Trending topic alert: The mysterious fan site administrator of a top celebrity has been exposed.

Chu Yi didn't answer Zhou Ai, but simply curled her lips into a smile.

Zhou Ai, standing to the side, was not in a hurry. She watched Chu Yi finish packing before slowly unzipping her own backpack.

Amidst the rustling sounds, he actually pulled out several bags of brightly colored potato chips, the very same flavors featured in yesterday's bombardment of pictures.

Zhou Ai slowly and methodically placed them one by one on Chu Yi's clean and tidy desk. The colorful packaging bags instantly broke the serious professional atmosphere of the office, appearing somewhat abrupt... childish.

"I promised to bring you these potato chips," Zhou Ai said, pointing to the pile of "tribute" with her fingertip, her tone as natural as if it were a matter of course, "Remember to eat them well."

Chu Yi's gaze lingered on the pile of high-oil, high-salt puffed snacks for a second before shifting away. She nodded, her tone flat and indifferent: "Thank you."

He thought this one-sided "gift" ceremony was over and that Zhou Ai should leave.

However, just as Chu Yi was about to raise his hand to indicate the direction of the door, Zhou Ai suddenly spoke again.

"Do we still need to use the scar cream?" Zhou Ai asked casually, as if she had suddenly remembered.

Chu Yi paused slightly, then subconsciously replied, "The stitches were just removed from the wound, so theoretically you can start using it to prevent scar hyperplasia. If you need it, I can prescribe one for you."

This is standard medical advice.

But Zhou Ai didn't seem to be waiting for this.

As if he had been preparing for this, he magically pulled something out of the side pocket of his backpack. It was the imported scar removal cream that Chu Yi had given him earlier; the cream was now empty, and the tube was flat.

His slender fingers held the empty tube, deftly twirling it around his fingertips with a playful, nonchalant air.

Zhou Ai raised her eyes, her gaze precisely meeting Chu Yi's, her voice softening with a deliberate probing: "Is it the same as what Dr. Chu gave me before?"

Chu Yi's gaze fell on the empty tube he was toying with between his fingers. Under the office lights, the unique packaging design of the expensive imported ointment was clearly visible.

He recognized it, of course; it was a brand he had carefully selected, renowned for its top-notch effectiveness and reputation, though naturally, it came at a hefty price. The hospital pharmacy did indeed have several other scar removal creams of different brands and price ranges, but their effectiveness was significantly reduced.

He looked up and met Zhou Ai's seemingly innocent but curious eyes, and answered with certainty, "It's different."

As soon as those three words were spoken, the air in the office seemed to freeze for a moment.

Zhou Ai narrowed his eyes, like a cat that had spotted interesting prey. A faint smile played on his lips as he took a step forward with lazy, silent steps.

In the blink of an eye, the normal social distance between the two was suddenly shortened.

Chu Yi could even more clearly smell the very faint but seemingly cold and aggressive scent on Zhou Ai's body, which was somewhat like aftershave, mixed with the smell of disinfectant that permeated his own office, creating a strange and alarming sense of conflict.

The oppressive feeling brought by Zhou Ai's height subtly intensified with that one step. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on Chu Yi's face from extremely close range, as if trying to carefully study every subtle change in his expression.

He flicked the empty tube between his fingers, his voice lowered and breathy, yet each word was clear: "Oh? How is it different?"

Zhou Ai pressed on, her gaze fixed on Chu Yi, not missing a single reaction on Chu Yi's face. The probing in her eyes was no longer concealed. "Is it less effective than the one Dr. Chu prescribed before, or... is the price different?"

Zhou Ai's question was like a precise probe, piercing through the tacit understanding between the two.

He held up his phone, the list on the screen like a silent testimony, exposing Chu Yi's secret "special treatment" that even he himself had never thought about.

The office was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of traffic coming from afar outside the window.

Chu Yi looked at the screen, then glanced at Zhou Ai, who was standing close by. Those eyes, which always carried a hint of aloofness and indifference, were now surprisingly sharp, pulsating with an unavoidable probing and a trace of... almost malicious amusement.

A subtle, almost unprecedented sense of powerlessness crept into Chu Yi's heart. He truly hadn't expected Zhou Ai to notice such a detail, much less that he would lay it all out so directly, almost interrogatingly.

He thought Zhou Ai was the kind of pampered young master who was indifferent to the trivial matters around him.

He miscalculated.

Chu Yi's expression remained almost unchanged, still calm and composed, but Zhou Ai caught a fleeting look of surprise and a very subtle unease at being exposed in his eyes.

Although that emotion disappeared so quickly that it was almost an illusion.

Chu Yi slightly turned her head to avoid Zhou Ai's overly intense gaze, her voice remaining as steady as ever, even carrying a touch of the objective tone characteristic of a doctor: "The imported one has better ingredients and manufacturing process, making it more effective in inhibiting scar hyperplasia, especially suitable for facial wounds."

