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

Chapter 24: A Blind Date Who Was 'Very Flirtatious'
In Longxian County, at midday, the scorching sun beats down once again.

The coffee shop, decorated in a pretentious style, plays slow-paced "foreign-style" music.

Lu Cheng closed his phone on the table and introduced himself with a calm smile: "My name is Lu Cheng. Aunt Wang should have introduced me to you before. I am an emergency room doctor at the county hospital."

The woman who came was a girl in her late twenties. She had a pretty face, a good figure, and an elegant demeanor. As she put down her bag, she said apologetically, "I just got off work and another parent came to ask about my grades, so I was a little delayed."

"Dr. Lu, didn't my aunt say you were an orthopedic surgeon? Why do you say you're an emergency room doctor?"

Lu Cheng is going on a blind date; teachers and doctors are a common match that many matchmakers prefer.

"I just applied to be transferred to the emergency department this month, which was yesterday. I used to work in the orthopedics department."

After offering a casual explanation, Lu Cheng asked, "Teacher Wang, are we just going through the motions today, or are we just clocking in?"

Lu Cheng had been on blind dates seventeen or eighteen times, so he was quite familiar with this kind of 'procedure'. Some people just couldn't resist their families' pressure and came to go through the motions.

The woman turned off her phone and asked curiously, "Dr. Lu, I'm here for a normal blind date, not to clock in or go through the motions."

"Why did you transfer from orthopedics to the emergency department? Orthopedics is a great department, and the salary is higher."

"The emergency room is tiring and doesn't pay much?"

Lu Cheng's eyebrows twitched: "You also think that orthopedics has a high income? That's true, but the situation is a little different in our hospital."

"The hospital's staffing system is based on differential performance, with redistribution based on performance points. However, there are five associate chief physicians in our department. I'm just a junior attending physician... so my performance bonus has nothing to do with me..."

"That's why I went to the emergency room."

Wang Xinyue suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I see... Dr. Lu, what are your career plans for the future? Have you ever thought about going out and exploring the world?"

This is also a common problem in blind dates. Teachers who stay in the county town are generally content with their lot and do not want their blind date to travel and waste their time.

Lu Cheng shook his head: "There are no such plans for the time being."

“Temporarily? That means you might have to work outside in the future?” Wang Xinyue wasn’t surprised.

"That's not out of the question. Mainly, you don't learn much at the county hospital, and there aren't many surgeries. Patients with even slightly complicated cases are quickly wheeled away...it's a bit like being a high-level patient guide..."

"Of course, it's not like I can just leave whenever I want."

"Medicine is very complicated."

"Without a degree, there is no stepping stone to 'elegance'."

"It's okay, I won't get a sinecure anyway."

"Without cases and without learning opportunities, it's impossible to acquire skills that others don't have."

"So it can only be a one-sided thought," Lu Cheng replied.

The medical field has very high barriers to entry. Although it relies on one's abilities, one needs to acquire skills that are "irreplaceable by ordinary people." This requires learning from a teacher; it cannot be acquired through "self-study."

Learning, practicing, and mastering any skill requires years of painstaking effort...

“You can take the postgraduate entrance exam! Many of my medical classmates have taken the exam or even pursued doctorates.” Wang Xinyue didn’t seem to regard this blind date as a “formal blind date”; she just seemed to want to find someone to chat with.

Lu Chengdu laughed: "I've never taken the exam before. Now that I'm so old, when will I have the chance to take the postgraduate entrance exam again?"

Of course, Lu Cheng added, "Well, actually, pursuing a master's or doctoral degree isn't something you can just do whenever you want. Every year, a large number of recent and past graduates take the postgraduate entrance exam, but only a small fraction of them actually get accepted."

Wang Xinyue asked with great interest, "Dr. Lu, when you took the postgraduate entrance exam, did you encounter any unfair treatment?"

Lu Cheng fell silent for a full minute: "I don't think so."

Wang Xinyue said, "I heard you used to go to Han City University, where you were a top student. How could you not have passed the postgraduate entrance exam?"

While Han City University ranks among the top ten in the country overall, its medical program, though not particularly strong, still has very high admission scores.

"Medicine is an empirical discipline, and postgraduate and doctoral entrance exams don't have much to do with studying," Lu Cheng said casually. Then he added, "Professor Wang, let's talk about something else."

