Chapter 27 "... Chu Yi...did he take the wrong medicine today?!"
A few days later, Chu Yi had just finished an operation and changed out of his scrubs when he received a call from Chu Ruoyin.
Her tone on the phone remained cold. She simply told him to make time this weekend to meet with Xie Huaiming, the second son of the Xie family. The venue was set at an elegant members-only teahouse.
Chu Yi held the phone in silence for a few seconds. He knew what this meant; his mother's words that day weren't just casual remarks. Ultimately, he didn't argue, only mumbling, "I understand."
It was a sunny weekend afternoon. Chu Yi arrived at the teahouse hidden deep in the bamboo forest on time. He was led to a quiet private room by a waiter in a simple cheongsam.
When I opened the door, the person inside was already there.
Xie Huaiming looked up at the sound. He was wearing a well-tailored light gray suit, no tie, and the top button of his shirt was casually unbuttoned, looking both formal and casual.
He was originally looking at his cell phone, with a trace of weariness between his brows, as if he had just come out of busy official duties, and it seemed that he did not have much expectation for this arranged meeting.
However, when his eyes fell on Chu Yi who walked in, that trace of fatigue was instantly replaced by surprise, and then turned into undisguised amazement.
Chu Yi wore only a simple white cotton shirt and light-colored casual trousers today, exuding the fresh, sunny air of the outdoors. His hair hung softly across his forehead, accentuating his fair complexion and refreshing aura.
He is like an ink painting with delicate brushstrokes, completely different from the arrogance or smoothness commonly seen in this flashy circle. He has a quiet, restrained, yet very impactful good look.
Xie Huaiming stood up almost immediately, his once formal smile becoming more genuine. He extended his hand, "Doctor Chu? Hello, I'm Xie Huaiming. I've heard a lot about you."
Chu Yi nodded slightly, stretched out his hand and shook his gently before releasing it, his fingertips slightly cold. "Hello, Mr. Xie."
His voice was clear and calm, without much emotion.
The two of them sat down. The waiter quietly came in and brewed a pot of the best Jin Jun Mei tea. The lingering aroma of tea temporarily eased the slight awkwardness of their first meeting.
Xie Huaiming was the first to break the silence. He smiled and shook his head, his tone filled with self-deprecation and frankness. "To be honest, before I came here, my mother lectured me about how outstanding the second son of the Cheng family was. I was wondering which family of dandy I needed to deal with... After meeting Doctor Chu today, I realized how narrow-minded I was."
His eyes fell on Chu Yi's face, and he said admiringly: "Doctor Chu is very different from what I imagined."
Chu Yi picked up the teacup, the lingering steam blurring his overly calm expression. He blew on it gently, took a sip, and then looked up at Xie Huaiming, his tone still calm. "Mr. Xie, you're too kind. I'm just an ordinary person."
"People who can earn a doctorate and even wield a knife on an operating table are anything but ordinary." Xie Huaiming leaned forward slightly, appearing very interested. "Especially in our circle, those who can calmly devote themselves to academic research and technical development are rare. I truly admire them."
He spoke sincerely, not in a perfunctory way. Having just returned from abroad to take over the family pharmaceutical company, he understood the importance of technology and R&D, and he placed a premium on truly talented individuals.
Chu Yi undoubtedly meets all of these requirements, not to mention that he has such outstanding appearance and calm temperament.
In the following conversation, Xie Huaiming led the topic.
He is humorous and knowledgeable. He talks about everything from the latest developments in the medical industry to interesting stories from abroad, without making people feel bored or oppressed.
Xie Huaiming was obviously very interested in Chu Yi, and most of his questions revolved around his work and studies. He handled the issue in a just right manner and did not touch upon any uncomfortable privacy.
Chu Yi was mostly a quiet listener, occasionally responding briefly but always to the point, displaying a keenness and depth that belied his appearance. He wasn't outgoing, but he maintained a well-mannered and polite demeanor that didn't make anyone feel left out.
Xie Huaiming became more and more interested as he looked at his long eyelashes when he lowered his eyes to pour tea, and his eyes that occasionally lit up when he talked about his professional field.
He originally thought that this was just an inevitable and boring family gathering, but he didn't expect to actually meet such a special "clear stream".