This answer perfectly avoids the core issues of "paying out of one's own pocket" and "special treatment".

Zhou Ai chuckled softly, the sound hushed and carrying an undisguised "I knew all along" tone.

He moved even closer, almost trapping Chu Yi between himself and the desk.

He held the empty scar removal tube to his fingertip and gently dabbed it onto the front of Chu Yi's clean white coat, the cool sensation faintly transmitted through the fabric.

"Really?" Zhou Ai drawled, her gaze lingering on Chu Yi's slightly pursed lips. "So, Dr. Chu thinks my face... is more valuable and deserves a particularly good ointment? Or is it..."

He paused, his gaze returning to Chu Yi's eyes, and said slowly and clearly, each word distinct: "Are you this...generous to every patient?"

He emphasized the word "patient" with a meaningful tone.

Chu Yi felt the slight pressure of the empty tube against her chest, and Zhou Ai's cold and aggressive aura enveloped her even more intensely.

He instinctively wanted to back away, but there was his desk behind him, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to meet Zhou Ai's gaze. He knew that any evasion or explanation would seem pale and ridiculous in the face of the other party's "evidence" and aggressive stance.

He chose another approach—an almost frank acquiescence, yet with a professional air of detachment.

"Effective medications are naturally recommended to patients who need them first." Chu Yi's voice remained calm, but a very subtle tension could be detected if you listened carefully. "If Mr. Zhou feels this is inappropriate, or needs a more economical option, I can now prescribe a regular scar removal cream from the hospital pharmacy for you."

He retreated to advance, throwing the choice back to Zhou Ai, attempting to bring this off-track dialogue back into the normal doctor-patient realm.

Zhou Ai's smile deepened, but it didn't reach his eyes. He clearly didn't buy into this official rhetoric at all.

"Recommendation?" He raised an eyebrow, lightly rubbing the empty tube between his fingertips again. "Dr. Chu, a recommendation means verbally informing the patient, not silently paying and then shoving the medicine directly into their hands."

He finally broke through that crucial barrier.

"I'm very interested in your referral method." Zhou Ai's gaze, thick with honey yet sharp as a needle, lingered intently on Chu Yi. "How many patients do you recommend that you'd personally fund?"

Chu Yi remained silent.

He looked at Zhou Ai, at the all-knowing, even slightly amused look in her eyes, at his current "predicament." He knew that whatever he said would only be interpreted and mocked more deeply by her.

That feeling of powerlessness finally transformed into a faint sense of annoyance and... a sense of resignation after being seen through.

He suddenly raised his hand, his movements not exactly rough but certainly not gentle, and brushed away Zhou Ai's hand that was pressed against his chest and the empty tube of ointment.

The empty tube fell onto the table with a soft "thud".

"Mr. Zhou," Chu Yi's voice turned cold, a crack finally appearing in his professional, gentle exterior, revealing his icy nature beneath, "If you have any questions about the treatment costs, you can go to the cashier on the first floor to print out a detailed list. My job is to treat the wound and provide what I believe to be the most appropriate medical advice. As for anything else..."

He paused, then looked sharply back at Zhou Ai with a cold, unapproachable gaze: "It's not within my scope of responsibility, nor is it worth your trouble in investigating."

After saying that, Chu Yi neatly turned to the side, no longer looking at Zhou Ai, and made a gesture of seeing the guest off. Although no one knew that his heart was beating rapidly like a drum because of his almost inappropriate behavior just now.

As Zhou Ai watched Chu Yi finally tear away her calm facade, revealing the thorny interior beneath, the curve of her lips became even more pronounced.

He did not back down because of Chu Yi's coldness; on the contrary, it was as if he had finally seen the reaction he had been waiting for.

He slowly bent down, leisurely picked up the empty tube of ointment that had been knocked away, and carefully put it back into the side pocket of his backpack, as if it were some important trophy.

Then, his gaze lingered on Chu Yi's tense profile for a moment before he slowly stood up.

"Okay, Dr. Chu." Zhou Ai's voice returned to its previous languid tone, but it was tinged with a satisfied joy. "I have received your medical advice."

He deliberately emphasized the words "medical advice".

"Cheers, remember to eat them." He left those words as a final remark, like an owner who had just finished teasing a cat that had finally stretched out its paws, and turned around with a good mood, opening the office door.

The light streaming into the hallway outside the door elongated his shadow.

The door closed gently behind me, separating the two worlds.

Zhou Ai is gone.

In the office, Chu Yi remained standing sideways. After a long while, he slowly exhaled and raised his hand to pinch his brow.

The colorful bags of potato chips on the table stood out starkly. He looked down at the hand he had just brushed away Zhou Ai's; his fingertips seemed to still retain a trace of the other's clothing and that extremely aggressive aura.

Chu Yi closed her eyes.

Trouble.

he thinks.

Outside the door, Zhou Ai walked towards the elevator, her fingertips tracing the empty tube of ointment in her backpack, a confident smile playing on her lips.