PDGUT - 13

Yan Ming hadn’t expected to receive another meal from Yu Tian.

Even after bringing the food containers back to his office and finishing everything, he found himself staring blankly at the towering stack of boxes.

Yu Tian’s cooking was indeed excellent. The meal was the most delicious one he’d had in recent days, leaving him looking forward to the next delivery.

But Yu Tian no longer needed to try so hard to ingratiate herself with him to curry favor through him for her mother’s sake—after all, it was Yu Tian’s mother who had initiated the breakup.

So why was Yu Tian still being so proactive? Why was she so blunt about expressing her intentions? Did she really mean what she said?

She mentioned that their parents’ current separation might actually be a catalyst for their relationship.

That statement couldn’t have been clearer.

Yet Yan Ming still found it hard to believe.

He had been pursued by many people before, but never had anyone been so brazen, skipping any pretense and blurting out their intentions after only meeting a few times.

It was almost too direct.

As Yan Ming marveled at this, he suddenly felt a flicker of understanding.

The inexplicable enthusiasm Yu Tian had shown now seemed to make perfect sense.

Could it be that she genuinely had such thoughts about him?

Perhaps before, she had restrained herself because of the possibility that their parents might form a blended family. But now, with no ethical constraints, Yu Tian’s advances had become much more direct.

She not only delivered meals but also unilaterally invited him to dinner after work.

Yan Ming should have refused, but he didn’t want to owe her any favors.

He decided that he would treat her to dinner tonight as repayment, then firmly reject her when she made her feelings known again. That would be the end of it.

Yan Ming believed Yu Tian wouldn’t be too heartbroken because she probably wasn’t that sincere. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given the meal meant for him to Qi Sihao yesterday.

But her cooking was truly exceptional.

And she was undeniably beautiful.

Perhaps too beautiful. Like the villainess in a TV drama—though her expressions were harmless, her striking beauty made her seem suspicious.

Yu Tian remained completely unaware of the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in Yan Ming’s mind.

She was rummaging through her belongings, not for clothes but for a notebook.

Aside from live-streaming cooking recipes to boost engagement on her medical knowledge platform, Yu Tian also planned to create a series of educational episodes covering common diseases, emergency self-help measures, and post-treatment recovery advice.

This was the main focus of her self-media content strategy.

Ophthalmology was a frequently encountered issue in daily life, yet most people lacked awareness of eye hygiene and early intervention for eye conditions. They often delayed treatment until problems worsened, thinking that as long as their vision was fine, there was nothing to worry about. When they experienced discomfort, they typically bought random eyedrops from small clinics.

The increased use of electronic devices among modern people had also exacerbated issues like dry eye syndrome, and myopia had become increasingly common among younger generations.

After analyzing the situation, Yu Tian believed that topics like eye hygiene, common eye disease identification, and myopia prevention for minors were excellent entry points for her medical education content. These topics were practical and genuinely helpful to her audience.

Such a specialized topic shouldn’t go to waste. She could create an entire ophthalmology series dedicated to medical education alone.

Previously, she had drafted an outline for the ophthalmology series in her notebook, along with several questions. Tonight, she planned to bring them to ask Yan Ming for advice, refine the outline, and further divide it into subtopics for each episode.

Additionally, she had watched recordings of some of Yan Ming’s surgeries. Though her injured hand made it impossible for her to ever operate, Yu Tian believed her medical career wasn’t entirely over.

After all, once her startup accumulated enough funds, and she overcame the psychological trauma of her injury, she might return to school to pursue academia. Therefore, she was also curious about some unconventional, even radical techniques Yan Ming used during surgery that weren’t standard in domestic ophthalmic procedures.

By the time Yu Tian gathered all her scattered notes and questions, it was almost time for Yan Ming to finish work.

She hastily threw on a T-shirt, slipped into a denim skirt, and grabbed a pair of canvas shoes before rushing out.

The restaurant where she planned to meet Yan Ming was a highly popular internet-famous eatery. It wasn’t cheap, but the food was exceptional. Its unique blind-box ordering system added an element of surprise to the dining experience.

The interior was elegantly decorated, and since the restaurant limited its daily reservations, the environment was quiet and private. Celebrities had even visited to check in.

Though the prices were steep…

Yu Tian gritted her teeth and decided it was still within her means. Still, her self-media platform was far from profitable, so pretending it didn’t hurt would be a lie.

However, to Yu Tian’s surprise, just as she arrived at the restaurant and was confirming her reservation at the front desk, the waiter brought her some unexpectedly good news.

