Shen Shuyao glanced at Mu Jinyu sizing her up, noticed a slightly odd look in his eyes, and felt a tiny frisson of apprehension. She glared at him and said, "What are you looking at me for? I won't take you as my mentor, so you can give up on that idea!"
"Shuyao!" Shen Changchun did not allow her to be so presumptuous and sternly rebuked her.
"Grandpa..." Shen Shuyao weakened her tone as she tugged at Shen Changchun's arm.
Mu Jinyu, seeing this, touched his nose somewhat awkwardly.
Well, a provocation was one thing, but this was too much to handle.
Better to let it go.
Mu Jinyu shook his head gently and said, "Forget it, actually my medical skills aren't as mystical as you imagine, and I've only recently completed my apprenticeship as well. This little bit of skill I have, I would rather not mislead the younger generation by sharing it."
"How can you call such abilities trivial? How could they possibly mislead the younger generation..." Shen Changchun hurriedly tried to persuade him.
Unfortunately, Mu Jinyu had made up his mind and still wasn't prepared to take Shen Shuyao as his apprentice, remaining firm in his decision.
On the side, Shen Shuyao felt a sigh of relief, but couldn't avoid a small sense of loss.
Women are always like this, when someone is eager, they never take it seriously, but when someone ignores them, they can't help but feel resentful and complain.
Shen Changchun repeatedly tried to convince Mu Jinyu, but seeing that Mu Jinyu remained unyielding, even growing a bit impatient, did not pursue the topic further.
Feeling regretful, he came up with another idea and proposed, "Since Divine Doctor Mu, you are unwilling to take Shuyao as your disciple, it seems her aptitude is inadequate and she is not destined for such fortune. Then... would you accept my invitation to join River City First Hospital as a chief physician? You don't need to come in every day, just to have your name there, and maybe you could occasionally visit to treat patients that leave our hospital at its wit's end?"
Standing on the side, Shen Shuyao's eyes widened upon hearing her grandfather's proposal.
Good heavens, what's gotten into Grandpa today?
For a guy whose medical skills are just 'not bad,' is all this really necessary?!
To actually invite him to become a chief physician at their hospital, isn't that a bit overblown?!
A chief physician — what rank of doctor is that? That's the highest professional title currently available for doctors, an advanced level position.
What merits does he, Mu Jinyu, have to make her grandpa beg on his knees for apprenticeship and then shamelessly invite him to their hospital as a chief physician?
Shen Shuyao felt the world was changing too fast, leaving her feeling quite unsettled.
Meanwhile, Mei Yinxue and the others who were watching felt surprised as well, but they didn't have much trouble accepting it.
Having been conditioned by a continuous series of twists, they felt nothing was strange anymore; what Shen Changchun might say next felt like fair game to them.
If he said in the next second that he wanted to give his granddaughter in marriage to Mu Jinyu, they wouldn't find it odd at all.
"A chief physician at the hospital?!" Mu Jinyu was slightly surprised to hear Shen Changchun's proposal, revealing a tinge of interest.
But ultimately, perhaps thinking of something else, his expression dimmed and he shook his head, "Forget it, thanks for the kind offer, but I don't have such lofty ideals to cure all the patients with serious ailments. Right now, I just want to make some money and not be that so-called benevolent doctor that everyone admires."
He refused again.
Shen Shuyao's eyes widened in disbelief, yet inside, she felt it was somehow expected.
After all, he had already turned down Grandpa's request three times.
As for Mei Yinxue and the others who watched Mu Jinyu reject the offer again, having become numb to it all, they found his refusal utterly predictable; him accepting would have actually been the surprise.
Even as Doctor Shen felt that his skin was quite thick, being rejected time after time eventually became uncomfortable for him. He looked at Mu Jinyu, opened his mouth intending to say something more.
Mu Jinyu waved his hand and said, "No need to say more. If I have time, I will visit your hospital and help treat some people, consider it as doing a good deed. But I will not take a position at your hospital."
Having said that, Mu Jinyu, regardless of how much Shen Changchun tried to persuade him, didn't pay him any heed and walked straight towards the exit, intending to leave the place.
Mei Yinxue naturally wanted to see him off, and she turned to the dispirited Shen Changchun with a look of apology. "Professor Shen, Doctor Shen, please have a seat, I'll go see off Doctor Mu."
After speaking, she hurried after him.
Meanwhile, Shen Shuyao stood to one side, her eyes fixed on the sorrowful figure of Mu Jinyu as he left. Her gaze was filled with longing, resembling a new bride who was neglected by her husband at the side during their wedding, filled with grievances that soared to the heavens.
A few burly men who had just recovered in the ward saw Shen Shuyao's extremely wistful expression and shuddered, tentatively asking, "Doctor Shen... are you alright?"
"What could possibly be wrong with me?!"
Shen Shuyao snapped, turning to glare at them impatiently.
...
Shortly after Mu Jinyu left the ward, Mei Yinxue caught up with him.
"Divine Doctor, are you heading back? Let me see you off, then," she offered.
Mu Jinyu turned and glanced at her.
Mei Yinxue was still dressed in a simple white dress today, which could not conceal her stunning beauty and cold, dazzling aura.
She wore hardly any makeup, her face pale, with a morbid whiteness, while her lips were painted in an extremely bright lipstick.
That sight was like a proud plum flower standing defiantly amidst the harsh frost and snow, having drunk blood, blooming with a desolate beauty.
Alone in her splendor, and brilliant in her desolation.
"Mei Yinxue, Mei Yinxue..."
Mu Jinyu murmured to himself, smiled, and nodded, "Hmm."
The two walked side by side down the corridor and then out to the main hall. Mu Jinyu approached the counter, leaned on it, and said to the cashier, "Excuse me, could I have a pen and a piece of paper?"
The cashier, having discerned Mu Jinyu's importance from the respectful attitude of the people around, quickly handed over the requested items.
Not knowing what Mu Jinyu intended to do, Mei Yinxue just stood by and waited.
Mu Jinyu wrote quickly, and within about a minute, he handed the note he had written to Mei Yinxue and returned the pen to the cashier.
"What is this?" Mei Yinxue asked as she took the note.
Mu Jinyu replied, "A prescription. If they drink the concoction for a few days, it will help Ah-Biao and the others recover faster and prevent any complications. I mentioned this to you before."
Mei Yinxue looked at the prescription written in Mu Jinyu's neat handwriting and realized he had actually remembered this detail, something she herself had forgotten. A warmth spread through her heart.
Then, as if recalling something, she shifted her gaze from the paper, suddenly lifted her head, and looked at Mu Jinyu with a teasing expression, "What about me?"
"What about you?" Mu Jinyu looked at her, puzzled.
"You saved my life yesterday, but I've also been greatly weakened. Why didn't you write me a recuperative prescription?" Mei Yinxue said, somewhat annoyed, but with a hint of coquettish anger in her eyes, losing her usual cold aloofness and displaying a girlish charm.