Ever since that time Ji Chaoxi took the initiative to find Zhou Chiye, she noticed that he had stopped texting her again.
These two unexpected incidents deepened Ji Chaoxi’s sense of crisis. This was her only client, and one who was worth a thousand others!
Ji Chaoxi quickly sent Zhou Chiye a message.
【Ye Ge, why haven’t you been coming to school lately? I’m so worried [teary-eyed]】
She sent it in the morning, but Zhou Chiye didn’t reply until the afternoon. And when he did, it was just another transfer—no words at all.
Ji Chaoxi was on edge. Had she been slacking off lately? Was Zhou Chiye dissatisfied with her service?
But earlier, when she’d offered to help him with his homework, he’d said he didn’t need it. When she’d told him to yell at her, he’d only said to send him the bill at the end of the month.
Her classmates saw her looking utterly defeated and asked with concern, “Who owes you money this time?”
Ji Chaoxi leaned hopelessly against the window. “This time, it’s even worse than someone owing me money.”
Her classmates were even more shocked. Something worse than Ji Chaoxi losing money? They really couldn’t imagine that…
But at this moment, Zhou Chiye was the one who felt truly miserable.
The fact that Zhou Chiye had gotten injured had scared even the racetrack owner, who brought a flower basket to visit him.
He was wrapped up like a mummy, looking absolutely terrible.
Zhou Chiye’s father was incredulous. Zhou Chiye had been racing since he was young, and it wasn’t like he’d never been hurt before, but this was the worst injury yet.
“I told you before to stop racing…”
Zhou father’s face darkened, his expression grim.
Zhou Chiye was in a foul mood too. Everyone had to come and ask about it. Did they think asking would make him better?
He closed his eyes, pretending not to hear.
Seeing how unresponsive his son was, Zhou father let out a furious laugh.
The next second, the two of them were arguing.
Zhou mother was long used to this. She sat quietly to the side, sipping tea.
Eventually, the fight ended with Zhou father freezing Zhou Chiye’s credit cards.
He stormed out, and Zhou mother followed slowly, occasionally tossing out a few comforting words.
The hospital room finally grew quiet.
But Zhou Chiye wasn’t the only one suffering—Dan Yanpi was, too.
He sat on a bench, staring at the basketball hoop not far away, looking helpless. “Classmate Ji, I really don’t know.”
“But I overheard you on the phone with Ye Ge yesterday,” Ji Chaoxi said quietly.
Dan Yanpi choked on his words. When did she notice?
He sighed. “Ye Ge is really fine. Don’t worry.”
“Then why won’t he reply to my messages?”
Dan Yanpi coughed. “Maybe he’s busy with something.”
At the time, Zhou Chiye’s hands were wrapped in bandages, looking like big balls. He couldn’t type at all. Dan Yanpi was the one who used Zhou Chiye’s phone to make the transfer.
But Zhou Chiye definitely wouldn’t let him reply to messages.
Ji Chaoxi’s eyes suddenly reddened. She looked down, heartbroken. Losing such a huge client—it really hurt…
Dan Yanpi felt his heart skip. He didn’t want to be the one responsible for her tears. If Zhou Chiye found out, he’d never hear the end of it.
“Um… I’m going to go play basketball,” Dan Yanpi said, not daring to stay any longer. He bolted to the court.
But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ji Chaoxi start wiping her tears.
Dan Yanpi: …
This was Zhou Chiye’s problem to solve, not his!
So Dan Yanpi brought Ji Chaoxi straight to the hospital.
As soon as Ji Chaoxi saw the hospital, her first thought was: when she had money, she’d come here to get treated, too.
Dan Yanpi was a little nervous as he opened the door, but he was ready for whatever.
The door swung open, and immediately a scolding came from inside.
“Stop using this medicine! It’s just pain and nothing else!”
Zhou Chiye’s face was tight with pain, his whole face flushed red. If he’d been applying the ointment alone, he would have yelled out loud, but now wasn’t the time.
Crying out while getting medicated in front of others? Where would his pride be?
He felt a gaze on him, looked up, and froze the moment he saw who it was.
Dan Yanpi immediately slipped away, closing the door behind him.
Zhou Chiye stared at Ji Chaoxi, her eyes red-rimmed. He yanked the blanket over his face.
The doctor changing his bandages: …
“Ye Ge, are you in a lot of pain right now?” Ji Chaoxi asked softly, walking up to him.
Zhou Chiye’s entire body stiffened. The doctor felt his tense muscles and sighed helplessly. “Young Master Zhou, relax a little.”
The doctor looked at Ji Chaoxi sitting across from him, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He’d never seen Zhou Chiye so flustered before.
“Young Master Zhou,” Ji Chaoxi repeated, mimicking the doctor’s form of address.
Zhou Chiye’s face turned bright red. Why was she copying whatever others called him?
So obedient…
“It’s stuffy under there,” Ji Chaoxi said earnestly, pulling the blanket down from his face.
She looked at Zhou Chiye’s condition—scrapes on his cheek and forehead, his right arm the worst injured, the doctor still changing the bandages on it, and his chest wrapped in gauze.
Zhou Chiye covered his face with his left hand, his ears and neck bright red. He could feel Ji Chaoxi’s gaze on him.
Didn’t she know not to stare?
“Ye Ge, you look handsome like this too,” Ji Chaoxi said, trying to soothe his pride.
Zhou Chiye’s face flushed even deeper. He stayed silent, not saying a word.
Seeing that he wouldn’t speak, Ji Chaoxi thought he didn’t want to talk to her. She hesitated for a moment, then stood up.
“Then, Young Master Zhou, I’ll come visit you another time.”
A person had to know when to back off!
