The Male Stand-in Just Wants to Make Money – Chapter 11

The neighbor’s question didn’t sound like a question.

Chen Bai stretched out his hand, showing a small gap between his fingers, and said, “It got a little wet.”

The neighbor didn’t comment on the “little” gap he indicated and simply asked, “Besides your throat, do you feel unwell anywhere else?”

Chen Bai gestured again and said, “A little dizzy, a little hot.”

“…”

Under his neighbor’s scrutinizing gaze, he widened the distance between his fingers and changed his words: “Maybe it’s because I feel quite dizzy and hot.”

Xu Sinian’s only remark was that he was quite skilled at using modifiers.

The person in front of him had red-rimmed eyes and was radiating heat like a steaming kettle—he didn’t look just “a little hot” at all.

Xu Sinian asked, “Where are your family or friends? Are any of them nearby?”

The steaming man wasn’t entirely sure why he was asking, but he still answered honestly: “No.”

He had no family. He had only been in this world for a short time and didn’t have any friends living nearby either.

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

After leaving home, Chen Bai arrived on time at the set.

Having worked for many years, he had experience dealing with colds. He knew his limits—there were only two scenes to shoot, and he could manage to push through.

The assistant director was still overseeing these two scenes, but the director came over to check on his condition.

Some people could barely walk straight, yet still managed to deliver their lines fluently with a hoarse voice. As the surrounding staff listened to him speak, they unconsciously reached up to rub their own throats, feeling as if their own voices were becoming dry.

Seeing an actor perform despite being sick, the others were more focused than usual, making sure not to cause any unnecessary retakes. The first scene passed in one take, and while the set was being rearranged, the actors rested on the spot.

During the break, the makeup artist approached to touch up Qianqian’s makeup and remarked, “You should go to the hospital in this condition.”

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

The makeup artist felt the heat radiating from his skin, frowned, and asked, “Are you going alone?”

There wasn’t a hospital nearby, and the closest one required a car to get to. Looking at him now, she doubted he could make it there safely by himself.

“No,” Chen Bai replied with a smile. “Someone’s going with me.”

The makeup artist glanced at him and asked, “Your friend?”

“Mm,” Chen Bai smiled, his peach blossom eyes curving. “A very easy-going person.”

The second scene also passed in one take. The moment he was done, the person who “should be heading to the hospital” immediately picked up his phone, sent a message, said his goodbyes, and left.

Although this was just a minor incident among colleagues, the makeup artist still felt uneasy. She followed him to the entrance of the set.

The person who had been walking unsteadily earlier had claimed he had someone to accompany him, and sure enough, he did.

When the door opened, the makeup artist saw a figure standing not far away in the heavy rain.

Tall, with long legs, dressed in a black coat, his face was obscured in the dim light and blurred by the rain. His presence was colder than the rain itself.

Just from intuition, it was clear that this man was difficult to approach.

She asked the man beside her, “This is the ‘very easy-going’ friend you mentioned?”

Chen Bai also spotted the figure. He nodded enthusiastically and turned around to wave at the makeup artist. “I’m off now!”

Saying goodbye, he trotted away with his umbrella.

Some people ran a fever and couldn’t even get out of bed. Others, like him, could still run around in the rain.

The makeup artist, feeling slightly unsettled, watched him go off-track for a moment before he corrected his direction.

That so-called “easy-going” friend seemed to say something to him, and the two of them left together.

Just before disappearing from sight, the man who had been walking unsteadily turned back and waved with a smile.

The studio door closed again.

Chen Bai got into his good neighbor’s car.

After fastening his seatbelt, he slumped into the seat, instantly collapsing into a heap. Even in his weakened state, he didn’t forget to express his gratitude to his good neighbor for taking him to the hospital on his precious day off.

His good neighbor, after getting into the driver’s seat, removed his hat and advised him to talk less.

But for some people, being around someone yet being unable to chat was as painful as watching their bank balance drop.

So, Chen Bai attempted to start a conversation in a whisper.

While waiting at a red light, he received a thermos from his neighbor.

He took a sip of the hot water to soothe his throat, then settled into a halftime break.

Before his break ended, the car had already pulled into the hospital parking lot.

They went through the usual procedures—registering, seeing the doctor, taking his temperature.

38.5°C.

Xu Sinian looked down at the person who had previously gestured that he was only “a little hot.”

The patient ruffled his own hair and could only smile sheepishly.

Because of the fever and excessive sweating, the doctor prescribed some medicine and ordered an IV drip.

Chen Bai obediently followed the doctor’s instructions.

While he went to get the IV, his good neighbor went to collect his medication.

No matter the time, hospitals were always crowded.

Sitting in a chair with an IV in one hand, Chen Bai rested his face on the other, watching the people coming and going around him.

In the past, he would’ve been pushing a mobile IV stand while going to pick up his medicine. Going to the hospital alone could be troublesome at times, but he was used to it and could manage everything by himself.

But today, there was someone else with him.

