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

Chapter 258 The Paranoid!
Dai Linfang has a big heart, which isn't very endearing. Lu Cheng said, "Brother Dai, let's calm down first!"

“Brother Dai, I don’t dare to expand the research project too much right now. I’m afraid I won’t be able to recover it later.”

Dai Linfang said, "Brother Lu, you're being too cautious."

“It’s not that I’m being cautious, but Brother Dai, our identities are different, and our risk tolerance is completely different.”

"For example, Brother Dai, you have millions of loans and don't seem to care at all. I work my hardest and can't even earn back the monthly payment in a month. How can you expect me to be careless?"

“Our sunk costs are different,” Lu Cheng raised his voice.

“Brother Dai, your relationships are yours, not mine. If I can’t even get this right, then I’ve wasted all this time in society.”

"So, Brother Dai, if you really want to help out, then do something for the research group, like data analysis. We can take our time with the rest."

"If you find our temple too small, you are welcome to leave at any time."

Lu Cheng admitted that, in terms of courage, he was no match for even a hair on Dai Linfang's head.

The two people had completely different experiences.

Lu Cheng even guessed that Dai Linfang had at least one provincial-level official standing behind him (no typos, otherwise it would be censored), otherwise he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

“Brother Lu, how about this, I’ll take responsibility, I’ll take the main responsibility, you just need to be responsible for the harvest, you don’t need to bear any responsibility!” Dai Linfang offered another suggestion.

It was obvious that Dai Linfang still wanted the money.

Lu Cheng immediately said, "That won't work either."

“If you want to take it, take it yourself. Don’t drag me into it. Brother Dai, with your ability and connections, how much money you take is none of my business.”

"I can't compete with this, and I can't handle this much."

"Besides, I don't have big ambitions now. For me, a little wealth is enough."

Dai Linfang laughed: "Brother Lu, you say you're content with a modest life? I just don't believe you."

"At least that's what I think right now." Lu Cheng was being too hypocritical in his own words.

"I don't know how to leverage your influence, Brother Dai, so I don't dare to use your power too much. The reason I agreed to join your research group is entirely because I value your data processing ability."

"My experiences have fixed and solidified my understanding, and my understanding has also constrained my choices."

"This is something that cannot be changed in the short term; the only way to change it is through subsequent experiences."

"So, Brother Dai, I believe in your sincerity, but I can't do that. We can only take it one step at a time."

Dai Linfang wasn't angry: "Alright, it seems I'm still too young. Compared to my uncle, his understanding is more realistic."

"Then, Brother Lu, I've already said I'll cancel these funding requests. We'll just move forward slowly, one step at a time."

Lu Cheng emphasized, "Brother Dai, this is me, you are not included. If you have a better place to go, you are free at any time. We haven't signed any contract, and even if we did, it wouldn't bind you."

It's a good thing that a master like Dai Linfang doesn't mess with himself.

At this moment, Lu Cheng even hoped that Dai Linfang could leave.

“Brother Lu, we haven’t known each other for very long and there’s not much trust between us.”

"So I don't say anything grand or lofty; I just do what interests me. And I only like doing these things," Dai Linfang said.

"Time will tell. Let's talk about it when I get back after the New Year."

"However, I still hope we can find some time to have a proper talk."

"Okay, Brother Dai." Lu Cheng was willing to agree to this.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Lu, could I possibly ask you a favor?" Dai Linfang asked.

“Go ahead,” Lu Cheng replied.

Dai Linfang said, "Could you and Sister Mu not be so fierce to Xie Yuan'an? Actually, she's just a rather simple person."

Lu Cheng felt a slight chill run down his spine: "Is our conversation related to this? Why did you suddenly veer off to such a different topic?"

Dai Linfang replied, "Oh, I just said it casually, there was no rehearsal."

Lu Cheng reminded him, "Brother Dai, how we get along in our research group varies from person to person. If you want to control these things, we won't be together for long."

"No, forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything or mention anything," Dai Linfang hurriedly said.

……

After hanging up the phone, Lu Cheng glanced at Dai Linfang's contact information, shook his head, and went into the shop.

Mu Nanshu had just finished getting the food and seasonings and was waiting for Lu Cheng.

On the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year, business was booming. Mu Nanshu was able to find a seat only because she had saved one for Lu Cheng; otherwise, it might have been taken by someone else.

"Do you want to order some more dishes?" Mu Nanshu didn't even ask about the outcome of Lu Cheng and Dai Linfang's chat. Based on her understanding of Lu Cheng, it was highly likely that it had fallen through.

