“You’ve been recovering very well lately. There won’t be any lasting effects, but try to avoid intense physical activity for now…” Cen Chi handed the report to Chi Zhan. “If anything feels off later, you can message me on WeChat.”
“Got it… I’ll be heading back then.”
Chi Zhan took the medical record. Until recently, he would usually have lunch with Cen Chi after his checkups, since they always ended around noon. But today was different—too many things had happened, and with that misunderstanding still hanging in the air, his mind was a mess. The idea of sitting down to eat with Cen Chi felt impossible. He gave a casual goodbye and pushed open the door.
His departing figure carried the unmistakable air of someone who’d lost all will to live.
A young nurse happened to pass by and joked, “Mr. Chi, it’s almost lunchtime. Aren’t you staying to eat with Dr. Cen?”
“No need,” Chi Zhan replied quickly. Then he turned to the receptionist. “I’d like to settle Dr. Cen’s consultation fees—there were four appointments. You should have the records.”
Outside, the sky was shrouded in grey. Wind howled against the hospital windows, rattling the glass. Even indoors, the temperature felt noticeably colder.
Chi Zhan pulled his coat tighter around him.
The receptionist on duty didn’t know the nature of Chi Zhan and Cen Chi’s relationship. She opened the records as requested and read off the total.
Chi Zhan combined the consultation fees with the money from their last meal, about to hand it over when a rush of footsteps echoed behind him. Cen Chi’s voice followed close behind.
“Must you be so meticulous about this?”
He stood just a few steps away, clearly having chased after Chi Zhan from the exam room. He hadn’t expected to find him at the counter paying, and for a brief moment, his expression was stunned—perhaps even a little hurt.
He was holding a single rose in his hand.
“No, I just didn’t want to…”
Didn’t want to take advantage of you because of a misunderstanding.
Cen Chi looked like he had something to say, but when his gaze met Chi Zhan’s, all he could do was sigh.
“I thought we were already friends,” he said softly. “Doing these things for you… I did it because I wanted to.”
The rain outside was falling in a steady drumbeat, branches swaying violently under the wind. Somewhere in the hospital, an unlatched window slammed open. A frigid gust swept into the room, sharp and bone-deep.
“You don’t need to pay. Zhou Yanxing already covered it.” Cen Chi’s voice was low, nearly lost in the wind. “If you insist on transferring money, then transfer it to him.”
With that, he turned around and walked over to shut the window. As it clicked closed, silence returned to the room.
“It’s raining,” Cen Chi turned back to Chi Zhan. “My car’s in the lot. Let me drive you home.”
“No, I—”
“Is it what we talked about earlier? Is that what’s bothering you so much?” For the first time, Cen Chi interrupted him. His eyes dropped. “Or… is it that you still can’t forgive me?”
Chi Zhan had assumed Cen Chi was only being kind because of Zhou Yanxing. He never expected Cen Chi to see him as a friend. And Cen Chi had always been gentle with him, putting himself in such a humble position that Chi Zhan couldn’t bring himself to reject him outright.
The receptionist and nurse were both watching with wide-eyed curiosity, looking every bit like bystanders enjoying a drama unfold. Chi Zhan wasn’t used to being in the spotlight like this and muttered under his breath,
“I’m not upset. I just didn’t want to impose. Don’t you have other patients?”
“No more appointments. It’s lunch break now.” Cen Chi glanced at his watch. “Wait for me here, just for a bit. Don’t leave, okay?”
“…Alright.”
Cen Chi stepped away. When he returned, he had changed out of his lab coat and was holding a windbreaker draped over one arm.
“It’s cold outside. Wear this.” He handed the coat to Chi Zhan, then turned to the receptionist. “Do we only have one umbrella left?”
The receptionist hesitated, swallowing the words “we have plenty” and retrieved one from the storage cabinet to give him.
Chi Zhan hadn’t checked the weather before heading out and was only wearing a thin jacket. He didn’t even make it to the lobby doors before the chill hit him like a wall.
Early autumn weather could turn on a dime.
Cen Chi noticed his hesitation.
“You don’t even want to touch my clothes now?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Left with no choice, Chi Zhan put on the coat. It looked light but was surprisingly warm and windproof, wrapping him in an unexpected sense of security.
It carried a faint, clean scent—herbal, fresh, almost like plants. It was as if an invisible net had closed around him, enveloping him completely.
Cen Chi studied him for a moment, then raised his hand, as if to touch his neck. Chi Zhan instinctively stepped back, and Cen Chi’s hand froze in midair.
“It’s cold. Make sure you button up.”
He retracted his hand, gesturing toward Chi Zhan’s open collar. Only then did Chi Zhan realize he’d misunderstood again.
Cen Chi held out the pink rose he’d been carrying.
“You seemed to be looking at this earlier. This is my favorite variety. It’s fragrant, and beautiful. Don’t you think?”
If I could crush the petals against your lips, you’d look even more stunning.
***
Dr. Cen’s powers of observation were simply too sharp.
Chi Zhan couldn’t quite explain himself. He had glanced at the flower a few times, but only out of curiosity. Refusing would seem cold, but accepting it was awkward too. Still, after turning him down so many times already, Chi Zhan felt obligated to take it. He mumbled a quiet thank you.
The receptionist and nurse exchanged increasingly bewildered looks.
Outside, the rain wasn’t heavy but fell in fine threads, merging into a curtain. The wind roared down the street, and even the sturdiest umbrella bones creaked under the strain.
Chi Zhan had intended to keep some distance between them, but the moment they stepped outside, he realized it was impossible. The umbrella was large, but not quite enough for two adult men to share comfortably.
From the lobby to the parking lot, not a single drop touched him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the umbrella tilted heavily toward his side. Cen Chi’s shoulder and sleeve were soaked through.
A pang of guilt crept in. Chi Zhan edged closer.
“Dr. Cen, you can tilt the umbrella more toward yourself. I’m not getting wet.”
Their shoulders inevitably brushed. Cen Chi didn’t seem to hear him. He tilted his head slightly, as if to ask what he’d said, just as Chi Zhan moved closer.
Their eyes met in a sudden, unguarded moment.
