the Xiao Zhang he had imagined either. The man’s height of nearly one point nine meters and excellent proportions make him the focus of attention no matter where he goes. Zhou Jinchen walked towards their side and brought the eyes of other people in the crew who were ready to eat.

“Brother Zhou asked for the recipe in advance and the doctor suggested that you can eat this……”

Tang Tang’s voice became farther and farther away in his ears. An Xumo looked at the lunch box in Zhou Jinchen’s hand. After several days he was on guard and let him not be the same as before, directly ignoring the eyes cast around him.

Those curious, envious, and ambiguous lines of sight.

Zhou Jinchen who was holding the lunch box was about to open his mouth when he saw the boy in front of him swayed. He was about to reach out to help him but he saw the boy suddenly turn his back and stride towards the wall two meters away.

“Xiao Mo……?”

Tang Tang who doesn’t know the reason why, called out but she did not get a response from the boy.

The people who noticed this were not few and they all witnessed An Xumo’s sudden change on his face and left. The scene immediately quieted down. However, before Zhou Jinchen who had not been able to help him take back his hand, An Xumo who walked a few steps on the wall, suddenly bent down, leaning against the side of the wall, and retched violently.

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The author has something to say:

Chronic gastritis can cause nausea and retching. In severe cases, vomiting on an empty stomach and gastric juice will come out…

If there are no accidents, the brother’s illness will be revealed in two chapters!