Chapter 198: A Visit Brings Surprises

Life isn’t just about one college entrance exam. You’ll find yourself climbing one mountain after another, again and again.

Every time you conquer a peak or get past an obstacle, you emerge stronger.

It’s through piling up efforts one after another that you eventually become more powerful.

So honestly, it’s never too late in life to start working hard.

This time, Zhou Can just has to pass the clinical medicine comprehensive exam, and it’ll become a real turning point for him—a complete transformation. He might even take a shortcut around the competition and surpass plenty of graduate students.

After all, there are quite a few postgraduate students who can’t pass the Physician’s Certificate exam.

Some are even worse off, failing two years in a row—forced to go study at the local health bureau before they get another shot.

……

The days slipped by, busy as ever. Zhou Can spent nearly every minute either working or studying, barely squeezing in time for meals or even bathroom breaks.

Bit by bit, Zhou Can’s position in the Gastroenterology Department became more and more secure.

Whether sitting in on consultations with Dr. Jia, managing patients in the inpatient unit, or assisting with all sorts of surgeries in the operating room, he always stood out.

His understanding of digestive diseases and their treatment was advancing rapidly.

Finally, the clinical exam day arrived.

He’d already been notified to report for the test tomorrow.

Although time was short and he couldn’t prepare as thoroughly as he wanted, Zhou Can was still full of confidence.

Nearly two months of intensive patch-up work on his basic medical knowledge was paying off.

He’d already cleared his schedule with Dr. Jia, and figured the whole process would take about two days.

After returning to the apartment and barely sitting down, he heard a knock at the door.

It was soft—almost delicate.

Could it be Su Qianqian?

She’d come by his apartment plenty lately, so she was already at home here. She rarely gave him advance notice. She liked to surprise him.

“Coming! Coming!”

Zhou Can hurried over and opened the door.

Standing outside was a stunning woman, her face carrying a gentle smile.

A unique and elegant fragrance lingered around her—a fresh, refined perfume that was almost soothing.

“Senior Qiu!”

Zhou Can was taken aback.

How did she find his apartment?

“What’s wrong, am I not welcome?” Qiu Hong asked with a playful smile, her gaze darting into the room. She didn’t spot anyone else.

“Of course you’re welcome! You’re a rare guest!”

He swung the door fully open, inviting her in.

“Didn’t I mention last time that I wanted to ask you about practicing surgical skills? I finally gathered the nerve to come. On the way, I saw some fresh tangerines for sale and picked some up. Hope you like them.”

She didn’t come empty-handed—she brought a gift.

It’s just basic courtesy.

It’s actually rude to show up at someone’s place empty-handed.

Any little gift is better than nothing.

“You didn’t need to bring anything! You’re my senior. Just visiting is a huge honor for me.”

Zhou Can accepted the bag she brought. The tangerines were all fresh and large.

She’s the thoughtful type.

Most girls are detail-oriented like that.

Of course, there are also some who are the opposite—straightforward and carefree.

“Sorry about the mess in here. If you’d told me you were coming, I’d have tidied up a bit.”

Living with Jin Mingxi, both of them were insanely busy every day.

Aside from basic cleaning, neither had time to keep things super organized.

“Haha, don’t worry about it. For two guys, this place is already impressively tidy.”

She sat down, her bright eyes idly scanning the layout of the room.

There was nothing interesting about the beds.

Besides, for a girl to stare at a guy’s bed would feel pretty awkward. Her gaze swept over quickly, landing on their practice surgery tables.

Jin Mingxi wasn’t exactly loaded, so his practice tools were pretty basic.

Most of the time, when Zhou Can wasn’t using his own equipment, Jin Mingxi would borrow it.

“Let me make you some tea!”

Zhou Can started brewing a cup for her.

There was a water dispenser in the apartment with hot water around the clock.

You just had to buy bottled water and hook it up.

Some med students struggling financially just boiled tap water to drink.

Zhou Can never had money problems and always looked out for Jin Mingxi.

He’d never make Jin pitch in for something as trivial as bottled water.

But Jin Mingxi was stubborn about not taking advantage. He’d always find clever ways to return the favor.

Taking the tea, she settled back in her seat and said with a smile, “No wonder your surgical skills are so good—I’m guessing that’s your table on the left?”

“Haha, Senior Qiu, you’re as sharp as ever. Nothing gets past you.”

Zhou Can was pretty satisfied with his practice setup.

If he could pull off full sterile conditions, he could use these instruments to do plenty of minor operations already.

“Do you often practice your surgical skills here after work?” Qiu Hong asked, her reason for coming clear.

His performance in the operating room really was eye-catching, not just excelling in one thing but being outstanding across the board.

Even as an attending physician, she felt she couldn’t compare.

The skill gap between them was massive.

That’s why, as soon as she got off work a little early, she rushed over to find Zhou Can.

“I used to practice a lot, but lately, I’ve been wrapped up in preparing for the big exam—not much time for extra practice.”

Honestly, he didn’t have any revolutionary tricks to teach her.

Just the standard ways everyone used.

