Chapter 19 "Doctor Chu, you saved another person today."
On the day of the stitches removal, Zhou Ai arrived at the hospital right on time. He was still dressed in a low-key black casual suit, his hat pulled low, and his mask covering his face tightly.
But his tall figure and that unignorable aura still attracted the attention of people in the corridor.
He found the dressing room of the surgical outpatient clinic with familiarity, but did not see Chu Yi in the reserved clinic. There was only a slightly anxious nurse inside.
"Excuse me, is Doctor Chu Yichu here?" Zhou Ai knocked on the open door, his voice coming through the mask, sounding a little muffled.
The nurse looked up and saw him. She was stunned for a moment, as if she recognized him, but she wasn't sure. She said quickly, "Doctor Chu... he was just called to Clinic No. 3 to deal with an urgent matter. Please wait a moment, he should be almost done."
Zhou Ai nodded slightly, said nothing, and leaned against the wall by the door, waiting. He didn't like the crowded and crowded hospital environment, but at this moment, he was surprisingly patient.
However, within a few minutes, a sharp quarrel and the sound of things falling suddenly came from the other end of the corridor, mixed with women's screams and men's roars, and the chaotic sound waves were rapidly approaching.
"It's in Clinic No. 3!" The nurse's face changed, and she stood up suddenly and ran out.
Zhou Ai frowned, feeling that this might be related to Chu Yi. Without thinking, he took a step forward and followed.
A few people had gathered at the entrance to Clinic No. 3, but none dared to get too close. The room was a mess, with medical records scattered across the floor. A stocky, red-faced man was waving his arms excitedly. In front of him, Chu Yi was standing in front of a young nurse, her face pale with fear and tears streaming down her face.
"You are a bunch of fucking quacks! You are just swindlers! I spent so much money and it's useless! It hurts me to death!" The man roared with saliva flying, his eyes cloudy and frantic, obviously in an extremely irrational state.
Chu Yi stood straight, his white coat still neat amidst the chaos, but his expression was as cold as ice. Undeterred by the other man's aura, he spoke in a remarkably steady voice, "Sir, please calm down. We've explained your problem repeatedly, and the treatment plan will take time to take effect. If you have any objections, we can communicate normally through the medical department, rather than disrupting order here and startling other patients and medical staff."
"Communication bullshit! You are all in the same group!" The man didn't listen at all. Instead, he was provoked even more furious by Chu Yi's calm attitude.
His scarlet eyes darted around, and suddenly he saw a small knife on the disposal cart next to him. He pounced and grabbed it in his hand.
"Ah——!" A cry of surprise was heard all around, and the crowd shrank back in horror.
The man held the knife, gesturing wildly, the tip of the knife pointed directly at Chu Yi and the nurse behind him, and uttered dirty words: "Damn it! If you don't give me an explanation today, no one will have a good life! I don't want to live anymore! I'm dragging you down with me!"
The cold metal light flickered under the light, full of threat.
Chu Yi's eyes suddenly became fierce. Instead of retreating, he blocked the nurse who was shaking with fear and subconsciously clutching the back of his white coat.
He could even clearly feel the fear of the girl behind him. Her hands were gripping his clothes so tightly that her nails were almost biting through the fabric.
"Doctor Chu... Doctor Chu..." The young nurse's voice was filled with tears and extreme fear.
Chu Yi didn't look back, his entire attention focused on the man with the knife. He whispered to the person behind him in the calmest possible tone, "Don't be afraid. Back off and find a chance to escape."
"You are a bunch of fucking quacks! You are just swindlers! I spent so much money and it's useless! It hurts me to death!" The man roared with saliva flying, his eyes cloudy and frantic.
"Ah——!" As the man moved, screams were heard from all around.
The man, holding the knife, stabbed Chu Yi and the nurse behind him like he had lost his mind! His movements were fast and fierce!
In a split second, Chu Yi's eyes glared, his reaction incredibly fast. Without retreating, he dodged the blade with precision, then raised his right leg swiftly and powerfully, delivering a clean, sideways kick that struck the man's wrist, where he held the knife!
"Ah!" The man cried out in pain, and the knife flew out of his hand with a clang.
Before the other man could react, Chu Yi delivered another kick, slamming it into the knee. The man lost his balance and fell heavily to his knees with a thud.
