***

After the session, Niu Shurui scrolled through her phone.

A Weibo notification popped up. She instinctively swiped it away, then realized what she’d seen. A livestream? Who's streaming? Sheng… what?

She quickly opened Weibo, confirming that she hadn't been mistaken—Sheng Shangyan was going live tonight!

As a psychiatrist, Niu Shurui had a penchant for the unusual. Over time, ordinary things had lost their appeal. Sheng Shangyan wasn't a professional streamer. He’d been matched with a gaming streamer during a game, and his aggressive play style had instantly attracted a following of viewers intrigued by his unusual approach, Niu Shurui among them.

She particularly enjoyed how Sheng Shangyan favored violent games yet played with chilling calm. His occasional comments on how to make the games even more terrifying were particularly satisfying.

Unfortunately, a month ago, Sheng Shangyan had stopped streaming without explanation. No announcement, no further Weibo posts, just silence.

Excited, Niu Shurui then remembered she was on duty that night. While she could sneak peeks at the stream during her shift, it wouldn’t be as comfortable as watching at home.

She headed to the next office to ask her supervisor for the night off. Just as she stepped out, she ran into him. 

“Let’s go to lunch,” he said.

Niu Shurui nodded but didn’t move. Putting on a sweet smile, she said in a soft voice, “Hukou gege.”

Qiao Qi paused, looked around, and lowered his voice. “Niuniu.”

Niu Shurui immediately surrendered. It was a pyrrhic victory, but thankfully it was lunchtime and the hallway was empty. 

“I’m sorry,” she said. She couldn't stand that nickname; it sounded childish and clingy. It was also why she couldn’t bear being called “Doctor Niu”—it just sounded strange.

Qiao Qi smiled. “What do you want?”

“Can you cover my shift tonight? I’ll make it up to you.” Sheng Shangyan would probably disappear again after this stream anyway.

Qiao Qi’s face turned serious. He clearly didn’t approve.

Since they were alone, Niu Shurui went all in, taking his hand and pleading, “Please? Just this once, just tonight. Pretty please?”

Although he’d anticipated this, Qiao Qi still found it hard to resist her coquettish acts. He smiled, pinched her cheek, and nodded. “Fine.”

Niu Shurui, delighted, immediately dropped his hand. “Let’s go eat—”

A red light suddenly flashed, flickering around the edges of her vision like a warning signal.

This was the second time, and unlike the brief flash before, it intensified. No matter how much she blinked, the red light remained.

Niu Shurui lowered her head, rubbing her eyes. Qiao Qi took her face in his hands, looking closely. “What’s wrong?”

Through the red haze, Qiao Qi’s face was blurred. Niu Shurui frowned, a thought suddenly striking her. 

She looked around.

And there he was. Ye Li stood a short distance away, a white plastic bag in his hand, watching them. He stood motionless, like a statue.

Usually, after getting his medication, Ye Li would leave immediately. Why was he still here after so long?

Then, just as suddenly, the red light vanished.

Niu Shurui was bewildered. The red light seemed to be connected to Ye Li.

She raised her hand and waved to him. “Wait for me a moment.”

Given Ye Li’s personality, shaped by his condition, he wouldn’t leave until he explained what he wanted.

Niu Shurui turned to Qiao Qi. “You go ahead and eat. I’ll just talk to him—” Before she could finish, the red light reappeared. Niu Shurui was dumbfounded. What was going on?

Rubbing her eyes, she tried to walk towards Ye Li, thinking perhaps decreasing the distance might help.

Qiao Qi held her back. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“Nothing. I might need to see an ophthalmologist.” Niu Shurui patted Qiao Qi’s hand. “Let go of me. I’ll just say a few words to him.”

“I’ll make an appointment for you. I’ll go with you on the weekend.” Then, remembering something, Qiao Qi returned to his office and brought her a bottle of eye drops. “Use these for now. If it doesn’t get better, maybe take some time off work.”

Niu Shurui mumbled an agreement and hurried over to Ye Li. “Is something the matter?” she asked.

He didn’t answer, staring straight ahead. Niu Shurui blinked. The red light didn’t seem to be related to distance after all.

Just as she was about to try the eye drops as a last resort, the red light abruptly disappeared. She heard Ye Li’s cold voice. “Nothing. I just didn’t expect Doctor Shu to be capable of acting so coquettishly.”