She took a tiny sip of her tea, her face suddenly lighting up with surprise. “Wow, this tea is something else! I had some at a professor’s place once. Heard from classmates that this tea goes for tens of thousands per ounce.”

Good stuff never lacks someone who can recognize it.

Senior Qiu picked up on it right away.

“It’s a gift from someone else. If you like it, I’ll send you home with a little.”

This tea came from Mr. Cui and his wife Yi Qin, who ran a foreign trade company. Zhou Can helped design their villa’s living room last time, and it turned out great.

Mr. Cui told him that bringing foreign clients home for business worked wonders thanks to the renovation.

To thank him, Mr. Cui sent over some of this tea.

Giving cash would just feel tacky.

People with money almost never try to bribe someone with cash directly.

It’s tacky and leaves evidence—no one wants to take it.

These days, with anti-corruption policies getting tighter, bribery is practically an art form. People use discreet methods, running things through several layers until it all looks legit on paper.

Some of the really crafty ones run it through ten layers or more to turn it into legal income.

Unless police really dig deep, nothing usually happens.

Zhou Can’s family was well off, so he recognized the quality of this tea.

To him, a friend giving a gift worth ten or twenty grand wasn’t a big deal.

When he visited Mr. Cui’s house, he never arrived empty-handed either.

Upper-middle-class folks just operate this way.

Giving a wedding gift of tens of thousands or sending a pricey present when visiting is totally normal.

People in that income bracket make at least a million a month—give something too cheap and it’ll go straight into the trash.

Or they’ll think you’re not serious.

“Haha, there’s no way I could afford tea this expensive! Just getting a cup while learning from you is already a huge steal for me.”

She quickly refused, laughing it off.

But now she was even more curious about Zhou Can’s background.

It’s not unheard of for some doctors to secretly be loaded.

But, most doctors are somewhere in the middle—not poor, not truly wealthy.

Monthly income can range anywhere from ten grand to over a hundred grand.

Resident doctors don’t count, though.

Some residents earn as little as a few thousand.

At some hospitals, if things are slow, they might just get a basic salary for months on end.

While they were chatting, Jin Mingxi came home from work.

He poked his head in and spotted the beautiful woman.

He figured Zhou Can must have a new girlfriend. It surprised him a bit, but he never meddled in other people’s business.

Guys—how many aren’t at least a little flirty?

“Old Jin, off work already!”

Zhou Can greeted him.

“This is Dr. Qiu Hong from Gastrointestinal Surgery—my senior. And this is my roommate, Dr. Jin Mingxi.”

He introduced them.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

They nodded politely.

“Uh… I just came back to grab a file. Gotta work late tonight—won’t be home until really late.” Jin caught on right away—he was hinting at Zhou Can.

Don’t worry, he wouldn’t bother their ‘private time.’

He even winked at Zhou Can as he said it.

“Hey, don’t go! I’ve got questions for you!” Zhou Can called after him.

This guy’s mind always jumped to weird places. Just because Zhou brought a beautiful woman home…

Was Zhou really that type?

“Even if you do have to work late, wait a bit before leaving. Otherwise, if Qian Qian comes and finds you gone, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

He whispered to Jin.

“Isn’t she your new girlfriend? If I stick around, how can you make your move?”

Jin whispered back.

“Yeah right! You think I’m that type? She stopped by to ask about surgical practice. She’s already here—I can’t just send her away. You’ve got to stick around and help me until she leaves, then you can go.”

Zhou Can seemed easygoing, but he always knew the line between right and wrong.

A gentleman’s heart is always open.

It’s almost evening—being alone in the apartment with a female coworker just isn’t ideal.

If Su Qianqian found out, maybe she’d brush it off with a smile, but she’d still feel a sting inside.

In relationships—whether friends or partners—trust is key.

So you can’t do anything that even has a chance of shaking that trust.

“Alright, I’ll stay. But just saying, I won’t play the third wheel. If this lady really has feelings for you—she’s gorgeous after all—maybe you should just go for it.”

Jin Mingxi’s thinking was wild.

Looks like something might really be going on between him and that girl named Yezi.

“Come on—you can’t just collect girls like it’s the old days!”

After a few more words with Jin, Zhou headed back to the main room.

Jin followed him in.

Feeling a bit awkward, Jin said, “Man, my memory’s getting worse with age. Nearly forgot I had to finish sorting some files. I’ll just sit over there—won’t get in your way, will I?”

He was talking to Qiu Hong, naturally.

“Of course not! I just came to ask Junior Zhou for some pointers. His surgical skills are amazing—I figured his practice methods must be special.”

Qiu Hong was smart and could read between the lines. She understood immediately, and was quick to clear things up to avoid any misunderstanding.

“Haha, when it comes to Zhou Can’s surgery skills, I’m honestly impressed. He works hard, practices all the time, and stays focused. I don’t slack off either, but somehow, I just keep getting left in the dust. Isn’t it frustrating?”

His words got a laugh out of Qiu Hong.

That little awkwardness in the room faded away.

“Ha, so I’m not the only one who feels completely outclassed by Zhou! I definitely came to the right place—gotta squeeze every bit of experience out of him tonight.”