“Miss, if you’re dining with your boyfriend, I recommend trying our special couple’s blind box menu tonight.”

The waiter smiled warmly: “This blind box menu is even more generous than our regular dinner options, but it’s available for only half the usual price.”

“Our boss just successfully wooed the girl he likes, so to celebrate, we’re offering this half-price couple’s blind box promotion, but only for this week.”

The waiter continued, smiling: “All you need to do is provide a photo proving your relationship and leave a romantic message in our guestbook. Our boss wants to commemorate the occasion.”

Yu Tian hesitated at first, but after glancing at the price list, she decided to take the risk—it wasn’t difficult to meet these requirements.

She immediately opened her phone and sent a message to Qi Sihao.

[Xiao Yu]: Thinking about our friendship, I suddenly feel moved. Send me a close-up photo of us together—I want to reminisce.

[Qi Sihao Is A Great Guy]: ? I’m busy, I’m working!

[Xiao Yu]: Plus, I want to show off how handsome my friend is to someone new I’ve met.

Sure enough, Qi Sihao suddenly became available.

A few seconds later, Yu Tian received the photo he sent.

Yu Tian scrolled through her phone album to find a secretly taken picture of Yan Ming, then picked a suitable photo from Qi Sihao’s pictures for editing.

In the photo, Qi Sihao’s arm was casually draped over Yu Tian’s shoulder.

She had no memory of when this was taken, but it didn’t matter—it looked intimate, which was perfect.

Yu Tian quickly edited the photo, pasting Yan Ming’s face onto Qi Sihao’s body, carefully covering Qi Sihao’s face.

Though the Photoshop job was rough and the traces were obvious, it would pass unless scrutinized closely.

Just like that, a “couple photo” of her and Yan Ming was born.

The waiter gave it a cursory glance before approving it: “However, please scan this QR code and upload the photo according to the app’s requirements. Our backend needs to verify it because there’s a limited number of couple’s blind box meals available each day, and we need to keep a backup.”

Ah… What kind of requirement was this…

Seeing Yu Tian’s expression, the waiter understood. She explained somewhat helplessly: “Previously, there were interns who reserved the half-price couple’s set internally and resold it. To prevent this from happening again, our boss requires us to verify and archive photos to ensure authenticity and prevent employees from exploiting loopholes.”

Though the explanation made sense, Yu Tian still hesitated: “Will this photo be used for anything else?”

“No need to worry,” the waiter reassured her. “Although we assume that uploaded photos can be used for non-commercial marketing purposes, if you specifically request not to authorize its use, I’ll make a note in the backend to protect your privacy.”

That sounded reasonable enough…

By now, other customers were starting to line up behind Yu Tian. Not wanting to keep them waiting, she quickly scanned the QR code and uploaded the edited photo as instructed.

“You also need to leave a romantic message in this guestbook.”

Though it was somewhat bothersome, the discount was worth it. Even though her mind went blank, Yu Tian hastily scribbled a limerick-like “romantic” message just to get it over with.

After finishing her message and taking her seat at the reserved table, the timing worked out perfectly.

Yan Ming arrived right on cue.

However, this trendy internet-famous restaurant had one flaw—it was painfully slow at serving food.

Of course, that was one of the main reasons Yu Tian had chosen it.

She decided to break the ice with a safe topic to bridge the gap between them.

“Brother Yan Ming, you look really good in that outfit. This color suits you so well! It’s my favorite color too! What a coincidence!”

Unfortunately, Yu Tian’s flattery fell flat.

Yan Ming raised an eyebrow, glanced at her, and replied expressionlessly: “It is quite a coincidence—this is my least favorite color. My mom bought it for me.”

“…”

Yu Tian forced a laugh: “Well, at least it shows she cares about you. She must love you dearly if she buys clothes for you. In her mind, you’re probably still a child, but their generation’s sense of style is bound to differ from ours, so the color might not suit your taste…”

“She completely mixed up my favorite and least favorite colors. She thought this was my favorite and bought it not because she was thinking of me, but because she needed to spend two thousand more to reach fifty thousand and qualify for a three-thousand-yuan discount. This was the only item that fit the bill.”

“…”

Yu Tian tried several other topics, but Yan Ming seemed guarded, almost as if he were anticipating something. Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt like he was fending her off, preventing her from saying anything strange.

But weren’t the topics she chose perfectly safe and normal?

What Yu Tian didn’t realize was that what she considered “safe and normal” appeared entirely different to Yan Ming.

