Chapter 184: Like Senior Brother Nameless
“Brother Zhang, could I trouble you to ask Director Lin? My situation is indeed quite special. If I run, it wouldn’t look good,” Lu Cheng politely replied.
Although something big happened at Long County People’s Hospital, that was an issue at the hospital level and would not directly involve a small fry like Lu Cheng.
If an attending physician like Lu Cheng were to be investigated, the hospital wouldn’t be able to function.
In the competition, Lu Cheng won first prize. If he doesn’t show up to claim it, whose face would Long County People’s Hospital be trying to save?
Zhang Tiesheng quickly replied, “No need to ask. Just go ahead and claim your prize over there.”
“If a situation arises where a professor calls Director Lin to demand someone, Director Lin would also have a difficult time handling it.”
“Holy crap, it’s really first prize??? Not a forged seal?” Zhang Tiesheng was at a loss.
Because Zhang Tiesheng knew very well that for a provincial-level competition like this, it was uncertain whether contestants from Xiangzhou People’s Hospital could even win a trophy.
For Lu Cheng to win first prize, when even a third prize would be amazing, was almost unbelievable in Xiangzhou. No one had ever achieved this before.
“Brother Zhang, I’ll chat with you when I get back. It’s getting late.”
“If there’s anything, I’ll have to trouble you to let me know again.” Lu Cheng was away from his department and couldn’t return immediately, so he would definitely have to trouble a senior colleague.
After Lu Cheng sent his message, Zeng Huanqi also sent him a similar one.
Although it was a beat late, Zeng Huanqi genuinely told Lu Cheng about the matter.
Moreover, Zeng Huanqi brought some new information: “Lu Cheng, according to hearsay, Director Lin has already been taken in for questioning by the county’s Discipline Inspection Commission.”
“However, the people from the lab department were taken by the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission…”
“…”
This is how the adult world works. If something significant doesn’t happen, it doesn’t. But once it does, it can come in waves, and there’s no precedent to follow.
Whether it was what Professor Tan Zhongyuan relayed or what Mu Nanshu told Lu Cheng, both were enough to leave Lu Cheng speechless.
Now, with such a major incident happening at his original workplace, Lu Cheng truly didn’t know how to handle it temporarily, nor did he have any reference material.
Lu Cheng glanced at Tong Yuan’an. Before Professor Tong could speak, Lu Cheng told Mu Nanshu about what happened in Long County.
Mu Nanshu was also quite surprised: “???”
“The Central Inspection Team actually went to Long County?”
Lu Cheng: “These messages were sent by both Zhang Tiesheng and Zeng Huanqi simultaneously, so they shouldn’t be fake.”
The situation was urgent, so Lu Cheng didn’t bother with logical replies: “But I definitely can’t go back right now, and this matter probably won’t involve me.”
Mu Nanshu thought for a while before replying, “These kinds of things only affect the big players. Us little fish and shrimp won’t even appear on their target list.”
“Don’t overthink it for now, get some rest. You’ve had quite a day.”
“We’ll see the specific situation tomorrow. I’ll buy the earliest high-speed train ticket for tomorrow…”
Lu Cheng: “Aren’t you supposed to be working on a research project with Xie Yuan’an?”
“Although her project is also urgent, it’s not as urgent as your situation.”
“Besides, we really need to calm down and think about the current situation. After starting our careers, personnel competition and the focus of academic development are far more complicated than the master’s assessments we faced before.”
“We need to discuss these matters thoroughly in person.”
“Get some rest, I’m going to sleep too.” Mu Nanshu finished her reply and ended the conversation.
“Okay, alright.” Lu Cheng didn’t dwell on it further.
Since Mu Nanshu decided to come, she would definitely come.
Lu Cheng felt quite happy, not because he remembered the LSP matter, but because he could feel 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 valet fee on his mobile phone, they walked towards the hotel.
It was late, and although the lights were still bright, the distant lights were obscured by a hazy mist, making the light appear faint.
The lights in the hotel were also dim, making the visibility less than bright.
