PDGUT - 37

If she had been able to feign ignorance before, now holding the egg tarts, candied chestnuts, and mung bean cakes in her hands, Yu Tian simply couldn’t pretend as if nothing had happened.

She dragged her feet slowly back to the hospital. Just as she rounded the corner to the ophthalmology department, she saw Yan Ming.

It was still lunch break, not yet time for afternoon consultations. Yan Ming was standing outside the clinic talking to a young woman.

Yu Tian, who had been fretting about finding an excuse, instinctively turned to slip away upon seeing Yan Ming busy.

But even though Yan Ming hadn’t looked up and was still explaining precautions to his patient, it was as if he precisely located her. The moment Yu Tian turned around, Yan Ming had already walked over quickly, grabbed her hand, and pulled her behind him.

Sure enough, the young woman who had been chatting with Yan Ming glanced at his hand holding Yu Tian’s, then looked at Yu Tian’s face with a complex expression.

Yu Tian almost instinctively tried to pull her hand free, but Yan Ming didn’t let go; instead, he tightened his grip slightly.

He glanced at Yu Tian with a hint of warning in his eyes, but his tone sounded like he was giving a report: “A former female patient of mine. Wait for me for one minute; I’ll finish soon. I have something to discuss with you.”

True to his word, Yan Ming ended his conversation with the patient after exactly one minute and then turned to look at Yu Tian.

This time, Yan Ming finally let go of her hand, but his gaze wasn’t particularly trusting: “I’ll get something. Stay here and don’t move or wander off, okay?”

Yu Tian couldn’t help but mutter: “Am I being treated like a prisoner…?”

Fortunately, Yan Ming came out shortly afterward and handed Yu Tian a thick stack of papers: “These are some case summaries I’ve compiled over the past few days. You can create a quick science communication piece on ophthalmology, debunking common misconceptions about eye care.”

Yan Ming paused and added: “I’ve already removed all the patients’ private information. You can use this as material.”

Yu Tian stared at the thick stack of papers in disbelief: “You managed to compile so many cases in just these few days?”

This would be impossible even without sleeping, eating, or drinking…

Yan Ming lowered his gaze, his voice calm and composed, as if it were very casual: “These are cases I’ve encountered during my consultations, starting from the first day I began practicing independently.”

Receiving this stack of papers, Yu Tian felt that anything she said would sound trivial.

What precious material this was!

Some experienced doctors either don’t have the time to systematically organize their accumulated experience or keep it private, only passing it on to their disciples within their own faction. To willingly share such extensive materials, Yu Tian felt that a simple thank you couldn’t express her feelings at that moment.

She gazed at Yan Ming with bright, grateful eyes.

However, before she could utter her thanks, Yan Ming coughed lightly: “I’d always recorded them fragmentedly across various documents on my computer and never had the chance to organize them. Your need for a science communication piece forced me to systematically arrange these materials. So there’s no need to thank me; perhaps I should thank you for curing my procrastination.”

“All the points I’ve chosen are relatively easy to understand and also commonly misunderstood by the general public lacking specialized ophthalmic knowledge,” Yan Ming said, drawing out one page. “For instance, in this case, the patient believed in online beauty remedies, thinking hemorrhoid cream could remove dark circles, so they applied it around their eyes. But hemorrhoid cream mainly contains ingredients like musk, rhubarb, borneol, borax, and cow-bezoar, which are highly irritating. After application, the patient developed allergic swelling and stinging. By the time they came in for an examination, it had already progressed to a severe case of conjunctivitis.”

“Then there’s this patient who stayed overnight at a bar and wore decorative contact lenses all night, nearly causing corneal perforation. Many young women think decorative lenses are fashionable and see others wearing them, so they rarely pay attention to these matters. In fact, every year, numerous eye problems arise due to decorative lenses.”

“There’s also the elderly man who heard that scraping the inner eyelid with coins could treat trachoma. He found two one-yuan coins and scraped vigorously. While using coins might burst the trachoma follicles on the conjunctiva surface and provide some relief, this procedure should be done by someone with professional knowledge. Moreover, the coins weren’t disinfected, leading to bacterial infection. The next day, his vision blurred, and when he came in, he already had corneal ulcers.”

With limited time, Yan Ming only highlighted a few cases, but Yu Tian’s eyes were already shining.

