Old Man Chen possessed both profound knowledge and rich experience—exactly what she needed.
She had also sensed his intention to mentor her, so she studied diligently under his guidance.
Once she began regarding Old Man Chen as her teacher, she grew closer to him.
Learning of his fondness for food, she would occasionally exchange items from the system—things that wouldn’t seem out of place in this era—and give them to him.
At first, Old Man Chen would politely decline, but later, every time he visited, his eyes would shine with anticipation.
One day, after discussing a particular medical case, Old Man Chen suddenly asked, “Xiao Gu, would you like to become my disciple?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Old Man Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Truth be told, he had wanted to ask this question for a long time. He had held back until today, but now, he could no longer restrain himself.
It was simply because Gu Jianing had truly satisfied him.
He feared that if he didn’t speak up soon, someone else might discover her talent, and his chance to take her as a disciple would vanish.
Initially, when Old Man Chen had arranged for Gu Jianing to join the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, he hadn’t planned to take her as a disciple.
He did want an apprentice, but the master-disciple relationship was akin to that of parent and child—no simple matter. Given his current status and reputation, accepting a disciple required extreme caution.
Medical talent was important, but character was even more crucial.
Old Man Chen had witnessed many cases of betrayal by those once close, so he absolutely could not let such a thing happen to him.
At first, he had brought Gu Jianing to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department for two reasons:
First, the department was severely understaffed.
Second, he had heard of her talent and hoped their dwindling department could welcome a promising new doctor.
And so, Gu Jianing arrived.
After she joined, though Old Man Chen didn’t visit the department often, whenever he did, he would observe her.
At first, it was just observation, but later, he couldn’t resist engaging with her, discussing medical topics.
The more they interacted, the more he grew fond of her—not in any inappropriate way, but with the affection of an elder for a younger generation. The more time he spent with her, the more she seemed to shine brilliantly, making him eager to take her as his disciple.
Initially, he had admired her medical talent. But as their discussions deepened, he realized her knowledge spanned a wide range of medical fields—she could respond to almost anything he brought up.
This was especially remarkable given the decades of experience that separated them.
This demonstrated just how extensive Gu Jianing’s medical knowledge was.
Later, he also discovered that Gu Jianing had an extraordinary memory—almost capable of reading ten lines at a glance and retaining everything she saw.
Coupled with her exceptional medical talent, Old Man Chen was confident that if she continued down this path, her future achievements in medicine would far surpass his own.
Wouldn’t taking such a junior as his disciple be a tremendous blessing?
Of course, there was another reason that solidified Old Man Chen’s decision to accept Gu Jianing as his disciple—the incident of the landslide.
Whether it was her tireless efforts in providing medical care for a full day and night despite being pregnant or her treatment of the military dog named Amber, every act deepened Old Man Chen’s admiration for her.
It could be said that Gu Jianing had earned Old Man Chen’s approval in both character and medical skill.
He believed no one was more suited to be his disciple than her.
To him, Gu Jianing was like a piece of gold, radiant and shining.
Right now, he was the only one who had noticed her brilliance in medicine. If he didn’t act soon and take her as his disciple, once Gu Jianing stepped beyond the Northwest Military District and into a broader world, others would inevitably recognize her light.
By then, this “gold” might very well be snatched away by someone else.
So today, Old Man Chen could no longer hold back and finally asked the question.
Once the words were out, he felt both relief and nervousness.
Would Xiao Gu agree?
When Old Man Chen posed the question, Gu Jianing was momentarily stunned before opening her mouth to respond.
But before she could utter a word—
“Wait, don’t answer yet,” Old Man Chen interjected.
“Xiao Gu, I think you might not know me well enough. I should probably introduce myself properly first…”
And so, Old Man Chen began detailing his background—though not without a fair bit of self-promotion.
For instance, he mentioned his current status and reputation, the honors he had received, his professional connections, and the benefits of becoming his disciple.
In short, his message boiled down to one thing: Become my disciple, and I will teach you everything I know, offer you all my connections, protect you wholeheartedly, and treat you like my own granddaughter.
“So, will you be my disciple?”
Gu Jianing blinked, about to speak again—
But once again, before she could speak, Old Man Chen raised his hand to stop her.
“Forget it, forget it. Such an important decision probably can’t be made on the spot.”
“How about this—go home and discuss it with your husband. Give me your answer tomorrow.”
“I have things to do, so I’ll take my leave first.”
Without waiting for Gu Jianing’s reply, he hurried off.
Old Man Chen would absolutely never admit that he was nervous—so nervous that he fled first.
As he walked away, he silently prayed that this young woman would carefully consider things and realize that becoming his disciple would bring her nothing but benefits.
Did Gu Jianing understand the advantages of being Old Man Chen’s disciple?
Of course she did!
Even without his earlier introduction, she had already heard plenty from Dr. Zhou.
It was just…
At this moment, Gu Jianing stretched out a hand toward Old Man Chen’s retreating back, as if trying to stop him.
Watching his figure disappear swiftly, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—Old Man Chen is in really good health. His legs are as strong as a young man’s.
Then she thought to herself: Actually, I was just about to tell him that I’m willing to be his disciple. I didn’t need to go home and think about it or discuss it with anyone. I could’ve agreed right then and there.
But in the end…
Old Man Chen had run away.
Oh well. She’d just have to give him her answer tomorrow.
She wondered how he’d react when he found out.
Actually… maybe it was better not to tell him.
After Old Man Chen left, Dr. Zhou and Dr. Lu approached.
Dr. Zhou’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Dr. Gu, wasn’t I right? Back when Old Man Chen arranged for you to join our Traditional Chinese Medicine department, it was because he wanted to take you as his disciple. And now, it’s happened just like I predicted!”
“Dr. Gu, this is Old Man Chen we’re talking about. You absolutely must say yes to being his disciple!”
To be fair, Dr. Zhou and Dr. Lu hadn’t intentionally eavesdropped on the conversation between Old Man Chen and Gu Jianing. They’d just happened to pass by, and since the two hadn’t spoken privately, their words had been overheard.
They had long suspected that Old Man Chen intended to take Gu Jianing as his disciple—and now, their guess had been confirmed.
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