PDGUT - 16

Yan Ming’s comment served as the decisive blow, setting the tone to quell the rumors and strange public discourse.

Yu Tian should have felt relieved, but for some reason, she grew even more nervous.

Surprise and joy washed over her like alternating tides, as if a dream she hadn’t dared to hope for had suddenly come true.

Yu Tian gently bit her lip and scrolled through the comments.

As expected, Yan Ming’s reply acted as a turning point.

After his appearance, the tide of public opinion completely shifted—

“Brother Yan Ming clearly knows Yu Tian. This is hilarious. Why does this tone remind me of ‘The dog has been punished’?”

“Original poster, stop worrying. Yan Ming, Yu Tian, and Qi Sihao obviously know each other well. Neither of the two parties involved seems to mind being Photoshopped. There’s no need for you to stir up trouble here.”

“It doesn’t seem like Yu Tian is chasing after Yan Ming. But what exactly is their relationship? Are they a couple?”

“They must be a couple. Other dogs, stay out of it.”

“Brother Yan Ming is so handsome! Sob sob sob, I hope you’re single. Can I add you on WeChat?”

“Upstairs, don’t be silly. With a super-beautiful woman like Yu Tian by his side, how could he look at anyone else?”

Yu Tian nervously scrolled through all the comments.

Many speculated and misunderstood her relationship with Yan Ming, but after that one comment, Yan Ming didn’t appear again.

Yu Tian hesitated, but ultimately couldn’t resist sending him a message of gratitude. However, glancing at the time, she decided it wasn’t appropriate—this wasn’t the hospital’s lunch break anymore. Yan Ming was either in surgery or busy with something else. Besides, after finishing video editing later, she had nothing else to do. She hadn’t yet discussed the ophthalmology series with Yan Ming in detail.

Right—she should formally thank him in person. She’d wait until he finished work and express her gratitude face-to-face.

Yu Tian mentally prepared herself, finding many justifications.

After all, Yan Ming had paid for their last meal, and tonight, if she occupied his time again, his father would be free to date her mother.

So she needed to confirm his availability first.

[Xiao Yu]: Brother Yan Ming, are you free tonight? Thank you for clarifying things for me. I’d like to treat you to dinner.

Yan Ming was indeed busy; half an hour later, Yu Tian finally received his reply.

[Yan]: Not free. I didn’t clarify anything. No dinner.

[Yan]: Just stating facts.

[Yan]: You handle the rest.

“…”

So cold.

Though technically he hadn’t clarified anything, his words had been the pivot point for the shift in public sentiment.

[Xiao Yu]: Thank you anyway! I’ll definitely follow your instructions!

Putting down her phone, Yu Tian immediately went on Taobao and enrolled in a one-day Photoshop crash course.

Since Yan Ming had hinted she should take a Photoshop class, how could she not listen?

However, after enrolling, Yu Tian realized Photoshop wasn’t something that could be mastered quickly. A single day was barely enough to scratch the surface.

But she couldn’t delay her apology and clarification on the forum any longer.

With no other choice, Yu Tian hastily absorbed what she could, focusing primarily on improving her image-cutting skills. Through relentless practice, her head-swapping technique improved significantly—it was now seamless.

Looking at her latest Photoshop creation, she marveled at how naturally Yan Ming’s head blended onto Qi Sihao’s body, as if it had always belonged there!

As for the frog Yan Ming disliked, Yu Tian painstakingly removed it, ensuring the species “frog” was entirely extinct in Yan Ming’s presence.

After a frenzy of output, Yu Tian gazed proudly at her newly Photoshopped image. Her technical skills and learning ability filled her with pride. With a bit more practice, she might become a Photoshop master within her circle!

Unable to resist, she grabbed her phone.

[Xiao Yu]: Brother Yan Ming! I’ve done everything you asked! I’ve learned what you told me to learn! To be more formal, I’ve handwritten an apology letter along with proof of my learning progress. I’m sending you a photo for review. Please check if it’s acceptable.

After sending the message, Yu Tian took a picture of the newly printed Photoshop image alongside her handwritten apology letter and sent it to Yan Ming.

When Yan Ming received Yu Tian’s message, he was attending the First Affiliated Hospital’s routine department meeting in the lecture hall. The vice president, known for disliking attendees using their phones, was delivering a speech about young doctors’ dreams.

Yan Ming discreetly glanced at Yu Tian’s message, careful not to draw attention. He skimmed the core theme of her handwritten apology letter but couldn’t load the attached photo due to poor signal in the lecture hall—the image simply wouldn’t load.

The vice president’s sharp gaze swept across the room. With the persistent poor internet connection, Yan Ming quickly gave up trying to view the photo.

