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Yan Ming stared at the paper, flipping it over several times before confirming that there was truly only one line written on it.
So…
This was Yu Tian’s love letter?
Even after returning to the table, Yan Ming still couldn’t believe it.
At first, he thought Yu Tian was impulsive. But upon reflection, he realized she was far more cunning than he had given her credit for.
She had boldly expressed her feelings but hadn’t clarified what kind of feelings they were. She hadn’t made any explicit intentions clear, nor had she loudly demanded a romantic relationship with him. As a result, even though Yan Ming was well aware of what she wanted, rejecting her outright would make him seem not only lacking in gentlemanly manners but also overly presumptuous.
The entire “love letter” consisted of just three sentences—halfway between a confession and a joke.
It was executed perfectly.
Though Yu Tian often appeared innocent, she was clearly not as simple as she seemed.
Yan Ming felt like he had encountered a master.
Yu Tian was extremely satisfied with tonight’s dinner. The internet-famous restaurant had lived up to its reputation, and the long-awaited meal was delicious. During the wait, she had managed to discuss a third of the questions in her notebook with Yan Ming.
In her good mood, she even agreed to a last-minute request from Qi Sihao. He had called, saying he would be on night duty tomorrow and was busy with other tasks tonight, so he asked Yu Tian to pick up some pajamas for him on her way home. She happily agreed.
However, her pleasant mood was interrupted when she stepped out of the restaurant’s small courtyard and headed back to her table.
Around the corner, she bumped into Zheng Tingfu.
His expression was grim as he tugged at something with his domineering girlfriend, Zhao Xinxin. Neither of them was paying attention to where they were going, and they nearly collided with Yu Tian as they turned the corner.
Zheng Tingfu looked up, startled to see Yu Tian: “Xiao Yu…”
Yu Tian didn’t bother greeting him. With a cold face, she simply said, “Excuse me,” and quickly slipped past as Zheng Tingfu instinctively moved aside.
She hadn’t walked far when their argument reached her ears—
“Are you still hung up on her? You’ve been avoiding me every day, always saying you’re busy with work. What do you mean by this?”
“It’s not like that. I didn’t know she’d be here. Coming to this restaurant was your idea anyway…”
Yu Tian quickened her pace, unwilling to listen to their noisy quarrel.
Back at her seat, she intended to continue discussing her plans for the ophthalmology-themed content on her self-media platform while the conversation was still fresh.
To her surprise, however, Yan Ming had already settled the bill while she was gone.
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange.
Though Yan Ming remained polite, Yu Tian sensed that his mood had tightened, as if he were bracing himself for something.
She asked a few more questions, but Yan Ming no longer seemed as relaxed as before.
Perhaps something was on his mind?
She had grilled him enough tonight.
After a full day of work, being bombarded with professional questions during dinner might have been too much. Putting herself in his shoes, Yu Tian felt it was time to call it quits.
“Brother Yan Ming, thank you so much today! I found tonight incredibly meaningful!”
Yu Tian gazed at Yan Ming, her eyes sparkling like stars. Her gratitude was genuine.
Yan Ming was godlike—there seemed to be no professional question he couldn’t answer.
Since Yan Ming had driven to the restaurant and Yu Tian hadn’t, he courteously offered to drop her off on his way home. They headed toward the parking lot together.
On the way, Yu Tian didn’t stay idle. While showering Yan Ming with flattery, she seized the opportunity to bring up her ophthalmology-themed self-media project.
“Brother Yan Ming, if you’re interested, you can follow my account—it’s called ‘Xiao Yu Loves Candy.’ It’s not one of those profit-driven accounts selling random products. I genuinely want to create content that helps patients and serves as a bridge to improve understanding between doctors and patients…”
However, Yan Ming seemed distracted.
When Yu Tian invited him to follow her account, his response was distant—
“I’m quite busy, so I might not have time to check social media accounts.”
Yu Tian felt a twinge of disappointment but understood. It wasn’t just doctors—even people in other professions avoided looking at work-related content during their downtime. After being immersed in their field all day, they preferred to unwind with lighthearted entertainment.
This was a normal reaction. However, several times, Yu Tian noticed Yan Ming casting wary glances around, as if bracing for something.
But when she asked if anything was wrong, Yan Ming denied it.
Still… for some reason, Yan Ming began talking about his mother.
