"Thank you very much, director," Lu Jinnian's assistant thanked. politely He bid the two of them farewell, took his phone, and dialed Lu Jinnian's number as he turned to leave.
The director apologetically said, "Xiao Qiao, we've probably got you all done up for nothing again."
"Don't worry about it." Qiao Anhao glanced at the assistant, who was already a fair distance away, before she turned back to the director. "So, director... You're busy. If there's nothing else, I'll be off to remove my make-up and go back to the hotel now."
"Okay."
"Bye." Qiao Anhao smiled at the director, then turned around to chase after Lu Jinnian's assistant. She ran ahead and blocked his path.
"Miss Qiao?" Lu Jinnian's assistant stopped walking, put down his phone that never got through, and asked politely, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Lu Jinnian, was he injured?" Qiao Anhao asked straight forwardly.
The assistant thought back to Lu Jinnian's request from yesterday. He paused for a moment, and kept up his polite smile. "Sorry..."
"I know he's injured." Qiao Anhao didn't wait for the assistant to finish but rushed to speak first. The assistant gulped but didn't say a word.
"His back is injured, am I right?" Qiao Anhao chased up.
The assistant twitched his lips before he finally gave a quick nod. After pausing for a while, he asked, "Miss Qiao... he drank a lot at the party yesterday with you all, didn't he?"
When Qiao Anhao heard these words, she subconsciously lowered her eyes. Lu Jinnian did in fact drink a lot during rock, paper, scissors, and because she knew the trick to his play, he lost many rounds to her.
Yesterday, she really didn't know that he was injured... Qiao Anhao bit her lip, and gave the assistant a gentle nod.
"I knew it!" In an instant, the assistant's voice grew anxious. "The wound on his back is so serious, how could he drink alcohol? It's definitely infected by now. The wound must have gotten worse. He's in hiding, just like the last time, during the historical drama filming.
"Because he didn't get a stunt double, when he lost focus during a fight, he twisted the tendon in his left ankle. He didn't tell anyone about his injury that time! I didn't even know either until four days later, when I was in his hotel room. He staggered out from the shower then and just fell to the ground. Then I knew he was injured!"
At this point, the assistant became completely furious. "Four days... Twisted tendon... Pushing himself for four days... His ankle swollen to the size of a bun! When he arrived at the hospital, the doctor said that if he had pushed himself for a bit longer, he would have ended up crippled!
"I really don't understand what's wrong with Mr. Lu. He's like this every time he gets injured or sick. He doesn't say a word to anyone and hides away alone. He doesn't let anyone find him, and he exerts himself without a word. I really don't understand what he's thinking deep down.
"Unless, he doesn't know how to scream in pain? He's incapable of the most basic ability of loving oneself! Say... where do you think he's gone? He hasn't picked up the phone, nor replied to any messages!" The assistant couldn't help but pace irritably on the spot as she muttered non-stop. "I'm so worried, and I'm wondering how is he right now?
"Miss Qiao, what do you say we do?" the assistant, who had stopped walking and turned to look at Qiao Anhao, asked. However, Qiao Anhao had already turned to leave and was quite a distance away by then.
Qiao Anhao removed her make up, asked Zhao Meng for the car keys, and drove off.
The crew were located in the southern part of Beijing and Mount Yi was in the northern part. It took her a total of almost three hours by car to reach Lu Jinnian's mansion on Mount Yi.