This doctor is already middle-aged, and he's only just started practicing medicine.

Chapter 184 The Nameless Senior Brother
"Brother Zhang, could you please ask Director Lin? My situation is indeed quite special right now. If I run away, it won't look good," Lu Cheng replied politely.

While a major incident did occur at Longxian People's Hospital, it was a hospital-level matter and certainly wouldn't directly implicate a nobody like Lu Cheng.

If even attending physicians like Lu Cheng are removed from the list, then the hospital will be unable to continue operating.

In the competition, Lu Cheng won first prize. If he doesn't come to collect the prize, whose face is Longxian People's Hospital trying to slap?

Zhang Tiesheng quickly replied, "No need to ask, just continue receiving your award over there."

"If the situation really comes to the point where the professor calls Director Lin demanding his personnel, then Director Lin will also be in a difficult position to handle."

"Holy crap, it's really the first prize??? It's not a forged seal?" Zhang Tiesheng was in a bind.

Zhang Tiesheng knew very well that in such a provincial competition, it was uncertain whether the contestants from Xiangzhou People's Hospital could win a trophy.

Lu Cheng winning a third prize would be impressive enough, but to win a first prize is an achievement that's considered supermodel-like in Xiangzhou. No one has ever done anything like this before.

"Brother Zhang, let's talk again when we get back, it's getting late."

"If anything comes up, I'll have to trouble you to let me know." Lu Cheng was out and couldn't get back immediately, so he would definitely have to trouble the senior colleague in the department.

After Lu Cheng sent out his message, Zeng Huanqi sent him a similar message.

Although he was a step behind, Zeng Huanqi did tell Lu Cheng the whole story.

Moreover, Zeng Huanqi brought Lu Cheng something new: "Lu Cheng, according to rumors, Director Lin has been taken in for questioning by the county's Discipline Inspection Commission."

"However, the people from the laboratory were taken away by the state disciplinary committee..."

"..."

That's how the adult world is. If something really big doesn't happen, it doesn't happen at all. But once it does happen, it can happen all at once, and there are no precedents to follow.

Whether it was what Professor Tan Zhongyuan relayed or what Mu Nanshu told Lu Cheng, it was enough to leave Lu Cheng speechless.

Now that such a big thing has happened to the very place where Lu Cheng actually is, Lu Cheng really doesn't know how to deal with it for the time being, and Lu Cheng has never come across any reference answers.

Lu Cheng glanced at Tong Yuan'an, and without Professor Tong speaking, Lu Cheng told Mu Nanshu what had happened in Long County.

Mu Nanshu was also quite surprised: "???"

"The Central Inspection Team really went to Long County?"

Lu Cheng: "These messages were sent by Zhang Tiesheng and Zeng Huanqi at the same time, so they shouldn't be fake."

Given the urgency of the situation, Lu Cheng disregarded the logic of his reply: "However, I definitely can't go back for the time being, and this matter shouldn't involve me."

Mu Nanshu thought for a while before replying, "These kinds of things only happen to tall people. Small fry like us won't even have our names on their radar."

"Don't think too much about it. Just get some rest. A lot has happened today."

"Let's see how things go tomorrow. I'll buy the earliest high-speed train ticket and come..."

Lu Cheng: "Weren't you supposed to be working on a research project with Xie Yuan'an?"

"Her research project is urgent, but not as urgent as yours."

"Moreover, we really need to calm down and think about the current situation. After we start working, the personnel competition and the focus of discipline development will be much more complicated than the master's degree assessment we have encountered before."

"We should discuss this matter in person."

"You should get some rest. I'll take a nap too," Mu Nanshu replied, ending the conversation.

"Okay, sure." Lu Cheng didn't press the matter further.

Since Mu Nanshu has decided to come, she will definitely come.

Lu Cheng was quite happy, not because he remembered LSP, but because he could sense that in Mu Nanshu's heart, he, her boyfriend, was more important than her sister Xie.

……

Lu Cheng and Tong Yuan'an got out of the car at the same time. After Tong Yuan'an paid the fare for the designated driver on his mobile phone, he and Lu Cheng walked towards the hotel.

