Chapter 14 Chu Yi's Contact Information
The dressing room was brightly lit. Zhou Ai lazily sank into the soft dressing chair, letting the stylist and makeup artist work around him.
His silvery-white hair was meticulously arranged, matching the dark makeup sample for next week's concert, creating sharp yet alluring lines on his face. Zhou Ai's phone vibrated in his hand.
He lowered his eyes and saw a WeChat message from Cheng Yingzhi.
[Are you serious?]
Three words without a beginning or an end. Zhou Ai raised an eyebrow and typed a reply with his fingertips.
What's the real deal?
The reply came back very quickly, as if they had been waiting for him to ask.
【fall in love. 】
Zhou Ai sneered, and could almost imagine Cheng Yingzhi's gossipy face making faces at the other end.
[Go to hell, my vision is not that bad. 】
As soon as she finished replying, the makeup artist carefully lifted a lock of hair from Zhou Ai's forehead, revealing a rough design woven into black metal wire. She softly asked, "Teacher Zhou, what do you think of this? It really fits the theme of 'Broken Stars.'"
Zhou Ai casually glanced in the mirror. The man in the mirror had delicate features but a distant air. Any exaggerated look on him seemed to serve as a reasonable foil.
"It's okay, just make the decision." He said perfunctorily, his attention returning to his phone.
Zhou Ai wasn't particularly picky about these things; as long as they weren't too outrageous, he'd accept them. He also trusted the team's professionalism. Furthermore, he had ample capital—as Xu Yang often said, as long as Zhou Ai's face remained, he had the confidence to look down on everyone.
The makeup artist began to carefully apply makeup for him, the soft brush brushing across his cheeks. When the brush approached his forehead, her movements became particularly gentle, with obvious concern.
"Teacher Zhou," she began hesitantly, her gaze fixed on the scabby but still noticeable wound. "When will the stitches be removed? I'll be wearing makeup for a long time at the concert next week, and it's going to be intense. I'm a little worried that covering up with makeup for too long might cause an infection."
When Zhou Ai heard this, her fingers, which were about to type, stopped.
Wound?
He subconsciously tilted his head slightly, leaned closer to the mirror, and took a closer look at his forehead. The stitch mark stretched clearly across his brow bone. He had been so busy these past few days that he had almost forgotten it was there.
After being reminded by the makeup artist, Zhou Ai suddenly remembered that the time for removing the stitches seemed to be in the next few days.
A thought flashed through my mind.
He exited the chat interface with Cheng Yingzhi and quickly opened the dialog box again.
【Can I discuss something with you? 】
Cheng Yingzhi replied quickly, with a hint of cynicism: [Go ahead.]
[Give me your brother's contact information so I can remove the stitches.]
This time, Cheng Yingzhi was silent for a few seconds, and then a call came in. Zhou Ai hung up directly.
Several WeChat messages came in immediately.
【???】
Beijing is so big, isn't it possible that there's only one hospital like my "Good Brother"?
【You hung up on me?】
Zhou Ai replied without changing his expression:
【Quarrel. 】
You know nothing. The person who tied the bell must untie it. He sewed the wound, so he must untie it. That's the only way to have a beginning and an end.
He spoke this twisted logic with confidence.
Cheng Yingzhi sent a string of ellipsis, as if choked by his logic. After a while, he replied: "Okay, I'll ask. He's a very strict person, so I need to test his words first."
[Yeah.] Zhou Ai replied with one word, put the phone aside, and continued with the unfinished makeup with the makeup artist.
However, time passed by minute by minute.
The makeup was done, the hairstyle was fixed, and even the accessories for the next set of performance clothes were tried on. However, the "ask" that Cheng Yingzhi had promised to ask fell on deaf ears, and there was no response anymore.
On the surface, Zhou Ai continued to cooperate with the team, but his eyes drifted to the silent mobile phone screen from time to time.
In the interval between trying on the last set of clothes, he couldn't help but pick up his phone again, unlock it, and open WeChat - the conversation interface with Cheng Yingzhi was still stuck on his word "hmm", with nothing below.
He frowned and tapped his fingertips unconsciously on the cold screen.
The stylist who was helping him remove his makeup and try out his next look keenly noticed his absent-mindedness. While gently wiping his eyeliner with a cotton pad soaked in makeup remover, she smiled and asked softly, "Teacher Zhou, are you waiting for some important news?"
Zhou Ai raised her eyes and looked at the stylist in the mirror: "Is it obvious?"