“My mother is a gentle and elegant person. Her divorce from my father was simply due to incompatible personalities.”
Yan Ming’s tone was restrained: “Their separation was peaceful—no arguments or fights. Even after parting ways, they remained like family and friends.”
“I think this is a mature approach. Whether it’s work or relationships, things should be handled rationally rather than emotionally.”
He added carefully: “I assume you understand what I mean?”
Though somewhat baffled, Yu Tian quickly caught on.
Since she and Yan Ming might become family in the future, he was likely introducing his family situation to clarify that his mother wouldn’t interfere with or negatively affect his father’s remarriage.
She nodded earnestly: “I understand, I understand.”
Seeing her response, Yan Ming visibly relaxed, as if he had finally conveyed some crucial information.
The two continued walking through the bustling streets of the city’s busiest commercial district. The street was lined with small shops, many of them clothing stores. Though not high-end brands, the quality was decent, and the prices were affordable.
As they walked, Yu Tian’s attention was drawn to a small shop on her right, crowded with customers—
“Pajama Blowout Sale!”
The advertisement caught Yu Tian’s eye. She had been wondering where to buy pajamas for Qi Sihao, and here it was, delivered right to her.
She hesitated slightly before asking Yan Ming: “Brother Yan Ming, could you wait for me a moment? I need to buy something.”
Yan Ming didn’t say much, only nodding politely.
The pajama blowout was indeed a blowout.
Perhaps because of the low prices, the sale area was packed with middle-aged women picking through the racks.
Yu Tian squeezed her way in and saw the price tags—
100 yuan for one set, 150 yuan for two sets.
The pajamas were indeed of good quality—soft, comfortable cotton. The only downside was the limited color options and somewhat outdated designs. There were two styles: blue for men and pink for women.
Yu Tian had originally planned to buy just one set for Qi Sihao, but seeing the deal for two sets, she decided it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.
Quickly, she grabbed two sets based on her and Qi Sihao’s sizes and headed to the checkout counter, pleased with her purchase.
Just as Yu Tian emerged from the crowd of middle-aged women, she began to regret her decision.
Yan Ming stood nearby, tall and composed, but completely out of place in the chaotic bargain-hunting scene. It seemed he had wanted to find Yu Tian but couldn’t navigate the sea of rushing shoppers. Somehow, he managed to remain unscathed amidst the chaos.
Yu Tian suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Someone like Yan Ming seemed to belong in the clouds. Bringing him into a bargain store almost felt like a crime.
She stammered awkwardly: “I’ll… I’ll pay and leave right away…”
Yan Ming glanced at the pajamas in Yu Tian’s hands, his expression growing odd.
“Is this for yourself?”
Yu Tian nodded and replied: “Yes, the pink one is mine.”
So the blue one…
Yan Ming stared at the matching pajamas in Yu Tian’s hands, feeling a headache coming on.
He found it unbelievable, but recalling Yu Tian’s unconventional confession note, he realized it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Could the blue one be for him?
Yan Ming pursed his lips and said carefully: “I don’t think this blue is very nice. I don’t think you need to buy it.”
Yu Tian looked surprised: “I think the blue is fine. It’s practical for wearing during hospital shifts—it matches the hospital vibe pretty well…”
Indeed.
It seemed she had bought it for him.
Yan Ming’s head throbbed even more.
This was the first time he had encountered something like this.
Yu Tian truly didn’t follow conventional rules.
Without saying a word, she had taken action.
She had even bought matching pajamas.
Yu Tian hadn’t expected her casual purchase of pajamas to lead to such unexpected consequences.
For some reason, Yan Ming seemed to have strong objections to the men’s pajamas and went to great lengths to stop her.
“The material is pretty average.”
“The blue might suit the hospital environment, but it’s too plain and could easily get mixed up with others.”
“Besides, the size is wrong. 180 cm is too small—I’d need at least 185 cm.”
By the end, he had even taken action.
Yu Tian watched in amazement as Yan Ming took the men’s pajamas from her hands and walked to the non-discounted section. He picked out a light gray set in size 185.
“Buy this.”
“But the blue and pink ones are on sale as a pair…” she protested weakly.
He glanced at her: “Buy the gray one. I’ll pay for it.”
Before Yu Tian could respond, Yan Ming had already paid for the gray pajamas.
His actions were smooth and decisive, leaving Yu Tian stunned and confused.