It was late, and although the lights were still bright, the distant lights were obscured by the hazy mist, making the light appear and disappear intermittently.

Furthermore, the hotel lights became dim, making it less bright to see.

After Lu Cheng entered the room, he realized that he had stepped on someone's foot.

"Uh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry." Lu Cheng instinctively apologized in his direction.

After seeing his stance clearly, Lu Cheng realized that the young man standing next to him had deliberately stretched out his right foot to block him.

Perhaps the distance wasn't adjusted precisely, and it ended up right at his feet. He was sitting on a round stool, his eyes wide open, as if his eyeballs were about to bulge out.

His droopy eyebrows stood on end, and his nostrils twitched rapidly, clearly indicating that he was in excruciating pain...

Tong Yuan'an glanced at it and said, "Dude, are you trying to trip someone up on purpose?"

Lu Cheng had already stopped and stepped forward, asking, "Brother, how are you feeling?"

"What do you think?" The young man immediately gasped and glared at him.

Lu Cheng is an adult, weighing around 120 pounds. How could it not hurt when he stepped on him?
"I'm so sorry, I really didn't see clearly when I came in."

"Teacher Tong, you should go back first." Lu Cheng turned to look at Tong Yuan'an, mainly because it was getting late.

Tong Yuan'an was a little worried that Lu Cheng would get hurt: "Brother, look at your posture, it's a bit wrong. If my student hadn't stepped on you, you would have tripped him up."

"It's nothing serious. If you feel unwell, you can go to the hospital for a check-up, and we'll cover the medical and examination fees."

"Do you want us to call you a taxi?"

The young man withdrew his foot and stood up with some difficulty: "Never mind... help me sit down a bit first, let me see how badly I was stepped on."

"If there's nothing wrong, there's no need to go to the hospital."

"But if it's serious, then I still need to get it checked out. I was just sitting here taking a nap, and I didn't know someone would come in."

"Do you think I'm deliberately sitting here to stage an accident?" The young man glared at Tong Yuan'an with annoyance.

The young man's tone wasn't too offensive, so Tong Yuan'an didn't press the matter further. He was mainly worried that Lu Cheng was too honest and would suffer losses because he was unfamiliar with the area.

Since the other party didn't intend to cause trouble, he didn't bother to create any more complications.

Of course, Tong Yuan'an certainly didn't intend to go upstairs directly.

Lu Cheng helped the young man to a chair to the side. The hotel receptionist heard the commotion and quickly came over to check on the situation.

The young man took off his shoes, and his feet were indeed a little red. However, Lu Cheng's examination revealed no fractures or other abnormalities, as his range of motion was normal.

It wasn't a jump or stomp, so soft tissue injury was extremely limited.

"Sir, the situation doesn't seem too serious. What are your plans for handling this? Should we go to the hospital for a thorough examination?"

"I think this young man is quite reasonable. Let's all compromise." The hotel staff member's voice was very kind, trying to minimize the problem.

"Alright, alright, it's nothing, you can go now, I won't bother him." The young man waved his hand, sat down and started putting on his shoes, but his tone was a little impatient.

"Brother, I'm really sorry," Lu Cheng said with a forced smile.

The young man didn't reply. After tying his shoelaces, he suddenly raised his head arrogantly and blurted out, "Are you sure you don't recognize me?"

Lu Cheng looked bewildered, then carefully recalled the question: "Brother? What do you mean by that?"

"I'm here to see you. My name is Zhang Boyuan." The young man stood up, turned to the side, put his hands behind his back, and looked somewhat unfathomable.

However, Zhang Boyuan turned his back for a full half minute without hearing Lu Cheng's reply. When he turned back, he found Lu Cheng looking at him like he was an idiot.

“I used to be a doctoral student at Huashan Hospital. My name is Zhang Boyuan.” Zhang Boyuan was getting a little flustered, his almond-shaped eyes darting around.

Lu Cheng slowly shook his head: "Brother... I might have forgotten, I really don't remember."