It was just a handwritten apology letter. The wording was predictable, and he assumed Yu Tian wouldn’t make another mistake.

“Go ahead and post it. Wrap this matter up properly.”

After sending the reply, Yan Ming quickly turned off his phone and refocused on the vice president’s speech.

A short-term crash course couldn’t possibly elevate her Photoshop skills significantly. Yu Tian hadn’t expected Yan Ming to be satisfied with this photo—she sent it mainly to demonstrate her sincere remorse, proactive learning attitude, and obedience to his instructions. Surprisingly, Yan Ming seemed satisfied with this half-finished product and even told her to post it on the forum.

Though hesitant, since Yan Ming had reviewed and approved it, she decided to go ahead.

Yu Tian could already imagine the flood of “haha” comments awaiting her when she posted it.

But since Yan Ming had instructed her, she had no choice but to steel herself and proceed.

She quickly posted the photo under her real name, offering another formal apology to Qi Sihao and Yan Ming, reflecting on her mistakes, and clarifying that her relationship with Yan Ming was purely platonic.

Having completed all this, Yu Tian finally exhaled in relief, feeling the urge to relax with a meal.

Since Yan Ming had declined dinner tonight, she decided to invite Qi Sihao instead!

On the spot, she resolved to fully exploit Qi Sihao’s remaining value—first treating him to street food, then sweet-talking him into filming several episodes of her science education series.

Yan Ming, who had no consultations or surgeries scheduled that day, left the hospital after the routine meeting ended.

As he approached the hospital entrance, he saw Yu Tian.

She wasn’t dressed elaborately—just a simple skirt and T-shirt. Yet the navy-blue shirt accentuated her snow-white complexion. Her hair wasn’t loose but casually tied into a messy bun, with a few stray strands framing her face, adding a touch of relaxed laziness.

Her outfit appeared effortless, yet undeniably calculated.

Jiang Yuming had once mentioned a trend called “no-makeup makeup”—where someone wears makeup but looks naturally flawless, as if they were born that way.

Perhaps Yu Tian’s ensemble achieved a similar effect.

Though he had clearly rejected her before, her presence here wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Perhaps she was still holding on, waiting for him.

Sure enough, as Yan Ming looked up, he saw Yu Tian waving enthusiastically in his direction.

Before he could gather his thoughts, Yu Tian ran straight toward him.

He watched her sprinting closer, approaching him.

Exactly as he had predicted.

“Yu Tian.”

Before Yan Ming could fully process the situation, he had already called out to Yu Tian: “I’m not free tonight.”

Yu Tian appeared genuinely surprised. She paused, glanced at Yan Ming, then looked behind him: “Oh, I see.”

“I don’t have time tonight.” Yan Ming pressed his lips together. “I already told you that.”

She was persistent—despite being explicitly rejected for dinner tonight, she had still come to wait for him…

Saying he was busy tonight was just an excuse. In truth, Yan Ming didn’t have any plans after returning home, and he wasn’t in the mood to cook. Since Yu Tian was so insistent…

“However, tonight I…”

But before Yan Ming could finish, Yu Tian cheerfully waved her hand toward someone behind him—

“Qi Sihao! Over here!”

Afterward, she turned back to Yan Ming with a bright smile: “I understand, Brother Yan Ming. So I won’t bother you tonight. Qi Sihao and I are going to have barbecue nearby.”

Yan Ming stared blankly, caught off guard by this turn of events. Instinctively, he said: “Actually, I suddenly have some free time this evening…”

Yu Tian knowingly cut him off: “You don’t need to explain. I get it—suddenly several tasks came up, right? A successful doctor like you is always busy at night. Someone like Qi Sihao, who has time to eat barbecue with me, is clearly at the bottom of the medical profession!”

With that, she waved goodbye to Yan Ming: “Alright, Brother Yan Ming. I won’t disturb you further. You go handle your work. Qi Sihao and I are off to eat barbecue!”

“…”

Yan Ming watched as Yu Tian happily walked away with Qi Sihao, laughing and joking. He couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling.

Was this her way of pursuing him?

The first meal she brought ended up being given to Qi Sihao. The pajamas were bought for Qi Sihao. The Photoshopped head-swap used Qi Sihao’s body. And now, she was having barbecue with Qi Sihao.

Did she think leaving him a cheesy love note was enough?

Despite knowing that Yu Tian’s mother had once been a matchmaker’s candidate for his father, Yan Ming had even gone out of his way to register a real-name account on the campus forum to leave a comment.

Back at home, Yan Ming boiled some frozen dumplings for himself. Thinking about how Yu Tian was probably indulging in barbecue, he felt a strange sense of imbalance.

