At first, the two of them had assumed that Gu Jianing would be the one trying to win over Elder Chen, hoping he would take her as his disciple.
But what did they end up seeing instead?
They saw Elder Chen listing out all sorts of conditions and advantages, practically coaxing Gu Jianing into becoming his disciple.
That’s right—just now, wasn’t Elder Chen acting exactly like he was sweet-talking her?
It was like holding out a piece of candy to lure a child, as if saying, “Kid, come with me. If you do, this candy is yours, and I’ll keep giving you more and more in the future.”
The way he looked—no matter how you saw it—was downright ingratiating. To be honest, this was the first time they had ever seen Elder Chen behave like this.
It really made their jaws drop.
After all, in their minds, Elder Chen had always been stern, wise, and sometimes even a little hot-tempered.
But now…
In front of Gu Jianing, Elder Chen seemed like the kindest, most gentle elder one could imagine.
As for Elder Chen wanting to take Gu Jianing as his disciple—
They didn’t feel any jealousy about it.
After all, they were well aware of their own level of talent in medicine. They knew Elder Chen wouldn’t take them seriously.
And they also understood that their skills were no match for Gu Jianing’s.
So, it was only natural that Elder Chen wanted her as his disciple.
They were also aware that becoming Elder Chen’s disciple came with many benefits—or rather, only advantages and no drawbacks.
That’s why they were urging Gu Jianing to accept the offer—they were thinking in her best interest.
Gu Jianing smiled. “Mm, I know. Thank you.”
Even though their Traditional Chinese Medicine department only had a few doctors, Gu Jianing felt that whether it was Dr. Zhou, Dr. Lu, or Elder Chen, they were all very kind and looked out for her.
The atmosphere in their department was also excellent.
Gu Jianing really liked this kind of environment—she absolutely couldn’t stand people who thrived on scheming and intrigue.
So, she felt fortunate to have ended up in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.
Hearing that Gu Jianing had taken their advice to heart, Dr. Zhou and Dr. Lu were very pleased.
That evening, Gu Jianing told Sheng Zexi about the matter.
“This is a good thing. Really, becoming Elder Chen’s disciple has no downsides for you—only benefits,” Sheng Zexi agreed.
Sheng Zexi had interacted with Elder Chen before and knew that he was someone who fiercely protected his own.
If Ningning became his disciple, she would have another person looking out for her. That way, he could feel more at ease when he went out on missions.
So, the next day, under Elder Chen’s expectant and nervous gaze, Gu Jianing agreed to become his disciple.
“You agreed? You really agreed? Good, that’s wonderful!” Elder Chen was genuinely overjoyed.
The smile on his face couldn’t be contained.
“Good disciple, don’t worry—your master will treat you well from now on.”
Of course, Elder Chen wouldn’t tell Gu Jianing that last night, he had been so anxious he couldn’t sleep, fretting over whether she would agree to be his disciple.
Now that she had accepted, he was absolutely thrilled.
Gu Jianing thought to herself: If I told him now that if he hadn’t run off yesterday and interrupted me, I would’ve agreed on the spot, I wonder how he’d feel. Probably wouldn’t be smiling so widely right now.
But Gu Jianing had a conscience—she respected her master and cared for the elderly.
So, it was better not to mention it.
Elder Chen took the matter of accepting a disciple very seriously. Even though Gu Jianing had agreed, there still needed to be a formal apprenticeship ceremony.
And, most importantly, the news had to be spread as quickly as possible.
First, to let all those who had their eyes on Gu Jianing know: This talented young woman is now my disciple, so anyone thinking of poaching her can forget about it.
Second, to make it clear to everyone: Gu Jianing is now under my protection. Those who dare to mess with her better watch out—because I don’t tolerate anyone bullying my people.
When the news spread that Elder Chen was taking Gu Jianing as his disciple, many people were immediately displeased.
These were the same people who had once hoped to become Elder Chen’s disciples themselves.
Yet, Elder Chen had rejected them—only to choose a young female doctor who had just started working at the military hospital not long ago.
This left many of them resentful.
And Lu Yanli was one of those who just couldn’t accept it.
Lu Yanli was a doctor in the Internal Medicine department. Ever since arriving at the military hospital and learning about Elder Chen’s status from her husband, she had been eager to become his disciple.
Her husband, Zheng Weimin, was a political commissar—a position of considerable influence.
Before marrying Zheng Weimin, Lu Yanli had worked as a doctor at a county hospital in her hometown.
Even though it was just a county hospital, it was still a highly respectable job—with a fixed monthly salary and special holiday benefits.
In the Lu family, because of this job, Lu Yanli had always held the highest status.
Later, when she reached the age for marriage, it was also because of this job that she was matched with her current husband, Zheng Weimin.
Now, the two had been married for six years and had three children.
After following her husband to the military base, Lu Yanli was transferred from the county hospital in her hometown to work as a doctor at the military hospital.
All along, Lu Yanli had taken great pride in her profession as a doctor.
Many people also looked up to her because of it.
To be honest, Lu Yanli’s family background was quite ordinary.
But she had always known that if she wanted a better life, she had to work hard to climb up and cross social strata.
If she hadn’t strived so hard, she might have ended up like her older sister—married off to the countryside by her parents, living a life of serving the entire family and constantly watching others’ moods.
But that kind of life was not what Lu Yanli wanted.
What she desired was a life high above, superior to most people.
So even now, as a doctor at the military hospital, she still felt it wasn’t enough.
However, Lu Yanli’s idea of advancement wasn’t to improve her medical skills—but to rely on connections.
She had been through too much in her journey.
And she had come to deeply realize that connections and networks were far more important than actual ability.
Back at the county hospital, how many people with worse skills than her had become her superiors simply because they had the right guanxi and backing?
So Lu Yanli knew that if she wanted to keep climbing up, she needed connections—she needed influence.
Thus, after learning about Elder Chen’s status and background, and hearing that he intended to take on a disciple, she had been determined to become his student.
Over the years, she had tried every possible way to get close to Elder Chen, even going so far as to flatter him.
But no matter how hard she tried, Elder Chen simply refused to accept her as his disciple.
Years passed, and Lu Yanli had nearly given up.
Still, she thought—if I can’t become Elder Chen’s disciple, then no one else should either.
So all this time, since Elder Chen hadn’t taken on any other disciples, Lu Yanli hadn’t felt too bothered.
But now, the moment she heard that Elder Chen was actually going to accept someone else—a young female doctor who had just arrived at the military hospital—her face darkened instantly.
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