Chapter 5 High Fever
Chapter 5
Chu Xingli's question was undoubtedly a blow to Gu Zezhou, a veteran of countless battles.
Gu Zezhou chuckled speechlessly, then felt a wave of dizziness wash over him: "..."
"Didn't Director Gu say he was very professional?" Chu Xingli held her phone expressionlessly.
“If you were standing in front of my office right now,” Gu Zezhou gritted his teeth, “I would have every reason to have security personnel arrest you as a troublemaker.”
Chu Xingli tried hard to recall the words she had just seen besides the capsule, then paused: "There seems to be something else... Xin."
"Venlafaxine hydrochloride extended-release capsules?" Gu Zezhou asked.
Gu Zezhou became close friends with these two starting in high school. He and Chu Xingli were in their first year of high school when they met, while Luo Xiaoran was only in his third year of junior high.
According to the grade level, he shouldn't have been able to get to know the juniors in the third year of junior high school, but since Chu Xingli would take Luo Xiaoran with him wherever he went, they gradually became acquainted.
Gu Zezhou clearly remembered that Luo Xiaoran had taken antidepressants for a period of time during that period because of his mother's suicide.
Upon hearing Gu Zezhou mention the name of the medicine, Chu Xingli exclaimed "Ah!" as if it overlapped with the vague impression she had of the medicine in the car. She quickly nodded and said, "It seems so."
"Xingli, what exactly happened between you two before your car accident?" Gu Zezhou couldn't help but ask curiously.
This led even someone as strong-willed and emotionally stable as Luo Xiaoran to start using the drug again.
Gu Zezhou never believed that Chu Xingli truly disliked Luo Xiaoran, but since he specialized in neurology rather than psychiatry, it was difficult for him to have such a clear understanding of Chu Xingli and Luo Xiaoran's inner emotions.
“I don’t remember anything at all,” Chu Xingli said, squatting by the flower bed, absentmindedly fiddling with the pebbles. “But I really can’t muster even the slightest feeling for Luo Xiaoran.”
Gu Zezhou listened quietly to his story.
Chu Xingli sighed: "We can't waste each other's time, right?"
"Fluoxetine is more suitable for his condition, but it can lead to emotional detachment. He probably didn't want to be controlled by medication and have his feelings for you diminish, so he chose the one he has now."
Chu Xingli paused for a moment, then suddenly grabbed the small pebble she was about to casually toss out of her hand.
Gu Zezhou dared not say any more specifics.
Chu Xingli has only been discharged from the hospital for three days. She cannot accept so much information, nor can she withstand too much stimulation and interrogation.
*
After driving away from the Chu family's old house, Luo Xiaoran did not go directly back to the city to rest as Chu Xingli had instructed, but instead drove to a mountain in the western suburbs.
Jinghua City is located at a relatively high latitude, and even in early autumn, the air is already tinged with a chill.
That mountain is privately owned.
As soon as Luo Xiaoran's license plate entered the surveillance range, the gate slowly opened to both sides.
The closer you get to the summit, the more lush the wilderness vegetation becomes on both sides, but swaying in the night adds to the sense of desolation.
Luo Xiaoran arrived at his destination, opened the door, and got out of the car.
He walked slowly to a solitary grave, took the gardenias he had just bought on the road, gently placed them next to the tombstone, and casually tidied up the dried flower branches he had left there last time he came.
Then he sat down quietly, very close to the tombstone.
Looking at the radiant smile of the woman in the tombstone photo, Luo Xiaoran's voice betrayed his exhaustion: "Mom, hug me, have you forgotten about me?"
The wind was strong at the mountaintop. As Luo Xiaoran spoke, he lowered his head and rubbed the corner of his eye with his thumb, his voice becoming softer: "...I'm a little sad."
Luo Xiaoran sat with his mother on the mountain for a long time.
As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, he stood up, said goodbye to his mother, got into the car, and left.
Luo Xiaoran went back to her apartment in the city, took a shower, and changed her clothes.
When he drove to the gate of the Chu family's old residence, Chu Xingli had just gotten up.