"Let me briefly introduce my basic situation. I will turn 30 in September. I own a mortgaged house and my car was purchased in full for over 100,000 yuan."

"Smokes, doesn't drink, doesn't chew betel nut, has no dating experience...has been on over ten blind dates..." "Teacher Wang, do you have any other questions?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xinyue raised an eyebrow slightly: "Dr. Lu, Teacher Wang has something to do today. Actually, my name is Han Jingyi..."

Lu Cheng remained calm: "Then, Teacher Han, please ask the questions for me."

There are many forms of blind dates: friends come, parents come, and even the boyfriend comes in person...

Han Jingyi thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Dr. Lu, would you mind if we went on a different blind date?"

Lu Cheng's expression flickered.

Women these days seem to have an absurd number of tricks up their sleeves.

Lu Cheng: "..."

After looking closely, Lu Cheng discovered that the girl sitting opposite him was also a beauty. She had a classic oval face, naturally long eyebrows that didn't need drawing, large, bright black eyes, a well-defined nose, and a long neck...

He didn't know if the other party was testing him, but since they were already playing these tricks, Lu Cheng didn't need to treat them like a 'person'!
"Okay then!" Lu Cheng's smile was a little forced.

"Dr. Lu, would you mind if your blind date had a higher degree than you and was also in the same profession?" Han Jingyi asked.

"Are you a doctor too?" Lu Cheng looked at the girl opposite him with surprise.

Han Jingyi lowered her head slightly, keeping a low profile: "Well, I guess so, Dr. Lu. I'm currently just an academic PhD student, and this is my first year of doctoral studies..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng asked, "Dr. Han, you weren't sent by Teacher Wang to test me, were you?"

"Actually, it's not necessary. If she doesn't want to go on a blind date, she can just reply to a message. There's no need to go through all this trouble."

Han Jingyi looked up, shook her head, and replied, "No, Senior Brother Lu... Take another look? Do you remember me?"

Lu Cheng looked at Han Jingyi again, but couldn't place her in his mind. However, the fact that she called him "senior brother" made Lu Cheng feel a little awkward.

"I really don't remember," Lu Cheng said.

"Han City University, Zhongnan Hospital, Orthopedics Ward 2..."

"Back then, you were a resident physician, and I was Professor Lan's research assistant," Han Jingyi explained earnestly.

"You still ranked first in the written test for Huashan Hospital in Shanghai."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng's eyes became even clearer: "Han? What are you doing here? Are you also from Xiangzhou?"

Han Jingyi shook her head, her eyes clear: "No, I'm from Feng County next door. Wang Xinyue and I were high school classmates. After graduation, I came to Long County and took the civil service exam. She said she had a blind date but didn't want to come."

"Let me cover for her. I happen to be on vacation, and when I saw it was you, senior, I came in."

"Senior Brother Lu, why didn't you try to retake the exam? Your grades were so good..." Han Jingyi asked.

Lu Cheng and Han Jingyi were old acquaintances, so he replied, "Young and impetuous, without experiencing the harsh realities of society, he thought that even without a good mentor, he could still make a name for himself."

"Look, he was beaten down like a drowning dog, and he can't even stay in his original orthopedics department anymore."

Medicine is an empirical discipline. Without good teachers to guide you and enough case studies to support you, even the best talent is useless, let alone having any qualifications!

Even if the system is awakened, it's useless without patients.

"Looking back, I shouldn't have been so ambitious. I should have honestly taken the entrance exam for our college or decided to try again." Lu Cheng's voice was slightly melancholy, but not too downcast.

Having some talent might not be enough to support Lu Cheng's 'arrogance', but having a system might be just as helpful.

"Senior Brother Lu, I heard that you applied to Fudan University for both the college entrance exam and the postgraduate entrance exam. Are you so fixated on Fudan University? Is there some secret behind it?" Han Jingyi asked casually.

Lu Cheng straightened up slightly, carefully looked the person up and down, narrowed his eyes, and said with amusement, "Dr. Han, are you here for a blind date or to gossip? I have a feeling your intentions aren't quite pure."

Han Jingyi nodded thoughtfully in a certain direction: "Actually, both are true... I was actually assigned to do it too."

Lu Cheng turned her head and saw a more mature-looking but familiar figure sitting there. As soon as Lu Cheng looked over, she became nervous again, just like before...

(End of this chapter)