“Do you even know who I’m buying these pajamas for?” she asked incredulously.
In response to her question, Yan Ming simply gave her a cold glance and replied curtly, with an air of certainty: “Yes.”
His expression carried a restrained understanding: “You don’t need to say it. I know who you’re buying it for.”
And yet, despite knowing it was for Qi Sihao, he had still insisted on paying for it?
But soon, Yu Tian had an epiphany.
A person as intelligent and emotionally perceptive as Yan Ming must have deduced that the pajamas were for Qi Sihao. Since Qi Sihao was rotating through ophthalmology, he technically fell under Yan Ming’s jurisdiction. By paying for the pajamas himself, Yan Ming was simply doing a favor for one of his subordinates!
How clever!
No wonder it was Yan Ming! Not only did he excel in professional skills, but he also knew how to unite his team and care for its members. He was meticulous and thoughtful in every way.
Realizing this, Yu Tian couldn’t help but look at Yan Ming with renewed admiration.
Her idol wasn’t just academically and professionally unmatched; his character was impeccable too. Even for a newly rotated junior doctor like Qi Sihao, Yan Ming showed such thoughtful care—going so far as to buy him pajamas!
With this epiphany, Yu Tian’s earlier doubts vanished completely.
The reason he didn’t choose blue but opted for gray must have been because the gray ones were more expensive and of better quality. And choosing size 185 instead of 180 was likely because wearing slightly larger pajamas was more comfortable.
Since Yan Ming wanted to step in and buy Qi Sihao something nice, Yu Tian decided to play along and let things unfold smoothly.
Having successfully completed her mission of buying pajamas for Qi Sihao, she said nothing more and followed Yan Ming to the parking lot.
Her home wasn’t far away, and soon Yan Ming’s car pulled up outside her residential complex.
“Brother Yan Ming, thank you so much for tonight. You answered so many of my questions and even treated me. Let me take you out to dinner again in a few days!”
After expressing her gratitude, Yu Tian looked at Yan Ming.
Under the night lights, his profile seemed almost unreal. The colorful reflections of the streetlights danced across his face, adding an air of inscrutability to his already enigmatic presence.
Though his features were soft individually, together they formed a breathtaking visual impact, exuding an aloofness that was anything but gentle.
Yan Ming’s response matched his demeanor—cold, detached, and succinct.
He turned his head slightly and uttered two words.
“No need.”
Yu Tian stared at Yan Ming, waiting for him to continue.
Qi Sihao’s gray pajamas had been paid for by Yan Ming, who then personally packed them and placed them on the backseat of his car.
Had he forgotten?
Yu Tian gently reminded him: “Qi Sihao and I are neighbors—he lives right across from me.”
Yan Ming paused, looking slightly confused, then muttered an “Oh.”
Yu Tian carefully added: “So I can just bring the pajamas to him.”
After saying this, she tentatively looked at Yan Ming: “Or would you rather give them to him yourself?”
After all, since Yan Ming had paid for the pajamas, delivering them personally would make Qi Sihao feel even more grateful.
But…
“Qi Sihao is busy tonight and isn’t home. If you bring the pajamas tomorrow, he’ll have to wash them before he can wear them. But he’s on night duty tomorrow, so there won’t be time for that. If you don’t mind, you can give them to me tonight—I’ll wash them for him, and then I’ll bring them to the hospital tomorrow after they’re dry.”
Yu Tian explained: “Of course, I’ll make sure to tell Qi Sihao that you bought them for him.”
As soon as she finished speaking, afraid she might forget later, Yu Tian immediately took out her phone and sent a message to Qi Sihao via WeChat.
[Xiao Yu]: Qi Sihao, Yan Ming bought these pajamas for you last night. In return, I hope you work hard for him in his department.
After sending the message, Yu Tian proudly showed her phone screen to Yan Ming: “I’ve sent it.”
Yan Ming’s expression froze as he stared at Yu Tian.
What was going on now?
Did Yan Ming want to personally wash Qi Sihao’s pajamas?
But his focus wasn’t on washing the pajamas. He stared at Yu Tian, enunciating each word: “These pajamas are for Qi Sihao?”
Who else?
Now it was Yu Tian’s turn to be confused: “Didn’t you know from the start that these were for Qi Sihao?”
She was bewildered and about to ask more when Yan Ming abruptly cut her off.
