After Being Scummed – Chapter 77

Teacher Zuo, you’re amazing

The on-site staff reacted quickly, and the security personnel rushed forward to protect Zuo Jingyou. They escorted her out of the crowded crowd and headed to the emergency treatment room. Once there, the on-site medical team immediately had Zuo Jingyou remove her clothes and rinsed the area where the liquid had splashed on her skin.

Fortunately, it wasn’t sulfuric acid but rather a corrosive alkaline liquid. However, despite the layer of clothing, large red patches and blister-like burns were left on Zuo Jingyou’s back.

Upon seeing the marks on Zuo Jingyou’s body, Yin Bai became extremely anxious and tearful. She kept asking the doctor, “Will it scar? Will it scar?”

The doctor could only repeat, “The wound was treated promptly, and applying ointment afterwards should prevent significant scarring…”

Even without significant scarring, wouldn’t it still leave a scar?

Yin Bai felt extremely heartbroken. She held Zuo Jingyou’s shoulder and sobbed, saying, “What should we do? A female celebrity’s skin is crucial… Will Teacher Zuo still be able to wear backless evening gowns in the future? Can she still wear beautiful skirts?”

Zuo Jingyou sat in the emergency treatment room, clutching Yin Bai’s suit jacket, exposing a large area of her back for the female doctor to treat her wounds. She bit her lip, enduring the pain.

Seeing Yin Bai crying incessantly, Zuo Jingyou helplessly reached out and took hold of her hand, trying to comfort her. “Okay, okay, don’t cry. Didn’t the doctor say it’s not too serious?”

Yin Bai widened her eyes, tears hanging precariously on her long eyelashes. “Not too serious? This is fortunate! Do you know what would have happened if someone had splashed sulfuric acid on you?”

Zuo Jingyou lowered her gaze and smiled gently. “Well, fortunately, that didn’t happen…”

Yin Bai’s tears immediately began to fall, and she raised her hand to wipe them away, interrupting Zuo Jingyou’s words. “No, it’s not like that! The nature of this incident is too serious. How many times has the Thorn Flower event been held? Why was the security so lax? How could such a low-level mistake be made?”

“No matter what the person’s motives were or who they harmed, we can’t ignore this security loophole! I trusted them so much!”

“I must hold them accountable for this! And that person, I want them to rot in jail! I’ll handle this matter with my team, and I’ll make sure they pay!”

Yin Bai was furious, wishing she could go out and tear those people apart right now!

Through clenched teeth, she finished cursing at those responsible and then turned to hold Zuo Jingyou’s hand, speaking softly to her. “Don’t worry, the ambulance will be here soon. We’re going to the hospital…”

“Let the team members accept this award on your behalf.”

Zuo Jingyou didn’t insist and nodded in agreement, saying, “Okay.”

Shortly after, Yin Bai made a phone call to her security team. When the ambulance arrived, she led a large group of people to escort Zuo Jingyou onto the ambulance.

With so many media present, even if the organizers wanted to suppress this news, they couldn’t. Before long, photos and videos of Zuo Jingyou being splashed with the chemical liquid while Yin Bai protected her emerged.

When Zuo Jingyou’s fans saw the photos of Yin Bai escorting her to the hospital with a group of people, they exploded in anger.

It was supposed to be the most secure place with top-notch security, so how could such a lawless thug appear? If they had splashed sulfuric acid, it would have been disfiguring!

Yin Bai and Zuo Jingyou’s PR team worked behind the scenes, stirring up the incident of Zuo Jingyou’s injury and highlighting the security loopholes at the event. They emphasized the potential harm to other actors if they had been targeted.

In no time, the fans of all the celebrities attending the Thorn Flower Awards were filled with anger. They called for the organizers of the awards to be condemned and attacked.

Moreover, the fans managed to identify the perpetrator involved in the incident and subjected them to passionate and abusive criticism.

This incident sparked a huge public outcry and became a prominent social news story.

