PDGUT - 36

Yu Tian had the most wonderful sleep of her life.

But her dreams were bizarre. She vaguely remembered Yan Ming winning the auction to drive with her, and then the two of them absurdly fleeing the school. She had taken him to her “secret base” behind Bar Street. But after that…

Yu Tian’s memory became hazy here. She couldn’t recall what happened next, but judging by the outcome, Yan Ming had safely brought her home.

Perhaps running away from school with Yan Ming was already scandalous enough, because Yu Tian’s dreams grew increasingly strange—Yan Ming carried her on his back, she argued with him until a traffic officer suspected him of being a criminal, and… and she even kissed Yan Ming?

Yu Tian’s face grew warm, and she felt ashamed of her overactive imagination in her dreams.

How could she do such a thing to Yan Ming!

And even in her dreams, why couldn’t she think of something more ambitious?

Even if she had to kiss Yan Ming in her dream, why did it have to be her initiating it?

Yu Tian was shocked by the lack of decency in her own dreams. Fortunately, no one could know what drunken thoughts had run through her mind.

After freshening up and getting ready, walking down the street, no matter how outrageous her dreams had been the night before, no one would ever know.

This gave Yu Tian a sense of security.

She didn’t dare dwell on those strange dreams. She and Yan Ming weren’t even properly connected anymore—how could she dream of such things?

It felt almost like committing a crime.

But thankfully, no one else knew.

Yu Tian gathered her confidence, checked the time—it was nearly noon—and she had arranged to meet Qi Sihao during his lunch break to film another short science video. With that, she hurried off to the hospital.

Qi Sihao was already waiting at the agreed-upon restaurant. When he saw Yu Tian, he pointed at his watch accusingly: “Do you know how valuable my time is?”

But despite his words, Qi Sihao still cooperated fully to complete the filming of the educational video.

After finishing their work, they sat down to eat while chatting.

“Was Yan Ming also your accomplice yesterday? You shouldn’t have asked him—he obviously isn’t as clever as me. In the end, he got stuck with the winning bid, but later, where did both of you disappear to?”

“Well, we both just happened to have something urgent come up…”

Qi Sihao wasn’t suspicious of Yu Tian’s vague explanation, as his attention was quickly drawn to something else.

Lowering his voice and winking mischievously, he said: “Let me tell you some gossip. Our hospital has produced a shocking scumbag.”

Yu Tian was surprised: “Hmm?”

“I have a friend whose girlfriend’s cousin is a traffic cop. Last night, while on duty, she encountered a scumbag doctor from our First Affiliated Hospital. He’s supposedly very handsome, but his behavior matches his looks—equally despicable! He strung along this girl, refusing to commit, claiming she was just his sister.”

“There was this beautiful girl who was heartbroken over him, drowning her sorrows in alcohol—who knows how much she drank—but he still refused to acknowledge her. This scumbag denied everything, insisting she was just his sister. He even said something like, ‘You can only have one girlfriend, but you can have countless sisters.’ Can you believe the audacity? He’s practically redefining the ceiling of scumbaggery!”

At first, Yu Tian didn’t realize anything unusual, but the more she listened, the more familiar it all sounded.

“In the end, after being thoroughly questioned, he reluctantly admitted she was his girlfriend, looking utterly humiliated the whole time…”

As Qi Sihao continued, Yu Tian began to feel an increasingly ominous sense of dread.

If these events hadn’t occurred in her dreams, then…

While others might have their dreams come true, Yu Tian seemed to be living out a nightmare.

With every detail Qi Sihao added, Yu Tian started to sweat, her eyes darting around nervously.

Qi Sihao, however, suspected nothing. Speaking indignantly, he exclaimed: “My friend’s girlfriend’s cousin wouldn’t give any specifics, saying privacy couldn’t be disclosed, so she wouldn’t reveal the scumbag’s name. But someone else witnessed the incident and posted about it on Weibo, causing all the handsome men at our First Affiliated Hospital to come under suspicion. As one of the exceptionally handsome representatives, I’ve become the main target of rumors. It’s completely unfair!”

Yu Tian was tense, though outwardly calm. She muttered: “The handsomest man at the First Affiliated Hospital wouldn’t be you, right? Why hasn’t anyone suspected Yan Ming?”

“Who would suspect Yan Ming?! He seems to live and breathe work. Back in school, he was the kind of straight-laced model student who helped the principal catch rule-breakers. At the hospital, he’s the elite, untouchable doctor everyone admires. He’s the epitome of male virtue—no woman dares act improperly around him, let alone date him!”