"What brings you here?"

"Cough cough cough..."

Zhang Boyuan's emotions suddenly flared up. His expression was turbulent for a while, and after coughing several times, he finally said, "You don't even recognize your senior brother?"

Lu Cheng took two steps back: "Brother, although I call you brother, we shouldn't try to establish a relationship indiscriminately."

Senior brother?

Zhang Boyuan gritted his teeth and uttered three words: "Dong Qilang!"

Lu Cheng's expression finally changed, and he began to seriously examine the newcomer.

Dong Qilang was a name that Mu Nanshu only told Lu Cheng about nearly half a year after his master's entrance exam.

Dong Qilang was a professor of trauma surgery at Huashan Hospital. According to Mu Nanshu, it was Professor Dong Qilang who had promised to take Lu Cheng as his student, but he died suddenly of a heart attack during surgery before the master's re-examination.

Even Huashan Hospital couldn't save a heart attack that occurred in the operating room, not because their skills were lacking, but because the disease was simply too dangerous.

“It’s not a good joke to make.” Lu Cheng’s expression immediately turned stern.

Although Lu Cheng and Professor Dong Qilang were not related by teacher-student relationship, Lu Cheng confirmed from Mu Nanshu's words that Professor Dong was indeed his teacher, and not just any teacher.

Although he failed the re-examination, Professor Dong had passed away, and he could not have foreseen what would happen next.

If Professor Dong were still alive, Lu Cheng believed that such a senior professor would have no reason to deceive a young girl like Mu Nanshu.

"How many jokes am I making to you?"

"Hey, didn't you find out anything about our group before you chose your advisor? Don't you know me?" Zhang Boyuan seemed a little defensive.

"I only found out later that Professor Dong had agreed to my request," Lu Cheng shook his head. "Before the re-examination, I had no idea that Professor Dong would be the one to accept me." Zhang Boyuan cursed, "Hey? Who are you trying to fool?"

"Is this your WeChat account?" Zhang Boyuan took out his phone and showed Lu Cheng the contact name, his expression as if he were looking at a scumbag.

Lu Cheng (a junior from the class of 15, Han University).

The name is his own, and the grade matches, but the WeChat account doesn't belong to Lu Cheng; it belongs to Mu Nanshu.

Lu Cheng recognized Mu Nanshu's profile picture.

"Senior Brother Zhang... this WeChat account belongs to my girlfriend." Even after so many years, Lu Cheng still intends to tell the truth.

"Your girlfriend? The person I used to chat with is your girlfriend???" Zhang Boyuan's tone was a bit explosive, and his expression was also a bit explosive.

"It should be," Lu Cheng said.

Zhang Boyuan's expression shifted for a while before he slowly closed his eyes to process this ridiculous fact.

Lu Cheng took the initiative to ask, "Senior Brother Zhang, did you come here specifically to see me today?"

Zhang Boyuan nodded, all his arrogance vanishing: "That's right, you've been targeted. Professor Chen couldn't withstand the pressure and betrayed me."

"After receiving a call from Director Xiang of our department, I decided to come and see you ahead of time."

Zhang Boyuan looked at Lu Cheng's expression with increasing confusion, and simply said, "You don't need to think about any conspiracy theories. I did ask Brother Chen to take care of you."

"But you don't need to be so formal. We brothers are all in the same boat now, and we should help each other out..."

Zhang Boyuan's words contained a lot of information, so Lu Cheng took a while to digest them before asking, "Senior brother, are you implying that the reason Professor Chen Song is so kind to me is because you put in a good word for me?"

"Otherwise what? Do you think Brother Chen owes you something?" Zhang Boyuan asked.

"It was actually a coincidence. He happened to be going to the countryside, and when he came back, we drank together, and he recommended you to me."

"When I heard it, many of the details matched up, and the ages were about the same."

"It's possible that two Lu Cheng names appear at Han City University, but it's extremely rare for people in the same year and college to have the same name."