The whole process took only two or three seconds, so fast that it was dazzling.
"Let's go!" Chu Yi immediately took the opportunity to push the completely frightened nurse behind him towards the door, making sure she was out of the danger zone.
The man fell to the ground in pain, his wrists and knees aching. He lost all reason, only rage and humiliation remained. He struggled to raise his head, staring at Chu Yi with a ferocious face, roaring:
"You dare to hit me?! Damn it! The doctor hit someone! I saw it! I'm going to sue you! I'm going to make you take off this white skin! Just wait!!"
He repeatedly yelled "I'm going to sue you" and used foul language.
Chu Yi simply glanced at him coldly, as if looking at some insignificant filth. He even smoothed over the hem of his white coat, which had become slightly disheveled from his movements, his demeanor calm and almost indifferent.
The surrounding noise and the men's shouting seemed to have nothing to do with him.
Everyone inside and outside the clinic breathed a sigh of relief.
The nurse's legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed. A colleague rushed over to support her and comforted her softly. Still pale, she looked at Chu Yi, her eyes filled with gratitude and fear. "Doctor Chu... Thank you..."
Chu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing. He turned and nodded to the nurse, his voice returning to its usual calm, though upon closer inspection, a subtle hint of relief lingered. "It's all right. Go get some rest first, and calm down."
He lowered his head to straighten his wrinkled white coat, and when he raised his eyes, his gaze happened to meet Zhou Ai, who was standing at the door and looking at him quietly.
Their eyes met.
Zhou Ai's gaze was deep, with an indescribable scrutiny and inquiry, as if he was truly looking at him for the first time, penetrating that calm and professional shell and seeing something else.
Chu Yi obviously did not expect Zhou Ai to appear here, and he also witnessed the chaos just now.
A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, but was quickly covered by his usual indifference. He just nodded imperceptibly at Zhou Ai as a greeting.
The surrounding noise seemed to become a vague background sound.
Zhou Ai looked at Chu Yi, his mind still recollecting the scene of him pulling the nurse behind him to face danger. He twisted his fingers unconsciously in his pockets, then walked over and stopped in front of Chu Yi.
"Doctor Chu," Zhou Ai said, her voice a little deeper than usual, "It seems your class is quite exciting."
"Earn some hard-earned money." Chu Yi replied in a low voice, with a hint of imperceptible fatigue in his voice.
He sat down on the bench behind him that luckily hadn't been overturned, leaned forward slightly, rested his elbows on his knees, lowered his head and took two deep breaths.
The lightning-fast fight and the highly tense spirit just now turned into a feeling of exhaustion, and my heart was beating heavily in my chest.
Zhou Ai leaned on the edge of the table beside her, with her long legs casually resting, watching him calm down quietly without disturbing him.
After a while, Zhou Ai finally moved. He reached into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out an unopened bottle of electrolyte drink. Tiny water droplets still condensed on the bottle, clearly having been purchased recently.
He handed it over, and the bottle gently touched Chu Yi's arm.
Chu Yi raised his head, the strands of hair on his forehead were a little messy due to his previous actions, and there was still a trace of daze in his eyes that had not completely faded away, as he looked at the bottle of drink handed to him, and then followed the bony hand to look at its owner.
Zhou Ai leaned there, raised his eyebrows at Chu Yi, and motioned him to take it.
Chu Yi's gaze lingered on the bottle of drink and Zhou Ai's face for two seconds before he seemed to come back to his senses.
His eyelashes fluttered slightly, hiding the last trace of emotion in his eyes, and then he reached out to take the bottle. The cool touch passed through his palm, slightly suppressing the palpitations in his heart.
"Thank you." His voice returned to its usual steady state, just a little hoarse than usual.
He unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back and took a few sips. The cool liquid slid down his throat, and indeed made him more awake.
Zhou Ai watched his Adam's apple roll, watched him slowly put down the water bottle, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold bottle, and then he spoke slowly. No emotion could be heard in his tone, but his eyes were still locked on Chu Yi: "You have good skills. Have you practiced?"
Chu Yi placed the water bottle on the nearby disposal cart and pressed his knuckles between his brows, seeming a little weary. "I used to practice self-defense for a few days at school..." he replied casually, clearly unwilling to discuss further.
