Yu Tian ended up chattering back to the sports complex with Yan Ming.

Almost as soon as they returned to the venue, Yu Tian and Yan Ming were intercepted.

“Been looking everywhere for you, thought you’d ditched. Come on, the guest speakers need to take their seats on stage soon.”

Yu Tian looked up to find that the person was precisely Yan Ming’s companion, who had shown that meaningful expression when Yan Ming tied her shoelaces earlier.

The other person curiously glanced at Yu Tian several times, then looked at Yan Ming questioningly, apparently waiting for an introduction: “Who is this?”

Yan Ming looked straight ahead, his tone calm: “No need for introductions. We’re not very familiar, and you won’t see her again in the future.”

“Not familiar, but you tie her shoelaces?”

“…”

Yan Ming was speechless, but Yu Tian enthusiastically took the opportunity to introduce herself: “Hello! I’m Yu Tian, Brother Yan Ming’s younger sister. You can call me Xiao Yu.”

The other person was stunned and looked at Yan Ming: “You have a sister?! How come I’ve never heard of this before? Aren’t all your relatives’ children boys?”

Yan Ming glanced at Yu Tian and said expressionlessly, “Yu Tian, my ‘sister’ who’s been separated for over twenty years.”

“…”

Then he turned and pointed to his friend, briefly introducing Yu Tian to: “Jiang Yuming, my not-very-important friend.”

“…”

“Alright, I need to go on stage.” Yan Ming was about to leave, but after thinking, he paused and turned back to look at Jiang Yuming. “Help me keep an eye on her.”

As soon as Yan Ming left, Jiang Yuming eagerly started gossiping, lowering his voice: “Are you pursuing Yan Ming?”

“Honestly, there have always been many people pursuing Yan Ming, but almost all of them were discouraged by his cold attitude. You’re the first I’ve seen that he acknowledges as a ‘sister,’ and he even bent down to tie your shoelaces! Rounding up, you’re not far from marriage! I admire you – very persistent! Let’s add each other on WeChat. If there are any other butterflies around Yan Ming in the future, I’ll notify you first!”

Yu Tian exchanged contact information with Jiang Yuming, then decided to clarify.

“I’m not pursuing Brother Yan Ming. I truly think of him as a brother…”

Yu Tian briefly explained about her mother and Yan Ming’s father’s middle-aged blind dating situation. As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Jiang Yuming looking at her with an expression that said, “You’re naive.”

“Brothers and sisters, dating is very normal, completely natural! Keep the good things in the family! Don’t worry, my thinking is very progressive! You two have no blood relation, so even if you’re nominally siblings, dating would just be classified as ‘pseudo-siblings.’ Though there’s a bit of forbidden appeal, sometimes the forbidden is beautiful. Don’t mind worldly opinions, boldly pursue true love! I support you two!”

Yu Tian was somewhat puzzled by how someone as rule-abiding and proper as Yan Ming could have such a friend.

She asked curiously, “Are you a graduate of our school? Are you and Brother Yan Ming classmates?”

“Yes.” Jiang Yuming smiled. “We’re also colleagues. I just returned from overseas training and came back to the First Affiliated Hospital a few days ago.”

Now Yu Tian became interested: “Which department are you in? Which country did you train in?”

Jiang Yuming was somewhat bashful: “Orthopedics.”

He thoughtfully added, “I just came back from Germany.”

“…”

“If you have any orthopedic problems in the future, you can come find me.”

German orthopedics… better not…

The centennial celebration, though it invited some successful alumni as guest speakers, was quite limited in speaking time. Each guest’s speech was quite brief, with the focus mainly on school leadership speeches and visions for the school’s future.

Soon, the opening ceremony concluded, and the remaining time could be spent participating in various alumni activities organized by school clubs.

“It’s almost mealtime. How about we revisit the school’s little restaurant, ‘Emerald City’?”

The little restaurant Jiang Yuming suggested was Rong Medical University’s internet-famous restaurant, located on the top floor of the campus public cafeteria. Using the top floor’s sunroom-like setup, the surroundings were decorated like a small garden, with lush plants and blooming flowers. The restaurant owner also kept three lively Siamese cats. With the air conditioning on at this time, it was simply like a fairyland.

