Chapter 22 Bias

Chapter 22: Bias

Jogging to Times Square, Chi Suiyong was anxious but also preoccupied with one thing.

He roughly figured out how Xia Li got his number, but that wasn’t important. Xia Li said he’d seen where Chu Yan was—an hour ago. Given Chu Yan’s hostility toward Xia Li, someone in his predicament surely wouldn’t say a word. So what had Xia Li been doing for that entire hour?

Their relationship had probably been exposed.

Back then, he had been overwhelmed by surging emotions and let Xia Li mistakenly believe Chu Yan was his current boyfriend. But if the truth came out, it would give Xia Li unnecessary illusions. Chi Suiyong didn’t think he still had that kind of appeal—that years later, a straight man who had been married once would still be hung up on him.

What Chi Suiyong cared about was preserving his dignity. He didn’t want Xia Li to see even a hint of embarrassment in this relationship.

How could he salvage this? That became the dilemma troubling him.

When he went out to find Chu Yan, he had only worn a sweater. Jogging for a few miles, his back was damp with sweat. The cold wind cut through the gaps in the fabric, chilling the sweat and evaporating it. By the time he reached the north gate of Times Square, he was gasping.

He looked around, searching for Chu Yan, but the person who appeared before the one he was hoping to see was Xia Li.

Xia Li emerged from the revolving door right in front of him, like a hunter who had been waiting, and Chi Suiyong was his long-awaited prey.

“Where is Chu Yan?”

Xia Li raised his wrist and glanced at his watch. “Thirteen minutes.”

Chi Suiyong’s chest heaved violently, his cheeks flushed red from the cold wind, and the hair on his forehead was blown back. Seeing him so flustered, Xia Li couldn’t maintain the smug smile on his lips.

“Sui Yong, you’re still like this—so dedicated to your patients.”

“Cut the crap. Where’s Chu Yan?”

But Xia Li evaded the question. “I remember once we agreed to go see a movie premiere. It was at seven in the evening, the worst time for traffic. You were afraid of missing the opening credits, so you got out of the car and ran all the way from three miles away to the cinema. Sui Yong, do you remember what you said to me back then?”

Chi Suiyong was still scanning the surroundings for Chu Yan. “My memory isn’t that good.”

“I remember. You said, ‘This is a romance movie, and it’s our first movie date. It’s bad luck to miss the beginning.’”

Chi Suiyong’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his breathing steadied. “Xia Li, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m divorced, Sui Yong.”

“So what?”

“You’re smart. I don’t believe you don’t know what I’m trying to do. That big cat that’s always baring its claws at me—he’s your patient, isn’t he? You used him to shield yourself from me. Sui Yong, you’ve never done something so childish. My sudden appearance threw you off, didn’t it?”

Chi Suiyong’s gentle composure was shattered piece by piece at these words. The mask he used to deceive others was once again ripped apart in front of this man. “Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to say something like that?”

“Whatever you want to do, I’m not interested.”

With that, Chi Suiyong didn’t want to linger any longer. He turned and left, shouting Chu Yan’s name across the open square.

His only thought now was to find Chu Yan and take him away.

The gaze behind him turned somber.

Chi Suiyong’s loss of composure had once been for him too. That big, dumb guy with hair like a Siamese cat—what gave him the right to make Chi Suiyong go this far?

Xia Li adjusted his expression, quickly stepped forward, and grabbed Chi Suiyong’s arm. “Don’t shout, Sui Yong. I’ll take you to him.”

Chi Suiyong broke free from his hold. “Lead the way, if you don’t mind.”

Chu Yan was at the south gate. Before coming, Xia Li had left his daughter Nini to keep an eye on things there. If Chu Yan tried to leave, Nini would call.

Chi Suiyong followed Xia Li into the mall through the revolving door, walking inward. The crook of his arm where he had broken free still burned. He felt he had handled himself well in front of Xia Li, but the man’s refusal to tell him where Chu Yan was had caused him to lose control.

His mind was a tangled mess. The names Chu Yan and Xia Li alternated—whose fault was it? Who had stirred up all this agitation in him?

When they reached the north gate, Xia Li pointed through the glass at a large tree in the open square. Under the tree, a figure was curled up—a big man on a public bench, radiating isolation and loneliness.

Chi Suiyong hurriedly pushed open the glass door. The closer he got, the clearer Chu Yan’s loneliness became.

He was waiting for me—this certainty kept bouncing in his mind.

In the time they had spent together day and night, on the sofa in the ward, at the cafeteria table, in his consultation room, in every corner of the hospital, all those images of Chu Yan waiting for him overlapped, but none of them came close to the impact of this moment.

To be so certain and purely awaited and expected by someone—it was like a boulder crashing into his chest, the thunderous sound overwhelming and unable to be drowned out by the crowd’s noise.

All his agitation was smoothed over in that instant.

“Chu Yan…”

The curled-up figure slowly raised his head, the scarf that had covered half his face sliding back to his neck.

