Please Don’t Give Up On Treatment

At first, Yu Tian had been brewing a tumultuous self-explosion, but just as the moment arrived, her resolve suddenly deflated.

The courage she had felt moments before dissipated into uncertainty.

Her mind became a swirl of confusion, embarrassment, and discomfort.

She couldn’t help but wonder how much Yan Ming had witnessed.

She had dressed meticulously to meet him, making a special effort to be there, yet she found herself confronting Zheng Tingfu and inadvertently allowing Yan Ming to witness such a spectacle.

Yu Tian felt like someone who had temporarily enhanced their abilities with an elixir, only to return to their original self once the effects wore off—lost and uneasy.

In front of Yan Ming, she seemed to perpetually make a fool of herself.

She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.

Neither did she care anymore about Zheng Tingfu and Zhao Xinxin’s reactions; her eyes darted around aimlessly.

Then, she noticed her shoelaces had come undone.

Despite having dressed with care to fit a student’s style, wearing a pair of youthfully vibrant canvas shoes, the laces hanging loosely left her feeling vulnerable.

Zhao Xinxin was fuming, her voice cutting through the air as she pointed a finger at Yu Tian. “Look at this type of woman! What is there to admire?! And you say you have feelings for her!”

Zheng Tingfu’s face took on a mix of anger and embarrassment as he tried to placate Zhao Xinxin softly. “I just mentioned it; she’s recovering from an injury, after all…”

While he spoke, he glanced at Yu Tian with an expression of misplaced disappointment. “I didn’t expect to pity you; I didn’t realize you were this kind of person…”

Yu Tian felt her anger boiling over.

What kind of person did he think she was?

She didn’t want to stay there for another minute.

She longed to escape immediately.

But the untied shoelaces left her in a quandary.

Wearing such loose laces, even if she carefully avoided tripping, she felt constrained, unable to walk tall and confident.

But if she bent down to tie her shoelaces first…

Yu Tian bit her lip as regret and anguish surged within her for the first time.

It wasn’t that she cared about Zheng Tingfu.

But tying her shoelaces with her injured hand in front of him was something her remaining pride would not allow her to do.

What should have been a simple choice of staying or leaving had transformed into an insurmountable obstacle before her.

No matter which option she chose, it felt like trudging through an unyielding river, where she would inevitably emerge soaked and humiliated.

Little did she know that before she could make a decision, a small boat would arrive amidst the stormy sea.

“Yu Tian.”

The voice, cool and detached, cut through the surrounding chaos, becoming the only sound she could clearly hear.

She turned and saw Yan Ming.

He still bore the same enchanting, otherworldly allure that had captivated her from the first moment they met, exuding an air of unattainability.

Suddenly, Yu Tian felt tense and at a loss.

She didn’t know what to say.

But Yan Ming spoke first.

He looked calmly at her. “Your shoelace is undone.”

“……”

Of all the observations to make!

Internally, Yu Tian crumbled, but she could only awkwardly and politely reply, “I’ll….”

However, before she could finish her thought, Yan Ming, who always seemed to dwell on a distant plane, bent down.

He didn’t utter another word; he simply squatted before her, his long legs neatly bent.

From Yu Tian’s perspective, she saw the playful swirl of hair on his head, seemingly at odds with his aloof demeanor.

He was tying her shoelaces.

Yu Tian’s eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Yan Ming, almost kneeling at her feet, still unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

He was tying her shoelaces!

In her astonishment, Yu Tian wasn’t the only one; those around her shared her disbelief.

Zheng Tingfu stared blankly at Yan Ming, his lips pressed tightly, betrayal and regret etched across his face, while Zhao Xinxin displayed unmistakable jealousy and indignation.

Their earlier commotion had attracted attention, and as more graduates recognized Yan Ming, whispers ensued.

“That unbelievably handsome guy is Yan Ming!”

“Wow! I’ve heard the teachers talk about him since school; I had no idea he was this stunning!”

“Is this really happening?”

“That guy seems to have cheated? He’s still pining for his ex while trying to have it all…”

“Seriously? With someone like Yan Ming, who would still look at their ex-boyfriend? Honestly, what a terrible person! I didn’t catch all the details, but I heard he abandoned her when a patient went wild, and it left her injured.”

“Ex-girlfriend? Didn’t I hear he’s never even dated her?”

“Regardless, what a scumbag! Anyone drawn to such a pathetic man is merely inviting disaster…”

While the surrounding alumni weren’t entirely aware of the specifics, they pieced together enough to form judgments, and dozens of scrutinizing eyes, filled with disdain and scrutiny, turned towards Zheng Tingfu and Zhao Xinxin, causing their already flushed faces to betray another wave of embarrassment.

For a man like Zheng Tingfu, who thrived on reputation, this must have been an unbearable experience.

Yan Ming, however, was not alone; he had been accompanied by another man who now watched Yu Tian with an amused expression.