His complexion darkened, but his composure remained intact. His tone, however, carried a hint of gritted teeth: “Yes, I knew. They’re for Qi Sihao.”
Yu Tian looked at Yan Ming hopefully: “So… do you want to wash them personally for him?”
“You can take care of it yourself.”
With that, Yan Ming pulled the pajamas from the backseat and tossed them to Yu Tian.
Yu Tian had barely stepped out of the car when the pajamas landed in her arms. Before she could react, Yan Ming’s car sped off into the distance.
Just moments ago, hadn’t Yan Ming been eager to deliver the pajamas personally to Qi Sihao?
Why did he suddenly seem angry now?
Was it because Qi Sihao wasn’t home, making it impossible to hand them over directly?
But Yan Ming knew Qi Sihao was on night duty tomorrow…
________________________________________
Yu Tian washed and dried Qi Sihao’s pajamas overnight. The next day, she brought them along with the food containers intended for Yan Ming to the First Affiliated Hospital.
Yan Ming was still seeing patients, but Qi Sihao arrived at the hospital entrance to meet her shortly after.
Yu Tian handed the pajamas to Qi Sihao: “Here’s your pajamas. Though Yan Ming paid for them, don’t forget that I’m the one who thought of buying them for you. You owe me big time!”
To her surprise, Qi Sihao didn’t show any gratitude. Instead, he looked at her with a complicated expression: “About that photo you asked for yesterday—you said you wanted to show it to your friends to brag about how handsome I am. What did they say?”
Yu Tian casually brushed it off: “They said you’re incredibly handsome! The kind of guy who turns heads the moment someone looks at you!”
But to her astonishment, Qi Sihao sneered.
“Yu Tian, I know what you did.”
His tone was icy: “You swapped my head, didn’t you?”
“…”
Yu Tian instinctively denied it: “No, I didn’t! Qi Sihao, do you even know what you’re saying? Your baseless accusations are tarnishing our friendship!”
Qi Sihao was furious: “Friendship? Go check the school forum. Your poorly Photoshopped picture has already sparked over ten pages of discussion!”
“…”
Yu Tian felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
She opened the school forum and quickly found the trending post—”Exposing the Desperate Acts of Medical School Flower Yu Tian.”
With a forced smile, Yu Tian clicked into the thread. Sure enough, the hastily Photoshopped picture of her and “Yan Ming” from last night was front and center.
When she had Photoshopped it, she hadn’t put much effort into it—it was just meant to fulfill the restaurant’s requirement. Now, under the spotlight, every detail was being scrutinized.
Staring at the “couple photo,” Yu Tian finally began to feel a chill run down her spine, followed by embarrassment and disbelief.
The Photoshop job was painfully obvious. She hadn’t even bothered to properly cut out Yan Ming’s head—it was crudely pasted onto Qi Sihao’s neck like a sticker. But the worst part wasn’t that.
The worst part was…
“If you were going to swap my head, could you at least have shown some attention to detail? Look at the frog in my hand! Why didn’t you Photoshop that out too?”
Qi Sihao was seething: “Now the forum has dug up the original photo, and I’ve become infamous! But not for my handsome face—for the frog in my hand!”
In the original photo, Qi Sihao’s arm was draped over Yu Tian’s shoulder, while his other hand held a frog. Yu Tian had been so focused on Photoshopping the couple photo that she hadn’t noticed the frog in Qi Sihao’s other hand!
Only now did she finally remember where this photo had come from.
It was taken during an anatomy class, where students dissected frog legs to isolate the sciatic nerve and observe reflexes. To prevent mistakes, the lab kept a tank of backup frogs. Qi Sihao must have grabbed one casually as a backup…
But this photo…
She had only submitted it to the restaurant!
Yu Tian steadied herself and scrolled through the comments in the thread. That’s when she discovered why this photo had been exposed.
Apparently, the restaurant posted all participating couples’ photos on their official website daily. With dozens of photos uploaded each day, none taking up much space, Yu Tian had no idea why her and Yan Ming’s photo had been singled out and posted on the university’s forum.
The person who posted it clearly knew Yu Tian and was deliberately steering the narrative.
First, they revealed that the head in the “couple photo” belonged to Yan Ming, a legendary figure at the medical school. Then they shared information about a publicly listed company, highlighting that its chairman’s surname was Yan. A quick search of corporate records confirmed that Yan Ming was listed as a minority shareholder.