Chu Yan’s gaze was like a candle flame in the wind, flickering on and off, as if he needed to confirm the reality of the person before him several times. Finally, the faint light died, and a mist of tears crept in, covering his clear eyes with a thin veil.

Chu Yan pouted slightly, his sharp jawline crumpling into the concrete image of grievance. His expression seemed to accuse Chi Suiyong of taking so long to find him.

Right or wrong, Chi Suiyong surrendered immediately, his expression softening like a cloud in a clear sky.

“Why are you so late…”

Chu Yan jumped off the bench, his long legs covering the distance in just a few steps until he was right in front of Chi Suiyong. His emotions and body language were unrestrained, showing the excitement of his expectations being fulfilled.

The impact made Chi Suiyong lean back slightly as Chu Yan held him tightly, whimpering softly.

Xia Li said he was a big cat who was always baring his claws, but with Chi Suiyong, Chu Yan was always a pitiful thing needing comfort. Chi Suiyong patted his back gently. “And you ask why I’m so late? Do you know how far you ran? I was this close to calling the police.”

“Then how did you find me?”

Chi Suiyong paused, gently pushed him away, and looked over his shoulder.

Chu Yan’s eyes still held unshed tears. The moment he saw Xia Li, the tap of tears suddenly turned off. “Did he call you?”

“Huh?”

“How does he have your number?”

Xia Li, having enjoyed the show, stepped forward again. “Sui Yong and I have known each other way longer than you. It’s only natural that I have his number. Besides, if it weren’t for me today, how long would you have crouched here? Stray cats and dogs know to dig through trash for food. Looking at you, I’d say you’d starve to death without ever developing any survival skills.”

Chu Yan bristled. “Mind your own business! Yong Yong[Yong Yong] would have found me anyway. We were playing hide and seek—what’s it to you?”

“Oh? So who won this round?”

“None of your business?”

“Other than ‘none of your business,’ do you have anything else to say? If your brain is broken, stay in the hospital. Don’t run around causing trouble for others…”

“Xia Li, that’s enough.” Chi Suiyong cut him off. “You studied medicine too. Is it fun to attack a patient like this?”

Xia Li shrugged. “Fine, I won’t argue with him.”

Chu Yan glared at Xia Li furiously several times. In his anger, he recalled Yong Yong's past relationship with Xia Li, and the more he looked at this old man, the more he looked like a pill on a cashmere sweater—irritating in every way.

"Yong Yong, let's go back. I'm starving."

"Okay." Chi Suiyong nodded, then said to Xia Li, "Thank you for today. Chu Yan is a patient I've been taking care of. If he really got lost, it would have been quite a hassle."

Xia Li gave a smug smile. "That's not what you said last time."

Chi Suiyong's mood had settled considerably. "Last time was my first time taking Chu Yan out. He wasn't familiar with titles and relationships back then. I was happy to respond however he chose to address me. It was your own misunderstanding."

"I thought you deliberately made me misunderstand!"

Chi Suiyong responded with a polite, practiced smile. "I have no reason to do that."

"Never mind. But you just said thank you—I didn't mishear that, did I?"

"No."

"You know I'm a practical guy. A verbal thank you is too light. How about something more substantial?"

Chu Yan didn't want to hear them talk anymore, so he kept pulling at Chi Suiyong's arm, trying to pull him away.

Chi Suiyong patted the back of his hand to soothe him. "Wait for me a little longer. We'll eat outside in a bit."

"Is that the same as your WeChat number?"

"Yes."

Chi Suiyong looked down at his phone, copied the number, searched for the contact, and sent a friend request. "Accept it."

Xia Li thought Chi Suiyong was playing right into his hands. "Okay, accepted. This way of thanking me is still..."

After the app’s automated greeting, a transfer for a specific amount showed up.

Confused, Xia Li held his phone up to Chi Suiyong and asked, "What does this mean?"

Chu Yan, who had been waiting on guard nearby, stretched out his arm and jabbed the screen repeatedly with his finger. By the time Xia Li realized what was happening and tried to stop him, it was too late.

The transfer was accepted.

Two hundred yuan.

"You said you wanted something substantial. That's what I meant by that." As he spoke, Chi Suiyong quickly tapped on his phone again, deliberately angling the screen so Xia Li could see it, and deleted him as a contact right in front of him.

"Sui Yong, did it have to come to this?"

Chi Suiyong tucked his phone into Chu Yan's coat pocket and became serious. "Xia Li, I don't like messy, ambiguous relationships. You should know exactly what kind of person I am. As for you, even if you're divorced, you should still be a good father."

He then pointed at Nini not far away. "A child's childhood is short, and their world is pure. Don't let a moment of anger make you do something in front of your kid that changes their view of you."

"Sui Yong..." Xia Li was rendered speechless. His daughter Nini was also looking at him at that moment.

Chi Suiyong took Chu Yan's hand and left. Their conversation carried on the wind into Xia Li's ears.

"We don't get out much. What do you feel like eating?"

"I'll eat whatever Yong Yong wants."

"Then let's get hotpot."

"Great..."