Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The next day.

A takeout delivery of a dozen-plus milk teas was delivered by mistake to the 13th-floor Gastroenterology wing.

The nurses at the station were slammed, with no time to return it to the right department.

The doctors in the department were either in meetings or out for consultations. Only Qi Yanyu, who had just been cleared of the "sexual harassment" accusation, was oddly "available."

Qi Yanyu was the only doctor in their department, aside from the director, who didn’t have to work night shifts.

So it was only fair he handled extra work during the day.

"Xiao Guo said the milk tea order went to the wrong floor—they were ordered by the Respiratory Department. Their line’s busy, and since you’re so ‘available,’ why don’t you take them up?" Sun Qisheng, a medical student assigned to Gastroenterology, had no idea about the "connections" at play and drafted Qi Yanyu into running the errand.

In reality, it was Nurse Xiao Guo, who was closer to him, who had asked him to do it.

Qi Yuanhan, who was about to leave for outpatient duties, gave a mocking smirk as he cut in: "Out of all the people you could’ve asked, you picked him? You’ve got a real talent for picking." Of all people, he had to choose the VIP to do manual labor—such a level of cluelessness was almost impressive.

"Oh, it's no big deal for Dr. Qi!" Sun Qisheng, thinking he was on good terms with Qi Yuanhan, assumed the latter was just teasing Qi Yanyu.

Worn out from charting and discharge paperwork, Qi Yanyu stepped out, grabbed the milk teas from the nurse’s station, and waited for the elevator to the 16th floor.

The 16th floor was the Respiratory Department.

Ever since running into Gu Jinglan at the hospital, Qi Yanyu had looked up which department he worked in—turns out, it was the Respiratory Department, right upstairs.

Carrying the milk teas, he arrived on the 16th floor and spotted two nurses typing away and chatting at the station.

He could’ve just dropped the drinks and left, but instead, he headed straight for the department office.

What was he supposed to say—or do—if Gu Jinglan was there? If Gu Jinglan was alone in the office, should he ask for reconciliation?

Would Gu Jinglan still be angry?

Would Gu Jinglan tear into him and tell him to scram?

Would doing this only make Gu Jinglan angrier?

Half of him hoped Gu Jinglan was there; the other half prayed he wasn’t.

Showing up unannounced would just make Gu Jinglan hate him harder.

But if he didn’t see him, who’d soothe the ache in his chest?

Qi Yanyu knocked on the door of the Respiratory office, waited a moment, then pushed it open.

The Respiratory office looked just like their Gastro one—similar desks and cabinets, same potted plants, same curtains, just as dead in the afternoon.

Only one person broke the monotony, leaning against the windowsill flipping through a medical textbook.

The breeze drifted in, lifting the curtains, and the hem of that person’s white coat fluttered gently.

His dark hair stirred faintly, and his face was haloed in the afternoon light.

Gu Jinglan hadn’t noticed Qi Yanyu entering.

Qi Yanyu walked to a desk about three meters away and said softly, "Figured I’d bring ’em up..."

Gu Jinglan glanced up, and upon seeing him, muttered a curt "Thanks" before lowering his head again to flip through the medical records he was searching for.

Qi Yanyu put down the food delivery, but he wasn’t ready to leave.

He took another step forward, taking advantage of the empty office.

"I came here… actually, I wanted to apologize," Qi Yanyu said carefully. "I’m sorry. In the past, I was too selfish and didn’t consider your feelings..."

Just then, a doctor rushed in from outside. "Something’s wrong with Mengyue! Go check on her, quick!"

Gu Jinglan just looked up and said to Qi Yanyu, "Wait here for a bit," then hurried out of the office.

Qi Yanyu wasn’t about to wait. He followed Gu Jinglan out.

The medical student who’d come to get them, Bai Yang, led them to Room 1608 on the 16th floor.

There, they saw Liu Mengyue passed out on the floor.

Gu Jinglan immediately lifted the girl.

"During the routine afternoon rounds, Mengyue said she had chest pain and then fainted!" a fellow student said.

A patient chimed in: "What happened to Dr. Liu? Why did she suddenly collapse?"

"Mengyue said she had a history of heart disease," one of the medical students in the ward replied. They were all just interns—only Gu Jinglan had real clinical experience. "Could it be a heart attack?"

Gu Jinglan picked up Liu Mengyue, looking for a gurney to lay her on.

Qi Yanyu, who had followed and witnessed everything, froze. He almost said he had medicine—

But he stopped himself. He forgot this was a hospital, where authority far surpassed his own.

Gu Jinglan carried Liu Mengyue and placed her on an empty bed in the ward. He laid her flat, immediately checking her breathing, her pulse, then her heartbeat.

Gu Jinglan’s skilled movements were honed in cardiothoracic training—and, undeniably, thanks to Qi Yanyu's training in the past.

As Gu Jinglan checked Liu Mengyue’s pulse, the girl on the bed suddenly threw her arms around him. "Haha, fooled you, didn’t I, you dummy!"

The ward, which had been in panic and packed with shocked interns, erupted into laughter—

"Oho!"

"Were you scared stiff?"

"Got pranked, huh? Haha!"

"Wow, you were so worried about her—do you have a thing for Xiao Liu?"