To ensure everyone made the connection, the poster meticulously highlighted the value of Yan Ming’s shares, noting that he was the only son of the chairman and majority shareholder. They went on to explain how the company had invested in various downstream industries, including traditional heavy industry, modern services, and emerging fields like nanotechnology, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence. One of their subsidiaries even owned a wildly popular eSports game, Conquest Challenge, which was currently hosting competitive tournaments and dominating the market.
Yu Tian wasn’t particularly interested in the intricacies of capital markets, but the sheer magnitude of Yan Ming’s net worth left her stunned. The number of zeros following the figures was staggering.
Her mother had mentioned that Yan Wenhua’s family was well-off, but this was beyond anything she’d imagined.
So Yan Ming was this wealthy…
Perhaps due to the crude and bizarre Photoshop job, combined with Yu Tian’s frequent appearances in campus hot topics, the original photo with Qi Sihao was unearthed. Coupled with deliberate manipulation, the thread exploded into chaos.
“So you, you conniving woman, tried to seduce Yan Ming. For him, you even abandoned your poor boyfriend ‘me,’ swapping his head with Yan Ming’s to fantasize about being with him. You flaunted the Photoshopped picture everywhere, even posting it online, only to get publicly shamed…”
After reading through the thread, Qi Sihao summarized it with characteristic brevity.
Yu Tian frowned, still incredulous at the direction the comments had taken.
“Anonymous submission: I’m interning at the First Affiliated Hospital and have seen Yu Tian approaching Dr. Yan several times, even bringing him meals. It’s clear she’s pursuing him, but Dr. Yan hasn’t shown much interest—he doesn’t seem particularly drawn to her.”
“I’m also at the First Affiliated, and Qi Sihao is rotating there too. Yu Tian has brought meals for Qi Sihao as well. It seems Qi Sihao is her backup plan, though I’m not sure if he realizes it…”
“I once confessed to Yu Tian during school, but she rejected me without giving a reason. I’ve moved on now. Turns out she’s just like any other materialistic girl, using her looks to climb the social ladder and marry into wealth.”
Amidst the negativity, a few voices defended Yu Tian:
“Not true. Yu Tian has always ranked first in her major. I don’t think she’s that kind of person…”
But these voices were quickly drowned out by others steering the narrative…
“Come on, some women who want to marry into wealthy families will also boost their academic credentials. Their achievements and qualifications are just bargaining chips. Do you really think it’s that easy to enter high society these days? Rich people care about their descendants’ genes too! Sure, she’s academically gifted, but if she’s so smart, why didn’t she continue her studies at the medical school or go straight into a hospital?”
“True, I heard she’s not even practicing medicine. She started some self-media account and does live streams. Is she trying to become an internet celebrity?”
“She really did go into self-media and even signed a contract. It seems she’s officially entering the influencer scene…”
Yu Tian had never publicly announced her hand injury to gain sympathy, but now her decision to abandon her dream and switch careers had become “evidence” of her supposed greed. Even baseless accusations like signing contracts to become an influencer were thrown at her.
In the entire thread, any voices defending her were quickly attacked by the anonymous poster, who claimed those accounts were fake profiles created by Yu Tian to whitewash herself. In the end, no one dared to defend her anymore. After all, most alumni didn’t personally know Yu Tian and weren’t willing to risk being dragged into the mud for a stranger.
Yu Tian wasn’t stupid. She quickly realized this was a deliberate attempt to smear her reputation. She also suspected that Zhao Xinxin, Zheng Tingfu’s girlfriend, was behind it.
After bumping into them at the restaurant, Zhao Xinxin must have stumbled upon Yu Tian’s hastily Photoshopped “couple photo” on the restaurant’s official website and decided to make a big deal out of it.
Qi Sihao had initially joked about the situation, but as he scrolled through the comments, his expression grew increasingly serious.
“This is slander! Don’t worry—I’ll go clarify things. What nonsense is this!”
Yu Tian appreciated his gesture but tried to dissuade him: “It’s fine, there’s no need. I’ll call the restaurant later and ask them to remove the photo from their website.”
She sighed, still puzzled: “They promised me they wouldn’t share the photo externally. How annoying.”
But Qi Sihao wasn’t satisfied: “It’s fine for you, but what about me? My reputation has been ruined—I’ve been labeled as your backup plan! How can I accept that? This insults my judgment!”
