Zhang Boyuan looked at Lu Cheng's increasingly puzzled expression, and simply said, "You don't need to consider any conspiracy theories. I did ask Brother Chen to take care of you a bit."

"But don't be too concerned with this. We brothers are all in difficult situations now and should help each other..."

The information in Zhang Boyuan's words was a bit much, so Lu Cheng took a while to digest it before asking, "Senior Brother, you mean that the reason Professor Chen Song is so good to me is because you spoke to him?"

"What else could it be? Do you think Brother Chen owed you something?" Zhang Boyuan asked.

"Actually, it was just a coincidence. He happened to return from a rural area, and we had drinks together, and he recommended you to me."

"As soon as I heard, all the information matched up. The age was about right too."

"It's possible there are two people named Lu Cheng at Han City University, but it's very rare for two people in the same grade and department to have the same name."

"What are you doing?" Zhang Boyuan saw Lu Cheng slowly closing his eyes, pretending to be inscrutable, and his tone tightened a bit.

Lu Cheng slowly opened his eyes: "Senior Brother, nothing, just slowly digesting a harsh reality. I originally thought... it was because I was good enough..."

Lu Cheng didn't make himself clear, but he felt a bit lost inside.

He originally thought that meeting Chen Song was like meeting the best teacher. He thought it was his absolute talent that earned Professor Chen Song's favor, that it was all unrelated to worldly matters.

Professor Chen Song saw his potential. Based on this, whenever he felt 'aggrieved' in Union Hospital, he comforted himself with this thought.

But unexpectedly, it ultimately boiled down to human relationships, to the basic operating rules of this world.

This world is still like a huge theatrical troupe, without connections between people, there wouldn't be aimless love or hate.

Zhang Boyuan could understand Lu Cheng, stroking his chin thoughtfully: "Of course, intrinsically, it's still because you're strong enough that you've achieved all this now."

"I just played a tiny, tiny, tiny role. You don't need to feel too let down."

Lu Cheng looked up, changing the topic: "Senior Brother, are you working at Affiliated Hospital No. 2 now?"

This offhand question from Lu Cheng left Zhang Boyuan silent.

Zhang Boyuan's thick eyebrows furrowed for quite a while before slowly smoothing out, and he said in a suddenly realized tone, "Yes, your senior brother is not doing so well nowadays, might even be doing worse than you, an undergraduate."

"If you don't want to acknowledge it, I won't force you. It's actually quite good this way, it saves me some trouble."

"This afternoon, Director Xiang called me, asking me to invite you to have lunch together tomorrow afternoon, and my invitation to you is a business deal. Consider it yourself."

Zhang Boyuan, of course, had more unspoken meanings, his words laced with irony.

"Hey, Senior Brother, I didn't mean it that way. I was just, very surprised." Lu Cheng quickly explained.

Before this, Lu Cheng didn't even know someone named Zhang Boyuan existed, so it was natural he wasn't sarcastic about why Zhang Boyuan came to work at Xiangya Second Hospital.

"If you have a choice, try to go to a better institution. Although it may be harsher, the human relationships won't be as complicated."

"The factions and gates aren't as deeply entrenched." Zhang Boyuan's tone was wistful, offering no definite advice, but giving Lu Cheng sincere suggestions.

Words like factions and gatekeeping were things Lu Cheng had only heard about through stories and TV dramas.

Lu Cheng had a question: "Senior Brother, can I ask you a straightforward question?"

"You said the gates at Xiangya Second Hospital are quite strict, so why couldn't you stay at Huashan Hospital before?"

"Wasn't it because Teacher Dong passed away?"

Some truths, as an adult, must be understood.

A Ph.D. with a mentor versus without one makes a world's difference in graduation and job hunting.

Zhang Boyuan said, "Teacher preferred students in clinical directions back then and focused more on this when recruiting. Our training was also inclined towards this."

"When the teacher was no longer there, other professors wouldn't abide by the guidelines set by the teacher, and other professors wouldn't care about my research outputs."

"Different professors have different philosophies about the development of medicine, and their choices can be very different." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"However, there are benefits to being at Affiliated Hospital No. 2; if you're willing to invest, you can still do quite well."

"After all, you have a good appearance. If you could become a son-in-law to a prominent family, it could also lead to smooth development." After saying this, Zhang Boyuan completely dropped the topic.

"Think about it carefully. I'll call you again tomorrow. Respect your own choices and weigh the pros and cons yourself."

After Zhang Boyuan finished speaking, he was ready to leave.

Because he had spent quite a while with Lu Cheng, and Tong Yuan'an from Xiangya Hospital was waiting for Lu Cheng nearby; if recognized, he might also get entangled unnecessarily.

"Senior Brother, thank you for your reminder. Can we add each other on WeChat?" Lu Cheng asked hurriedly.

Zhang Boyuan naturally nodded: "Feel free to add me on WeChat. I always give my WeChat to patients and their family members who want it."

After exchanging contacts, Lu Cheng sent his name as a remark, and after confirming Zhang Boyuan's correct name, he bid farewell to him.

"Was it resolved? Did he try to extort you?" Tong Yuan'an asked Lu Cheng.

"No, Brother Zhang is quite reasonable," Lu Cheng replied.