The Movie Queen Confesses to Me on Weibo Everyday - Chapter 18

The two-hour car ride felt like an eternity for Lu Qiyue, who was on pins and needles the entire time. The moment the car stopped, she rushed straight to the County People’s Hospital.

Just as she stepped out of the taxi, Lu Qiyue heard someone calling her name.

“Big sis, over here!” Lu Qiyue’s younger brother, Lu Qihua, waved vigorously at her, his face lit up with a bright smile.

When they were kids, the siblings had been close. But ever since Lu Qiyue started working, she rarely came home—sometimes not even for the New Year. As a result, she hadn’t seen her brother in a long time.

Lu Qiyue managed a faint smile in return, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. The moment her brother jogged up to her, she immediately asked, “Xiao Ye, how’s Dad?”

“Dad’s out of the emergency room, but… he’s still not past the critical stage. He’s in the ICU now.” Lu Qihua lowered his head, his expression heavy with sorrow.

He had grown up spoiled by their parents, accustomed to a carefree life, always believing they would be his unshakable support. But their father’s sudden collapse had left him utterly lost.

He had never imagined that his strong, dependable father could one day lie in a hospital bed, fighting for his life.

When the doctor had handed him the critical condition notice to sign, his hands had trembled uncontrollably. He had desperately looked to his mother for reassurance, but she had been crying nonstop. It took him eleven attempts before he finally managed to sign his name.

After signing, Lu Qihua heard his mother muttering complaints about his sister under her breath. It was as if he had found an anchor again—he immediately urged her to call Lu Qiyue.

Lu Qihua thought to himself, once big sis comes back, all these terrifying things won’t be my burden anymore. So when he saw Lu Qiyue, his happiness was genuine.

Happier than he had ever been.

Lu Qiyue’s eyes stung as she listened.

“Let’s go see Dad first,” she said quietly.

“Yeah,” Lu Qihua agreed, walking ahead but constantly glancing back at her, as if afraid she would vanish the moment he looked away.

When they reached the ICU, their mother was sitting on a bench outside, her eyes fixed on their father through the glass window.

“Mom, I’m back,” Lu Qiyue said as she approached.

At the sound of her daughter’s voice, Lu Qiyue’s mother looked up. Her red-rimmed eyes welled with fresh tears, and the moment she spoke, it was nothing but blame.

“This is all your fault! If it weren’t for the mess you caused, would your father have ended up in the hospital?”

“Homosexuality—since when is that normal? How did I give birth to such a twisted daughter?”

Lu Qiyue lowered her head, biting her lip hard.

Her attraction to women had always been a source of shame in her parents’ eyes.

Passersby, hearing Lu Qiyue’s mother’s words, cast curious or disdainful glances her way. Under their scrutiny, Lu Qiyue hunched her shoulders even further, as if trying to disappear.

At that moment, she felt completely exposed, as if stripped bare for everyone to judge.

Finally, Lu Qihua couldn’t take it anymore and cut their mother off.

“I’ll go talk to Dad’s attending doctor first,” Lu Qiyue said quickly, seizing the chance to escape.

Only after Lu Qiyue had disappeared down the hallway did Lu Qihua turn to his mother with a frown.

“Mom, sis finally came back. Why bring all that up? Are you trying to drive her away?”

“But your father collapsed because of your sister…” Mrs. Lu didn’t want to sound so harsh, but thinking about how her daughter’s situation had triggered her husband’s collapse, she couldn’t suppress her anger.

“I know, but we still need sister to cover Dad’s hospital expenses,” Lu Qiye’s voice grew increasingly quiet.

If his sister refused to come back, they’d have to sell his newly purchased apartment to pay for their father’s medical bills—the very apartment he’d planned to use for his upcoming marriage.

Mrs. Lu immediately fell silent at this.

Their daughter still didn’t know they’d used the family’s entire savings to buy their son’s property.

Emerging from the chief physician’s office, Lu Qiyue looked even more distressed than before.

The doctor had just informed her that her father had been hospitalized due to sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Worse still, the hemorrhage had caused vascular malformations in his brain, requiring immediate surgery—a high-risk procedure that could potentially leave him disabled, paralyzed, aphasic, or even cost him his life.

Sitting on the bench outside the doctor’s office, Lu Qiyue felt utterly lost.

She’d never faced such a situation before, nor did she know how to break the news about the surgery to her mother and younger brother.

At this moment, Lu Qiyue suddenly missed Ruan Xingchen intensely.

If she were here, she’d surely help her make this difficult decision.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, her phone rang—the caller ID showed Ruan Xingchen’s name.

Answering the call, Lu Qiyue nearly burst into tears the moment she heard Ruan Xingchen’s voice.

“Yueyue, how… how is uncle doing?”

“He needs surgery,” Lu Qiyue choked out, “but it’s risky. I’m afraid…”

Hearing the tremor in Lu Qiyue’s voice, Ruan Xingchen felt her own heart constrict with pain.

“Don’t be afraid, Yueyue. I’ve contacted a doctor friend who should arrive at the hospital soon. She’s highly skilled—uncle will be fine,” Ruan Xingchen’s voice was extraordinarily gentle, trying to soothe all of Lu Qiyue’s fears through the phone. “After I discuss arrangements with Sister Zhang, I’ll come stay with you.”

