"Brother?!" A voice came from behind. Ye Shuang, who was eating rice at the time, paused and turned around—only to find Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou standing right behind him.
"Ye Shuang..."
Ye Shuang hadn’t expected such a coincidence. After all, Yinshan Academy had multiple cafeterias, each with two floors. Not to mention, this was his first time eating at the student cafeteria—yet he still ran into them.
"Come sit," Ye Shuang said.
Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke glanced over and noticed that the seats beside Ye Shuang were already taken. Sensing Tang Keke’s gaze, An Shiyu waved lazily, "Hey, busty girl."
"Y-you again!"
Bai Yuyou sat across from Ye Shuang. Though she would’ve preferred sitting beside him, the spot was already occupied.
"Ye Shuang… here?" Bai Yuyou seemed puzzled about why he was in the cafeteria.
The truth was, Ye Shuang had never told them he’d taken a job as the school doctor—precisely to avoid Bai Yuyou clinging to him in the infirmary all day.
When Bai Yuyou got injured last time, neither she nor Tang Keke realized Ye Shuang was the school doctor. They assumed he’d rushed over after receiving a notification.
He didn’t want Bai Yuyou spending all her free time with him. But now that they’d found out, he decided to come clean.
"Actually, I got hired as the school doctor here."
"Oh! So the super handsome, gentle school doctor everyone’s talking about is you?" Tang Keke immediately caught on.
Ye Shuang blinked. "There’s a rumor like that?"
"Yeah! You’re pretty famous in our grade."
Ye Shuang: "..."
No wonder there were so many "fever cases" every day.
Bai Yuyou’s eyes brightened. "At… school."
This meant she could see Ye Shuang even during school hours.
"Yuyou, you can’t come during breaks," Ye Shuang quickly saw through her thoughts and warned.
Unlike An Shiyu—who had special permission as part of his employment deal—he didn’t want Bai Yuyou becoming overly dependent on him. Otherwise, he would’ve told her sooner.
Bai Yuyou’s usual perky strand of hair drooped. She listlessly poked at the bean sprouts in her bowl, her entire being shrouded in gloom.
She’s more upset than I expected…
Feeling a pang of guilt, Ye Shuang sighed and relented. "Fine, I’ll spend lunch breaks with you."
Bai Yuyou immediately perked up. "Okay."
Like she’d been revived in an instant.
Watching from the side, Tang Keke couldn’t help but marvel at the power of love.
"But, Brother, why are you eating with An Shiyu?" Tang Keke asked. Bai Yuyou also tilted her head curiously.
"It’s a long story."
An Shiyu smirked and chimed in, "We’re butt-bonded comrades."
"What?"
Neither Tang Keke nor Bai Yuyou understood, but Ye Shuang’s eye twitched—he wanted to sew An Shiyu’s mouth shut.
The next second, An Shiyu lazily draped her leg over Ye Shuang’s thigh, leaning closer with a mischievous grin. "Care to explain, old man?"
Ye Shuang was about to retaliate but stopped when he noticed Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke watching.
"It means we bonded over drumming together," he said flatly.
"Drumming?" The two girls didn’t notice the movement under the table.
"Yeah." Ye Shuang had no choice but to play along.
An Shiyu propped her chin on her hand, grinning. "Mhm, exactly."
Her stocking-clad leg pressed down teasingly.
Ye Shuang wasn’t about to let her get away with this.
"Keke, which entrance did you come in from?"
Tang Keke turned and pointed behind her. "That one."
Bai Yuyou’s gaze followed.
Seizing the moment, Ye Shuang reached out—but An Shiyu was quicker. Slipping away like an eel, she stood up, tray in hand.
"Full. I’m out."
With that, she sauntered off.
Ye Shuang: "..."
Should’ve hit her harder last time. Should’ve treated her like an Ansai waist drum.
Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou didn’t find anything odd. Once An Shiyu left, they started asking about the infirmary.
"Brother, we can go to school together now!"
Ye Shuang refused immediately—he deliberately kept his commute time separate so they could socialize with peers.
Once they finished eating, Ye Shuang prepared to return to the infirmary. But as he left the cafeteria, he noticed Bai Yuyou following him.
"Why aren’t you going back to class with Keke?" he asked, turning around.
Bai Yuyou tugged at his white coat, her voice barely audible. "Lunch break… together."
Ye Shuang then realized he’d said "lunch break" earlier instead of "lunch." But the way she clung to his sleeve, as if she’d won the world, made him relent.
"Fine. Come with me."
"Okay."
Back in the infirmary, Ye Shuang sat at his desk while Bai Yuyou threw herself into his arms.
"People will misunderstand," he murmured, holding her soft form.
"Sleepy… in class," she mumbled against his shoulder.
Ye Shuang sighed and patted the back of her head, letting her stay.
After a while, Bai Yuyou reluctantly pulled away, still craving the warmth.
"One minute per lunch break. That’s the rule," Ye Shuang declared.
Bai Yuyou’s usually expressionless face showed rare conflict. She counted silently, then held up two fingers.
"Two minutes…"
"If you behave… maybe," Ye Shuang conceded, though it felt more like rewarding himself.
Bai Yuyou nodded eagerly. "I’ll behave…"
Only then did her attention shift to the infirmary. The sterile scent of disinfectant filled the air. Ye Shuang’s small work desk was tidy, with a few cozy trinkets.
"What’s wrong?"
"Ye Shuang… why… school doctor?" she asked curiously.
Ye Shuang smiled faintly.