Chapter 70: Concern

Chapter 70: Concern

On the day of the Lantern Festival, Ming Can's premonition of being stood up did not come true. Chi Xiao sent her a message in advance, saying he would arrive at three in the afternoon.

Ming Can had no classes in the afternoon, so after finishing her morning classes, she returned home and waited for Chi Xiao while playing with the cat.

They say that Ragdolls are the dogs of cats, and Xiao Zhu’s personality is quite like a dog—lively, playful, and affectionate. Its fluffy tail, like a feather duster, stood high and rubbed against Miaomiao’s face, making him giggle uncontrollably.

"Xiao Zhu, meow~" Miaomiao wanted to hear it speak, so he tempted it with a piece of freeze-dried treat.

Xiao Zhu fell for it, chasing the treat and meowing twice. It lifted its sweet face, its round blue eyes earnestly looking at Miaomiao.

Xiao Zhu: "How about this expression? Is it enough for you to give me the food?"

"Enough, enough." Miaomiao quickly gave it the treat, then took another one to continue tempting it to meow.

Xiao Zhu meowed again and tilted its head: "I don't know why, but every time I tilt my head, humans scream and give me treats."

"Ahhh! So cute!" Ming Can took out her phone and started taking pictures of Xiao Zhu, "Miaomiao, quickly give it the freeze-dried treat."

While feeding it the treat, Miaomiao said to Ming Can, "Mom, Xiao Zhu is really super smart!"

Ming Can: "Of course our family's cat is smart."

Miaomiao: "Then is her full name 'Ming Zhu'?"

Ming Can: "What a cool name!"

When Chi Xiao opened the door and came in, he saw the mother and son sitting on the floor, surrounding the cat, teasing it, and chatting excitedly, creating a warm and happy scene.

It wasn’t until the door closed with a soft “click” that Ming Can turned her head and noticed he had arrived.

The man stood in the foyer, wearing a medical mask, slowly taking off his down jacket and hanging it in the nearby closet.

Ming Can got up from the floor and walked quickly to his side: "Are you sick?"

Chi Xiao: "No..."

Just as he spoke one word, his eyelashes fluttered, and a warm, soft touch unexpectedly pressed against his forehead.

Ming Can tiptoed, her palm pressing against his forehead, her body naturally leaning forward, getting closer to him, feeling his temperature for a moment. It wasn’t hot, so she breathed a sigh of relief, withdrew her hand, and asked curiously, "Why wear a mask if you’re not sick?"

"My nose feels a bit uncomfortable," Chi Xiao said, changing his shoes and passing by her, asking, "Where’s the cat?"

"Here!" Miaomiao held Xiao Zhu by the belly with both hands, struggling to lift it and bring it to Chi Xiao, "Dad, look, isn’t Xiao Zhu super—cute!"

Chi Xiao bent slightly, gently stroked the cat’s head, then straightened up and said to Miaomiao, "Put it down quickly; you’ll choke it."

"Okay." Miaomiao obediently put Xiao Zhu down.

Xiao Zhu tucked its tail and hid behind the coffee table, one eye peering warily at Chi Xiao, making a low growling sound.

"Giant! Scary!"

"This is Dad," Miaomiao ran to Xiao Zhu’s side, squatting down to stroke its back, "My dad is also your dad. Be good, and Dad will braid your hair in the future!"

Hearing this, both Ming Can and Chi Xiao were stunned.

Ming Can was surprised: "Your dad braids cats' hair? But their fur isn’t long enough."

Miaomiao, petting the cat, said, "Dad used to have me collect the cat’s shed fur at home, roll it into strips, and then braid it onto the cat. Dad can also make many felt toys with cat fur."

"Amazing!"

Ming Can exclaimed sincerely, glancing subconsciously at the man beside her. He was still wearing a mask, his hand clenched into a fist and lightly coughing outside the mask, his eyelids slightly lowered, his expression unreadable.

Ming Can faintly heard that his throat sounded a bit sore, so she went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of hot water.

Chi Xiao took the glass, thanked her, and sat on the single sofa beside it, placing the cup lightly on the coffee table without drinking it.

"There’s some good news I haven’t told you yet," Ming Can said to Chi Xiao, "Yesterday, I had Miaomiao do a math test, and he made significant progress. I’ll bring the test for you to see."

As she spoke, Ming Can left the living room, and Miaomiao proudly raised his eyebrows at his father: "I scored eighty-eight points!"

Chi Xiao asked indifferently, "Was it the first semester or second semester material?"

Miaomiao: "...First semester."

Chi Xiao: "Oh."

Chi Xiao: "When I was your age, I could score a perfect score on sixth-grade tests."