Qiu glanced again at Zhou Can.

“Could you do a quick demo—how do you usually practice?”

“Sure! Just hope you’re not disappointed once you see it.”

Zhou Can didn’t have any mice or pigskin to practice with at the moment, so he took out the training device for placement and grasping techniques.

He sat at the practice table, demonstrating how to pick up soybeans with forceps and place them in the simulated insertion point.

“See? This is the basic practice. I used to buy little white mice and pigskin for suturing and vascular anastomosis. Don’t have those today, so I can’t do that. As for incision practice, I usually slice up carrots—back when I was pushing hard, I’d go through whole sacks of them.”

After he finished, he looked at her.

“Honestly, I rarely practice those advanced techniques like grasping or placing. But watching you, it really all comes down to using the standard methods and being willing to invest in better tools and practice objects.”

She seemed a little let down.

Nothing about Zhou Can’s practice really stood out to her.

He used the most common practice methods.

Some surgeons use even more varied techniques—like knot tying on cotton, carving on rice grains, and so on.

“There are no shortcuts in medicine. It’s all about time, effort, and spending real money. The fastest way to improve surgical skills is still practicing directly on patients.”

Zhou Can shared his experience.

He still remembered the nerves he felt the first time he stitched up a patient’s skin.

After enough experience, he wasn’t so nervous. His mindset gradually calmed and he grew more confident.

“My basic surgical skills aren’t that great, so I’m afraid to take on certain surgeries. You know Dr. Jia’s rule—if you mess up, you’re banned from surgery for three months. He actually did that to me once. After that, I never dared to snatch surgeries again.”

Qiu Hong still remembered it vividly.

No wonder all the doctors under Dr. Jia acted so ‘polite’ when lining up for surgeries.

It’s because they’d already been punished at some point!

It’s a lot like raising a child. If you always scold or hit them, they’ll just become timid and scared.

“Senior Qiu, you’re still super young. To get where you are in just five years with Dr. Jia is already incredible. No need to rush—if you keep at it, you’ll be amazing in a few years.”

Zhou Can tried to reassure her.

The worst thing is trying to compare yourself to others.

If you insist on comparing with Zhou Can, you’ll just end up frustrated.

At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside.

They stopped right at the door.

“Zhou Can, Miss Su’s here!”

From his spot, Jin Mingxi could see clearly—the first to spot Su Qianqian standing at the door.

She wore a face mask but her stunning figure was unforgettable. Wherever she stood, she drew every man’s eyes.

Especially now that Su Qianqian was nearly an A-list celebrity—she carried herself with new-found confidence.

Her natural charisma really made her shine.

Su Qianqian had just arrived and saw her boyfriend laughing and chatting with another beautiful young woman. She froze for a second and felt a wave of jealousy.

Thankfully, Zhou Can had asked Jin Mingxi to stay.

Otherwise, she might have turned around and left in a huff.

“Qian Qian!”

Zhou Can spotted her, immediately got up with a bright smile.

His clear conscience was the source of his confidence facing Su Qianqian.

“Senior Qiu, this is my girlfriend, Su Qianqian,” he said before turning to Su Qianqian. “She’s my colleague in the Gastroenterology Department—Senior Qiu Hong.”

Su Qianqian wasn’t just some ordinary girl.

Thanks to her experiences and knowledge, she was mature and wise.

Even in a surprise situation like this, she strode confidently forward, smiling as she extended her hand.

“Hello, Dr. Qiu!”

“Hello! You are absolutely stunning! I’ve only ever seen girls this beautiful on TV. Now I see why Junior Zhou never flirts with anyone at work. I get it now.”

Qiu Hong shook her hand warmly, casually showering her with compliments.

Here were two beautiful women—both mature, intelligent, and gracious. There was no ‘fireworks’ between them.

Zhou Can breathed a discreet sigh of relief.

“Haha, Dr. Qiu, you’re just as gorgeous, and you have such a unique presence!” Su Qianqian replied, keeping up the playful mutual flattery.

“Oh, you flatter me! But honestly, being complimented by someone as pretty as you feels wonderful. I just came by because Junior Zhou’s surgical skills are amazing and mine are… not. Since I’ve finished asking for guidance, I won’t keep you two lovebirds—goodbye!”

Qiu Hong waved goodbye, then looked to the two guys.

“Junior Zhou, Dr. Jin, I’ll be off now. Bye!”

She left with a cheerful smile.

Suddenly remembering something, Zhou Can quickly grabbed a bag of tea for her.

“Qian Qian and I don’t drink much tea anyway. Take a bag home and try it, Senior Qiu. You came bearing gifts—can’t let you leave empty-handed!”

Qiu Hong knew just how valuable the tea was.

Compared to Zhou Can, her financial situation wasn’t nearly as good.

With a monthly income around ten or twenty grand, there was no way she could afford something this expensive.

“No, I really can’t—that tea is way too valuable!”

She kept refusing.

“Oh, what’s valuable or not? Only people who love tea put that value on it. For me, if it just sits here, it’d go moldy.” Zhou Can insisted, pushing the tea on her and walking her out with Su Qianqian.