In Tianyue District, Peng Kun and Peng Haibo sat facing each other. After fiercely taking a drag from the cigarette in his hand, he blew smoke right in Peng Haibo's face.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible."

Peng Kun's tone was firm: "Professor Tong Yuan'an must have just come up with an excuse to brush me off."

Peng Haibo looked at Peng Kun's expression, which was so shocked it was almost grotesque, and inwardly sighed that this kid had some intelligence but a limited processing speed.

"If Professor Tong really just wanted to brush me off, he wouldn't have used such an absurd excuse."

"You yourself find it unrealistic. Don't you think Professor Tong knows this claim is ridiculous?" Peng Haibo retorted.

Peng Haibo then stubbed out his cigarette: "How could Lu Cheng have gotten involved in the research project?"

"He's not even a graduate student, yet he brought back a research project?"

Peng Kun's expression returned to normal. He thought seriously for a while before gradually calming down.

The more bizarre the excuse, the more unreliable it sounds. Sometimes it turns out to be true. Otherwise, Professor Tong Yuan'an wouldn't have come up with such a lame excuse.

"Dad, didn't you say that Lu Cheng's enrollment in the advanced training course was arranged by his girlfriend?"

"When did Lu Cheng get a girlfriend like that?" Peng Kun asked.

After Lu Cheng came to work, Peng Kun was sent off to pursue further studies. He stayed in Sha City for three years and had just returned not long ago. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Peng Kun underwent standardized training and studied for an academic master's degree, but he always learned things in clinical settings and had never been in a lab.

Nonetheless, being part of the research team, he usually attended group meetings and knew how difficult it was to apply for research projects. Even a provincial project wasn't something someone like Lu Cheng, a young attending doctor, could secure.

Tong Yuan'an would certainly not be interested in provincial projects. He must have applied for National Natural Science Foundation projects, otherwise, he wouldn't have been promoted to associate professor.

And for a project that even Professor Tong would voluntarily join as a collaborator, it must be extraordinary.

Peng Haibo shook his head: "I've never heard Lu Cheng mention a girlfriend before. I always thought he was single, with high standards..."

"Han City, Union Hospital, advanced training course."

"The training courses don't teach research projects, do they?" Peng Haibo had also participated in such advanced training courses and knew they typically teach clinical techniques. How could they have taught Lu Cheng how to do research projects?

Honestly, research projects are something quite distant from county hospitals.

In municipal hospitals, there are not many department heads who can handle research projects. This isn't a track that an average doctor can access. Only the top-tier teaching hospitals are the main participants on this track.

Of course, being distant from county hospitals doesn't mean they're not important.

County hospitals certainly want to break in, but more often than not, they're just not given a chance.

Suddenly, Peng Kun asked again: "Could it be that Professor Tong Yuan'an had long wanted to leave, and the last incident was just a trigger?"

The collaboration between Lu Cheng and Professor Tong on the research project couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment decision. It must have been planned for a while.

Peng Haibo didn't refute Peng Kun's suggestion, but instead questioned: "Even if there's a connection between the two things, aren't you the catalyst!~"

"You?"

Peng Haibo didn't know how to address Peng Kun. He could understand Peng Kun's anxiety and concerns, as Peng Kun was very unwilling to accept that he couldn't compare to Lu Cheng.

They're the same age; why are you better than me? Why can't I catch up to you?

After being surpassed by Lu Cheng, Peng Kun would think of all sorts of ways to catch up, which is actually a very normal mentality. And in Peng Haibo's view, it was Professor Tong who was being too serious about things.

"Is there any conflict between you and Lu Cheng?" Peng Haibo suddenly asked.

Peng Kun replied: "There's no real point of conflict. However, Lu Cheng has always been quite guarded with me."

"He used to teach me things but wouldn't open up."

"Now, he probably doesn't even want to teach me things anymore."

"Then find an opportunity and get in," Peng Haibo suggested.

Peng Kun glanced at Peng Haibo incredulously: "Can I even get in?"

"Even if you can't, find a way. A project that even Professor Tong Yuan'an would join mustn't be a small project."

"If you can get in, it would greatly benefit you."

Peng Haibo crossed his legs, his tone contemplative: "It would have been great if you had some connection with Lu Cheng before. Now, you're totally unprepared."

"Moreover, if those few people in the department find out about this, you won't have time to squeeze in at all." Peng Haibo's expression was sullen.

Peng Kun closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, chuckling bitterly with a shake.

He didn't hide his bitterness in front of his father. But now, even Peng Haibo couldn't soothe the chaos in his heart.

...

In the emergency department's observation room, Tian Zhuang followed closely behind Lu Cheng, holding a notebook and diligently taking notes.

The emergency department observation room wasn't like the specialized three-bed wards but was a large open ward with six beds. The internal medicine side even had larger open wards with eight beds...

"Dr. Lu, didn't my dad say you had already done your rounds?" Dr. Han Rong from respiratory medicine was slightly surprised to see Lu Cheng after approaching bed 2.

Patient 1, who had appendicitis surgery during Lu Cheng's absence, smiled and said: "Dr. Han, you might not know this, but Dr. Lu makes his rounds several times a day when he's on duty."

Lu Cheng replied: "Dr. Han, I was called to the medical department during my rounds this morning and just got back. Although other doctors have already done the rounds, I still came to take a look."

Having only checked on bed 1's situation that morning, Lu Cheng walked over to bed 2, where Han Yongshan lay: "Uncle, how are you feeling today? It doesn't hurt much anymore, does it?"