“…”
Qi Sihao genuinely tried to clarify things in his own name. Unfortunately, his clarification post was quickly buried under a flood of other comments steering the narrative.
The fact that Yu Tian had Photoshopped the couple photo was undeniable. Even though there was no truth to the claim that Qi Sihao was her backup plan, the mere act of Photoshopping the photo was enough to label her as vain and shameless. She faced a barrage of attacks and ridicule.
Yu Tian could have clarified that her relationship with Yan Ming stemmed solely from their parents’ matchmaking efforts.
But doing so would expose her parents’ privacy. Zhao Xinxin clearly had hired trolls, and Yu Tian didn’t want to drag her mother into this mess.
After some thought, she decided against responding. She figured the controversy would die down after a few days of heated discussion.
However, Qi Sihao couldn’t let it go: “If you don’t want to clarify these things yourself, why not ask Yan Ming to do it for you? You don’t even need to mention your parents. Just say that he knew about the Photoshop and thought it was funny—a joke between friends. If both of us, the ones Photoshopped in the picture, aren’t bothered, why should anyone else be?”
Logically, he was right. But…
Yu Tian hesitated: “I’d rather he not know…” She awkwardly added, “I’m not close enough to him to ask him to clear things up for me. Besides, this Photoshop job was so childish—I selfishly don’t want him to know…”
After all, Yan Ming truly didn’t know about this Photoshop incident…
Feeling guilty, Yu Tian didn’t wait for Yan Ming today. Instead, she handed the food container to Qi Sihao, who delivered it to Yan Ming.
What Yu Tian didn’t know, however, was that while she hoped Yan Ming wouldn’t find out, he was inevitably forced to learn about it.
At noon, Qi Sihao brought Yu Tian’s food container, enthusiastically shaking Yan Ming’s hand: “Senior Yan Ming, thank you so much for the pajamas! I heard you even picked them out yourself! Thank you so much!”
Yan Ming maintained his composure under Jiang Yuming’s probing gaze, calmly accepting Qi Sihao’s gratitude and taking the food container from him.
As soon as Qi Sihao left, Jiang Yuming sidled over: “Why did you buy him pajamas?”
Yan Ming ignored him. Jiang Yuming didn’t press further but stared enviously at Yan Ming’s food container: “Ah, when will I have a junior sister willing to cook for me?”
Jiang Yuming was clearly a man of action. As he spoke, he opened his phone: “Let me check the campus forum’s friend-making section. Maybe I can meet some junior sisters…”
Before Yan Ming could open the food container Yu Tian had sent, he heard Jiang Yuming’s slightly surprised voice: “Hey! Yan Ming! You and Yu Tian seem to be trending on the school forum’s hot posts!”
He began scrolling through the thread, letting out increasingly louder exclamations as he read.
Unable to eat in peace due to Jiang Yuming’s noise, Yan Ming snatched the phone from him: “What nonsense are you looking at?”
Yan Ming had never been interested in the gossipy and frivolous campus forum, whether during his school days or after graduation. He hadn’t intended to look at any posts related to him this time either.
However, Jiang Yuming’s screen was frozen on a visually jarring “couple photo.” Even Yan Ming, who rarely showed emotion, was momentarily stunned by a single glance.
It was an absurd “couple photo,” clearly Photoshopped. The poor editing made it obvious—the head of Yan Ming had been crudely pasted onto someone else’s body. The original owner of the body had one arm draped casually over Yu Tian’s shoulder, and the other hand hanging loosely at his side… clutching a frog.
Yan Ming’s face remained expressionless as he scrolled through the thread.
Finally, he understood whose body had been used.
He stared at the photo. Though his outward demeanor remained calm, his inner thoughts were far from peaceful.
Was Yu Tian really that desperate?
Had her feelings for him reached such an extent?
Because she lacked a real photo, had she resorted to Photoshopping one to satisfy her vanity?
Did she really believe that by creating this fake photo, she could fantasize about becoming a real couple?
And then flaunt it everywhere—posting it on the restaurant’s website, which eventually ended up on the school forum…
Yan Ming struggled to describe his shock. For a moment, he even forgot to be angry, finding Yu Tian’s actions utterly baffling.
He should have been furious, but to his surprise, he felt less anger than expected.
