Boren Hospital.
Yu Qingyu had just finished a surgery in the morning. After returning to her office to change out of her white coat, she headed to the cafeteria.
As soon as she found a seat and sat down, she ran into Director Xiao from the Rehabilitation Department—a gentle, middle-aged female doctor.
The two of them often crossed paths at work, as most of Yu Qingyu’s postoperative patients were later transferred to the Rehabilitation Department for follow-up training. They were fairly familiar with each other.
Looking at her, Director Xiao smiled and asked, “Qingyu, are you still single?”
Yu Qingyu paused slightly while picking up food with her chopsticks, then looked up and replied, “Yes.”
“You’re so beautiful and talented—are your standards just too high?” Director Xiao’s tone carried a hint of probing.
Yu Qingyu smiled faintly. “As long as we click, that’s enough. But other than that, they should at least not be worse off than me.”
There were quite a few people in the hospital who pursued her openly or discreetly, but she had never met anyone who truly captured her heart.
Hearing this, Director Xiao immediately perked up and eagerly took out her phone, opening the photo album.
“I have a nephew on my side of the family. He works in investment banking, earns a million a year, studied abroad, and his parents are both civil servants. He’s their only child.”
As she spoke, she handed her phone over.
Yu Qingyu glanced casually at the photo. The man had ordinary features, nothing particularly striking, and she nodded objectively.
“His qualifications are indeed quite good.”
Thinking she might be interested, Director Xiao pressed on eagerly.
“Since you’re both single, why don’t I arrange a meeting so you can get to know each other?”
Yu Qingyu still wore a gentle smile, but her tone carried a hint of distance.
“Director Xiao, I don’t have any plans to start a relationship right now.”
“You could just get to know him first,” Director Xiao insisted, unwilling to give up easily. A girl like Yu Qingyu, with outstanding looks, education, and career, was truly rare.
“You won’t know what kind of person suits you until you spend more time together. How about this—I’ll give him your WeChat, and you can chat online first. If you hit it off, you can meet. If not, just forget about it. What do you think?”
Yu Qingyu wasn’t keen on the idea, but repeatedly refusing might make her seem aloof and difficult to get along with among her colleagues. She could only respond softly, “Alright.”
Director Xiao beamed with delight and began praising her nephew enthusiastically.
Yu Qingyu lowered her head and ate faster, hoping to end this awkward conversation as soon as possible.
A few minutes later, she put down her chopsticks and stood up. “Director Xiao, I’ll head back now.”
Director Xiao, still engrossed in the conversation, had barely touched her food and replied casually, “Alright.”
Yu Qingyu returned her tray to the collection area, quickened her pace, and walked straight out of the noisy cafeteria.
She made her way to the café downstairs in the inpatient building and bought an iced Americano. Just as she pushed open the glass door of the café, she ran into Xu Borui.
Xu Borui’s gaze fell on her face, and he asked softly, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
Yu Qingyu shook her head gently, her fingers rubbing against the cold coffee cup as she replied calmly, “No, I just felt like having a coffee.”
Xu Borui smiled knowingly and didn’t press further. Walking side by side with her toward the elevator, he stepped forward and pressed the button.
“Did you know you’re trending on the hospital’s internal network?”
Yu Qingyu took a sip of her coffee, her expression unchanged, and replied indifferently, “I don’t pay attention to those things, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Seems like Dr. Yu is fully focused on her work. That’s good!”
Xu Borui smiled and responded, then quickly shifted the topic, looking at her as he asked,
“By the way, what has your brother been up to lately? I haven’t seen him in a while.”
Just as he finished speaking, the elevator chimed and came to a precise stop at the floor where Yu Qingyu’s department was located.
“He’s been on a business trip out of town recently and will be back the day after tomorrow,” Yu Qingyu replied simply, her tone carrying a hint of detachment. She added,
“I’ll head off now.”
Without waiting for Xu Borui to say more, she stepped out of the elevator, her movements crisp and efficient.
