September 15th, Year of the Rabbit, first day of the eighth month, suitable for marriage... traveling... moving... with no taboos.

Tuesday, E Province, Han City, Liberation Avenue, eleven o'clock at night.

Lu Cheng sat by the hotel window, legs crossed, casually sipping milk tea, looking at his phone screen.

22:00:03: "Can you come out? Let me treat you to dinner."

Mu Nanshu stepped out of the lab, waiting for the elevator, breathing a bit unevenly: "???"

"A virtual treat? Quantum dining?"

Lu Cheng said, "I'm at the hotel near your hospital..."

"I'm not very familiar with the Hankou and Hanyang areas, I used to go to Wuchang District the most."

"Hot pot? Or grilled fish, you pick one."

The 15th and 16th aren't Lu Cheng's birthday, but who says you can't treat someone when it's not your birthday, or if you have to work on your birthday you must take a day off to celebrate, right?

In fact, Lu Cheng's birthday was interrupted by a training course, which also cost him a fee, starting on the 16th and lasting five days.

The fee was twenty-five thousand, which Lu Cheng still intended to make the most of.

"Can you send me a photo?" Mu Nanshu trusted Lu Cheng wouldn't lie to her, but it still felt a bit sudden.

After Lu Cheng sent a picture showing "Union Hospital," Mu Nanshu said, "Wait for me twenty minutes... I need to wrap up some things."

After sending the message, Mu Nanshu began to calm her nerves.

Although she was a bit 'slow,' it wasn't an intelligence issue, as soon as she saw the first message from Lu Cheng, she had a suspicion.

Lu Cheng put down his phone, stretched his joints, then picked up his phone and room card and went downstairs.

The hotel wasn't far from Union Hospital, but given Mu Nanshu's sense of direction, she might not find it here, so he had to wait for her at the hospital entrance.

Provided she was still the little directionally challenged person she used to be.

In just over ten minutes, Lu Cheng saw a girl in another direction at the main entrance picking up her phone, dialing, turning around, and looking around.

A voice came through the phone: "Where are you? I'm at the entrance."

"On your right, walking towards you." Lu Cheng answered the phone and said.

Hearing Lu Cheng's voice, Mu Nanshu turned her head, and after recognizing Lu Cheng, she slightly lifted her left arm.

Turning around with tiny steps, once Lu Cheng got closer, she cheerfully said, "Why did you come to Han City today? Didn't you say you had to work on the 15th?"

"Yes, I had a shift today, but I took leave after 5 p.m."

"Still able to eat?" Lu Cheng asked.

"I can eat some more with you." Mu Nanshu hadn't fully recovered from the surprise of Lu Cheng suddenly appearing in front of her.

"Shall we take a cab?" Lu Cheng suggested.

Mu Nanshu said, "Or you drive my car, the thing is I only dare to drive from the hospital back to my neighborhood right now."

"It'll be convenient for coming back later."

"That works too!" Lu Cheng nodded.

Han City was still hot; even in September, it hadn't cooled down. By the time Mu Nanshu led Lu Cheng to her Cadillac, her neck was covered in sweat beads.

Lu Cheng wasn't much better off; his shirt collar was soaked in sweat, and upon getting in the car, he immediately turned on the air conditioner.

Adjusting the seat, Lu Cheng asked, "Have you decided on what to eat? I left Han City seven or eight years ago; if you want my suggestion, fish is the better choice."

"Otherwise, there's always Haidilao, but the grilled fish and hot pot places I'm familiar with are quite far from here, except for a chain like Tan Yu's grilled fish." Lu Cheng suggested to Mu Nanshu.

"Then let's do Haidilao, it shouldn't be too far." Sitting in the passenger's seat, Mu Nanshu used a tissue to wipe her sweat and handed a few sheets to Lu Cheng.

Mu Nanshu said, "You used to say Han City was like a furnace, now I see it for myself; it's even hotter than Shanghai. I didn't quite adapt when I first arrived."

"Right? It's one of the authentic furnaces... but it doesn't affect hot pot dining..." Lu Cheng's tone was calm.

Lu Cheng turned on the car's built-in navigation and slowly drove out.

It wasn't the weekend, so Haidilao wasn't very crowded; Lu Cheng had made a reservation, but even without one, you could just walk in anyhow.

Lu Cheng ordered two soup bases and some meat dishes, then handed the iPad to Mu Nanshu: "No need to be polite today, order whatever you like."

"Though the salary in the county isn't high, I can afford to splurge here once in a while." Lu Cheng joked.

Mu Nanshu didn't sit across from Lu Cheng, but rather beside him; today she wore a floral spotted long dress with her hair tied in a ponytail. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Mu Nanshu was focused on the menu on the screen, her fair, slender neck moving from side to side like a little hamster, her dark eyes darting around her flowery eyes.

"A whole serving of pork tripe... also the beef tripe is good."

"Kelp sprouts, bean curd skin, crispy meat, that's it for now..." Finished ordering, Mu Nanshu looked up to see Lu Cheng staring at her, slightly embarrassed, she tucked in her chin.

"Why are you looking at me? Is my makeup caking?" Mu Nanshu raised her phone with her white finger to check her reflection.

"No caking... I just find it amazing. You're so different from a few years ago." Lu Cheng said calmly.

The Mu Nanshu back then was indeed a bit 'awkwardly shy,' far less poised than she is now.

"How am I different? Maybe just older..." Mu Nanshu put down the phone, then stared at Lu Cheng.

It was noticeable, Lu Cheng's eyes were a bit more clouded than before, and even the expression on his face carried a slight air of 'worldliness.'

Lu Cheng waved to the waiter: "We're ready to order, please get the hot pot base and dishes ready quickly, we're a bit hungry, thanks."

"Sure, sure!~" Haidilao is known for its excellent service, the waiter immediately prompted through the intercom: "Table 13 is hungry, kitchen, please prepare the dishes faster..."

"Boss, would you like water or drinks? We have unlimited self-serve drinks."

"I'll have warm water." Mu Nanshu said.

"I'll take water too, with some ice." Lu Cheng replied.

Though ice water isn't great for digestion, it's refreshing. At this point, Lu Cheng didn't feel he needed to start focusing on health and wellness...

Twenty minutes later.

The hot pot broth was bubbling, Mu Nanshu sat on Lu Cheng's right, holding pork tripe in the broth, she said: "After I decided to go abroad, I found out Stanford requires the MCAT exam scores."

"The year we took it, it was the second year of the MCAT exam reform, with all the questions as reading comprehension, requiring reading 9–11 passages for each section and answering questions, all in multiple-choice format."

"Scoring close to the 90th percentile, which means ranking in the top 10% nationwide for the medical master's application, gave a good chance of an interview."

"The total score was 528 points, our year's top 10% was 513 points, I was so worried back then..."

"That was just the beginning, once I officially started my master's studies, I regretted choosing Stanford..."

"Over there, the four-year graduation rate is 73%, the six-year rate is 95%, and the medical field is definitely below that number."

"I also extended my study period, later the pressure was too much, I could only constantly attend various training courses to improve myself..."

"I remember one of the toughest times, I flew to five places in three days to catch learning sessions." Mu Nanshu made a bitter face, pouting her apricot-colored lips, looking adorable.

Yet also troubled.