Chapter 44 "Doctor Chu, my heart seems to be sick again."
The drizzle was still falling in the mountains, and the air was filled with mist, shrouding the terraces and mountains in the distance in a hazy mist.
On the muddy path, Zhou Ai held up an umbrella, trying to tilt it as much as possible towards Chu Yi. But the cool breeze still blew raindrops towards Chu Yi's face.
Although Chu Yi is 1.8 meters tall, he still looks "shorter" when standing next to Zhou Ai, who is nearly 1.92 meters tall. The height and angle of the umbrella seem to be not quite right.
When raindrops fell on his face, Chu Yi felt a slight chill and would subconsciously shrink his neck.
Zhou Ai also noticed this problem. He quietly adjusted the angle of his wrist, tilting the umbrella more obviously towards Chu Yi, almost completely covering Chu Yi, but his left shoulder was exposed to the rain.
Chu Yi noticed the tilt of the umbrella, turned sideways to glance at the water mark on Zhou Ai's left shoulder, and couldn't help but say: "You don't have to tilt it like this, or your shoulder will get wet."
Zhou Ai didn't stop, but glanced at him sideways. Suddenly, he stopped, switched the umbrella to his left hand, then naturally put his right hand around Chu Yi's shoulders and brought him to his side.
"Why don't you come closer," Zhou Ai's voice, with a smile, rang in Chu Yi's ears, "so that we won't get wet in the rain."
The distance between the two was instantly pulled very close, their arms pressed against each other. Chu Yi could even feel the warm body temperature from Zhou Ai's arm and the pleasant scent from Zhou Ai.
It has a refreshing shower gel scent, mixed with a unique, crisp scent similar to green oranges after rain, which is clean and impressive.
Chu Yi was startled by the sudden approach. He subconsciously turned his head to say something, but his forehead unexpectedly bumped into Zhou Ai's right shoulder. The touch was firm and warm, and the pleasant scent enveloped him even more strongly.
He was distracted for a moment, not paying attention to his feet, and was about to step into a small pit filled with mud and water.
"Hey! Be careful!"
Zhou Ai noticed him staggering, and the hand on his shoulder quickly slid down, firmly holding his waist, while at the same time pulling him into her arms.
Chu Yi was completely unprepared. He hugged the medicine box tighter in his arms and fell completely into Zhou Ai's arms.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
The mountain rain is fine and gentle, hitting the black umbrella surface, making a small and regular "tick-tick" sound, a bit like the perfect accompaniment.
Tick-tick-tick-tick-
Chu Yi raised his head slightly, and Zhou Ai lowered his head slightly.
Their eyes met, so close.
Chu Yi could even clearly see the tiny water droplets on Zhou Ai's long eyelashes, and his own shadow reflected in his deep peach blossom eyes.
His waist was tightly wrapped by Zhou Ai's arms. Even through a layer of clothes, he could clearly feel the strength and warmth of that hand.
Zhou Ai held the umbrella steadily with his other hand, creating a small world for them where there was only the sound of each other's breathing.
All the sounds around them faded away, leaving only the sound of rain hitting the umbrella and the two people's suddenly uncontrollable heartbeats.
Zhou Ai's eyes were fixed on Chu Yi, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, and his voice became much deeper and hoarse than usual.
"Teacher Chu..."
"I seem to be...sick again."
Chu Yi's mind was still in a blank state, and he was even more confused by his nonsensical words. He asked back blankly, "Where...are you sick?"
Zhou Ai's gaze remained fixed on him, and he slowly raised his free hand, accurately finding Chu Yi's hand, which was slightly curled up due to nervousness and was resting on the edge of the medicine box.
His palm was warm and dry, and with a reassuring strength, he gently held Chu Yi's slightly cold fingers.
He took Chu Yi's hand and slowly touched the area on his left chest where his heart was.
Through the denim jacket and the shirt underneath, Chu Yi's palm could clearly feel Zhou Ai's heart beating again and again, so strong and powerful that it was even a little too fast.
Bang—bang—bang—
The heartbeat was fast and heavy, pounding against his palm.
Zhou Ai stared into Chu Yi's shocked and confused eyes, and spoke word by word in a low and clear voice, with a kind of fateful confusion and frankness:
"Teacher Chu, why do you say..."
