This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

"Sure, with Professor Li’s recommendation, I trust your judgment." Du Heng had no objections to being set up on a blind date.

Seeing Du Heng’s agreement and sincere expression, Li Jianwei continued, "She’s my wife’s niece, a soon-to-be PhD graduate in accounting. She’s 28, about your age, and quite tall. While she may not be as beautiful as your ex-girlfriend, she’s not far off. I’ll arrange a time for you to meet."

"A PhD graduate, huh? Will she be interested in me? I only have a bachelor’s degree," Du Heng responded with a chuckle. As for appearance, as long as her features were decent, he had no other requirements. Besides, finding someone who could compare to Wang Shuqiu in looks would probably be difficult. Of course, this didn’t include those who used "disguise techniques" and applied interior design principles to makeup.

Li Jianwei shook his head lightly. "What’s wrong with having a PhD? You’re the Dean of the Health Clinic now. You’ve already achieved success in your field, and she’s just graduating. Why would she not be interested in you? Let’s not be overly modest. I’ll ask around and arrange a meeting. What do you think?"

"Sure, no problem. Professor Li, please take care of this. My lifelong happiness is at stake here."

Seeing Du Heng agree so readily, Li Jianwei also became happy, and his vegetable preparation sped up. "Alright, I’ll ask for you in the next couple of days."

The conversation about the blind date ended, but the mention of the woman being a PhD student suddenly stirred something in Du Heng’s heart.

This past year, apart from his personal life not going smoothly, his work could be described as smooth sailing. However, this did not mean that he hadn’t encountered issues that made him uncomfortable.

Besides his age, his educational background was another significant issue.

Especially during his time in the Capital, when building trust with patients, his youth and educational qualifications were factors many patients considered when evaluating a doctor’s abilities.

Ninety-nine percent of patients didn’t actually understand what a doctorate signified for a doctor. They only knew one thing: a doctor with a doctorate was definitely better than a doctor with a bachelor’s degree.

Furthermore, Du Heng found that even if his technical skills were up to par, without the right educational background, he would still be excluded from certain circles.

For example, in academic publishing, especially in top-tier journals, education level was definitely a significant factor in the academic pecking order, a very substantial one.

With the development of the Health Clinic now at a bottleneck and his work becoming relatively stable, he began to consider advancing his education.

"Professor Li, can I ask about the postgraduate enrollment situation at our school?"

Li Jianwei’s heart skipped a beat. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to improve my education. Otherwise, I might not meet the qualifications for external employment at Provincial First Hospital later on," Du Heng half-jokingly replied.

Li Jianwei became excited but still tried to contain it. "Have you decided on a major and which Mentor you want to apply for?"

Du Heng glanced at the visibly excited Li Jianwei. "If Professor Li doesn’t mind, I would like to apply to be your Graduate student."

"No problem, absolutely no problem!" The thing I’ve been secretly hoping for has suddenly, unexpectedly, come true! Li Jianwei’s hands trembled with excitement, and his speech faltered a bit.

Du Heng’s goal in improving his education is just to get the diploma and degree certificates, Li Jianwei knew. As for what he actually needs to learn... Li Jianwei pondered for a moment. Forget me, it seems there’s no Mentor in the school who could really teach Du Heng anything. He’s just too well-rounded, and that comprehensive knowledge gives him a significant advantage in traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

Hearing Li Jianwei’s reply, Du Heng also smiled. "Professor Li, if I want to take your postgraduate exam, what should I prepare for, and is the exam at the end of the year, like for everyone else?"

Li Jianwei directly threw down the vegetables in his hand. "Exam? What exam? You’ll enroll directly in March!"

I’ve finally gotten Du Heng to make this decision; how could I possibly wait until the end of the year for him to take the postgraduate exam with everyone else? That’s over 300 days! Too many unexpected things could happen.

But Li Jianwei’s swift response left Du Heng stunned. "Can that really work?"

Li Jianwei glared. "Why not? Don’t worry about these things. Once the other departments in the school are operating, I’ll get you a direct recommendation without examination. Besides, given your current situation, you definitely can’t attend full-time classes. Enrolling in March is not a problem at all. Just relax and prepare what you need to, and leave the rest to me. Don’t I even have that much authority when taking on my own Graduate student?"

Hearing that he could save so much trouble, Du Heng was also overjoyed.

My original plan was to find out the requirements, then diligently prepare for a year and go through the normal process at the end of the year, he thought. I truly never expected such convenient conditions.

"Thank you, Professor Li. What should I prepare?"

Li Jianwei, excited and speaking much faster, rattled off a list of documents and certificates. Du Heng noted them all down.

Finally, Li Jianwei asked as if suddenly remembering something, "Xiao Du, I haven’t asked you yet: are you thinking of just a Master’s, or a PhD as well? I suggest you go for a combined Master’s and Doctoral program."

Du Heng genuinely hadn’t thought this far. His initial intention was merely to inquire; he hadn’t anticipated that a single sentence could set things in motion so rapidly.

Li Jianwei didn’t know this and just said, "According to your ability, Xiao Du, with a combined Master’s and Doctoral program, you could get your degree in three or four years. That settles it once and for all, a complete solution. You wouldn’t have to graduate and then consider whether to pursue a doctorate. Most importantly, doing them together saves a lot of time."

On this point, Li Jianwei truly had Du Heng’s best interests at heart.

Du Heng’s eyebrows twitched again. This inquiry today had brought one surprise after another. "Can I graduate early?"

"Of course. As long as you complete the required coursework and exams during your graduate studies, and your thesis research meets the standards, you can certainly graduate early."

With such favorable conditions, Du Heng’s desire to further his education intensified.

Subsequently, while they were preparing the meal, Du Heng engaged in an in-depth Q&A with Li Jianwei, aiming to resolve all his uncertainties before starting school.

Even at the dinner table, Du Heng kept asking Li Jianwei for advice. Li Jianwei showed no signs of impatience, answering every question, no matter how simplistic or naive, with great patience, striving to alleviate all of Du Heng’s worries.

Halfway through the meal, both Li Jianwei’s and Du Heng’s phones rang simultaneously.

The calls were different: Li Jianwei received one from the hospital’s Dean, while Du Heng’s was from Sir Wu Zhong. However, the news they both received was strikingly similar: Wu Shengnan was being transferred to the Provincial First Hospital.

Looking at the half-eaten food on the table, Li Jianwei laughed. "Well then, shall we go over?"

Du Heng also smiled softly. "Shouldn’t we clean up the table?"

"No need. Let my wife and daughter clean up when they get back. Let’s go now. We can’t keep a Big Leader like Secretary Wu waiting."

Today, he was exceptionally happy. At 46 years old, for a fleeting moment, he truly felt he had no regrets in life.