After Lu Cheng entered, he realized he had stepped on someone’s foot.
“Uh, sorry! ~ Sorry,” Lu Cheng instinctively apologized in his direction.
Upon clearly seeing the young man’s stance, Lu Cheng realized that the youth standing beside him had deliberately extended his right foot to block him.
It was just that the distance might not have been adjusted precisely, and it ended up right under his foot. He was sitting on a round stool, his eyes wide open, as if they were about to pop out.
His originally downward-sloping eyebrows had turned upward, his nostrils flared rapidly, clearly in extreme pain…
Tong Yuan’an glanced over and said, “Buddy, were you trying to trip someone on purpose?”
Lu Cheng had already retracted his foot and stepped forward, saying, “Brother, how are you feeling?”
“What do you think?” The youth immediately gasped and glared at him.
Lu Cheng was an adult, weighing around 120 kilograms. A full stomp like that would definitely hurt.
“I’m really sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going when I came in.”
“Teacher Tong, you should go back first.” Lu Cheng turned to Tong Yuan’an, mainly because it was getting late.
Tong Yuan’an was a bit worried about Lu Cheng being taken advantage of: “Young man, your stance is also a bit off. If my student hadn’t stepped on you, you would have tripped him.”
“It’s not a big deal. If you feel uncomfortable, you can go to the hospital for a check-up. We’ll cover the medical examination fees?”
“Do you want us to call you a taxi?”
The youth withdrew his foot and stood up with some difficulty: “Forget it… Help me sit over there first, let me see how bad it is.”
“If it’s not serious, there’s no need to go to the hospital.”
“But if it’s very serious, then I’ll have to get it checked. I was just sitting here for a nap, I didn’t expect anyone to come in.”
“Do you think I’m intentionally sitting here to extort you?” the youth said to Tong Yuan’an with annoyance.
The youth’s tone wasn’t overly aggressive, so Tong Yuan’an didn’t escalate the situation. He was mainly worried that Lu Cheng was too honest and might get taken advantage of in an unfamiliar place.
Since the other party didn’t seem to want trouble, he couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss.
Of course, Tong Yuan’an had no intention of going upstairs directly.
Lu Cheng helped the youth to a nearby chair. The hotel receptionist heard the commotion and quickly came to check the situation.
The youth took off his shoe. His foot was indeed a bit red, but under Lu Cheng’s examination, no fractures or other issues were found, as his range of motion was normal.
It wasn’t a stomping jump, so the soft tissue damage was also extremely limited.
“Sir, it doesn’t look very serious. How do you intend to handle this? Would you like to go to the hospital for a detailed examination?”
“I see this young man is quite reasonable. We can all compromise a bit.” The hotel staff’s voice was very amiable, trying to de-escalate the situation.
“Alright, alright, it’s fine, it’s fine. You can go. I won’t cause trouble for him.” The youth waved his hand and started putting on his shoe, his tone somewhat impatient.
“Brother, I’m really sorry.” Lu Cheng smiled apologetically.
The youth didn’t reply. After tying his shoelaces, he suddenly looked up arrogantly and said out of the blue, “Are you sure you don’t know me?”
Lu Cheng was bewildered. He recalled carefully, “Brother? What do you mean?”
“I’m here to find you. My name is Zhang Boyuan.” The youth stood up, turned sideways, put his hands behind his back, looking rather unfathomable.
However, Zhang Boyuan stood with his back turned for a full half-minute without hearing Lu Cheng’s reply. When he turned back, he saw Lu Cheng’s expression, as if he were looking at an idiot.
“I pursued my doctorate at Huashan Hospital. My name is Zhang Boyuan.” Zhang Boyuan was losing his composure, his eyes darting around.
Lu Cheng still slowly shook his head, “Brother… perhaps I’ve forgotten. I really have no recollection.”
“You’re looking for me, what for?”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Zhang Boyuan’s emotions suddenly flared up. His expression contorted for a while, and after coughing a few times, he finally said, “You don’t even recognize your senior brother?”