"Doctor Chu, do you have any hobbies? You must be very busy after work, and you always need to relax." Xie Huaiming asked with a smile, trying to know more.
Chu Yi put down his teacup, thought for a moment, and replied, "I'm a rather dull person. I don't have any special hobbies."
Just as he finished speaking, Chu Yi's cell phone vibrated in his pocket, the buzzing sound seemed a bit abrupt in the quiet tea room.
He took it out and saw the words "Qi Yuan" jumping on the screen.
Chu Yi frowned slightly and gave Xie Huaiming an apologetic look: "Sorry, Mr. Xie, I have to take a call."
"Go ahead." Xie Huaiming nodded with a smile, his demeanor still calm.
Chu Yi had just pressed the answer button and before he could put the phone close to his ear, Qi Yuan's extremely penetrating and excited voice exploded. Even Xie Huaiming, who was sitting opposite him, vaguely heard a few key words.
"Xiaoyi! Brother Yi! My good brother! Tell Brother Yingzhi quickly! Have you agreed to invest in my health tea? One million! Is that right? Tell him now! He doesn't believe it! He insists on you saying it in person!"
Chu Yi: “…”
He subconsciously glanced at Xie Huaiming opposite him. The other party was holding a teacup elegantly, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth. He didn't know how much he had heard.
Chu Yi took a deep breath, tried to keep his voice steady, and confirmed concisely into the microphone: "Yes. It's true. I'm busy, I'll tell you later."
As soon as Chu Yi finished speaking, Qi Yuan on the other end of the phone was like a lit firecracker. Instead of calming down, he became even more excited. His voice came through the receiver clearly, with an exaggerated crying tone and questioning:
"Busy? What are you busy with?! I checked your schedule! You clearly have today off! Chu Yi, I'm telling you, don't try to fool me! Tell me! Do you have another dog out there? Do you not love me anymore? That's why you're so perfunctory even when I call you!"
“…”
Chu Yi's ears instantly turned a barely perceptible shade of red. He could clearly feel the gaze of Xie Huaiming across from him. He almost subconsciously turned sideways and covered the receiver of the mobile phone tightly with his hand, trying to block out Qi Yuan's unreliable howling.
He lowered his voice and said quickly into the microphone: "No. Don't guess. I'll call you later."
However, Qi Yuan's intuition is sometimes terrifyingly sharp, especially when it comes to Chu Yi's "abnormality".
The more Chu Yi avoided him, the more suspicious he became. He started yelling wildly, his voice still faintly audible even when it was muffled:
"No! Your tone is wrong! You're hesitating! You're not usually like this! Let me guess... You're not really going on a blind date behind my back, are you?! Right now?! Are you?!"
Chu Yi didn't expect that Qi Yuan, this guy's bad mouth, could always guess correctly.
He was not good at lying to Qi Yuan, especially under the other party's unreasonable questioning, a rare trace of panic flashed across his eyes.
Chu Yi took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice as steady and calm as usual. He confirmed concisely into the microphone, his tone even carrying a subtle hint of helplessness: "Yes. It's true."
In order to prevent Qi Yuan from continuing to shout out more outrageous details, he immediately added: "I'm busy, I'll talk later." Then he hung up the phone without waiting for Qi Yuan's response.
He could even imagine the scene on the other end of the phone with Qi Yuan gesticulating and Cheng Ying looking disbelieving.
Chu Yi put the phone back on the table and looked at Xie Huaiming again. His expression had returned to his usual calm, as if he had just dealt with a trivial incident. "Sorry, Mr. Xie, let's continue."
The tea room has returned to its previous tranquil atmosphere.
On the other end of the phone, in Cheng Yingzhi's studio, Qi Yuan was on speakerphone, and Chu Yi's clear and calm voice said, "Yes. It's true."
Four words echoed in the air.
Qi Yuan's chin was almost raised to the sky with pride: "Did you hear that! Did you hear that! Cheng Yingzhi! Hurry up! Double it! Two million! Keep your word!"
Cheng Yingzhi scratched his ear in disbelief, looked at his phone, then looked at Qi Yuan, who had an "I knew it a long time ago" expression on his face. After a long while, he managed to utter:
"... Chu Yi...did he take the wrong medicine today?!"
