Chapter Two
She lost consciousness.
After uttering his name, her eyes as wide as saucers in surprise, Dylan Wang (or Wang He Di as he is known in his home country) watched those same eyes flicker out as Yue's body went limp against his arms just seconds after.
"Signorina!", someone screamed as he immediately carried her back towards the hotel lobby.
More noise surrounded them as more people gathered around them and to also check the situation outside where a car had crashed not too far away from the hotel.
"Sta Bene?"
"Is the signorina alright?"
"What happened?"
"I stirred her out of the way before the car could hit her but she must have fainted from shock. Where is your doctor?", he quickly asked the concierge nearest to him.
"I will take you to the clinic, Sir. This way please."
The crowd cleared and the man before him led him to a hallway to the left.
After a short walk, the concierge opened the door to where a doctor hurried to them and directed him to place Yue in a bed.
Dylan immediately informed the doctor of what happened.
"Are you her boyfriend?"
He just nodded. He knows that if he declares himself as just her friend, they might not inform him of any critical information.
He's played a Doctor before. He knows the protocol.
"It might have been indeed the shock."
The Doctor, then, worked on getting her vital signs as Dylan checked on his phone for the number of Yue's manager.
He had no idea she would be in Rome too.
If he had, he would most assuredly make plans to meet up with her even for a very quick snack. Their schedules are often packed to the brim that despite being friends, it takes months for them to even hang out.
Although, knowing this woman, if she had not informed anyone of her whereabout, it most assuredly is because it is for work and she won't have time to even meet up with anyone.
"Her blood pressure is lower than I expected. Would you know if she has taken anything for breakfast?", the Doctor asked him.
"I am sorry. I was out this morning and we were just meeting up. I don't know if she has eaten."
"Ahhhh. It seems the signorina lost consciousness due to low blood pressure, not just the shock. I will suggest that she rest here until she gains consciousness", he then turned towards the concierge and gave instructions as to the preparation of a meal that Yue can take.
He voiced his thanks and informed the others that he needed to make a call before stepping out of the clinic.
It took three rings before her manager answered.
"Didi! Hello!"
"Hi! I'm with Yue right now", he launched to an explanation, "She lost her consciousness in front of the hotel. Are you nearby?"
"Is she ok?!"
"There was a rampaging car outside that would have hit her if I had not dragged her out of the way. She then lost consciousness after recognizing me. I carried her to the hotel clinic and the doctor said that she has very low blood pressure and that might be the reason she lost consciousness."
"Thank God you were there."
"How about you? Are you here at the hotel too?"
There was a big sigh from the other end. "Didi, she is actually there for vacation."
"Oh! Who is with her?"
"Uhmmmm… this is actually a vacation she has taken by herself. No one knows about it."
"No one?!"
"We agreed to announce this as something related to work."
"Oh…. I see."
"And Didi? I know you are also friends with Nian Zhen but even he does not know."
His eyebrows rose up. "Nian Zhen does not know?"
"He doesn't. Yue asked that this vacation be kept secret from everyone."
In all the years he'd known her, she has never had a vacation all on her own, or better yet, "just" a vacation.
She's a workaholic who is always up in eyeballs with script reviews and readings.
"Is she ok?"
"I think she's having a burn out from all those years of working hard."
That isn't really surprising.
It happened to him too.
"Ok. I won't tell anyone else that I've seen her BUT I am worried about her. It seems she didn't eat breakfast."
A "tsk" came from the other line. "Didi, I am sorry. I know it may be too much to ask but can you stay with her for the time being?"
"Don't worry. I will look after her", he assured, "It's a good thing I finished my photoshoots yesterday."
"I did hear about that. Thank you, Didi. Thank you so much."
Yue slowly opened her eyes to sunlight filtering in through a window.
Blinking away the vestiges of sleep, a familiar voice expressing relief came from her right.
"Hey…"
She turned her head and found Dylan, his eyes awash in worry.
"You're here", she found herself declaring, the same sense of relief his voice expressed awhile ago, tinging her own.
He smiled as his hand reached out to pat her head. "I waited for you to wake up."
"What happened?", she asked, wondering how she ended up in what seems like a hospital bed and with him beside her.
"You went outside and was walking on the street when a rampaging car came on. Lucky for you, I got to drag you away in time. I guess you were so surprised by what happened, you fainted."
"I fainted?!"
"Signorina", a doctor came into view before Dylan could answer her, "Are you feeling nauseous?"
"No."
"Light-headed?"
"A little."
He continued to ask her questions and then checked on her blood pressure as Dylan watched from the sideline.