"What are you doing?" Zhang Boyuan asked, his voice tightening as he watched Lu Cheng slowly close his eyes, looking inscrutable.

Lu Cheng slowly opened his eyes: "Senior brother, nothing much, just slowly processing a cruel fact. I originally thought... I was enough..."

Lu Cheng didn't explain himself clearly, but he felt a little disappointed at that moment.

He thought that meeting Chen Song was the best teacher he had ever met, and that it was his absolute talent that had earned him Professor Chen Song's favor, and that all of this had nothing to do with worldly matters.

Professor Chen Song saw his own potential, and based on this, he used it as a comfort when he felt 'wronged' at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

But unexpectedly, it was ultimately due to interpersonal relationships and the basic rules of how this world operates.

This world is still that huge makeshift operation; two people without cause and effect will not develop feelings of love or hate for no reason.

Zhang Boyuan could understand Lu Cheng, and stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Of course, in essence, it is still because you are strong enough that you have achieved all of this now."

"I only played a tiny, tiny little role, you don't need to feel disappointed."

Lu Cheng looked up and changed the subject: "Senior, are you working at the Second Affiliated Hospital now?"

Lu Cheng's casual remark left Zhang Boyuan speechless.

Zhang Boyuan's brows furrowed in surprise for a while before he slowly calmed down and said in a tone of sudden realization, "Yes, your senior brother isn't doing very well now, and he's even falling behind you, an undergraduate."

"If you don't want to admit it, I won't force you. That's actually better, as it puts me in a less difficult position."

"This afternoon, Director Xiang called me and asked me to invite you to lunch tomorrow afternoon. My visit is for a business deal. You can decide for yourself."

Zhang Boyuan's words were, of course, loaded with veiled meaning and sarcasm.

"Hey, senior brother, I didn't mean it the way you think. I just found it too unexpected," Lu Cheng quickly explained.

Before this, Lu Cheng didn't even know that Zhang Boyuan existed, so he naturally had no idea why Zhang Boyuan would come to work at Xiangya No. 2 Hospital.

"If you have a choice, try to go to a better company. Although it may be more ruthless, there will be less interpersonal conflict."

“Factional ties aren’t that deeply entrenched.” Zhang Boyuan’s tone was somber, offering Lu Cheng a pertinent suggestion without giving specific advice.

The terms "factional lineage" and "sectarian tradition" were previously only heard by Lu Chengdao in TV dramas and novels.

Lu Cheng had a question in his mind: "Senior brother, may I ask you a more objective question?"

"You said that the admission policy at Xiangya No. 2 Hospital is quite strict. Why weren't you able to stay at Huashan Hospital before?"

"Isn't it because Teacher Dong passed away?"

There are some principles that adults must understand.

Having a supervisor and not having a supervisor make completely different decisions, whether it's graduating or finding a job.

Zhang Boyuan said, "In the past, the professors preferred students with a clinical background, and they also valued this more when recruiting. Their training for us was also biased towards this."

"With the teacher gone, the other teachers won't follow the rules he set. As for my research output, the other teachers won't care."

"Among top professors, different people have different ideas about the development of medicine, and the choices they make will be completely different."

"But there are advantages to being at the Second Affiliated Hospital. If you are willing to give up your studies, you can do very well there."

"After all, you have a good appearance. If you could become the son-in-law of some noble lady, your career could develop very smoothly." After saying this, Zhang Boyuan completely abandoned the topic.

"Think it over carefully yourself. I'll call you again tomorrow. Respect your own heart and weigh the pros and cons for yourself."

After Zhang Boyuan finished speaking, he was about to leave.

Because he had spent a considerable amount of time with Lu Cheng, and Tong Yuan'an from Xiangya Hospital was also waiting for Lu Cheng, he was worried that if they were recognized, he might also get caught up in the mess.

"Senior, thank you for reminding me. Can we add each other on WeChat?" Lu Cheng quickly asked.

Zhang Boyuan nodded naturally: "You can add me on WeChat anytime. I'll give it to patients and their families if they want."