A million-dollar investment? A "life-saving tea" for Qi Yuan?
This was more unbelievable to him than the sun rising from the west.
However, before Cheng Yingzhi could digest the explosive news of "Chuyi's investment of one million", his brain seemed to have suddenly delayed processing another more critical piece of information -
Didn’t Chu Yi just say… “I’m busy”?
And what Qi Yuan yelled before was... "You're not really going on a blind date behind my back, are you?!"
And Chu Yi's final confirmation... "Yeah. It's true."
…
…
…
The air was dead silent for five full seconds.
Cheng Yingzhi and Qi Yuan stood there stiffly, like two statues that had suddenly been petrified.
Their eyes met blankly in the air.
Each other's pupils reflected the other's shocked face, which was full of "Who am I, where am I, and what do I hear?"
Next second.
"Chu Yi? Blind date?"
Two completely different but equally horrified voices suddenly rose in pitch and burst out almost simultaneously, exploding in the quiet studio, as sharp and piercing as the sounds of dolphins.
"Did I fucking hear you right?!" Cheng Yingzhi suddenly threw the photo in his hand and grabbed Qi Yuan's shoulders and shook him madly. "Did he just admit it?! Did he say 'it's true'?! Regarding your question about 'are you on a blind date'?! Huh?!"
Qi Yuan was dizzy from being dazzled by him, but the shock on his face didn't diminish at all, it was even more exaggerated. He grabbed Cheng Yingzhi's arm with his backhand, his voice trembling: "Yes, yes, yes! He admitted it! He actually admitted it! Chu Yi! That Chu Yi! He actually went on a blind date?! It's going to rain red! A comet is going to hit the earth! Brother Yingzhi, pinch me! I must be dreaming!"
Cheng Yingzhi pinched his arm without any hesitation.
“Ouch!”
Qi Yuan screamed in pain, but the shock in his eyes was quickly replaced by an extremely complex mixture of disappointment that "the cabbage in his own garden actually took the initiative to push the pig" and excitement that "this is simply the biggest gossip of the century."
"He really went... He actually went..." Qi Yuan covered his red, pinched arm and turned in circles. "Who is that person? The Xie family? Which Xie family? What does he look like? A man or a woman? ... Why did Xiaoyi agree to go? Did Aunt Ruoyin force him to go again? No, no! I have to go and see!"
Cheng Yingzhi finally regained consciousness from his petrified state, his face also filled with disbelief and a burning desire for gossip. He grabbed the car keys and said, "Let's go!"
"Wait!" Qi Yuan suddenly grabbed him, a sly smile on his face, "Let's not act rashly! First, call Brother Yan Qing to get some military intelligence!"
The two heads immediately came together, staring at Qi Yuan's mobile phone, their faces filled with excitement as if they had discovered a new world and excitement to make trouble.
The one million investment was instantly destroyed by the nuclear-level news that "Chu Yi is actually on a blind date".
———
After two pots of tea, time passed quietly.
Xie Huaiming glanced at his watch. Although he was still not satisfied, he was considerate enough not to take up too much of the other person's rest time.
He pulled out his phone and smiled brightly, "Doctor Chu, it's been a pleasure chatting with you today. Would you mind adding me on WeChat? I might be able to ask you some questions about the medical field in the future."
Xie Huaiming's reasons were sufficient and appropriate.
Chu Yi looked at the QR code the other party handed him and was silent for two seconds. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo curtains, casting a small shadow under his thick eyelashes.
In the end, he took out his mobile phone, scanned the code, and added a friend.
"My pleasure." Xie Huaiming smiled after the verification. "Then I won't disturb Doctor Chu's rest today. I hope we can have tea together next time."
At the door of the teahouse, Chu Yi had just seen Xie Huaiming off, and before he had time to savor the complicated emotions brought about by this sudden blind date, the phone in his pocket rang again.
The word "mother" was jumping on the screen.
Chu Yi took a deep breath and answered the phone: "Mom."
On the other end of the phone, Chu Ruoyin's voice was still cold, but it seemed less rigid than usual, with a subtle hint of inquiry: "Have you finished meeting? How was it?"
How about it?
Chu Yi held the phone and looked at the swaying bamboo shadows in the distance.
