Chapter 1 "Doctor Chu, have we met there before?"

[You were once my only light, now it’s my turn to be your pi—infinite cycle, never separated.]

The stage lights poured down like a torrential rain, and the screams of 50,000 people almost blew the roof off the stadium.

Zhou Ai stood on the lift platform, sweat sliding down his jawline, reflecting tiny rays of light under the spotlight.

This is his first solo concert this year and also a commemorative performance for his fifth anniversary of debut.

"The next song is my favorite song from my personal album Chasing Light released this year."

Zhou Ai panted, his fingers gently plucking the strings, then leaned over the microphone and said, "This is dedicated to everyone here."

The audience instantly erupted in even more intense screams.

Zhou Ai raised the corners of his mouth, and the eyes known as the "King of Gu" narrowed slightly, emitting an amber light under the light.

As the music prelude sounded, Zhou Ai closed her eyes and spoke in a low and gentle voice: "Until I fell into the web set by fate..."

Just as he was singing the climax of the chorus, an ominous cracking sound suddenly came from the stage under his feet.

Before Zhou Ai could react, he fell rapidly as the elevator platform collapsed.

At the last moment, he subconsciously protected his head, and his ears were filled with screams and the harsh sound of twisted metal.

The pain washed over him like a tide.

——

Chu Yi had just taken off his blood-stained gloves when the strands of hair on his forehead were soaked with sweat and a few tiny strands stuck to his brow bone.

The cold white light of the emergency room stung his eyes, and the ticking of the monitor and the hurried footsteps of his colleagues filled his ears.

He unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and took two gulps. His Adam's apple rolled as the cold water slid down his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the stuffiness in his chest.

The chatter at the nurses' station came from behind over the ticking of the monitor.

"Oh my god, something happened to Zhou Ai!"

Chu Yi's fingers suddenly tightened, and the plastic bottle made a slight creaking sound in his palm.

The lounge was empty. Chu Yi closed the door, knelt on one knee, and leaned against the metal cabinet.

The phone screen lit up, and Weibo's trending searches had exploded. Every one of them had the glaring word "explosion" followed by the same name - #周眭台圭事件#, #周眭落落#, #周眭去醫療#...

He clicked on the video that had been viewed over 50 million times.

In the picture, the stage lights are still brilliant. Zhou Ai is standing on the lifting platform, his fingers holding the microphone are clearly knuckled. He just sang the high notes, his voice is clear and affectionate.

The next second, the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed, and Zhou Ai plummeted without warning. The camera shook violently, and the sounds of screams, breaking metal, and the shouts of the staff mixed together, the scene finally freezing in a chaotic darkness.

Chu Yi's fingertips unconsciously stroked the screen, and his breathing stagnated slightly.

I only watched the beginning of the video when I heard a nurse’s voice outside the door: “Doctor Chu! The patient in bed 3 has unstable blood pressure!”

Chu Yi locked the screen with one hand and stood up, his movements done in one smooth motion, as if the pause just now had never existed.

——

Half an hour later, there was a commotion in the emergency room.

"It's actually Zhou Ai..." a nurse whispered.

"How do you send it to us?"

"Nonsense, this place is closest to the gym. Where else can I send it to?"

Zhou Ai's agent, Xu Yang, walked over quickly, holding a stack of medical reports in his hand, his forehead covered in sweat. "Doctor, please take a look at the CT scan results. Is it serious? He has a tour next week..."

Chu Yi took the list, quickly scanned the image, and said calmly, "Nothing serious, just a mild concussion and soft tissue contusion in the left arm."

After saying that, he walked towards Zhou Ai who was in a wheelchair.

The man lowered his head, with his black baseball cap pulled down low, covering most of his face. Only his pale jaw and tightly pursed lips could be seen.

Chu Yi leaned over and took off Zhou Ai's baseball cap, then reached out to brush away the scattered hair on his forehead.

A wound about three centimeters long ran across the top of his brow bone. The blood had already coagulated, but the skin and flesh were slightly turned outward, making it particularly glaring under the cold light.

His fingertips lightly touched the edge of the wound. Zhou Ai's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't dodge.

