CH 88.3

She desperately racked her mind for a solution, and an idea soon surfaced. She quickly interjected, “Have your pain subsided?”

A placebo worked by tricking the patient into thinking that the ineffective drugs he had been consuming were real medicine. The goal was to convince the patient’s mind and body that his condition was improving. 

Li Xiaoxing’s pain had lightened when he mistook Ji Xinxin for Ji Fanyin, but when he realized that it was all a lie… 

Li Xiaoxing’s muscles suddenly clenched up as the piercing pain in his legs returned with a vengeance. It was so excruciating that he had bit down hard on his lower lip, unable to continue the conversation.

That gave Ji Xinxin an opportunity to shake off his hand and run out to get Secretary Fan.

Secretary Fan had been standing guard outside all this while. He glanced at his watch in confusion, remarking, “You were in there for a long time. I thought the plan worked.”

“He recognized me.” Indignance showed on Ji Xinxin’s face. “Your plan idoesn’t work.”

Secretary Fan let out a sigh. “Maybe your acting was not convincing enough.”

Ji Xinxin stared at Secretary Fan in disbelief as the latter walked past her into the room. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. 

… My acting was not convincing enough?!

Is he insinuating I am inferior to Ji Fanyin both as a person and an actress?

Ji Xinxin swiveled on her heels to look into the room. The sight of Li Xiaoxing struggling to sit up in bed due to sheer pain sparked a tinge of twisted joy in her.

There were so many men she could have picked to be her husband, but she chose Li Xiaoxing of them all. But instead of treasuring her, Li Xiaoxing kept demeaning her again and again. 

This was his retribution. 

Secretary Fan tried various ways to contact Ji Fanyin for help, but it was futile. As a last resort, he had no choice but to call a doctor to inject Li Xiaoxing with a tranquilizer. Slowly, Li Xiaoxing slipped into a deep sleep with a frown still persisting on his face.

“This is not a long-term solution,” the doctor said with a sigh. “Mr. Li’s body will not be able to withstand the continued usage of tranquilizers or the searing phantom pain in his legs. I’d advise Mr. Li to put aside his work for the time being and receive specialized care at the hospital.”

It took some time for the information to sink in before Secretary Fan answered, “That is not a decision I can make.”

The doctor knew about Li Xiaoxing’s identity and circumstances, so he didn’t refute Secretary Fan. He shook his head and asked, “How about getting a psychiatrist?” 

“… Mr. Li said that’s not required. He knows what he needs.”

Secretary Fan walked the doctor to the door and bade the latter farewell. On his way back, he passed by the living room and saw Ji Xinxin sitting on the sofa in a daze. 

If one were to ask whether Secretary Fan felt sympathetic to Ji Xinxin or not, the answer was ‘No’. On the contrary, he even considered buying the book, The Cultivation of an Actor, for her.

(This is a foundation book viewed to be a necessary read for all budding actors in China.)

He had seen the rehearsals Li Xiaoxing had with Ji Fanyin before. The latter’s acting was exquisite. She played out not just Ji Xinxin’s actions and dialogues but her disposition too, creating a resemblance so uncanny that it was nigh impossible to tell them apart.

… It’s no wonder why she could confidently charge such a high rate.