Chapter 42 You can’t fool people’s heartbeat.

However, when Zhou Ai obediently put on his clothes and turned around, ready to wait for Chu Yi to praise him, he found that Chu Yi, who had just been standing in front of him, had disappeared.

Just then, the village chief came over with a cigarette case, a simple smile of gratitude on his face, and patted Zhou Ai's arm: "Young man, today is really thanks to you! You've worked hard! Come, have a cigarette to relieve your fatigue?"

Zhou Ai smiled politely and waved his hand to refuse: "Thank you, Village Chief. Sorry, I don't smoke."

A kind-looking old lady came over tremblingly with a bowl of steaming ginger soup and stuffed it into Zhou Ai's hands: "Good boy, you got caught in the rain, drink a bowl of ginger soup to drive away the cold, don't catch a cold!"

Zhou Ai felt warm in her heart, and she quickly bent down and took the bowl of ginger soup with both hands: "Thank you, grandma."

He just stood up and was about to take a sip of hot ginger soup when he looked up and saw Chu Yi walking in at the warehouse door with a bowl of ginger soup, seemingly looking for something.

The two people's eyes met again unexpectedly in the air.

Chu Yi's gaze subconsciously fell on the steaming bowl of ginger soup in Zhou Ai's hand, then glanced at the old woman who was smiling at him. His steps, which were about to move towards him, paused imperceptibly, his eyes flickered, and then, as if changing his mind, he turned around expressionlessly and walked towards another deserted corner of the warehouse.

Zhou Ai looked at him who was obviously avoiding her, and was stunned for a moment, then the dissatisfaction and competitive spirit in her heart emerged again.

"Hey - Teacher Chu!" He shouted loudly, not even bothering to drink the ginger soup, and strode after him with the bowl in hand.

The warehouse was crowded and noisy, but Zhou Ai was tall and had long legs, so he caught up with Chu Yi in a few steps and grabbed his wrist.

Chu Yi was forced to stop and looked back at him, frowning slightly: "What are you doing?"

Zhou Ai raised the bowl of ginger soup that the old lady had given him, pointed at the bowl in Chu Yi's hand, and asked confidently, "Doctor Chu, who are you planning to give this bowl to?"

As soon as Zhou Ai finished his questioning words, Chu Yi raised his eyelids and his gaze drifted over Zhou Ai's shoulder to the photographer behind him who was doing his job diligently and carrying his camera to try to capture footage even in such a chaotic environment.

His tone was calm, even a matter-of-fact, as he handed the bowl of steaming ginger soup forward with a clear goal: "Give it to him."

The photographer who was suddenly called: “…………”

He looked at the ginger soup handed to him, and felt the sharp gaze from Zhou Ai in front of him that was almost freezing him to death. He felt that the bowl of ginger soup was extremely hot, and he didn't know whether to take it or not. He froze in place and was almost sweating.

Zhou Ai's gaze swept across the bowl of ginger soup like a knife, and then turned back to Chu Yi's face. A trace of imperceptible anger and competitiveness flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He suddenly stretched out his hand, not to take the bowl that Chu Yi handed to the photographer, but directly stuffed the bowl of ginger soup given by the old lady in his own hand into Chu Yi's empty hand, and at the same time "robbed" the bowl of ginger soup that Chu Yi originally wanted to give to the photographer.

The movement was so fast that people couldn't react in time.

"Then I'll trade with you." Zhou Ai's tone was firm, with an irresistible tone, as if this was not a bowl of ginger soup, but some kind of crucial token.

He held the bowl of ginger soup that originally belonged to Chu Yi, as if declaring ownership.

Chu Yi looked at the bowl of ginger soup that was forced into his hand and was stunned for a moment. Before he could say anything, he saw Zhou Ai raise his head and gulp down a big mouthful of the ginger soup that he had "exchanged" from him, and then looked at him provocatively.

The look seemed to say: Look, I drank it.

Chu Yi was speechless for a moment... He felt that Zhou Ai's behavior was sometimes really... childish.

At this moment, he looked at the photographer who was still standing there in a daze with nothing in his hands, then looked at the bowl of ginger soup in Zhou Ai's hand that had already been drunk, and sighed, as if he was too lazy to dwell on such boring things anymore.

He reached out and naturally took the heavy camera from the photographer's shoulder, saying, "I'll hold it for you for a while. You drink first."