Just as she was about to turn away, she felt a tug on her backpack strap. She turned in surprise to look at the person lying in bed.
Zhou Chiye looked away awkwardly, his face red, his voice pretending to be composed, “I’ll have someone take you home later.”
Letting her go back alone wasn’t right.
The doctor continued changing Zhou Chiye’s bandages. When he got to the deepest wound, Zhou Chiye’s face tightened, veins bulging on his forehead. The pain made him want to curse.
Stay calm, she’s still watching.
He sneaked a glance at Ji Chaoxi. Did she think he was weak? That one look made him panic.
“No, I really don’t feel any pain. It just looks scary, but it’s fine.”
“Tsk, why are you crying? Getting hurt is totally normal for a man.”
Zhou Chiye grabbed the blanket, intending to wipe her tears.
He paused, then reached for a tissue instead, carefully dabbing at her eyes.
“It’s nothing, really. I’m used to it. Don’t compare me to those schoolboys.”
Tears fell onto the back of his hand. Zhou Chiye looked at her reddened eyes and felt like someone had punched him hard in the chest.
He cleared his throat. “Don’t cry, okay? I don’t like it when people cry. If you keep crying, don’t follow me anymore.”
At that, Ji Chaoxi’s eyes grew even redder. Zhou Chiye watched her tears fall faster and cursed under his breath, hurriedly wiping them away.
He lowered his voice. “No, wait, I was joking. Don’t cry. I was wrong. I’m really wrong…”
Zhou Chiye had never taken care of anyone before. His touch was clumsy when wiping her tears, rubbing the skin red.
Zhou Chiye was extremely anxious, so he could only be even more careful, even forgetting the pain in his arm. He wiped her tears, working until a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"I really don't hurt. I saw the message you sent me. In a little while, I'll have someone buy it for you."
Zhou Chiye tried his best to soften his voice, but because he wasn't used to it, he almost cracked a note.
Ji Chaoxi choked on her sobs: "I don't want to eat it. I was just looking for something to talk about, because you weren't paying attention to me."
Zhou Chiye froze for a moment. He suddenly flopped back onto the bed, covered his face with his hand, his face flushing bright red all the way down to his neck.
How does she always say things like this...
Doctor: ...
Ji Chaoxi was startled: "Ye Ge?"
"Cough." Zhou Chiye didn't dare look at her at all, pressing his hand firmly over his eyes. "It's impossible for me to ignore you. Don't let your mind wander."
"Oh, okay."
Zhou Chiye was silent for a while. "And from now on, don't call me Ye Ge anymore..."
"Zhou Shao!" Ji Chaoxi said crisply.
Zhou Chiye choked again. "Just call me by my name."
"Zhou Chiye."
Hearing her voice, Zhou Chiye felt his heart jolt again. He let out a low hum in response.
When Zhou's family entered, they saw this scene.
"Zhou Chiye, why are you hurt so badly?"
The Zhou family expected Zhou Chiye to start losing his temper again, since he'd been impatient whenever anyone asked him that question lately.
But then, right before their eyes, Zhou Chiye said softly:
"I was distracted."
The girl's face showed some concern: "Then you can't get distracted next time. It's too dangerous."
Zhou Chiye's face turned red as he let out a muffled response.
"Got it."
His hand loosely held Ji Chaoxi's.
Because the doctor had been applying medicine to him earlier, he'd been gritting his teeth through the pain, his hand clenched into a tight fist. Ji Chaoxi had told him that if it hurt, he could squeeze her hand.
After all, when she and Ji Huaichuan were sick and in pain, they used to squeeze each other's hands.
Seeing a hand he'd swiped past on his phone thousands of times now resting in his own, Zhou Chiye was stiff with tension. Compared to his hand, hers was incredibly soft, as if it had no bones.
Zhou Chiye instinctively squeezed, curling his fingers slightly. He didn't dare use force, afraid of hurting her.
He felt a little dazed. This feeling was even more addictive than gripping a steering wheel.
Could he buy the right to hold her hand, and make sure only he could hold it?
Seeing Zhou Chiye like this, the Zhou family immediately knew his mood couldn't be too bad. They said a few casual words and left.
Besides, if they stayed any longer, Zhou Chiye would start thinking they were nagging again...
Ji Chaoxi was eating nearby. The food had just been brought over by Zhou's family.
Zhou Chiye couldn't help thinking about how Ji Chaoxi was using his bowl, his chopsticks, and his spoon. It almost made it hard for him to breathe.
So depraved!
But at the time, he'd really just thought she was hungry. He hadn't thought about that aspect at all.
Zhou Chiye looked up at the ceiling, his face feeling hot.
Ji Chaoxi finished eating and started doing her homework. As she worked, she gradually fell asleep.
The air conditioning in the hospital was so comfortable...
Zhou Chiye's hand was finally no longer wrapped up like a mummy.
He lowered his eyes, tapped a few times on his phone, then picked up Ji Chaoxi's phone and accepted the money transfer.
Ji Chaoxi was sound asleep. A few strands of hair clung to her face, and she was lying completely defenseless beside his bed.
Zhou Chiye's Adam's apple moved. He looked down at the sleeping Ji Chaoxi, feeling as if something was scratching at his heart.
His gaze settled on her hand again. His hand paused in the air for a moment before he carefully let it fall onto the tips of her fingers.
So depraved... but I want to squeeze... So depraved... but I want to squeeze... I still want to squeeze!
Like a child playing with a new toy for the first time, his movements were clumsy. He looked at her fingertips, then finally couldn't resist squeezing.
The feel of it was unbelievably soft. When he pinched, a small dent formed, but it quickly sprang back.
"Spoiled little thing..."
