"Yes, it's your husband!" The young nurse looked at Julia with suspicion. Although they had been strictly warned not to tell Julia anything about Royce, mentioning "your husband" was still permissible.
As long as they didn't reveal that her husband was the world-renowned gaming genius Royce, it was fine.
"My husband came?"
"Yes! He stayed by your bedside for three days and nights. You have no idea, you had a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The highest human body temperature is 104 degrees. If you had been brought in any later, your brain might have been damaged. You should have seen how worried he was."
"He was really worried?" Julia put down her spoon.
"He was frantic! He even scolded the doctors and stayed by your side without leaving. He fed you medicine and even held you while you slept at night. I'm so envious," the young nurse said, her eyes filled with admiration.
Julia lowered her head, trying to recall. She vaguely remembered opening her eyes and seeing someone by her bedside.
Unfortunately, at that time, everything was blurry, and she couldn't see clearly.
"Oh, and there's something really funny. During these past few days, you had your period and kept complaining about stomach pain. You scared your husband so much that he immediately called the doctor, insisting that something was wrong with you. The doctor told him it was just menstrual cramps, and he even asked if there was any way to help you," the nurse said, covering her mouth as she laughed.
Julia blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"It hurts..."
"Where does it hurt...?"
"My stomach hurts..."
She vaguely remembered this conversation and also recalled that he seemed to have held her while she slept that night.
"Am I bothering you? You should drink the porridge; you'll need the energy," the young nurse said thoughtfully. She opened a drawer and handed over a phone. "Here's your phone."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. If you need anything, just call me. I'm in charge of this room," the nurse said before wheeling her cart out.
Julia drank the porridge and picked up her phone, finding an unread message on WeChat.
"I'm coming home tonight." It was from her husband.
That made sense. He must have come home, found her with a fever, and brought her to the hospital.
So, it had nothing to do with that Zoey. And yet, Zoey had the nerve to ask for a bonus!
Julia thought for a moment and sent her husband a message, "Thank you."
She expected him to take a while to respond, but just as she was about to put her phone down, a reply came through.
"Feeling better?"
"Much better."
"If you want anything to eat, let the maid know. If you feel unwell, call the nurse."
Julia felt a warm sensation in her heart.
"Got it. I'll be back on set in a couple of days."
"Got it."
After some hesitation, Julia sent another message, "Can we meet?"
After sending the message, it took a long time to receive a reply: "Not yet."
Julia didn't push further. If he said it wasn't the right time, it meant there would be a time when they would meet.
She held her phone close to her chest, feeling for the first time that her husband wasn't as cold-hearted as she thought. For the first time, she felt like she actually had a husband.
Two days later, Julia had mostly recovered. After repeatedly insisting, the doctor finally allowed her to be discharged from the hospital.
On the day of her discharge, Julia changed into her own clothes and was about to leave when the nurse who had been taking care of her walked in with a mini medical kit.
"Here, here, this is for colds, this is for fever, this is for diarrhea, this is for headaches, and this is for bruises and swelling..."
The nurse listed each medication in the kit and meticulously explained how to use them to Julia.
"I know you probably won't remember all this, so it's all written down on this paper," the nurse said, waving the paper before putting it back in the kit.
"Is this really necessary?" Julia thought it was a bit much.
"Your husband insisted. These are all imported and quite expensive, but don't worry, he already paid for them. Also, your husband is a VIP at our hospital. If you need any help, just call the VIP hotline. The number is on that paper too."
Julia took the mini medical kit. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Your husband bought these. Why thank me?"
Julia smiled and left with the kit.
***
Swan City Film Base
Back at the film set, Julia immediately reported in and apologized profusely for the delay caused by her absence. To her surprise, no one blamed her. Instead, they treated her with a bit more respect, which left Julia quite puzzled.
On the first day of filming, Julia felt something was off. She hadn't seen Assistant Director Nick anywhere.
Assistant Director Nick was known for his loud and boisterous personality. Even when they weren't filming, he would chat with the actors, making his presence impossible to ignore.
But Julia couldn't see him anywhere and had no idea what was going on.
Sitting in a corner, Julia was memorizing her lines.
Behind her, two young actors were having a conversation.
"Did you hear? Assistant Director Nick got beaten up?"
"What? He got beaten up?" The other actor was clearly shocked.
"Yeah, I heard he got it pretty bad. Broke two ribs! The crew said he went out drinking after work and got jumped by a group. When they took him to the hospital, his face was covered in blood. No idea if he'll be scarred."
"That's awful! No wonder he quit!"
"Yeah, he resigned and didn't even take a penny of his pay!"
"Wow..."
"And I heard the attackers were pretty ruthless. They asked him if he was Assistant Director Nick, and when he said yes, they just started beating him up. Rumor has it that someone powerful is backing Julia. They found out she was being bullied, so they went after Nick."
"What? Julia has that much influence?"
"Guess you can't judge a book by its cover. We should be careful from now on."
Listening to their conversation, Julia also found it strange. Assistant Director Nick got beaten up and quit?
Could it be her husband...?
But Rachel quickly dismissed that thought. Although she didn't know much about her husband's financial situation, the fact that he had her living in Prism City suggested he had some money, but not a lot. Beating someone up like that didn't seem like something he would do. Maybe it was just a coincidence?
Later that night, after wrapping up work, Vivian and her assistant Jacqueline were discussing the incident.
"Jacqueline, don't you think it's a bit too coincidental that Julia was bullied by Assistant Director Nick, and then right after that, Nick got beaten up so badly he quit without even asking for compensation?"
"It does seem a bit too coincidental," Jacqueline replied thoughtfully.
"Royce just acquired Star Sovereign International, and then Star Sovereign International signed Julia, even giving her such an expensive welcome gift. Julia gets bullied by Assistant Director Nick, and then Nick ends up in the hospital and resigns. There's something going on here..."