Chu Xingli didn't sleep well that night either, tossing and turning, constantly having fragmented dreams.
Even after waking from the nightmare, Chu Xingli still felt it was a warning.
The longer he severs ties with Luo Xiaoran, the longer he will escape the nightmare.
There's no need to torture each other.
Chu Xingli took a slow shower, dressed neatly, and went downstairs, but her exhaustion was still evident.
While eating breakfast, his older sister and brother would steal glances at him from time to time, and the next second they would meet a look that only the two of them could understand. They were obviously using this abstract way, without any linguistic evidence, to tease their little brother.
Chu Xingli has a poor memory and his reactions are slightly slow due to his worries, so he is completely unaware of this.
Ye Huihui walked past Chu Xingli with a cup of rose tea, patted her youngest son on the shoulder who had just finished breakfast and was checking his documents, and instructed him: "Sweetie, get Ranran some breakfast too."
Unable to disobey her mother's orders, Chu Xingli obediently picked up the box of breakfast that had been prepared in advance from the dining table, grabbed her coat, and went out.
Ye Huihui called out with a smile from behind him, "You two, come home for dinner after you're divorced! Mom will personally stew chicken for you!"
Her tone was extremely relaxed, as if she were facing the heavy matter of getting a divorce with two children, rather than just going out for a day trip and coming home for dinner.
Chu Xingli chuckled.
Ms. Ye Huihui is really naive.
He didn't answer his mother's question, but instead teased her, "That's it, Dad's coming back today, he probably won't be able to escape this ordeal."
After saying that, he immediately quickened his pace, trying to make a quick getaway, but Ms. Ye Huihui grabbed him by the back of the neck and twisted his neck.
"Hey, you little rascal!"
.
Before leaving home, Chu Xingli was worried that the outside temperature would drop too much, so she specially brought a thick coat.
He took out his phone to contact Luo Xiaoran and ask where she was waiting for him, but suddenly realized he didn't have Luo Xiaoran's phone number.
...I wonder if the phone Luo Xiaoran prepared for him yesterday will have it.
Chu Xingli took out another phone, intending to look for the other party's contact information.
"Xingli, over here." It was Luo Xiaoran's voice.
Chu Xingli looked up and stared straight ahead.
Luo Xiaoran stood in front of the car, his head slightly lowered, as if he was thinking about something, or as if he was in a bad state and looked somewhat listless.
Today, Luo Xiaoran is still wearing a tracksuit, but he has changed his outfit from gray to black.
He's really handsome.
He looks handsome whether he wears it or not.
Chu Xingli suddenly came to her senses and couldn't help but want to slap herself twice.
He's never seen anything like...whether it's worn or not.
"My mom prepared breakfast for you," Chu Xingli said, opening the door and getting into the passenger seat. She handed the box to Luo Xiaoran, who was fastening his seatbelt. "Eat before you leave, don't go on an empty stomach."
"Thank you, Mom, thank you..." Luo Xiaoran was clearly suppressing his subconscious desire, "Xing Li."
Chu Xingli didn't realize that Luo Xiaoran had tried to avoid making him worry by calling him by his name instead of "hug," and waved his hand casually: "Eat first, it'll get cold."
Thinking that Luo Xiaoran might take his medicine after breakfast, Chu Xingli was worried that he would feel uncomfortable, so she made an excuse to get out of the car and strolled around in the cold wind for a few minutes, giving Luo Xiaoran time to take his medicine.
*
Chu Xingli didn't know the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Seeing that Luo Xiaoran wasn't using navigation, she naturally assumed that he knew the location, so she trusted him wholeheartedly and leaned back in her seat to rest.
Even with her poor memory, Chu Xingli could still recognize that they had circled the same intersection twice.
He took a breath and was about to turn around and ask Luo Xiaoran what was going on when the other party explained to him, "There's road construction over there, so you have to take a detour."
Chu Xingli expressed her understanding and relaxed back in her seat.
This time he was more careful.
After all, the car accident caused his memory problems, not his brain problems.
One should not do something twice, but not three times.