Xu Borui watched her retreating figure and softly acknowledged with an “Mm,” staying in the elevator as it continued upward.
As soon as Yu Qingyu returned to her office, her phone vibrated gently. Opening WeChat, a friend request was prominently displayed in the list, with a clear note: 【Hello, I’m Dr. Xiao Yunhe’s nephew.】
She tapped the screen lightly, accepted the friend request, and then exited the chat interface without a second thought, immersing herself fully in her work.
A stack of postoperative patient files lay piled on her desk. She meticulously reviewed each one, systematically entering the information into the computer system. This kept her busy for a full hour.
After finishing her tasks, Yu Qingyu shut down her computer and leaned over her desk for a midday nap.
At two in the afternoon, she woke up on time, rubbed her temples, and picked up her phone. Two unread messages from Xiao Zhixuan were waiting in WeChat:
【Hello, my name is Xiao Zhixuan, and I’m 32 years old.】
【What are you up to now?】
Yu Qingyu tapped the screen and replied concisely: 【Yu Qingyu, 29 years old. I was just taking a nap.】
After sending the message, she opened a voice message from her close friend Ling Li, whose tone was cheerful and enthusiastic: 【Princess Qingyu, let’s have dinner together tonight—my treat!】
The corners of Yu Qingyu’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly, and she simply replied with one word: 【Okay!】
After sending the message, she picked up the water cup on her desk, stood up, and went to the water dispenser to pour herself a cup of warm water, which she sipped slowly.
Once she finished drinking, Yu Qingyu didn’t linger. She headed straight to the outpatient clinic for her shift.
The hospital’s official start time was 2:30 p.m., but she had always made a habit of arriving early, preparing in advance and calling patients in ahead of schedule.
Upon reaching the outpatient consultation room, she first checked in on the attendance machine. A nurse organizing medical records nearby looked up and saw her, teasing with a smile:
“Dr. Yu, you’re always here so early.”
Yu Qingyu replied,
“I don’t have much else to do anyway. Coming early means I can see a few more patients.”
For the entire afternoon, Yu Qingyu remained in the outpatient consultation room.
Most of her patients were postoperative follow-ups, each requiring at least five minutes of her time: carefully examining wound healing, patiently inquiring about postoperative recovery, and step-by-step guiding patients through rehabilitation exercises while reminding them of various precautions.
That day, the number of patients was particularly high. The scheduled appointments were fully booked early on, and many additional slots had been added. Yu Qingyu didn’t even have a moment to step away to use the restroom, attending to patients nonstop.
At 6:30 p.m.,
Yu Qingyu was dressed with refined elegance and efficiency: she wore a pair of black five-centimeter stiletto heels that accentuated her tall, graceful posture; a fitted black pencil skirt outlined her sleek figure;
paired with a bright red silk blouse that complemented her fair, radiant complexion. Her slightly wavy long hair was casually tied into a low ponytail, exuding both gentleness and presence.
Ling Li, as always, was the one who arrived early. Watching Yu Qingyu approach gracefully, her eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but tease:
“Princess Qingyu, after a whole day of being a working girl, you still manage to radiate such charm that people turn their heads as you walk by—you’re simply too eye-catching!”
Yu Qingyu pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her, carefully studying Ling Li before asking, “What have you been busy with lately? You’ve lost a whole size.”
Ling Li immediately pouted and grumbled:
“I’ve been running around on outdoor shoots nonstop lately, and my meal times have been all over the place—I can’t eat on schedule at all. My chest was already lacking in material, and now it’s gotten even smaller, so today I absolutely have to eat more to make up for it!”
Yu Qingyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her words, responding warmly, “Then eat to your heart’s content. Later, I’ll treat you to your favorite dessert.”
“Perfect!” Ling Li’s eyes lit up, and she quickly added, “And having a drink would make it even better!”
Yu Qingyu replied with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, “I can’t drink alcohol, but I can have juice with you.”