Chapter 163 Love Can Make People Lose Their Minds

Yin Siyao expressionlessly placed the pomegranate into the curved tray and continued operating.

After removing all the items, he carefully checked the rectal wall for any damage.

Fortunately, although the mucosa had minor abrasions and swelling, there were no perforations.

Cleaning, suturing…

The surgery ended, and the instruments were accounted for.

Yin Siyao removed his gloves and mask. As he stepped out of the operating room, he thought that tonight’s case was bizarre enough to be included in a medical textbook’s collection of strange cases.

Dr. Qiao noticed his dazed expression and couldn’t help laughing. “What’s the matter? Your first time seeing something like this?”

Yin Siyao nodded, his face a little tight.

Mechanically rubbing his hands, he finally said, “I just… don’t quite understand some human behaviors.”

“That’s just the beginning.”

Dr. Qiao spoke casually, “Last month, we had a patient come in with abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed—good grief—a live eel in the intestines.”

Yin Siyao paused mid-motion.

“That eel was still alive, wriggling inside, burrowing through the intestines and actually puncturing them.”

Shaking his head, Dr. Qiao continued, “By the time he arrived, the patient was in septic shock. Almost didn’t make it.”

“During the laparotomy, the eel was still moving.”

Yin Siyao’s expression cracked again.

His worldview had already been repeatedly crushed and rebuilt tonight—now it was so shattered that even a QR code couldn’t scan.

“Anything else?”

Dr. Qiao opened up, “The month before last, Gastroenterology transferred a patient. Constipation, they said, and tried using loaches as a laxative.”

Yin Siyao had grown numb. “And then?”

“And the loaches went in… and didn’t come out.”

Dr. Qiao shrugged. “They died inside, rotted, and caused severe infection.”

“Director Wang did the surgery himself. The smell… apparently he vomited right after leaving the OR, and didn’t eat for a whole day.”

Yin Siyao silently turned off the faucet, thinking he might need to reconsider the diversity of the human species.

“So,” Dr. Qiao patted him on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, “what you dealt with tonight—the fruit and the jar—was really just child’s play.”

“If you spend enough time in the ER, you’ll realize that human imagination in self-destructive ways is truly limitless.”

The two of them walked out of the surgical area.

In the corridor, Leng Keyan saw them and hurried over. “Sir, the patient is stable.”

Yin Siyao nodded. “Keep monitoring closely. Go inform the night shift nurse.”

Dr. Qiao looked at Yin Siyao teasingly. “Tell me, what were you thinking? You’re perfectly fine in Orthopedics, why come to the ER to suffer like this?”

“Not even double pay would be worth tonight’s surgery, right?”

Yin Siyao was silent for a few seconds.

What could he say?

Was he supposed to admit that he willingly came just because someone was here?

“The ER is a good place to learn.”

“To learn how to extract bizarre foreign objects from all the body’s orifices?”

Dr. Qiao raised an eyebrow. “Come on, be honest. You’re really here because of some cute ER nurse, aren’t you?”

He remembered someone accompanying Yin Siyao during surgery. “Could it be Leng Keyan who just followed you in?”

Yin Siyao stiffened imperceptibly.

Dr. Qiao, ever sharp, immediately caught the reaction.

His eyes lit up. “Ah, so the old bull is after the young grass?”

“He’s my student.”

Yin Siyao tried to remain calm. “Don’t speak nonsense.”

“What’s wrong with student-teacher relationships? Not illegal these days.”

Dr. Qiao chuckled and leaned closer. “So that’s why you suddenly volunteered for ER duty. The wine wasn’t your only aim.”

The corridor lights fell on Yin Siyao’s profile. His voice held a trace of self-deprecating smile: “Love can make people lose their minds.”

“Wow, usually you’re quiet, but when it comes to action, you’re pretty proactive.”

Dr. Qiao grinned. “Keyan is indeed a good kid—sunny, cheerful, and attractive. He suits you well.”

“Dr. Qiao.”

Yin Siyao finally spoke softly. “Shouldn’t you go do your rounds?”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say another word.”

Dr. Qiao raised his hands in surrender but paused after two steps, turning serious. “But seriously, when it comes to love, you have to be proactive. In the ER, good kids are in high demand. If you keep holding back, someone else might win him over.”

After saying that, Dr. Qiao hummed a tune and walked away.

Leng Keyan winked at him as he passed.

The corridor was left with just Yin Siyao and Leng Keyan.

The air suddenly felt delicate.

Leng Keyan’s heart raced. He opened his mouth, but only whispered, “The person you mentioned just now…”

He wanted to ask if he was the one Yin Siyao had meant.

Yin Siyao immediately cut him off, his tone calm again. “Go write the surgery notes. Post-op instructions must also be clearly explained.”

“Oh… okay.”

Leng Keyan felt a little disappointed but obediently nodded.

He was just about to turn when Yin Siyao called him.

“Leng Keyan.”

“Hm?”

Yin Siyao looked at him. The light caught his eyes, like shattered stars.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke slowly, carefully choosing each word: “The ER is exhausting. Even double pay isn’t worth it.”

Leng Keyan held his breath.

Yin Siyao continued, deliberately slow: “It’s just that some people are here… I want to watch over them.”

Having said that, he didn’t wait for a response and turned toward the doctor’s office.

The hem of his white coat cut a clean arc through the air.

Leng Keyan stood frozen, as if the pause button had been pressed on him.

A few seconds later, he snapped back, his face flushed crimson.

Covering his face, he felt the skin under his palm burn hot enough to fry an egg.

“Some people are here… I want to watch over them…”

Those words looped in his mind, each syllable hammering at his heart.

It made his heartbeat skip and his lips curl uncontrollably into a smile.

So… it wasn’t for double pay?

So… it wasn’t entirely indifferent?

Leng Keyan stood there, grinning foolishly for a while, before remembering he had to finish the records.

He walked briskly to the office, passing the observation room with a cheerful glance inside.

The elderly patient was asleep, anesthesia not entirely worn off, snoring thunderously.

Leng Keyan shook his head with a smile and opened the office door.

Yin Siyao was seated at the computer, writing up the case. The light from the screen highlighted his focused profile.

Leng Keyan quietly took his seat, turned on his computer, but didn’t start working immediately. Instead, he stole a glance at Yin Siyao.

He still looked gentle.

But Leng Keyan now knew that beneath that gentle exterior was a heart that said: “I want to watch over you.”

And that was enough.

At least for now, it was enough.

Outside, the night remained deep, but the ER lights were still bright.

Tonight, someone foolishly endured hardship in the ER because of love, while someone else’s heart soared because of a single sentence.

Half an hour later, Leng Keyan finished the last line of the case notes, saved, and printed them.

He stood, organized the folder, and prepared to do rounds.

Passing by Yin Siyao, he stopped and whispered, “Teacher Yin, I’m going on rounds.”

“Mm.”

Yin Siyao didn’t even look up.

Leng Keyan walked to the door, then glanced back.

Yin Siyao remained focused on his work, but Leng Keyan noticed a faint, faint smile at the corner of his lips.

It was subtle, but it existed.

Leng Keyan smiled, closed the door, and his footsteps lightly faded down the corridor.

In the office, Yin Siyao paused his typing, lifted his head, and looked at the closed door.

After a moment, he shook his head, let out a soft chuckle, and resumed working.

Only this time, the smile in his eyes could no longer be hidden.