Miaomiao: "..."

Dad! Really mean!

Miaomiao moved a small stool and sat next to Chi Xiao. Xiao Zhu, hiding not far away, observed the giant Chi Xiao. Seeing that he posed no threat, it gradually relaxed, its tail standing tall as it walked over to Miaomiao, rubbing against him, then slowly circled around Chi Xiao’s feet, bravely touching his trouser leg with its face.

Miaomiao: "Dad, Xiao Zhu is coming to play with you!"

Chi Xiao seemed not to hear, his chest rising and falling shallowly, showing no intention of reaching out to pet it.

Xiao Zhu looked up at the masked giant, using the head-tilt trick.

After a moment.

Xiao Zhu: "Meow?"

Sitting on the small stool, Miaomiao pushed Chi Xiao’s leg: "Dad, look how cute it is!"

Chi Xiao took a deep breath. "Mm-hmm."

In the next moment, Miaomiao looked up at him, his smile frozen on his face.

He heard his father's cold voice in his heart, telling Xiao Zhu to stay away from him.

Kittens of just a few months old are the most active and playful. Xiao Zhu clung to Chi Xiao’s trouser leg as if all danger had been dispelled. Its claws grabbed onto the fabric, and it suddenly climbed onto Chi Xiao’s knee.

"Meow."

It lay down on the man’s long legs. Before long, Chi Xiao unexpectedly reached out, picked it up by the scruff of its neck, and tossed it to the ground. Then he stood up from the sofa and strode toward the living area.

Ming Can had just found the test paper and was walking out of Miaomiao’s room when she ran into Chi Xiao. She didn’t have time to say a word before he quickly passed by her.

In a hurry, Ming Can caught a glimpse of the skin exposed above his mask and suddenly froze in place.

The door to the bathroom slammed shut behind her, quite abruptly.

Ming Can slowly clenched the test paper in her hand, took two steps back, and leaned against the wall in the hallway, turning her gaze toward the direction of the bathroom.

Three minutes.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Ming Can took a deep breath, put the test paper back in Miaomiao’s room, walked to the bathroom door, and knocked heavily twice. "Chi Xiao, are you done yet?"

"What’s wrong?" came a muffled voice from inside the door.

"I need to use this bathroom," Ming Can said. "Come out quickly."

After a considerable amount of time, the person inside finally spoke slowly, "Just a moment."

Ming Can stood outside the door, watching the gap widen inch by inch as the door opened. The air was filled with an unfamiliar medicinal scent.

Chi Xiao emerged from behind the door with his head lowered. Ming Can stepped forward, firmly blocking his path, one hand pressing against his chest, the other reaching up to pull off his mask without hesitation.

She saw that his originally fair skin was covered in red rashes, like hives, spreading densely over all exposed areas.

The parts covered by clothing were likely in the same condition.

Ming Can’s pupils dilated slightly, finally understanding why his reaction had been so strange when she first mentioned getting a cat.

And in the end,

he said nothing.

"Don’t worry." Chi Xiao took the mask from her hand, put it back on, and said calmly, "I just had an antihistamine injection. I’ll be fine after some fresh air on the balcony."

His voice was deeper than usual, and his tone was short and abrupt.

Ming Can’s hand remained on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat and irregular breathing.

"To the hospital." Ming Can lifted her dark eyes to glare at him, seemingly unwilling to waste words, and grabbed his hand to lead him out.

In the living room, Ming Can picked up the phone from the coffee table and said to Miaomiao, "Baby, Dad is sick. Mom is taking him to the hospital. You’ll have to stay home alone for a while, okay?"

Miaomiao asked worriedly, "What’s wrong with Dad?"

"It’s nothing," Ming Can said vaguely. "The tablet is on the bedside table in my room. Take it out and play with it."

After a brief explanation, she closed the windows and doors, put on her coat, and led Chi Xiao out of the house.

She didn’t let him drive; instead, they sat side by side in the back of a ride-sharing car heading to the nearest general hospital, silent for a long time.

The weather in early March was still cold, but the car had the heater on. Despite this, Chi Xiao rolled down the window, letting the cold air rush in.

He was still having difficulty breathing.

Noticing this, Ming Can also rolled down her window a bit.

Throughout the journey, Ming Can gripped the seatbelt tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on the passing scenery outside the window, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"I’m really fine," Chi Xiao coughed twice, trying to reassure her with a hoarse voice. "Don’t be nervous."

Ming Can: "What did you do abroad a few days ago?"

Chi Xiao answered truthfully, "For a consultation. There are stronger antihistamines and sprays abroad. The level of care here is too low, and there are long waiting times."

Ming Can pursed her lips and said nothing.

