Chapter 13 Going to Dr. Chi’s House

Chapter 13 Going to Dr. Chi’s Home

Chi Suiyong led Chu Yan out of the parking lot and rented a two-person shared e-bike at the hospital entrance.

Once outside, Chu Yan found everything novel, checking out the bike from every angle, then asked with a grin, “Yong Yong, where do I sit?”

Chi Suiyong first took two safety helmets from the front basket, put one on Chu Yan and one on himself, then mounted the seat. “Sit behind me, put your feet on the pegs, and I’ll drive.”

“Okay.”

Chu Yan sat on the back seat and immediately wrapped his arms around Chi Suiyong’s waist, chest pressed tight against his back, as snug as could be.

Chi Suiyong’s whole upper body went numb. He shifted a little. “Chu Yan, just hold onto my jacket.”

“Why?”

“I’m ticklish. We might crash.”

“Oh…” Chu Yan reluctantly let go and instead grabbed the two sides of Chi Suiyong’s jacket.

It was rush hour, so traffic was a nightmare. If they’d taken a car, who knows how long it would’ve taken to get home. Chi Suiyong took a few shortcuts on the e-bike, and after about twenty minutes, they reached the university area.

Both of Chi Suiyong’s parents were college professors. Based on their rank, they were given a small standalone house before retiring. Later, his sister Chi Yu got married, and her husband moved in too.

The family had always lived together under one roof. Chi Suiyong had never moved out after graduating from college—he stayed in the dorms on workdays and came home on weekends and holidays.

Chi Suiyong rode the e-bike straight into the yard. Chu Yan hopped off the back and looked around. “Yong Yong, this is your house?”

“Yeah, let’s head inside!”

Chi Suiyong, used to the place, unlocked the front door with his fingerprint. “I’m home.”

Everyone in the house was there, but their eyes skipped over him and landed on Chu Yan.

“Dad, do we have any new house slippers?”

Dad Chi was the first to come over when he heard that. “Yeah, yeah, I just got out a new pair today.” He pulled a brand-new pair of men’s slippers out of the closet.

Chi Suiyong didn’t think twice and turned to say, “Chu Yan, change your shoes first.”

Chu Yan felt a little awkward. Since he got sick, he’d only been in the hospital, and the only people he’d talked to were medical staff. Now, coming home with Yong Yong and meeting his family, he suddenly got nervous.

On the way over, he’d asked Yong Yong what to call his family. Yong Yong told him that since they were friends, they were the same generation, so he should just call them what he did.

So when he heard Chi Suiyong call the older man “Dad,” he thought it was weird, but since he didn’t have a chance to check, he went along and called out, “Dad.”

“Huh?”

Dad Chi was clearly stunned by that “Dad,” and it took him a while to react. Mom Chi, who came up behind him, also looked shocked and shot her son a questioning look.

Chi Suiyong was flustered too, and for a second, he had no idea how to explain.

“Uncle…” Then his ten-year-old nephew walked over. “Is this your boyfriend? His hair is so cool!”

“Who said I was bringing a boyfriend home?”

“Grandma told me!”

“Oh my god, Mom, when did I ever say that? Chu Yan’s my patient.”

Mom Chi wasn’t buying his “excuse.” “Since when does a pediatrician like you have a patient that big?”

“I can’t explain everything right now.” Chi Suiyong grabbed Chu Yan, who’d already changed his shoes, and pulled him inside.

He put the birthday gift he’d gotten for his brother-in-law on the table. “Happy birthday, bro-in-law!”

A man stuck his head out of the kitchen. “You two have a seat. Two more dishes, and we’ll eat in a bit.”

“Mom and Dad are something else, making the birthday boy cook.”

Dad Chi defended, “Don’t blame me and your mom. Your brother-in-law insisted on showing off when he heard you were bringing someone home.”

Chi Suiyong led Chu Yan to the couch, got him settled, then headed into the kitchen. “What’s cooking, bro-in-law?”

As soon as he let go, Mom and Dad Chi surrounded Chu Yan, placing a plate of cut fruit on the coffee table in front of him. “You’re Chu Yan, right?”

Chu Yan nodded. “Yeah, Chu as in clothes, Yan as in inkstone.”

“That’s a great name. Here, try an orange picked from the countryside—it’s very sweet.”

“Thanks… Mom.”

Mom Chi let out an “oh,” unsure if it was shock or delight, her eyes fixed on Chu Yan, unable to look away.

Chu Yan picked up a slice of orange and bit into it, his nervousness gradually fading.

He glanced toward the kitchen, seeing Yong Yong with his sleeves rolled up and an apron on, helping to chop vegetables and arrange plates. He was used to seeing Yong Yong in a white coat with a stethoscope, but now, amidst the kitchen’s warmth and bustle, he seemed grounded in real life, radiating even more warmth.

This warmth was unfamiliar to Chu Yan, and it was the first time since his illness that he didn’t feel repelled by something unknown.

Mom Chi’s gaze followed Chu Yan’s. The explanation her son had briefly offered was cast aside in her mind, dismissed as an embarrassed excuse. After sizing him up, she launched into a parental interrogation.

“Chu Yan, what do you do for work?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Huh?”

Dad Chi also scrutinized him. “Then how did you and Sui Yong meet?”

“Yong Yong and I met at the hospital. I got sick.”

“Sick with what?”

“Yong Yong said I hit my head while driving.”

After a few exchanges, Chu Yan’s unusual condition was fully exposed. Mom and Dad Chi exchanged a glance, their joy slowly fading.