As Luo Xiaoran changed streets again and pulled into the left-turn lane to wait for the red light, Chu Xingli interrupted him in time: "But there's no indication that the road is under construction."
As he spoke, taking advantage of Luo Xiaoran's gaze, he turned his phone screen towards him and pointed to the marker in the center of the screen: "You've been going around in circles here."
Even though Chu Xingli caught him red-handed, Luo Xiaoran, the person involved, was not very flustered.
He silently lowered his eyes and obediently apologized, "I'm sorry, I took the wrong way."
Chu Xingli punched cotton: "..."
He has never been able to stand this since he was a child. When he sees others looking wronged, he can't help but feel soft-hearted. How could he possibly have the heart to blame them?
"This time we won't go the wrong way," Luo Xiaoran said softly.
Could it be because she's not feeling well? Chu Xingli wondered.
Luo Xiaoran looked very unwell.
He noticed it the moment we met this morning.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Chu Xingli glanced at the red light countdown; there was still plenty of time before she asked Luo Xiaoran with relief.
They've been married before, so it would be a bit unreasonable not to ask.
"If you're not feeling well, you don't need to go today, right?" Luo Xiaoran finally looked up at Chu Xingli, his voice a little hoarse.
"...It's so hard to wait for a left turn red light," Chu Xingli quickly looked away, then changed the subject, "Do you think we can go through this red light?"
Luo Xiaoran nodded and said, "Yes."
*
Upon arriving at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Luo Xiaoran discovered that Chu Xingli was not only exceptionally talented at writing divorce agreements, but also quite familiar with the divorce process.
Soon, Chu Xingli filled out the information as instructed by the staff and sat down with Luo Xiaoran in a row on chairs, waiting for the staff inside to call them in to complete the process.
Not wanting anyone to discover that Luo Xiaoran had secretly come to get a divorce, Chu Xingli handed Luo Xiaoran one of the hats, masks, and sunglasses she had prepared in advance before getting out of the car.
The two men, both dressed in black, sat at the top of the stairs in the Civil Affairs Hall. The atmosphere was cold and oppressive, yet their handsome appearance attracted the attention of many people, and some even took photos of them as souvenirs.
Both marriage and divorce take place in the same hall, but branch off to the left and right of the staircase, as if they are going their separate ways.
Chu Xingli and Luo Xiaoran sat on the chairs near the stairwell, watching the men and women coming and going, some crying and some laughing, and remained silent for a moment.
"I will make it up to you." Chu Xingli suddenly said this out of the blue, which made Luo Xiaoran turn his head to look at him.
Chu Xingli saw that he didn't speak, obviously he didn't understand what she meant and was waiting for an explanation.
“I was the one who brought up the divorce,” Chu Xingli could sense Luo Xiaoran’s resistance to the matter and understood his feelings for her, so he came up with a compromise yesterday: “Before we officially get the divorce certificate, you can make requests of me, and as long as they are not excessive, I will agree to them.”
Luo Xiaoran lowered his head and turned the ring on his ring finger, nodded, and said in a slightly nasal voice that made it impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad: "I've remembered it."
Chu Xingli was about to tell Luo Xiaoran not to be so polite with him when he was interrupted by a female voice.
"Hi handsome, could you take a picture for us?"
Chu Xingli seems very approachable and is good-looking, so she easily becomes the first choice for others when they want to ask for help.
A newlywed couple had just received their marriage certificate. The man was still sorting out the documents when the woman waved to Chu Xingli, apologetically disturbing him.
Chu Xingli was always enthusiastic, so there was no reason for him not to help when he heard this request.
Hearing this, he nodded with a smile, took off his sunglasses, and took the phone from the girl: "Okay, come over here, the light is better."
Since they were waiting for the staff to call them anyway, they might as well take some photos for others to avoid the awkwardness of being alone with Luo Xiaoran.
Seeing that Chu Xingli had agreed, the girl immediately went to pull her husband along. Standing in front of the oath platform, she struck various humorous and cute poses as Chu Xingli suggested, and soon produced quite a few satisfactory photos.
