28

Receiving a call from Yan Ming was unexpected for Yu Tian, especially since he had made it clear that there was no need to stay in contact after they ceased being quasi-family.

“Are you free tomorrow evening?”

Yan Ming’s voice on the other end of the line was as cold and detached as ever. It didn’t sound like an invitation but rather a notification.

Fortunately, time had passed, and both parties tacitly avoided mentioning their last awkward encounter. The tone of the conversation remained relatively calm.

This could have been a good opportunity to mend fences, but unfortunately, Yu Tian happened to be unavailable tomorrow evening—

“Tomorrow evening won’t work. Dai Xin is hosting a gathering with some big-name up-and-coming creators on the platform, and he invited me too… Do you have something planned for tomorrow?”

There was a brief pause on the other end. Yan Ming’s cool, indifferent voice came through again:

“Oh, then never mind. Jiang Yuming asked me to call you. He said he really wants to make a video about orthopedic health education. He has a lot of surgeries scheduled recently, so tomorrow evening is the only time he’s free.”

When Yu Tian heard that she’d have access to such valuable content, she couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Dai Xin and his circle of big-name up-and-comers were freelancers who regularly gathered—she could always attend another session later. But securing someone like Jiang Yuming, a senior orthopedic doctor at a top-tier hospital, wasn’t something she could count on happening often.

“I’ll reschedule with Dai Xin!” Yu Tian decided immediately. “I’ll come! Should I contact Dr. Jiang directly? I have his WeChat.”

“No need. Just contact me. He’s been busy with surgeries and might not check his phone promptly. I’ll send you the time and location later.”

True to form, Yan Ming kept things concise. After discussing the essentials, he quickly ended the call.

Not long after, Yan Ming sent over the details—time and place, no unnecessary words.

It was exactly what she expected, but Yu Tian couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.

His attitude was truly that of a stranger. If it weren’t for Jiang Yuming’s request, Yan Ming probably wouldn’t have even called her.

Jiang Yuming felt a bit nervous before the meeting, but Yan Ming proved to be quite considerate. Despite having a packed surgery schedule and daily outpatient duties that extended into overtime, he still managed to make time for tonight’s dinner with Yu Tian.

If Yan Ming hadn’t shown up, Jiang Yuming would have felt quite awkward, fearing the conversation might fall flat. But with Yan Ming present, things were different. Presumably, Yan Ming had thoughtfully squeezed in time to accompany them for precisely this reason.

Jiang Yuming was deeply moved by Yan Ming’s thoughtfulness.

Although Yan Ming had advised him not to dress up too much, out of respect for Yu Tian, Jiang Yuming didn’t completely follow his advice.

As the host, Jiang Yuming freshened up after work and arrived at the restaurant early.

However, when Yan Ming finally finished his surgeries and walked in, Jiang Yuming was momentarily stunned.

Yan Ming had also changed into a suit. Though his hair wasn’t styled as elaborately as Jiang Yuming’s, it was clearly more groomed than usual.

Though Jiang Yuming had long known that Yan Ming was handsome and was accustomed to seeing his face, Yan Ming typically dressed casually, which had somewhat desensitized Jiang Yuming to his looks.

But now, dressed in such a formal, well-tailored suit, Yan Ming’s entire demeanor transformed.

The suit accentuated his physique perfectly, making his already striking features even more prominent.

Almost the moment he walked in, Jiang Yuming had the fleeting illusion that the modest little restaurant had suddenly become radiant. And evidently, he wasn’t the only one who thought so—several young women in the restaurant couldn’t help but fix their gazes on Yan Ming. When he sat down across from Jiang Yuming, their table naturally drew attention, including Jiang Yuming himself.

Didn’t he tell me not to dress up and keep it casual? Why is he so polished?

Jiang Yuming felt a twinge of dissatisfaction: “Why are you dressed like this?”