The angles Yan Ming chose were excellent. These were materials that only an ophthalmologist could accumulate. Despite her previous research, Yu Tian rarely found such vivid cases that were both intriguing and highly educational, making them perfect content for social media dissemination.

Initially, Yu Tian felt somewhat awkward and uneasy facing Yan Ming, but at this moment, those emotions were replaced by excitement to dive into work.

She solemnly accepted the materials Yan Ming provided and sincerely thanked him.

“Oh, and thank you for the food you left me at lunch. But why did you leave those for me?”

Yan Ming slightly turned his head to look at the greenery not far away: “You went out during the middle.”

So?

“By the time you came back, the food would have cooled down, or Qi Sihao might have eaten it all. I figured you wouldn’t have eaten properly.”

Though the hospital was quite noisy and the lunch break was almost over, with patients already waiting outside the clinic, Yu Tian felt the surroundings become very quiet, as if only she and Yan Ming were present.

Yu Tian felt a bit awkward, her voice dry: “You saw me…”

Yan Ming’s voice was light: “As an ophthalmologist, my eyesight is naturally excellent.”

Yu Tian actually wanted to escape, but she was still holding the weighty case materials Yan Ming had prepared. It would be ungrateful to abandon them so soon. She wished the consultation time would come sooner and wondered why this batch of patients was so considerate, refusing to bother the doctor before the scheduled time.

Yu Tian hoped Yan Ming would excuse himself and leave, but he didn’t. He stood in front of her, seemingly waiting for her to speak.

Yu Tian felt like a donkey with blinders, ready to be put to work. It seemed she had to do something to justify everything that had been set up, feeling rather stuck.

Thus, Yu Tian somewhat awkwardly changed the subject: “Why did you buy egg tarts, candied chestnuts, and mung bean cakes?”

Though it was a casual question, Yu Tian was genuinely curious.

These three items were unrelated, and as far as she knew, the stores selling them near the restaurant were quite far apart, especially the shop selling mung bean cakes, which was almost a whole street away. Why did Yan Ming specifically choose these three?

Yu Tian looked up: “Do you like these three things?”

Yan Ming shifted his gaze, initially not answering. He glanced at the sunlight outside the window, as if momentarily blinded by its intensity. Quickly, he withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Yu Tian.

“It’s not that I like them.” His tone was calm and natural. “It’s what you wanted to eat.”

Indeed, these three items were snacks Yu Tian liked, but…

“When did I say that?”

Yu Tian was genuinely puzzled; she didn’t remember at all.

Yan Ming remained expressionless: “Last night.”

At the mention of last night, Yan Ming appeared calm and composed as usual, but Yu Tian became flustered and nervous. She neurotically brushed her hair, which wasn’t hanging down, and avoided his gaze, her voice dry as she tried to evade responsibility: “Last night? I drank a bit too much and forgot…”

But Yan Ming didn’t follow the excuse Yu Tian offered: “I see your memory is quite good.”

The man looked at her: “If you forgot, why were you avoiding me?”

“…”

“Your acting is as terrible as your Photoshop skills. You need more practice.”

Yu Tian was rendered speechless by Yan Ming, realizing that her actions had been seen through.

She had tried to play dumb, but now Yan Ming had exposed her. Reluctantly, she had to bite the bullet and speak.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t avoiding you. I just couldn’t face what I did last night.” Yu Tian’s voice dropped, as if speaking softly could conceal everything. She nervously and haltingly explained: “I thought it was a dream. If I’d known it wasn’t, I definitely wouldn’t have acted that way…”

Yan Ming looked as if he accepted her apology. He glanced at Yu Tian: “Oh, you’d never act like that normally.”

Yu Tian hurriedly nodded: “Yes, yes, yes.”

“So, in a dream, you can treat me like that?”

“...” Yu Tian’s voice was dry. “I was drunk; it wasn’t directed at you.”

But Yan Ming became even more sarcastic: “Oh, not directed at me? So when you’re drunk, you’ll kiss anyone, right?”

“...”

At this moment, Yu Tian wished she had superpowers to make Yan Ming forget or change the past. However, the reality was that she was cornered at the clinic door by Yan Ming, like an offender who had ruined someone’s purity and had to give the victim an explanation.

In such situations, one should comfort the victim, show a proper attitude, and offer compensation.

Yu Tian, in desperation, rummaged through her bag for a while and finally timidly placed the chocolate she had just bought into Yan Ming’s hand.