"Thank you, handsome!" The girl excitedly looked at the photos Chu Xingli had taken for her, and didn't forget to reciprocate, "Handsome, can I take some photos of you two too?"
You only get married once in your life, so you should create many memories.
"No need, thank you. We're here to get a divorce." "Thank you for your help."
Chu Xingli and Luo Xiaoran spoke at the same time, but their words had completely opposite meanings.
The young couple froze on the spot, glancing left at Chu Xingli and right at Luo Xiaoran: "..."
So what's the situation now?
The atmosphere around these two has always been peaceful and harmonious, so why did they suddenly say they wanted a divorce?
Moreover, the handsome guy who seemed easy to talk to was surprisingly resolute, while the one who looked a bit aloof was the one who was reluctant to let go of their relationship.
Chu Xingli turned to look at Luo Xiaoran, only to find that the other person was also turning to look at her.
The moment their eyes met, their hearts skipped a beat.
"Thank you for your help." "It's fine if you don't want to take the picture."
In return, it becomes the other party's compromise.
Perhaps this is the compensation Luo Xiaoran wanted? Chu Xingli thought to herself.
So he took out his phone and handed it to the girl, saying thank you again: "Thank you for your help."
Whether it was a misperception or not, Chu Xingli noticed that Luo Xiaoran seemed much more energetic all of a sudden. He stood straight and upright in front of the oath-taking platform, as if he wanted to leave this memento in his best spirits.
The girl picked up her phone and noticed that both of them were wearing masks. She suggested, "Why don't you take off your masks or sunglasses?"
Otherwise, if we can't tell who it is, wouldn't it be a waste of time to film it?
Her husband reminded her, "Maybe she doesn't want to; don't force her."
Luo Xiaoran made a move to pick it, but Chu Xingli hurriedly raised her hand to cover it, whispering, "You just want to keep a souvenir, right? But you're afraid you won't be able to tell who's who, right?"
"Mm." Luo Xiaoran's answer was simple and honest.
Chu Xingli had no choice but to give in, so she sighed and compromised again: "I'll pick them, I'll pick them."
The woman grabbed her husband's arm, looking excitedly as if she had "hit the jackpot."
Chu Xingli had already taken off her sunglasses before taking photos of the young couple, and now she has taken off her mask, revealing her entire face.
Before he could finish tidying his clothes, a commotion and low gasps came from all around.
Many cameras prepared for newlywed couples also started flashing.
Chu Xingli was even more grateful that she hadn't let Luo Xiaoran take off his mask and sunglasses, otherwise there would have been a lot of trouble.
The girl had a very lively personality, which led Chu Xingli to make many cute gestures.
Chu Xingli was in a good mood, so she readily agreed and did everything with her.
Luo Xiaoran, standing next to him, is essentially a backdrop, or rather, a watermark.
A very nice watermark.
Chu Xingli did this entirely to please Luo Xiaoran so that he would be more willing to divorce her later.
Luo Xiaoran never looked at the camera; he kept staring at Chu Xingli.
Stare into his eyes, and into the tongue piercing that occasionally flashes when he smiles and speaks.
Luo Xiaoran was actually quite familiar with this scene, after all, ten months ago, he and Chu Xingli had also come here to take photos as souvenirs.
However, as time has passed, their relationship has become what it seems to be now, with no chance of a return to the past.
"If you have any conflicts or problems, talk them out properly. Don't make the decision to divorce so hastily. You two are really a perfect match."
The girl handed the phone back to Chu Xingli, and after thinking for a moment, she couldn't help but say something to persuade the two of them before her husband hurriedly pulled her away.
Chu Xingli put her mask back on and called out to Luo Xiaoran, "It's almost our turn."
.
"Please have a seat, both of you." The staff member was used to people coming to get divorced, and even after discovering that the young man in front of him was the popular artist Luo Xiaoran, he still maintained a gentle and calm tone.
However, the gazes that fell on Chu Xingli and Luo Xiaoran were noticeably more frequent.
"Please show your marriage certificate, ID card, and household registration booklet," the staff member said.