"Happy birthday, Brother Gu!"

A medical student produced a cake from behind the curtains.

Liu Mengyue needled Gu Jinglan, "Do you have a crush on me? Why were you so nervous?"

In all the commotion, Gu Jinglan turned his head and looked up, catching sight of Qi Yanyu standing at the ward’s entrance.

"Hey, did the milk tea I ordered all afternoon finally arrive?"

"Where are you taking us for dinner this weekend, Brother Gu?"

“Having it all—looks and career success, don’t forget your buddies…”

Even the patient who’d been in on it the whole time couldn’t resist teasing them like a matchmaker: “Dr. Gu, have you ever been this nervous and scared when anyone other than Dr. Liu fainted?”

Qi Yanyu, someone Gu Jinglan had fussed over before, noticed an intern glancing his way. He pasted on a smile to blend into the sweet atmosphere of the ward.

“When are you buying us that celebratory meal, Brother Gu?” one of the interns joked.

It was a Kanbei University rite of passage—whenever a couple got together, their classmates would tease them into treating everyone out at the local campus diner.

Gu Jinglan gave them a calm look. “Cut it out. Good thing Director Wang isn’t here today.”

“Even if he were, so what?” a classmate shot back. “If Director Wang showed up, he’d have to pay his share for the party too!”

Gu Jinglan turned again—the person at the door was gone.

When it rains, it pours.

---

Saturday afternoon at six, the hospital held an all-hands meeting.

As Qi Yanyu walked into the auditorium, he found it packed to the brim with medical staff. Climbing the steps to find a seat, he heard someone waving and calling his name: “Hey, over here! Over here!”

He saw it was Lin Na from pharmacy, with an empty seat beside him. “Look who it is, Qi. The hiking prodigy. What happened to you last semester? You didn’t show up for club activities.”

“I was busy.”

Lin Na continued, “Did you hear? Jiang Tiyan’s leaving the entertainment industry—he’s going back to take over his family business.” He assumed Qi Yanyu was also a fan.

“Good for him.”

Lin Na pressed on, “Where are you rotating now?”

“Gastroenterology.”

“I’m working the pharmacy. How’s the vibe in your department? How’s your supervisor? Honestly, since I got stuck in the pharmacy, I’ve realized that…”

At that moment, Qi Yanyu looked up and saw Gu Jinglan and Liu Mengyue walk into the auditorium together, settling into seats right in front of him.

Gu Jinglan didn’t notice him at all.

As soon as Liu Mengyue sat down, she leaned toward Gu Jinglan and said, “I slept funny and pulled my neck. If I lean on your shoulder later, don’t shove me off, okay? It’s not on purpose.”

Gu Jinglan replied, “Go get a massage from the traditional Chinese medicine students downstairs.”

“Then be a good boy and wait for me, alright?”

Qi Yanyu lowered his eyes and clammed up.

Lin Na frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Qi Yanyu typed on his phone: “Overused my voice lately. Don’t feel like talking.”

Lin Na, oblivious as ever, said, “No problem—I’ll do the talking and you just listen.”

True to form, Lin Na kept blabbering through the entire opening speech by the hospital leaders.

Suddenly, Liu Mengyue turned around. Qi Yanyu did a double take. She smiled at them and chirped, “Hey, good-looking, got a pen? I forgot mine!”

Who wouldn't melt at that smile? Lin Na immediately pulled out his favorite ballpoint pen and handed it over.

Qi Yanyu continued typing on his phone to Lin Na: "Stop talking, you're too loud. The doctors trying to nap during the meeting will hate you."

Lin Na had no choice but to say, "Then I'll play a round of Honor of Kings (a mobile game)."

Qi Yanyu sat in the conference hall, watching Gu Jinglan, who was just a foot away from him. Liu Mengyue had even brought snacks, ripping open the bag and sharing them with the interns from their department.

But when it came to Gu Jinglan, she teased him deliberately, "Why aren’t you saying thank you?"

"Oh, thank you, Sister Liu," Gu Jinglan replied in an exaggerated tone.

Liu Mengyue giggled, tilting her head onto Gu Jinglan's shoulder. "Did your ex-girlfriend ever lean on you like this while watching movies?"

Gu Jinglan didn’t refuse. With his looks, skills, and background, he never needed to be too proactive. He said, "She didn’t watch movies."

They sat like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Really? Then what did you two usually do?"

"I don’t want to talk about her."

Liu Mengyue nodded knowingly. "No worries, the next one’ll be sweeter."

Qi Yanyu stood up abruptly, startling Lin Na. "What are you doing?"

"It’s too stuffy. I need some air," Qi Yanyu muttered under his breath before bolting out.

Lin Na assumed he was going to the restroom.

Later that night, anyone passing by the gastroenterology department could hear a shouting match inside.

The voice of the supervising physician, Lei Chunsheng, rang out: "What’s your problem? Is that how you act?"

Lin Na went up to the 13th floor to find Qi Yanyu. He noticed several interns hovering outside the gastroenterology department, hesitant to enter. Puzzled, he asked, "Is intern Qi Yanyu here?"

The interns at the door wore expressions of equal parts glee and dread. They shrugged and pointed inside. "Yeah, he’s in there."