Out of boredom, he picked up his phone and revisited the campus forum thread about him and Yu Tian.

Yu Tian had indeed posted a response—but…

What was this new photo?!

Yan Ming took one look and nearly choked on his dumpling.

A handwritten apology letter would’ve sufficed. Why did she feel the need to create another Photoshopped image?

To be fair, the head-swapping in this version was much better—there were no visible seams. The frog in his hand had also been successfully removed.

But who could explain to him why Yu Tian had replaced the frog with… a bar of soap?

Yan Ming stared at the photo, expressionless.

In place of the frog, his hand now held a bar of soap.

“…”

This time, Yan Ming truly couldn’t hold back.

He was starting to realize that Yu Tian was indeed a legendary mastermind.

It wasn’t enough for her to Photoshop a photo out of emotional desperation for attention. To grab his notice again, she had Photoshopped yet another one.

Yet, there was no denying that this move of hers was highly effective.

Yan Ming felt his emotions stirred—anger, frustration, and helplessness all bubbling to the surface.

Anger.

Uncontrollable anger.

And yet, he couldn’t lash out.

Yu Tian’s brilliance lay in her ability to play hard-to-get while still keeping him intrigued.

First, she Photoshopped a romantic couple photo, stirring rumors across the campus forum that they were dating. Then, in her handwritten apology letter, she casually clarified—

“Brother Yan Ming and I are just friends. He’s single, and so am I.”

As expected, after this statement, the comments began shifting again. Though a few girls expressed interest in pursuing Yan Ming, most women were too shy to make bold moves. Instead, a flood of shameless men started asking Yu Tian for her contact information, claiming they’d secretly admired her for a long time…

Hmph.

Truly a master among masters.

She created an illusion of ambiguity between them, manipulated public opinion, and then personally debunked the rumors. With clever wordplay, she encouraged simple-minded men to express their admiration, creating the impression that she was highly sought after—all to pressure him into action using reverse psychology.

Could Yan Ming not see through this thinly veiled implication?

It was clear—she was trying to convey that she was in high demand. If he continued hesitating, she might be snatched away by someone else.

High-level hunters often approached their prey in disguise. This saying rang truer than ever.

On one hand, she pursued him with blatant, corny love notes. On the other, she kept her distance, deliberately eating dinner with Qi Sihao—wasn’t this all to provoke jealousy and insecurity in him?

Yan Ming sneered, feeling more certain of her intentions.

He still needed to address the issue of the new Photoshopped photo. He called Yu Tian.

Struggling to suppress his emotions, Yan Ming managed to maintain a calm tone: “Why did you Photoshop another one? Why is there a bar of soap?”

The background noise on Yu Tian’s end was loud—she was clearly enjoying herself at the barbecue restaurant.

Her tone was candid, her acting flawless, and her lines smooth: “Brother Yan Ming, you saw the post? I followed your advice and enrolled in a Photoshop crash course. This is the result of my intensive training—I did everything you asked! I promise I’ll never disobey you again. Whatever you say goes—I’ll follow east if you tell me not west. You said to remove the frog, so I completely eliminated it!”

Yan Ming clenched his teeth: “Then why is there a bar of soap? Why can’t his hand be empty?”

As expected, Yu Tian’s voice turned sheepish: “That’s what I thought too, but my Photoshop teacher said removing objects entirely and fixing the hand afterward is part of the advanced course. I’d need to pay for another level of lessons. The beginner class I’m taking only teaches replacing unwanted elements with something else. But I didn’t have time to enroll in the advanced course…”

“Why a bar of soap? Couldn’t you replace it with something else?”

“It could’ve been anything else, but the replacement object had to be roughly the same size. I thought the soap was about the same size as the frog. As for why it’s soap, my teacher said we had to respect copyright. We can’t use random images from the internet—it’s infringement. He gave me access to a free, non-commercial-use stock library.”

“I searched the entire library for something free and appropriately sized, and the only thing that fit was this bar of soap… Besides, isn’t soap hygienic? It looks like I’m about to wash my hands…”

“And I sent the photo to you for review beforehand. You said I could post it. If you’d told me not to, I would’ve edited it further…”

“…”

Yan Ming opened his mouth to respond, but Yu Tian’s voice, brimming with unmistakable joy, interrupted him—

“Oh oh oh! That’s our order of skewers! We ordered first! Don’t mix it up with another table!”

“…”

It was as if she were multitasking—talking to him on the phone while simultaneously keeping an eye on whether the waiter was delivering the wrong order.

Very well, Yu Tian.

Sure enough, she was pretending to be completely unfazed by his call.