Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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It happened on the first day of filming. The production team, initially thrilled by the high ratings, now wore worried faces.
Ryan felt sorry for Xena. “Let’s get to the hospital,” he urged.
“The hospital’s quite a distance away,” the rural doctor replied. “How about I prescribe some digestive medication first?”
Ryan nodded, trying to comfort Xena. “Once you take the medicine and feel a bit better, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Cuddled in his arms, Xena weakly expressed her gratitude. “Thank you, Ryan.”
Janie’s gaze drifted to Ryan as she found that he wasn’t just a cold, harsh critic after all. If she and Xena hadn’t been swapped, perhaps she would have had a wonderful family.
To say she felt no regret would be a lie. But she already had another family now, and that made everything else pale in comparison.
Jackson stood nearby, torn between envy and heartache. He cursed Ryan’s family in silence.
Jason was howling in agony, nearing collapse. Desperate to build a favorable image, he had eaten and suffered the most, and now the pain was even more intense.
He could hardly think straight anymore. Even though he felt utterly drained, he still managed to shout at Emily. “What did you put in it, Emily? Why is it so painful?”
Emily was in agony as well, feeling weak and frustrated. She couldn’t help but resent Jason’s harsh attitude, especially given that he was just a struggling star and a junior.
Yet she forced herself to apologize, “I’m sorry, Jason. I really didn’t know. I was just following the procedure.”
Molly, unable to bear it any longer, clutched her stomach and began to cry. She was used to a pampered life. She had never endured such suffering.
Xena cried even harder than Molly. “Am I going to die, Ryan?”
Ryan held her tightly, reassuring her, “No way! Just take your medicine, and we’ll go to the hospital. You’ll be fine.”
Emily was not only in pain but also gripped by panic. She had caused this mess, not knowing what to do. But in her agony, she could hardly focus on anything else.
The production staff, too, began to sweat and clutch their stomachs.
The director was alarmed.
Though they appeared much better than Jason and Xena, their condition was still alarming enough to cause panic.
“What’s wrong with you all?” the director asked.
They struggled to reply, “We ate her food too.”
Emily had prepared food for them. Despite the unappetizing appearance, they had taken a few bites out of courtesy and stopped when they couldn’t eat any more.
Little did they know, those few bites would lead to such a disaster.
Emily’s face turned even paler.
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Everyone wanted to yell at her, but it was not the time to assign blame–survival was paramount. They rushed to get medication.
Janie frowned slightly and moved toward the table where Emily had served the food.
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Ryan and Xena, both feeling bad, couldn’t help but keep an eye on her. As she moved, their gazes followed her instinctively.
Ryan felt disappointed, finding Janie cold and indifferent. With everyone in such distress–especially Xena, she showed no intention of caring for anyone or offering words of comfort.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan thought to himself that after all these years, not being at home had left her lacking in proper upbringing.
Unable to hold back, he asked, “What are you doing, Janic?”
Janie ignored him, focusing on her task.
Ryan’s expression darkened.
His voice drew the attention of the others, who were also curious, but they had little time to ponder it.
Janie glanced at the food on the table and then went into the kitchen.
Jackson followed her, not particularly skilled in these matters, but he silently stood by her side.
David, now completely trusting Janie, went along too.
Ryan, forgetting about Xena, followed her into the kitchen. “What are you up
to?”
Jackson looked disdainfully at him. “My sister is figuring out where the problem is. Unlike you, who just comforts your sister with empty words.”
Ryan could only fume silently.
Jackson approached Janie and spoke softly, a stark contrast to his tone with Ryan. “Did you find anything?”
Janie nodded and stepped outside, with Jackson and David trailing closely behind, and Ryan hurried after them.
She held up a plate. “This is a poisonous herb. It’s toxic on its own, and when mixed with other ingredients and spices, it causes severe food poisoning.”
Jackson nodded and then glanced at Ryan with a look that said, “You really lucked out.”
Ryan was surprised. He hadn’t eaten that dish.
The director quickly checked with the others about what they had eaten and found that they had all consumed the same thing.
Emily’s expression shifted. This herb was indeed one she had sourced.
However, she thought Janie was just grandstanding without real skills.
After taking medication, the group felt a bit better, though the situation remained critical.
The director, now frantic, asked Janie, “Could you help us, Miss Janie?”
Xena and Jason were speechless. They couldn’t believe the director would want a young girl like Janie to help them out.
Janie replied, “Just a moment.”
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She returned to her room and soon came back, handing a small bottle to Jackson, who rushed to the director.
The others hesitated and consulted the rural doctor, unsure of the unfamiliar medicine.
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Xena managed to say, “Janie, I know you mean well, but you’re just a young girl. How could you know this? We can’t just take any medicine–what if something goes wrong? That would be your fault”
For all these years, no one had ever doubted Janie’s knowledge of medicine. People had always come to her for help.
She replied coolly, “Take it or leave it.
“I’m giving you this medicine out of consideration for Jackson. I’m not charging you anything. If you don’t want it, feel free to suffer and go to the hospital.
“Though they might not be able to help you.”
Jackson felt deeply moved and happy.
There were so many people, and Janie was Jackson’s sister. She would never truly wish them harm.
The staff and Molly hesitated, but the pain was overwhelming. At last, they bravely took the medicine as if sacrificing for a
cause.
Jason, Xena, and Emily talked a big game, but none dared to take it.
Jackson was glad to see that. He despised them, so he didn’t want them to take Janie’s medicine.
Jason felt a slight relief but was still in misery. He exerted all his strength to urge, “Mr. Walker, we need to move! I can’t take it much longer.”
“Okay, alright, the car is on its way. Hang in there, everyone!”
Jackson added, “You really need to hurry. This is serious. Those who took the medicine should be fine, but the rest… it’s hard to say.”
His words were truthful, but Xena and the others were not inclined to appreciate them, thinking he was only trying to make them uncomfortable for Janie’s sake.
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