DCH CH 6

The Doctor Agreed

The enemy team of five pushed to their high ground, trying to bulldoze the crystal under tower fire. Seizing the moment when the enemy marksman was locked in an ability animation, Qingyi used his second skill’s crowd-control immunity to close the gap, then landed a kick straight onto the enemy carry.

“Shut down!” The in-game announcement declared—Cai Wenji had taken the marksman’s kill.

“?” Lu Jingcheng tilted his head slightly, surprised the kill had gone to him.

Qingyi didn’t care about the kill. He shouted into voice chat, “Babe, heal me, heal me!”

Lu Jingcheng ignored the term of endearment and popped all his skills. “Healing, healing!”

With Ji Xiaoman activating Immortality and Cai Wenji’s damage reduction, a well-placed first skill yanked the enemy jungler and midlaner into a tight cluster.

Lu Jingcheng timed it perfectly, following up with his second skill’s crowd control.

“Nice one, babe!” Qingyi unleashed his ultimate, and Ji Xiaoman tore through the enemy team like a hot knife through butter, leaving them helpless.

But then—

“Triple kill!”

“Quadra kill!”

Qingyi’s hands, usually steady even in finals, trembled for a split second. His expression cracked. “…What the hell?”

The enemy crystal was at half health, the minion wave cleared—this base defense was an undeniable success. The enemy support, powerless and furious, kept attacking the tower under fire.

“Penta kill!”

“Ace—” The exhilarating announcement blared through the game. Ji Xiaoman stood before the half-health crystal, his silhouette oddly lonely, like a tragic hero in a desolate scene.

【LMAOOO today’s dose of joy is brought to you by Qingyi’s stream!】

【Dodging and outplaying like a god, only to have all five kills stolen… peak comedy.】

【At this moment, a certain Ji Xiaoman has stopped thinking.】

【All I hear is Qingyi spamming “my babe, my babe!”】

【Proof that fluffy romance is still fluffy romance.】

---

At the moment of their comeback victory, Lu Jingcheng barely held back a laugh. “Pfft… thanks for the free penta.”

Qingyi was suffering. “Don’t forget what you promised me before the match.”

The slightly sulky voice in his headset made Lu Jingcheng adjust his earpiece, amusement clear in his tone. “Go on. For the sake of that gifted penta, I’ll consider it.”

That laughter sent ripples through Qingyi’s heart.

The chat exploded—

【BRO IF YOU DON’T MAKE A MOVE—】

【Dr. Lu’s voice is so gentle, he’s gotta be handsome too. I approve this ship!】

【Captain Huo, if you don’t go for it, I’m disowning you!】

【Even as a rival fan, I hope Qingyi faces the truth—you’re totally thirsting for him, just admit it!】

The screen flooded with chaotic messages—teasing, joking, delusional shipping.

Qingyi stayed silent for two full seconds. The voice channel was dead quiet, save for the faint tap of Lu Jingcheng’s fingers against his desk.

“There’s a con,” Qingyi coughed. “Are you free this weekend? Wanna go together?”

“This weekend…” Lu Jingcheng drew out the words, but before he could continue, two interns knocked and entered. “Hold on, someone’s here.”

He turned to them. “What’s up?”

“Dr. Lu, Chief Zhou said it’s fine—we’ll shadow him on Saturday,” Intern Gao said.

Qingyi, catching only fragments, cut in anxiously. “Saturday? You’re busy?”

“Dr. Lu, is this…?” Intern Wang eyed the live stream open on Lu Jingcheng’s screen, confused.

Before Intern Gao could finish, Lu Jingcheng gestured for silence and spoke into his phone, calm as ever. “Nothing major. Chief Zhou needed to swap shifts—he’s busy Sunday, so I’m covering Saturday.”

Intern Gao & Wang: “…………”

“Shift swap?” Qingyi bolted upright, eyes sparkling. “So you mean…”

He couldn’t suppress his grin, even throwing a giveaway for his fans. The chat erupted in “Thank you, Dr. Lu!”

“So those were your interns earlier? Won’t switching supervisors mess with their schedule?”

Intern Gao forced a chuckle. “Nah, it’s fine.”

Qingyi rambled on, thrilled. “Hospitals are always packed on weekends—wait, yours is crowded all the time. I was worried you’d be stuck in clinics or surgeries. But it actually worked out?!”

Lu Jingcheng didn’t bat an eye. “Yep. Pure coincidence.”

“Then Saturday it is. After my event, we’ll hit the con together.”

Lu Jingcheng glanced at his interns, still hovering awkwardly. “Sure.”

The two interns stood there, dying inside.

Respected mentor, if you hadn’t taken leave that day, we’d never volunteer. Chief Zhou’s got a major surgery—we’ll be stuck writing reports all night QAQ

Tearfully, they exchanged a glance, then looked back at their attending physician.