The photographer, as if pardoned, quickly took the bowl of ginger soup that Zhou Ai had just "exchanged" to him but was now gestured to him by Chu Yi. He thanked him repeatedly, lowered his head and drank it in small sips, trying to reduce his presence as much as possible.

Chu Yi professionally picked up the camera, and the lens subconsciously pointed at the most photographable subject in front of him: Zhou Ai.

Zhou Ai was holding the bowl of ginger soup she had "exchanged" from Chu Yi and took another sip. The spicy and hot liquid slid down her throat, dispelling some of the chill.

He seemed to sense the focus of the camera, and slowly raised his head, looking straight into the dark camera lens without deviation.

The viewfinder was instantly filled with his impeccable, still dewy face.

His wet silver-gray hair was messy and unruly, but his eyes were unusually bright and sharp, as if they could penetrate the cold glass lens and see directly into the person behind the camera.

There might still be a trace of ginger soup at the corner of Zhou Ai's mouth, adding a bit of wild sexiness.

He just looked directly at Chu Yi through the camera.

Chu Yi, standing behind the camera, clearly received this gaze through the viewfinder.

At that moment, it seemed as if all the noisy voices and sounds of rain in the surrounding warehouses disappeared, leaving only the pair of eyes in the viewfinder that were focused on "himself".

This was not the first time the two of them had experienced this kind of silent eye contact, but... when their eyes collided again through the viewfinder.

The inevitable thing is always——

Chuyi's heartbeat.

You can’t fool a person’s heartbeat.

We shifted our gazes, but our hearts couldn't stop beating.

Zhou Ai even blinked very slowly, then looked at the camera with the corners of his lips slightly raised. There was a hint of lazy pride in that smile, as well as an indescribable deep meaning.

Chu Yi's hand holding the camera tightened slightly imperceptibly, stabilizing the lens without moving it.

The two people's eyes, through this cold machine, completed an extremely obscure connection in full view of everyone.

Until the photographer who had just finished drinking the ginger soup next to him spoke cautiously, "Uh, Teacher Chu, thank you, I'll do it..."

Chu Yi seemed to come to his senses at this moment, and hastily returned the camera to the photographer and looked away.

Zhou Ai also withdrew his gaze and drank the last bit of ginger soup in the bowl in a good mood, as if he had won the silent contest just now.

The village chief, holding a loudspeaker, repeatedly thanked everyone who participated in the harvest, especially the program staff and guests. His simple words were filled with sincere gratitude: "Today is really thanks to everyone! Thank you! Thank you! Otherwise, all this corn would be in trouble!"

The executive director quickly greeted everyone: "Alright, alright, everyone's worked so hard! Go back and change into dry clothes, drink some hot water, and don't catch a cold! Move faster!"

The crowd began to disperse noisily, each heading towards their residence.

Chu Yi looked down at himself. The lower half and shoulders of his black sweatshirt were soaked through, the dark and light patches sticking to his body uncomfortably. He pulled up the wet cuffs a few times, revealing half of his slender, fair, and smooth forearms.

He looked down at his trouser legs again and saw that the light blue jeans were already splashed with mud, looking in a mess.

Chu Yi frowned slightly, not liking the sticky and damp feeling, so he lowered his head, quickened his pace, and walked towards the stilt house. He just wanted to go back as soon as possible to take a hot shower and change into clean clothes.

He had just walked a short distance when he heard familiar, unhurried footsteps behind him.

He knew who it was without even looking back.

Zhou Ai caught up with him in a few steps and walked side by side with him. Zhou Ai's coat was waterproof, but his silver hair was still wet. He didn't seem to care and even looked in a good mood.

The two of them walked side by side, one in front and one behind, in silence on the wet village road washed by rain.

Behind them, two photographers followed diligently, their cameras tacitly focused on the two men in front who were also soaked but whose backs were still tall and outstanding.

The two photographers exchanged glances, which were filled with complex emotions of "you know" and "this material is amazing", and then they quickly and tacitly looked away and continued to focus on the target in front of their lenses.

One is a top star with a strong aura but inexplicably follows Dr. Chu, and the other is a doctor who seems calm but cold but always causes the top star to behave abnormally.

Even though this picture is silent, it is full of storytelling.

The air in the mountain village after the rain was exceptionally fresh, carrying the fragrance of earth and vegetation. The setting sun struggled to peek through layers of dark clouds, emitting a faint golden glow, stretching the two people's shadows long across the slippery stone road.

