Chapter 4

Returning to Jiangcheng University.

Lu Chen had just returned to the dormitory when he received another system notification.

"Congratulations, received gratitude value +1 from Yuan Hao!"

Is the system's delay this long?

It has been about half an hour since the rescue incident at the internet cafe.

Perhaps Yuan Hao has just now recovered his normal mental state, which is why the system notification was delayed.

In the system interface,

The gratitude value increased to 2!

However, the completion rate at the top of the system interface remained at 10%.

There was no change compared to before.

"It seems the completion rate has little to do with the gratitude value," Lu Chen thought.

At first, he thought that every time he received a gratitude value, the completion rate would increase accordingly.

Now it seems that is not the case.

Additionally, Lu Chen noticed another issue.

He could only see the color above each person's head when he concentrated his mental energy.

In daily life, as long as he did not deliberately observe, the colors above others' heads would not appear.

This was good, so he wouldn't always see a "tricolor world" and eventually become colorblind.

The system still had many mysterious aspects that Lu Chen couldn't fully understand.

However, he was not in a hurry; he would definitely figure out this "system" in the future!

...

Taking out the key, he pushed open the door.

Another roommate, Zhou Jie, had already returned.

"Chen, you're back. Huang Mao and Chong Ge haven't returned yet."

Seeing Lu Chen return, Zhou Jie smiled at him.

"How did the exam go?"

Lu Chen shook his head slightly and smiled bitterly, "Not good, I messed up the comprehensive exam."

Zhou Jie was somewhat surprised. In his impression, Lu Chen's grades were the best among the four roommates.

"Chen, really? Even if you did poorly, you should still have at least 380 points, right?"

"No," Lu Chen shrugged, "I estimate I got a maximum of 360 points."

"See, I told you to stay and pursue a master's degree at our school, but you insisted on not doing it," Zhou Jie said regretfully. "Our school may not be as good as Peking University, but it's still better than those second-tier medical schools!"

Zhou Jie, relying on his achievements at school, chose to pursue a master's degree at Jiangcheng University.

Originally, with Lu Chen's grades, he could have also chosen to stay and pursue a master's degree.

But he gave it up and decided to take the entrance exam for Peking University's medical school.

"I'll pay attention to the调剂 (adjustment) after the scores come out," Lu Chen said.

"But as far as I know, most top universities don't accept adjustments. For example, our school never accepts adjustment students!" Zhou Jie thought for a moment and said.

"We can only take it one step at a time," Lu Chen said helplessly.

Since the unexpected has already happened, there's no point in regretting it.

Moreover, he had gained a "system" as a result of this misfortune.

Although so far, apart from the colors, he still didn't know what the "system" was for...

A short while later,

The other two roommates also returned.

"What? Lu Chen failed the exam?"

Huang Mao and Chong Ge were equally shocked when they heard the news.

Huang Mao's real name was Huang Zhiming, but he was nicknamed "Huang Mao" because of his yellow hair.

Chong Ge's real name was Wu Chong, and he was the oldest in the dorm.

Moreover, every night, Huang Mao, who slept next to him, always felt that Wu Chong's bed was shaking wildly.

So, everyone respectfully called him "Chong Ge"!

"Chen, don't be too upset. If it doesn't work out, you can always try again next year!" Chong Ge patted Lu Chen's shoulder, trying to comfort him, "With your ability, getting into Peking University's medical school should be a piece of cake, right?"

"Chong Ge is right!" Huang Mao chimed in.

In daily life, Huang Mao often hung out with Wu Chong, and they were like two peas in a pod.

"Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think," Lu Chen smiled, "I already have a plan."

He didn't want to take the exam again. If his headache flared up during the exam, he would waste another year.

"That's good." Hearing this, the other three roommates were relieved.

"To comfort Chen's wounded heart, let's go for some skewers tonight!" Chong Ge suggested.

Wu Chong's parents did some small business in Jiang-Zhe.

Compared to other ordinary students, his family's financial condition was relatively good.

"Great!" Huang Mao immediately smiled and hurried to Wu Chong, "Chong Ge is a big spender, it's time to treat us!"

Chong Ge looked at Lu Chen, seeking his opinion.

Lu Chen, thinking there was nothing else to do, smiled and nodded, "I have no objections."

"Alright, everyone, see you tonight."

"Chong Ge, can we bring our significant others?" Zhou Jie laughed.

In five years of university, only Zhou Jie had a girlfriend, and he had moved out of the single dog group.

"Sure!"

The overall atmosphere in the dorm was good.

In five years, they had developed a deep friendship through daily interactions.

Wu Chong's family was well-off, and although his academic performance was only average, he successfully applied to a medical school in the United States through his family's connections.

Zhou Jie chose to stay and pursue a master's degree at the university.

Huang Mao, like Lu Chen, chose to take the entrance exam for another school's graduate program.

However, Huang Mao's grades were not good enough for a direct admission, so he had to take the exam.

Lu Chen, on the other hand, wanted to get into Peking University's medical school, the holy land of all Chinese medical students!

Medicine was a highly competitive field.

Not to mention the abundance of Ph.D. students, there were plenty of master's students as well.

Undergraduates could only work in secondary hospitals, and even county-level hospitals required a master's degree.

Therefore, more than 90% of medical students chose to pursue a master's degree after graduation.

...

In the afternoon,

Lu Chen received a call from his mother.

"Lu Chen, I remember you finished your exam today, right?"

As soon as the call connected, Luo Meizhen asked tentatively.

"Mom, you actually remember I had an exam today? That's quite something!" Lu Chen was speechless.

"Haha, of course I remember your big day," Luo Meizhen coughed awkwardly, "Tell me, how did it go?"

