At 11:20 PM, the total thumb reconstruction surgery, which had lasted nearly four and a half hours, concluded.

Yan Feifan briefly informed the patient’s family of the surgery’s outcome, then returned to the locker room to wash up and change.

Afterward, he rested in the locker room, waiting for nearly half an hour before Yu Suye returned.

As the surgical assistant, Yu Suye was responsible for taking the patient back to the ward, giving post-operative instructions to the family, and briefing the doctor and nurse on duty.

As for Meng Yao and Ye Lin, they had to take inventory of the surgical instruments and supplies, as well as thoroughly clean and sterilize the teaching operating room. They would likely be getting off work even later.

When Yu Suye returned to the locker room and saw Yan Feifan was still there, she was pleasantly surprised. “Feifan, are you waiting for me?” she asked.

Yan Feifan nodded. “My sister insisted. She said since we live together, worked the same surgery, and it’s so late, we absolutely have to go home together.”

Yu Suye felt a little disappointed when she heard that. ‘So it wasn’t his own idea.’

But she also understood that things had to be taken one step at a time.

‘If we go home together every time, won’t our bond deepen over time?’

Just then, she heard Yan Feifan continue, “And I agree with her. What she said makes a lot of sense.”

“At this hour, there’s a chance we could run into drunks. If we happen upon a mean one, you can protect me, right?”

Yu Suye, who was in the middle of changing, felt a wave of frustration.

She couldn’t help but retort, “Feifan, you’re the man and I’m the woman. Shouldn’t you be the one protecting me?”

Yan Feifan said in all seriousness, “Su Ye, that’s the wrong way to think about it. You can’t automatically place yourself in the role of the weaker person just because you’re a woman.”

“Your fighting ability is higher than many men’s—definitely much higher than mine at the moment.”

“Of course…”

Yan Feifan added, “Once my body has recovered more, I will shoulder the societal responsibility for a man to protect a woman.”

“But at this stage, if I were to overestimate my own strength and try to protect you, it would likely do more harm than good.”

“If we really ran into trouble, my best option would be to run so I don’t become a burden or hold you back.”

Yu Suye rolled her eyes. “Feifan, you’ve made the right choice. Don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll protect you.”

She quickly gathered her things, and they left together.

When they reached the hospital’s south gate, Yu Suye noticed that instead of immediately picking out a shared bike, Yan Feifan was looking around.

“Are you planning to get a cab?”

Yan Feifan shook his head. “Logically speaking, that Lu Yao fellow should be driving over to pick you up.”

“It’s a rare chance to work this late. This is a perfect opportunity for him to make a good impression.”

Yu Suye said in surprise, “Feifan, you’re not so dense after all! I can’t believe you thought of that.”

Yan Feifan shot her a look. “I’ve never been dense. I just prefer not to waste my mental energy on these matters.”

He glanced at both sides of the road again, his voice tinged with confusion. “He came all the way to Binhai just for you. He should be trying harder to impress you.”

“I was even planning to hitch a ride.”

Yu Suye chuckled. “Don’t get your hopes up. He’s not coming. He was pestering me to have dinner with him this afternoon, and I accidentally stepped on his foot.”

“He’ll probably have trouble with his foot for the next two or three days.”

It immediately dawned on Yan Feifan.

He quickly picked out a shared bike that looked clean and undamaged, wiped down the handlebars and seat with a sanitizing wipe, unlocked it with his phone, and got on.

After riding alongside Yu Suye for a little while, Yan Feifan asked, “I still don’t know what Lu Yao’s family does.”

“Kaiyuan Biopharmaceuticals!”

Yan Feifan was surprised. “The one that focuses on vaccines and antibiotics? They’re a major pharmaceutical company.”

He suddenly had an idea and asked, “Su Ye, since you don’t like Lu Yao at all, could you introduce him to my sister?”

“Introduce him to Ruoruo?” Yu Suye was stunned.

Yan Feifan grunted in affirmation. “Lu Yao is from a wealthy family and he’s not bad-looking. He’s exactly my sister’s type!”

“My sister is always going on about finding a ‘tall, rich, and handsome’ boyfriend. This Lu Yao guy doesn’t seem too bright, so maybe there’s a chance.”

Yu Suye couldn’t stifle a laugh. “What makes you think he isn’t too bright?”

Yan Feifan explained his analysis, “That day you kicked him, I didn’t see you hesitate one bit. I deduced that you truly have no feelings for him, and might even find him a little repulsive.”

“If he couldn’t even figure that out, he can’t be that bright!”

Yu Suye countered, “Or maybe he did notice, but he’s a firm believer in the saying ‘sincerity can move mountains’?”

“Women are emotional creatures. They don’t always follow logic.”

“It’s not impossible for a person’s feelings to change from dislike to like, or even from hate to love.”

Yan Feifan was silent for a moment before saying, “You’re right, Su Ye. I was oversimplifying things.”

“Women really are too complicated.”

After a moment of silence, seeing that Yan Feifan had gone quiet, Yu Suye asked tentatively, “Feifan, is it because women are complicated that you don’t want to try and understand them?”

“That’s part of it,” Yan Feifan said slowly.

Noticing that Yan Feifan didn’t want to discuss the topic, Yu Suye quickly changed to one she knew would interest him.

“Feifan, have you decided on the plastic surgery plan for that girl, Dongdong, for this Saturday?”

At this question, Yan Feifan’s interest was clearly piqued.

“I only have a rough plan for now. The specifics can only be finalized after her detailed examination tomorrow.”

Yan Feifan continued, sounding conflicted, “I need to make a choice between two approaches. The first is to push it to the absolute limit and aim for the best possible cosmetic result.”

“The only thing is, her facial bones would become quite fragile. If she were to suffer a serious impact or other accident, the consequences could be severe.”

“Plus, she would need revision surgery every few years.”

He then explained the alternative. “The second approach is to achieve the maximum possible cosmetic improvement while causing minimal damage to her face and facial bones.”

“Under this approach, the degree of cosmetic improvement would be significantly limited.”

“Su Ye, if you were that girl, which one would you choose?”

Yu Suye mulled it over for a moment. “A girl can rarely resist the temptation of achieving ultimate beauty, no matter the cost.”

“Feifan, I strongly suggest you only present the second option to her. Don’t give her a choice.”

Yu Suye explained her reasoning. “She’s still young and has a limited education. Given the kind of social environment she’ll be in, becoming too beautiful isn’t necessarily a good thing for her.”

“Also, considering her current appearance, her expectations probably aren’t that high.”

“She would probably be ecstatic just to look like an ordinary person.”

Yu Suye continued to persuade him, “Feifan, we have a responsibility for this girl’s entire life, not just for showing off our surgical skills.”

Yan Feifan hummed in acknowledgment. “Thank you for your input.”

“Su Ye, I’ll also listen to the psychologist’s assessment of her before I make a final decision…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep