Yu Tian felt deeply uneasy about accepting Yan Ming’s five thousand yuan.

Fortunately, Qi Sihao finally officially started working at the First Affiliated Hospital, where Yan Ming worked. Coincidentally, he was assigned to rotate in ophthalmology and brought back important information.

Although we rotation students don’t need to do professional work, just helping patients with vision tests, measuring visual acuity, and eye pressure all day keeps us so busy our feet barely touch the ground. I can’t eat lunch until past 1:30 every day!”

Qi Sihao stared blankly ahead, feeling deeply affected: “But compared to doctors like Yan Ming, I still have it much better. Sometimes he can’t eat until 2 PM. He examines patients very carefully and can never resist the pleas of patients who’ve traveled from far away, often adding extra appointments during outpatient clinics. One thing leads to another – by the time he finishes the outpatient clinic and before he has time to eat, sometimes he already has afternoon surgery.”

Yu Tian was somewhat alarmed: “Can’t he order takeout?”

“When he’s in the outpatient clinic, he has no time to take out his phone to order takeout. Even if he had time to order, he wouldn’t have time to go get it and eat.”

While admiring Yan Ming, Qi Sihao didn’t forget to step on his rival: “Who told your Brother Yan Ming to be so clueless about romance? Another male doctor in his department found a girlfriend. Though he’s just as busy, his girlfriend comes to deliver lunch every day, making all kinds of stomach-nourishing dishes in different ways, keeping him well-fed and healthy…”

Qi Sihao spoke without thinking, but Yu Tian listened with interest.

She had accepted five thousand yuan from Yan Ming for nothing, plus she received the favor of him tying her shoelaces at the alumni celebration. On top of that, her mother was still dating his father. She had been looking for a breakthrough to show goodwill toward Yan Ming, and now Qi Sihao’s words finally gave Yu Tian direction.

She was already livestreaming therapeutic recipe preparations anyway, also exercising her injured hand. Why not kill several birds with one stone – do a few livestreams of stomach-nourishing recipes while Yan Ming was seeing patients, then deliver the food to him afterward?

Yu Tian was always action-oriented. She decided to act immediately.

Yan Ming had an outpatient clinic today.

So Yu Tian made congee, prepared several home-style dishes, and brought along freshly made cheesecake from the refrigerator, heading to the First Affiliated Hospital.

Yu Tian sent Yan Ming a message on the way.

However, when she arrived at the First Affiliated Hospital, she only received Yan Ming’s belated polite reply:

“No need, you eat it yourself. I’m in a meeting and can’t get away. Thank you for your kind intention. You don’t need to trouble yourself like this next time.”

How could this work?

Hadn’t she come all this way just to flatter Yan Ming?

“It’s fine! Brother Yan Ming, I made your favorite cheesecake. I only made this one portion, specifically for you. I’m free this afternoon anyway, so I’ll wait for you downstairs for another half hour. If the meeting really can’t end soon, then I’ll leave.”

Yan Ming’s refusal was firm: “No need, you can go. My meeting won’t end for another hour. I appreciate your kind intention. Thank you.”

Yu Tian looked at Yan Ming’s cold and polite reply, feeling somewhat puzzled.

It seemed today was unlucky – the meal she brought for Yan Ming couldn’t be delivered.

But regardless, it wasn’t completely useless. At least her good intentions had been conveyed.

Yu Tian looked at those two words, “Thank you,” and felt she had at least gained some favor with Yan Ming.

Then she looked at the lunch boxes in her hands.

Because her right hand wasn’t flexible enough, her movements had slowed considerably. She had spent a long time making these things. Since she had already come to the First Affiliated Hospital, even if Yan Ming couldn’t accept them, they shouldn’t be wasted…

Whether it was coincidence or not, just after Yan Ming replied to Yu Tian’s message, the vice-dean chairing the meeting suddenly had a schedule change, spending another five minutes to end the meeting.

Yan Ming checked the time and ultimately decided to go downstairs to collect the meal Yu Tian had brought him, planning to tell her this wouldn’t happen again.

After all, accepting favors creates obligations.

Yan Ming wasn’t an underage child lacking playmates – he didn’t plan to develop any overly deep relationship with his potential step-sister.

Normally, it would be better not to have too much involvement with Yu Tian.

But Yu Tian had said she would continue waiting for him for an hour.

Yan Ming felt he was a kind person after all, couldn’t stand to see food wasted, and didn’t want others’ time to be wasted either.

However, when he quickly walked downstairs, he couldn’t see Yu Tian anywhere in the entire lobby.

Hadn’t she said she’d wait for him on the first floor?

Yan Ming walked around with a stern face and finally spotted Yu Tian in the small garden attached to the first floor of the hospital.

He composed his expression, planning to pretend the meeting had ended early and he was just passing by.

From Yan Ming’s current position, there was still some distance to Yu Tian. She was sitting with her back to him on a wooden chair in the small garden. Someone who looked like a patient was sitting beside her, blocked by a tree, while several layers of lunch boxes were placed on Yu Tian’s other side.

The height of these lunch boxes made Yan Ming feel his trip was worthwhile – Yu Tian had indeed been thoughtful toward him.

A slight smile appeared on Yan Ming’s face.

However, as Yan Ming gradually approached, he saw clearly that the person sitting beside Yu Tian wasn’t a patient at all, but Qi Sihao.

The two were enthusiastically talking about something.

Then Yu Tian opened the tall lunch boxes, took out one layer, and handed it to Qi Sihao.

Weren’t the lunch boxes for him?

Yan Ming frowned and moved closer, finally hearing their conversation.

“Look how good I am to you? On your first week rotating at the First Affiliated Hospital, I’m already bringing you meals.”

