The Stand-in Side Character Only Wants to Make Money – CH11

Chapter 11 – The Call for Action

His neighbor’s question didn’t sound like a real question.

Chen Bai held up his fingers to show a tiny gap and said, “Just a little bit.”

His neighbor didn’t comment on the tiny gap Chen Bai indicated, instead asking, “Besides your throat, do you feel unwell anywhere else?”

Chen Bai gestured again, saying, “A little dizzy, a little feverish.”

“…”

Meeting his neighbor’s gaze, the tiny gap between his fingers widened, and he corrected himself, “Maybe pretty dizzy and pretty feverish.”

Xu Sinian’s only thought was that Chen Bai was quite good at downplaying things.

The person in front of him had reddened eyes and was radiating heat, looking nothing like someone who was “just a little feverish.”

He asked, “What about your family or friends? Are any of them nearby?”

The feverish person, though unsure why he was asking, still answered, saying no.

No family, and in the little time he’d been in this world, no friends nearby either.

Then he saw his neighbor lower his head and say something to him.

——

After leaving home, Chen Bai went to the set on time.

Having worked for years, he’d experienced colds before and knew his limits. He only had two scenes to shoot, and he could manage that.

The assistant director was still in charge of his scenes, but the director made a special trip to check on his condition.

Some people might stumble while walking, but Chen Bai delivered his lines perfectly. His voice was hoarse, and those around him, just hearing it, subconsciously rubbed their own throats, feeling as if theirs were drying out too.

With an actor pushing through under these conditions, everyone else was extra focused, avoiding any mistakes. The first take was perfect. While the set was being reset, the actors rested in place.

During the break, the makeup artist came over to lightly touch up Chen Bai’s makeup and said, “You should really go to the hospital in this condition.”

Chen Bai nodded, “I’ll go after the next scene.”

The makeup artist, feeling the heat radiating from him, furrowed her brows and asked, “Are you going alone?”

There wasn’t a hospital nearby, and the closest one required a drive. Chen Bai didn’t seem like someone who could make it there in one piece.

“No,” Chen Bai smiled. “Someone’s coming with me.”

The makeup artist gave him a look, “A friend?”

“Yeah,” Chen Bai’s peach blossom eyes curved as he smiled, “A really easygoing person.”

The second scene was also completed in one take. Right after, Chen Bai grabbed his phone, sent a message, and said his goodbyes. Out of concern, the makeup artist, who didn’t have much to do at the moment, decided to escort him to the entrance of the set.

The person who had been stumbling earlier did indeed have someone waiting for him. As the door opened, the makeup artist saw a figure standing not far away through the heavy rain.

Tall, long-legged, wearing a black coat, their face obscured by the darkness and rain, they exuded an aura colder than the weather.

Just by instinct, it was easy to tell that this person wasn’t someone you could approach easily.

The makeup artist asked, “Is that your ‘really easygoing’ friend?”

Chen Bai saw the person too and nodded vigorously. Turning to the makeup artist, he waved and said, “I’m off then.”

He said goodbye and jogged off with his umbrella.

Some people burn with fever and can barely move, while others, like him, can still jump around and move freely in the rain.

—Or maybe not so freely, as the makeup artist watched him run off course and then correct himself.

It seemed his very easygoing friend said something, and the two of them left together.

Just before leaving, the stumbling person turned back and waved again with a smile.

The set door closed behind him once more.

Chen Bai got into his good neighbor’s car.

After buckling his seatbelt, he slumped back into the seat, immediately collapsing into a heap. Even in his slumped state, he didn’t forget to express his gratitude to his good neighbor for using his precious day off to take him to the hospital.

His good neighbor, after getting into the driver’s seat and taking off his hat, suggested he talk less.

But for some people, having company but not chatting is as painful as watching their bank balance dwindle.

Chen Bai, now whispering, still insisted on chatting. When they stopped at a red light, his neighbor handed him a thermos.

He took a sip of the warm water to soothe his throat, entering a brief pause in the conversation.

Before he could fully enjoy his break, they had already arrived at the hospital parking lot.

Inside, they registered, saw the doctor, and took his temperature: 38.5°C.

Xu Sinian looked down at the person who had earlier claimed it was only “a little” hot.

The patient ran a hand through his hair and could only smile.

He’d sweated profusely from the fever, and the doctor prescribed him medication and told him to get an IV drip.

Chen Bai obediently followed the doctor’s orders.

While he got the IV, his good neighbor picked up the prescribed medication.

Hospitals are always busy, no matter the time of day.

Sitting in a chair, with one hand receiving the IV, Chen Bai rested his head on his other hand, watching the constant flow of people around him.

Normally, at times like this, he’d be pushing a mobile IV stand on his way to pick up medication. Being at the hospital alone was a bit inconvenient for certain things, but he was used to it, and could manage everything on his own.

