Ding Jia turned her head following the source of that voice. There, a little girl in pigtails stood in front of her holding a little princess-like porcelain doll. Her fingers were pointing at her with a wide, sparkling, and innocent-like gaze. She even grinned widely as if she had just spotted the best toy from the toy store.
She instinctively flashed a smile, like a work habit. Who wouldn't be? A kid this cute, Ding Jia is very tempted to pinch her chubby cheeks.
The little kid ran and stopped in front of her, staring at her with sparkling eyes. Ding Jia gently smiled at the innocent one.
"Hello." She greeted.
"Big sister, you're really beautiful!!" The little girl exclaimed as she gazed at her idol. She was simple and innocent that Ding Jia could clearly read her emotions on her face. She chuckled at the praise she received and stroked her head lovingly.
"And you're really pretty too." She replied. The child beamed with the praise she received as she was already seconds away from jumping on her if it wasn't for Ding Jia noticing the little doll in her hands.
"The doll is really pretty too. Do you like playing with dolls?"
The kid looked down at the porcelain doll on her hand and lifted it for Ding Jia to see. Taking a closer look, Ding Jia saw the blonde porcelain doll and the detailed and intricate dress that it was wearing. She hummed in satisfaction thinking that dolls from the west are really different. It was way better than the one they sell here in the east.
"Her name is Sasha!"
"That's a pretty name. Why did you name her Sasha?" She withdrew her gaze from the doll and looked at the little kid's face.
"That's what she said so."
"She said so?" Her brows furrowed in confusion.
The little girl nodded as she pointed at the doll. "Sasha said to me that it was her name!"
She explained so energetically as if she stated some kind of normal statement. Which was actually not.
Ding Jia's hand stopped midair who was about to touch the porcelain doll. Suddenly, she felt some kind of foreboding as her gaze shifted from the little girl towards the doll she was hugging tightly on her body.
The large blue eyes flashing before her felt like it got bigger than before. Ding Jia pinched herself. Is she stupid? How could that be? How can a doll's eyes turn bigger ah? It's not like it's some kind of growing pet that evolves when it's submerged into water or when fed ah.
She was just thinking too much because of the little girl's statement.
Before she could even open her mouth, she heard another voice behind her.
"Tangyuan! I told you not to walk around, right?!"
One child and one adult turned to look at the source of that voice. Ding Jia thought that the adult woman approaching them was somehow similar to the little girl in front of her. Isn't she—?
"Mom!" The girl turned and ran towards her mother.
"Don't run!" The mother scolded as she knelt to hug the child running towards her. She carried her with ease as she walked over to the person her child was previously talking to.
"I'm sorry, did she bot—Oh! Aren't you Ding Jia?" The mother wanted to apologize for whatever behavior her child did but she was extremely surprised when she saw a famous actress appear in front of her.
Ding Jia flashed a smile and greeted the mother of the little girl. After greeting each other, the mother originally requested if she could take a picture with her but seeing that the situation seemed inappropriate, she requested Ding Jia's autograph instead.
"Will we be seeing you on the screen again?" The mother asked in passing as she waited for Ding Jia to finish signing the paper that the mother had asked from the reception. Ding Jia raised her hand and handed over the signed paper, smiling.
"Of course. I'll be seeing you all again." She vaguely replied, not directly answering her question. After that brief conversation with the mother and daughter, she pushed herself and left the park to return to her room.
Ding Jia stayed for almost five months in the hospital after a series of tests, rehabilitation, and therapies. It took a lot of effort before Ding Jia was able to move her body normally like before since she was in a coma for quite a long time.
Her hospital stay would have been really boring if it weren't for her friends dropping by often and Lin Lin would deliver to her a box full of fan letters that were delivered to the company. That kept her sane and entertained for a while recovering.
Thankfully, after that bloody doctor incident the last time, she didn't encounter anymore scary and creepy incidents during the rest of her stay. Somehow, she instinctively thought that it would be better for her to stay cooped up inside her room instead of wandering around the hospital.
First, she is still a public figure aside from being a patient. And it wouldn't do her better if they see her in this pitiful state. Second, if the bloody doctor she saw was really real, then that would mean that she saw was a ghost. And really, she was totally in the worst place to be if that was really a ghost. She didn't know how it happened but Ding Jia convinced herself that roaming around a place where a lot of people die wasn't the best idea ever. Hence, she had almost gone crazy for cooping herself up within the four corners of her room.
To her surprise, she saw the little girl from months ago again on the day of her discharge. Ding Jia noticed that she was thinner than the last time she saw her before and her hair obviously thinned out. At first, she thought that the little girl was just briefly confined in the hospital but seeing her appearance right now, it seems like this poor little girl must have been suffering from a severe illness.
"Hi, it's nice to see you again." She greeted.
The little girl's energy didn't seem to change over the past few months as she replied, "Congratulations, Big Sister! I was playing right there when I heard someone say that Big Sister is leaving the hospital today. Are you really okay now, Big Sister?"