Lu Cheng would not accept money obtained from unknown sources.

Lu Cheng looked at the dishes the boss had cooked and said, "That's enough, don't waste any more."

"This year's Chinese New Year was the most extravagant I've ever had. So many dishes in Jilin City were wasted."

"It's such a waste."

Mu Nanshu said irritably, "Actually, my parents don't like waste either, but if it weren't for all the trouble we went through before, would it have been a waste?"

"They also came from poor backgrounds, didn't they?"

Lu Cheng laughed and said, "Well, so you're a rich kid, and I'm a poor kid."

After dinner, the two went inside the house.

They hadn't been gone for more than a few days, so there was no need to clean. After changing into their pajamas, they sat on the sofa, munching on sunflower seeds and watching movies.

A short while later, Professor Chen Song, probably having just seen the message in the group, made a WeChat voice call to Lu Cheng.

"What's going on in the group?" Chen Song asked, sounding completely bewildered.

"Who is this Dai Linfang?"

Lu Cheng said, "I don't know either, Teacher Chen. I just looked it up, but I still can't figure it out."

"How did you meet this person?" Chen Song's tone became troubled and surprised.

Why would someone who keeps talking about eight million in funding suddenly approach Lu Cheng?

"Teacher Chen, to be honest, he came to us himself. To be honest, there's a bit of a weird thing about this."

"Originally, other people from Xiangzhou wanted to use his connections to persuade you and Professor Tong Yuan'an to get others into the group."

“Dai Linfang is quite something, he directly double-crossed them and brought himself in.”

“A friend of mine said that if someone hadn’t asked him for help, he would never have discovered our research group.”

"Then this expert came to me. I didn't have enough experience, but when I heard that he had a doctorate and was quite sincere, I agreed."

"That's good, we've invited a deity in."

"Teacher Chen, what do you think we should do now?" Lu Cheng asked humbly.

"I'm afraid it's easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away."

Chen Song continued, "What achievements has he made before?"

Lu Cheng said, "Like me, I haven't achieved much. My published doctoral dissertation was all on hydrology. And I even had to extend my studies."

Chen Song's voice trembled: "You really know how to pick people, picking such a talented one." "I don't know what to do."

No prior experience, no published papers, a complete blank.

Lu Cheng said, "Teacher Chen, but one thing is certain: Dai Linfang's individual operational and learning abilities are truly remarkable."

"According to him, he had wasted a lot of money, so he had no results to show..."

Upon hearing Lu Cheng's words, Chen Song suddenly exclaimed, "What? How did you run into him?"

"You know Teacher Chen?" Lu Cheng asked in return.

It's normal for Chen Song to have heard about Dai Linfang, a PhD student at Xiangya Hospital, who was going through such a major incident during his doctoral studies.

"I've heard rumors, but there's very little relevant information, and many things have been suppressed."

"I just know he's ambitious but lacks practical skills."

"But didn't I hear that he went to work in another province? How come he's at Xiangzhou People's Hospital again?" Chen Song asked suspiciously.

"Going to work in another province? Teacher Chen?"

“Dai Linfang said he works in the oncology department of our hospital?” Lu Cheng asked.

Chen Song said firmly, "That's impossible. Even if he went to the wrong place, he wouldn't go to Xiangzhou People's Hospital."

"Unless he has some other purpose! You should ask him about that."

Since Chen Song had already said that, Lu Cheng didn't press further, but he felt that Dai Linfang was a bit of a mystery.

……

If there's a mystery, there's always a way to solve it.

After hanging up with Professor Chen Song, Lu Cheng asked Mu Nanshu to make a New Year's greeting to Xie Yuan'an.

Xie Yuan'an returned to her hometown and was eating skewers in Chengdu. Mu Nanshu immediately became interested and asked Xie Yuan'an which skewers were delicious, saying that she would eat them next time she went to Chengdu.

Xie Yuan'an then recommended some other things to Mu Nanshu.

After more than ten minutes, the topic finally came back to normal: "Sister Xie, do you know Dai Linfang?"

Xie Yuan'an replied, "Yes, we know each other, but our previous acquaintance was all a misunderstanding, just gossip."

“I actually saw his cousin before the Lunar New Year, and she is definitely the same woman in the photo. It’s definitely just people spreading rumors online.”

Mu Nanshu said, "Didn't you see the messages in the group?"

"I saw it, but didn't Brother Zhang Xibei let Lu Cheng make the choice? I was hanging out with my friends and didn't think about it that much," Xie Yuan'an replied rather carefree.