Before Yan Ming arrived, Jiang Yuming, clean-cut and suited up, could at least be described as decent-looking. A few women had glanced his way. But once Yan Ming appeared, Jiang Yuming’s shine was completely overshadowed.

He wasn’t jealous of Yan Ming’s good looks—the problem was that now, sitting next to him in such an impeccable outfit, Jiang Yuming paled in comparison. His efforts to leave a fresh impression on Yu Tian seemed doomed.

To his surprise, Yan Ming simply raised an eyebrow in response: “There’s an ophthalmology summit video conference later. I didn’t want to dress like this, but I’m worried I won’t have time to change after dinner before heading back.”

Jiang Yuming knew about the annual ophthalmology industry summit, but if memory served, it was usually held at the end of the year, not during this time of year.

But since Yan Ming mentioned it, it must be true. In recent years, due to the pandemic, many large offline forums had shifted to online formats, so it wasn’t impossible for the timing to have changed.

Realizing this, Jiang Yuming felt guilty again. Yan Ming was already juggling so much—after finishing work, he still made time to accompany him, and later, he’d have to rush back for the ophthalmology summit. Clearly, Yan Ming valued their friendship.

Besides, why was he even fussing over this? To Yu Tian, Yan Ming was nothing more than a future legal “brother.” He wasn’t a potential rival in romance. Even if Yan Ming showed up in a wedding tuxedo, Jiang Yuming shouldn’t have any complaints.

Jiang Yuming realized he might have been too nervous, leading to an overly heightened sense of competitiveness toward Yan Ming, even finding him suspicious.

Thankfully, Yu Tian soon arrived.

After not seeing her for a while, Jiang Yuming thought she looked even more beautiful and radiant.

When she saw Jiang Yuming, she smiled and waved. However, as she approached and noticed Yan Ming, she suddenly became a bit reserved.

It was understandable—after all, who would feel comfortable seeing their “brother” at a date with someone else?

Jiang Yuming greeted Yu Tian enthusiastically, ordered dishes, and was about to kick things off by discussing the orthopedic health education video. However, he received a call from the deputy chief physician of his hospital department and had no choice but to apologize to Yu Tian with a smile before excusing himself to take the call.

This left only Yu Tian and Yan Ming at the table.

Yu Tian hadn’t expected Yan Ming to be part of this gathering, and seeing him now made her feel a bit awkward.

Yan Ming’s outfit today was far too formal and elite, making his already otherworldly face seem even more distant. He appeared almost unrecognizable.

Just as Yu Tian began to feel nervous and uneasy, Yan Ming took a sip of tea and spoke in a natural, matter-of-fact tone—

“The case of central retinal artery occlusion you asked me about last time—I’ve encountered several such cases recently. But they weren’t elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases; these were young people around twenty years old…”

As soon as Yan Ming mentioned young people suffering from retinal artery occlusion, Yu Tian forgot all about her emotional discomfort. Her full attention was now focused on what Yan Ming was saying.

This was indeed a topic she had consulted Yan Ming about before. During her school days, she had been particularly interested in such cases, but due to time constraints, she hadn’t had the chance to delve deeply into the subject with him.

When Yan Ming briefly explained that these young women had suffered severe consequences due to hyaluronic acid injections or improper use of decorative contact lenses, Yu Tian grew restless.

“Can I make an episode about this?” Though she knew there wasn’t much of a connection between her and Yan Ming anymore, Yu Tian decided to give it a try. “If there have been so many similar cases occurring within a short period, can I reasonably suspect that there’s an unregulated cosmetic surgery market in Rong City? Perhaps they’re spending heavily on social media ads or hiring influencers to promote procedures like hyaluronic acid injections—exaggerating the benefits while downplaying or completely hiding the potential side effects. It’s even possible that some of these places are operating illegally. That’s likely why so many young patients are coming to your ophthalmology department in such a short time.”

Yu Tian immediately regretted her words after saying them.

