Lin Qimian wandered around the mall across the street but didn’t stop for barbecue.
The final bottle of medicine had only a small dose and wouldn’t last long enough for her to sit down for a proper meal.
Besides, she didn’t really feel like it.
Barbecue was something she could have anytime, but the person in that hospital room was not.
Lin Qimian came to a stop in front of the milk tea shop. She told the staff member, “Mango taro milk green, no boba, less ice, cheese foam cap on top, no nuts.”
The staff member blinked at her. “？？？？”
Lin Qimian pointed at their standee menu. “Your signature special drink—top half from this one, bottom half from that one. I’ll pay double price. Can’t you do that?”
The cashier stared, momentarily stunned. “We’ve never done it that way before. We can’t guarantee how it’ll taste.”
Lin Qimian shrugged lightly. “Taste isn’t important.”
The staff member hesitated. “…”
Lin Qimian glanced over her shoulder. “If you’re not sure about the order, why don’t you ask your manager?”
The staff member spun around and immediately called for the manager.
Lin Qimian gave the manager a small nod and repeated her request, adding, “Thanks. It’s for a patient, and I want to meet her wishes as closely as possible.”
The area had more than one hospital besides Youhai, and the manager seemed to pick up on that. He thumped his chest confidently. “We can do it—and we’ll make it perfect!”
Lin Qimian smiled. “Thank you.”
The milk tea took a little extra time to prepare. Lin Qimian wasn’t sure what scenarios the manager had cooked up in his head, but when he handed it over, a cute cartoon sticky note was plastered to the cup: “Keep fighting!!! ”
Her lips curved upward. She left the note on and carried the drink back just like that.
In the break room, she suited back up in her full protective gear before pushing open the door to the ward.
Xu Yueliang had been glued to a TV drama, which had reached an emotional peak. Her mouth was pursed, her eyes brimming with tears.
Lin Qimian set the milk tea down in front of her. “Drink it before the foam melts.”
The teary glimmer in Xu Yueliang’s eyes transformed into shining stars. “Foam!”
Lin Qimian nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
With one hand tethered to an IV line, Xu Yueliang couldn’t move it. Her other hand fumbled awkwardly with the takeout packaging. Lin Qimian sat down beside her and helped open it up.
A tall cup of vibrant milk tea sat before them, its colors bright and its sweet fragrance spilling into the air. Xu Yueliang’s stomach let out a pair of eager gurgles.
Lin Qimian went the extra mile, popping the lid and giving it a stir. “Mixing it all together might dilute the flavor a little, but you can’t have anything solid right now.”
Xu Yueliang stared at the cup, nodding with all her might.
“It’s all soft ingredients inside—no chewing required. Starch, sugars, fats… exactly what your body needs at the moment.”
Xu Yueliang looked ready to nod her head right off her neck.
Lin Qimian grabbed a tissue to wipe the condensation from the cup, then layered two more underneath before handing it over. “Take it slow. Small sips.”
Xu Yueliang wasted no time pressing her lips to the rim.
Her lips, somewhat chapped, parted only the tiniest bit—just enough to wet a corner of the foam.
As the first taste hit her tongue, her face scrunched up in a bittersweet mix of pain and bliss.
Two sips in, and the tears were still sparkling in her eyes, but her lips had softened to a glossy, rosy sheen.
Lin Qimian watched her, drawling out her final bit of advice in a leisurely tone. “No straws after a tooth extraction. Take it easy.”
Xu Yueliang clutched the cup tight, then froze. For some reason, she suddenly burst into tears.
She had teared up before, sure—but this was genuine sorrow.
The tears poured out uncontrollably, streaming down her cheeks. Sobs caught in her throat, building up until they burst out now and then like a goose’s honk.
“Wahhh… urgh… wahhh… urgh…”
The sound twisted Lin Qimian’s heart like it was submerged in water. She wanted nothing more than to tuck Xu Yueliang inside her own chest, to keep her from dehydrating completely.
Xu Yueliang cried for a good long while, and Lin Qimian didn’t interrupt.
Only when the sobs tapered off and Xu Yueliang leaned back toward the cup did Lin Qimian pull out two tissues and offer them.
Xu Yueliang didn’t take them—her mouth was occupied. “No… hands… to wipe. Later.”
Lin Qimian’s heartbeat thrummed into her fingertips, making them tremble faintly as she held the tissues.
Tears still clung to Xu Yueliang’s lashes, but her lips never stopped their tiny, determined sips.
In the end, Lin Qimian reined herself in and withdrew her hand. She stood up as well.
Being this close to Xu Yueliang felt hazardous. She put some distance between them. “You drink first.”
Seeing Lin Qimian about to leave, Xu Yueliang finally pulled her mouth away from the cup. “Doctor Lin… have you eaten yet?”
Lin Qimian paused. “…”
This was a tricky question to answer. If she admitted to having eaten, the brief time she’d been away wouldn’t have been enough for a proper meal. If she denied it, it would seem like she’d gone out specifically to buy milk tea for Xu Yueliang.
And while that was indeed the case, just as Lin Qimian hadn’t wiped away Xu Yueliang’s tears earlier, it was an overstep she simply couldn’t acknowledge.
If she’d done it, she couldn’t say so.
“I…” Lin Qimian said, “brought some things back.”
Xu Yueliang: “Ah…”
Lin Qimian: “I won’t eat with you.”