She could not believe she fainted.
That hasn't happened to her in a long while.
"Did you miss breakfast today?"
"Oh…", well maybe that would explain it, "I did."
"Signorina, you have really low blood pressure and missing breakfast did not help in that. Our staff has prepared something for you to eat and when you think you can, I allow you to return to your room to rest some more. I strongly advise against going out and exploring the city today but if you follow my orders, I am sure you will be strong enough to do so tomorrow."
"Ow…"
The Doctor turned to Dylan. "Signor, please ensure she will reaslly rest, si? I trust you will be keeping an eye on your girlfriend for the whole day."
That furrowed her eyebrows, but Dylan just winked at her and she wondered what in the world happened for him to introduce himself as her boyfriend.
"I will step outside for a while as I need to check on another guest but the nurse is just at the front desk and will assist you on anything you might need."
"Mille grazie", her "supposed" boyfriend responded as they were again left alone.
"How long was I out?", she asked.
"About more than an hour."
She realized then that not only had he rescued her from being hit by a car, he had even waited for her to regain her consciousness.
"Thank you, Didi", she told him in utmost sincerity.
He smiled and then walked towards the standee where a tray of food has been set. "Now, I would feel more relieved if you would eat."
Yue nodded and steeled herself from tearing up in front of him.
She didn't know whether it was just being grateful to him or being able to just see him, at this very point, when her heart is in a mess, and he is such a warm and steady presence but she felt a lump in her throat.
Because of their busy schedules, she and Didi haven't been able to hang out for some time now.
And when they hang out, Nian Zhen would normally be with them too.
Both men have the same interest and have developed a friendship of their own that at some point, Yue somehow felt a little sadness in thinking that Dylan was more of her boyfriend's friend now than hers.
"Dylan!"
She felt her heart almost jump out of her chest when she remembered.
He hurried back to her in worry. "Are you ok? What happened?"
The rise of tension had her closing her eyes.
Maybe it isn't good for someone with low blood to suddenly feel anxiety.
She held her hand up to reach out to him.
Dylan grabbed it. "Hey! Hey! How are you feeling?"
"Sorry sorry. Uhmmmm…. I just remembered something and suddenly felt nauseous."
"I'll call the nurse."
"No. No. I just… well I… I just wanted to ask you something."
"OK", his voice calmed down a little, "What is it?"
She paused and bit on her lip before finally saying it out loud. "Did you tell Nian Zhen you saw me?"
An audible sigh came out of him.
She gulped a little in guilt and apology. She shouldn't make him worry.
Who knows how stressed he must have been when she lost consciousness and did not wake up for an hour?
His hand, once again, patted her head reassuringly, distracting her from her thoughts. "I called your Manager first because I thought you were here for work. I know about everything already so I didn't call him."
She relaxed and then eventually opened her eyes.
He continued to pat her head and then sat beside her so their eyes could be level. "I don't know what's going on but I'm here. Stop thinking about anything else for the day, ok?"
Yue saw sincerity and concern in there and felt touched.
"When did you get to be so nice?"
He smirked and ruffled her hair. "I've always been nice. You're the one whose evil."
She wanted to respond to that but just raised a brow at him in pretend annoyance. The sound of his laughter filled the room as he stood up again to take the tray of food prepared for her closer to the bed.
Yue watched him and knew her heart could just disintegrate into pieces at his gesture.
A lot of people think Dylan is immature and probably selfish because of the characters he has played on TV and the movies and he is such a great and effective actor that Yue remembered being in awe of him in some of their scenes during the first time they ever worked together.
It isn't surprising that he would always be associated to certain traits.
That's how actors succeed in their craft.
They don't know though that in reality, even though the man is a little rough on the edges and likes teasing people, he has one of the biggest hearts that she knows.
And he's always ALWAYS looked after her.
"Eat", he told her now, caring for her as if he is an older brother.
He assisted her to sit properly and made sure she was comfortable before sitting down again.
She uttered a "Thank you" before remembering… "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else? Isn't there anyone looking for you?"
"Don't worry about me. I have no schedules today so I'm just going to be here."
Yue forced herself to focus on the food and truly eat.
If not, she knows she would have cried in front of him and she isn't ready for that yet.
She isn't ready to be asked why she has decided to take this vacation alone.
She isn't ready to tell him how much she needs a friend.
"Hey. Take your time and don't rush eating", he scolded her lightly.
It somehow felt like an answer from him about her current worry.
Take your time, Yue Yue.
Don't rush.
Don't rush.