Suddenly, he had nothing to do.

The extra free time left him at a loss for what to do with himself.

Then, a black silhouette appeared from the corner of his vision.

It was his good neighbor, returning with the medicine in hand.

Chen Bai patted the seat beside him.

Xu Sinian glanced at the IV drip, checked its status, and then sat down next to him.

The IV drip took a long time to finish. His throat was already sore from speaking. Even with the IV running, it barely made a dent in his fever.

So, Chen Bai decided to pull out his secret weapon against boredom—playing Flying Chess with his neighbor.

A four-player game where rolling an even number lets a plane take off. The first to get all four planes to the finish line wins. Players could also send opponents’ planes back to the starting point.

At the start of the first round, the patient confidently declared, “It’s just a small game. It’s not addictive, and it’s a good way to pass the time.”

Halfway through the first game, after his plane was sent back to the starting position by another player, the patient immediately incited the others to step on their opponent’s planes in revenge.

The one who kept sending his plane back was Huang Fang, also known as Xiao Huang. When his good neighbor stepped on Xiao Huang’s plane in retaliation, the patient finally got his revenge and breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, he looked particularly energetic—this little game seemed to be far more effective than the medicine prescribed by the doctor.

It was effective, but only when he could get revenge.

Then, just as his plane was about to reach its destination, it got stepped on again. The patient leaned back weakly, coughed twice, and sighed, “I think my fever just got worse.”

Xu Sinian: “…”

Without a word, Xu Sinian stepped on Xiao Huang’s plane again.

The man who had collapsed into his seat instantly sat up straight and gave him a thumbs-up. “I think I’m feeling better now. Doctor Xu, you’re a miracle worker!”

Doctor Xu let out a soft laugh—so soft that no one else heard it—as they immersed themselves in the game once more.

However, because of the extreme mood swings, the patient wasn’t able to continue playing after the game ended.

Without Flying Chess to play, he could only sit and chat with his good neighbor.

The hospital was crowded and warm. The faint murmur of voices and the sound of footsteps mixed with the pleasant tone of his neighbor’s voice.

The person sitting in the chair half-opened his eyes, watching the people passing by as his vision gradually blurred.

“…”

Noticing that the voice beside him was growing softer and more intermittent, Xu Sinian turned his head and saw the person next to him, eyes closed beneath a mess of hair.

He had fallen asleep.

Xu Sinian glanced at him twice before shifting his gaze to the half-filled IV bottle.

Just as he looked up, he felt a slight weight against his shoulder. A strand of soft hair that didn’t belong to him brushed against his neck, causing a faint tickling sensation.

He raised his hand, intending to straighten the person up, but just as he moved, the closed eyelids twitched slightly.

“…”

Xu Sinian ultimately chose not to take any further action.

The rain that had been falling all day finally stopped in the evening.

When Chen Bai woke up again, the IV needle was gone, and the drip had been removed.

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

Still groggy from sleep, Chen Bai didn’t fully grasp the situation but nodded anyway. He stood up and followed his good neighbor back to the car.

It wasn’t until he fastened his seatbelt that he realized—the entire hospital visit was over.

It all felt a little surreal. He glanced at the small mark on the back of his hand and muttered, “I fell asleep.”

Xu Sinian started the car and cast a brief glance his way.

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

He added, “It’s actually pretty dangerous to sleep while on an IV.”

Falling asleep during an IV drip could be risky—if you overslept, there was a chance of blood backflow. While hospitals had doctors and nurses, they couldn’t always keep an eye on every patient, especially during busy times. Patients had to be mindful of their own situation, particularly those receiving IV drips alone.

Chen Bai valued his life, so he had always been careful.

In the end, it was all thanks to his kind-hearted neighbor. Once again, he sincerely thanked his good neighbor for his generosity and kindness.

The kind neighbor looked at him and simply said, “Go back and rest.”

The patient sitting in the passenger seat nodded earnestly.

But rest wasn’t an option just yet.

Having already taken a day off yesterday, Chen Bai had to stream no matter what.

After bidding farewell to his neighbor at the door, he immediately went inside, turned on his computer, and got to work.

As he powered up his computer, he took the medicine prescribed by the doctor. Once the screen lit up, he put on his headphones, held a water cup in one hand, and opened the streaming software with the other.

There were several new notifications in the system, including private messages and system announcements.

One was an invitation from a fellow streamer named Qingzhou, which he had yet to understand.

The other was a recruitment notice—an official announcement aimed at streamers with a certain number of followers in his category, and he was among those included.

The world championship for the game he played had just ended, and the hype was still strong. The platform had issued this call for participation to capitalize on the trend.

Simply put, this event was a competition between streamers. Participants would form teams of two, and the winning team would receive a cash prize.

The amount listed was followed by a string of zeros.

“…”

After carefully counting each zero, Chen Bai slowly sat up straight and turned his attention back to Qingzhou’s invitation—the one he had only glanced at earlier.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Huang: Is no one going to stand up for me?