Chapter 21 Lost

Chapter 21: Getting Lost

The gift Chi Suiyong prepared for Chu Yan was a beige wool scarf. Although giving such a gift in winter might be cliché, it was practical.

And Chu Yan seemed to really like it, wrapping it around himself both indoors and outdoors. To free up space around his neck, he tied his hair up every day, sometimes even covering his face, enjoying the sense of warmth and comfort it brought.

When asked, he would say it was a gift from Yong Yong, adding that the color was versatile and his taste was excellent.

Anyway, before long, everyone knew who had given Chu Yan this inseparable scarf, and the work group chat even produced a few themed photo sets around it.

Every time Chi Suiyong saw such shares in the group, he just smiled without comment.

It was indeed a bit ambiguous.

But the hospital was different from other places. Doctors didn't want their patients to become repeat customers, and patients also wished to never return once they walked out the hospital doors. In a place of life and death, using the bond between two people as a diversion in tedious work was actually harmless.

Moreover, Chu Yan wasn't in the group. Once he was discharged, these photos would be covered up by new diversions. Probably no one would dwell on them for long, except for the person involved, Chi Suiyong.

Chu Yan had already been in the hospital for over a month. According to his recovery, he no longer needed medication and should have been taken home for care. But Chu Chenzhi hadn't given the go-ahead. Chi Suiyong had even mentioned it to him through Director Xing, but the other party only said to wait a little longer.

"Wait a little longer" probably meant waiting until the day Chu Yan fully recovered and could decide to leave the hospital on his own.

Now Chu Yan was no longer as childlike as when he first entered the hospital. Besides clinging to Chi Suiyong, everything else was moving toward growth.

Chi Suiyong occasionally saw a mature expression on his face. He remembered what Yunshang had said—that Chu Yan's face used to be cold enough to freeze people.

Following these growth trends, Chi Suiyong slowly got to know the normal Chu Yan. When serious, he had a dismissive air, a bit arrogant, and also carried a sense of aloofness that kept people at bay. But fortunately, now all of that was directed at others.

Chu Yan was unaware of these changes. Without past memories to connect to the present, he was just a carefree child, eating three meals a day, sleeping in, and not worrying about income or expenses—the most relaxed state that every adult who works longs for.

Now, his biggest task every day was probably helping the patients that Chi Suiyong treated find various windows.

Today, an elderly grandmother brought her grandson for treatment. The child had lymph node abscesses and a high fever, requiring hospitalization. Chu Yan carried the one-year-old patient while accompanying the grandmother through the entire admission process. He even bought some daily necessities from the shop for them. After finishing all this, he should have returned directly to Yong Yong's consultation room, but on the way, he ran into an elderly grandfather who said he was lost in the hospital and couldn't even find the exit.

Chu Yan led him to the hospital's main entrance and then turned back. Just as he was about to enter, he saw the old man still standing there, not moving. Chu Yan felt uneasy, so he asked him how he would get home.

The old man looked left and right, unable to identify which direction his home was in. "I came by bus. Where did I get off just now?"

"Then where do you live?"

The old man said, "In the Water and Electricity Residential Area, several stops from here. I asked for directions after I got off."

"Well, wait a moment. Let me ask where you can catch the bus."

So Chu Yan went back to the security booth and asked the security guard where the bus stop was.

The security guard knew Chu Yan, but since he couldn't leave his post and couldn't explain clearly, he drew a map for him. "To catch the return bus, it's not at the boarding point but on another street. Look, this is our hospital. Take this intersection and turn left. Walk about five hundred meters, and you'll be there."

Chu Yan took the hand-drawn map, looked it over, and understood. "Thank you."

After that, Chu Yan took the old grandfather to the bus stop that the security guard had mentioned. After asking the bus driver, he confirmed it was the right one. Chu Yan helped the old man onto the bus and then turned back.

Chu Yan rarely left the hospital, and when he did, it was always with Chi Suiyong. He never had to find his own way. The map the security guard had drawn—he just turned it around in his hand and started walking in the opposite direction.

The farther he walked, the more unfamiliar the surroundings became.

Standing at six foot three, with his long legs, he soon walked several kilometers away from the hospital.

Even schoolkids have smartwatches, but he had no way to contact anyone. Seeing the sun moving westward, Chu Yan began to panic.

During the time he accompanied Chi Suiyong in the clinic, he had helped many people in the hospital. But here on this bustling street, every face was unfamiliar, and it never occurred to him to ask anyone for help.

If only Yong Yong were here.

That was the only thought in Chu Yan's mind at that moment.

After wandering for a while longer, Chu Yan suddenly thought of asking someone to borrow a phone and then call Yong Yong.

He still remembered Yong Yong's phone number. It was during his first MRI, when to calm him down, Chi Suiyong had lied that it was a spaceship and asked him to give his contact number to the alien little patient. Even though it was only once, Chu Yan still remembered that sequence of numbers.