Lu Cheng took two steps back, “Brother, although I call you ‘brother,’ let’s not presume too much familiarity.”
Senior brother?
Zhang Boyuan gritted his teeth and blurted out three words: “Dong Qilang!”
Lu Cheng’s expression finally changed, and he began to examine the newcomer seriously.
Dong Qilang was a name Mu Nanshu had told Lu Cheng nearly half a year after her master’s re-examination.
Dong Qilang was a professor in the Trauma Surgery department at Huashan Hospital. According to Mu Nanshu, Professor Dong Qilang had initially agreed to take Lu Cheng as his student. However, before the master’s re-examination, he died in the line of duty due to a sudden myocardial infarction during surgery.
A myocardial infarction during surgery is something even Huashan Hospital couldn’t save him from; it wasn’t due to their lack of skill, but because the condition is extremely dangerous.
“Such jokes are not to be made.” Lu Cheng’s expression immediately became stern.
Although Lu Cheng and Professor Dong Qilang had no master-disciple connection, from Mu Nanshu’s account, Lu Cheng confirmed that Professor Dong was his teacher, and not just an ordinary one.
Even though he later failed the re-examination, since Professor Dong had passed away, he couldn’t have foreseen future events.
If Professor Dong were still alive, Lu Cheng believed that a distinguished professor like him would have no reason to deceive Mu Nanshu, a young girl.
“What kind of jokes do you think I’m playing?”
“Hey, before you chose your mentor, didn’t you inquire about our group? You don’t recognize me?” Zhang Boyuan seemed to be losing his composure.
“I only found out later that Teacher Dong had agreed to take me,” Lu Cheng shook his head. “Before the re-examination, I didn’t even know Teacher Dong would be my mentor.”
Zhang Boyuan cursed, “Hey? Who are you trying to fool?”
“Is this WeChat yours?” Zhang Boyuan took out his mobile phone and showed Lu Cheng the contact, his expression as if he were looking at a scumbag.
Lu Cheng （ Class of ’15 Junior Brother, Han University ）.
The name was his, and the year matched, but this WeChat was not Lu Cheng’s; it belonged to Mu Nanshu.
Lu Cheng was familiar with Mu Nanshu’s profile picture.
“Senior Brother Zhang… this WeChat belongs to my girlfriend.” Many years had passed, but Lu Cheng still intended to tell the truth.
“Your girlfriend? The person who was chatting with me before was your girlfriend???” Zhang Boyuan’s tone was explosive, and his expression was also explosive.
“Likely,” Lu Cheng replied.
Zhang Boyuan’s expression shifted for a while before he slowly closed his eyes to process the amusing fact.
Lu Cheng took the initiative to ask, “Senior Brother Zhang, did you come specifically to find me today?”
Zhang Boyuan nodded, his arrogance completely gone. “Yes, you’ve been targeted. Professor Chen couldn’t withstand the pressure and sold me out.”
“After receiving a call from Director Xiang in our department, I decided to come and see you in advance.”
Zhang Boyuan looked at Lu Cheng’s increasingly confused expression and decided to be direct, “You don’t need to consider any conspiracy theories. I did ask Brother Chen to look after you.”
“But you don’t need to be constrained by that. We brothers are all in the same boat now and should help each other…”
Zhang Boyuan’s words contained a lot of information, so Lu Cheng took a while to digest it before asking, “Senior Brother, are you implying that the reason Professor Chen Song has been so good to me is because you put in a word?”
“Otherwise? Do you think Brother Chen owes you something?” Zhang Boyuan asked.
“It was actually a coincidence. He happened to be doing rural work, and we were drinking together when he recommended you to me.”
“When I heard it, many pieces of information matched up, and the age was about right.”
“There might be two Lu Chengs at Han University, but having the same name in the same year and same department is extremely rare.”
“What are you doing?” Zhang Boyuan’s tone became a bit strained as he saw Lu Cheng slowly closing his eyes, feigning a profound look.