Qi Sihao was certain: “Yan Ming wouldn’t be caught driving around near Bar Street late at night, let alone carrying a drunk woman around. Does that sound like something Yan Ming would do? He’s so busy—if he had free time, he’d go home and sleep. From what I’ve observed, he really loves sleeping! Almost all his spare time is spent sleeping!”

“But maybe not…”

“How can it not be? Do you know him better than I do? Have you spent more time with him than I have? Am I not the one who works with him every day?” Qi Sihao couldn’t help but smirk. “There are plenty of women chasing him—female doctors, nurses, patients, and even relatives of patients—but does he pay attention to any of them?”

“Since it’s not Yan Ming, and once you exclude him, the handsomest man in the hospital must be me. I don’t know which lowlife is causing me to suffer this injustice. I’ll need to find a way to clear my name with Gao Mei…”

Yu Tian wasn’t concerned with Qi Sihao’s reputation anymore. Her mind was consumed by the “dream” she had last night.

What had she done!

Yu Tian’s face turned red.

She had kissed Yan Ming! Kissed Yan Ming! Kissed Yan Ming!

Yu Tian thought it best to avoid facing Yan Ming for a while, as this situation was beyond embarrassing.

Though she had been drunk, Yan Ming hadn’t been! Even if she tried to forget her drunken ramblings and reckless behavior, Yan Ming wouldn’t forget—he was a medical student with an excellent memory.

Yu Tian had no words.

But the more she tried to avoid thinking about it, the more inevitable it became.

Yu Tian and Qi Sihao were in the middle of their meal when the restaurant door opened, and Yan Ming walked in alone.

Qi Sihao noticed Yan Ming and started to rise, waving to invite him to join their table. But before his hand could fully rise, Yu Tian slapped it down like swatting a fly with the menu on the table.

Facing Qi Sihao’s puzzled gaze, Yu Tian solemnly declared: “Our table isn’t big enough. There’s no room.”

As she spoke, Yu Tian hastily put on her sun hat and sunglasses, shrinking her neck in an attempt to minimize her presence.

Qi Sihao stared at the half-empty large round table and Yu Tian’s suddenly odd appearance. Before he could say anything, Yan Ming had casually found an empty table and sat down.

Just as Yu Tian was thinking of how to distract Qi Sihao with nonsense, the restaurant door opened again. An elderly woman entered, accompanied by a five- or six-year-old child and several adults. Without waiting for the server to guide them to a seat, this large group headed straight for Yan Ming by the window, shouting loudly—

“Everyone, please help us get justice! My grandson’s eye has been ruined by this quack doctor! He was perfectly fine at birth—both eyes worked perfectly! Then he developed a small bump, and this doctor performed surgery to remove it. It wasn’t even a major operation! We consulted other experts, and they all said our child should recover normally after the surgery, maybe with a bit of astigmatism at worst. But now look! Now, the operated left eye is completely blind!”

The old woman’s voice was loud and dramatic, filled with theatrical cries. To make even more noise, she plopped herself onto the ground, sobbing and pounding the floor: “Everyone, judge for yourselves! Our child could see with both eyes before the surgery! But after this minor operation, this doctor has blinded him!”

Behind the old woman stood the child, trembling with fear. At first glance, he seemed fine, but upon closer inspection, Yu Tian noticed that his left eye was indeed blind.

The child was too young to understand the commotion, but the adults behind the old woman began taking turns playing good cop, bad cop. Some hurled insults at Yan Ming, while others tried to pin the blame for the child’s condition squarely on him. Their behavior was disgraceful, and their language grew increasingly vulgar. One middle-aged man even pointed directly at Yan Ming’s nose, cursing with crude words that left onlookers stunned. The scene descended into chaos.

Qi Sihao frowned, clearly aware of the situation. He muttered angrily: “Why are these people still here? Haven’t they caused enough trouble? They’ve already made a scene at the hospital, and now they’re following Yan Ming outside to cause trouble again. This is outrageous!”

Yu Tian couldn’t help but frown: “What’s going on?”

Qi Sihao explained angrily: “I heard from a nurse in our department that about a year ago, this old woman brought her grandson to see Yan Ming. The child had a typical corneal dermoid tumor. Yan Ming personally performed the surgery, suturing the cornea. The operation was a success, and the child’s eye should have recovered completely. Yan Ming repeatedly warned them to cover the unoperated right eye with an occlusion patch to encourage the child to use the operated left eye, ensuring faster recovery.”