After all, love was uncontrollable. Blaming Yu Tian for it seemed pointless.
During his school days, the campus forum had always been filled with posts confessing to him or discussing him, often sparking ridiculous rumors. But Yan Ming had never paid attention to them.
He had initially thought he would handle this situation the same way.
But despite not being particularly angry, he found himself unable to let it go after enduring it for so long.
When Yu Tian received Yan Ming’s call, she was editing materials for her self-media science education series.
Unlike Qi Sihao, who beat around the bush, Yan Ming got straight to the point—
“Yu Tian, what’s going on with the photo on the forum?”
“…”
Yu Tian was at a loss. While she had smoothly lied her way through explanations to Qi Sihao, another party involved, she found herself tongue-tied before Yan Ming. Her words stumbled out awkwardly, like a student caught daydreaming by their teacher.
“It was for that restaurant promotion…”
Yu Tian tried to explain why she Photoshopped the couple photo for the discount, but Yan Ming interrupted her with a tone of understanding yet unmistakable coldness: “You don’t need to explain the reason. I already know.”
So Yan Ming knew she had Photoshopped the photo for the discount…
Awkward.
Embarrassing.
Yan Ming’s tone was icy: “We’re not discussing the reason anymore—it’s meaningless. I’m asking you how you plan to resolve this.”
Yu Tian could only steel herself and explain: “I only showed the ‘couple photo’ to the restaurant staff, and they promised not to use it externally. I just called them and learned that the staff member who made the promise fainted due to sudden low blood sugar and was rushed to the hospital, leaving their work unattended. The new staff member who took over didn’t know I hadn’t authorized them to use the photo. They thought our images looked good and used it for promotional purposes on the restaurant’s website…”
Yan Ming listened, feeling a headache coming on.
Of course, she had Photoshopped the photo and even proudly shown it to the restaurant staff, leading them to think it was appropriate to post it online!
Yan Ming almost laughed in frustration: “You just had to send it to them? Telling them not to share it afterward was pointless!”
Sending something privately with a request to keep it secret was like saying, “This is a secret, don’t tell anyone”—it practically guaranteed the opposite.
Faced with Yan Ming’s questioning, Yu Tian had no response.
No matter how you looked at it, the root of the problem was her Photoshop job.
She had indeed contacted the restaurant immediately, and after apologizing, they quickly removed the photo from their website. But…
“I’ve already reported the post on the school forum, but it might take some time to process…”
Yu Tian’s face flushed red, and she felt deeply embarrassed. She regretted her greed-driven decision to pursue the discount.
On the other end of the line, Yan Ming fell silent. After a moment, his voice returned.
“Why didn’t you Photoshop the frog out of his hand?”
Yan Ming calmly and rationally expressed his dissatisfaction: “Putting aside the head-swapping for now, why didn’t you remove the frog from his hand? A normal person wouldn’t hold a frog in one hand while casually draping the other over someone’s shoulder—it’s unsanitary. For a doctor or medical student, it’s also unprofessional.”
While his reasoning was sound, gloves worn during dissections were slippery and hard to handle, and during the chaos of class, who cared about hygiene?
Yu Tian felt wronged. She didn’t understand why Qi Sihao had happily held a large frog in one hand while casually draping the other over her shoulder.
Yan Ming paused before continuing: “I was there at the time. If you wanted a photo that badly—if you wanted to treasure it that much—why didn’t you just ask me for a real one? If you had asked, I wouldn’t have refused.”
Treasure?
Yu Tian froze, confused but too intimidated to speak further.
Her voice was muffled as she explained: “I was worried you’d refuse such an unreasonable request.” She cautiously asked, “If I had asked back then, would you have agreed?”
Yan Ming’s response was succinct: “Yes.”
After clearing his throat, he added: “It’s just a photo—it doesn’t imply anything else. Though I know your intention behind wanting the photo, I’m not that petty. As long as using the photo doesn’t affect others or cause external issues, it’s none of my business.”
Her reason for wanting the photo had indeed been solely for the discount…
Though admitting it made her request seem tainted with greed and lacking sincerity, she hadn’t expected Yan Ming to be so considerate and understanding.
Yu Tian had initially felt deeply embarrassed, burdened by her own psychological hang-ups. She realized now that it would have been better to confess to Yan Ming earlier and take a real photo instead of creating this mess, which had led to ridicule on the school forum.