Xu Yueliang: “Wuwuwu, okay. Thank you, Doctor Lin. You’re really…”
Lin Qimian raised a hand. “Eat up.”
She stepped out of the ward. “Call me when the meds are done.”
This time, the timing was spot on. Lin Qimian’s alarm chimed just as Xu Yueliang’s voice message came through.
She must have eaten something after all—her voice carried far more energy than before.
Lin Qimian entered the ward and removed the IV for her. Xu Yueliang still had more than half her milk tea left, clutched tightly in her hand as if she couldn’t bear to let it go.
Such a small, pudgy little hand, somehow gripping that oversized cup.
Lin Qimian pressed down on the wound site, holding steady for half a minute.
She kept her eyes away from Xu Yueliang, her gaze drifting blankly to the table nearby, as though she treated every patient with this level of personal care.
Xu Yueliang kept her head tilted upward, watching her the whole time.
Her stare was direct and innocent, brimming with admiration and a touch of envy.
“All set.” Lin Qimian straightened, gathering the syringe and medicine bottles. “Do two more days tomorrow and the day after. I’ll write you the prescription—you can fill it at the nearest community clinic.
“Don’t take the meds I prescribed anymore; same ingredients, and it’d be an overdose.
“Ibuprofen if it hurts. If not, just bear it. That stuff’s rough on the stomach, especially since you haven’t been eating right these past few days. Don’t fix your mouth at the expense of your gut…”
“Doctor Lin~~~” As Lin Qimian turned to leave, Xu Yueliang called out in a mumbly whine.
Lin Qimian: “Hm?”
Xu Yueliang hugged her milk tea close, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly for a long moment.
Lin Qimian: “I’m off shift now. If there’s something…”
Xu Yueliang jumped in quickly. “Doctor Lin, then let’s head out together.”
Lin Qimian: “…”
Xu Yueliang snatched the billing slip from the table. “I still need to go pay over there.”
Lin Qimian: “Mm.”
Xu Yueliang: “And I haven’t paid you back for the milk tea yet.”
Lin Qimian: “Mm.”
Xu Yueliang rummaged through her bag, donned her hat and mask, then sidled up beside Lin Qimian. “Let’s go!”
Lin Qimian: “…”
Somehow, they ended up descending the stairs together.
Downstairs, Lin Qimian even walked her to the main building to settle the bill. After that, they crossed the courtyard to the Side Door.
While waiting for a ride, Xu Yueliang sipped her milk tea and peered at her. “Doctor Lin, you’re really not going to change clothes?”
Lin Qimian: “…”
Xu Yueliang: “I wasn’t crying on purpose earlier. I just never imagined I could have milk tea. I felt so hard done by—these past couple days have been awful for me…”
Lin Qimian: “People die without food, and wounds need nutrients to heal.”
Xu Yueliang: “Mm-hmm, I get it now. It’s like a cut on my leg—nothing to do with eating. Except mine’s in my mouth.”
Lin Qimian: “Mm. Rinse after you finish.”
Xu Yueliang: “Mm-hmm!”
A red light at the intersection halted a long line of traffic, empty taxis among them.
Xu Yueliang stared at the crosswalk, then whipped around to face Lin Qimian. “Doctor Lin, tomorrow’s the weekend—are you still working at the hospital?”
Lin Qimian’s expression remained impassive, but inside her pocket, her fingers snagged a loose thread and yanked hard.
Perhaps it was the sweltering heat, or the stuffiness of her mask, or simply the presence of someone at her side… everything felt oppressively hot.
The warm gusts wrapped around her, nudging her heartbeat into a quicker rhythm.
Lin Qimian’s toe tapped lightly against the pavement. Without meeting Xu Yueliang’s eyes, she murmured, “Yes.”
“Ah, that’s rough.” Xu Yueliang sighed softly.
And then, silence fell.
That silence cooled Lin Qimian’s racing pulse and the sticky air like a blast from the AC.
The light turned green, and a taxi pulled up.
Lin Qimian opened the door, motioned Xu Yueliang inside, and shut it firmly.
No further words of advice. She gave a casual wave and turned back the way she’d come. Barely two steps in, her phone buzzed twice in her pocket.
From “Jiaojiao”:
-【Doctor Lin, you really went out of your way just to get it for me.】
Lin Qimian: “…”
A gust lifted the hem of her white coat as the taxi pulled away. On her phone screen, a few words blinked in the typing field.
Lin Qimian didn’t reply, waiting patiently for Xu Yueliang to finish spouting all that nonsense.
-【Doctor Lin, I don’t know how much luck I’ve saved up over the years to run into such an amazing doctor like you.】
-【Doctor Lin, I’m actually a little glad I grew that wisdom tooth.】
-【Doctor Lin, there was another reason I cried back there—I was just so touched. It’s been forever since anyone cared that much about what I eat.】
-【Except for the Haidilao servers, that is.】
Lin Qimian suddenly burst out laughing.
Xu Yueliang was still typing away:
-【Oh right, Doctor Lin—what’s that milk tea called? How much does it cost?】
-【This is hands down the best milk tea I’ve ever had!!!】
Lin Qimian’s fingertips idly traced the keyboard as she prepared to invent a fancy name and price for the ridiculously complicated concoction.
Another message from Xu Yueliang popped up:
-【Can I come back to your hospital tomorrow for another IV drip?】
-【In that same room. I’ll pay for it.】