But now that he had someone with him, it felt like he didn’t have to do anything. Suddenly, with nothing to do, he found himself unsure of what to do.

A black figure appeared around the corner.

It was his good neighbor who had returned, holding the medication in his hand.

Chen Bai patted the seat beside him.

Xu Sinian glanced at the IV drip and sat down next to him.

IV treatments take a long time, and after chatting for so long that his throat started to burn, with the IV bottle barely half empty, Chen Bai decided to bring out the ultimate time-killer: playing a simple game of Ludo with his neighbor.

The game involved four players in the room. If you rolled an even number on the dice, your plane took off. The first to get all four planes to the finish line would win, and players could send each other’s planes back to the starting point.

When they started the first game, the patient remarked, “It’s just a simple game, nothing too serious, just to pass the time.”

Halfway through the first game, after one of his planes was sent back home, the same patient was furiously encouraging his partner to send someone else’s plane back in revenge.

It was the yellow team, Little Yellow, who kept sending the patient’s plane home. Xu Sinian knocked Little Yellow out, and the patient finally got his revenge, exhaling in relief.

He seemed to perk up, looking more energetic. The simple game appeared to be more effective than the medication.

But its effect only lasted when he got his revenge. When his plane, which was about to reach the finish line, was sent back again, the patient leaned back, weakly coughing twice, and said, “I think my fever’s getting worse.”

Xu Sinian: “…”

Xu Sinian knocked out Little Yellow again.

The person who had slumped back suddenly sat up again, giving him a thumbs-up, “I think I’m feeling better again—Dr. Xu, you’ve got magic hands!”

Dr. Xu chuckled softly, but the patient, now fully engrossed in this “simple game,” didn’t notice.

Due to the emotional ups and downs, the patient couldn’t continue playing the beloved Ludo game after that round.

Unable to play anymore, Chen Bai could only chat with his good neighbor.

The hospital was crowded, warm, with the faint sound of voices and footsteps around them, and the pleasant sound of his neighbor’s voice in his ear.

Sitting there with half-closed eyes, Chen Bai watched the figures passing by, his vision gradually blurring.

“…”

Noticing that the sounds beside him were getting softer and more fragmented, Xu Sinian turned his head to see that the person next to him, beneath their tousled hair, had already closed their eyes.

He had fallen asleep.

After glancing at him for a moment, Xu Sinian looked up at the IV bottle, now more than halfway empty.

As he was lifting his gaze, he felt a light but noticeable weight on his shoulder, and soft strands of hair brushed against his neck, causing a slight tickle.

He lifted his hand, intending to straighten the person up, but as soon as he moved, the eyelids of the sleeping person twitched.

“…”

In the end, Xu Sinian didn’t move.

The rain that had lasted all day finally stopped as evening approached.

When Chen Bai woke up, the needle in his hand was already removed, and the IV bottle was gone.

His good neighbor stood up and said, “We can go home now.”

Still a bit groggy from sleep, Chen Bai nodded in confusion, stood up, and followed his neighbor back to the car.

It wasn’t until he had buckled his seatbelt that he realized his hospital visit was over.

It felt a bit unreal. He glanced at the tiny mark on the back of his hand and said, “I actually fell asleep.”

Xu Sinian started the car, giving him a sidelong glance.

Chen Bai continued, “I’ve never fallen asleep during an IV before.”

He added, “It’s actually quite dangerous to fall asleep while getting an IV alone.”

Sleeping during an IV is indeed risky. Oversleeping could lead to the blood flowing back into the tube. While hospitals have doctors and nurses, they are often too busy to monitor the situation closely, so patients, especially those getting IVs alone, need to be vigilant. Chen Bai was quite cautious about his health.

He concluded that it was thanks to his kind neighbor, once again expressing his gratitude for the good deed.

His good neighbor glanced at him and said, “Get some rest when you get home.”

The patient in the passenger seat nodded sincerely.

But getting rest wasn’t really an option.

He had already taken one day off, and Chen Bai, determined to get back to work, said goodbye to his neighbor at the door before rushing to his room to turn on his computer.

As the computer booted up, he took the medicine prescribed by the doctor. Once the screen lit up, he put on his headphones, holding a cup of water in one hand while opening his livestreaming software with the other.

Aside from a bunch of private messages, there were new system notifications.

One was from a streamer named “Qingzhou,” who had sent him an invitation he didn’t quite understand, and the other was a recruitment notice for streamers. It was specifically for streamers with a certain following in his section, and he was included.

The game he played had just wrapped up its world championship, and the platform was taking advantage of the hype by releasing this recruitment notice to ride the wave.

The recruitment, in short, was a competition between streamers. Teams of two could freely form, with a knockout format. The final winning streamer team would receive a cash prize.

After seeing the long string of zeros following the prize amount, Chen Bai slowly sat up straight, his eyes returning to the invitation he had glanced at earlier.

—

Author’s note:

Little Yellow: “No one’s going to stand up for me?”