After Yin Bai had accompanied Zuo Jingyou to the hospital for further treatment of her injuries, numerous phone calls started pouring in. First, it was the organizers of the Thorn Flower Awards, representing the entire committee, apologizing to Yin Bai and Zuo Jingyou for the security issues and inquiring if they were available for a meeting.

Yin Bai was infuriated and refused to see anyone.

Next came the police investigation results, stating that the liquid in the man’s bottle was a water-soluble drain cleaner, and Yin Bai was the primary target. Further investigation revealed that the perpetrator was a recently unemployed young man and a fan of Xiao Nian, displaying strong resentment toward the wealthy and holding extreme views.

Upon hearing this explanation, Yin Bai felt like her lungs were about to explode. She resisted the urge to unleash a torrent of curses, swallowed her anger, thanked the police for their efforts, and immediately called her team of lawyers. She launched into a fierce and aggressive tirade, saying, “Make sure to sue him to death!”

If he insulted her as a capitalist, then she would make him experience how true capitalists could act with impunity!

After dealing with everything, Yin Bai finally returned to the hospital room to check on Zuo Jingyou’s condition.

By then, the doctor had already treated Zuo Jingyou’s wounds and instructed her to change into a breathable shirt. Zuo Jingyou lay on the bed, waiting for the medication to alleviate the burning sensation and pain caused by the chemical.

Zuo Jingyou, lying on the bed, made a phone call to her manager, saying, “Hmm, I’m fine. It wasn’t sulfuric acid, just an alkaline liquid…”

“I’m injured, but it’s not as exaggerated as it’s being portrayed online. I’ll post on Weibo myself…”

“Don’t worry, you go and accept the award on my behalf. Who knows, maybe I’ll win Best New Director tonight?”

After comforting her manager, Zuo Jingyou proceeded to respond to inquiries from her friends and family one by one.

Yin Bai sat down by her bedside, leaning on her cane, and watched Zuo Jingyou as she soothingly reassured everyone. Her heart felt a pang, her eyes welled up, she sniffed, and tears threatened to fall again.

It was all her fault… If it weren’t for her, Zuo Jingyou wouldn’t have suffered this senseless calamity.

Zuo Jingyou was lying on the bed, talking on the phone. As she turned her head, she noticed Yin Bai sitting next to her, her eyes red, as if on the verge of tears. She quickly comforted the person on the other end of the line with a few words, hung up in a hurry, and then climbed up from the bed. She knelt in front of Yin Bai, raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and helplessly coaxed, “Why are you crying again? Are you the Little Mermaid? Why so many tears today?”

Yin Bai sniffled, her voice choked, “It’s all my fault… If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Zuo Jingyou couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. She reached out and embraced Yin Bai, patting her head gently as she coaxed, “Alright, alright, I’m fine, aren’t I? It just… hurts a little.”

Yin Bai, afraid of touching the wound on Zuo Jingyou’s back, hesitated to hug her from behind. Instead, she tightly clutched onto the fabric of Zuo Jingyou’s side, her voice filled with deep concern. “Just a little pain? You were in tears from the pain!”

When Zuo Jingyou was drenched earlier, Yin Bai saw the tears in her eyes! It must have been so agonizing. Only someone as strong as Zuo Jingyou would cry in such circumstances.

The more Yin Bai thought about it, the more her heart ached. She wished she could tear that despicable person apart.

Zuo Jingyou gently rubbed Yin Bai’s silky black hair and helplessly said, “I’ve told you before, I’m really sensitive to pain. Even a little discomfort is unbearable for me. Besides, this injury isn’t as serious as you think. I’ve had much worse injuries while filming, and they were much more painful.”

“Don’t blame yourself anymore. I only got injured on my back, but if it had been you, it would have been your face.”

Zuo Jingyou released her grip on Yin Bai and pinching her fair and tender cheeks, smiling with raised eyebrows, “You know, I particularly love this face of yours! How could I bear the risk of disfiguring it?”

Yin Bai looked up, her tear-filled eyes gazing at Zuo Jingyou, her nose turning red as she said, “Then let me be disfigured. I’m not afraid of pain. Even if I get hurt, I won’t cry.”