Zhou Ai turned his head and looked at Chu Yi's face, which looked even colder and paler after being wet by the rain, and his slightly pursed lips. Suddenly, he muttered without thinking, "That ginger soup is quite spicy."

Chu Yi did not stop, looking straight ahead, as if he did not hear anything. He just rolled up his sleeves and exposed his forearm, which shone with a delicate luster in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Zhou Ai didn't care and added, "But after drinking it, my stomach feels warm."

Chu Yi still didn't respond, but Zhou Ai didn't seem to need his response. He just enjoyed the moment of tranquility as they walked side by side after the rain, and... the presence of the person beside him even in silence.

Two photographers were behind them, silently recording the shot of the two people walking together under the sunset and after the rain.

Chu Yi took a hot shower, finally dispelling the chill and stickiness. He changed into clean casual clothes and walked to the faucet outside the stilt house with a washbasin to wash his dirty clothes. Conditions in the mountains were limited, with no washing machine, so he had to do it himself.

He was bending over to get some water when his cell phone rang. He took it out and saw it was his mother, Chu Ruoyin, calling. Chu Yi wiped his hands and answered the call.

After Chu Ruoyin's usual straightforward greeting, she got straight to the point, "Have you been in touch with Xie Huaiming recently? He had a pretty good impression of you the last time we met."

Xie Huaiming? Chu Yi was stunned for a moment before he dug out this almost forgotten name from the corner of his memory.

He only met the blind date once due to personal reasons.

The other party's conditions were indeed superior, but the two had no further contact after that.

"Mom, I'm in the mountains and the signal is bad." Chu Yi responded vaguely and continued to turn on the faucet, trying to cover up the topic with the sound of water.

Chu Ruoyin obviously didn't believe this, and her tone was a little dissatisfied: "I have a signal when I call you, but there is no signal when you and Xie Huaiming send a message? Don't fool me."

Chu Yi sighed, reached out to turn off the running faucet, and said with a helpless and perfunctory tone: "I know, I'll contact you when there's a chance." He really didn't want to waste any more words on such things.

"I'm just calling to remind you, don't take it lightly." Chu Ruoyin muttered a few more words.

"Yeah, yeah, got it." Chu Yi responded absentmindedly and finally hung up the phone.

He had just put his phone back in his pocket and turned on the faucet again when he heard a laughing voice next to him:

"Doctor Chu, do you know Xie Huaiming?"

Chu Yi was startled and turned around to see the host Xie Mo coming over with a basin to collect water, with a slightly curious smile on his face.

Chu Yi was a little surprised, but remembering that both of them had the surname Xie, he asked, "Who are you...?"

"Oh, we are somewhat related by blood," Xie Mo smiled, his tone was relaxed, but his words were a little subtle, "but... not much." He didn't seem to want to talk much about family relationships.

It was the first time that Chu Yi heard someone describe blood relationship in this way. He found it a little funny and lowered his head and slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

Xie Mo took the water and didn't leave immediately. Instead, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "It's quite a coincidence. I actually received a message from Xie Huaiming a few days ago. He asked me if I was recording a show with you."

Chu Yi paused for a moment while rubbing the clothes. Although he and Xie Huaiming kept in touch, they had not spoken since that awkward blind date.

He looked up in confusion: "Don't we have contact information? If he has anything, he can just message me directly."

Why go through so much trouble to find Xie Mo?

When Xie Mo heard Chu Yi's words, the smile on his face deepened, with a hint of playfulness: "He didn't say what it was, he just asked me... to take care of you more." These words were meaningful.

"Take care of me?" Chu Yi's brows immediately frowned.

His relationship with Xie Huaiming was far from the point where he needed the other party to specifically ask someone to "take care" of him.

Chu Yi frowned and immediately clarified, his tone clearly distancing himself from the issue: "Teacher Xie, you may have misunderstood. He and I are not actually familiar with each other and have only met once before."

Special emphasis was placed on "one side" and "unfamiliar".

"Only met once?" Now it was Xie Mo's turn to be surprised.

He knew Xie Huaiming. Among the younger generations of the Xie family, he was well-known for being arrogant and reserved. Ordinary people were not worth his attention.

Why would he care so much about Chu Yi, whom he had only met once, and even send a message to ask for instructions?