"Drink!"
"Drink!"
Other roommates chimed in rowdily.
"Alright alright, I'll go first to show my respects!" Zhou Can was in high spirits today and was determined to enjoy himself. He lifted the bottle and drank it down in one gulp.
"Great!"
"What a man!"
"Worthy of being the top scholar, so imposing!"
Seeing him finish a bottle of beer in one breath, his roommates cheered loudly and applauded.
"Eat, eat!"
Everyone began devouring the food on the table.
As they ate and drank, they started discussing their future plans. Some planned to return to their hometown and apply for jobs at city-level hospitals, while others planned to consider their options after obtaining their medical license.
Gu Jie didn't succeed this time and was very frustrated.
He planned to use his father's connections to enter a better hospital for training, and reapply for the residency recruitment exam at Tuya Hospital next year.
Zhou Can was the luckiest one among them all.
Just like the ancient imperial examinations, once he became a successful candidate, his fate would undergo a massive change.
While his roommates worried about their futures, he could focus all his energy on improving his medical skills.
...
That night, Zhou Can collapsed drunk on his bed. His roommates were also heavily intoxicated, some even cried like children because they failed to pass the residency exam.
From the moment they became sensible, they all considered themselves to be exceptionally talented.
Only when the harsh reality struck did they realize they were just the ones at the very bottom amongst countless others. They had been striving and struggling in their twenties, only to be ruthlessly eliminated in the end.
That kind of heartache and bitterness couldn't be shared with others.
Under the influence of alcohol, they shed all pretenses, releasing the sadness and sorrow brought by their setbacks. Crying should not be labeled as cowardice or shame.
It's the most natural way for humans to express their pain.
As infants, they cry when hungry, in pain, or upset. As we grow older, we're told to be strong and that crying is shameful.
Thus, many adults lose the 'expression' of crying.
Zhou Can, half-asleep, heard his phone ringing. He casually pressed it off.
It rang again, and he pressed it off once more.
Seemingly addicted to bothering him, the phone rang yet again.
"Which maniac is disturbing people in the middle of the night?"
Drunk and muddled, he muttered curse words and simply held down the power button to turn it off for some peace.
The next morning, Zhou Can woke up feeling a bit of a headache.
Sitting up, he rubbed his temples and the Fengchi acupoints at the back of his neck. After massaging, the pain subsided significantly.
Studying medicine not only allows him to treat others but also quickly remedies his own minor ailments.
He habitually picked up his phone to check the time, only to find it turned off.
He drank so much that his memory was foggy.
Through effort, he vaguely recalled someone calling his phone during his sleep, which he had dismissed.
"Who would call me so late?"
Could it have been the Emergency Department asking me to cover a shift?
Thinking this, he became anxious.
Being a doctor is unique, if a patient needs rescue, no matter the hour, you must rush back to help.
Because saving lives is like fighting fires, sometimes even a slight delay of a few seconds can result in a loss of life.
After turning on his phone, he checked the missed calls.
"Yang Chan!"
He never expected it was Yang Chan who had called him.
Although they had each other's phone numbers for over a year, they had never contacted each other.
With her proud nature, calling so many times in the middle of the night at around 2 am, there were only two possibilities. Either she accidentally dialed the phone, or something very urgent had happened.
"Oh no, she might have been accosted by thugs asking for my help?"
Zhou Can's heart sank; several hours had passed since she made the call, if she really encountered thugs... he didn't dare think of the consequences.
Drinking can really mess things up!
He hurriedly tried calling back.
No one answered the first time.
This made him even more nervous.
Fortunately, it connected on the second try.
"Hello..."
The groggy voice sounded a bit lazy.
It seems like she just woke up?
Knowing she was alive, his worried heart settled a bit.
Hopefully, nothing bad had happened.
"Class monitor, why did you call me last night?"
"Zhou Can!"
The class monitor's voice suddenly escalated, seeming angry.
"Did you deliberately ignore my calls?"
"Why would I! I only got off work at midnight yesterday, returned to the dorm, and my roommates were celebrating for me. I ended up passing out drunk and in a daze, dismissed your call. You... you didn't encounter any danger, did you?"
Zhou Can explained and cautiously asked.
"You're the one who's in danger!" she retorted irritably. "It's all because of what you did, posting that message in our class group caused a huge misunderstanding. It made everyone, including the teachers, think something was going on between you and me… Tell me, did you do it on purpose?"
"I didn't say anything in the group! Just thanked the teachers and classmates, what misunderstanding did it cause?"
Zhou Can was completely baffled.
"Go look for yourself! You jerk, you kept me up all night. Hurry up and explain things clearly to everyone in the group, understand?" she still commanded imperiously.
"Alright, alright, I'll go see what those troublemakers said that made you so angry. Don't worry, I'll definitely clear this up."
After hanging up, Zhou Can entered the WeChat group to check.
His head started to hurt all over again.
Wasn't it just a post saying "Together with Yang Chan adding glory to Class 512"?
Why must these gossips make such a big fuss?
Saying that Zhou Can and Yang Chan must have gotten together.
