Please Don’t Give Up On Treatment

Yan Ming wasn’t particularly surprised, but he interrupted her, pressing his lips together. “Make sure you’ve thought this through before you say anything—especially if it’s serious. I’m afraid we won’t have enough time for a proper conversation before the meal.”

Yu Tian was momentarily stunned, then she appeared a bit bashful and shy. “You know what I’m going to say?”

Yan Ming took a sip of his drink and nodded, his tone understanding. “I just want to ensure you’re ready.”

A look of anticipation spread across Yu Tian’s face as she nodded earnestly. “I’m ready!”

She had been preparing for this all afternoon!

Initially, Yu Tian hesitated, concerned that broaching the topic before dinner might make him uncomfortable, but Yan Ming, her idol, seemed to discern her intentions without any difficulty, thoughtfully expressing concern that there might not be enough time for a serious discussion.

Filled with gratitude, Yu Tian remarked, “While time may be short for a deep conversation, I don’t want to waste any moments. I’d like to make the most of it; if we can’t finish before the food arrives, we can continue after if you have time…”

Unbeknownst to her, her enthusiasm might have influenced Yan Ming, as she noticed a complex expression forming on his face.

“I think it might not be necessary to continue this after the meal…”

Yu Tian nodded vigorously, excitement and nervousness bubbling within her.

This comment from Yan Ming suggested he recognized her eagerness and capacity for understanding.

He must have felt that with her level of competence, he could guide her with just a few pointers without needing to invest much time.

Encouraged by their interaction, Yu Tian boldly retrieved her notebook from her bag, handing it to him. “Brother Yan Ming, everything I want to ask is in here!”

Yan Ming’s astonishment was evident as he looked at the notebook. “This whole thing? When did you…”

“Every time I thought of you, I jotted it down.” Yu Tian explained. “It’s been years in the making; little by little, it adds up.”

Surprised at the depth of her curiosity, Yan Ming’s gaze altered, perhaps with a hint of sympathy. But medical students face significant challenges, and there are many just like her who share a thirst for knowledge.

Since pursuing medicine was her choice, there was nothing to pity.

Not wanting to squander time, Yu Tian nudged, “If you don’t mind, please take a look?”

Yan Ming stared at the notebook, hesitating until finally, as if steeling himself, he opened it.

What followed was a transformation of his expression—from shock to confusion to sheer disbelief.

After a moment, he shifted his gaze back to Yu Tian. “You want to talk about this?”

Yu Tian felt a wave of confusion but nodded. “Yes.”

“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate? I’m sorry, Brother Yan Ming. I just thought if we had a chance to eat together, I didn’t want to waste the opportunity. These questions have been on my mind for a long time, and I figured I could seek your guidance.”

Seeing the discomfort in Yan Ming’s face, genuine anxiety gripped her.

The questions she recorded in her notebook consisted mainly of dilemmas that had stumped her, even after extensive online research and reading scholarly articles.

Was it too difficult even for him…? Was that why he looked that way?

Tentatively, she asked, “Brother Yan Ming, is this too challenging for you…?”

In that split second, Yu Tian swore she was right; Yan Ming’s expression twisted into one of suppressed frustration. Yet, moments later, he managed to mask it perfectly, his demeanor returning to calmness, like still water, making her doubt the storm she had perceived.

“It’s not difficult.”

Each word felt like it was squeezed from him, accompanied by a slightly fierce glare directed at her. But the detailed explanation that followed proved otherwise.

“You mentioned this surgery involves a patient with an acute attack of closed-angle glaucoma, which they experienced multiple times years ago. It was relieved with medication at a local clinic, but this latest episode has been severe—an absent anterior chamber and high intraocular pressure, making surgery very risky. You need to perform a puncture in the absence of an anterior chamber…”

“So first, you must address the absence of the anterior chamber as a surgical challenge: use a 15-degree new knife to penetrate the cornea and allow a small amount of aqueous humor to flow out, creating a minimal anterior chamber.”

“Then, you use a 5ml needle—once through the puncture, you angle the needle’s tip to let the aqueous humor flow out slowly, thereby reducing the eye pressure. This alleviates the issues with the anterior chamber and eye pressure and makes surgery feasible.”

Yan Ming was explaining a peripheral iridectomy he had once performed, addressing some intraoperative issues and surgical thought processes Yu Tian had recorded in her notebook.

“However, since the patient was unwilling to undergo major surgery and didn’t want to bear the risk associated with hospitalization after a significant operation, during the procedure, I refrained from using forceps to reach deeply into the anterior chamber. Instead, as you noticed in the subsequent video recordings, I gently pressed the wound lip of the cornea, grasping the protruding iris to perform a circumferential resection. This way, the surgical incision respected the patient’s wishes, keeping it minimal.”

Yan Ming continued, adding, “This patient is a migrant worker at a construction site, and the risks and costs of major surgery with hospitalization are hefty for him. He also has family responsibilities and simply cannot afford to stop working, and there was an inherent psychological resistance to major surgery, leading to significant mental pressure.”