“And then?”

“Well, this old woman and her family completely ignored Yan Ming’s instructions. The child was too young to understand the importance of wearing the patch and found it uncomfortable. Spoiling the child without principle, the family let him go without wearing it just because he didn’t want to.”

By this point, Yu Tian understood: “So the child’s operated left eye is now almost blind?”

In daily life, it’s actually quite common to see some children wearing a pair of glasses but with one lens covered by a black cloth. These children mostly have asynchronous development in their eyesight, where one eye is amblyopic (lazy eye). Therefore, they need to cover the good eye to force more use of the weaker eye, helping it develop through exercise.

Such an approach is also very common in ophthalmic surgeries. The function of this child’s operated left eye is definitely worse than the right eye, and it necessarily requires more rehabilitative training.

Qi Sihao nodded to confirm Yu Tian’s guess: “How could it not be? Now, the left eye is almost blind. When we go to the hospital to test the vision, nothing can be detected. What do little kids understand? If you don’t cover the good eye and let the child use both eyes together, how exhausting would it be for the operated left eye? Since there are two eyes, naturally, the good right eye will be used directly.”

“And Yan Ming had already told them to have regular check-ups. But this family never did any follow-up. The left eye should have shown signs of vision problems much earlier. It was only during this year’s school physical examination that they found out. Then, they rushed to the hospital to make a fuss, claiming that Yan Ming had treated their eldest grandson’s eye until it went blind. What kind of people are these?”

Fortunately, at this moment, the troublemaking family was “escorted” out of the restaurant by the staff due to their noise and commotion. The restaurant manager, quite adept at handling such situations, threatened to call the police, which made the other party reluctantly leave the premises, though they continued to grumble along the way.

Thanks to the restaurant’s intervention, this family couldn’t stand directly at the entrance blocking people, so they just moved a little further away. In no time, from Yu Tian’s perspective, she could no longer see this group of troublemakers.

The restaurant regained its calmness, but the gazes that were originally admiring Yan Ming’s face became complicated.

Yan Ming appeared extremely calm—so calm that it seemed almost cruel. He even gave up on explaining and showed no intention of comforting the patients or their families. Eating his meal calmly amidst the grandmother’s heart-wrenching wails truly drew sidelong glances. After all, sympathizing with the weak is human nature, and often, whoever shouts the loudest seems to hold the truth.

And it’s also human nature to enjoy spectating without caring about the consequences. Yu Tian keenly noticed that since the old lady’s group started causing trouble, a young man wearing a baseball cap behind Yan Ming had lifted his phone to record. Not long after, he got up and walked out of the restaurant.

Qi Sihao obviously felt relieved by the departure of the group. However, seeing the unfinished meal on the young man’s table and his retreating figure, Yu Tian thought it wasn’t that simple.

At this moment, what she should most maintain was a low profile, avoiding being seen by Yan Ming.

But Yu Tian couldn’t care less. She didn’t have time to respond to Qi Sihao, who was speaking, and instead got up and walked out of the restaurant, her lips tightly pursed.

Following the path to the end, sure enough, the old lady’s large family hadn’t left. They were waiting at the corner like someone lying in wait for prey, and indeed, the young boy with the baseball cap was live streaming—

“Friends, while I was dining at the restaurant today, I encountered this pitiful family. The child is only six years old, and his eye was ruined by a quack doctor. Now, at such a young age, he has gone blind in one eye. What can they do? I just live-streamed the child’s grandmother breaking down and trying to confront the doctor. Unfortunately, elderly people like the grandmother may not even know how to use a smartphone, let alone understand how to protect their rights against such slippery doctors!”

This young man looked like he might still be in high school, but he was clearly well-versed in the tricks of gaining online traffic. First, he tugged at heartstrings, portraying the child and grandmother as tragic figures to evoke public sympathy, creating a narrative of conflict between doctors and patients—

“Yes yes, everyone must have experienced being scammed by doctors. Nowadays, some doctors wear white coats but engage in dirty and despicable acts. How many patients die every year at the hands of incompetent doctors? And those doctors who take kickbacks for prescribing overpriced non-insurance-covered drugs, or refuse to perform surgery properly unless given a red envelope—are they not utterly corrupt?”

After saying this with great emotion, the young man began to elevate his own image—

“Thankfully, I was present today and recorded everything. I will continue to follow up on this poor child and grandmother and help them fight for justice! We must get justice for them!”

With the prevalence of live streaming, this type of content attracts attention through sensationalism, exaggeration, and inciting opposition.