Yan Ming’s voice remained cold: “You need to take responsibility for resolving this matter.”
That went without saying.
Yu Tian had originally hoped Yan Ming wouldn’t find out about the post on the school forum, but now that he knew, she figured…
“Since that’s the case, why don’t I come to the hospital after you finish work? We can take a real photo together. Once it’s posted, it’ll prove that we’re actually close, and the rumors will resolve themselves.”
Yu Tian assumed Yan Ming had called her not only to confront her but also to discuss how to handle the situation.
She fully expected him to agree, but instead, she heard his terse reply.
“A photo before the issue arose would have been fine. But now that problems have occurred, using a photo to clean up the mess isn’t acceptable.”
“…”
Yu Tian was momentarily stunned. Tentatively, she asked: “So… do you plan to personally go on the forum and clarify things for me?”
“No. I’m not obligated to clarify anything to the public. People will say what they want.”
“But didn’t you tell me to take responsibility for this matter?”
Yu Tian was confused. Without a real photo and without Yan Ming planning to personally clarify things, how could the rumors be resolved?
This time, Yan Ming didn’t provide a direct answer: “Think about it yourself. You’re responsible for your own actions. I have other matters to attend to—I’m hanging up now.”
Yu Tian stared blankly at her phone, which had already gone silent. She couldn’t quite decipher Yan Ming’s intentions.
Her expression crumbled.
Though Yan Ming hadn’t scolded her, it somehow…
Would have been easier if he had yelled at her and then agreed to take a real photo together.
Now, aside from personally appearing on the campus forum to explain the situation and apologize, there seemed to be no other solution.
The thought of facing the forum filled Yu Tian with anxiety and fear.
But…
The mistake was hers.
What needed to be faced had to be faced.
The instigator behind the post was probably thrilled right now.
Yu Tian gritted her teeth. Thinking about Zhao Xinxin—who knew exactly how her hand had been injured, who knew she had been forced to switch careers because of it—hiding behind an anonymous account and maliciously attacking her for choosing a different path made Yu Tian angry despite trying to rationalize her feelings.
But dwelling on it was useless. In the end, Yu Tian obediently followed Yan Ming’s advice and began drafting an apology statement.
Just as she opened the document and struggled to write a few sentences, she suddenly received a message from Qi Sihao.
[Qi Sihao Is A Great Guy]: I don’t get it. I’m the rightful owner of that body. Why, in this three-person drama, am I the only one left nameless in the end?
He followed the message with a pitiful-looking emoji.
Yu Tian didn’t understand what he meant, but she couldn’t help responding with a bitter tone, informing Qi Sihao that she was about to publicly apologize in the thread.
[Xiao Yu]: I’m worried I’ll be shredded to pieces.
[Qi Sihao Is A Great Guy]: ? Why would you be criticized? Didn’t your Brother Yan Ming already save the day in the thread?
Yan Ming?
Had Yan Ming posted in the thread?
Yu Tian froze.
When Yan Ming had called her, though she was nervous and anxious, she had harbored some hope. She hoped he would treat her like a little sister, tolerating her foolish actions despite being upset, and reluctantly help her figure out a solution.
Yu Tian knew this expectation was dangerous and irresponsible because Yan Ming wasn’t even technically anyone to her.
Even if their parents ended up together in the future, Yan Ming would only be her legal stepbrother—they didn’t share the intimacy of siblings who grew up together.
Therefore, when Yan Ming refused her, aside from a slight sense of disappointment, Yu Tian accepted it as reasonable.
But…
With an indescribable mix of emotions, she opened the thread on the school forum. In the short time since she last checked, the post’s heat had increased even further, making it nearly impossible to scroll through.
Her fingers trembled slightly, her heart gripped by a subtle fear. Part of her wanted to avoid and escape, but some invisible force pushed her forward, filling her with both dread and anticipation.
Every second felt agonizingly slow.
In what felt like a very short yet incredibly long minute, she finally found Yan Ming’s comment in the thread.
[Yan Ming V]: The person has been disciplined. Photoshop crash course has been arranged.
The campus forum didn’t require mandatory real-name verification—anonymous posting was allowed. However, verified users displayed their real names followed by a “V.”
As Yu Tian stared at the “V” next to Yan Ming’s name, she instinctively bit down on her lip.
Her heartbeat quickened, and her face grew hot.
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