After exchanging friend requests, Lu Cheng sent Zhang Boyuan his name and contact information, and only after confirming that Zhang Boyuan's name was correct did he say goodbye to Zhang Boyuan.

"Has the matter been resolved? Did he try to extort money from you?" Tong Yuan'an asked Lu Cheng.

“No, Brother Zhang is still very reasonable,” Lu Cheng said.

"I added his contact information. He'll contact me if he has any problems later. Anyway, it was just a minor incident, nothing serious is going to happen."

Tong Yuan'an thought about it carefully before saying, "Be careful not to get extorted. But he didn't call the police, so it's hard for us to collect evidence."

"You'd better go to the hotel and get the surveillance footage recorded."

“Okay, Teacher Tong, tomorrow then. It’s just a small matter.” Lu Cheng didn’t tell Tong Yuan’an about his conversation with Zhang Boyuan.

After Lu Cheng arrived at the hotel and closed his room door, Zhang Boyuan sent him several very long replies.

The information is very mixed and disorganized. The first paragraph roughly introduces the current fellow disciples in the sect. There are about five or six who are in contact, but they are all in different places and rarely interact anymore.

The second paragraph is about Zhang Boyuan explaining to Lu Cheng the 'scheme' of Xiang Dongshan, the big boss of Xiangya No. 2 Hospital, for Lu Cheng. He persuaded Professor Chen Song, and then Chen Song betrayed Zhang Boyuan.

Given Lu Cheng's current impressive original techniques, Xiang Dongshan plans to poach staff from Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

The third paragraph is Zhang Boyuan explaining to Lu Cheng the 'favorable' evidence that Professor Xiang Dongshan possessed, including but not limited to the fact that Lu Cheng had previously obtained from Professor Tan Zhongyuan of Xiangya Hospital that Professor Zhong Junyun treated Lu Cheng as a 'concubine' backup plan.

The fourth paragraph: "If you ever have the chance to meet Cao Qiheng in the future, you must be wary of him. Your senior brother Cao may be a bit ruthless, and you may not be able to control yourself."

Fifth paragraph: "Actually, it's not a bad idea for you to come to Xiangya No. 2 Hospital. There's a fellow villager from your Long County in the emergency department right now, and he's about to retire."

"Given the bond between fellow townsmen, he should be happy to see someone from his hometown doing well, and thus offer him a helping hand."

"In other aspects, it is unremarkable compared to Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

These words are all very realistic; not a single one is a case of mutual flattery or bias towards Lu Cheng.

Sixth paragraph: "After reading, delete the friend. The boss and the others wouldn't go to Tencent's backend to restore our chat history."

After reading it, Lu Cheng tried to send a message to Zhang Boyuan, and sure enough, a red exclamation mark appeared.

Lu Cheng took a deep breath and carefully read Zhang Boyuan's information several times. After roughly remembering the core information, he chose to delete Zhang Boyuan from his friend list.

I didn't even have a chance to exchange a few pleasantries with him.

Lu Cheng could understand Zhang Boyuan's good intentions; it was about sticking together for mutual support.

The trees fell and the hozens scattered.

After Professor Dong's unexpected passing, not only will the standards for the master's degree re-examination at Huashan Hospital shift, but the recruitment standards will also change.

This is likely the main reason why Zhang Boyuan, Chen Zhuoheng, and other senior students were unable to stay at Huashan Hospital and instead went their separate ways.

If Professor Dong were still alive, then Zhang Boyuan and others would not have made a mistake in focusing on clinical operations, because Professor Dong could provide a safety net at Huashan Hospital, and he had his own recruitment preferences.

Professor Dong is no longer alive; it's impossible for other professors to continue his recruitment philosophy.

Lu Cheng looked at Professor Chen Song's chat page. The last time he had a conversation with Professor Chen Song was a week ago, on October 17th.

Lu Cheng smiled even more comfortably.

In this world, there is no love or hate without a reason; this principle actually makes the rules simpler.

"Good night." Lu Cheng sent a message to Mu Nanshu.

"Good night, see you tomorrow," Mu Nanshu replied.

(End of this chapter)