Zhou Can performed exceptionally well this time, scoring the highest in the Tuya training exam, all thanks to the power of love.
They also say his medical skills improved so quickly because Yang Chan tutored him with all her might.
…
Each one said it with such certainty.
The harm of rumors is considerable, just like the saying: when three people repeat it, it becomes true.
A perfectly normal statement was excessively interpreted and continuously spread by these people, eventually turning into a farce of mismatching couples.
Zhou Can didn't really care; let whoever wants to talk, talk.
But Yang Chan is more sensitive, and the gossip kept her up all night.
Having been the class monitor for five years, she has always maintained a good image in the eyes of her classmates.
This made her even more conscious of her reputation.
If Zhou Can doesn't clarify this for her, the psychological pressure she endures will be immense. It might even severely affect her work.
The best way to deal with rumors is not to respond at all.
Otherwise, the rumormongers only become more vigorous.
The current situation, however, would definitely not resolve by remaining silent. These bastards would think Zhou Can has admitted to it by default, making things even more troublesome.
How can he make these people shut up?
Zhou Can calmly pondered for a solution.
Thinking it over, there was only one way to quickly exterminate the rumors of him dating Yang Chan.
There's a saying in medicine: fight poison with poison.
To kill a rumor, you can also use a rumor.
After making up his mind, he started organizing his words.
"Thank you, classmates, for caring about my lifelong affairs. My family, not poor, insists on a suitable match, and they have already chosen a suitable parter for me. To avoid misunderstandings, I kindly ask everyone to not play matchmaker and affect my personal matters or harm the class monitor's reputation. Please, for the sake of our five-year friendship, refrain from spreading rumors so we can put an end to this."
After sending this message out, Zhou Can casually sent out a 1000 yuan luck-based red packet in the group.
First, he used a rumor to break a rumor, then scattered money to win favors.
Those who received the red packet started to speak in his favor.
"Wow, I even got an 88 yuan big red packet, thanks, Brother Can. You guys stop pairing Brother Can with anyone, he already has someone."
"I was saying, if Zhou Can really was in a relationship with the class monitor, how could there be no rumors about it? Let's not overinterpret this anymore, it's embarrassing to cause such a big misunderstanding!"
"Sorry, it was my fault for saying something irresponsible for fun. Sorry! @Zhou Can, @Yang Chan."
The first person who spread the rumor apologized right after receiving the red packet.
The farce was finally settled by Zhou Can.
"It's okay, as long as it's clear!"
Yang Chan was probably watching all along. She quickly replied to the classmate who apologized in the group.
Seeing that the issue was resolved, Zhou Can sighed with relief.
He quickly got up, washed up, helped his roommate clean the dorm, and then bid an unwilling farewell.
After arriving at the hospital, he first went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast.
Tuya Hospital has a special staff cafeteria that is inexpensive and high-quality with a variety of options. You can eat lots of delicious food without spending much.
This is actually very nice.
Of course, only hospital staff can enjoy this benefit. Patients and public individuals can only eat at the different cafeteria downstairs.
The price and food there are far different.
While eating, he looked up and saw Yang Chan who also came for breakfast.
And two female doctors were with her.
"Good morning, Class Monitor!"
Zhou Can greeted her with a smile.
"Morning!"
Her face expressionless and her tone very cold.
What's wrong with her?
Zhou Can wondered. The rumors in the group had already been quelled by him, there was no reason for her to still be upset.
In his five years as classmates, she always seemed to be a magnanimous girl.
Apart from not dating, there were hardly any faults to pick on her.
"Are you still angry about last night?"
Zhou Can casually asked.
The speaker doesn't mean it, but the listener reads between the lines.
The expressions on the two accompanying female doctors' faces immediately became ambiguous.
A young man and woman, being together at night, definitely implies a special relationship.
And only lovers would argue and get angry.
They secretly looked Zhou Can up and down.
Handsome, with an extraordinary demeanor, especially his inner confidence that added extra charm to him.
"Doctor Yang, who is this? Don't tell me he's your significant other?"
"Hehe, we'll go to buy breakfast first! You two take your time to chat!"
The two female doctors covered their mouths, stole another glance at them both, and left Yang Chan standing there.
"You idiot, Zhou Can! Can't you be careful with your words?!" Yang Chan was so angry she stomped her feet.
She blushed from shyness.
"Did I… say something wrong again?" Zhou Can looked innocent.
Thinking carefully, the words he just said could indeed lead to some wild thoughts.
"Wait for me, you two. He's just an ordinary classmate of mine. The one he's going to marry is a rich girl well-matched in social status, I am definitely not his type!"
She glared fiercely at him and chased after her two female colleagues.
Zhou Can was somewhat puzzled.
The hearts of women, needles at the bottom of the sea.
Why does it sound like she took to heart what he said in the group about matching social status?
Even if her family background is average, there's no need to care so much!
If it's not clear, then forget about it.
Rushed to the Emergency Department for work.
Yesterday, he earned quite a lot of medical experience points, and today is a brand new day.
The gains should be no less than yesterday.