In his eyes, her rambling felt like a prelude to broaching some uncomfortable subject.

Attempting to ease into the conversation and soften the atmosphere before making her move.

Yan Ming had indeed decided to reject her outright during this meeting—but not at the very start of the dinner.

If Yu Tian confessed before they began eating, his rejection would likely ruin the meal and create an awkward, uncomfortable situation.

He hoped she could at least hold back until after the meal.

That would be the more proper way to handle things, and at that point, he could naturally and gently decline her, bringing their interaction to a clean and respectful conclusion.

Thus, when Yu Tian started with those obviously forced small-talk topics, Yan Ming became wary. He tried to interrupt her and silently wished the restaurant would hurry up and serve the food.

Unfortunately, Yu Tian completely missed Yan Ming’s signals.

She kept trying those awkward attempts at small talk.

With Yan Ming subtly thwarting her efforts, it became visibly clear that Yu Tian was growing increasingly uneasy. She seemed on the verge of blurting something out, yet despite her discomfort, she hadn’t abandoned her original intention. Finally, she decided to cut straight to the chase—

“Brother Yan Ming, while we’re waiting for the food, I…”

Yan Ming wasn’t particularly surprised, but he interrupted her with a tight-lipped warning: “Some things you should think carefully about before saying, especially serious topics. I’m afraid we might not have enough time before the meal to have a proper discussion.”

Yu Tian was momentarily stunned, then looked shy and bashful: “So… you already know what I’m going to say?”

Yan Ming took a sip of his drink, nodded, and said knowingly: “I hope you’re sure you’re ready.”

A look of anticipation crossed Yu Tian’s face, and she nodded solemnly: “I’m ready!”

Of course she was ready—she’d been preparing all afternoon!

Initially, Yu Tian had hesitated, thinking it might make Yan Ming uncomfortable to bring up such topics before the meal. But Yan Ming, ever her idol, seemed to have anticipated her thoughts and kindly suggested that there might not be enough time for a thorough discussion before eating.

Yu Tian was filled with gratitude: “Though it’s true we might not have enough time for an in-depth conversation, we shouldn’t waste any time either. I want to make the most of every moment. If we don’t finish, we can continue after dinner—if you’re free, that is.”

Perhaps her studious spirit had rubbed off on him. After she finished speaking, Yu Tian noticed a complex expression cross Yan Ming’s face.

“I don’t think we’ll need to continue this conversation after dinner…”

Yu Tian nodded vigorously, excitement and nervousness bubbling inside her.

Yan Ming’s words seemed to confirm his approval of her understanding.

He must have believed that with her professional abilities, a few pointers would be enough for her to grasp the concept without requiring too much time.

With that settled, Yu Tian stopped beating around the bush. Gathering her courage, she pulled out her notebook and handed it to Yan Ming.

“Brother Yan Ming, everything I wanted to ask is written here!”

As expected, Yan Ming looked astonished: “All this? When did you…?”

“I jot down notes whenever I think of something,” Yu Tian explained. She had been compiling this list of questions for years, accumulating them bit by bit. “It adds up over time.”

Perhaps surprised by her dedication, Yan Ming seemed moved. Yu Tian noticed his gaze shifting, becoming… harder to describe. Was it pity? Sympathy?

But medical students often endured hardships, and diligent ones like her were not uncommon.

Medicine was her choice, and there was nothing pitiable about it.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Yu Tian hinted: “If you don’t mind, why don’t you take a look?”

Yan Ming stared at the notebook, hesitating. Only after Yu Tian urged him did he finally open it, as if bracing himself for something monumental.

As Yu Tian watched, his expression shifted from astonishment to confusion, then to disbelief.

After a moment, he tore his gaze away from the notebook and looked back at Yu Tian.

“This is what you wanted to discuss?”

Yu Tian was baffled but nodded: “Yes.”

She grew anxious: “Is it inappropriate? I’m sorry, Brother Yan Ming. I thought since I had the chance to eat with you, I didn’t want to waste it. I’ve been collecting these questions for a long time and thought I could ask for your guidance.”

Looking at Yan Ming’s troubled expression, Yu Tian truly began to feel uneasy.

The questions she had recorded in the notebook were ones she hadn’t been able to answer even after exhausting online searches, academic exchanges, and reviewing papers and monographs.

Could it be that even for Yan Ming…? Was that why he looked so taken aback…?

Yu Tian cautiously asked: “Brother Yan Ming, is it too difficult even for you?”

“…”