Wang Chuan and Yan Feifan circled the venue but couldn’t find the entertainer they had arranged to meet, so they split up once more.
Wang Chuan went off to network with film and television actors.
As for Yan Feifan, he headed to the east side of the courtyard.
Several long tables were set up here, laden with exquisite and delicious snacks, small pastries, fruit salads, and the like.
In his rush to get to the cocktail party, Yan Feifan had only had a quick dinner, leaving him not quite full.
Now, the sight of these fragrant, tempting snacks made his mouth water and his stomach rumble.
He picked up a small plate of pastries dotted with chocolate shavings, used the matching plastic fork to lift a piece, and popped it into his mouth.
A rich, sweet, and soft flavor, combined with the texture of chocolate, instantly filled his mouth, yet it didn’t feel greasy at all.
Yan Feifan’s eyes lit up.
These little pastries were really quite good—several times better than what some bakeries made.
Perhaps he was truly hungry, or perhaps the pastries here were just perfectly suited to his taste. After finishing two small plates, he still wasn’t satisfied and picked up a third.
"You’re not an entertainer?"
Hearing the question, Yan Feifan turned around.
He saw a slender figure wearing a light-colored, slim-fit blazer. The person had shoulder-length hair and skin as white as snow.
This person looked very young, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen.
"How could you tell?"
Yan Feifan asked back, once again sizing up the person before him.
He almost mistook the person for a girl, if not for an accidental glimpse of a subtle Adam’s apple.
It had to be said, with his bright, large eyes, charming dimples, delicate frame, skin that could put snow to shame, and medium-length hair, it was all too easy to mistake him for a girl.
Recalling that the entertainment industry was full of all sorts of peculiar people, Yan Feifan no longer found the person’s androgynous, misleading appearance to be strange.
However, Yan Feifan thought,
’His skin is too pale. It’s an unnatural white...’
"With a standard figure like yours..."
The young man tilted his head, sizing Yan Feifan up as he explained, "If you were an entertainer, you’d be strictly managing your figure. You wouldn’t be indulging in such high-calorie pastries like that."
Yan Feifan put down the small plate in his hand and asked with a light laugh, "You think my figure is standard? Don’t you think I’m a bit on the thin side?"
The handsome Youth’s dimples deepened as he said, "You’re definitely not an entertainer. People always look a bit fatter on camera."
"Your figure, which looks slender to the naked eye, would look perfectly standard on camera."
Yan Feifan hummed in understanding, then suddenly asked, "Do you have a heart condition?"
He wasn’t just asking out of nowhere.
Besides noticing the person’s face was overly pale, Yan Feifan also noticed that his lips had a faint purple tint.
Yan Feifan had thought he was wearing light purple lip gloss.
But on closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t lip gloss—it was the natural color of his lips.
Yan Feifan also noticed that the youth’s fingernails were slightly concave...
"I’m actually a doctor," Yan Feifan added, to explain his abrupt question.
The handsome Youth didn’t seem offended and said casually, "Congenital heart disease. A very serious case."
"I need to strictly control my diet. I especially can’t eat much of this high-sugar, high-calorie food."
As he said this, he glanced longingly at the various pastries on the long table, then quickly looked away.
Yan Feifan began to understand.
He moved a few steps away from the long table, and the handsome Youth followed his lead.
"Medicine is pretty advanced these days. Can’t your condition be cured?"
The handsome Youth shook his head. "When I was young, they said it could be treated with surgery. For one, the risk was high, and for another, we didn’t have the money, so I never got it."
"Now, they say the only option is a heart transplant."
"I’ve looked it up. After a heart transplant, the five-year survival rate is only fifty percent, and you have to take medicine every day."
"I’m sick of living like I’m just waiting to die."
"More importantly..."
The handsome Youth suddenly smiled and continued, "I hate taking medicine every single day even more."
"So, I’ve already decided to give up on treatment."
Hearing the nonchalance in his voice and seeing no bitterness or forced expression on his face, Yan Feifan knew the youth had truly made up his mind.
But a feeling of pity welled up in his heart.
"Do you have any cardiac ultrasounds or imaging scans I can look at?"