Yan Ming was extremely busy, and this request might not be appropriate. Moreover, she was here today to collaborate with Jiang Yuming on the orthopedic health video. Yan Ming might have just come along out of boredom to accompany Jiang Yuming…

Unexpectedly, Yan Ming agreed to Yu Tian’s request without hesitation.

“Yes.”

Yu Tian was momentarily stunned, but Yan Ming’s next words quickly dispelled her confusion.

“But there’s one condition.”

Yu Tian didn’t want to owe anyone favors. An equal exchange would be better. She offered proactively: “I can pay a service fee according to standard labor compensation…”

“No money.” Yan Ming glanced at Yu Tian, then cast a look toward Jiang Yuming, who was still on the phone nearby. “Introduce a girlfriend for Jiang Yuming.”

Yan Ming cleared his throat, his demeanor upright and sincere, his tone calm yet convincing: “Jiang Yuming is rather shy and introverted. He’s always focused on work and hasn’t had time to find a partner. Lately, he’s been wanting to start dating but struggles to meet girls. I don’t know many women either, so I can’t introduce anyone to him. You probably have quite a few female friends around your age. If you know any reliable girls, please introduce them to him.”

Pausing here, Yan Ming glanced at Jiang Yuming in the distance. His gaze carried a fatherly concern, exuding genuine sincerity: “He’s very shy, so when introducing someone, try not to make it too formal. Just create opportunities for him to interact naturally with women. If you formally set him up on blind dates, he’ll feel unnatural and get nervous.”

After pondering for a moment, as if deciding to make a significant sacrifice for his friend, Yan Ming added: “To express my gratitude and avoid owing you a favor, I’ll cooperate with you to film educational videos on ophthalmology. Besides this episode about blindness caused by hyaluronic acid injections leading to retinal artery occlusion, I’ll agree to film four additional episodes. We can discuss and finalize the detailed topics later.”

Ah… So that’s how it is…

No wonder Jiang Yuming suddenly invited her to dinner through Yan Ming, expressing interest in collaborating on a series of videos. Yu Tian finally understood.

It turned out that Jiang Yuming wanted Yu Tian to introduce him to someone, but being shy and concerned about appearances, he pushed the task onto Yan Ming, using this as an excuse to have him handle the communication.

However, Yan Ming had agreed to help her produce a total of five episodes of ophthalmology educational videos!

She hadn’t expected him to be so considerate toward his friends!

Yu Tian couldn’t possibly pass up such an opportunity. She immediately assured him: “No problem! I’ll definitely introduce suitable girls to Dr. Jiang, and I’ll make sure it happens subtly and naturally, without making him feel awkward or tense.”

“Additionally,” she added, “I’ll ensure the orthopedic health education video Dr. Jiang agreed to film turns out well. Hopefully, it’ll boost his online presence and attract admirers who appreciate his professional expertise.”

Yan Ming nodded: “Good. The happiness of Yuming’s future depends on you.”

His voice was gentle and natural. Though his face remained mostly expressionless, the casual way he referred to his friend as “Yuming” revealed his deep concern and care for his friend’s single status.

He gave Yu Tian a brief smile: “But remember to keep this a secret from him. I don’t want him to feel burdened or think he owes me a favor.”

A pang of jealousy stirred in Yu Tian’s heart. Internally, she gave Yan Ming a rating: he was pretty good to his friends, so plus five points. But remembering how he didn’t want to be her friend, she deducted 100 points, leaving him with a final score of negative ninety-five.

She nodded: “Of course. You can count on me not to let it slip.”

Thinking for a moment, and taking advantage of Jiang Yuming still being on the phone, Yu Tian pressed further: “What type of girl does Dr. Jiang prefer?”

“There isn’t a fixed preference,” Yan Ming replied, “but preferably not someone in the medical field. I wouldn’t mind, but he does—he worries that if both partners are doctors, their busy schedules might make it hard to balance family life. Plus, someone outside the medical field is more likely to admire and idealize his profession. After all, distance creates beauty.”

“I see!” Yu Tian nodded in understanding.