Yu Tian nodded vigorously, momentarily setting aside her attempts to find common ground and engaging solely in the moment.

She grasped every word, almost clinging to Yan Ming’s every explanation.

With her solid foundational knowledge in medicine, many questions that had perplexed her seemed to clarify with just a bit of Yan Ming’s insight.

She didn’t mind that the meals were taking time; she secretly wished they would take even longer.

In contrast to her physical hunger, the intellectual nourishment was far more satisfying.

For Yan Ming, it appeared to be the same.

As he began his explanation, he became fully engrossed; the wariness Yu Tian had sensed earlier melted away, and he openly communicated many technical details about his specialty without concern for the slow service.

The dim lighting of the restaurant complemented the ambiance—they were enveloped in the gentle evening breeze sweeping in from the lake, with shadows of greenery dancing across the walls. Each table held a small candle, emanating a scent of lemon and white musk, shifting playfully in the air, creating an almost flirtatious atmosphere. The flickering flames seemed to signal something profound.

In this soft glow, Yu Tian caught a glimpse of Yan Ming, so close yet also seemingly distant, his handsome profile framed by the ambiance as he leaned over, one long finger pointing to a section of the notebook as he spoke with concentration.

As she gazed at him, Yu Tian recognized she should stay focused, yet she found it difficult not to drift off into daydreams.

Her attention wavered, and instead of the words in the notebook, her thoughts flowed aimlessly like a fish swimming without direction in water. Internally, she chastised herself to remain vigilant but found herself irresistibly drawn to the bait before her—Yan Ming’s visage.

She gazed at his profile, lost in thought, until his voice shattered her reverie.

“Yu Tian, are you following along?”

While his tone seemed detached, the warm lighting cast a gentle illusion over him.

He studied her, his voice laced with coolness. “You seem distracted. If you’re having trouble keeping up, I can explain again.”

Though his tone was appropriately polite, Yu Tian felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

She could hardly bring herself to meet his gaze.

Silently, she berated herself.

People are indeed visual creatures, and she was not exempt from that nature.

Yet, like a fish reflexively biting bait, Yu Tian found it almost impossible to resist stealing glances at Yan Ming’s face.

Determined to regain her focus and make the most of their time together, she made a bold decision.

She closed her eyes.

Sure enough, the moment her vision vanished, clarity rushed back, and her discussions with Yan Ming began to flow smoothly again.

Clearly, this was an adjustment for Yan Ming.

“You’re closing your eyes—what are you doing?” he asked, his tone bewildered.

With a heavy sigh, Yu Tian expressed, “Closing my eyes helps my thoughts flow more freely!”

“Turns out the key to my learning is that my teachers aren’t particularly appealing.”

With a cautious crack of her eyelids, she gazed earnestly at Yan Ming. “Brother Yan Ming, thank goodness you’re not teaching at our school; otherwise, we’d have so many students failing to graduate!”

Yan Ming furrowed his brow slightly. “What?”

The remedy for the distractions of beauty lay in facing them head-on.

Yu Tian declared emphatically, “You’re just too handsome; it’s hard not to be distracted.”

“…”

Having expressed herself, an unexpected sense of relief washed over Yu Tian.

Rather than flaunting her admiration in a hidden way, she felt liberated to openly praise Yan Ming.

After all, if he indeed became her brother, she would have the honor of sharing a connection with someone like him.

Moreover, her admiration for him was genuine; even if they didn’t become siblings, Yan Ming would always hold a pivotal place in her heart as an idol.

With his striking appearance and remarkable expertise, he truly embodied a paragon of excellence.

After candidly complimenting him post-eye closure, she felt her inner peace return, while Yan Ming found himself taken aback.

With her eyes shut, he could observe her without concern for her reactions, noting her calm demeanor as she remained blissfully absorbed in her thoughts.

How could someone so beautiful utter such straightforward flattery so naturally and sincerely?

He stared at her face, momentarily lost in thought.

Then Yu Tian’s voice broke his concentration again.

“Brother Yan Ming, where were we?”

Feigning contemplation, he briefly closed his eyes again, then opened them, seamlessly redirecting the conversation back to their academic discussion.

Yu Tian carried on, portraying a nonchalant demeanor, as if her earlier overtures were devoid of implication—merely expressions of heartfelt admiration.

The ensuing exchange was refreshing and invigorating; as the dishes finally arrived, Yu Tian still felt a lingering desire for more discussion.

Fortunately, by this point, there was no awkward pause during the meal. While eating, she couldn’t help but continue discussing medical topics and the ongoing training situation at the hospital, transforming what she had expected to be an awkward dinner into an unexpectedly quick passage of time.

For Yan Ming, it was a surprise.

He had anticipated this would be a painfully awkward and drawn-out meal.

Yet when he glanced at his watch, he discovered nearly two hours had slipped by.

As they dove deeper into professional matters, Yan Ming initially maintained a degree of caution, but with each progression of their dialogue, he relaxed, even finding himself aligned with Yu Tian’s perspective on hospital reforms.