With fingers as deft as a surgeon’s, Yan Ming tied her shoelaces. The process took less than half a minute.

Yet for Yu Tian, that brief moment stretched into an eternity.

Half a minute felt like three hundred seconds, with every second expanding into a thousand microseconds.

Yu Tian felt as if she could perceive every elongated moment with excruciating clarity.

Then she saw Yan Ming rise, his gaze meeting hers, his brow slightly furrowed, lips parting enough to project a voice that was cool yet strangely captivating.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked, his expression nonchalant as he regarded Yu Tian. “Do you intend to waste time standing around with strangers indefinitely?”

Though his attitude wasn’t particularly warm and his words lacked fondness, in that moment, his gaze held only Yu Tian.

Suddenly, she felt a rush of emotion well up within her.

She sensed that Yan Ming saw through all her previous embarrassment, and in his cool demeanor lay an unexpected kindness.

In an instant, her anger and frustration dissipated, replaced by a profound sense of peace.

Miraculously, Yu Tian felt her heart calm, her defenses and sensitivity easing as she allowed Yan Ming to guide her away from the crowd, leaving behind the complicated dynamics of Zheng Tingfu and Zhao Xinxin.

Yan Ming remained silent, not probing Yu Tian with questions. He simply led her away from the anniversary celebration and towards the “Cape of Good Hope,” the most renowned spot near Rong Medical University.

Though not situated by the sea, the “Cape of Good Hope” stood adjacent to a small freshwater lake, exuding a grand quality that loomed large amid the human experience.

The university had constructed a walking path along the lake, where students strolled to enjoy the scenery during the early mornings and evenings. Parts of the pathway were flanked by lush greenery, offering both natural beauty and a sense of privacy, earning the reputation as a romantic rendezvous—a moniker lovingly bestowed upon it by the students over time.

Yan Ming led Yu Tian to a section devoid of foliage, directly bordering the shimmering lake.

In this serene environment, devoid of noisy crowds and prying eyes, there were no external emotions or gazes pressing in on them.

Only the gentle breeze, warm sunlight, and a faint echo of distant background music from the sports complex wafted through the air, as though from another world.

Before Yu Tian lay a verdant expanse of grass, a wide blue lake reflecting golden light, and the wooden pathway beneath their feet.

And there stood Yan Ming in contemplative silence.

He might still appear distant and hard to approach, but the sunlight illuminated him, casting his figure in tranquil brightness, making all other sounds and sensations feel distant.

In her gaze, there was nothing but Yan Ming—the sole luminous presence in her darkened world, gently radiant yet not blinding.

He remained silent, not asking questions, and this provoked Yu Tian to speak.

“I only went that day because he kept insisting. He was on duty, hoping I would see his professional demeanor in his white coat. He insisted that I join him for lunch after his shift.”

Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Initially, I didn’t want to go, but since I was working on a small media project regarding medical education, I thought it might not hurt to gain insights into pediatrics, especially since he was rotating in that department.”

“The person causing the scene wasn’t from Rong City; he came from a remote rural area, struggling financially. His daughter was born with a cleft lip, and his wife had left him. He worked tirelessly to support his child and saved money to come to Rong City for the surgery, only to tragically lose her during what was supposed to be a straightforward procedure.”

Yu Tian turned her gaze away from Yan Ming, looking out at the lake as she continued, “On that day, it was the seventh day since his daughter’s passing. Consumed by his sorrow, he drank and stormed into the hospital, randomly choosing a consultation room—the one where Zheng Tingfu worked.”

“By that point, the morning clinic had wrapped up, saving only one last young patient waiting for his father to return with test results. I had planned to wait outside, but Zheng Tingfu insisted on pulling me inside…”

After the incident, Yu Tian had almost never mentioned her hand directly, with Song Chunxiang and Qi Sihao carefully respecting her silence.

Time had passed, and she believed she had forgotten, but at this moment, she understood that it would be impossible to simply let go.

Every detail of that day replayed in her mind like a haunting echo. As she lay on the hospital bed recovering, she meticulously replayed the events, torturing herself with what-ifs, dissecting every minutiae and searching for signs that she could have avoided the calamity.

The cacophony of shouting, struggling, and crying, all interlaced with panic and terror, haunted her, shadowing her every move.

Her voice trembled involuntarily as she protectively cradled her injured right hand with her left. “When the assailant burst in with the knife, I barely had time to react. But Zheng Tingfu saw the blade first and fled almost instantly. I thought… I thought perhaps I could have escaped too, but the assailant was completely out of control—upon seeing the child in the room, he became intent on attacking.”

“If I had also run away, what would have happened to that child?”

Yu Tian remembered that moment, a chill settling deep within.

Though her right hand had healed, she could still vividly recall the pain of the knife descending.

“He raised the knife…”

“Yu Tian.”