Lu Cheng slowly opened his eyes. “Senior Brother, I’m not doing anything. I’m just slowly digesting a cruel truth. I originally thought… it was because I was good enough…”
Lu Cheng didn’t finish his sentence, but he felt a bit disappointed at that moment.
He had thought that meeting Chen Song meant meeting the best teacher, that it was his absolute talent that garnered Professor Chen Song’s favor, and that it was all unrelated to worldly matters.
Professor Chen Song had seen his potential, and based on this, he found solace when he felt ‘wronged’ at Xiehe Hospital.
But he hadn’t expected that it would ultimately be attributed to social connections and the basic operating rules of this world.
This world is still that giant makeshift stage; two people without a cause and effect wouldn’t develop love or hate for no reason.
Zhang Boyuan understood Lu Cheng and mused, stroking his chin, “Of course, in essence, it’s still because you yourself are strong enough that all this has happened.”
“I only played a tiny, tiny, tiny role. You don’t need to feel disappointed.”
Lu Cheng looked up and changed the subject, “Senior Brother, are you working at the Second Affiliated Hospital now?”
Lu Cheng’s casual question made Zhang Boyuan fall silent.
Zhang Boyuan’s eyebrows furrowed for a while before slowly smoothing out. He replied with a sudden realization, “Yes, your senior brother isn’t doing very well now; in fact, he’s doing worse than you, an undergraduate student.”
“If you don’t want to acknowledge me, I won’t force you. This is actually better; it makes things less difficult for me.”
“Director Xiang called me this afternoon and asked me to arrange for us to have dinner together tomorrow afternoon. Me coming to find you is a business engagement. You decide.”
Zhang Boyuan, of course, had ulterior motives and was being sarcastic.
“Hey, Senior Brother, I don’t mean what you’re implying. I’m just too surprised,” Lu Cheng quickly explained.
Before this, Lu Cheng didn’t even know of Zhang Boyuan’s existence, so he naturally wouldn’t be sarcastic about why Zhang Boyuan would work at Xiangya Second Hospital.
“If you have a choice, try to go to a better unit. Although it’s more brutal, there will be less social maneuvering.”
“The factions and hierarchies are not so deeply entrenched,” Zhang Boyuan said wistfully, not giving explicit advice, but offering Lu Cheng sound counsel.
Factions and hierarchies, esteemed lineages – these were terms Lu Cheng had previously only heard through hearsay, in television dramas and novels.
Lu Cheng had a question in his heart, “Senior Brother, may I ask you a rather pertinent question?”
“You say that Xiangya Second Hospital has a tight hierarchy. Then why weren’t you able to stay at Huashan Hospital before?”
“Wasn’t it also because Teacher Dong passed away?”
There are some truths that one must understand as an adult.
The difference between a doctoral student with and without a mentor is completely different, both in terms of graduation and job hunting.
Zhang Boyuan said, “My mentor previously preferred students with a clinical focus and emphasized that during recruitment. Our training was also geared towards that.”
“With my mentor gone, other professors won’t adhere to the rules he set. They won’t care about my research output.”
“Among senior professors, different people have different philosophies on the development of medicine, and their choices will be vastly different.”
“But there are also advantages to being at the Second Affiliated Hospital. If you’re willing to make sacrifices, you can do very well here too.”
“After all, you have a good appearance. If you could become the son-in-law of a wealthy family, your career could develop very smoothly,” Zhang Boyuan said, then completely dropped the topic.
“Think about it yourself. I’ll call you again tomorrow. Make your decision based on your own inner choices and weigh the pros and cons.”
After speaking, Zhang Boyuan was about to leave.
Because he had been interacting with Lu Cheng for a while, and Tong Yuan’an from Xiangya Hospital was waiting for Lu Cheng nearby, he wanted to avoid being recognized and getting himself involved.
“Senior Brother, thank you for your reminder. Can we exchange WeChat contacts?” Lu Cheng quickly asked.
Zhang Boyuan nodded naturally, “You can add my WeChat anytime. I give it to patients and their families if they ask.”
