Chapter 67

At four in the afternoon, after finishing shift change, Wang Chuan walked toward the hospital entrance.

【Virtual Operation Training】 the twelfth and thirteenth sessions have been activated; the activation condition for the fourteenth is 3/6.

【Peak Medical Skill Experience】 initial activation progress: received patient gratitude, cumulative 78/100.

It seems there's a chance to activate Peak Medical Skill Experience by June 12.

"Chuan, after you catch up on sleep, let's go eat barbecue tonight?" Wu Qinghua no longer treated Wang Chuan as an Intern—he now called him brother.

"No, I need to catch up on more sleep. Only then can I adapt to this work intensity."

Wang Chuan declined, having just returned from registering Pei Nanli and now heading back to sleep.

He had fully understood the side effect of this Golden Finger system: six hours of Virtual Operation Training equated to only one hour in reality, and to fully restore his energy, he needed six hours of real sleep.

Ding—a text arrived from Xin Chanxi: "^_^, Wang Chuan, my classmates and I have something to do tonight, so I won't be joining you for dinner."

"\(^\circ\)^/~" Wang Chuan pressed send, walked to the hospital's main entrance, and waited under the shade of a street tree for Pei Nanli.

"Five minutes late, Pei Nanli—I'll give you five more minutes." Wang Chuan checked the time.

A sweet voice came from behind: "Wang Chuan."

He turned around—and under the sunlight stood Lu Na, wearing a pink T-shirt.

Her deep, intoxicating dimples brought sunshine into Wang Chuan's gloomy mood.

He decided to tease this beautiful girl, Lu Na.

"Lu Na, your dimples hold no wine—why am I already drunk?"

As he spoke, he dramatically raised his right hand to his forehead, feigning intoxication, yet his lips curled with an uncontainable smile as he stared at her intently.

"Wang Chuan, you're so good at this~~" Lu Na burst into laughter.

She rummaged through her shoulder bag and pulled out a small red bottle.

"Here, Wang Chuan, want some?" she offered it, her eyes still sparkling with lingering amusement.

Wang Chuan took it. "Yakult?" He sipped it in one quick gulp—the sweet-tart flavor lingered in his mouth.

He leaned slightly closer to Lu Na, his nostrils flaring gently, his gaze openly admiring as he stretched out his words.

"The air~~ seems to have turned~~ sweet—is it because of the Yakult~~ or because of you?"

Lu Na was delighted by Wang Chuan's exaggerated yet blunt words.

She mimicked him, leaning in slightly, meeting his gaze without hesitation, her clear voice laced with playful teasing and barely concealed delight: "Wang Chuan~~ you're so good at this~~."

She dragged out the final syllable, adding a touch of coquettishness.

Wang Chuan turned his side to the sun, its light brushing his earlobe as it fell on her slightly upturned lips: "Good at what? Good at collapsing into your dimples?"

Lu Na's smile didn't fade; her tone was half-joking, half-serious: "You're too good! Whoever becomes your girlfriend must be happy enough to spin out of control every day?"

She shook her Sony Ericsson Phone again. "Speaking seriously—by the way, are you free tonight? I'll treat you to dinner. You gave me a five-hundred-yuan discount when you sold me this phone."

"Sure, but let's do it tomorrow—I'll treat you."

Wang Chuan recalled: he had bought the brand-new, unopened Sony Ericsson Phone T618 at the official price of 2480 yuan, then sold it to Lu Na for 2000 yuan that day.

A month later, Lu Na could have bought it at the official price of 1980 yuan.

"Ah~ you're treating me? Why?"

"I'm worried the Sony Ericsson Phone will drop below 2000 yuan next month—you'd lose money then."

Lu Na blinked her almond eyes. "Really? Why do you sound so certain? Are you from the future?"

"Aren't prices for electronics like phones and computers always going down?"

"Oh, okay—then tomorrow night, during my Night Shift, I'll treat you to dinner. If the price really drops next month, you'll treat me, right?"