"Not good, my headache flared up again. I probably won't get in," Lu Chen said.

"Ah! Really? That's great!" Luo Meizhen's tone was excited, with no hint of sadness.

Lu Chen: "..."

Is this my real mom?!

"Sweetheart, your dad and I are waiting for you to come back," Luo Meizhen beamed, "Your dad has already spoken to the director of the central hospital. You can sign a contract with the hospital whenever you return."

"Mom, don't misunderstand, I meant..."

Before Lu Chen could finish, Luo Meizhen interrupted, "It's settled then! I'll tell your dad the good news!"

"Mom, I..."

"Beep beep beep..."

Lu Chen listened helplessly to the busy signal on the phone.

He actually wanted to say that he might not get into Peking University's medical school, but he could still get into another school!

Lu Chen knew that because he was an only child, his parents didn't want him to be too far away.

If he really got into Peking University's medical school, he might only be able to come home once or twice a year!

As the saying goes, "While parents are alive, one should not travel far."

But, "If one must travel, one should have a plan."

Lu Chen always adhered to the latter part.

He had never even left the province!

The world was so big, and he really wanted to see it!

"I'll talk to my parents after the results come out," Lu Chen thought.

...

University campuses never lacked for food.

Almost every university campus had a food street at the back gate.

Jiangcheng University was no exception.

Especially at night, you could find all kinds of local specialties on the food street next to Jiangcheng University.

As night fell,

The dorm mates, as agreed, gathered at the back gate of Jiangcheng University.

There were five of them:

The four roommates, and Zhou Jie brought his girlfriend.

Perhaps because of the exams, the food street was particularly busy today.

The smell of various barbecues, hotpots, and desserts mixed in the air, making everyone's mouths water.

"Wow, it's packed!"

They arrived at their usual barbecue place, but it was full inside and out.

"Let's try another one," Chong Ge said helplessly, "It seems everyone had the same idea, to relax after the exam."

"I know of a barbecue place on the old street," Huang Mao suggested suddenly.

"How is it?" Chong Ge glanced at Huang Mao.

"I haven't been there, but I heard from Li in the next dorm that it's pretty good and reasonably priced."

"Let's go there then!"

Without any better options, they headed to the barbecue place Huang Mao mentioned.

This barbecue place was a bit far from Jiangcheng University's food street.

They walked for about ten minutes and found the hidden barbecue place in the corner of the old street.

The place was called Qilin Barbecue, run by a couple.

The owner was busy grilling, and the owner's wife was serving the customers.

There were not many customers, and the inside room was empty, with only two tables outside.

Each table had about three to five young people.

"Hey, handsome and beautiful, what would you like to eat?"

The owner, a middle-aged man, called out to Lu Chen and the others while working at the grill.

"There's a menu on the table, you can take a look!" The owner's wife came out from the inside room and invited them to sit down.

They found an empty table outside.

Lu Chen looked at the menu.

Lamb skewers: 2 yuan each.

Pork skewers: 2 yuan each.

...

The meat here was really cheap!

"Barbecue is best enjoyed at a street stall!" Huang Mao laughed, "Eating skewers and drinking some beer, that's the life!"

"Stop dilly-dallying, order your skewers quickly," Chong Ge laughed and scolded, "If more people come, we'll have to wait even longer!"

"Twenty lamb skewers!"

"Twenty beef skewers!"

"Give us some shrimp, grilled eggplant, soybeans, and peanuts."

"Add some kidneys and scallions!" Zhou Jie added with a smile.

"Would you like something to drink, handsome and beautiful?" The owner's wife asked.

"Let's start with a pitcher of beer."

"Sure thing!" She noted down their order and smiled, "Please wait a moment, I'll finish the skewers for the next table and then start yours."

The barbecue place was a bit remote, and even though it was dinnertime, there were only three tables of customers.

"When are you leaving for the U.S., Chong Ge?"

While waiting for the skewers, they started chatting.

"Probably in four or five months, after we get our graduation certificates," Chong Ge laughed, "Actually, I'm not too keen on going abroad, but my parents are forcing me to get a degree and come back."

"Going abroad for a degree is great," Zhou Jie said enviously, "Now, provincial top hospitals only want overseas Ph.D.s. Forget about us undergraduates, even master's students from top schools can't get in."

"True, other majors don't value degrees as much as medicine."

"With a bachelor's degree in medicine, you can only work in a small county hospital."

There was no way around it; the medical field was highly competitive.

...

While they were chatting, the skewers for the other two tables arrived.

"Owner's wife, when will our skewers be ready?" Huang Mao called out.

"Almost done, just five more minutes!"

The owner's wife said apologetically.

No wonder there weren't many customers here.

First, the location was remote, and second, the service was a bit slow.

"I've been feeling a bit dizzy lately," Huang Mao suddenly pressed his neck and massaged it, "Probably because of the exams and staying up late."

"Now that the exams are over, get some rest," Lu Chen smiled.

Hearing Huang Mao's words, Lu Chen subconsciously focused his attention and looked at his head.

Green!

According to the previous logic, green represented a healthy state.

This meant Huang Mao should be fine.

Lu Chen casually glanced at the colors above the others' heads.

Zhou Jie was green!

Chong Ge was yellow!

It seemed he should remind Chong Ge to go to bed early and take care of his health!

"Owner, give us another twenty lamb skewers!"

At that moment, a young man at the next table called out to the owner.

"Sure, just a moment," the owner responded quickly.

Lu Chen then noticed the young people at the next table.

What he saw was shocking!

At the next two tables, everyone's heads were red!

Under the dim streetlights, the rows of red were particularly eye-catching!