Luo Xiaoran has always kept Chu Xingli's marriage certificate.
When they first got married, he would take it out and look at it several times every night before he could sleep peacefully. After he finished looking at it, he would lock it up. Chu Xingli had no right or opportunity to hold it in her hands and appreciate it.
Chu Xingli was unfamiliar with the term "marriage certificate" and subconsciously looked at Luo Xiaoran.
Luo Xiaoran had never been divorced, and he didn't know whether the staff would destroy their marriage certificate or take it back completely if he handed it over.
This feeling of uncertainty left Luo Xiaoran feeling extremely insecure, yet he was powerless to change it.
He could only watch as the staff opened their marriage certificate, searched it on the computer, and after some processing, put the marriage certificate back in his hands.
As if sensing Luo Xiaoran's unease, the staff member comforted him indirectly, saying, "Only when the divorce cooling-off period expires will the marriage registration office take back the marriage certificate and issue a divorce certificate to the two of you."
Luo Xiaoran breathed a sigh of relief.
"Please keep your marriage certificate safe," the staff member reminded you. "If it is lost during the divorce cooling-off period, you will need to apply for a replacement."
"How long does it take to reissue a marriage certificate?" Luo Xiaoran seemed to have his own ideas.
Chu Xingli gave him a wary look.
What's this guy trying to do?
Staff member: "If the documents are complete and meet the requirements for replacement, you can usually get it on the same day."
After completing the procedures, Chu Xingli put away the divorce registration application acceptance receipt and walked ahead of Luo Xiaoran out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
“Oh, right,” Chu Xingli stepped down the stairs, took off her wedding ring from her ring finger, and handed it to Luo Xiaoran, “I forgot to return the ring to you yesterday.”
Luo Xiaoran stretched out his hand, palm facing up.
Chu Xingli carefully placed the ring in his hand, but still touched the ring on Luo Xiaoran's ring finger.
It made a very soft thud.
Chu Xingli froze, withdrawing her hand as if she had been burned.
*
On the way back, Luo Xiaoran was driving again.
But Chu Xingli inexplicably felt very uncertain.
He would turn his head to check on Luo Xiaoran every now and then, afraid that he might really be sick.
In that case, one's sins would be enormous, and one's conscience would be troubled.
"How about I drive?" Chu Xingli frowned slightly with concern.
Luo Xiaoran shook his head: "I'm fine."
Chu Xingli told him to drive the car to one of her apartments in the city to prevent Luo Xiaoran's condition from getting worse.
Luo Xiaoran was indeed more familiar with that house, and soon drove into the underground parking garage.
After parking the car, I raised my hand and rubbed my throbbing temples.
Since Chu Xingli's accident, Luo Xiaoran hasn't had a single good night's sleep.
Besides medication to treat his mood, he can only fall asleep with sleeping pills every day.
Given that I spent the whole night in the wind on the mountain, my current state makes sense.
Chu Xingli couldn't bear to see Luo Xiaoran in his current state, so she tentatively asked, "Do you want to go upstairs and rest for a while?"
Luo Xiaoran seemed quite surprised, but still remained polite: "Won't this bother you?"
Upon hearing Luo Xiaoran's words, Chu Xingli finally realized what was happening.
That's quite true.
“Yes, it seems that our current relationship is indeed not very convenient,” Chu Xingli reached out to open the car door for Luo Xiaoran and help him get in. “Then drive carefully on your way back, get some rest when you get home, and remember to take your medicine.”
Over the years, Luo Xiaoran had long since grasped Chu Xingli's human weaknesses, so how could he not tell whether Chu Xingli was genuinely soft-hearted or feigning ruthlessness?
As Luo Xiaoran had predicted, Chu Xingli's sense of responsibility was like a passive skill that would be triggered instantly as long as it was within his skill range.
Luo Xiaoran swayed slightly, looking as if he couldn't stand, but Chu Xingli rushed forward to support him anxiously: "How are you? My God, you're so hot?! You have a fever?!"
Luo Xiaoran's mind raced, and he simply closed his eyes and fell forward—
"Hey! Don't fall on me!"
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