“So… you don’t remember things?”

“Yeah, I don’t.”

Chi Suiyong’s nephew came over again. “Isn’t that amnesia?”

Dad Chi clicked his tongue. “Adults are talking, kids don’t interrupt. Go play your game.”

“Playing alone is boring.” The nephew turned to Chu Yan. “Want to play with me?”

“I don’t know how.”

"It's okay, I can teach you. It's very simple."

Chu Yan, aware that he was a guest, restrained the aloofness he reserved for everyone except Yong Yong. After a moment's thought, he said, "Okay, then."

Dad Chi and Mom Chi knew things weren't that simple, but Chu Yan's demeanor made it clear they wouldn't get anything out of him. So the old couple squeezed into the kitchen again, flanking their son, one on each side, to interrogate him.

Chi Suiyong hadn't expected that bringing Chu Yan home would cause such a big misunderstanding. He hadn't rushed to explain earlier, mainly out of consideration for Chu Yan. Now that they were away from him, it was much easier to talk.

So he explained the whole story from beginning to end.

Dad Chi picked up on the key point. "Transitional object attachment occurs around the age of three. So you're saying Chu Yan now has the mind of a child?"

"Exactly." Chi Suiyong suppressed a smile. "You just talked to him earlier—it's pretty obvious."

Mom Chi glared at him. "You got my hopes up for nothing."

"Oh, Mom, do you really think that assumption was appropriate? He and I are not the same type at all!"

"What does 'same type' have to do with it? It's not like you're colleagues. Forget it, I'm not talking to you. You just annoy me."

His brother-in-law chuckled. "These things can't be rushed, Mom. Suiyong knows what he's doing."

"Who in their right mind is still single past thirty?"

Dinner was almost ready, and it wasn't respectful for the whole family to crowd there discussing the guest. So Dad Chi excused himself from the kitchen first and started arranging the dishes.

Chu Yan and Dr. Chi's nephew, Suisui, were getting along quite harmoniously. They sat cross-legged on the carpet in front of the TV. Suisui first picked out a fighting game and patiently taught Chu Yan the controls. He thought he had this in the bag and wanted to be the little teacher in front of the adults, but to his surprise, their first match ended in a tie.

After the round, Chu Yan was a bit unsatisfied. "Got anything harder?"

"Then how about a post-apocalyptic level? Hang on, I'll pick a high-level one."

So when Chi Suiyong came out of the kitchen, he saw his nephew red-faced, almost crushing the game controller, while Chu Yan was focused on the screen, clearly having a blast.

"Still playing? Don't you want to eat?"

Suisui turned around with a grimace. "Uncle, you two tricked me. He just told me he can't play games."

Chi Suiyong replied, "I wouldn't know about that."

Suisui's dad, Qin Zheng, came out carrying the last soup dish and happened to catch that. He said, "He lost his memory, not his smarts. Playing games relies on your brain. Yours just isn't as good as his."

Suisui complained to Dad Chi, "Grandpa, my dad is picking on me."

Just then, the living room door opened. A voice came before the person entered: "Honey, come help me with some stuff."

It was Chi Yu, Suisui's mom and Chi Suiyong's sister.

Qin Zheng wiped his hands and walked to the entrance to greet her. "What did you bring back? Such a huge pile."

"Oh, my company just gave out welfare coupons. I went to the supermarket and spent them all in one go. I even got you a big gift."

The couple worked together to bring everything inside. After entering, Chi Yu scanned the living room and noticed a stranger.

"Oh, we have a guest?"

At that, Mom Chi got annoyed again. "Your brother's patient."

"What? Did my brother switch departments?"

"Switch departments? Let's eat first. We'll talk about this later."

Suisui, not knowing what was going on, chimed in, "Grandma, didn't you say at lunch that Uncle was bringing his boyfriend home? How did he become a patient?"

This left Chi Yu three parts confused and seven parts delighted. In the whole house, besides Suisui, she was the only one who hadn't gotten an explanation about Chu Yan's identity. That curiosity naturally couldn't be suppressed.

Once at the table, she kept eyeing Chu Yan.

Wow, good-looking!

Yeah, her brother had good taste.

She didn't know men could look like this—both obedient and pure, each feature so striking it could elevate anyone else's face instantly.

Chu Yan felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. He had just heard Yong Yong call this person "sister," so he followed suit.

After all, since he entered the house, no one had corrected him on how to address anyone.

Chi Yu burst out laughing a few times and shot her brother a "not bad" look.

Chi Suiyong responded with a dry laugh. Let them think whatever they want. After dinner, he and Chu Yan would go back to the hospital, and then the family could gather and talk it out to clear up the misunderstanding.

Today was Qin Zheng's birthday. He was the center of attention; there was no reason for everyone to focus on Chu Yan.

Since no one in the family drank alcohol, Chi Suiyong opened a large bottle of soda and poured a drink for everyone.

"Brother-in-law, happy birthday. Come on, let's all clink glasses."

Chi Yu followed up, "My Qin Zheng is also heading toward forty. Forty blooms like a flower, honey. Happy birthday. May you be happy every year and live to ninety-nine."

Suisui also raised his glass. "Dad, I hope you and Mom can have a second child soon. I want a little sister."

Chi Suiyong laughed. "Who makes requests on someone's birthday like that?"

When it was Chu Yan's turn to raise his glass, hearing everyone give their blessings so naturally, he couldn't think of anything new to say.

Chu Yan looked down, thinking hard, until his face was bright red.

Finally, with red-rimmed eyes, he looked to Yong Yong for help.