Protective Talisman

As Fang Zhou and Han Xi boarded the plane to return to China, two visitors arrived at the hospital where Fang Wenjing was staying.

One of them was a woman fully covered up, wearing sunglasses, a hat, a mask, and a sun-protective jacket, completely concealing her identity. It wasn’t until she pulled down her mask, revealing her beautiful face, that it became clear she was Qiao Sisi.

The other visitor was Chu Xinran, who had lingered at the entrance for a long time before being brought in by Aunt Wei.

The two women met in the hospital room, exchanged a glance, and nodded at each other.

Chu Xinran had been hesitant because her compatibility results had come back.

She wasn’t a suitable kidney donor for Fang Wenjing, but she still wanted to help. However, due to her limited ability, she had to seek help from her mother.

Today, she came to Fang Wenjing’s hospital room partly to check on her condition and partly to see how Fang Zhou was doing.

He hadn’t been responding to messages or answering calls in the past few days.

Chu Xinran was worried that Fang Zhou might do something extreme, so she came to check on him.

But to her surprise, Fang Zhou was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s your brother?”

Before Chu Xinran could ask, Qiao Sisi beat her to it.

She had finally managed to take some time off from the film set to visit Fang Wenjing and Fang Zhou, but unexpectedly, he wasn’t there.

Lying in the hospital bed, Fang Wenjing looked much better than she had a few days ago. Her lips had regained some color, though her face was still pale, indicating her fragile condition.

She smiled at the two women, like a pure white jasmine flower.

“My brother went abroad. He should be back soon.”

Both Chu Xinran and Qiao Sisi were taken aback, finding it hard to believe.

Is this for real? Going abroad at a time like this?

His sister is still lying in the hospital, so why would Fang Zhou go abroad?

Before coming to the hospital room, Qiao Sisi had already asked the doctor about Fang Wenjing’s condition. After learning that there was no suitable kidney donor for her at the moment, she immediately posted on Weibo, asking her fans to help spread the word and gather more people to join the donor registry.

Even though she knew this might be a long shot, what if it worked?

After all, Qiao Sisi was a public figure with some social influence. Who knows, maybe a stroke of luck would come their way?

In any case, the larger the pool, the better the chances.

“What did he go for? Did he tell you?”

“Well, my brother said he had something to take care of in Southeast Asia, but he didn’t tell me the details.”

Fang Wenjing answered truthfully.

Southeast Asia? For some reason, Chu Xinran’s first instinct was that this wasn’t good.

Because if he were seeking medical treatment, he should have taken Fang Wenjing, the patient, with him, not gone alone.

Unless there were things he didn’t want others, even Fang Wenjing, to know about.

In that instant, a multitude of thoughts raced through Chu Xinran’s mind, all stemming from the dark rules she had encountered during her time at the company.

Could he have gone to…

A wave of panic suddenly surged in Chu Xinran’s heart. She couldn’t help but take out her phone and scroll through her recent chat history with Fang Zhou.

No matter what she said, he had only replied with short, curt messages.

The last one was, “I’m busy, let’s talk later.”

So he really was busy.

While Chu Xinran was lost in her thoughts, Qiao Sisi had already taken a seat.

As she pulled out the gifts she had bought for Fang Wenjing from her bag, she said, “Since he’s out, we’ll ask him when he gets back.”

“Here, this is for you.”

Fang Wenjing took the box from her and opened it to find a yellow talisman paper inside, with the word “Peace” written on it.

“Is this a protective talisman?”

Fang Wenjing picked up the triangular talisman, which already had a red string attached, ready to be worn.

She felt a strange sensation in her heart.

She had never believed in such superstitions before. Her only memory of these things was her grandmother’s constant nagging when she was a child. The older generation was very devoted to these beliefs.

As she pondered, Qiao Sisi picked up the talisman, smiling as she said, “I got this from Lingyin Temple, and I even had a master bless it.”

“Here, let me put it on for you.”

Fang Wenjing blinked. If her grandmother were still alive, she would probably have gone to get a similar protective talisman for her.

But now, aside from her brother, there was no one who would worry about her safety, let alone go to a temple to get a talisman for her.

The feeling of being cared for and missed was truly intoxicating.

She softly replied, “Okay,” and obediently lowered her head, allowing Qiao Sisi to help her put the talisman around her neck.

“Thank you, Sister Sisi.”

After putting it on, Fang Wenjing suddenly felt a sense of security.

It was different from the safety brought by doctors or police; it was a spiritual, intangible sense of security. Specifically, it felt like a sense of “being protected.”

Or maybe it was just psychological comfort, Fang Wenjing thought with a smile as she thanked Qiao Sisi.

Although she didn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, she had heard of Qiao Sisi’s name.

She had been quite surprised when she found out that Qiao Sisi was her brother’s first love.

And today, her visit was even more unexpected.

The girl’s sincere gratitude made Qiao Sisi smile warmly.

She reached out and gently patted Fang Wenjing’s head, saying softly, “You’ll get better.”

To be honest, Qiao Sisi actually liked Fang Zhou’s sister quite a bit. She seemed so well-behaved, quiet, and cute.

But fate always seemed to target those who had already suffered, breaking the rope at its weakest point.

She hoped her fans would help out by actively sharing the post and assisting in the search for a kidney donor.

Chu Xinran watched the interaction between the two and smiled as well.

After all, she could coexist peacefully with Fang Zhou’s ex-girlfriends.

At least at a time like this, they all shared the same understanding: not to add to Fang Zhou’s troubles.