Chi Xiao reached out and touched her arm. "I thought it would work. Today, I just wanted to try my luck, but I still had a reaction. Don’t be angry."

Ming Can pulled her arm away, not wanting to talk to him.

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bright, glaring red rash on his hand.

With widespread rashes, coughing, nasal congestion, and difficulty breathing, these were severe allergy symptoms.

Although Ming Can wasn’t familiar with cat hair allergy desensitization treatment, she knew that most desensitization processes were long and involved repeated allergic reactions and drug side effects. Whether complete desensitization could be achieved was uncertain.

Thinking about this, Ming Can suddenly remembered that in the future, Chi Xiao would no longer be allergic to cat hair. Miaomiao had said he could hold Xiao Hei for long periods and even made many felt toys from cat hair.

She bit her lip and involuntarily turned to look at the man beside her.

He was suffering from such severe allergies now.

Had he endured a long desensitization course to become the way he was in the future?

"What are you looking at?" Chi Xiao pulled his mask up higher, still in the mood to tease her, "So engrossed?"

Ming Can: "Looking at a fool."

Chi Xiao said indifferently, "Alright."

Ming Can withdrew her gaze, still feeling very upset no matter how she thought about it: "Why didn't you tell Miaomiao and me?"

Chi Xiao fell silent for a moment.

The cold air circulated in the car, carrying a desolate wind.

"Nothing much," his voice was even lighter than the wind, "Just didn't want to ruin your fun."

As he finished speaking, the car arrived at their destination.

Ming Can quickly got out of the car, ran over, and grabbed Chi Xiao's wrist, pulling him hurriedly into the hospital.

Registration, queuing, consultation—when the doctor looked at Chi Xiao's allergy test results, he told him that his condition absolutely forbade him from keeping a cat; any mishap could trigger asthma.

Chi Xiao asked to what extent desensitization therapy would allow him to keep a cat. The doctor said at least to level three of the allergy scale, and he was currently at the most severe level six.

When he asked more specific questions about desensitization therapy, the doctor admitted he wasn't well-versed in it; the technology for desensitizing to cat hair was not yet mature in the country.

After receiving an injection and nebulization treatment in the injection room, the rash on Chi Xiao's body subsided significantly, and his breathing gradually became smoother.

During the half-hour observation period, Ming Can remained silent by his side, either spacing out or staring at her phone to watch Miaomiao through the surveillance camera, refusing to speak to Chi Xiao.

As they left the hospital, the sun hanging diagonally in the sky was obscured by dark clouds, and gusts of wind blew across the ground.

There weren't many people at the hospital today, and the empty square outside exuded a sense of desolation.

Chi Xiao slowly walked out of the outpatient building, stepping into the gloomy light.

The wind blew from the left, and he instinctively moved to Ming Can's left side, gently rubbing her hair, "Consider me a patient, will you?"

"Can you say something to me?"

He never thought that one day he would find silence unbearable.

After Chi Xiao moved to her left, Ming Can clearly felt the wind hitting her body become gentler.

She kept her head down, her mind involuntarily replaying his last words in the ride-sharing car.

"Just didn't want to ruin your fun."

Because she and Miaomiao loved cats.

To avoid ruining their fun, he agreed to keep a cat and silently went abroad for treatment.

Since he had to be treated, why didn't he stay away longer? He dared to come into contact with a cat when the treatment had just begun.

Did he even know what real disappointment was?

Why did he habitually place himself at the bottom?

Habitually thinking he was unimportant, that no one cared.

Not even as important as a cat.

Ming Can didn't know what her future self would be like.

But at least now, she cared deeply about him.

Seeing her only focused on walking with her head down, about to bump into a stone post, Chi Xiao reached out and gently pulled her shoulder.

At that moment, Ming Can suddenly stopped, turned around, and buried herself in his chest, tightly hugging his waist.

As if trying to embed herself into his body.

Chi Xiao froze, his body stiffening for a moment, then he lowered his head in disbelief, seeing the top of her soft, black hair.

His Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and his heart, which had just calmed down, began to race again.

The sky was overcast, the cold wind whistled in his ears, and passersby occasionally cast curious glances.

Ming Can still didn't speak, just held him tightly, indifferent to the onlookers.

Time ticked by.

Chi Xiao gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders and whispered, "Ming Can, this isn't good."

Ming Can buried her face in his shirt, letting out a muffled hum.

She continued to do as she pleased, ignoring his words.

"Many people are watching," Chi Xiao sounded like his reputation was being damaged, "Your senior is still single."

"Oh." Ming Can buried her face deeper, her voice muffled through the fabric, reaching his chest, "Not anymore."