Yan Ming was noncommittal and was about to follow Jiang Yuming when the latter called out to Yu Tian.

“Xiao Yu, your brother and I are going to eat. You come too.”

Qi Sihao had many friends and had been pulled backstage to help before the celebration. He had just contacted Yu Tian via WeChat, saying he’d rush over to meet her and go eat together.

Yu Tian felt somewhat embarrassed: “I have a friend who agreed to have lunch together. Can we invite him to join us?”

Jiang Yuming was very enthusiastic: “Of course! You’re Yan Ming’s sister, so you’re my sister. Your friend is my friend. We’re all alumni from the same school and will probably be in the same medical system in the future anyway. Getting acquainted is no bad thing.”

Jiang Yuming’s enthusiasm cooled after seeing the six-foot-tall Qi Sihao.

Fortunately, Qi Sihao was very talkative, constantly calling him “senior” this and “senior” that, making Jiang Yuming beam with joy.

Qi Sihao had privately mocked Yan Ming plenty, but seeing Yan Ming in person, he was practically fawning.

Yan Ming didn’t say much, maintaining his polite but cold demeanor, just glancing at Qi Sihao several times.

However, all three of them were Rong Medical University graduates, chatting from the “haunted” boys’ dormitory to the public men’s bathroom with perverted voyeurs, leaving Yu Tian unable to join the conversation.

Feeling somewhat bored, Yu Tian took out her phone. She photographed the crème brûlée in front of her, paired it with school photos from the centennial celebration, then uploaded and posted to her social media.

Unexpectedly, not long after posting, Gao Mei’s message came.

[Mei Mei]: Yu Tian, I happen to be near your school. I’m coming to visit you.

Yu Tian glanced at Yan Ming sitting beside her. Just as she didn’t know how to politely refuse, Gao Mei’s next message arrived:

[Mei Mei]: I saw your brother in the reflection of the spoon beside your crème brûlée. You’re together, right? The restaurant name is on the napkin beside you. Wait five minutes for me, I’ll be right there.

“…”

Well, it seemed she was coming specifically for Yan Ming.

When Gao Mei said five minutes, she meant five minutes. Yu Tian hadn’t even had time to join the conversation to inform Yan Ming about this when Gao Mei had already appeared energetically at their table.

She had delicate features but excellent fashion sense, with an overall good aura – the type of girl who would attract attention walking down the street.

Gao Mei smiled graciously at Yu Tian and the others, looking quite surprised: “You have so many people here. Xiao Yu heard I was nearby and asked me to come find her. I thought she was alone.”

Gao Mei said this while naturally glancing at Yan Ming, then smiled with pursed lips: “Yan Ming, you’re here too.”

Yan Ming was somewhat indifferent. He simply nodded at Gao Mei in greeting, then looked expressionlessly at Yu Tian, clearly wanting to hold her accountable.

Yu Tian couldn’t explain and could only bite the bullet, awkwardly drinking water desperately.

Fortunately, Jiang Yuming enthusiastically chatted with Gao Mei, preventing an awkward silence.

However, Qi Sihao, usually quite talkative, seemed somewhat unusual. He appeared nervous, drinking water desperately like Yu Tian, his gaze unnaturally glancing toward Gao Mei repeatedly.

This meal didn’t last very long, ultimately ending when Yan Ming and Jiang Yuming successively received hospital calls and rushed off to work overtime.

Gao Mei had made a special trip but hadn’t been able to say much to Yan Ming, showing disappointment on her face.

Yu Tian was about to offer some comfort before saying goodbye when she saw Qi Sihao, who had been silent, suddenly come alive with enthusiasm like someone rising from the dead.

“You’re called Gao Mei, right? I’m Yu Tian’s best friend, Qi Sihao, and also Yan Ming’s junior.”

Qi Sihao’s face showed a sincere and reliable expression: “Are you trying to pursue Yu Tian’s brother?”

Gao Mei was stunned, somewhat embarrassed by Qi Sihao’s direct question, but still nodded.

“Then I’ll help you too.”