After all, she was someone who had been reborn in the midst of a blazing fire. She could endure pain better than Zuo Jingyou.

Zuo Jingyou couldn’t help but find it both amusing and exasperating. She pinched Yin Bai’s nose and said with a smile, “Why are you saying such silly things? Even if you’re not in pain, I would still feel heartbroken!”

“Alright…” Yin Bai buried her head, nuzzling against Zuo Jingyou’s shoulder. She looked up and said, “I’ve handled everything. You should rest for a while.”

Zuo Jingyou embraced Yin Bai’s neck with both hands, nodding with a smile. “Okay, then come up here and keep me company.”

Yin Bai took off her shoes and socks and climbed onto the bed. Zuo Jingyou leaned over, resting on her legs and holding her waist, closing her eyes.

Yin Bai lowered her head and looked at the gentle posture of Zuo Jingyou resting on her legs. Unable to resist, she reached out and unbuttoned the collar of Zuo Jingyou’s shirt, revealing a red mark on the back of her neck. She said with great sadness, “I don’t know when everything will be better… You’ll have to endure the pain for so many days. It’s unbearable to even think about.”

Zuo Jingyou turned her face slightly, using Yin Bai’s slender thigh as a pillow. She said, “It will get better… Whether it takes one day, two days, ten days, or half a month, wounds always heal in the end.”

Visible scars, invisible scars… They always make one’s heart ache.

Yin Bai’s nose started to feel stuffy, and her tears immediately fell. With a quivering voice, she called out, “Zuo Jingyou…”

“Hmm?”

Yin Bai said, her voice broken, “Stop making me cry all the time.”

Zuo Jingyou sighed and reached up to wipe away Yin Bai’s tears haphazardly. Helplessly, she said, “Who made you the Little Mermaid? You cry at everything.”

The two of them embraced quietly on the bed, both feeling a sense of joy for surviving a disaster. After a while, Zuo Jingyou’s phone rang, and Yin Bai answered the call for her.

After putting it on speakerphone, the excited voice of her manager, Kong Tianyi, instantly filled the room: “Jingyou! Ahhh! Jingyou! You’ve won an award! You’ve won!”

Yin Bai’s eyes lit up, looking at Zuo Jingyou with delight. Zuo Jingyou’s face also broke into a smile, and she raised her eyebrows as she said, “Don’t rush, don’t get too excited. First, tell us what award it is.”

“Best New Director! Best New Director!”

“Ah, Jingyou, you’ve won the director’s award! Your career transition is a success!”

Zuo Jingyou curled her lips and said, “Yes, yes, I got it. Help me take care of the trophy.”

After Zuo Jingyou finished speaking, she hung up the phone. Yin Bai lowered her gaze, her eyes shining as she looked at Zuo Jingyou. “Teacher Zuo, you’re so calm. You’re not even excited!”

Zuo Jingyou held the phone and smiled, saying, “Among this year’s new directors, I think I’m quite strong… Winning an award is actually quite normal.”

So… so confident! So amazing!

Yin Bai blinked and gave Zuo Jingyou a thumbs-up. “Teacher Zuo, you’re amazing! To celebrate your award, when you’re discharged from the hospital, I’ll take you out to have fun!”

Alright, they happily made the decision to take a vacation and bring Zuo Jingyou out to have fun!

Zuo Jingyou nodded and looked at Yin Bai with a smile. “Sure, let’s go swimming this year.”

After speaking, Zuo Jingyou bit her lip and said somewhat regretfully, “But I still feel a bit disappointed. Winning my first director’s award in my life, yet not having the opportunity to go on stage and receive it…”

Yin Bai lowered her gaze and looked at her, saying earnestly, “You will definitely win again, the Best Director Award! When that time comes, I’ll go and present the award to you!”

Zuo Jingyou smiled and looked at Yin Bai with a playful expression. “Sure, will you present the award to me while sitting in a wheelchair? I’ll be looking forward to it…”