The stylist smiled, not directly answering, but the meaning in that smile was self-evident. Her hands moved without pause, expertly cleaning the vibrant colors. "A little. You've been checking your phone much more than usual today."
Zhou Ai didn't say anything else, but his gaze once again fell on the overly quiet phone. The screen reflected his slightly furrowed brows and his eyes that seemed a little gloomy at the moment.
Cheng Yingzhi is so unreliable...it takes so long to ask for contact information?
————
Almost immediately after Cheng Yingzhi said "Okay, I'll ask," he was overwhelmed by a strong sense of regret.
He tossed his phone on the desk, leaned back heavily in his large leather executive chair, and loosened his tie irritably. Even though the air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature, he felt strangely hot.
He agreed too quickly. Why did he suddenly give in and follow Zhou Ai's perverse logic of "the person who tied the bell must untie it" and agree?
When has Zhou Ai ever been so particular about something as trivial as removing stitches?
He broke a bone while rock climbing before, but he never insisted on asking a specialist for a follow-up consultation.
This time, he just had a small cut on his forehead, but he was being pretentious and even specifically asked Chu Yi to remove it?
Cheng Yingzhi's fingers tapped unconsciously on the smooth mahogany table, making a dull clicking sound.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Behind Zhou Ai's lazy tone, there seemed to be something else hidden that he couldn't figure out at the moment.
Call Chu Yi directly? What should I say?
He said, "Chu Yi, that... Zhou Ai, my childhood friend, wants you to help him remove his stitches. Did I send him your WeChat?"
This sounds absolutely stupid.
What would Chu Yi think? His brother's mind was as clear as crystal, and he could keenly detect any aberration.
Cheng Yingzhi could almost imagine Chu Yi's reaction upon receiving such a request. He'd probably be silent for a few seconds, a faint hint of doubt flickering across those usually calm eyes. Then, out of politeness and basic respect for his brother, he'd reply in that cool, emotionless voice, "Yes, sure. Ask him to add me."
Yes, Chu Yi will most likely agree.
He has always been like this. No matter who makes the request and it is not excessive, he will always maintain a decent concession even if he may not be willing in his heart.
But this is exactly what makes Cheng Yingzhi feel even more uncomfortable.
He didn't want Chu Yi to have to deal with Zhou Ai's approach, which was obviously accompanied by ulterior motives, because of him.
It was true that Zhou Ai was his best brother. They had shouldered burdens together, gotten drunk together, and knew each other inside and out.
But precisely because he knew him so well, he was aware of how much aggressiveness Zhou Ai hid beneath his seemingly nonchalant exterior, and how determined he would be to never let go once he locked onto a target.
How could one withstand Chu Yi's cold and aloof personality?
An extremely strange feeling spread in Cheng Yingzhi's heart, empty, with a bit of inexplicable sourness and... a kind of vigilance like protecting a calf?
This feels so strange.
It was like the precious white camellia that you carefully cared for and grew in a glass greenhouse at home. It was clearly not yet in bloom, but was suddenly spotted by a wild boar outside with a keen sense of smell and unruly behavior. The boar was snorting and circling around it, and even tried to nudge it with its nose.
Although the "wild boar" was wearing the gorgeous fur of the top star and had the capital that countless people envied, Cheng Yingzhi just felt inexplicably... unworthy!
Bah! The painting style is wrong! How can it be related to Chu Yi's ice and Zhou Ai's fire?
He scratched his hair irritably, picked up his phone, opened the dialog box with Chu Yi, and with his finger hovering over the input box, he typed a few words and deleted them, repeating this several times. Finally, he threw the phone back on the table in frustration.
How the hell was he supposed to start this? How could this feeling be more troubling to him than negotiating a multi-million dollar merger and acquisition?
Cheng Yingzhi stared at the ceiling and let out a long, depressed breath.
He thought he must be crazy, which was why he had this outrageous delusion that "the cabbages in his own garden were being eaten by pigs".
——————
After working an all-night emergency room shift, Chu Yi's physical strength and energy were strained to the limit. After handing over his shift, his eyelids felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, and he didn't even want to take another step.
Almost relying on muscle memory, he swiped his card, went upstairs, and walked into the luxury apartment just across the street from the hospital. It was one of the properties under Cheng Yingzhi's name and also his "refuge" where he could rest temporarily when he was extremely tired.
The room was silent, with the thick blackout curtains tightly blocking out all light and noise from the outside.