Qi Sihao patted his chest with a sincere tone: “I’m about to start working at the same hospital as Senior Yan Ming.”

Qi Sihao glanced at Yu Tian: “Xiao Yu doesn’t work in the same place as Senior Yan Ming after all, so she’s not as clear about Senior Yan Ming’s movements as I am.”

Gao Mei hesitated somewhat.

“If I said I’d help you because you’re Xiao Yu’s friend, you definitely wouldn’t believe that.” Qi Sihao spoke honestly. “I won’t lie to you – I’m doing this for my selfish reasons too.”

“The girl I want to pursue has always had a crush on Senior Yan Ming. As long as Senior Yan Ming stays single, she won’t give up. Since you also want to pursue Senior Yan Ming, if you and Senior Yan Ming get together, wouldn’t my chances of pursuing the girl I like increase too?”

Qi Sihao smiled bashfully: “So I want to ally with you to each pursue the person we want.”

With these words, Gao Mei indeed stopped hesitating, looking at Qi Sihao with trust in her eyes.

The two quickly exchanged contact information before parting.

As soon as Gao Mei left, Yu Tian blocked Qi Sihao’s path.

She interrogated him expressionlessly: “Confess.”

Gao Mei didn’t understand Qi Sihao, but Yu Tian knew him very well. Someone like Qi Sihao wouldn’t be this kind-hearted.

“Remember that girl I fell in love with at first sight?”

Qi Sihao beamed: “That’s her.”

??

Qi Sihao said happily, “Looks like my spring is about to arrive.”

“She doesn’t understand me now, so she doesn’t know how good I am. She’s still devoted to someone else and mistakenly loves Yan Ming. I forgive her. But soon, she’ll abandon the dark side for the light under my charm.”

Yu Tian was stunned: “So you just made up having someone to pursue and want to ally with her? Pretending to help her pursue Yan Ming?”

Qi Sihao nodded: “This way I can lower her guard and quickly enter her heart.”

“…”

“First, become Gao Mei’s friend, then, when Gao Mei fails to pursue Yan Ming and is heartbroken, naturally appear by her side to comfort her, give her a shoulder to lean on, take advantage of her vulnerability, and naturally succeed in rising to the top.”

Qi Sihao looked at Yu Tian: “You have to help me.”

He said righteously: “You saw it too – your Brother Yan Ming has no interest in her at all. He’s focused on his career and has no such worldly desires. I’m also doing a Lei Feng good deed, helping your Brother Yan Ming get what he wants, letting him pursue his career wholeheartedly without distractions or interference, bravely scaling new heights.”

“…” Yu Tian said somewhat speechlessly, “Don’t you think you’re being very manipulative? And cunning and scheming? How do you know Gao Mei definitely can’t win over Yan Ming? What if she’s the type who develops feelings over time?”

Qi Sihao was unconcerned: “I call this optimal resource allocation. Your Brother Yan Ming doesn’t understand Gao Mei’s good points at all. He didn’t even look at Gao Mei – he looked at me more than he looked at Gao Mei!”

Yu Tian wanted to argue.

She felt that undermining Yan Ming and blocking his potential romantic prospects was immoral.

But just then, she received a WeChat from Yan Ming:

“How much money did they pay you to sell me to Gao Mei?”

Yu Tian felt quite wronged: “I didn’t take any money…”

She finished typing and was about to continue explaining when Yan Ming’s next message arrived.

He sent Yu Tian a money transfer.

[Yan]: Don’t sell me out next time. I’ll pay my ransom.

Yu Tian intended to decline, but her finger slipped and she accepted the payment.

Only after accepting did she realize Yan Ming had transferred five thousand yuan to her.

Almost immediately, Yu Tian transferred the money back to Yan Ming. But Yan Ming immediately clicked reject.

After several back-and-forth attempts, Yu Tian couldn’t return the money she’d received.

[A Little Fish]: Brother Yan Ming, this is too much money. I can’t accept it. It’s so much, I’d feel too uneasy keeping it!

[Yan]: You can accept it with peace of mind. After all, I’m worth far more than this amount.

“…”

Yu Tian thought, maybe Qi Sihao should go ahead and steal Yan Ming’s romantic prospects after all.