“Eat this, and forget about that incident,” she smiled ingratiatingly. “A successful doctor like you should allocate your memory to more important matters, not trivial things like this, right?”

Though she said this, Yu Tian still gazed longingly at the chocolate. This particular chocolate was very rare and hard to find, but it was Yu Tian’s favorite flavor. She had managed to buy the last bar from a boutique supermarket by chance...

Offering the chocolate as a gesture was purely for show since she didn’t have anything else impressive in her bag. Based on her understanding of Yan Ming, he would likely coldly reject the chocolate and let the drunken incident go.

Unexpectedly, as Yu Tian waited for Yan Ming to return the chocolate, she saw him decisively take it from her hands.

“Alright.”

Yan Ming smiled, turned to leave, and easily accepted the chocolate as “compensation.”

But if he accepted it, Yu Tian didn’t.

Her chocolate…

“Wait! To mark a fresh start between us, let’s split the chocolate in half—it represents our reconciliation and making amends...”

Yu Tian was babbling incoherently just to get her chocolate back.

Unfortunately, Yan Ming rejected her without hesitation. He deliberately dragged out his tone, like a cat playing with a bird it wasn’t in a hurry to eat: “That doesn’t seem appropriate.”

“What’s inappropriate?” Yu Tian’s voice grew weaker, but she couldn’t help muttering, “If half is too much, then a third will do…”

“We aren’t exactly reconciling.” Yan Ming stopped teasing Yu Tian and put the chocolate back into her hands. “Next time, don’t pretend to be generous with things you want to keep for yourself.”

Although she got her chocolate back, being seen through by Yan Ming made Yu Tian feel her face burning hot. She couldn’t help but deny it: “It’s fine, you can take the chocolate.”

“You clearly look like you’d hold a grudge over this chocolate forever and bring it up again in the future.”

Because Yu Tian stubbornly refused to accept it, Yan Ming simply put the chocolate back into her bag: “Keep it.”

Yan Ming averted his gaze, his voice softening: “You’re so vengeful. I didn’t do anything wrong, yet I’ve already been treated this way in your dream. If I took the chocolate now, who knows what else you’d do.”

“...”

This time, Yan Ming looked up, revealing a teasing smile. In a provoking tone, he joked: “I’m actually quite scared.”

“...” Yu Tian stared at his handsome face, wondering how she could have been so bewitched in her drunken state.

Yan Ming appeared serious and aloof, but deep down… sometimes he really made her want to hit him.

Just as Yu Tian was fuming inside, ready to explode emotionally, Yan Ming acted like a bomb disposal expert, swiftly dismantling the emotional bomb she was about to detonate with precision and calmness.

“I’ll remember the brand and flavor of chocolate you like. I’ll buy you some next time.”

The man stared into Yu Tian’s eyes for a moment before looking away: “To prevent you from losing your dignity over a piece of chocolate in the future and doing something reckless again.”

Yu Tian’s heart began racing again.

She felt like she was sitting on a swing at the edge of a cliff—terrified and anxious, yet somehow captivated by the breathtaking view beneath her as the swing soared high. There was a hidden, contradictory anticipation, like Ye Gong admiring dragons but fearing their reality.

She never seemed to be able to predict what Yan Ming would do or say.

Humans naturally feel uneasy about the unknown and uncontrollable, but Yu Tian felt both uneasy and strangely not-so-uneasy.

She almost nervously began tucking her long hair behind her ears: “Why are you buying me chocolate… You didn’t do anything wrong, there’s no need to apologize to me...”

“I don’t need to apologize.”

Yan Ming pursed his lips, his gaze sweeping over Yu Tian: “I’m thanking Lei Feng.”

Before Yu Tian could react, Yan Ming said in a low voice: “Thank you, Lei Feng, but don’t stick your neck out for me next time. Being misunderstood or slandered by patients’ families is something a mature doctor should learn to handle. As I said, you should protect yourself first.”

Yu Tian’s previously agitated heart suddenly calmed like drought-stricken land meeting rain. The cracks of hurt were instantly smoothed over, her heart softened, and her emotions stabilized.

So Yan Ming had seen everything.

Yu Tian suddenly thought of something else and, feeling unbalanced, brought up an old grievance: “So from now on, don’t call me an ungrateful little brat. Look how grateful I am!”