Qi Sihao ate hurriedly while expressing gratitude: “Xiao Yu, you’re so good to me! Do I get this exclusively? Did you bring any for your Brother Yan Ming?”

Yu Tian’s voice was very sincere: “Qi Sihao, how can Yan Ming compare to you? You’re my friend of over twenty years. Your significance to me is different! This meal is only for you – Yan Ming doesn’t get any!”

“But isn’t Yan Ming your idol?”

“He is my idol, but idols can’t compare to real-life friends!”

Yu Tian’s voice was full of emotion: “Besides, I’m good to Yan Ming mainly because his father is dating my mother. His father listens to his opinion a lot regarding remarriage choices. I hope my mother’s remarriage will be happy. Yan Ming and I haven’t known each other long, but you and I have over ten years of friendship, right? So my feelings toward you are different. I’m genuinely good to you as a friend! I think you’re very important!”

The smile on Yan Ming’s face gradually faded.

Yu Tian’s wishful thinking was quite clever.

One box, two uses.

The lunch boxes had established her presence with Yan Ming, then were finally used to curry favor with Qi Sihao using borrowed flowers.

Everything was progressing very smoothly.

Qi Sihao, being such a foodie, predictably fell completely under the spell of Yu Tian’s homemade delicacies, eating while being moved almost to tears.

So Yu Tian struck while the iron was hot: “Between friends, we should be loyal to each other. You’re rotating here, so I’ll bring you food. I’m starting a business doing medical science education on social media – shouldn’t you also appear on camera more to support your friend?”

Qi Sihao didn’t suspect anything and immediately nodded repeatedly: “Okay, okay, okay! I’ll appear on camera five more times for you!”

Five times?!

Yu Tian was about to feel secretly pleased when she heard a cold yet familiar voice behind her:

“Yu Tian.”

Was that Yan Ming’s voice?!

But wasn’t Yan Ming still in a meeting…

No way…

Yu Tian’s body froze for several seconds, then she stiffly turned her head.

Standing behind her was indeed Yan Ming.

“Yan Ming, Brother Yan Ming…”

Yan Ming just looked at her, then said expressionlessly: “Thinking you’d be waiting here for an hour with lunch boxes made especially for me alone, I felt somewhat sorry, and the meeting happened to end early.”

He spoke word by word: “So where’s the meal you were going to give me, Yu Tian?”

“…”

Yu Tian almost instinctively used her body to block the lunch boxes beside her.

Fortunately, Qi Sihao, being a dedicated food enthusiast, was still completely oblivious to everything happening around him, buried in his meal.

Taking advantage of Qi Sihao’s eating, Yu Tian quickly moved forward, running toward Yan Ming enthusiastically first.

She looked at Yan Ming, laughing dryly and stammering: “You just said the meeting couldn’t end, so I… just as I was leaving the hospital, I saw a malnourished, sallow homeless person passing by. I thought I should accumulate merit for you by donating the meal you couldn’t use to someone in need…”

At this point, Yu Tian couldn’t conjure up another meal.

She could only bite the bullet and tough it out.

But unfortunately, Qi Sihao, who had been buried in his food, suddenly seemed to sense something, turned around, and called out toward Yu Tian’s back:

“Xiao Yu, the food you made is delicious! Can I make requests? Could you make sweet and sour pork for me tomorrow? Or braised chicken would be fine too!”

When Qi Sihao looked up, he finally saw Yan Ming too. He enthusiastically waved at Yan Ming, quite smugly: “Senior Yan Ming, what a coincidence! Yu Tian is bringing me food – her cooking skills are amazing!”

“…” Shut up, Qi Sihao!

Yu Tian only regretted not putting some muting drug in Qi Sihao’s food to poison him mute on the spot.

Yan Ming glanced at Qi Sihao, who was eating heartily and contentedly, then looked at Yu Tian expressionlessly.

“Your donated homeless person is not only not malnourished and sallow, but quite well-built and strong.”

Yu Tian was too embarrassed to even look directly at Yan Ming.

But still wanting to make a last-ditch effort, Yu Tian mumbled: “Although Qi Sihao is physically strong, he’s simple-minded. In modern society, there’s a new type of homeless person – spiritual vagrants like him, spiritually empty and mentally impoverished…”

Facing this unexpected disaster, Yu Tian felt quite embarrassed.

“Brother Yan Ming, if you don’t have surgery this afternoon, let me take you out to eat now. My cooking is just average – not as good as those restaurants outside… I’ve been thinking, the food I make myself isn’t worthy of you eating. Taking someone like you to dinner should at least start with Michelin three-star restaurants…”

Unfortunately, Yu Tian’s invitation was rejected by Yan Ming.

“No need.” He glanced at Yu Tian. “You should eat with your sincere friend instead. How could anyone else be as important as a true friend? True friends are for life – after all, it’s been over ten years of friendship.”

“…”

“Next time, don’t make or bring me food anymore. Thank you for accumulating merit for me – just donate directly to your friend. Yan Ming’s tone was chilly. “Conveniently, your friend Qi Sihao is also in my department. Let him eat well so he can work more and stay for more night shifts.”

“…” Yu Tian said uneasily, “Wouldn’t that be not so good…”

“How so?” Yan Ming smiled. “Didn’t you say he’s physically strong but mentally empty? Perfect for learning more at the hospital. Strong limbs indicate a sturdy body suitable for night shifts, while an empty mind should be armed with medical knowledge and practice. Quite good.”

After Yan Ming finished speaking, he turned and walked away, leaving Yu Tian to guiltily glance at Qi Sihao.

This guy was still eating heartily, obviously unaware of the approaching danger.