Dr. Lu Doesn’t Even Blink When Lying

Hmph.

Lu Jingcheng glanced at the two interns again, then cleared his throat and spoke more quietly into the screen: “Is that all?”

“Yeah!” Qingyi was still riding the high of Lu Jingcheng agreeing to his request, his brain stuck on loop: Dr. Lu said yes, Dr. Lu said yes! He answered without even thinking.

Lu Jingcheng: “…”

The chat was collectively facepalming.

【Is Qingyi actually stupid?】

【I’m so mad right now! Kid, learn to push your advantage!】

【He literally asked “Is that all?” HE’S GIVING YOU AN OPENING!】

【I take back everything nice I said about this boy’s flirting skills.】

【Rich kid brains are built different huh】

【Entertainment company heir btw. Too bad all his brain cells went to gaming.】

【Wait really? His fan forums are full of “wife” gossip though】

【Ignore those shippers. They’d pair him with a potted plant if it breathed near him.】

It took Qingyi a full minute of reading chat to realize he might have missed an opportunity. He tentatively added, “How about… you cosplay too? Then we get dinner after? Win-win?”

“My dear Captain Qingyi,” Lu Jingcheng’s eyes softened as he watched Qingyi’s eager face, “by ‘win-win’ do you mean you win twice?”

Qingyi just grinned, completely immune to sarcasm. “So? Will you?”

Lu Jingcheng pressed his lips together, using the exact same tone as when he’d rejected Qingyi days earlier: “No.”

An orthopedic surgeon needed principles.

A spoiled rich kid like Qingyi would only get more demanding if given an inch.

Absolutely no compromises.

“At least dress up nicely then~” Qingyi pushed shamelessly.

“Stop barking.”

Annoying rich brat.

---

After ending the stream, Qingyi—still grinning like an idiot—sent Lu Chengjing a message: “Nine Songs, I’ll take the event.”

On the other end, Lu Chengjing was busy agonizing over plushie options for her brother. Her voice message reply was sharp: “Weren’t you just calling me a fascist? Saying I exploit workers?”

“You are those things. But I’ve got plans now, so whatever.”

“Huo Ting, you bastard!” Lu Chengjing sent another voice message, then added a roared “SCREW YOU!” for good measure.

This would later come back to haunt Qingyi when he showed up at Lu Jingcheng’s apartment and discovered “Nine Songs” was actually Lu Chengjing. He deeply regretted the esports tradition of using gaming IDs—if he’d remembered her real name, he’d never have talked to her like that.

---

That evening, Lu Chengjing struggled into her apartment elevator with an enormous Ji Xiaoman plush, her face the picture of suffering. The chibi doll clutched a fish snack in its mouth, its trademark half-moon eyes judging everyone in the vicinity.

Lu Chengjing turned away from the amused stares. She definitely heard someone snicker.

The already cramped elevator became downright claustrophobic with the giant plush. For a moment she considered hiding her face in it—but her makeup would smear. Instead she awkwardly ducked behind the fish snack (which was somehow bigger than her face and somehow managed to ring her doorbell using her forehead rather than set the plush down.

When Lu Jingcheng opened the door to find the doll’s face completely blocking his view, he briefly wondered if he was hallucinating.

“Was this necessary?” He took the plush, exasperated.

“You said to get the biggest one available!” Lu Chengjing immediately stole it back. “I carried this monstrosity across town. You’re sleeping with it every night or I’m telling Mom about your middle school diary.”

Lu Jingcheng’s ears turned pink at the reminder of why he’d wanted it. He coughed. “Fine. I’ll put it on my bed.”

His bedroom mirrored his white coat—impeccably neat, all clean lines and muted colors. The plush looked absurd dumped in the center of his pristine bed, all lazy charm and cocky half-moon eyes.

“This doesn’t match at all,” Mrs. Lu frowned from the doorway. “Put it in your room. Your brother’s never had decorations before. It’s weird.”

Lu Chengjing adopted the plush’s deadpan expression. “He wanted it.”

(Secretly, she thought the contrast perfectly captured her brother’s repressed tsundere nature. A perfect match.)

“But—” Mrs. Lu fretted, “what will people think?”

“Mom,” Lu Chengjing herded her out, “he’s almost 30. Let him have this one weird thing.” She wisely didn’t mention that “weird thing” was essentially a proxy for a certain infuriating pro gamer.

After the coast was clear, she adjusted the plush’s pose and sighed. “Shame about the face though. That smug look reminds me of a certain pro player.”

She still couldn’t believe her serious, emotionally constipated brother had demanded “the largest Ji Xiaoman merch available.” The man had had more midlife crises this week than in his entire 28 years.