If before today Wang Shilan had only suspected Du Ze, then a week later, when the second episode of the island leg aired, her suspicion had turned into certainty. The seed of doubt had taken root and sprouted. Everything had left traces. It wasn’t that Du Ze was a good actor, but that she herself had overlooked too many details. Late at night, Wang Shilan looked at her sleeping daughter, got out of bed, sat at her desk, opened her laptop, and watched all the clips of Niu Niu from this episode over and over again.
Niu Niu, with her beautiful, neatly combed hair, wearing a blue princess dress, happily ran toward her friends. How happy she had been then. When the four little ones set off with their tools to find the treasure, only Niu Niu didn’t have a water bottle with her. The footage was high definition. Wang Shilan switched to the highest quality and saw the beads of sweat rolling down the little girl’s face, her lips chapped from the sun.
In the end, Su Youli had shared his water with Niu Niu. Mi Le had even called out to the camera: “Uncle Du Ze, you forgot to pack Niu Niu’s water bottle! Remember next time, or Niu Niu might die of thirst!”
The scene shifted to the four adults setting off to find their accommodation. Except for Du Ze, everyone kept looking back. Shen Minyan, unfamiliar with the filming process, had run back to Su Youli just a few steps out. He crouched down, carefully wiped the sweat from his son’s face, and adjusted his crooked hat. Compared to Du Ze, who strolled casually with his hands in his pockets, Shen Minyan’s behavior was what a normal father would do.
Wang Shilan gripped the mouse tightly, her fingertips pressed white. She had packed Niu Niu’s luggage for the island trip herself. The carry-on bag contained everything Niu Niu would need. Du Ze was so detail-oriented. How could he have overlooked this?
Autumn was approaching. The cold night wind blew mercilessly through the window. Wang Shilan’s back was soaked in cold sweat, her shoulders trembling slightly. In the middle of the night, she turned off her computer. Afraid her coldness would affect Niu Niu, she took a blanket and sat on the recliner at the foot of the bed until dawn, when she finally climbed into bed beside Niu Niu.
She and her daughter would rely on each other, just as they had in the years before Du Ze. She had almost been fooled by Du Ze’s pretense into being blind to her own daughter’s situation. She wasn’t even as perceptive as Hua Zhao, who had noticed something was wrong the very first time she met Niu Niu. Wang Shilan lay flat, her wrist pressed to her forehead, sighing inwardly. Wang Shilan, Wang Shilan, how could you be this foolish?
She remembered a female celebrity in the industry who had chosen to retire from the entertainment industry at the height of her career to get married. At the time, she’d thought that actress was lovesick. Now, the label of lovesick fool was on her. How laughable. Utterly laughable. She had truly believed Du Ze loved her, that he was different from those other men with ulterior motives. That his sincerity had made him persist despite many failures.
Wang Shilan was trapped in a spiral of emotion, dark and deep, with no escape. Her chest ached, her head ached, her whole body felt drained of energy. In a daze, she fell asleep. At six in the morning, her stomach growling, Niu Niu rubbed her eyes, leaned to the side, and instinctively snuggled against her mom.
“Mom, hungry.”
After a long pause, her mom didn’t respond. Usually, at this time, her mom would already be awake, gently kissing her face, taking her to wash up, braiding her hair, and leading her to the kitchen for breakfast.
Niu Niu felt wronged. She raised her voice and called again: “Mom.”
“…Mm, Niu Niu.”
Hearing her mother’s response, thick with a nasal voice, the little girl, who had just been thinking about her empty stomach, was now full of worry. The little girl in her cotton nightgown climbed out of bed, turned on the small light in the room, took the thermometer gun from the drawer, and, imitating the nanny, held it up to her mother’s forehead. Wang Shilan felt weak all over, unable to lift her arms. Her head spun when she opened her eyes.
“Mom, you have a fever. 38.5 degrees. We need to go to the hospital.”
Having learned some basic first aid in kindergarten, Niu Niu spoke to her mother in a very serious tone.
Wang Shilan heard her daughter’s concerned voice. She sat up, leaning on her arms. “Niu Niu, Mommy has a cold. I might give it to you. Can you stay a little farther away?”
Niu Niu stubbornly helped her mother put on a jacket, practically pulling her out of bed.
“Mom, when you’re sick, you have to go to the hospital. Don’t ignore it.”
Wang Shilan coughed violently, her head spinning. Her Niu Niu had used such a difficult idiom. How smart she was.
“Niu Niu, be good. Mommy’s fine. Call the nanny and let her take care of me, okay?”
Niu Niu didn’t want to. In her memory, whenever she was sick, her mom always took care of her. While waiting for the nanny to arrive, Niu Niu was especially good, lying by the bed and telling her mom jokes to cheer her up. Her little face was round, her eyes glistening with tears, as if she were the one with the fever. Wang Shilan heard her shy daughter telling her jokes, and her heart filled with a bitter ache.
“Mom, don’t cry.”
Niu Niu stood on her tiptoes, leaning her upper body toward her mom, using her little hands to wipe away the tears from her mother’s eyes. How could her baby be this good? Such a good baby, and Du Ze had treated her this way? The two nannies arrived quickly. They efficiently packed the mother and daughter’s things and bundled them off to the hospital. In the car, Niu Niu, who was hungry and hadn’t slept well, fell asleep on Wang Shilan’s lap.
Wang Shilan said to the front seat: “Auntie, give me a mask.”
After putting on the mask, she lifted Niu Niu by her armpits, holding her body securely against her chest. By the time they arrived at the hospital, it was just past seven. After the nurse inserted the IV and told her to rest, Du Ze’s call came in. The cold medicine flowing into her body seemed to cool her blood. She fought back nausea and disgust. Acting was something anyone could do, wasn’t it?
“Hello, honey. Why is nobody home? Where did you and Niu Niu run off to play without me?” Du Ze’s voice came through as soon as she answered.
Wang Shilan frowned deeply and said nothing.
“Hello? Honey, are you listening? I’m really worried. Where did you take Niu Niu? I’m coming to find you now.”
He sounded quite anxious, almost convincing.
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Chochoro On PTBLSI chapter 24
cant wait to see wang shilan KOed du ze. thanks for the update