Lin Chu stood in the doorway, and as she looked into his serious eyes, she felt as if something had lightly pricked her heart.
After a moment’s silence, she nodded. Her voice was very soft. “I know. You’re very good to Nainai. I’ve seen it all.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, her throat inexplicably tightened.
Zhou Chengze watched her, as if trying to read something in her expression, but said nothing.
Lin Chu took a deep breath and raised her head to meet his gaze. “But last night, didn’t you—”
She had only gotten halfway through when Jiang Nai’s muffled voice suddenly came from the bedroom. “Chuchu, water!”
Lin Chu’s words cut off. She turned and called back, “Coming.”
Zhou Chengze stayed where he was, watching her pour the water. A trace of curiosity entered his eyes.
Under his gaze, Lin Chu felt a little guilty. She lowered her head and poured the honey water, her hand trembling slightly. Just as she was about to turn and go into the bedroom, he suddenly asked, “Did Jiang Nai and I disturb you last night, when we were in the living room?”
Lin Chu froze mid-step, tightening her grip on the glass.
Zhou Chengze assumed she was unhappy because they’d disturbed her. His voice held a hint of apology. “I’m sorry. We’ll be more careful next time.”
When he finished, he raised his hand to check his watch. The hands pointed to eleven thirty. “I should get going. You two should get some rest, too. If Jiang Nai feels unwell, contact me anytime.”
The door closed softly, but Lin Chu’s eyelashes still fluttered at the sound. She carried the honey water over and fed it to Jiang Nai. Then, almost without thinking, she went to the window, drew the curtain back a little, and looked down.
In the parking lot below, Zhou Chengze was opening his car door, his shadow stretched long by the streetlights.
Before getting in, he suddenly looked up in her direction.
Lin Chu instinctively stepped back, the curtain swaying in her hand.
When she leaned out to look again, the black car had already driven out of the residential complex, its taillights vanishing into the night.
Lin Chu leaned against the window, fingers clenched around the curtain, her thoughts tangled in a knot. She seriously wondered whether Zhou Chengze’s eye injury from ten years ago had never fully healed.
Did she and Jiang Nai really look that much alike?
The more Lin Chu thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. She looked at Jiang Nai, sleeping soundly in bed, and couldn’t help wondering: Hadn’t Jiang Nai ever asked Zhou Chengze about what happened last night?
If she had, Zhou Chengze would have known by now that the person with him last night hadn’t been Jiang Nai.
But from Zhou Chengze’s reaction just now, he clearly still had no idea.
Lin Chu furrowed her brow, not daring to think any further. Her mind only grew more muddled.
Lin Chu was sleepless again that night. The whole thing felt like a knot that only tightened the more she tried to pull it apart.
For the next three days, Lin Chu was distracted.
On Friday morning, after making her rounds, she had just sat down in her office when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a new friend request from Zhou on WeChat.
The profile picture showed a plane from the side, and the username was a single character: Zhou.
The verification message was only a few words: Zhou Chengze.
Lin Chu stared at it for several seconds before remembering that today was his medical examination. Her phone rang again. It was Jiang Nai.
The background on the other end was noisy; it sounded like she was in an airport waiting area. “Chengze’s going to your hospital for his checkup today. Could you keep an eye on him for me?”
Lin Chu held her phone and chose her words carefully. “I have outpatient appointments in a bit…”
“It’ll only take a moment. Just take him over and get him settled, that’s all.” Jiang Nai’s voice turned coaxing. “Please, please? I’m about to board, so I can’t talk. Love you!”
The call ended quickly. Lin Chu looked at her phone and sighed, then lowered her head and tapped to accept the friend request.
A message came through almost immediately: 【I’m here, at the medical examination center.】
Lin Chu stared at it, took a deep breath, and replied: 【I’ll be right there.】
The medical examination center was on the third floor of the outpatient building. By the time Lin Chu arrived, quite a few people were already lined up in the corridor.
