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

Chapter 103 Childhood Sweethearts! ~ (Bonus chapter for 700 first subscriptions)

Mu Nanshu's voice trembled with tears as she concluded, "Actually, I'm a bit slow-witted. I'm not suited for studying abroad. My abilities simply can't handle this kind of intense competition..."

Lu Cheng smiled and said, "But you got through it too, didn't you?"

"It's all about talent recruitment; they've also learned the necessary scientific research and technology."

Pursuing a master's or doctoral degree is certainly a good thing, but graduating from it is not easy.

Medical schools in the United States have strict admission and graduation requirements, and tuition fees are high. Many medical students take out loans to study and even face the risk of not being able to graduate.

"It was a struggle, graduating with average grades and average research output, simply getting a diploma."

"All I dared to think about was running back and lying down, never going to roll again!"

“I should live the life of an ordinary person. The word ‘roll’ doesn’t suit me.” After saying this, Mu Nanshu put a piece of tripe rolled with cilantro, minced garlic, and chili peppers into his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and began to chew…

Lu Cheng chuckled and said, "So do you think I'm annoying? If I had been more perceptive back then and invited you to study for your master's degree in Wuhan, you might not have had to go abroad."

"Or, if I had been more sensible and had shamelessly asked research groups for a few papers during my undergraduate years, we would probably all be graduating and working together now."

Mu Nanshu shook her head: "No... When I was studying abroad, I only had one thought: no matter what, I had to stick to the choices I made. I couldn't be willful and then waste my parents' money."

“Studying abroad is very expensive, and there are no government subsidies. It’s really expensive; at least I can’t afford it right now,” Mu Nanshu said in a calm tone.

"As for the past."

As Mu Nanshu spoke, he tossed the seaweed sprouts he had ordered into the classic spicy hot pot.

"The ones I remember most clearly are K121 and K1125, and the better ones are Z25 and Z225."

"The longest time required is 14 hours and 57 minutes, and the shortest time is 8 hours and 52 minutes."

"High-speed rail tickets are expensive... Every time you text me around 6 a.m. to say you've arrived at Jiaxing Station, I actually set my alarm for 5 a.m. every time..."

"I'd get up, wash up, and then catch the 6 a.m. subway. Those were truly carefree days; all I thought about was having fun without a care in the world..."

"But you always buy me high-speed rail tickets."

Mu Nanshu looked up and said, "Lu Cheng, aren't we being a little greedy? In college, we want to have fun together, we want our postgraduate entrance exams to go smoothly, and we want to choose a good school."

"It seems like we're not taking our competitors seriously."

Mu Nanshu and Lu Cheng's past wasn't particularly remarkable, nor was it anything dramatic or filled with vows of eternal love...

They were classmates from fifth grade of elementary school, middle school, high school, and their parents also knew each other. They also frequently traveled between the two cities during college.

Apart from the obstacle of distance, there are no other "resistances".

Mu Nanshu's parents knew Lu Cheng's family and Lu Cheng very well, and even now, they would occasionally get together during holidays.

Mu Nanshu's parents didn't tell Lu Cheng to stop looking for Mu Nanshu. They just asked him if he knew anything about her situation since Mu Nanshu hadn't called them in a long time.

Lu Cheng's grades were not bad; in fact, in the eyes of both sets of parents, Lu Cheng's grades and aptitude were much higher than Mu Nanshu's.

Naturally, Mu Nanshu's writing is also quite good...

Lu Cheng sighed, "Yeah, back then, all I thought about besides studying was having fun." "I thought that if I could turn things around in the college entrance exam, I could apply that same rule to all exams."

"If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old"—that's exactly what happened to me.

Mu Nanshu looked up and said, "But really, all we two can do is study, right?"

"Looking back, what can undergraduate medical students possibly know? Without family support and resources, which research group would take you on?"

"So the price was actually marked long ago. It's just that we didn't understand it. And for those of us who don't have much experience or family support, reading it again would yield the same result."

"Of course, things might be much better if we lower our expectations a bit."

"Fudan University Affiliated Hospital is quite exclusive. Undergraduates from our university have a huge advantage during the interview process."

"I don't have any articles either... Oh well, there's no point in talking about it now..."

"It's not that bad right now, at least you're still somewhat optimistic..."

Mu Nanshu looked at Lu Cheng and made a joke.

Lu Cheng didn't speak. At this moment, he felt at ease hearing Mu Nanshu's long-lost chattering voice, instead of the 'composure' and 'unfamiliar' feeling he had when he last saw her.

It's that kind of peace of mind that everything should feel so reassuring!
Therefore, Lu Cheng did not reply for the time being.

Seeing that Lu Cheng remained silent, Mu Nanshu suddenly lowered her head and said, "My dad said that if I want to, it's the same whether I work in a prefecture-level city hospital or at Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

"Anyway, wherever I work, he buys me a house there. They're quite good to me."

After hearing this, Lu Cheng's expression changed. He picked up the glass of ice water and gulped it down. Only after the ice water had calmed his stomach and spleen did he say:
"You're going to a city-level hospital?"

"Isn't it a waste of resources for you to go to a prefecture-level city hospital?"

Based on Lu Cheng's understanding of prefecture-level city hospitals in China, the atmosphere there is definitely not suitable for the development of a research-oriented talent like Mu Nanshu.

"There's no such thing as wasting resources or not. My current dream is just to lie down."

Mu Nanshu put down her chopsticks again and said in a soft voice, "Lu Cheng, actually, the messages I sent you weren't meant to urge you to climb the ranks. I just..."

"I just want to say that I... am actually very ordinary."

"It's not necessary for you to force your way through some ladder to the clouds or go somewhere..." Mu Nanshu had lost the coy demeanor of the little girl she used to be.

After uttering those words in a strained voice, he actually raised his head with ease.

“I contacted Xiangzhou People’s Hospital privately, and they said that if I’m willing to return to Hunan Province, they can pay for the breach of contract.” Mu Nanshu blurted out everything she wanted to say in a very urgent manner.

After Mu Nanshu returned to China, fearing that Lu Cheng would feel inferior, she took a different approach and told Lu Cheng that there was another way for him to become outstanding.

In fact, Mu Nanshu's original intention was not to make Lu Cheng climb the "ladder to the clouds," but simply to show that the "gap" between the two was not that big.

She just wanted to say that graduating was difficult for her. She was just an ordinary girl who had devoted several years of her life to her studies and 'disappeared' in order to graduate!
Even so, she still extended her studies. She really was just an ordinary girl, an ordinary girl who had known Lu Cheng for a long time...

(End of this chapter)