Just listening to his impassioned rhetoric was already giving Yu Tian a headache.

“You want to seek justice for them? How do you plan to do that? By leading them to cause a scene at the hospital, paralyzing the ophthalmology department, and preventing other urgent eye patients from receiving treatment?”

“While you’re here making a spectacle and live-streaming, are you contributing to society? Do you think you’re helping this patient? What about those who might have been able to undergo surgery but had their treatment delayed because of your disturbance? Are you going to compensate them? Or donate corneas for them?”

“Every day, you jump around like a troublemaker, stirring up muddy waters and sowing discord between doctors and patients. If real violence breaks out, what are your intentions?”

“It’s good that you’re live-streaming. You’ve conveniently captured all the evidence of your instigating behavior.” Yu Tian pointed at the old lady’s group, completely unafraid of appearing in the live stream. “Dear viewers, watch closely. If this family goes to the hospital to cause trouble and gets sued in the future, don’t forget to include this broadcaster.”

The broadcaster loved surprises and hype, immediately turning the camera towards Yu Tian—

“Everyone, look! Here comes a defender, highly suspected to be a friend or relative of that quack doctor, jumping around like this! What’s your name! I’ll sue you later for infringing on my reputation! Who do you think you are to meddle in this matter!”

Yu Tian sneered and extended her right hand toward the live camera: “I have no right? Do you see this obvious and ugly scar on my hand? Where do you think it came from? It was slashed by violent medical protesters. As a victim of such violence, I’m telling you—it’s because of people like you who, when something happens, blindly throw dirt on doctors without considering the facts or the law, constantly riling up emotions! Don’t I have the right to criticize you?”

Although wearing a hat and sunglasses, Yu Tian’s facial structure was exquisite, her skin nearly translucently fair, with a delicate nose, revealing her to be a beautiful girl.

Because of her appearance, the barrage of comments in the live stream had shifted, filled with messages like “Let’s date!” and “Take off your sunglasses, little sister! Little sister, please share your contact info!”

And yet, such a lovely-looking girl had a hand that had suffered severe injury, full of brokenness and stark contrast.

Yu Tian never willingly mentioned her hand in front of others, let alone in front of countless unknown netizens. However, at this moment, an unexpected surge of courage made her feel, for the first time, unashamed of her ugly hand, wanting to openly display it—

“Because of medical disputes, my hand was once completely severed and is now disabled. My dream of becoming a surgeon has been utterly shattered.”

“Which doctor wants something bad to happen to a patient? Frankly speaking, apart from the medical relationship, doctors have no inheritance, marriage, or custody disputes with patients. During treatment, unlike some family members who harbor ulterior motives due to conflicts of interest, the person who most hopes for a patient’s recovery is the doctor. Which doctor wants to deal with medical accidents or disputes while working?”

Yu Tian stared at the boy with the baseball cap: “Do you even know what happened? Do you understand ophthalmology? Just clacking your jaws and calling the doctor a quack, saying the surgery failed—you know nothing!”

“It was clearly the post-operative neglect of the prescribed care interventions—covering the good eye to force the child to use the operated eye—that led to the child’s blindness. How did you start spreading rumors in your live stream? Do you know the legal responsibilities of defamation?”

The young man opened his mouth to retort, but Yu Tian didn’t give him the chance: “Of course, you don’t know. Did you even go to college? Which school did you attend? If not, what did you score on your last grade-level exam?”

“Instead of stirring up opposition here, why don’t you go home and study hard?”

The boy was completely stunned by a barrage of questions, struggling for a long time before stuttering out: “Even if this issue might not be the doctor’s fault... but... this doctor isn’t necessarily good either! He must not have explained things clearly...”

“You tell the patient’s family to bring out all the original medical records. I don’t believe the doctor didn’t write down precautions. As for whether or not it was explained, everyone’s intelligence and comprehension differ. I’ve explained so many principles to you—do you understand them now?”

“...”

The barrage in the live stream had completely turned against him. Many people had relatives or friends who were doctors, and upon empathizing with such identities, they began recalling the hardships of studying medicine and practicing as a doctor.

The boy had lost momentum. Though he tried to put up a final resistance, it was already a losing battle.

But Yu Tian grew bolder: “And even if this doctor isn’t necessarily good, does that mean you, who knows nothing about medicine, are better? What, are you jealous because he’s more handsome than you and want to ruin him? Even if you worked hard for a hundred years, you wouldn’t match him, would you?”