She spotted Zhou Chengze at once.
He was dressed casually that day in a pale blue shirt, which gave him an easy, carefree air. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, revealing a stretch of strong forearm. He leaned against the wall, lazily looking at his phone.
A few young nurses nearby kept glancing Zhou’s way and murmuring to one another.
Zhou Chengze seemed completely unaware of their attention. His expression was calm, almost bored.
Lin Chu suppressed the stir in her eyes and had only taken a few steps toward him when Zhou Chengze looked up, as if he’d sensed her.
Their eyes met.
Lin Chu paused, then quickened her pace toward him, doing her best to make her voice sound natural. “You’re here.”
Zhou Chengze looked at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, then gave a quiet “Mm.”
An unspoken tension settled between them.
Lin Chu was about to say something when the examination room door suddenly opened from the inside. The doctor in charge of the checkup was Fang Tang. She was about Lin Chu’s age and had a cheerful personality, so the two of them got along well.
The moment she came out and saw Lin Chu, she smiled. “Chuchu, what are you doing here?”
Lin Chu was about to explain, but Fang Tang had already taken her hand enthusiastically. “By the way, let’s get dinner together tonight! No refusing—you’ve turned me down so many times already.”
Caught off guard, Lin Chu nodded without thinking. “Okay.”
The words had barely left her mouth when she remembered the excuse she’d made up on the spot that night to get out of it. She jerked her head up and looked at Zhou Chengze.
Caught in a lie, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Zhou Chengze watched her, his gaze deep and his brows lifting slightly. “You two seem pretty close.”
“Mm…” Lin Chu rubbed her brow and gave an awkward smile. She quickly shot Doctor Fang a meaningful look. “Well, shouldn’t you get things ready?”
Watching Lin Chu pretend not to understand, Zhou Chengze’s gaze deepened. Their eyes met when she sneaked a glance at him. He raised an eyebrow, about to say something, but she had already snatched her gaze away.
Like a cat—quick to dart away. Surprisingly, it was a little cute.
Zhou Chengze didn’t call her out. He was growing more and more curious about why Jiang Nai’s best friend was so determined to avoid him.
There had to be something behind it, and it wasn’t simple. And he happened to be the sort of person who liked uncovering secrets.
Fang Tang was quick on the uptake, too. She looked from Lin Chu to Zhou Chengze and immediately understood. Smiling, she said, “Come on in. I don’t have anyone in here right now.”
She opened the door and ushered Zhou Chengze inside. Lin Chu hesitated, then followed.
The examination room was spacious, with all kinds of instruments and equipment neatly arranged. Sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the room with light.
Fang Tang went to the counter and flipped through the examination form. Without looking up, she said, “Take your shirt off first. We’ll do an ECG and a chest CT.”
At that, Lin Chu instinctively started to back away. “Then I’ll leave you to it. I—”
“Wait.” Doctor Fang suddenly stopped her, as if she’d just remembered something, and slapped her forehead. “Oh, I just remembered—I have a meeting to attend. I almost forgot.”
She checked her watch, then looked at Lin Chu with a knowing smile. “Doctor Lin, could you handle these basic tests for him? I’ll be right back.”
Lin Chu stared at her. “Me? But—”
“You’re a doctor too. This little thing won’t be a problem for you.” Fang Tang had already taken off her gloves. She patted Lin Chu on the shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and whispered with a knowing smile, “I get it.”
Lin Chu’s face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears. She reached out to tug Fang Tang back. “What do you get? Come back—”
But Fang Tang deftly dodged her hand and darted out of the examination room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
As the door shut, Lin Chu clearly heard Fang Tang laughing outside.
Lin Chu: “…”
She screamed silently in her heart: Fang Tang, what do you think you understand…?
The examination room fell silent. Lin Chu stood frozen in place. She’d finally managed to prepare herself to turn around when Zhou Chengze’s unhurried voice came from behind her.
“Doctor Lin, may I take it off now?”
(End)