"No problem."

After chatting awhile with Lu Na, the bus arrived.

Lu Na waved goodbye to Wang Chuan, boarded the bus, and touched her earlobe—it was burning hot.

Wang Chuan checked the time: thirty seconds left. If she didn't show, he'd head back to the Dormitory to sleep.

A sharp screech of brakes sounded. "Wang Chuan, sorry—I had to go home first, so I'm late. You can sit in the front passenger seat."

Pei Nanli's voice came from the backseat of the taxi.

"I get carsick—I can only sit in the back," Wang Chuan said, opening the door and sitting beside Pei Nanli.

Pei Nanli was still dressed as she had been on her first day as an Intern: half-up high ponytail, white T-shirt stretched taut over her full curves, tight jeans accentuating her long legs.

"Driver, to Nanshui Driving School."

Wang Chuan subtly shifted his left hand aside; Pei Nanli carefully pulled a little distance away from him.

At this moment, Wang Chuan's mindset was clear: he was no longer Pei Nanli's Lick Dog—he could now look her in the eye as an equal.

Even her mother had accepted him. But had Pei Nanli herself accepted him?

It was still unclear—but at least after the Medical Disturbance incident, her attitude had changed.

He remembered how, on his first day as an Intern, he had given her the Friendship card—he'd have to take it back.

His past White Moonlight—he wouldn't let her suffer another failed marriage, wouldn't let Yang Fang, that opportunist, win her.

Pei Nanli propped her left hand against the left door, staring blankly out the window.

Since her mother's stern warning, Pei Nanli had indeed grown fearful: if Fang Yuan's family were arrested or fled abroad, she would never abandon her parents for him.

She'd read many romance novels where love meant throwing oneself recklessly into danger—why couldn't she do the same?

She'd been in the same middle school class as Fang Yuan, then the same high school class—was it merely familiarity? Or just habit? Was this not love?

Wang Chuan gave her the Friendship card on his first day as an Intern—then later risked everything rushing into Respiratory Medicine to save her.

It certainly wasn't because she'd once given him a Glucose bar in freshman year.

Since starting her internship, Wang Chuan's personality had changed drastically—she couldn't find a better word than "flashy," and now everyone at the Hospital looked at him differently.

It felt like he was deliberately trying to get her attention—so childish.

Wang Chuan's words interrupted Pei Nanli's thoughts. "Pei Nanli, we'll reach Nanshui Driving School around five. After registering, we'll head back to the city by six-thirty. I'm going back to the dorm. What about you? Going home, or...?"

"Tonight, I'm treating Teacher Yang Fang to dinner. Didn't you borrow that surgical procedure video last time?"

"Yang Fang!" Wang Chuan heard the name and his temper flared.

He said loudly: "Pei Nanli, I saved you once. Tonight, you have to take me to dinner."

"You're not that ungrateful, are you?"

Pei Nanli hadn't expected Wang Chuan to make this request. She froze for a moment, then remembered—he'd warned her to be careful of Yang Fang.

Yang Fang didn't look like a bad person. He was an outstanding young surgeon at Mingzhou First Hospital.

Could it be that Wang Chuan thought Yang Fang would pursue me?

Swish—Wang Chuan snatched her mobile phone out of her hand.

Wang Chuan quickly typed a message: "Teacher Yang Fang, I have something important tonight and can't take you to dinner."

"What are you doing?!" Pei Nanli exclaimed in shock.

At that moment, the taxi driver spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, Nanshui Driving School has arrived."

Wang Chuan pulled Pei Nanli out of the taxi. "If you miss five o'clock, you can't register. You still need to come for a physical tomorrow morning."

"Hey, you haven't paid yet," the driver said, annoyed.

Pei Nanli shook off Wang Chuan's hand and turned back to pay the fare.

"Wang Chuan, why are you here?"

"Senior Sister Pei, why are you here too?"

At the entrance of the driving school's administrative building stood Xin Chanxi.