Zhou Ai's lips curled up slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't ask any further questions. His gaze swept across the messy clinic and the crowd outside that was gradually dispersing but still whispering, and finally fell back on Chu Yi.
"Looks like we can't remove this thread today?" he asked. The commotion here was too loud, and it would be impossible to resume normal medical treatment for a while.
Chu Yi also looked around and frowned. Security and department heads who had rushed over after hearing the news were handling the aftermath. The man who had caused trouble had been taken away, but the mess he left behind would take time to clean up.
After a while, Chu Yi's hair was a little disheveled, but his eyes had calmed down again, regaining his usual composure. He looked at Zhou Ai and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you busy today?"
Zhou Ai's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if a little surprised by his question, but she still replied, "I'm not busy. Today's time is reserved for removing stitches."
Chu Yi nodded. "If you don't mind, wait for me for a few minutes. I'll take care of the finishing touches here, it will be quick. Then..." He paused, "Let's go to my office to remove your stitches. This place is temporarily unusable."
The clinic was indeed a mess and needed to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, so no operations could be performed for a short period of time.
Zhou Ai looked at Chu Yi. His white coat was slightly wrinkled from his previous actions, but his expression had completely calmed down. The corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he replied readily, "Okay."
Zhou Ai stood up straight and added calmly, "I'll wait for you in your office."
After saying this, he raised his hand very naturally and lightly tapped the half-drunk electrolyte drink bottle that Chu Yi had placed aside with his fingertips, as if making a silent mark.
Then, without waiting for Chu Yi's response, he adjusted the brim of his hat, turned around and walked towards the doctor's office as if he knew the way.
Chu Yi looked at Zhou Ai's back as he left, then glanced at the bottle of drink that Zhou Ai had touched with his fingertips. A trace of fluctuation flashed in his eyes, so faint that he himself didn't even notice it.
But he quickly retracted his gaze, took a deep breath, stood up, and devoted himself to dealing with the chaos in front of him.
Chu Yi had a quick conversation with the security guard and department director who arrived, comforted the frightened nurse, and briefly explained the follow-up matters.
The whole process was efficient and calm, as if the previous episode had not affected him at all.
About ten minutes later, Chu Yi returned to his office. The door was ajar. He pushed it open and saw Zhou Ai sitting in a chair across from his desk. He was relaxed, casually flipping through a medical journal. He raised his eyes lazily when he heard the door open.
"Is it done?" Zhou Ai closed the journal and put it back where it belonged.
"Yeah," Chu Yi replied, closing the door behind him gently, shutting out the noise outside. He walked to the sink, squeezed out disinfectant, and carefully cleaned his hands. The sound of running water was particularly clear in the quiet office.
Zhou Ai's eyes discreetly surveyed the office. It was neat, simple, and almost devoid of personal touches. Only the densely packed shelves of professional books and the neatly stacked medical records on the desks filled the air with the faint scent of disinfectant and paper, perfectly matching the impression Chu Yi gave people.
Chu Yi dried his hands, took out a sterile dressing bag from the cabinet, and walked in front of Zhou Ai: "Come on."
Zhou Ai cooperated by slightly tilting his head, turning his injured forehead towards the direction with better lighting.
The lighting in the office was softer than in the clinic. Chu Yi unwrapped the package and expertly donned sterile gloves. The tweezers and scissors seemed remarkably steady in his hands. He leaned in slightly, moving closer, his gaze fixed on the wound, his breath soft and gentle as he brushed against Zhou Ai's forehead.
Zhou Ai could clearly smell the clean scent of disinfectant on Chu Yi, mixed with a faint, refreshing scent, perhaps from shampoo. He could see Chu Yi's drooping eyelashes, and the calm eyes that now held only him and the wound that needed treatment.
The stitch removal process was swift and almost painless. Chu Yi's movements were precise and gentle, carrying a professional, soothing power.
"Alright." Chu Yi stood up, threw the used instruments into the medical waste bin, and took off his gloves. "The wound is healing well. Keep it clean and don't get it wet for now."
"Yeah." Zhou Ai raised his hand and gently touched his already smooth forehead. Looking at Chu Yi who was packing up his things, he suddenly spoke, his tone lacking any emotion, "Doctor Chu, you saved another life today."
Chu Yi paused and looked up at him.
Zhou Ai met his gaze, the corners of her mouth curling up in a meaningful arc: "Although the method is rather special."
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