"Every time I see you, my heart... becomes all messed up?"
Chu Yi's palm was forced to press against Zhou Ai's chest. The violent heartbeat seemed to carry an electric current, which instantly ran through his fingertips, burned along his arm all the way to his heart, causing a violent resonance.
His breath suddenly stopped, his pupils slightly dilated, clearly reflecting Zhou Ai's face close to him, which was full of seriousness and confusion.
The rain was dripping, the space under the umbrella was cramped and ambiguous, and the air seemed to become sticky.
Zhou Ai's heartbeats came through clearly, fast and heavy, telling without reservation of some kind of loss of control that was beyond the physiological range.
"You..." Chu Yi opened his mouth, but found that his voice was very dry. "Maybe you walked too fast just now, or... you caught a cold from the rain."
Even at this time, Chu Yi's reason still allowed him to remain a little sober.
He tried to explain the abnormal heartbeat with the most scientific reason, but his voice trembled slightly as he tried to pull his hand back.
However, Zhou Ai became more aggressive and held it even tighter, not giving Chu Yi any chance to escape.
He lowered his head, his eyes still fixed on Chu Yi. He shook his head, his tone filled with stubborn seriousness: "No. It's not because of walking, nor because of the rain."
As Zhou Ai spoke, he lowered his head even lower, his hair almost brushing against Chu Yi's forehead. His voice also lowered, carrying an almost bewitching magnetism:
“It started when I saw you.”
"It started when you handed me the hair dryer."
"It started when you told me to take medicine."
"It starts from... now, when you are in my arms."
He counted them one by one clearly and distinctly, and each word was like a small hammer, gently knocking on Chu Yi's heart.
"It only does this to you, Chuyi."
For the first time, Zhou Ai addressed him by his full name, her tone filled with an almost helpless frankness and confusion. "Tell me, if I'm not sick, what is it?"
Chu Yi was completely frozen, forgetting to struggle or react.
Zhou Ai's straightforwardness was like a sharp blade, splitting through all disguises and excuses, leaving everything naked under the umbrella on this rainy day.
At this moment, Chu Yi felt as if his heart was infected by Zhou Ai's violent heartbeat, pounding against his chest and making his eardrums buzz.
The world outside the umbrella was still gloomy and rainy, but the world under the umbrella seemed to have been paused, leaving only the intertwined breathing of the two people and the heartbeat that could not be ignored like a drum.
Chu Yi looked into Zhou Ai's deep eyes, which clearly reflected his own panic and helplessness.
He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say a word.
Rejection? Denial? Or...
Zhou Ai looked down at Chu Yi's blushing ears and flickering eyes. He did not ask any more questions, but gently loosened his hand, but still did not let go of the arm around his waist.
"Doctor Chu," he suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between them, just enough to be at eye level with Chu Yi's face.
He whispered with a sigh, his warm breath brushing against Chu Yi's lips, "This disease... can you cure it?"
The air under the umbrella seemed to freeze, leaving only Zhou Ai's rhetorical question, with a hot breath, lingering on Chu Yi's lips.
"This disease...can you cure it?"
Chu Yi's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by these words, and then suddenly loosened, beating wildly almost out of control.
Zhou Ai's warm breath almost completely sprayed on his face, and he subconsciously held his breath.
But the tips of their noses were almost touching, a gesture that was too intimate and even a bit dependent, blocking all his escape routes.
Chu Yi could clearly smell the fresh scent mixed with the fragrance of shower gel on Zhou Ai's body, and could feel the still rapid heartbeat coming from his chest. The distance between them was even so close that he could count Zhou Ai's slightly trembling eyelashes.
Zhou Ai didn't say anything else, but just looked at him quietly with her deep peach blossom eyes, which were filled with undisguised expectation, a hint of uneasiness, and the kind of almost pure confusion that Chu Yi couldn't cope with - as if she was really asking him, the doctor, for treatment for an incurable "heart disease".
Chu Yi's fingers were still slightly curled up, and the warmth and beating touch of Zhou Ai's chest remained on his fingertips, and the feeling was lingering.
He opened his mouth, his throat tight, trying to find his voice, to find those rational, professional words that could break the weird atmosphere.
However, looking at Zhou Ai's eyes so close to him, all the words were stuck in his throat.
