Chapter 117: Growing Old Together

On the street, a man nearing fifty was pushing his equally elderly wife, both walking along at a slow, leisurely pace.

A young girl tugged at her boyfriend’s sleeve: "Look, they are so affectionate! I hope we can be like that when we’re old."

The boyfriend, seizing the chance to impress her, pulled her close and kissed her. "We will. We’ll be even more affectionate than they are."

Beside them, the elderly couple—who had silently been fed a mouthful of "dog food"—exchanged a look.

"See? I told you! You have to trust my disguise skills," the man in the wheelchair whispered, though his voice was young and vibrant.

The person pushing him replied with a sigh of frustration: "You’re still showing off? I really don’t know why I agreed to this."

These two were none other than Chu Muyun and Bai Chenxi. Bai Chenxi had wanted to go out for a while because she felt like she was turning moldy in the hospital. Chu Muyun hadn’t wanted to agree, but one look at her watery, pleading eyes had softened his heart, and the two had escaped the hospital together.

Chu Muyun had always felt that Bai Chenxi had chosen the wrong character; she shouldn't have been an old lady, but a child, wanting everything she saw along the way.

"Chu-ge, I want to eat that!"

"No, you don't."

"I do!"

"You don't. It’s not good for your wound. You can't have it."

Bai Chenxi knew it was a lost cause and pouted. Whenever Chu Muyun didn't want her to eat something, no amount of pleading would work.

Passersby cast envious glances at the elderly couple.

"Wow! To be so in love even at that age, I’m so envious!"

"Right? Look at how the old gentleman dotes on the old lady, his eyes never leave her. It’s so heartwarming!"

Bai Chenxi thought to herself: *She’s such a young girl, how is she so blind? Which eye sees him doting on me? Where is the love? He won't even let me eat anything!*

"Madam, please remember your persona; you are an old woman, not a child."

Bai Chenxi shot back, "And you, old man, have you never heard of an 'old child'?"

She cleared her throat and switched back to an elderly tone: "Old man, I want to go over there and take a look."

The place she pointed to was crowded, and Chu Muyun was about to say it wasn't convenient for her, but one "old man" from her lips left him completely disarmed. In the end, he pushed her over anyway. A group of children ran past, leaving a trail of bubbles in their wake. Bai Chenxi reached out to catch them, and Chu Muyun stood by, watching her play.

There is a kind of love where you make a scene, and he smiles. Chu Muyun even found himself wondering: *Will this be us when we are truly old?*

"Chu-ge!"

Chu Muyun snapped out of his thoughts to see a string of bubbles right in front of him. Bai Chenxi had found them somewhere and was playing with them in high spirits.

"What are you thinking about? We finally made it out, why are you just standing there? Come play with me!"

Chu Muyun smiled and shook his head. "You go ahead!"

"Oh!" Suddenly, Bai Chenxi spun around and blew a stream of bubbles right at him.

Chu Muyun looked at her with doting eyes, and Bai Chenxi beamed at him mischievously. The bubbles caught in the sunlight between them, making the moment feel peaceful and beautiful.

When they sneaked back to the hospital, they found Wang Ling sitting there, while Zhang Kai and Xiao Yu stood to the side, looking small and helpless.

"Are you two done playing?"

Bai Chenxi was quick to admit her fault. "Sister Wang, I’m sorry. I won't go out again."

Wang Ling glanced at Zhang Kai, who took the hint. "I’m telling you, Muyun, you’re really something. Chenxi hasn't recovered yet; how could you take her out?"

Before Zhang Kai could even walk over, he added with dramatic flair, "Oh my, look at the time, we really must be going."

Chu Muyun crouched down to look at Bai Chenxi. "I have to head out now. Take good care of yourself and heal well."

Bai Chenxi nodded with a smile. "Okay. You take care of your rest too, and remember to eat."

"I will."

Zhang Kai could barely watch; it was just too sickeningly sweet.

Wang Ling looked at Bai Chenxi, exasperated. "Alright, he’s gone, stop looking. You’ve only been apart for a second and you’re already missing him that much?"

Bai Chenxi said uncomfortably, "Who misses him? I was just spacing out."

Wang Ling looked at Bai Chenxi, whose ears had turned red, and said nothing. It seemed she had truly fallen for him. It was such a headache!

Did she miss him? After a few days apart, Bai Chenxi thought: *I suppose I do.*

When Chu Muyun was there, he would prepare all sorts of delicious food for her and peel apples for her. When he wasn't there, Sister Wang wouldn't let her eat anything but the necessary nutrients. As for apples, she had to peel them herself. When Chu Muyun was there, there was someone to talk to, even if it was mostly her doing the talking. When he wasn't, nine out of ten things Sister Wang said were sharp jabs at her.

Whenever that happened, Bai Chenxi felt she missed him. But after Chu Muyun returned to work, he was so busy he barely had a moment to breathe. Even his WeChat replies were occasional, and whenever they video-called, he always looked exhausted. Gradually, Bai Chenxi stopped trying to bother him.

She was so bored she felt she couldn't go on like this. So, she decided to return to the set to continue filming; after all, her injuries were mostly healed. After much deliberation, the production team agreed, though they emphasized that she must not push herself and had to speak up if she felt any discomfort.

Bai Chenxi secretly wondered why the director’s tone sounded so much like someone else’s. But it didn't matter; as long as she could leave the hospital, it was fine.

When she returned to the set, everyone she met offered a few words of concern. By the time she walked all the way there, her face felt stiff from smiling.

As soon as Lan Tian saw her, he clicked his tongue twice. "Today, I’ve finally witnessed the legendary 'happy weight gain.'"

Lan Tian leaned in close and whispered teasingly, "It seems Chu-ge has been taking good care of you!"

Bai Chenxi asked dejectedly, "Do I look fat?"

It was a textbook trick question. In normal circumstances, Lan Tian would have known exactly how to answer. But currently, he was so obsessed with the gossip between the two that he blurted out, "Yeah! You can tell just by looking that Chu-ge is taking such meticulous care of you."

The look on Bai Chenxi’s face could no longer be described as good or bad. In any case, after seeing it, Lan Tian shuddered and quickly found an excuse to slip away.

*Lan Tian thought: So there really is such a thing as couples growing to look like each other. How did Bai Chenxi become so much like Chu-ge? Equally terrifying.*

When Bai Chenxi went to see the director earlier, Director Tian had frowned the moment he saw her. "Can you still take on the role? How did you get so fat?"

If Bai Chenxi hadn't understood the first half, the second half felt like an arrow piercing her heart. While everyone else grew haggard in the hospital, she had actually gained a layer of weight. It didn't feel like she had been hospitalized; it felt like she had been on vacation.

One person saying it was fine, but when many people said it, a heartbroken Bai Chenxi decided: she had to lose weight.

Thus, the first thing Bai Chenxi did upon returning to the set was start a diet.

[Mini Theater]

When Director Tian heard Bai Chenxi wanted to return, his first reaction was to say he needed to think about it. After hanging up, he called Chu Muyun. Chu Muyun had just managed to lie down for a rest when his phone rang. Seeing it was the director, he forced himself to wake up, worried that something had happened to Chenxi.

"Hello! Director Tian!"

Director Tian explained the situation. "So, I’m calling to see what you think."

Chu Muyun rubbed his temples, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let her go, but if she feels any discomfort, you must pay attention."

Chu Muyun continued to give instructions for a long time. After hanging up, Director Tian let out a long sigh. *If anyone ever says Chu Muyun is a man of few words again, I’m going to lose my temper!*