Carved Time Cafe, next to Shengjing Apartments on South Road of the Affiliated Hospital.
A waiter brought two black teas and one coffee for Yan Feifan, Tian Yu, and Yu Suye.
Tian Yu had wanted to order a hot chocolate, but Yan Feifan shut her down with a single sentence: "You actually want black tea."
Yu Suye picked up her coffee spoon and stirred her coffee a dozen times, her heart uneasy, before finally breaking the silence.
"Um... um... I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I don’t actually want to steal the clothes. I just... enjoy the process."
"After I succeed, I always go back to the store and buy the clothes."
Yan Feifan nodded. "I believe you."
"A doctor’s job is stressful. A lot of us develop strange behaviors and odd habits to relieve the mental pressure."
"Besides, with your status as the little princess of Jingcheng’s Su Family, what clothes could you possibly not afford?"
His words eased Yu Suye’s tense nerves considerably. "Feifan, thank you for understanding," she said gratefully.
"For the past few days, I’ve been wracking my brain over the surgical plan for that child with the deformed right hand, but I haven’t had any ideas."
"I got frustrated and wanted a bit of a thrill, a spark of inspiration, so I just couldn’t help myself..."
Tian Yu asked with great curiosity, "Su Ye, can you really find inspiration by doing... that?"
Yu Suye explained, a little embarrassed, "During the process, you’re on high alert, your adrenaline spikes, and your mind races several times faster than normal. It brings this strange sense of pleasure to your body and mind."
"Sometimes, a flash of inspiration just hits..."
"Alright, that’s enough of that."
Yan Feifan cut her off, chiding, "Su Ye, you’re going to be a bad influence on the kid."
Yu Suye turned to Tian Yu with a solemn expression. "Xiaoyu, what I’m doing is wrong. Very wrong."
"It’s actually a kind of illness that needs to be treated. You absolutely must not copy me!"
Tian Yu nodded. "I definitely won’t. If I got caught, even if the store staff didn’t beat me to death, my parents would."
"I’d beat you to death, too," Yan Feifan added.
Tian Yu shot Yan Feifan a sideways glance before asking curiously, "Su Ye, have you ever been caught in the act?"
"Never! I’m always extremely careful, observing everything over and over. Besides, my technique is fast and very subtle."
Yu Suye added with a hint of pride, "I even carry scalpel blades with me. For the magnetic strips some stores hide in the clothes, I can just..."
She suddenly noticed Yan Feifan’s expression souring, so she gave an awkward smile and said, "Xiaoyu, actually, I’m also terrified of being caught."
"If you get caught, the consequences are really serious!"
Yan Feifan snorted. "If you walk by the river often enough, your shoes are bound to get wet. Didn’t I catch you today?"
"If you don’t stop, someday, someone else will catch you."
"Su Ye, I can keep this a secret for you, but I have one condition..."
"What condition?" Yu Suye’s heart leaped into her throat.
Yan Feifan said in a serious tone, "Go for psychological counseling."
"With the psychiatry department..."
Yan Feifan was about to recommend Mr. Miao, the head of the psychiatry department.
However, he then remembered that guy had failed to see his own problems, so he switched his recommendation. "Dr. Tan is very good."
"She should be able to help you."
Yu Suye’s heart relaxed. "Feifan, I promise you, I’ll go see Dr. Tan tomorrow."
"I know this behavior of mine needs to be corrected and treated, but every time I make up my mind, I back out at the last second."
"Feifan, this time, I won’t back out."
Yan Feifan said lightly, "Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to see Dr. Tan."
Yu Suye gave another awkward smile. "Don’t worry, Feifan. This time, I’ll definitely tell the psychologist everything."
"You finding out was a wake-up call for me. I also understand that I can’t be lucky every time."
"I can’t rely on wishful thinking."
She took a sip of her coffee and said from the bottom of her heart, "Feifan, I’m so glad it was you who first discovered this strange habit of mine."
"If someone else with ulterior motives had found out, forget everything else, just the act of them spreading it around would have made it impossible for me to show my face at the Affiliated Hospital again."
Yan Feifan said softly, "Actually, you don’t need to take it so seriously. There are quite a few strange people at the hospital."
This piqued Tian Yu’s interest. She urged, "Mr. Yan, are there really a lot of weirdos at the hospital? What’s so weird about them?"
"Hurry up and tell us!"
Yu Suye also prodded him, "Go on, Feifan. Tell us. It’ll make me feel a little better."
Yan Feifan chuckled softly. "Right now, the most famous and widely known are the ’Four Great Oddities’ of the hospital."
"There’s Dr. Yv Zaifa from cardiothoracic surgery, known as the ’Needle Freak’."