“Understood.” A faint smile played on Yan Ming’s lips, his voice light and clear. He glanced at Yu Tian, “Apologies accepted. You’re a dog that looks like an ungrateful little brat.”

“...” Could this man ever say something nice?

“Why am I either a dog or a wolf? Don’t you have any better words?”

“A loyal puppy.” Yan Ming continued to smile. “What’s wrong with that? Puppies are cute.”

If it were Qi Sihao, Yu Tian would have thrown a punch already. But facing Yan Ming, who looked genuinely pleased, she felt unable to lift her hand. All she could do was glare at him defiantly.

Seeing Yu Tian’s displeased expression, Yan Ming reined in his smile and looked at her: “Are you mad?”

You noticed?!

But before Yu Tian could say anything, Yan Ming’s briefly restrained expression bloomed again like a flower bud. He laughed, seemingly unable to hold it back.

After staring at Yu Tian for a few seconds, he calmly concluded: “You look even more like a puppy when you’re angry.”

“...” Really fearless.

Yu Tian took a deep breath: “Yan Ming, do you think I wouldn’t hit you?”

“Probably not,” Yan Ming said confidently, pointing to the patients waiting nearby for the clinic to open. “If you hit me, what will happen to these patients?”

“...”

Fine, Yu Tian was utterly exasperated.

She realized that although Yan Ming appeared cold and untouchable, like a sacred, unapproachable flower on a high peak, deep down, he wasn’t a good person at all. He was mischievous, and she always ended up on the losing side.

Still, when she rushed out earlier to confront the troublemaking old lady, she hadn’t thought of seeking credit. But now, Yu Tian suddenly felt an intense urge to claim her reward—

“Since you know what Lei Feng here has done, do you think buying me a few more chocolates is enough?” Yu Tian cleared her throat. “Don’t you think there should be some other form of appreciation?”

Now holding the meticulously organized ophthalmology case files provided by Yan Ming, along with her previous research, Yu Tian felt that five episodes of the ophthalmology series with Yan Ming weren’t nearly enough. She wanted more. She had been fretting over how to ask him, but now it seemed effortless.

After speaking, she gave Yan Ming a pointed look, hinting wildly.

Sure enough, Yan Ming hesitated momentarily. Perhaps the request for additional episodes was too much, given how busy he was. Yu Tian’s words made him visibly uncomfortable. Likely embarrassed about not being able to spare more time to help her film, Yan Ming’s ears turned red with shame.

This made Yu Tian feel a twinge of guilt. Just as she was about to joke and ease the awkwardness, she saw Yan Ming suddenly extend his hand toward her.

In Yu Tian’s astonished gaze, Yan Ming’s hand “landed” precisely on top of her head. Before she could react, she felt warmth on her scalp—Yan Ming was patting her head like one would pat a puppy.

Yu Tian stared at Yan Ming.

Yan Ming paused, then somewhat awkwardly but confidently said: “Is this not enough?”

His face showed signs of helplessness and difficulty, but his hand still reached out. In Yu Tian’s stunned silence, he gently patted her head again.

?

Yu Tian’s surprise was evidently misinterpreted. Yan Ming studied her face, furrowed his brows slightly as if hesitating, but ultimately, he reached out and ruffled her hair again.

??

What…

Yu Tian was utterly baffled: “Why are you touching my head?”

Yan Ming’s expression remained calm and composed: “Didn’t you want me to show some appreciation? You kept staring at me like that.”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Then Yan Ming raised his wrist to check his watch. “The clinic is about to start. You should go back.”

???

Before stepping into the consultation room, Yan Ming turned his head as if remembering something: “However, while you’ve accepted my gratitude, I haven’t yet accepted your apology.”

“Huh?”

Yan Ming pursed his lips: “I’ve already returned the chocolate you used to apologize.”

“...”

“So I haven’t accepted your apology.” He smiled faintly and casually tucked his pen into the pocket of his white coat. “After all, apologizing with just chocolate is far too lenient for you.”

“...”

“And by the way, I didn’t lose 100,000 yuan to extortion, and I’m not bankrupt. At least I can still afford to buy you chocolate.”

Yan Ming gave Yu Tian a look that said, “We’ll settle the rest later,” before turning and entering the clinic.

He hadn’t said anything out of line, but Yu Tian felt like she might need to see a cardiologist herself—his gaze had made her heartbeat erratic.

Yu Tian couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Yan Ming was truly infuriating.