Yu Tian, fuming, turned to glare at the old lady and her group, temporarily subdued by her fierceness: “Auntie, stop causing trouble. Once this thing blows up, online netizens are sharp—they’ll dig out everything about your family, and it’ll be clear who’s right and wrong. Moreover, when your acquaintances, the parents’ colleagues and friends, and the child’s classmates and teachers see this, how will you face them?”

The boy doing the live stream was stunned by Yu Tian’s unconventional tactics, but it didn’t mean the old lady would back down. She immediately swung her arms, starting to shove Yu Tian, and again raised her voice to “put on a show”: “There’s someone here...”

However, in such matters, the one who takes the initiative wins.

Yu Tian interrupted her, shouting first: “Here’s an old lady bullying a disabled person!”

“...”

In short, though the old lady’s voice was loud, Yu Tian’s was louder. The old lady dared to shove, but Yu Tian didn’t retaliate, even bringing her injured hand closer to her.

Yu Tian fearlessly bluffed: “Auntie, although this scar looks superficial, there are bigger issues underneath. My hand hurts on rainy days, and the doctor said there might be an infection. Unfortunately, I don’t have money to treat it. If you accidentally injure me today, this hand will be your responsibility. If I become more disabled, you’ll have to take care of me for the rest of my life. Since I don’t have a proper job, I’ll just sit at your house or outside your grandson’s school every day...”

The old lady, who relied on unreasonable tactics, didn’t expect Yu Tian to counterattack with the same venom. The young man, overwhelmed by the backlash in the live stream, had already shut off the broadcast and slinked away.

Having achieved a temporary victory, Yu Tian became even bolder: “If you dare to cause trouble targeting that doctor here, I dare to escalate the situation!”

Yu Tian glared at the entire family: “Especially since there are so many of you, including several strong men—I’ll shout assault and accuse you of being a criminal gang!”

The old lady was so angry she nearly had a heart attack: “My grandson has gone blind in one eye. Shouldn’t that doctor compensate me with some money?”

“No compensation, not a single cent. Why should he compensate you? That doctor is dirt poor, having just been extorted for 100,000 yuan. He doesn’t have money for you!”

The old lady’s face turned bright red: “Where did you come from? What’s your name? What does this doctor’s matter have to do with you?”

Yu Tian replied with righteous indignation: “Call me Lei Feng!”

“...”

The old lady’s group, feeling embarrassed and seeing no sign of Yan Ming coming out of the restaurant, faced with Yu Tian’s formidable presence, had no choice but to leave.

After confirming they had indeed left, Yu Tian returned to the restaurant to continue her meal.

Peering around, she saw that Yan Ming’s seat was empty and sighed in relief: “Yan Ming has left, huh?”

After saying that, she completely relaxed, took off her hat and sunglasses, and fanned herself: “It’s so hot, this stupid hat…”

But not long after Yu Tian took off her hat, she suddenly caught sight of Yan Ming re-entering through the restaurant door. Panicked, she instinctively reached to put her hat and glasses back on.

Fortunately, it seemed Yan Ming didn’t see her. It was as if he had stepped out for something earlier and returned to settle the bill at the front desk, handing a bag to the waiter before leaving again.

Soon, Qi Sihao glanced at his watch: “I won’t wait for you anymore. You haven’t finished your meal. I have an appointment with a colleague, so I’ll head back to the hospital first. Here’s a chance for you to treat me well—the bill is under your name. Remember to pay after you finish eating!”

He spoke and, ignoring Yu Tian’s exasperation, waved his hand and left rather stylishly.

Once Qi Sihao left, Yu Tian lost interest in staying longer. She quickly finished her lunch.

However, when she went to pay the bill, the waiter informed her that someone had already paid: “A very handsome doctor paid for you.”

Yu Tian unexpectedly felt a bit touched that Qi Sihao had done something decent.

But before her gratitude could fully form, the waiter smiled and handed her a familiar bag—

“This is what he left for you, asking me to pass it on.”

Yu Tian’s heart skipped a beat. She belatedly accepted the bag.

She had personally witnessed Yan Ming handing this bag to the front desk, so the one who paid the bill wasn’t Qi Sihao but Yan Ming.

She had been seen by Yan Ming…

Yu Tian’s heart was in disarray, like a flowerpot knocked over by a cat. She didn’t know where to begin tidying up, feeling flustered and unable to face him.

When she opened the bag and saw what was inside, she became even more puzzled and curious.

Inside were egg tarts, candied chestnuts, and mung bean cakes.