Xie Huaiming is a man with good manners, humor, erudition, and a sense of propriety. His qualities in all aspects are impeccable, even perfect.
But...feeling is a very mysterious thing.
Chu Yi found it difficult to define this meeting simply as good or bad.
He was silent for a few seconds, and finally chose the most objective, least wrong, and most likely to temporarily comfort his mother's answer, reporting concisely:
“I added WeChat.”
Sure enough, Chu Ruoyin on the other end of the phone seemed quite satisfied with this "progress".
In her opinion, this at least meant that the other party was interested in Chu Yi, and Chu Yi did not directly refuse.
She rarely pressed for details, and even softened her tone a bit. She gave him a compliment for the first time: "Well. The second son of the Xie family is a sensible man. You...didn't do badly today, either."
This is almost the highest compliment one can get from Chu Ruoyin.
Chu Yi responded without any emotion: "Yeah."
"Okay, hanging up." Chu Ruoyin seemed to have achieved her goal and ended the call neatly.
Chu Yi took the phone away from his ear. Before the screen went completely dark, another call came in. The name that popped up on the screen was - Cheng Yanqing.
Chu Yi's fingertips paused above the screen for a moment.
At this time, Cheng Yanqing's call came too quickly and too coincidentally.
He could almost guess immediately that it must be Qi Yuan and Cheng Yingzhi, the two guys who were eager to create chaos in the world, who had exaggerated the news of "Chu Yi's suspected blind date" and leaked it to Cheng Yanqing.
Chu Yi slid open the answer button, put the phone to his ear, and said nothing.
Sure enough, Cheng Yanqing's low and gentle voice came, straight to the point, with a hint of subtle concern and tentativeness: "Xiaoyi, did Mom ask you to go on a blind date?"
Chu Yi looked into the distance, his voice calm and emotionless: "Yeah. Try to make contact."
He used similar neutral terms as when he answered his mother.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, as if he was choosing his words. Then, Cheng Yanqing's voice rang out again, a bit deeper than before, with an unquestionable sense of defense: "You have to be sure of your own limits. If you don't like it, don't force it. Don't ever put yourself in a difficult position."
He paused, his tone becoming more resolute: "Don't worry about Mom. If there's any problem, I'll cover it for you."
Chu Yi's eyelashes trembled slightly. He lowered his eyes and looked at the tip of his shoes. His voice was still light, but it revealed a clear and unmistakable certainty: "Brother, I know. It's okay."
He paused, then added, as if stating a perfectly natural fact, "I never do anything that makes me unhappy."
Cheng Yanqing on the other end of the phone seemed to be choked by these words, and then a barely audible sigh came from him, with a hint of helplessness and a hint of understanding: "...Okay, that's good. Call me anytime if you have anything."
"Um."
The call ended.
Chu Yi put away his phone and put it in his pocket.
On the other end of the phone, Cheng Yanqing held the phone that had ended the call, but his brows did not relax.
Chu Yi’s last words were Thaksin.
Chu Yi does have that ability to maintain his comfort zone to the maximum extent within a seemingly submissive framework.
He won't resist openly, but he has his own way of passive resistance and will never let himself be wronged.
But even so, Cheng Yanqing still felt an indescribable bitterness and uneasiness in his heart.
He didn't want Chu Yi to come into contact with anyone or anything he was not interested in, or to live a life that was even slightly forced, just because of his family.
He has tried his best to balance and reconcile the almost unsolvable relationship between his mother and Chu Yi.
Cheng Yanqing clearly remembered that when Chu Ruoyin first married into the Cheng family, she was cautious and tried hard to be a good mother to her son, who was only three years old and had lost his biological mother.
Even after Chu Yi came into being, Chu Ruoyin's love for her did not diminish in the slightest.
Because of this, he hoped that Chu Yi could be freer and freer.
He hoped that his younger brother, who had been excessively quiet and sensible since childhood, could truly live according to his own wishes, rather than passively accepting arrangements time and time again, even though he always had a way to minimize his "unhappiness".
However, his attempts at reconciliation always seemed in vain.
The mother has her obsession, and Chu Yi has his silence.
Cheng Yanqing rubbed his eyebrows, and a deep feeling of powerlessness enveloped him.
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