The research group has two groups. One is a large group that includes Chen Song and Tong Yuan'an, as well as the two professors' students.

The other small group consisted of young people like Lu Cheng, Zhang Xibei, and Xie Yuan'an, plus a single Professor Chen Song.

Dai Linfang sent the message in another small group.

"Professor Chen Song just saw the information and called us, saying that Dai Linfang originally went to work in another province."

"But then he came to Xiangzhou People's Hospital. I thought, since you know him, do you know where he works?"

“I feel like he’s a liar too,” Mu Nanshu said.

Xie Yuan'an, somewhat impetuous, replied, "Is that so? I'll call him and ask."

After Xie Yuan'an finished speaking, she hung up the phone immediately.

Mu Nanshu only had time to say one word: "Eh."

Lu Cheng stared wide-eyed and said, "We're sending Xie Yuan'an to investigate Dai Linfang? What if Professor Xie finds out? Won't he beat us up?"

"What's there to fight about? He works in Hunan Province, while Professor Xie works in Hubei Province. They're basically unrelated..." Mu Nanshu said.

As Mu Nanshu spoke, he got up again to peel the apple.

Lu Cheng carefully studied his shift schedule. February 27th was the 18th day of the first lunar month. Lu Cheng had a night shift on the 26th and a 24-hour day shift on the 27th.

We need to find someone to handle this.

While Lu Cheng was still reviewing the shift handover, Mu Nanshu returned. On the phone, Xie Yuan'an's voice trembled as she said, "It's all over, little Mu Mu."

"What's wrong?" Lu Cheng asked.

Mu Nanshu pointed into the phone, indicating that Xie Yuan'an should say it herself. Xie Yuan'an said, "These people are very cunning; it's a love triangle."

"Didn't there used to be a 'hostage' exchange between the power and tobacco sectors? They were doing a cross-province 'hostage' exchange."

Lu Cheng's expression hardened: "Sister Xie, would you mind explaining it more clearly?"

"It's about using connections at the same level across different systems. Dai Linfang told me that his family isn't from Hunan or Hubei provinces, but from Jiangsu province, yet he's familiar with many people in Hunan and Hubei provinces."

"His current staff is in Wuhan. He came to Xiangzhou People's Hospital to collect data for a research project."

"His dad is."

Upon hearing how complicated the relationships were, Lu Cheng quickly interrupted, "Sister Xie, that's enough, stop talking. I don't care who his father is."

"Where in Han City is his official position?"

“Zhongnan Hospital! He said he was a full-time research staff member in Professor Lan Hualuo’s research group.”

"Assigned by the research group, I went to the oncology department of Xiangzhou People's Hospital to collect some basic data for subsequent research."

Xie Yuan'an added, "However, Dai Linfang also said that he and the research group have now broken up. Currently, they are in a state of exile, which means that 90% of them are free."

"It can be used for both offense and defense."

"There's one more thing."

"No, there are two more." Xie Yuan'an hesitated before speaking.

Upon hearing this, Mu Nanshu also sensed that something was amiss: "What is it? Sister Xie, please tell me."

Xie Yuanan said, "First, Dai Linfang said that Professor Lan Hualuo is keeping an eye on our research group and will look for an opportunity to get involved, hoping to get the same starting point as Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

"The second thing is that some of the ideas my dad had when he told us last time came from Dai Linfang..."

“Dai Linfang also said that I had actually met him before, and that I had even introduced him to my father, but I had completely forgotten about it.”

"I've also forgotten about this person." Xie Yuan'an's tone was a little dazed.

Lu Cheng thought for a moment before asking, "Professor Xie and Dai Linfang had met beforehand? Why didn't he cooperate with Dai Linfang before?"

Xie Yuan'an asked directly, "Old man, Lu Cheng asked you why you didn't cooperate with Dai Linfang before."

Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu immediately covered their faces.

Professor Xie Xiao stopped pretending and said, "Didn't you think it was unreliable before? Organ function reconstruction sounds mysterious and there's no basic research on it."

“I’ve known him for several years now. I originally wanted to borrow his ideas from you when we met last time, but I never expected that you would run into the real deal the next day.”

"What a small world."

"Of course, this little Dai is indeed quite stubborn. He refused to listen to advice and indeed paid the price he deserved."

After Xie Xiao finished speaking, she cautiously added, "However, judging from the current situation, he does indeed have the confidence to be so stubborn."

"The kind of person who, once he succeeds, can enjoy a smooth and successful life all the way up."

(End of this chapter)