"Happy Birthday!~" Mu Nanshu finally said.

Her suggestion to drink wasn't made on a whim, and her coming home early to prepare a meal wasn't just spontaneous either. She already knew that September 17th was Lu Cheng's birthday.

Sure, they could go out for a fancy meal, but given they had been eating out for the past few days, Mu Nanshu decided that Lu Cheng's birthday should be celebrated at home.

Lu Cheng also raised his wine glass high: "Thank you, just like that, I'm really thirty now, starting the journey to forty."

Mu Nanshu encouraged, "Thirty is still very young, it's just that you've been unlucky, not lacking in ability."

"It doesn't matter!~"

Lu Cheng shook his head: "Once you pass a certain age, you've passed the age where you can sell your future and be appreciated for your potential; you have to accept the basic operating rules of the world, where results are all that matter."

"Book Bag, we can only respect and comply with their operating rules. If we can't break them, we must first comply."

Lu Cheng isn't exactly the type to settle down quietly, otherwise, he wouldn't be so stubborn.

Such stubbornness, unless lifted by opportunity, makes it nearly impossible to go it alone and make a breakthrough.

"There's nothing wrong with following the rules. They constrain you, but also protect you."

Mu Nanshu had her own perspective, continuing: "Tomorrow is the official hands-on class, you should rest early."

Lu Cheng said: "What's the rush? It's not even seven yet. How about we go for a walk to digest?"

"When we come back, I'll do the dishes."

Mu Nanshu looked at the time, nodded, and somewhat regretfully said, "Alright then."

Is it really hard to let an older girl go outside?

That was Mu Nanshu's thought at the moment.

...

September 18th, Friday, in room 1413 of the Functional Biology Building at Union Hospital, within the advanced training room of the Orthopedic Functional Biology Laboratory.

The morning sun slanted in, and the large glass windows made the room bright. The overhead incandescent lights and shadowless lamps were all turned on, making the space even more open and bright.

Xie Yuan'an clapped his hands lightly: "Today's two practical sessions on rabbit nerve suturing will be personally taught by Professor Liu Huanglong from Zhongnan Hospital and Professor Lan Hualuo."

"Both Professor Liu and Professor Lan are renowned in the field for their expertise in nerve suturing. I hope everyone cherishes this learning opportunity!~"

"The session will follow the usual format: one hour of demonstration class, followed by two and a half hours of free operation."

"During the free operation period, Professors Liu and Lan will provide individual guidance."

After Xie Yuan'an spoke, Dong Qiaoshan naturally asked, "Teacher Xie, will the instructors be unbiased today?"

"We're all classmates, and it's those of us with less learning talent who need the teachers' favor and attention so that we can all progress together."

"Unlike yesterday, when they only fawned over the handsome guys."

Dong Qiaoshan's joke instantly made Lu Cheng the center of attention.

During the practical anatomy course on the 17th, after completing the dissection, there was a nerve suturing project as well.

Dong Qiaoshan already had some basic skills in nerve suturing, and when combined with the original suturing techniques at Union Hospital, he caught the eyes of Professors Xie Xiao and Zhong Junyun in the morning.

But that was just during the morning session. After eleven o'clock, Professor Xie Xiao noticed that Lu Cheng had stepped up from being a novice to an intermediate level in nerve suturing with decent techniques.

Lu Cheng then improved at a rate of about two hours with the addition of some skill points, making Professors Xie Xiao and Zhong Junyun seemingly glued to him, offering precise guidance.

Likewise, Lu Cheng's progress was visibly significant.

Guidance improved one round, skill points improved another round, and guidance improved again, cycling like this…

Nerve Suturing Skill went from (Skilled 3/10) to (Skilled 7/10), and Neurovascular Suturing Skill went from (Beginner 5/5) to (Skilled 2/10).

The rapid progress of such students made Zhong Junyun and Xie Xiao feel their teaching was effective, so they didn't leave until the class ended...

Xie Yuan'an nearly thought Lu Cheng was his dad's illegitimate child and that he was the adopted one.

Xie Yuan'an gathered his thoughts: "In the practical class, the teaching staff will provide targeted guidance based on each student's specific level and grasp, and it's not generalized."

"If someone progresses quickly, the instructors will concentrate more time on them."

Internally, tearing his heart apart—

Stop guessing, I'm just the main contact, but this connection has overwhelmed me as the 'main contact'!!!

Stop guessing, there's no other background, OK?

This class was designed for five students, but Xie Yuan'an brought Lu Cheng in after seeing his name.

Lu Cheng's progress was visible; he made substantial, bit-by-bit improvements, just at a faster pace.

Dong Qiaoshan commented: "Brother Xiao Lu, take it easy today, good stuff should be shared among everyone; don't hog it all..."

Lu Cheng replied with a smile: "Teacher Dong, you guys have had lots of good stuff, so you don't think it's tasty. I, a country bumpkin, have never had anything this good."

"It's just the way it is, gobbling it up without letting go."

Coming from a County Hospital, and a remote one at that, Lu Cheng likely didn't get much high-quality stuff usually.

Dong Qiaoshan could understand but didn't support it; "But you should take it easy too, we all paid for this, ha ha ha, you can't let us starve."

Lu Cheng cupped his hands, smoothly deflecting these jokes: "Bro, this is a buffet, don't fool us hillbilly folk."

Giving up wasn't an option, and it didn't exist.

Though Lu Cheng currently didn't have many skill points stored, once this time was over, he would have to leave, with no more instructor guidance.

This is a time-limited learning opportunity, and Lu Cheng intended to maximize the efficiency of the instructors' guidance!

"Isn't that right, Teacher Xie?" Lu Cheng sought help from Xie Yuan'an.

Unexpectedly, even supportive Xie Yuan'an, who had always wanted to help Lu Cheng and 'Mu Nanshu', gave him a glance and said, "You could restrain a bit as well, and maintain some balance."

Everyone actually knew Xie Yuan'an's real identity.

"Lecturer" status to pad his resume, 'student' status to learn skills, and with Lu Cheng doing well, the guidance she received would lessen.

A training class isn't where Lu Cheng used some devious means to tie the instructor down, so he didn't feel guilty.

Lu Cheng said, "Fine, Teacher Xie, I'll try to balance the instructors' teaching time a bit later."

Xie Yuan'an didn't answer, but instead wondered if what he was doing was fair to Mu Nanshu, as he had essentially deceived her childhood sweetheart.

Yet even Xie Yuan'an didn't expect Lu Cheng's "balancing method" to be a 'starvation-induced' balance...