"This hole needs to be dealt with."

——

"I'm going to start disinfecting now. If you feel any discomfort, let me know immediately and don't move around."

After speaking warning words to Zhou Ai who was lying on the debridement bed, Chu Yi calmly put on sterile gloves, his eyes frighteningly calm.

He leaned over to check the cut on Zhou Ai's forehead and found it was relatively clean, without any excess dirt or sand contamination. Chu Yi took the sterile cotton ball handed to him by the nurse behind him and repeatedly rubbed the wound in circles from the middle to the outside to disinfect it.

"Please open a pack of 7-0 sutures for me." Chu Yi's voice was emotionless through the mask.

The nurse behind him heard the suture specifications Chu Yi requested, paused in her unpacking, and reconfirmed uncertainly, "Doctor Chu, are you sure it's 7-0?"

Chu Yi's gaze remained fixed on Zhou Ai's wound, as the iodine wiped away the clotted blood, and fresh blood began to flow. He took a sterile gauze from the debridement kit behind him and pressed it against the wound, then uttered a faint "hmm."

The nurse was a little puzzled. In order to save time, the emergency department rarely uses such thin thread to suture wounds. Usually only plastic surgeons or dermatologists would choose to use thread of this specification to minimize scars.

"Do you need anesthesia?"

Chu Yi asked twice before Zhou Ai realized that he was asking him.

"casual."

Zhou Ai's mask and hat were both taken off. From this angle, Chu Yi could see his entire face clearly. It could be seen that the prince was in a very bad mood.

"Then don't fight."

“.........”

Chu Yi took the needle holder from the nurse and gave the first injection skillfully.

The pain of the needle tip piercing through the skin made Zhou Ai's muscles tense.

The nurse leaned over from behind and saw Zhou Ai's handsome, horrific face, which was even more handsome under the incandescent light. She asked, "Doctor Chu, do you need to cut the thread?"

"No need." Chu Yi's voice remained calm even through the mask.

The nurse was surprised at the sight of the usually taciturn Dr. Chu patiently suturing a three-centimeter wound with cosmetic sutures.

Only when the suturing was finished did Zhou Ai slowly look up.

The moment their eyes met, Chu Yi saw his eyes clearly.

The pair of eyes on the stage always had a smile in them, making people's heart beat faster, but at this moment, they were slightly blurred because of the pain, and the pupils shrank into a point under the strong light.

Zhou Ai narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly smiled. He glanced at the name tag on Chu Yi's white coat before slowly speaking, "Doctor Chu, have we met somewhere before?"

Chu Yi's fingers paused imperceptibly, then he turned around, took the scissors and cut the remaining thread, his voice still calm, "Lie down and don't move."

Physiological saline solution was sprinkled on the wound that had just been sutured, it was icy cold. Chu Yi's movements were not gentle, and the gauze was wiped over the wound again and again. After being warned, Zhou Ai did not speak again, but his eyes were still staring at Chu Yi who ignored him.

"Don't get wet when you get home. Change the dressing every three days, and remove the stitches every fourteen days."

Chu Yi took off the blood-stained gloves and threw them into the contaminated trash can while giving Zhou Ai instructions.

Zhou Ai sat up from the debridement bed. He felt a little dizzy for a moment, perhaps from the blood loss or the constant incandescent light above his head. By the time he came to his senses, Chu Yi had already left.

Zhou Ai took a look at herself in the mirror on the sink.

Because of the stage requirements, his hair today was highlighted in fluorescent pink and blue, and the hair in front of his forehead was neatly combed into a slicked back style, revealing his full forehead, which made his sharp facial features more three-dimensional.

The sweat had almost soaked off all the makeup on his face, and his pale face showed an abnormal sense of fatigue.

When Zhou Ai looked closely in the mirror, he realized that all the blood and stains on his face had been wiped clean by Chu Yi with gauze dipped in saline solution.

The wound on his forehead was covered with gauze. Zhou Ai took a closer look but couldn't make out what it was. He pressed his tongue against his cheek, a smile of slight satisfaction on his lips. Finally, he turned on the faucet to wash his hands, using the excess water to clean his hair.