“No, you shouldn’t come,” Lu Qiyue immediately refused.

If her own mother treated her biological daughter with such hostility, she couldn’t subject Ruan Xingchen to that kind of treatment.

Ruan Xingchen’s expression darkened, immediately sensing that Lu Qiyue must have suffered some grievance.

The only people who could make Lu Qiyue feel this way were undoubtedly her parents.

With Mr. Lu hospitalized, that left… Mrs. Lu.

Remembering the hurtful words Mrs. Lu had said during their meeting six years ago when she and Lu Qiyue first got together, Ruan Xingchen felt a suffocating pressure in her chest.

After taking a deep breath, she continued, “Yueyue, I’ll send you the doctor’s contact. Her name is Yin Bailu—just call her Sister Yin. Please reach out to her first.”

“Okay,” Lu Qiyue replied obediently when Ruan Xingchen didn’t mention coming again, then hung up.

The moment the call ended, Ruan Xingchen immediately dialed Zhang Ye.

“Sister Zhang, please postpone all my work for the next week starting tomorrow,” Ruan Xingchen said.

“Why? Does this have to do with your special someone?” Zhang Ye instantly detected something amiss.

Ruan Xingchen: “Mm.”

“Yueyue’s father is in the hospital.”

“I’m worried Yueyue might be treated unfairly, so…”

Zhang Ye immediately understood, “You want to play the role of her guardian angel.”

“But we can’t postpone your endorsement contract with the Xie Corporation.” Zhang Ye said with difficulty.

Ever since Ruan Xingchen came out publicly on Weibo, job offers had dwindled significantly, with even fewer being high-quality ones. The Xie Corporation endorsement was extremely important for Ruan Xingchen—it would determine whether she could maintain leverage in her contract renewal negotiations with the company. While other commitments could be pushed back, this one was non-negotiable in Zhang Ye’s opinion.

Ruan Xingchen understood the gravity of the situation.

With a sigh, she conceded, “Then postpone everything except the Xie Corporation deal.”

…

At the County People’s Hospital, after hanging up Ruan Xingchen’s call, Lu Qiyue obediently dialed the number of the “Sister Yin” Ruan had mentioned.

Learning that Yin Bailu was already nearing the hospital entrance, Lu Qiyue stood up to go meet her.

But just as she reached the ICU doors, Lu Qiyue was stopped by her mother.

“Um… the nurse just brought the payment slip. Go take care of it.” Mrs. Lu shoved a bill into Lu Qiyue’s hands, avoiding eye contact by looking elsewhere.

Not scrutinizing her mother’s behavior, Lu Qiyue simply assumed she didn’t know how hospital payments worked and turned to Lu Qiyue. “Xiao Ye, could you handle this? I need to go downstairs—”

“Sis, you should do it.” Lu Qiyue interrupted before she could finish. “Mom and I… we don’t have the money.”

The words “don’t have money” burned with shame as they left his mouth, but it was the truth—short of selling their house, what else could they do?

“No money? How is that possible?” Lu Qiyue froze, instinctively looking at her mother.

Both parents were frugal people with pensions, her brother had his own job, and she sent money home monthly—how could they be broke?

Mrs. Lu couldn’t meet her daughter’s gaze, forcing Lu Qiyue to turn back to her brother.

“Xiao Ye, explain.” When angry, Lu Qiyue still carried enough authority to intimidate him.

Reluctantly, Lu Qiyue confessed, “The money… went toward buying my apartment.”

“Sis, just go pay Dad’s medical fees first. What if the hospital kicks him out?” Eager to divert her questioning, Lu Qiyue hurried her along.

Left with no choice, Lu Qiyue went to make the payment. Upon returning, she was summoned into the doctor’s office.

Inside, she saw an elegant woman whose every movement exuded charm engaged in a serious discussion with the attending physician she’d met earlier.

The conversation halted at Lu Qiyue’s footsteps, and the woman turned.

“Miss Lu?” the woman inquired.

“Are you Dr. Yin Bailu?” Recognizing her name, Lu Qiyue immediately identified her as the doctor Ruan Xingchen had mentioned.

Yin Bailu smiled slightly, studying the young woman at the door.

So this was the person who had occupied Xingchen’s thoughts all these years?

“Miss Lu, I’ve reviewed your father’s condition with Dr. Lin. While challenging, I’ve performed similar surgeries before in my career, so you needn’t worry excessively.”

“Really?” Lu Qiyue’s face lit up with relief.

Yin Bailu gave a confirming nod.

Dr. Lin beside them nodded in agreement and said, “Miss Lu, if you had mentioned earlier that you knew Dr. Yin, I wouldn’t have said all that nonsense. With Dr. Yin here, your father’s surgery has a very high success rate.”

“Miss Lu, would you mind having a private chat?” In response to Dr. Lin’s praise, Yin Bailu simply smiled faintly before addressing Lu Qiyue directly.

Noticing Lu Qiyue visibly tense up, Yin Bailu added, “It’s not about your father’s condition—it’s regarding Xingchen.”