Chu Yan stood on the curb, scanning the passersby, until he saw a lady who seemed kind.

He walked up to her and said straight to the point, "Ma'am, can I borrow your phone to make a call?"

The lady asked, "Lost your phone?"

"No, I didn't bring it out."

The lady nodded. "Give me the number."

Chu Yan fluently recited that sequence of numbers, and the lady smoothly dialed it. She pressed the speaker button, and a gentle female voice came through: "Hello, the number you dialed does not exist. Please check and try again..."

The lady was also confused. She held the phone up to Chu Yan. "Take another look. Are you sure this is the number?"

Chu Yan repeated the digits twice. Absolutely no mistake.

But why was it a non-existent number?

How could Yong Yong have given him a fake contact number?

Just as he was utterly bewildered, the lady's phone rang again. Chu Yan excitedly thought it was Chi Suiyong calling back, but after the lady answered and said a few words, she looked apologetic. "Sorry, I have to rush home to make dinner for my grandson. Think about it, and then you can ask someone else for a phone later."

Chu Yan looked dejected. "Okay, thank you, ma'am."

After that, Chu Yan sat down directly on a public bench by the curb, the sequence of numbers running through his mind.

The sky had darkened. Chu Yan pulled the scarf up to below his eyes, over the lower half of his face, the corners of his eyebrows drooping. The hunger pangs of his mealtime routine made him even more disheartened.

"Daddy, Daddy, that uncle—haven't we seen him somewhere before?"

A childish voice came from not too far away, merging with the evening bustle, but it didn't catch Chu Yan's attention.

"Daddy, look quickly! It's him, the uncle with the beautiful hair."

Then footsteps approached, and a pair of shiny leather shoes came into view.

Chu Yan looked up and then saw the face of the man who had caused Yong Yong to yell at him last time.

That old man who had put Yong Yong in a bad mood all day.

"Where's Sui Yong? Why isn't he with you?"

Chu Yan pulled down the scarf, crossed his arms, and looked defensive. "None of your business?"

"Daddy, is this uncle very rude?"

Chu Yan was about to say "none of your business" again, but when he saw the little girl's face, he remembered what Yong Yong had once said—that you should be gentle and polite to girls and not too harsh.

So all that pent-up frustration got stuck in his throat and poured into the look he gave Xia Li.

"Hopean Hospital? What's wrong with you?"

When Xia Li asked him, Chu Yan realized the hospital name was printed on the hospital gown he wore underneath. He pulled his coat tighter to cover the letters. "Mind your own business."

Xia Li wasn't bothered. He just gave Chu Yan a meaningful look.

With Chi Suiyong gone, the clues he'd missed before were now completely obvious.

"You're sick, and Suiyong is a doctor at your hospital—I'm not wrong about that, am I?"

Chu Yan gave him a disdainful glare. "Go away, old man. I don't want to talk to you."

"Old? What about Suiyong? He's the same age as me."

Chu Yan couldn't bear another word. He leaned back against the chair, pulled his coat tighter, and yanked his scarf back up, physically shutting out the old man's nagging.

After a while, the old man's voice came again. "Come on, Nini. This uncle seems grumpy. Let's leave him alone."

"Daddy, he really is rude."

"That's right, Nini. Don't be like him."

Once Xia Li had walked away with his daughter, the first thing he did was pull out his phone and open the appointment information for Hopean Hospital. Finally, he spotted Chi Suiyong's name under Pediatrics.

He called the hospital front desk and easily got the contact number for Dr. Chi from Pediatrics.

Then, he took his daughter Nini into a nearby restaurant, choosing a window seat where he could see Chu Yan.

Chu Yan sat on the chair for a long time. Xia Li showing up gave him an idea of how to ask for directions—Hopean Hospital was the largest private hospital in the district, practically everyone knew it. But since the idea came from Xia Li, Chu Yan stubbornly refused to ask for directions that way.

Xia Li waited on the sidelines. It was only when it was almost dark that he finally called Chi Suiyong.

By then, Chi Suiyong was nearly frantic.

Chu Yan had been gone for three whole hours. They had turned the hospital upside down, reviewed security footage from every entrance and exit, and he had walked for miles in the direction Chu Yan had gone without spotting a trace. Off-duty staff had also joined the search, and they were about to call the police.

When his phone rang, Chi Suiyong saw an unfamiliar number and answered without hesitation.

"Hello, who is this?"

There was no immediate reply, only a low, satisfied chuckle.

Chi Suiyong was getting anxious from the search. "Talk, or I'm hanging up."

"Suiyong, wait. It's me."

Chi Suiyong's heart skipped a beat. "Xia Li? How do you have my number?"

"Take a guess."

"I'm busy right now. I don't have time for your games."

"Are you busy... searching for someone?"