Chu Yi didn't even turn on the lights. He took off his shoes in the dark and threw himself heavily onto the overly soft sofa in the living room. He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.
I slept soundly, and when I regained consciousness, I was woken by the constant vibration of my phone in my pocket.
He frowned, struggled hard to wake up from his deep sleepiness, and took out his cell phone.
The glaring light from the screen made him squint uncomfortably. It took him a while to see clearly that there were several missed calls from Cheng Yingzhi, as well as several WeChat messages sent at long intervals.
【Are you awake?】
Are you busy?
[…It’s okay, you’re busy.]
The tone of the message was cautious, unusually polite, and even a little incoherent.
Chu Yi rubbed his aching temples. The fatigue from the night shift was still etched in his bones. He leaned on the armrest of the sofa and lazily typed a reply:
"You didn't really install surveillance cameras in your house, did you? Why do you always call me on time every time I come to rest?"
Not long after the message was sent, Cheng Yingzhi called immediately.
The voice coming from the receiver was slightly nervous: "...Awake? I thought you were so busy that you suddenly died... You haven't replied in such a long time."
Chu Yi remained silent without any emotion: "..." Then he asked directly, "What's going on?"
He knew Cheng Yingzhi too well. This kind of roundabout opening usually meant that it was followed by a request that he didn't want to hear but had to make.
Sure enough, Cheng Yingzhi started hesitating and rambling on the other end of the phone, asking about everything from the weather to meals, from whether he was tired from work to whether he had met any strange people recently. The topic was so roundabout that it made people lose patience.
As Chu Yi listened, his brows furrowed more and more, and the last bit of sleepiness he had was worn away by this meaningless phone call.
He interrupted the other party's rambling, his voice hoarse from an all-nighter and a hint of impatience: "Please state your purpose directly so I can think of a way to refuse."
The call was stuck for a moment and fell into an awkward silence.
A few seconds later, a busy tone came from the receiver - Cheng Yingzhi actually hung up the phone.
Chu Yi looked at the call interface that was inexplicably hung up, raised his eyebrows, and sent a question mark.
Without waiting for a reply, he threw his phone aside, got up and went into the bathroom.
The warm water washed over the body, dispelling some of the fatigue and clearing up the chaotic brain.
When he came out, wiping his hair and picking up his phone again, he saw the long-awaited core message that Cheng Yingzhi had finally sent:
[Um... Zhou Ai wants your contact information. He said he's here to remove the stitches. Is it available to you?]
Chu Yi paused while wiping his hair, and his gaze lingered on the line of words for a few seconds.
He didn't reply immediately, but picked up the hair dryer and slowly dried his half-wet hair thoroughly.
After the humming sound of the wind stopped and the room returned to silence, he picked up his phone and replied with two simple words: [OK.]
Almost instantly, Cheng Yingzhi's message popped up again, his tone filled with an eagerness that only made it more obvious:
[If you feel reluctant, you don't have to add him! Seriously! No need to do it for my sake!]
Chu Yi looked at the message, a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes, as if he didn't quite understand Cheng Yingzhi's overly exaggerated reaction.
He tapped his fingertips on the screen and replied calmly and objectively: "I've added at least a hundred patients, if not a thousand. It's okay."
This sentence seemed to have magical power. When Cheng Yingzhi on the other side of the screen looked at this line of words, his tense shoulders relaxed instantly, his frowning brows completely relaxed, and he even grinned involuntarily.
That's right! How could he forget! Chu Yi is a doctor! In his eyes, a patient is a patient. No matter if he is a superstar or a top star, he is just a name in his workbook.
To Chu Yi, Zhou Ai was no different from those Zhang San and Li Si who needed follow-up visits and stitches removed! His previous worry was just a waste of worry!
Cheng Da Shao's mood suddenly brightened up. His fingers moved quickly on the screen, and he forwarded Chu Yi's WeChat business card to Zhou Ai without hesitation, even adding a sentence:
[Here, add it yourself. Just say I gave it to you.]
His tone was so relaxed, as if he was not the one who was worried about gains and losses just now.
But what Cheng Yingzhi didn't know was that Chu Yi had previously rejected Zhou Ai's request.
As for why he agreed this time, it was because Chu Yi felt that refusing again would only make him seem to have something to hide.
The same rhetoric not only convinced Cheng Yingzhi, but also convinced himself.
He just needs to treat Zhou Ai as an ordinary patient, and everything will make sense.
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