After exchanging contact information, Lu Cheng sent his name as a note and confirmed Zhang Boyuan’s name before bidding him farewell.
“Was the matter resolved? Did he try to extort you?” Tong Yuan’an asked Lu Cheng.
“No, Brother Zhang was quite reasonable,” Lu Cheng replied.
“I added his contact information, and he’ll contact me if there are any issues later. It was just a foot stomp, so there shouldn’t be any special circumstances.”
Tong Yuan’an thought for a moment before saying, “Be careful of being extorted, but since he didn’t call the police, it’s hard for us to fix the evidence.”
“You’d better go to the hotel and secure the surveillance footage.”
“Okay, Teacher Tong. Tomorrow. It’s just a minor matter.” Lu Cheng did not tell Tong Yuan’an about the conversation between him and Zhang Boyuan.
Lu Cheng went up to his hotel room and closed his door. Zhang Boyuan then sent Lu Cheng several very long replies.
The messages were messy and disorganized. The first part roughly introduced the few senior brothers currently in their mentor group; there were about five or six in contact, but they were all scattered and rarely connected.
The second part was Zhang Boyuan’s rough introduction to Lu Cheng about the ‘schemes’ of Xiang Dongshan, the “Big Boss” of Xiangya Second Hospital. He had persuaded Professor Chen Song, and Chen Song had then sold out Zhang Boyuan.
Given the brilliance of Lu Cheng’s original techniques, Xiang Dongshan intended to poach talent from Xiehe Hospital.
The third part was Zhang Boyuan explaining to Lu Cheng the “favorable” evidence that Professor Xiang Dongshan possessed, including but not limited to the fact that Professor Zhong Junyun from Xiangya Hospital had treated Lu Cheng as a “mistress” or backup.
The fourth part: “If you ever have the chance to meet Cao Qiheng, be wary of him. Your Senior Brother Cao might be quite cunning, and you might not be able to handle him.”
The fifth part: “Actually, it’s not impossible for you to come to Xiangya Second Hospital. There’s a fellow villager from Long County in the Emergency Department who is about to retire.”
“Given the sentiment of fellow villagers, he should be very happy to see someone from his hometown develop well and be willing to offer some support.”
“In other aspects, compared to Xiehe Hospital, it’s rather disappointing.”
These words were very realistic; not a single one was meant for mutual flattery or biased support of Lu Cheng.
The sixth part: “Delete this conversation after reading. Boss Xiang and the others won’t be able to restore our chat records from the TX backend.”
After reading, Lu Cheng tried to send a message to Zhang Boyuan, and as expected, a red exclamation mark appeared.
Lu Cheng took a deep breath, reread Zhang Boyuan’s messages several times, memorized the core points, and then deleted Zhang Boyuan’s contact.
He hadn’t even had a chance to exchange pleasantries.
Lu Cheng truly understood Zhang Boyuan’s good intentions – it was about finding strength in numbers.
When a tree falls, its monkeys scatter.
After Professor Dong’s unexpected death, not only would the standards for master’s re-examination at Huashan Hospital shift, but the recruitment standards would also change.
This was likely the main reason why Zhang Boyuan, Senior Brother Chen Zhuoheng, and others were unable to remain at Huashan Hospital and were now scattered in different places.
If Professor Dong were still alive, Zhang Boyuan and the others’ primary focus on clinical practice would not have been in vain, because Professor Dong could have provided backing at Huashan Hospital, and he had his own recruitment preferences.
With Professor Dong gone, it was impossible for other professors to continue upholding Professor Dong Qilang’s recruitment philosophy.
Lu Cheng glanced at the chat page with Professor Chen Song. Their last conversation was about a week prior to October 17th.
Lu Cheng smiled even more comfortably.
The principle that there are no unprovoked loves or hates in this world simplified the rules.
“Goodnight,” Lu Cheng sent a message to Mu Nanshu.
“Goodnight, see you tomorrow,” Mu Nanshu replied.