The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella became particularly clear, tick-tick, tick-tick, as if counting down the silent confrontation.
Just when Chu Yi felt like he was about to be driven mad by the silence and the pounding of his heart, Zhou Ai suddenly laughed softly. The laugh was low, with a hint of self-mockery and a hint of helplessness.
He stepped back a little, but did not loosen his hand around Chu Yi's waist. He just relaxed the strength a little, changing the restraint into a protective posture.
"Forget it," Zhou Ai's voice regained some of its usual laziness, but if you listened carefully, you could hear a subtle hint of tension and... compromise?
He looked away, at the hazy rain outside the umbrella, as if the person who had been pressing him so closely was not him. "It seems that Doctor Chu has no solution for this difficult and complicated disease."
He seemed to be trying to find a way out for himself, and also seemed to be giving Chu Yi some buffer time.
"Is the medicine box heavy? Let me get it." He changed the subject very naturally and reached out to take the medicine box that Chu Yi had been holding tightly in his arms. His movements were smooth, as if the earth-shattering conversation just now was just a brief episode in the rain.
Chu Yi stared at his sudden change in shock, unable to react for a moment. Zhou Ai easily took the medicine box from him, and his arm suddenly felt lighter.
Zhou Ai held the umbrella steadily in one hand and the medicine box in the other. He looked at Chu Yi again, a faint smile on his lips, seemingly no different from his usual smile: "Let's go, don't we have to go to the health station? If we delay any longer, Mr. Li will be waiting anxiously."
He spoke so naturally, as if the person who had just grabbed Chu Yi's hand, pressed it against his chest, and asked if he could be cured was not him at all.
Only the umbrella still stubbornly leaned towards Chu Yi, and his slightly red earlobes revealed the owner's uneasy heart.
Chu Yi looked at his profile, and the tension in his heart relaxed slightly, but then a more complex and indescribable emotion surged up. He nodded silently and took a step forward.
The rain was still falling, and the two walked side by side on the muddy road, sharing the space of an umbrella.
Silence spread in the rain, but it was no longer the stagnant and suffocating silence of the beginning. Instead, it was mixed with many unfinished words and a subtle and restless aftertaste after a violent heartbeat.
Zhou Ai didn't look at him again, but stared straight ahead, as if concentrating on leading the way.
Chu Yi tilted his head slightly and could see Zhou Ai's smooth jawline and Adam's apple that occasionally moved.
The sentence "Every time I see you, my heart is in turmoil?" and the last low sentence "Can you cure it?", like a looping note, kept echoing in his mind.
He knew that some things had changed since Zhou Ai asked that question.
Zhou Ai felt the subtle breathing sounds of the people around him, and the forced indifference on the corners of his mouth finally slowly fell, turning into a chuckle that no one saw, with a bit of nervousness and determination.
No rush.
He told himself.
At least he wasn't pushed away.
This is already... a very good start.
————
The two men delivered the rheumatism medicine they had brought to Uncle Li. After Chu Yi carefully instructed him on the usage and dosage, they realized belatedly that the rain had stopped quietly without them noticing.
The dark clouds dispersed, the sky became brighter, and even a faint ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds and sprinkled on the wet ground.
Zhou Ai folded up her open umbrella and shook off the water droplets. Chu Yi, standing nearby, clutching his medicine box, pondered for a few seconds before saying, "The rain has stopped. Why don't you... go back first?" He asked hesitantly, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhou Ai.
Zhou Ai paused as he folded his umbrella. He had certainly heard the subtext in Chu Yi's words, and he clearly remembered the nerve-wracking episode just now under the umbrella.
Just now, both of them tried hard to maintain superficial calm and ignore the awkward and ambiguous atmosphere, but they found that it was impossible to do so.
The air between the two of them seemed to become sensitive and sticky. Every glance and every unintentional approach could evoke memories of that violent heartbeat.
Zhou Ai curled her lips into a smile, folded her umbrella, looked at the now clear sky, and said in a calm tone, "Don't you still need to go to the health center? I'll go with you."
Chu Yi subconsciously opened his mouth to say something, but seeing Zhou Ai's frank gaze, he took back the words he wanted to refuse. In the end, he just nodded and said "OK."
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